The Streetwear Brand Discussing Sustainability and Culture

Launched in early 2021, emerging London-based streetwear label ‘Bad Kid Good City’ is a brand that has managed to define the balance between simplicity and quality craftsmanship. Established by Josh Ford, the collections provide a range of essential garments displayed in a myriad of tonal colourways. 

Daniel Justin (Left), Josh Ford (Right)

For their first collaboration, BKGC (Bad Kid Good City) works alongside the newly appointed design agency ‘Design House Eight’, founded by graphic designer Daniel Justin, an agency that looks to bridge the gap between design and art by splitting itself into the parts ‘Design House Eight’ representing the agency and ‘Crazy 8’ representing the artistic side. 

Their latest project, titled ‘Everything Is Trash’ continues the conversation surrounding poor practices within fast fashion through the lens of the two collaborators' backgrounds growing up in a first-generation immigrant household in the UK in which they’d be taught not to waste unwanted items whether it be food, clothing etc.

This has been cleverly reflected within the ‘Everything Is Trash’ collection in which the duo have taken old stock and samples of clothing and repurposed them into new items as opposed to disposing of them - as is usually the case within fast fashion brands.

To understand the importance of this decision, we need to highlight the effect the fashion industry has on the environment. An article posted by ‘good on you’, a site dedicated to recording brands’ environmental impact as well as highlighting sustainable practices, published that around 92 million tons of textile waste are created annually. Furthermore, textile waste is to increase by around 60% between 2015 and 2030 meaning that around 148 million tons will be created. 

The effect of this waste can and will be catastrophic if it continues to increase. However, practices such as the one Ford and Justin are utilising in their collection can be a small but key stepping stone to tackling this. 

In conjunction with sustainable practices, reusing and recycling stock, the duo are looking at the project through the lens of their upbringing. When discussing the collection they say: 

“Growing up in a first-generation immigrant household with Jamaican/African parents, there are two things you never throw away - food and clothes. This is something we know many other diaspora can relate to, and why the collaboration made sense. It’s one for the culture.”

While this is the first drop within the collaboration, the initiative will be ongoing featuring further drops. The first collection features a limited edition selection of BKGS pieces alongside one-off items. Each item from the collaboration will feature a patch stitched onto the garment to further push the ecological narrative, reading: 

“Explore the world in me. Stop doing fashion and wear me where we’re not allowed. Wear me more than once. Wear me out. Wear me down. And then wear me again”

Shop the Bad Kid Good City x Design House Eight x Crazy 8 ‘Everything is Trash’ collaborative project now at: www.badkidgoodcity.com.