Most times, brands and consumers approach fashion with the “art for art’s sake” philosophy — that a piece’s value is intrinsic and need not be attached to a bigger function to hold merit or desirability. Other times, designers would come together to produce works for a certain cause or movement. The greatest part, though, is that these two camps are not mutually exclusive in fashion; KAWS and Infinite Archives’ collaborative productions are a quintessential example.

Gallerist Easy Otaber’s Infinite Archives was set up as a label that places importance on the archival of art. As they declare, “Without history, there is no concept of humanity.” It is no surprise then that Chicago-based IA has a strong partnership with Theaster Gates’ Rebuild Foundation, which aims to rebuild neighborhoods to sustain cultural development and celebrate art. Because how do you archive art if there’s no space for them to flourish in the first place?

In line with this partnership, Infinite Archives collaborated with New York-based artist KAWS to create tees, in black and white, that sport the word “REBUILD” in the creatives’ distinctive style. Crossed-out eyes and all. Profits from this joint effort went towards the Rebuild Foundation. This was back in June, but the charitable spirit of both brands are rekindling this August. A new brown colorway of the t-shirt will be made available in select stores across the globe, spreading the “REBUILD” message internationally.

Though KAWS’ artistic rendition of the word “REBUILD” can be appreciated in itself, the added layer of supporting the arts and its community makes this piece extra special.

This tee will be made available at the following stores on 27 August and will retail for ¥10,780 (~US$79).

via Modern Notoriety

Not available in your city? You can still cop on SNKRDUNK and spread the Rebuild Foundation message.

ICYMI, check out this Nike Blazer Low that’s an undisputed classic.