Founded in 2011, Tokyo-based Cav Empt is the brainchild former XL Recordings A&R Toby Feltwell, production expert Hishiyama “Hishi” Yutaka and celebrated graphic artist Sk8thing, the creative force behind brands Bathing Ape, Billionaire Boys Club and Human Made. The trio choose the name – a play on the legal term caveat emptor meaning “let the buyer beware” – from the novel Ubik by Philip K. Dick and positioned the brand as a moderately priced streetwear line. While music and illustration are a huge part of the brand, the designs also draw on technology, science fiction, club culture and philosophy. For AW19 C.R. cut sweatshirts, jeans, and jackets out of colorful ’80s style stone washed cotton and denim. QR codes and white noise-inspired bitmapped graphics are turned into allover prints and a sweatshirt, overdyed to achieve a rich purple color, is embroidered with a cartoon frog holding an old-school mobile phone with Polish text encouraging everyone to stay comfy… preferably in Cav Empt.
The Cav Empt AW19 collection is available now at cavempt.com.
