“Siempre Estaremos Aquí” - Airis x Pf. flyers editiorial
HARTFORD ARTIST LINDALUZ TAPS IN WITH THE CAF FOR THE RETURN OF THE ICONIC “CENTER LO”.
Last summer, The CAF made a splash after they got their hands on the PF Flyers heritage model and produced the coffee theme “Affogatos”. This time around, the Hartford-based fashion boutique connected with longtime friend and collaborator, Lindaluz Carrillo to get her vantage point on how to reimagine the classic “Center Lo” model sneaker.
For folks who aren’t familiar with Lindaluz, she is a first-generation Peruvian Urban Artist and Graphic Designer who has steadily redefined Hartford's creative pulse over the past decade. From working in New York all the way back to the eclectic South End of Hartford, Lindaluz brings a fusion of cultural richness to her captivating portfolio. Using art as her medium for storytelling, Lindaluz dives into the heart of community building and cultural expression. Her work is a kaleidoscope of Peruvian textile patterns, edgy graffiti elements, and the pulsating vibes of urban cultures.
Venturing beyond the canvas and the side of buildings, Lindaluz recently launched her own brand called Airis. Here, she channels her art practice into wearable pieces, crafting everything from bucket hats, to bold swimsuits and an assortment of bandanas. So when it came time to explore a new collaboration, the opportunity to connect with her was seamless. “We Will Always Be Here” - the translation to the collab’s title is a collection that brings forward moments of joy, curiosity, and wonder through a visual exploration of language, space, color, and texture. To dive a bit deeper, we had the pleasure to ask Lindaluz for her thoughts on the collab.
When asked about how the project got started:
This project started off as an ongoing conversation with Jeff about coming up with a really unique design and project of sorts and he had suggested working on a sneaker collab. That's when the PF Flyers conversation popped in and I got really excited. This is my first time painting on sneakers.
I'm lowkey a sneaker head in a way. I have a lot of appreciation for how designers come up with these unique color palettes and just overall design when it comes to sneakers and I thought this would be really fun way to kind of enter into a that world of sneaker culture and yea it's been really dope to kind of see the progression of the work where I started off with the sneakers and where things ended up. I hope y'all are able to enjoy them, they're all one of one.
When asked about the design approach for the collab:
So it took me a bit to get started on the sneakers. I wanted to approach them in a very non-traditional way. As in, I didn't really want to create something that is familiar or has been already seen. I think often when folks start to get into product designing there's almost, kind of like a blueprint of how to go about creating and painting and I felt like this would be a really dope opportunity to use the [upper] canvas and just the overall shape of the shoe in a way that could be really fun and playful.
When started off… I remember the first sneaker that I started designing. I went in and added a lot of color. Played around with a Iot of patterning. Most of my work references a lot of shapes and symbols and line work that refer to my family's Peruvian culture. I wanted to still incorporate some of those elements but in a more minimal way. So once I dived into a more detailed version of The PF Flyers. I started taking a step back and almost kind of ripping the layers of what I was [originally] creating and even just how I approach design. That was kind of interesting for me. I then started thinking about laces and color combinations, things that aren't usually expected. So there definitely are a couple of sneakers that have a unique style and concept.
When asked about common themes notable in her traditional work:
Another really interesting component of the sneaker designs is the [dust] bag. So the sneakers come with a canvas bag that gave me another opportunity to really explore design and painting differently. So on each bag, there's a phrase or a statement or a poem that I have written in either English and Spanish. And a lot of it revolves around affirmations for self. A lot of the writing that I have been doing for a while are phrases that not just affirm who we are and where we are but it’s also an acknowledgment of being present with ourselves, with others, and finding ways to dive deeper into self and learning about the self. That's something I thought would really be cool and unique to incorporate into [this project] given that it's something that I've been working on for some time now. Especially on my larger pieces like my paintings.
So of the phrases, you can't really tell what it's saying. There's almost this abstraction that happens in the design that goes hand-in-hand with the style of the sneaker. There are elements of texture, color, and space. So it's not just a piece where it's representative of something or a moment or a feeling, but it's also more of just playing around with the different elements of design.
Above is the official lookbook while you hold tight for the collabs general release and pop-up event this Friday, April 19th at our flagship. In the meantime, you can preorder your pair now… with a catch. All preorders will be a mystery box. There will be no previews for your selected size but it will secure you one-of-a-kind pair before they're available to the public.
