What’s it all about? - The story behind our ranges
In this world of mass consumerism and throw away culture you could be led to believe that brands will tell you anything just to sell their products to you. Well that’s probably true, but when it comes to KING Apparel we’re all about the genuine details from start to finish. As a completely Independent brand, everyone involved has a true passion for what we do and this goes right down to how we concept the clothes and the reasons for why we name and design the things we do.
So, we thought It would be a good idea to show you guys the stories behind why what you wear looks like it does and why its called what it is. Why is the Defy range called that? Why does the LDN collection feature a wasp? What is Selvedge Denim? Well, read on to find out the reasons behind these questions and more!
COVERT RANGE
The Covert range made its debut in the Autumn Winter 2007 collection in response to the increase in surveillance and the virtual witch-hunt against British youth. Covert was chosen as the name to represent the attempts to avoid being ‘watched’ on a round the clock basis. On this tip a ‘security camera’ all-over swatch was designed to adorn the street-driven garments of the range, with the full tracksuits and matching fitted caps being eaten up by the hungry fashion public. The Covert range was launched again recently for AW09 with a brand new all-over swatch design incorporating missiles, grenades and other military insignia which is more reflective of the current issues on the minds of young individuals.
DEFY RANGE
The Defy (pronounced D-FY) range is one of the most popular and synonymous of KING Apparel ranges. The Defy was originally concepted to appeal to the sensibilities of an affected and faceless British youth, to draw out the individuality in everyone. The name was drawn from the word ‘Defiance’ against the idea of becoming another fashion clone. We used the original ‘barcode’ graphic as a symbol of anonymity but in a multitude of bright colours to extol the idea of breaking from the crowd as a unique individual. Ever wondered what the numbers in the barcode mean? Well 30.07.03 is the date that the first ever King product went into a store and the following digits represent the season of that range e.g. SS07 is Spring/Summer 2007. The Defy barcodes have since been expanded into more diverse and intricate designs and across all types of garments to lead to the styles that you now see today.
DELUXE RANGE
The Deluxe range is most famous for the use of the King ‘Loyalty’ logo. The logo featuring a Man and a Staf Bull Terrier dog has been open to much misinterpretation over the years, with New Era even banning the use of the logo on their caps due to fears of it being associated with ‘dangerous’ dogs?!!? The Loyalty logo was actually designed to embody the bond between man and dog and the position of the Staffordshire Bull terrier as an institution in British youth culture. It has been one of the most popular logos designed by King and is still in use today, most notably as an alternative to the famous ‘RL Polo’ logo on our polo shirts.
EXPLORER RANGE
When concepting out the Explorer range the main consideration was to create a premium line that used the most superior fabrics and embellishment techniques of all of the ranges. Out of this edict was born the idea of the Explorer, a broad enough concept which would allow us to play around with landscapes, natural elements, animals etc. Essentially a limitless palette which could create great imagery. With these ideas combined, the Explorer range was born – full seat landscape embroideries on jeans, full chest prints on t-shirts, graphic explosions on the back of tracktops, and intricately embroidered cap designs.
HERITAGE RANGE
The Heritage range was conceived as the range to personify classic yet subtle British style. Clean and simple use of colours, regal motifs and elegant script and typography work affording each garment an inherently sophisticated feel, whilst the garments themselves could be worn just as easily in the members clubs as on the street. Running since the Spring Summer 2007 season it is a range that still features to this day and will always cater for those looking for a little more refinery in their wardrobe.
ID RANGE
When deciding upon a range that would be perfect for those that truly wanted to represent the King brand, the name ID just fitted perfectly. Graphically the concepts were to be kept simple. Bold use of the King branding on basic colours that are directly associated with the brand. The concept has been taken creatively one step further for SS09 with the use of the fingerprint graphic across the range. The image of the one thing that is unique to all of our identities is blown up on the chest of t-shirts, hoodies and caps affording individuality whilst keeping your street game tight.
KHAMELEON RANGE
Probably one of the cleverest ranges released as part of the SS08 collection if we do say so ourselves! The range was centered around the 2in1 summer jacket. Comprising a lightweight technical shell and cotton twill jacket, the two jackets could be separated or pieced together on the fly with a unique combination of zips and buttons. The colours could also be interchanged depending on your mood and to directly match the cap and t-shirts. Finished with a transparent ‘skin’ print and embroideries on the shell and cap the Khameleon idea was born.
PATRIOT RANGE
This one was kind of obvious when we thought of it, but sometimes it’s the simple ideas that turn out to work the best! Being a UK streetwear label and appealing to UK streetwear customers it only seemed natural to represent our heritage and show everyone that we were proud of our British roots. We began by designing an all over ‘random’ print of maps of Britain framed by the British coastline in a running stitch. This quickly developed over the years to include British maps made of small cross hairs and more recently incorporated into a hexagonal graphic swatch. It is a concept that has limitless possibilities and there are sure to be more Patriot variations featured in future seasons.
PRESTIGE RANGE
The Prestige range is probably the most famous and recognisable of the KING Apparel ranges. The Lion head logo is a registered King Apparel trademark and was designed with the thought of creating a cutting edge image that was both timeless and distinctive and which embodied the strength of the KING brand. The Prestige name really symbolised the idea of the superiority of the KING brand that we wished to reflect. It is a range that has been there from the start and is still as popular as ever, with the Lion device being applied to everything from New Era caps, tracksuits, jackets, t-shirts and belt buckles.
PURSUIT RANGE
Featuring for the first time in the Autumn/Winter 2006 collection the Pursuit range took inspiration from army issue maps, featuring the contour lines for varying heights of elevation. These were applied across the matching cap, denims, t-shirt and crew jumper combined with gun targets and helicopters to critical acclaim. Two years later and the Pursuit made a triumphant return for AW08 with the contour lines applied in all-over gunmetal running stitch embroideries and earth tone print patterns. Until this day this design concept still stands out as one of the most original and unique and to our knowledge has not been utilised by any other brand. That’s individuality right there!
STEALTH RANGE
A development from the original Device range of AW05, the Stealth range has become a staple favourite of many King fans. The name Stealth was born out of the idea of creating an all-over up to date army camouflage pattern, using modern graphical elements that could be applied to life in today’s urban centres. The classic arrow graphic of the Device range was a perfect tool to utilise and the pattern has been manipulated in several ways since. This includes a 3-D interpretation in SS07, integrated camo outlines in SS08 and back to front swatches for SS09. To this end the Stealth continues to be one of the most diverse ranges out there and it’s our promise to deliver the striking yet subtle garms of the Stealth range long into the future. Keep your eyes peeled!
LDN (LONDON’S DIVERSE NATIVES)
Launched in the Summer of 2005 the ‘LDN’ range from King Apparel made an unprecedented impact on the UK street wear scene quickly evolving into a comprehensive brand tailored exclusively for discerning streetwear connoisseurs. Much like the main King Apparel ranges, pieces for the LDN sub brand are manufactured in limited runs, in this case just 250 pieces with strictly no repeats. There are also specific design concepts that run throughout the LDN collection that tie in all of the ranges. The LDN acronym obviously stands for London, but it is also associated with the ‘London’s Diverse Natives’ slogan – a representation of the diverse cultures, creeds and ethnicities that comprise the heaving population of the one of the world’s foremost cities. The ‘Star’ device is another design that also embodies this sentiment, the points of the stars representing the depth and spread of cultures throughout the capital. And what about the Wasp? When considering what insect best reflects the inhabitants of urban centres the wasp was perfect. A hardy, colonizing creature that takes no prisoners and has no known predators. The kind of personality that is needed to survive the London life.
KING NEW ERA CAPS
Little known fact but KING Apparel were the first independent brand worldwide to work with New Era Cap on their 5950 fitted model. In this time we have built a strong bond with New Era, so much so that we have been able to and continue to apply specialized and exclusive design modifications to the classic 5950. We are the only independent brand to add a headphone flap with ear bud storage to a cap; the only brand to release a flannel cap with removable ear flaps; the only brand to add secret stash pockets and the only brand to apply a summer specific all over eyelets design to every cap panel. We continue to make our caps in limited numbers with strictly no repeats so you know that you are buying not only top end streetwear but a little bit of history too.
KING DENIM
The development of King denim started back in 2006 and has gone on to become one of the lynchpins of the brand. We started by offering just a classic cut in two styles, which went down a storm. The detailing of our denim has always been of the utmost importance so you can always expect to see trims and embellishments in our jeans that you won’t find in any other brand. Naturally, as our designs and numbers increased we had to find other suppliers and after a minor issue in maintaining our popular low rise crotch, classic cut we have refined the jean styles to exactly how we want them. We now offer a straight leg cut to complement the classic cut and always put out at least 5 new styles per season.
One thing you will notice about King denim is that we do not stick to the industry standard single pocket embroidery design on all styles. We will retain certain details throughout which are distinctive to King but we always like to offer at least 4-5 different jean designs per season, so that you can rock as many King jeans as you want but always look different.
We also now offer several styles in a selvedge finish. Why are these more expensive you ask? Well, you get what you pay for and it couldn’t be truer than in this instance. Selvedge denim is the original authentic denim. The main difference between selvedge and standard denim is that selvedge is woven using a shuttle loom machine, as opposed to a projectile loom for standard denim. This means that one continuous thread is used for the crossthread (the weft), thus making smooth edges for the fabric. It’s a more time-consuming process, resulting in a tighter-woven, non-fraying, heavier denim of superior long lasting quality. Our selvedge denim weighs in at 13.5oz and is always presented in its original unwashed raw state giving that authentic original appearance.
KING T-SHIRTS
We stand by the testament that our T-shirts cannot be rivaled in terms of their design, cut, construction and longevity. We have been developing our t-shirts since day one and went through at least seven sampling stages until we got the t-shirts down to exactly how we wanted them. We produce on 230gm combed cotton, with a cut and sew side seam construction. All trimmings are customised from the neck taping, to neck labels, size labels, sleeve embroideries and hem labels. With a cold wash and drip drying these badboys will outlast virtually every other t-shirt in your wardrobe.
CONNECT HOODIE
The Connect Hoodie is the terminology used for the Hoodie that we have released several times in previous seasons, which comes with a technical removable hood. The hood zips on and off at the rear, with press studs along the front and a Velcro adjustable lapel covering the lower face. You may not have heard the term ‘Connect’ before as its used in house for development, but it has featured in the Defy range several times and is set for release again in the Bionic range for Autumn/Winter 2009. The first release of the Connect hoodie goes back to A/W06 when a black and banana yellow Defy version was released. It was then released again on the Defy for AW07, with a design mod Defy version in the AW08 season. The hood construction was also used on the technical Prestige down jacket of the same season. One of the most technical and well constructed of garments, it’s well worth keeping your eyes out for future Connect Hoodie releases.
If there are any other ranges that you would like to see featured above or if you have any other questions about the design concepts behind the King Apparel lines, then just send us an email to store@king-apparel.com and we’ll get straight back to you.