Joshua Vides on Becoming a "Professional" Artist, His Streewear Hustle & Gifting LeBron His Nikes

We sat down with the CLSC founder during his recent visit to Hong Kong. HYPEBEAST [Features]( August 10, 2018 [Joshua Vides on Becoming a "Professional" Artist, His Streewear Hustle & Gifting LeBron His Nikes]( We sat down with the CLSC founder during his recent visit to Hong Kong. [Joshua Vides]( HEISON HO/HYPEBEAST Artist Joshua Vides, though he doesn’t particularly like being called one, greets us with a courteous “hey” before quickly attending back to his phone. “I’m just trying to send out my next clue,” he mischievously laughs while showing his close friend Ron his latest IG story for approval. Vides, who has dropped down into Hong Kong for his latest showcase done in collaboration with The Forest, has been meticulously placing miniature street cones all throughout the city. Dressed in Vides’ hand-painted black-and-white outfit, each cone comes marked with his signature and uniquely numbered. “15/50,” he says as he presses the upload button, waiting for one of his 125,000 Instagram followers to locate it. Born Jared Higgins, the 19-year-old from the suburbs of Chicago built his following through emo rap, yielding lyrics that touch on heartbreak and splintered feelings. While not new to hip-hop, the artist’s approach brings a sense of familiarity that heartbroken teenagers of this generation gravitate to. His records such as “Lucid Dreams,” off WRLD’s debut full-length EP 9 9 9 that dropped in June 2017, and “All Girls Are the Same,” off of his three-song EP, Nothings Different, catapulted his career. Both songs are now on the charts, with “Lucid Dreams” peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. My mom was like, ‘you’ve been doing this all your life and now people are calling you an artist? [Joshua Vides]( HEISON HO/HYPEBEAST Soon after, the shoes were spotted on James’ feet during a pregame warmup, which was followed by IG reposts from the Cavs and the NBA itself. “I was in a meeting and my phone just kept going off,” he said smiling. “When I checked my phone, it was full of mentions and congratulations.” Not only has Vides’ sneakers sparked the interest of other top players in the sports world, but he also collaborated with the likes of Takashi Murakami on a one-off project. “I knew I was gong to meet him, so I just made a pair and passed them to him in person,” he proudly says. “He was so stoked!” Besides custom sneakers, Vides has made a foray into more expansive sets, from painting cars to recently teaming up with the MLB for an exhibition featuring a self-built and self-painted locker room. Continuing down his current sports-inspired road, his latest project with The Forest features a basketball court, balls and a locker room, which have all been aptly placed in the city’s sneaker district. “Basketball has always had a huge impact on streetwear,” Vides claims. “And with the change of times, basketball is looking more towards streetwear than ever.” Alongside Vides’ small-scale homage to the sport, a collection of his sneakers, including the Supreme x Nike Air Force 1 Mid and the Virgil Abloh x Nike Air Force 1, are also displayed. [READ FULL ARTICLE ON HYPEBEAST →](   [Go To Preference Centre](     [More HYPEBEAST Features]( [[FASHION]( [7 Drops You Don't Want to Miss This Week]( [[FASHION]( [A Backstage Look at Han Kjøbenhavn’s Intricately-Patterned SS19 Showcase]( Get The App Free on iOS and Android Follow 2018 HYPEBEAST Limited. All Rights Reserved [Manage Subscriptions]( [Unsubscribe]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to HYPEBEAST's marketing emails. You can unsubscribe from us any time by clicking [here](. Our Mailing Address: HYPEBEAST, 12F, 10-16 Kwai Ting Road, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong