The D.I.Y lifestyle promotes the ability of the ordinary person to learn to do more than he or she thought was possible. In the case of chief&mischief, they were inspired to create hand-printed T-shirts, different from the mass-market graphic tees of the time. chief&mischief's influences stretched from pop art, to music, sports, and the patterns and shapes we see in in nature and everyday objects. chief&mischief incorporated these influences into a modern T-shirt collection that demonstrated an appreciation for lasting beauty, as well as the complexity of colors, sounds, images, and ideas that can make the modern world such a beautiful, yet sometimes scary collage.
As a lifestyle brand, with roots in NYC’s D.I.Y subcultures of graffiti, stencil, and poster art, as well as punk ethos, chief&mischief draws design inspiration from the underground: there is a sense of, perhaps, slight amateur-ness, or even a little sloppiness (wabisabi?!?), but with a sheer sense of glee (tokimeki!), and feelings of rebellion all mixed with the discipline learned while taking up residence in a famed print screen in Tokyo. By silkscreening by hand, the team found joy and creativity and their own unique style by working within a set of constraints. Just as D.I.Y has made it’s mark, influencing an appreciation for the rickety, anxious, or strange, unguarded thoughts, all with a childlike spirit, chief&mischief, presents an authentic view with a hope that people will like it.
Most recently, the team has taken a similar approach with their shinrinyoku (a forest bath) collection, which continues to celebrate the wonders of the natural world and the beauty of constraints. The shinrinyoku collection reflects their move to produce goods made from sustainable resources, primarily organic cotton, upcycled materials and natural, non-toxic dyes. The hand-dyeing process results in one-of-one heirloom pieces which they hope will be appreciated by discerning world looking to consume less. From time-to-time. the team plans to revisit its roots to produce silk-screened graphic tees in limited runs.
chief&mischief: formed in NYC & Tokyo — guided by the spirit of shinrinyoku 森林浴.
