Skate and snowboard, graffiti and music, rap and punk. We know the cultures, from which what we now call streetwear was born. In 2023, the word streetwear is everywhere. Perhaps sometimes even too much so. And yet we can count on one hand those who can call themselves pioneers of the streetwear movement: XLarge is undoubtedly one of them.
California, early 1990s: Adam Silverman and Eli Bonerz decide to quit their jobs, to open a clothing store. They sell sneakers they personally select from local sports stores, classic workwear, a few independent brands. And they think about having their brand, which will end up being financed by Eli's father and supported by Mike D of the Beastie Boys. So they design a logo in Futura Extra Bold, then adding one of the monkeys drawn by artist Steven Gianako in his work "Millions of Gorillas." One of the best-known brands in the American world of the 1990s is born. Success erupts immediately, while new connections are established: director Spike Jonze lends himself to photograph the catalogs, Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth proposes a joint venture that leads to the creation of the women's brand XGirl. Years of success that bring XLarge all the way to Japan, where B's International still carries on the brand today.
Thirty years later, XLarge can definitely call itself True OG Streetwear. A pioneer brand now meeting with the pioneers of IUTER - themselves originators of Italian streetwear - on the Los Angeles-Milan-Tokyo route.
In spring 2023, IUTER and XLarge present the XIUTER limited edition capsule collection, featuring graphics that mix the historic XLarge Gorilla and two iconic buildings of Milan: the Duomo and the Pirelli skyscraper, which has always overlooked the Central Station square, the city's best-known skate spot.
