Axel Arigato

Challenging convention with each step of its rise to prominence, the Axel Arigato label aligns itself with a lineage of industry-shaping labels that have drawn inspiration from unapologetic contrarianism. Founded in 2014 by Max Svärdh and Albin Johansson, the label initially fostered momentum by releasing new sneaker designs on a weekly basis, subverting the fashion industry’s traditional practice of seasonal drops. This calculated sense of immediacy continues to pervade the label’s current explorations across the gamut of men’s sneakers and beyond, wherein sleek leather low-tops exist alongside chunky, mesh variations and tweaked wardrobe essentials. Self-reflexive undertones such as URL-referencing prints and coy graphic flourishes establish the playful tendencies underlying the Axel Arigato identity, though a decidedly clean-cut, almost clinical aesthetic injects the label’s streetwear-adjacent basics into a realm of fluorescent-lit futurity. As the label’s footwear-centered origins now expand into the larger realm of accessories and ready-to-wear, Axel Arigato further refines its ability to embed its straightforward designs with clever subtext, exercising a raison-d’etre effortlessly attuned to contemporary ideals.