It's 2020 and Esquire Neighbourhood is but one of many annual events that have opted to go digital. Next in line is Culture Cartel. The annual convention that began in 2018, is a celebration of all things street—fashion, sneakers, toys, music and more—and is set to channel the same kind of energy for its third edition, in the digital space.
Culture Cartel 2020 is set to be a free-for-all event just for one day only. But, that doesn't mean that it's skimping on its usual content that has attracted over 18,000 attendees annually. In fact, Culture Cartel 2020 is scheduled to go live on 5 December 2020 from 1pm to 12am Singapore time. That's 11 hours of unique experiences, masterclasses, and exclusive drops.
Here's all that you need to know about this year's Culture Cartel, and what to look out for.
There are plenty of raffles
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If you've been paying attention to Culture Cartel on Instagram, there have been weekly raffles (every Friday) in the lead up to a grand raffle on the event day. To date, weekly prizes have included the 100% and 400% Crash Bearbrick, customised Nike High Dunks, and even a pair of Air Jordan 1s. One of the prizes that are up for grabs on the event day is a bundle of five pairs of Yeezys. And with raffle tickets at just SGD2 each, that's a pretty good deal.
Custom-designed digital booths replace the usual physical ones
All the usual who's who in streetwear will be part of Culture Cartel 2020. This year's marketplace line-up includes brands the likes of Nike, ASICS, Puma, Levi's, and Carhartt, as well as retailers such as Limited Edt, Ride Side, Flab Slab and The Corner Shop.
The exclusives
What's a streetwear festival without some exclusive drops? The CRASH x STASH x G-SHOCK watch that was launched last year makes a return, and a limited edition PopSocket designed by four regional artists—Kenji Chai, Mr Sabotage, Noys, and Julia Baker—are both available on Lazada, together with a host of other exclusive collaborative merchandise. But the highlight is definitely a three-way collaboration between ASICS, SBTG and Limited edition, the Monsoon Patrol ASICS Gel Lyte 3, that's set to make its global reveal.
In addition to that, Monsoon Patrol and SBTG will be launching a collection each in collaboration with virtual personality Rae. The former will include a New Era cap, a face mask, a selection of apparel, as well as a pair of ASICS Gel Lyte III sneakers, while the SBTGxRAE collaboration consists of a shirt, tee, socks, and a skateboard. Both collections will be up for pre-order on the event day.
Discussions and masterclasses
A big part of Culture Cartel is the coming together of some of the biggest names in music, art and street culture. Join multi-faceted artist Jon Chua, Zouk Singapore's general manager Wayne Lee, and Zaran Vachha of Collective Minds, as they discuss all things music and the shifts that are happening because of the pandemic.
For streetwear and sneaker enthusiasts, Limited Edt's Mandeep Chopra, together with Mr Sabotage and Killick Datta of Global Brand Partners Pte Ltd are scheduled to talk about streetwear and its identity. Local illustrators Toby Tan and Tiffany Lovage will also make an appearance as they consider how art and fashion are a perfect match, in partnership with Levi's.
But if art is more your speed, Steve Lawler (better known as Mojoko) will be exploring an in-depth look into his art that traverses across multiple media. And there's also a virtual tattoo competition that will be judged by Japan's Gakkin, Russia's Sasha Unisex as well as local tattoo artists Augustine and Jaws.
Virtual or not, Culture Cartel 2020 is poised to be just as big—if not, even bigger—as its previous editions. And as the line-up suggests, there's a whole host of things to do and discover for the entire day, from the comforts of your own home.
Culture Cartel 2020 is scheduled to go live on Saturday, 5 December 2020 from 1pm to 12am Singapore time. The event is free but registration is required.
