Vinne takes references from pop culture, specifically from anime, inspiring himself on pioneering cyberpunk movies and shows from the eighties and nineties like Akira, Ghost in the Shell or Neon Genesis Evangelion. Then he also follows that vaporwave aesthetic, where he mixes all things retro and nostalgic about the lo-fi and analogue style with other elements belonging to the Internet era. And finally, he modernises the characters by putting them in the context of the 21st-century, referring to cooler streetwear brands. And Vinne creates looks that combine the most hyped up pieces of the moment, as the Off White x Jordan sneakers or the typical adidas tracksuit, with other things that don’t actually exist, like suits and mechanical cyborg arms that show off different streetwear logos.
VINNE, WHERE ANIME, STREETWEAR AND CYBERPUNK MEET
The relationship that exists between anime and streetwear is undeniable, especially when you take into account how well these collections that are now considered iconic performed, like Dragon Ball Z x adidas or Akira x Supreme, for example. However, what we’re not really used to seeing is anime characters donning Off White katanas, adidas Y-3 weapons, or futuristic Nike suits. And this is exactly what the Brazilian artist Vinne depicts with his illustrations of futuristic female warriors that could appear in any of Grimes’ music videos.
And that’s where his genius lies, in creating characters and scene that refer to so many different bits and bobs that will make you think you’ve already seen his work, but the details inform the originality of his work. And his attention to detail could not exist in a series of comics, but rather short stories, like the one he’s working on titled Shimekiri. Because as he says about the impact that his work has, just by using a simple aesthetic “I do not need to mix many colours and still get great results. My biggest inspirations undoubtedly come from cyberpunk-inspired artists, and I plan to go further into the context and make people more interested in the subject through my vision of aesthetics”.
