Everyday we’re blasted with content on our phones and a lot of us, including myself, can’t resist. It’s this informational clutter that can make small projects at Mojave seep into the background. Our approach hasn’t always been the most straight forward or consistent, so now is the time to flesh out our work more even if it just starts with news updates on this site. So here goes the first about our Post-Winter 2019 hoodies:

For Winter 2019, we wanted to make a signature hoodie, cut and sewn from heavy-weight french terry for those sub-zero LA temperatures. Cruz and Andy, materials sourcing aficionados, found some amazing quality french terry around a year ago. During the material’s storage, some of the black dye became dulled out due to sun exposure. The “off-black” color was unique and felt true to our visual taste-buds. In terms of cut and sew work, we fortunately have our family-friend, Jorge, to rely on. He’s a skilled pattern maker in DTLA who has enabled us to do small quantity orders of cut and sew pieces. We love working with him not only for this reason, but also because it ensures that quality work is done here on domestic soil.

The Mojave Archival Specialist Team used Acne Studios and Pro-Club hoodies as reference pieces to get the right fit. Using the two together with our own adjustments for a slightly-cropped and boxy fit, gave it a practical yet tailored characteristic. Bungee chord and pro-clips were used as an alternative to elastic cotton at the waist of the hoodie. This baby sprinkle of Nike ACG-inspired utility further made this a complete garment. Additional features are olive-contrast stitching and a double-lined hoodie for extra head-top protection.

The front embroidery features an experimental logo and the tagline, “A successful rendezvous is singularity”. I think experimenting with type for Mojave captures how we operate as a group; mixing different typefaces with different weights can communicate our lack of cohesiveness. However, harmoniously combining them, shows there is a method to our madness. The tagline is somewhat ambiguous and its interpretations are plural. But at the end of the day, we interpreted a singularity as a feeling of completeness instead of the scientific meaning, an infinitely dense point in space time. Overall, we’re just trying to say that the best times in life are when we spend them with those that make us feel complete.

The screen-printed design on the back of the hoodie features a bitmapped image of the LAX Theme Building and the title, “Existential Fantasizers”. Using this specific mid-century building alludes to a time when the nation was infatuated with space age and industrial progress. Designed by Paul R. Williams, this architectural style puts fantasy into existence. This relates to Mojave’s constant pondering of its purpose and function: ever since our vague establishment in 2016, we’ve always fantasized about how Mojave will materialize. Furthermore, Julian and I grew up in Westchester, right next to the LAX airport. The Theme Building was always the standout in the area considering it looked like a damn UFO. I feel like growing up in Westchester made for a sort of free-thinking approach to life. Surrounded by small circles of friends and airplane noises that would become very comforting, I was blessed to grow up in a peaceful environment that still had solid connectedness to the rest of LA. I’m happy that personal meaning was integrated into this overall design.

The Post-Winter 2019 hoodies will be available in the upcoming weeks. It’s taken a long time to put this together, but we’re happy with the quality features and attention to detail that have gone into these earthly garms.

Thank you to all friends and family of Mojave who keep updated with our slow-cooked concepts.

- Nick Imbriale

[ Edited by Michael Velasquez ]

Updates

Behind the Design: Existential Fantasizer Hoodies