Vancouver 2010 Olympics’ Hip-Hop Connection

May 5th, 2009

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What does hip-hop have to do with the Vancouver 2010 Olympics? Watch this exclusive MuchMusic interview to find out. (Watch it here) You’ll also find out how a Canadian helped pioneer one of the world’s first hip-hop clothing lines. Everyone from Mary J Blige, Quentin Tarantino and Ice Cube was repping Too Black Guys back in the early ’90s. The brand’s designer and co-founder, Toronto’s Adrian Aitcheson, went on to become one of our country’s top designers. He joined Roots and created the Canadian Olympic team uniforms in 2000 and again in 2002, when he also spearheaded the U.S. team outfits. Now he’s re-launched his own line as TBG (watch this video starring former MuchMusic VJ Matte Babel), works at Canada Goose and is designing again for the Canadian team at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics with the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Here’s an excerpt from the interview VJ Sarah Taylor did with Adrian to find out how he evolved from hip-hop designer to working for the biggest runway in the world – the Olympics.

Who are the musicians right now who work with the line TBG?

Adrian Aitcheson: We have worked a lot with Mos Def, who’s absolutely phenomenal. He inspires us and he’s told us that we inspire him, so that’s incredible. We work a lot with Drake who’s a really, really talented local artist.

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In 2009, in this new political and cultural climate, what does that mean for Too Black Guys?

A: In the post-Obama era, there’s the tendency to believe that racism doesn’t exist. The perception of young, black males – whether it’s in Toronto or in the U.S. or internationally – hasn’t really changed. But there’s a feeling after Obama got elected that the U.S. elected a black man, so racism is no longer a problem. But it is. So, a lot of people are uncomfortable about these sorts of things. But the brand isn’t.

When you’re designing for the Olympics, what do you keep in mind?

A: The first thing I always think about is what the weather’s going to be like. The colours are pretty much picked for you (laughs). When the Olympics is happening and the team is walking out and they’re representing their country, they’re very emotional. It’s a big deal for them – they’ve been training, they’ve dedicated their lives to this. A whole nation is basically watching them, what’s the story you want to tell at that moment.

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You come from a hip-hop background, did you ever imagine you’d be designing for Olympics?

A: I didn’t ever imagine I’d be designing at all. To have gone through the different phases in my business and career, I’m absolutely thrilled about, but I’ve been making mistakes and landing where I land all the way up until now (laughs).

Tags: designers, olympics