
Bomb Story: In the mid 2010s, we came across the work of Hawaiian-born and Bay Area bred artist Aaron Kai. So much of Aaron's style was uniquely his but also simpatico with The Hundreds. The cartoonish waves, the heavy strokes, and the cultural references spoke to us and we embarked on the first of many collaborations over the years. Aaron Kai not only ended up a close friend of the brand's through the process, but family.| Background Story: In the early 2000s, all-over-prints reigned supreme in independent streetwear. The trend was a response to the boring solids and understated color-blocking of the dominant skate and urban market. It also followed the footsteps of Nigo's A Bathing Ape camos. Smaller, T-shirt-based brands like ours tapped into the ancient screen-printing techniques of roller-printing, oversized screens, and belt-printing to execute messy patterns over seams, collars, and hemlines. Bobby designed Pins as a tribute to punk rock safety-pinned patches. Jay Z came out of retirement for his Hangar Tour that year, and he wore the Pins hoodie onstage. That photo headlined MTV, CNN, and USA Today. It wasn't long before fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 and other sharks jumped on the pattern, turning it into a quick-lived moment in the marketplace.