REAL GREASE
Original Equipment SS23 – Real Grease. This collection was all about speed, velocity, dirt, guts and the torque required to rip the nuts off of something. We shot this video and the corresponding photography at Haverford AutoBody. The star of the show – Rease Cannon, the mechanic.
Original Equipment lacked a personality through it’s first two collections, so we took it upon ourselves to write a past. Give it context. We teased the collection for 4 weeks with quasi fictional short stories through email and social that we felt fleshed out the brand. We slowly introduced stories about the garage itself – again, largely fictional. Then we hit the people with something real, but in the same realm: Rease.
Stories included with slight photography below.
NO LOCK RING
Mashing up a hill out here is straight up and slow, even with a pack on the frame.
There’s always a car to trail behind. Some slow poke.
Bunch of 30-something’s searching for schools.
But there’s no slow start going down.
Ultimate presence – Rippin’ the fixie, flying from the top… no brakes, no lock ring.
Connecting to the bike, the road, and everything in between.
Think about slowing down and you’ll wear the pavement. You can’t afford to pump your feet back. Going that fast, the cog will slip, and the bike… FLIP.
Chug through the bottom at top speed. Zero second thoughts.
It's the way down that counts.
TWO MINUTES
The LA Fitness in South Philly is closed. The place was beat but there was a boxing ring in the center. It was a good joint for local fighters to get some work in.
There was a dude down there every Saturday morning throwing weights around. He’d put up 225 on the bench 20 times and then run uphill on the treadmill. He’d go back and forth like that for an hour.
Then he’d spar with his guy. Nothing serious. Warming up. Waiting. If there was talent there, they’d see his best.
Dude was straight nice with it. Didn’t dance around. Speed and power. Two quick lefts then a right like pew-pew-POW.
After a whole there’d be a line. Bloody young bucks and old dogs breathing heavy. Getting whooped.
”Could you do two minutes?”
NOT MANY COULD.
