Made.Tough: Against Lab

Published on 16 Dec 2021

Line up

“ALL ENDEAVOUR, NO SURRENDER”

This campaign highlights the authentic personalities in real life doing things. Varying in backgrounds, these individuals stick through to their guts and keep doing the things that they believe in. They consist of musicians, graffiti artists, skaters, athletes, entrepreneurs, and even your friendly neighbourhood barber. These are the individuals that truly represent the attitude of AGAINST LAB and they’re all MADE TOUGH.

The flow of the video consists of key moments where the individuals are in their workspaces or and doing the things that they truly enjoy. The takeaway of this short film is to remind people to trust the process and journey to get to where they want to be.

These individuals are made tougher by overcoming struggles and consistently believing in themselves.

A FILM

INTERVIEW

1. Tell us more about AGAINST LAB and how it started?

AGAINST was formed through the shared love of street culture & clothes from three individuals of various backgrounds: Retail, Graffiti / Illustration, and Marketing. In 2015, AGAINST was formed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with limited resources and armed to go against the norm. AGAINST represents the spirit of the underdog. All Endeavour, No Surrender.

2. What was your first collection like?

Our first collection is titled “The Eyes Are Watching”. It was created based on what we were feeling at the time: that we were living in a world where surveillance is widespread and privacy is scarce. We’re always observing others while at the same time, we ourselves are being watched. It was a small collection with just four t-shirts, a cap and a tote bag.

3. I’m sure that you guys faced a lot of setbacks along the way, what keeps you guys preserving and believing in it?

For us, it has always been the “bet on yourself” and having an “underdog” mindset. Sometimes, it gets really hard and we just have to remind ourselves that this is what we’ve set out to do and to never give up even if we don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. We just had to keep pushing and believing in our own vision.

4. Who and which things are the inspiration while creating any design?

It’s hugely based on our surroundings, what we’re feeling at the time as well as the core of our brand (Streetwear, graffiti, music, basketball). It could be a stranger we spot on the road which we think has a really good style or a song that we like. Our inspirations come from our daily lives and we do not constrain ourselves to just a particular style.

5. How do you stay updated with the trends in the fashion industry?

We’re very fortunate to be able to do things we like, and it’s very natural for us to keep up with trends as we take in this information on a daily basis. However, we do also believe that trends come and go; we don’t focus solely on trends but we’re more focused on paving our own path just as G-SHOCK has done throughout the years. You could say that we both strive to make products that push creative limitations while staying timeless.

6. For you, what are the most important facets of the fashion industry?

The DNA and core of a brand is the most crucial element. We look up to a lot of the brands in this street culture industry and G-SHOCK is definitely one of the few that has remained relevant through their consistency throughout the decades. To be able to stay true to the brand identity, consistently putting out products that are interesting (while staying true to their DNA) and of high quality are the things we believe that will make a brand last long in the industry. Hype is temporary, soul is timeless.