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Streetwear brand Diplomacy and New Orleans Pelicans performer Wes Iwundu launched their first collaboration collection, Free the Future, on Juneteenth, with a portion of the proceeds going to the Boys & Girls Club of Houston.
The 10-piece collection, from $20 to $120, includes clothes such as French terry and light hoodies, blue, black and beige T-shirts, and lightweight cotton shorts made in California. They feature original graphics such as the Free the Future logo and astronaut illustrations, as well as phrases such as “so hopeful.”
Iwundu, Diplomacy creative director Eric Archibald and the Diplomacy team met in Los Angeles in 2020 during the NBA postponement. The team had spotted Iwundu in the yellow Diplomacy jumpsuit and wanted to work with him on a project, which would eventually become the Free the Future collection. Iwundu said they plan to hold talks and pop up shops to support the collection.
“Free the Future is an open expression,” explained Iwundu. “We came in with the thought of expressing in a different way and living a free life. One where there are plenty of resources for you. Coming to the league, it’s all about basketball, but I’m open to finding different ways to express myself and the best way to do that is fashion.”
Wes Iwundu in the Free the Future collection.
Honorary Photo
The collaborators also want to support the Boys & Girls Club of Houston with the collection, as the city is Iwundu’s home. He said it was important to do charity work and “what better place than where I started,” he said.
“Kids spend a lot of time away from their parents and need things to come in,” he continued. “I think it’s a great idea, giving back to the community and providing a way to have fun.”
“Wes was just in Houston and we met last week for a tour [of the Boys & Girls Club of Houston],” said Sari Baez, president of sales and marketing at Diplomacy. “It’s quite a fun and interesting thing and a bit of motivation to want to work even more.”
Baez said Diplomacy entered Macy’s in early 2020 but was stalled by lockdowns due to the global pandemic, but sold well after stores reopened as the brand didn’t keep up with the season.
The pandemic prompted the brand to move its production from Portugal to closer to home in California, and has seen an increase in online sales.
“It’s promising as far as retail goes,” he said. “We are looking forward to working with the upcoming trade show. 2021 is looking pretty good and we are happy with this capsule. The level we put into development is very interesting to us.”
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