A young gentleman by the name of Phillip T. Annand, created the brand The Award Tour. The line is based on all of his inspirations growing up from the 90’s & comic books to hip hop & skateboarding all combined into what he calls “The Award Tour.” The Award Tour gives you quality pieces, not just some “Fruit of the Loom” t-shirts with graphics thrown on them. I’ve purchased some shirts myself and was impressed with the detailing. Love seeing young people taking risks and follow their dreams. By the way, this kid is fresh. His sneaker collection goes hard and his style…NASTY. C’mon LB readers lets support our youth.
CLICK ON THE READ MORE LINK FOR PICS AND THE INTERVIEW
My name is Phillip Annand, I am the owner and designer behind the Award Tour. Award Tour represents success in its simplest form. Everyone has been on Award Tour in some point in their life whether it was as a child winning a game or as an adult receiving a promotion. The possibilities for finding yourself on Tour are endless. The designs reflected through the brand reflect conveying that feeling in clothing. Beyond that I am the product of Haiti and America making my way through the market that is fashion while trying to stay true to what I know and enjoy my orange soda…
What is the name of your line and where did it originate from?
The name of my line is Award Tour. The actual name itself originates from a Tribe Called Quest song by the same name from their album “Midnight Marauders.” A lot of people ask what that means and if still haven’t gotten the general picture than let me say it for you this way. Think back to an early Christmas and the feeling you had when you asked for weeks before hand for a certain present. Than you finally opened that box up that morning and found the exact toy car or doll you had been wishing for. That euphoria right there is you being on Award Tour. Capturing that feeling in clothing is where Award Tour originated from.
What made you want to design a fashion line?
Design was something that I had always been into as a child. I use to design board games, football cards, anything and everything, so as I grew it just got applied to another medium. I started out very basic at first tested the waters to see how things would be received, and than decided to jump into working on a full brand.
What are your signature designs?
I try to stay away from a “signature” design per say. Instead of re-using the same design or image on a tee, I like to work with more signature design elements. With Award Tour you can always be sure that you are going to receive designs that are simple but still come across as eye catching without using a seven color screen print and an overused term.
What’s your favorite piece from any of your collections?
Well I’d like to think that the best is yet to come, but as of now…My favorite piece would have to be one of the tees from the first line that was a flip of the Oakland Raiders logo to apply to A Tribe Called Quest. I felt like that piece established a lot of background for the brand.
How would you describe your work?
Rather than become just another street wear brand putting out graphic tees, I’d like to build the Award Tour into a legitimate brand. So that being said I try to bring more of a higher element of fashion into the design. So if the comparison makes sense I’d like to try to bring the street wear elements of Bathing Ape or Stussy together into the higher fashion domain of a Ralph Lauren Polo or Gucci. So when I design it’s in an effort to reach that combination.
What’s your ultimate goal?
My ultimate goal besides having every Air Jordan release ever in my closet is seriously to achieve something more through the line. If I can bring awareness to a subject or use the line to support my family and those around me than it has done more than serve its purpose.
What inspires you?
My childhood is defiantly one of the biggest inspirations. Growing up as offspring of 80’s babies and living through such social developments as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Internet (The first being far more important than the latter.) has made our generation very unique. Truthfully anything and everything on the street could influence me. I was driving home with a friend the other night and saw the logo for a women’s workout gym. From the shape and style of that design I came home and formed two designs from just that glimpse.
Can fashion still have a political ambition?
Without a doubt. Anytime you step into the public eye you have the opportunity to influence someone who is seeing you. Whether you choose to influence them through what you say or how you act is your own personal decision. The clothing you wear is just a further extension of that. So fashion and clothing in general can still have a large impact in a political sense.
Who do you have in mind when you design?
Normally I am probably thinking about what I’m going to eat next, or the music that is playing. Music has a big sway over what I produce and I listen to a huge variety of things so if you have a good song and you think I’d enjoy hearing it next time I’m suffering from designers-block, please don’t hesitate to send it over.
Is the idea of creative collaboration important to you?
Yes, but only if the collaboration truly is creative. In the street wear industry especially you can check any number of blogs and see one brand collaborating with another on the newest shirts, sweater, or sneaker. Its become so rampant that it has lost the reason why is use to be special. If two brands or individuals really collaborate because they are thinking on the same plane and have something new to deliver than of course its still relevant and important.
As a designer, who do you wear and what’s in your closet?
Well although there is a taboo about wearing your own work I seem to have missed out on picking that belief up because I love wear the Tour. To me if you can’t even wear your own work that might be saying something about what you are putting out. Beyond that, I love Bathing Ape, Polo, Uniqlo, and a huge array of street wear brands from Stussy to Pegleg NYC. I really like what Pegleg does.
What can the public expect from your line in the future?
Growth and progression. The dream is to one day put out a full line from shirts to jeans, from hats to bags. So that everyone can get the entire experience. You can expect more of the same clean aesthetic and the ridiculous antics many have grown accustom to through the Award Tour blog.
When and where can the public purchase pieces from your collection?
Our retailers are always growing and changing but at the present you can get Award Tour online at Oneanthem and ViceWears. The full retail list is always updated at TheAwardTour
Thanks to LateBoots for the interest, Stay True!
Phil aka LochNess.
-sham
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