Los Angeles-based women’s streetwear label Bephie has launched a collection of t-shirts featuring sketches by No Sesso designer, Pierre Davis. Illustrations are a celebration of black woman flair and highlight an array of women’s hairstyles on the front of the shirt and popular black women’s names on the back.
Bephie is the brainchild of Beth Gibbs, who co-owns Union Los Angeles with her husband, Chris Gibbs. She launched the label in 2017, but has been involved with streetwear since its nascent days, and worked during her teen years at Supreme and Stüssy’s New York flagship stores.
Reflecting on theeffort, Gibbs recently told Complex, “When Pierre and I decided to do the collaboration, we talked a lot about having an all over print. Whether it’s Raf Simons or even in the art word, they often use models or faces of people. But there’s never black people or black people that you know and can relate to. So we thought it would be really cool if Pierre sketched out black girls.
“And I’m super obsessed with hair; I change my hairstyle at least once every two weeks. Part of that is frustrations of having black hair and trying to figure out how to do it. Another part of it is that we can do that. I can change my hairstyle up. So we were like, how dope would it be to put that on a t-shirt? We also wanted to do a nod to all black women who have black girl names. For most of the black women I know, they shorten their names after they get to a certain age.”
Priced at $70, the t-shirt is offered in three colors and is now available at Union LA.
![The Hundreds, founded by Bobby Kim and Ben Shenassafar in 2003, closed its Fairfax flagship store before making the announcement public. The store, which opened on Fairfax Avenue in LA in 2011, was a cornerstone of streetwear culture. Bobby reflected on the closure, the evolution of streetwear, and more in a thoughtful note on his Monologue Substack. You can read a preview in the next slides.
In an interview with GQ, Bobby announced that longtime team member David Rivera will be taking over as the brand’s creative lead, stating, "I am effectively stepping back as far as creative control and oversight of how The Hundreds looks and feels from here on forward. This is the first time that someone else has full creative control, and that’s David Rivera. He’s been with us for more than half the existence of the company at this point. He grew up on the brand as a fan. He started off at the bottom as a photo assistant, and then he became an accessories designer and then an apparel designer. He’s worked every role in design, worked his way up to the point of creative director where we now have entrusted him with the brand over the last couple of years."
"Me relinquishing control over it is the best thing that could ever happen for the brand at this point in time. Souls of Mischief, this rap group, has a song called “Limitations” where they say, Emcees should know their limitations. I know my limitations. Do I think I know how to design well? Do I think I understand street fashion well? Absolutely. But am I the one to do it the best for The Hundreds at this point in time? I’m not, and David is. Having to swallow that pill was incredibly humbling."
"If it were up to me, we would still have a store on Fairfax and Rosewood, but that’s not where streetwear is at anymore. That’s not where The Hundreds is at. That customer doesn’t even exist. That customer has grown up. [We want to] keep this thing going and see where it takes us. Now, let’s see where David takes us.
I still want to be a part of it, and I want to be enjoying the ride."
#thehundreds](https://scontent-ord5-2.cdninstagram.com/v/t51.75761-15/482279121_18490260622054586_1640295029541387076_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_e35_tt6&_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=18de74&_nc_ohc=OPfPEV79hZgQ7kNvgEYmXON&_nc_oc=AdhcmHe0-Naco9S7X6ds8g7M1X_NGFVE8sqN0Kc_ouoGUdk9XjG_ZNu7SgvRKgqVGPk&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-ord5-2.cdninstagram.com&edm=AM6HXa8EAAAA&_nc_gid=Ac_6EXh7Z-4-Gr9qKxidY7G&oh=00_AYC1GaWhnM_kL2QUkMQRzU1HmrLY4ZcnDK-kPSDBYZpDSQ&oe=67CAFDF3)
