Featured image: Instagram/@bobbyhundreds
The recently concluded ComplexCon 2017 (November 4-5) was a hectic affair. Nike dropped the AF100 Air Force 1 collaboration series, and many other brands timed product releases around the ComplexCon weekend, resulting in huge crowds and chaos.
Inspired by what he witnessed, Bobby Hundreds (Bobby Kim) aired his views on Instagram in an album format. Here are five things we learned about ComplexCon 2017 through the eyes of Kim.
1) “Disneyland on a blackout day”
In his post, Bobby said that ComplexCon has gone from an “Agenda meets Comic Con” last year to “Disneyland on a blackout day” this year. He feels that people are not attending for any meaningful reason in particular. He wrote that post-ComplexCon 2016, he “left exhausted, but inspired”; this year, he left “dispirited and confused”.
2) “What’s going on here and what exactly is the point?”
At one point Kim admits that streetwear brands, and street culture as a whole, has successfully garnered the attention of the youths, but, he asks, “where are we taking them?”
3) “Are we building, folks?”
As the sneaker releases were reaching a fever pitch at ComplexCon with “grown men breaking down plexiglass walls for sneakers”, news about the Texas church shooting was finally getting through to people’s phones at the event venue with “cutty WiFi”. While people were wreaking havoc for sneakers, “5-year-olds were getting shot in church”, said Bobby.
4) Chaos is not constructive
“Chaos isn’t F U N — it’s bewildering,” Kim states. He writes that chaos signifies a breakdown in culture – a sobering reminder that the pursuit of culture should go beyond money and commercialism.
5) All we have is “Love and Lore”
In the third last frame, Kim says that when the streetwear trend fades, and reselling isn’t a thing anymore, all people will be left with is “Love and Lore”. A romanticization of the subculture or the truth of the matter?
The answers will seemingly be explored through a “meaning [sic] event” event organized by Kim and a few “important friends”, he teases in the final frame. According to the post, it’ll take place in January 2018 in LA.
Bobby Hundreds on ComplexCon 2017: harsh or truth? Share your thoughts in the comments below.