VLONE is back under new management

VLONE has relaunched under an enigmatic new direction, after severing all ties with its founder and sex offender A$AP Bari. The streetwear brand will try to regain its success with a new perspective.

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The label founded in 2011 by A$AP Bari together with A$AP K became very popular among hip-hop fans, as artists such as Drake, Ye or A$AP Rocky often wore their clothes, with their recognizable “V” logo. VLONE continued to level up by launching limited editions and collaborations with other brands, including OFF-WHITE™ by Virgil Abloh.

In 2017, the brand staged a runway show during Paris Fashion Week including a major collaboration with Nike, which led to its record-breaking run. But it was in that same year when a video of Bari surfaced in which he appeared to be sexually assaulting a woman in a London hotel. At the time he denied the events describing the video as misleading, but two years later he pleaded guilty to sexual assault charges.

The brand ended its relationship with Bari in October last year. “We will not engage in any unreasonable behavior associated or related to Jabari ‘Younglord’ Shelton,” VLONE shared on Instagram. “He has no authority to style himself as ‘Mr. Vlone,’ wear or license VLONE – this behavior is contrary to our collective.”

Now, the brand is relaunching without Bari under mysterious management with the purpose of reviving its former glory. VLONE officially launched on April 21 with its “Brick by Brick” collection, referencing its own situation in which it is trying to rebuild itself brick by brick. “In the new era of VLONE, our brand will welcome distinctive creatives who challenge the norm and inspire the willing as we build our fashion house together, one brick at a time,” the team wrote on the brand’s website.

In terms of apparel, the collection includes oversized T-shirts with the famous “V,” distressed hoodies and baggy sweatpants, as well as black jackets and jeans.