I started DC Artist Projects in 2000, which was the first of its kind, and prior to any of the athletic footwear brands working with artists as part of their contextual narrative. It would take another couple of years before they would adopt this framework. By 2008 I was preparing to leave DC for my next venture (Incase), and wanted to put a strong conceptual bookend on what I had created, for purposes of keeping the history clean, and precluding it from being mismanaged in my absence. This led me to working with Aaron Rose on the final project in the 8yr series. He was the community's earliest catalyst by assembling a creative space for this street-oriented subculture to organize, create and build in. This was of course Alleged Gallery, which he founded in the early 1990s, in the Lower East Side of NYC. An effort that would plant vital seeds for what was to come from this community over the ensuing decade. As this artist space matured in the 00s, Aaron would go on to create Beautiful Losers, a book, film and touring exhibition, which brought the subculture into a sphere of awareness on a scale not previously seen, giving it commercial definition and storyline context, far beyond its endemic roots. Aaron and I harnessed this energy for the DC capsule, and pushed into a 1960s Mod inspired theme, made up of desert boots and parka, and rolled up through Aaron's artistic aesthetic and style, putting a strong spin on the classic Mod looks. Once completed, we launched the capsule at LA’s finest scooter + moped repair shop Choke, which I included some photos from. The photo + interview pages are from Sneaker Freaker Issue 15, which covered the project back in 2008. @aaronroseofficial @sneakerfreakermag @dcshoes #96tears #allegedgallery #beautfullosers #chokemopeds #gentsofdesire