Czarface - Meet the Antihero

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT KIND OF SOCKS A SUPERHERO WEARS? 🤔

I’ve spent more time thinking about this than I should admit to.  To find an answer to this world changing question I called the most knowledgeable super hero expert I know.  His name is Seamus Ryan, aka Esoteric, of the hip hop super group CZARFACE.    

He told me they only wear Nike Elite’s…. Shit!….

That settled it, my new mission was to change this once and for all.  I want superheros, rappers, DJs, teachers, kids, bankers, and pretty much everyone to wear The Cleanest Socks on the Planet….Arvin Goods.  

When I was talking to Seamus, I learned that CZARFACE was finalizing a new album with Ghostface from the Wu Tang Clan, called CZARFACE MEETS GHOSTFACE, and I suggested that we do a Czarface x Arvin Goods sock, aka the CZARVIN.  We created a special 3 piece collection of socks, which is the first character driven product we have produced at Arvin Goods.  

You can buy them now here arvingoods.com, czarface.bigcartel.com, and we partnered with retailer Zumiez to also carry in stores and on zumiez.com.

CZARFACE is a collective consisting of Esoteric, DJ 7L, and Inspectah Deck (of the Wu Tang Clan).  All visual art and direction is given by the infamous Lamour Supreme. 

I sat down with Seamus to to get the back story of Czarface, check it out here:

AG: How did Czarface come to be?
 

ES: The creation of Czarface in 2011 or so was something that came out of the desire to satisfy cravings for everything I loved: hip-hop, comics, and my son. We were able to join forces with Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck and make a record together, but if we were going to put our all into it, it had to stand out and be something special. The goal is always doing what you love...so if we could make records we were proud of, that we had fun making, and spin it into something bigger...something broader, by having this fictional character you could visualize, that symbolizes the music....he could plant a flag in the hip-hop world and aid us in capturing some imaginations. That was the plan.   

AG: How did you come to the visual reality of the character?  

ES: I had a few conversations with Lamour about what I wanted Czarface to look like, and then he went to work and really ramped up my idea to create what we have gracing our record covers and comics today. 

 
AG: Who is your favorite Comic Book Character, and your favorite MC, and how did that influence this idea?
 

ES: If I had to pick a favorite superhero, it's Spider-Man....I could rattle off several obscure characters, maybe much edgier and more conflicted ones, but truthfully, Spidey is the guy that I've related to, and has occupied me the most. EPMD is probably my number one influence in the hip-hop realm, and when Deck and I trade-off with verses on Czarface records, it is EPMD I'm trying to channel. The dialogue between hip-hop and comics has been a fruitful one, inspiring artists in both genres...Marvel recruited us to make music for their Black Panther comic, and I wrote an X-Men story recently. Connecting the two worlds much earlier was Bill Sienkiewicz, who made landmark contributions towards the legacies of Moon Knight, Elektra, and the New Mutants and then creating EPMD's third album cover, which is arguably their best. The two worlds speak very similar languages. 

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For me personally as a verified rap nerd, and sock enthusiast I can tell you that this is one of my favorite projects we have done.  The opportunity to connect the Arvin Goods followers to the Czarface community, and also share the Arvin Goods story, and mission to a new fanbase like this is very exciting.

I want to thank the Czarface team for the opportunity, and I hope you all love what we have created.  Your audible, and visual senses will be fully stimulated by this project, and now, your feet will be (sustainably) comfortable as well. 

 

 

 

February 14, 2019 — Dustin Winegardner
Tags: #friendofthepeople collaboration czarface esoteric wu-tang clan
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