2Bop started in 2004 as a wayto turn a passion for classic video games into a form of expression
2 Bo p d r aws i n s pi r ati o n pri ma ri ly fro m ga m es that were po pu l a r i n So u t h A f r i ca at co r n e r s h o ps a n d a rca d es i ...
2 Bo p d r aws i n s pi r ati o n pri ma ri ly fro m ga m es that were po pu l a r i n So u t h A f r i ca at co r n e r s h o ps a n d a rca d es i n th e1980 ’s a n d ea rly 1990 ’s w h e n ga m e play was ke y an d gra ph i cs i f th ey were goo d were a n a d d e d b o n u s. D i sa dvan tage d ar e as du ri n g a pa rth ei d South A fri ca ha d l ittl e to o f f e r i n te r ms o f e xpos u r e to cutti n g edge i nternati o na l d esi gn o r co m p u t e r tec h n o logy b ut th e b ootl eg a rca d e ga m es that used twenty cen t p i ec es
2Bop started in 2004 as a wayto turn a passion for classic video games into a form of expression (a 2 Bo p) to play at th e co rn er sh o p were a wi n dow i nto what was hap p e n i n g i n th e outs i d e wo r ld. Th ese ga m es gra nted access to excel l ent el ect ro n i c e n te rtai n m e n t an d exposed th e 2Bo p crew to i ntu itive a n d en gag i n g i n t e r face d es i gn , gam e d esi gn , gra ph i c a n d sou n d d esi gn pri ma ri ly f ro m Ja pa n an d N o rth Am e r i ca. A n d so bega n a lo n g fasci nati o n with th e m e d i u m that sh ows n o si gns o f sto p p i n g
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2 Bo p ' s c re ati v e v is i o n i s to co n ti n u e to pro duce prem i u m street wea r i n s pi re d by v i d eo gam e cu ltu r e i n gen era l but a lso d raws i nspi rati o n speci f i ca l ly f ro m th e arcad e gam e an d co rn er sh o p scen e i n South A fri ca . Th is i n s pi rati o n e xte n ds to th e as s oc iated attitu d e , sty l e th e l a n guage a n d t h e m u s i c as s o c i ate d w i th th i s e r a.
T h e ph ras e “ F utu r e N ostalg i a” s u ms u p 2Bo p ' s visi o n . W e c re ate a b r an d e xpe r i e n ce that peo pl e rea l ise is so m eth i n g specia l i n t h e pres e n t an d wi ll loo k back o n with n osta lg ia i n th e futu re . Th e ph ras e als o s pe a ks to ou r o b s es s i o n with vi d eo ga m e cu ltu re a n d street wea r h e ritag e a n d h ow w e d r aw o n th is fo r i nspi rati o n a n d rei nterpret it i n a way th at s pe aks to ou r d es i gn s ensi bi l iti es, n ot just d rawi n g o n n osta lg ia b u t e x pres si n g co n te m po rary an d futu re d esi gn tren ds.
Ou r c re ativ e v i s i o n als o d r aws o n ex pressi n g pri d e i n loca l l a n guage a n d cu ltu re , pa rti cu lar ly cape tow n sl a n g a n d ex pressi o ns o n e wou l d fi n d aro u n d th e arcad e gam es at th e co rn er sto re . We do th is i n a way that is st i l l a esth e ti cally appe ali n g to so m ebo dy wh o do esn ’t u n d ersta n d th e sp ec i f i c c u ltu r al o r v i d eo gam e referen ces. A n ex a m pl e is that we get o rd e rs fo r ite m s i n ou r o n li n e sto re fro m peo pl e across th e wo rl d wh o h av e n o i d e a w hat i t i s to “s ki e t ga m es” o r what a n “ o ri g i na l l a a n i e” is but w h o res o n ate with th e d es i gn th at i n co rpo rate th ese ph rases.
M y f i rst pa rtn e r B r ad an d I b oth grew u p sk ateboa rd i n g a n d pl ay i n g ga m es an d l iste n i n g to u n d e rgrou n d h i p h o p , l ater d ru m n bass a n d m eta l (m o re
Bra d th o u g h I got i n to m e tal to so m e d egree th rough sk ate vi d eos). Th ese s u bc u ltu res an d th e i r h e r i tage , attitu d es a n d sty l es d efi n itely i n flu en c e 2 bo p a lth o ugh we do n ' t i d e n ti f y too stro n gly with a ny o n e pa rti cu l a r s u bc u ltu re e xce pt fo r r e tro ga m i n g (a lth ough we do n ' t o n ly referen ce re tro ga m i n g b ut als o s o m e co ntem po ra ry ga m es a n d we fi n d that peo pl e th at a re i n to co n te m po r ary v i d eo ga m es reso nate with retro ga m i n g ev e n i f th e y a rn ’t parti cu lar ly that passi oa nte o r k n owl edgea bl e a bout it)
O u r bra n d vi s i o n is to r e tai n a certa i n fo rm i da bl e fri en d ly fuck you atti tu d e i n te r ms o f ou r i n d e pe n d en ce a n d refusa l to fo l low o bvi ous, fas h i o n , d es i gn o r mar ke ti n g tren ds. We ' ve a lways k n own ou r pro duct wo u l d h av e i n te r n ati o n al appe a l . Th is was va l i dated by visito rs to Sout h A f ri ca a n d f ro m peo ple co m i n g across ou r site even befo re we ha d a n o n l i n e sto re an d f u rth e r vali dated with th e success o f th e o n l i n e sto re w h e n w e w e r e f i n ally ab le to o p en wh en it beca m e possi bl e to use Paypal to rec e iv e f u n ds i n S outh Af r i ca i n Ju n e 201 0.
W e ' v e be e n co llab o r ati n g w ith a rtists, ph otogra ph ers a n d d esi gn ers lo ca l ly a n d i n te r n ati o n ally wh ose wo rk we fi n d i nspi ri n g a n d wh o we k n ow res o n ate stro n gly w i th th e b ran d. Th is has a l lowed us to i n crease th e s c o pe o f o u r cr e ati v e output, ad d d iversity to th e bra n d a n d gra nt us ac c es s to t h es e co llab o r ato rs ' n etwo rks. Ou r co l l a bo rative proj ect is ca l l e d “ pl aye r I I ” an d is b r an d ed with specia l ised tags o n th ese items e x pl a i n i n g th e proj ect an d wh o th ese co l l a bo rato rs a re with a l i n k th ei r w e bs i te .
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O n e o f th e th e mai n r e as o n s fo r sta rti n g 2bo p was th e i d ea o f creati n g a b r a n d a lo n g th e i d e a o f hav i n g an i mag i na ry best fri en d. We created so m et h i n g th at w e wis h e d e xi ste d an d wa nted to see peo pl e wea ri n g a rou n d us a n d wa n te d to cr e ate a cu ltu r e o f peo pl e wh o a ppreciated what we a pprec iate d. W e i m ag i n e d walki n g i n to a sto re a n d fi n d i n g so m eth i n g that spo k e to yo u a n d i n s pi r e d you an d b le w you ' re m i n d with its fresh n ess, ha d you wo n d e ri n g w h e r e i n th e wo r ld is th is fro m? Sca n d i navia? Ja pa n? a n d th en r ea l i s i n g i ts fro m h e r e , i n s pi r e d by experi en ces h ere a n d pro duced en ti re ly lo ca lly by peo ple just li k e you. We a lso fou n d th ere was a ga p i n t h e stre e tw e ar m arke t (b oth loca l ly a n d i nternati o na l ly) wh ere we wer e n ' t i n s pi r e d by what was ava i l a bl e .
We be l i e v e th at S outh Af r i can d esi gn ca n sta n d a m o n gst th e best d esi gn i n t h e wo rl d a n d w e do n ' t b uy i n to th is ‘ i nternati o na l is better’ m enta l ity. We h av e a n d wan t to co n ti n u e to i nspi re m o re loca l l a bels a n d creative b us i n es s es to b e li e v e i n th e m s e lves a n d get sta rted.
We be l i e v e i n shar i n g i n fo r mati o n especia l ly with sta rtu ps as we ' d l i k e to p ro m ote a h e a lthy local i n dustry. We ma n u factu re a l l ou r ga rm ents lo ca l ly (e xc e pt fo r s o m e o f ou r ca ps because th e loca l ca p ma n u factu rers d o n ’t h av e th e s peciali s e d m ach i n ery n ecesa ry fo r th ese sty l es, but th ese ar e bra n d e d locally) as we ' r e fo rtu nate to be based i n Ca pe Town , a city t hat h as a l a rge poo l o f s ki lle d ma n u factu rers a n d lo n g texti l e a n d cloth i n g h e ritage . We ar e prou d to co ntri bute i n g ivi n g back to th e peo pl e an d c u ltu re t hat ar e th e i n s pi r at i o n beh i n d th e bra n d by usi n g co m pa n i es
bas e d o n th e cape f lats to man u factu re ou r ga rm ents a n d to co nti n u e to g row a n d i m prov e alo n g w i th th ese busi n esses.
T h is be l i e f i n local d es i gn als o exten ds to th e bel i ef i n th e qua l ity o f lo ca l ma n u factu r i n g . We ch os e to wo rk with ma n u factu rers wh o a re sk i l l ed a n d wh o ta k e pri d e i n th e i r wo r k. We pay pa rti cu l a r attenti o n to fi n ish i n g an d l i ttl e d e ta i ls li ke lab e lli n g s o as n ot to just be a n oth er co m pa ny usi n g a g e n e ri c t-sh i rt to pr i n t o n . W e o ffer peo pl e cl assi c wel l co nstructed we l l d es i g n e d gar m e n ts that t h ey ca n wea r fo r y ea rs a n d sti l l feel rele va n t. C u rr e n t i n te r n ati o n al t ren ds po i nt towa rds ch ea p, h i gh ly co nsu m e d t h row away fas h i o n wh i ch we do n ot wa nt to be a pa rt o f.
