Anti Social Social Club and the designer’s impromptu story

Born on October 5, 1988, Andrew Buenaflor, better known as “Neek Lurk,” is no stranger to the Internet or the ever-evolving streetwear scene. Moving to Las Vegas and studying business management at the University of Southern Nevada, Neek was frustrated by Sin City’s arid cultural landscape, spending most of his time on the internet. Was a popular member of the NikeTalk forum in its heyday (a website co-founded by Method Man and frequented by sneaker aficionados in the early to mid ’00s like DJ AM , Ben Baller and Wale), Neek has gained a following through his WDYWT (What Did You Wear Today). Neek’s look, always associated with distinctly tight jeans, patterned t-shirts, thick hair, and Nike SBs have earned him a reputation in the forum’s community — even spurred one member to create released a Neek t-shirt based on a web-based parody of the feat. Some members even went so far as to declare, “People wear tight jeans because of Yeezy. Yeezy wears tight jeans because of Neek”.

But Neek’s interests extend beyond his NikeTalk posts. His blog, “Where’s Neek,” is a jumble of thoughts, ranging from his fascination with cars to his love of Japanese porn. In fact, his self-identification as a professional social dodge formed the second half of his internet-born moniker. However, his Internet fame soon brought him out of the loop and into the spotlight. His postings didn’t stop after graduation, and concurrently with his rampant online activity, Neek landed in Stussy. While starting out as a part-timer, he quickly rose through the ranks to become general manager of the Las Vegas store and eventually to Stussy’s director of social media marketing. Neek’s relationship with Eddie Cruz, founder of Undefeated, has proven valuable in the budding but rather fierce Vegas streetwear scene. In addition to his work with Stussy, Neek will be juggling his talents on social media and guerrilla marketing campaigns for Cruz’s brand, as well as The Hundred and Fruition.

Neek eventually moved to Los Angeles around 2014 as his marketing role at Stussy grew in importance. Alone in a new city, Neek began documenting his surroundings with his Ricoh camera and posting it on his photo blog. Neek’s personal work is inspired by those raw emotions—primarily anger, loneliness, and depression—he has been quietly printing emotion-inspired clothing for years. The longtime roommate also confirmed this in early 2016, telling “No Vacancy Inn” that Anti Social Social Club isn’t even Neek’s first creation with the brand’s signature wave font.

The catalyst for Anti Social Social Club came about in late 2014 right after a girl broke Neek’s heart. In response, he designed a six-piece cap decorated with the phrase “I Miss You” on the front and the Anti Social Social Club logo above the right ear. The ASSC founder told Vice in 2016 that he had no goals or ambitions beyond the initial batch. However, when Kim Kardashian was spotted wearing the hat at NYFW just a few months after Neek created it, that’s when the ASSC trend arrow was crowned.

In 2015, Neek expanded his outfit with a photoshop mockup of his first Anti Social Social Club logo t-shirt, sold 12 on his first run, and eventually created a hoodie featuring Anti Social Social Club logo on chest. Just three weeks after its launch, Kanye West was credited with rocking the hoodie, driving the brand’s website traffic to nearly two million visitors in a single week. The infamous “Kanye Effect” drew global attention to the brand and catapulted Anti Social Social Club to the forefront of streetwear in 2015, alongside industry giants such as BAPE (who has partnered with Anti Social Social Club) and Supreme.

Neek highlights how brands are defined based on his spontaneous emotions and quick decisions: “When I post content, I don’t hesitate. For me, premonition is about following my senses and that feeling is always active,” Neek explained to Vice. “I changed my mind a lot. I get bored and make quick decisions… This brand is successful because I’m really quick. Quick decision, fast production and quick response to the internet… I’m quick with these and that’s good. My emotions happen, I reflect and think, but when it comes to making a decision, I just do what I want in the moment.” The brand presents a real-time reflection of Neek’s fluctuating moods and melancholy message that resonated with fans — authentic or ironic.

Neek channeled his thoughts into clothing with phrases like “Stay Weird,” “Mind Games,” and a later Instagram tagline, “Self Doubts,” that adorned the brand’s early collections. branded in 2015 and 2016. Social media and media presence perpetuated the “suffering” character of Anti Social Social Club, bringing followers’ feeds into the feed. with text-based posts set against a fluorescent background that read “Never Again Never You” and “Manic Depression Sadist Masochist.” Other posts ranged from pictures of lucky fans who got their hands on the clothes, to pictures of cigarette butts with captions like “Your messy world still moves me.” Social media and guerrilla marketing have always been a strong fit for Neek, and his strategy has proven to create even more exclusivity around a brand that still only prints on graphics. plain colored tees.

ASSC’s early products stemmed from the essentials: t-shirts, hoodies, hats, sweatshirts and coach jackets. Its sporadic and elusive Instagram product launches include product teasers and a few bundled giveaways—expanded to include Anti Social Social Club-branded items like license plate frames, wall outlet covers, blankets, ashtrays, pistons, and even toy porn—all to satiate the crazed fan base’s appetite for anything. have logos. With the list of celebrity universes seemingly getting bigger and bigger (Travis Scott, Wiz Khalifa, Rita Ora and G-Dragon, to name a few), it means that Anti Social Social Club merchandise has been sold. sold out in just a few minutes. The brand had skyrocketed to an unimaginable scale, and with Neek as the sole operator, order fulfillment quickly became a problem for the brand.

With all the fame that Anti Social Social Club has realized, and Neek’s Stussy’s tenure under him, brand collaboration has been swift and prolific. Capsule collections with BAPE, Cactus Plant Flea Market, Dover Street Market, Mastermind Japan, Neighborhood or the Gran Turismo video game series and luxury luggaemaker maker, Rimowa, all released within the first few years brand identity, reinforcing its diverse appeal. Pop-up stores followed suit, with the 2016 opening event being located in a Los Angeles store denoted by giant painted text, “Get Weird”. Confusing, creative marketing tactics continue to define new services, as represented by the billboards that sprung up across LA in mid-2017 with only a phone number and recognizable wavy logos. instant branding is placed on pastel pink background. Callers were rewarded with a Morse Code containing location and details for the brand’s upcoming launch.

However, starting about a year after its founding and continuing to the present, the popularity of this brand caught Neek off guard. As time went on and Anti Social Social Club grew stronger, a large portion of customers already had enough of the brand antics. Complaints about year-long shipping delays have damaged the brand’s reputation in the wider streetwear community. In previous years, Neek initially reacted violently on the brand’s Instagram, posting personal updates or showing delivery trucks. Even today, disgruntled comments and hashtags like #wheresmyhoodiebro flood every new Instagram post. Over time, Neek seems to function despite the negatives; He will continue to post his luxury cars on social media, he is sure to receive a lot of criticism by releasing an “Eye Hate Neek” shirt with the Spring sale / Summer 2018 of the brand.

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