The next BAPE?
A walk around lower Manhattan a few blocks in any direction and it is almost impossible not to encounter the ubiquitous aNYthing stickers. Founded by streetwear vet Aaron Bondaroff, known to the public at large as A-Ron the Don, aNYthing (A New York Thing) is a street wear / lifestyle brand that has been bubbling on the New York underground for several years now, mainly by way of aNYthing t-shirts being worn by various in-the-know downtown New Yorkers. With the goal of re-invigorating the New York creative community by celebrating true homegrown artists (any collaborators are deemed aNYthing “Community Approved) that represent the freshest talent of today, the aNYthing brand is well on its way with the opening of its LES flagship store, or Gangstore as A-Ron refers to the retail space / personal clubhouse for the city’s up-and-coming creative talent.
Beyond just stickers and clothing ($50 t-shirts), the brand aspires to produce and distribute all things cultivated from a true New York spirit, including ‘zines, independently produced DVDs, and music. It’s hard to not see a certain parallel between the A New York Thing brand and Japanese underground brand turned pop culture phenomenon A Bathing Ape. If BAPE has established the paradigm for a successful rise from underground street brand to multi-million dollar marketing juggernaut, then aNYthing certainly seems to be following a path of greater things to come…
