THE ORIGINS OF AREA 96
MAY 7TH 2022 , OUR “PROTOTYPE TEES”
Established in 2021 by graphic design artist Dekivion Bradix.
Summer 2018 :
While playing the video game Gran Turismo Sport, I discovered a feature of the game that lets you design your racer’s suit. In addition to that, you could upload your graphics & I saw a library full of different designs. So I kept experimenting and making different suits within the game until I encountered this particular alien design. I had never seen anything like it, so I put it on the back of my race suit, added a few more elements, and there it was—the first logo design draft of what would become AREA 96. At the time, it didn’t have a name, but I kept looking at the design, thinking “man, that looks damn good as something,” but I don’t have a clue what yet. So I got off the game, went to do some research, and ended up finding the exact Alien design and remade the design in Photoshop. So from that point, I sat and pondered on what I could make of this idea, and that one day turned into 3 years.
2021:
For the life of me, I couldn’t think of a name for its identity of what it could be.
With my love of extraterrestrial phenomena, I thought about AREA 51. Then thought that was a peculiar number of choice to name a military facility. Also, I wondered what the other 50 [if there were any] would look like. So like Chao from the 36th chamber, I created my own “AREA” as a culmination of my love of streetwear, combined with 90s pop culture into one brand.
My love for the extraterrestrial phenomenon as a teenager is the biggest influence, but there is more to the brand that helped me craft its DNA. I remember seeing the music video for OutKast’s “Elevators” & it changed everything. The entire ATLiens album is a direct inspiration, along with other media such as The X-Files, which is my favorite TV show, The Mummy & Mummy Returns (1999), the Men in black film series, Ancient Aliens & so much more.
Area isn’t about a clothing brand cash grab to get rich. Or some internet / social media brand. It will always and forever be about a brand of individualism, for the kids who never had a category for themselves, or never fit in with the big crowd. The ones that were always different & unique. I created this brand to give individuals like you a home to be yourself & represent you as you are. To create a community & stamp that extraterrestrialism which makes us who we are through these pieces.
- DK
