ComplexCon x Chicago
Typically held in Long Beach, this summer ComplexCon took a trip to the Chi. ComplexCon brings everything we love about the Complex brand - fashion, art, entertainment, celebrity, & culture - all to life.
Walking into McCormick place it was a must to keep your head on a swivel. You never know who you might see. Everyone was in the building - Lena Waithe, A$AP Ferg, Don C, Allen Iverson, Bun B, Freddie Gibbs…the celebrity sitings were endless. Rick Ross, Schoolboy Q and Ella Mai were some of the names to grace the ComplexCon stages. DJ’s took over as the day went on, giving us a soundtrack to run up a check to.
Major brands like Reebok, Atmos, Puma, and Champion were sponsors, but it was the Chicago based brands that were the true stars. JoeFreshGoods, Fashion Geek, Fat Tiger Workshop, DBM, Rich Girl Candy, Juggernaut and more saw crazy lines, collabs, and exclusive drops. Check out some of the brands and boutiques that were in the building. *Click & swipe to expand ;)
ComplexCon holds a variety of panels giving you chance to listen to some of your favorite personalities discuss a variety of topics from sneakers to entrepreneurship to community activism and economics. This years schedule included Chicago’s own Joe Freshgoods, Wale, Don C, TI, PJ Tucker, community activists DeRay McKesson and Netta Elzie, Steve Stoute and a host of others.
The event was also a chance for Complex and ComplexCon attendees to give back. Kicks 4 The City posted up at the event to collect sneakers for those in need. In the week leading to the event, they held a sneaker drive giving away tickets to those who donated. 83 Futures dropped exclusive merch by artist Earl Mack that could only be copped if you signed up to be an organ donor - 15,853 futures were saved. Complex took to the communities of Chicago to give back with a week of events that included the unveiling of a Hebru Brantley designed basketball court in remembrance of Darius Brown at MetCalfe Park.
One of the best parts of the weekend was of course, the art. With Takashi Murakami as the Art Director , it’s only right that the art featured during ComplexCon pushes the envelope and defies “traditional” art. Right up The Art Casual’s alley. Collabs weren’t limited to just clothing and sneaker drops. Everyone’s favorite cognac - Hennessy, known in the art world for working with contemporary artists to create Very Special Limited Edition bottles, chose ComplexCon as the perfect venue to drop their next collab, Remixing The Present with artist Felipe Panton. Naturally, the installation featured a bar along with Panton’s vibrant art.
Weeks before the event, ComplexCon posted a print to advertise the event that seemed from a different era. Chicago’s Louis Deguzman created this Modern Day World’s Fair hand pulled screen print exclusively for ComplexCon that features the “L” in his geometric abstract style. And of course there was a drop - an exclusive limited edition blue version of “ELEVATE”, a dope vinyl sculpture.
Check out some of the other great artists that were in the building, including bronze & resin Jordan sculptures by Matthew Senna, jeweler level Jordan 1s by The Dan Life, and Chicago favorites Ozzy and Ruby by Rello. *You can click these too ;)
Hopefully ComplexCon continues to to branch out to other areas of the country. It was definitely a dope experience and this isn’t even half of what was there. ComplexCon returns home to Long Beach the first weekend in November. Its a must if you can make it.
