DIPLOMACY and New Orleans Pelicans' Wes Iwundu have teamed up to launch a new charitable capsule collection called Free the Future. Photo: Greg Miles
FASHION CARES
DIPLOMACY to Launch Charitable Collection With New Orleans Pelicans’ Wes Iwundu on Juneteenth
DIPLOMACY and the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans' 2017 second-round pick Wes Iwundu have partnered for a new clothing collection.
DIPLOMACY, a black-owned premium streetwear brand, and Iwundu will be launching the Free the Future capsule collection in observance of Juneteenth. The June 19 holiday celebrates the end of slavery in Texas, where slavery remained until 1965, which was 2 1/2 years following the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation that freed enslaved people within the United States.
“With virus raging across the world, and so much economic hardship, racial injustice and political division, this is a time for all of us to imagine the world as it could be,” Iwundu said. “We may have physically been in lockdown, but the key to escape is in our imagination.”
The capsule collection includes hoodies, shirts, shorts, socks and accessories that are all made in California. Pieces within the collection come in various colors such as white and blue, and feature an astronaut in space with a basketball.
Creative Director Eric Archibald, a fashion veteran whose career began in 1994, and Iwundu collaborated on the inspiring collection with the hoodies made of high-quality fabrics such as combed cotton and brushed loopback French Terry.
“The NBA is where fashion and self-expression is today…basketball players have taken their style and activism to the next level,” Archibald says, “so we’re really excited to be working with Wes on this.”
The Free the Future collection will also have a portion of the proceeds donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Houston, which provides afterschool programs to at-risk youth and is a favorite of Iwundu.
The Free the Future collection will be priced between $20-$210 and all customers will receive a limited-edition Free The Future mask and sticker with each order. The collection will be available for purchase DIPLOMACY’s website on Juneteenth.
