Sothebys 2023 Auction
In July 2023 James Lavelle announced he was auctioning parts of his collection at Sothebys. DJ Shadow also had an auction of his flyers. They sold for 2,540 USD, with an original estimate of 1,500 - 2,500 USD.[1]
The below information is all copied from James Lavelle's listings.
Auction announcement email
As part of Sotheby's New York's forthcoming Hip-Hop auction, James will be selling a selection of key works from his personal archive. Spanning three decades as a tastemaker and curator at the forefront of the global street culture movement, the sale includes both iconic and never-before-seen artworks, as well as sneakers, clothing, jewellery and toys from James's collection.
Some of James Lavelle's personal collection, available at Sotheby's The collection features artwork by Futura, KAWS, 3D, Lee, Haze, Nick Walker, Req1 and Goldie, as well as collaborations with Nike, Bape, Crazy Pig and many more. The auction will also see a pair of the highly grailed DUNKLE Low prototypes for sale for the first time. Bidding takes place online, and is open via a timed auction from 18-25 July.
Auction Description
PROPERTY FROM THE PERSONAL ARCHIVES OF MO' WAX AND UNKLE FOUNDER JAMES LAVELLE
For the past 30 years, James Lavelle has been at the forefront of global street culture. The founder of both the iconic Mo’Wax label and the production alias UNKLE, he has been lauded as a highly influential tastemaker and curator in the world’s of art, music and fashion for over three decades. He began DJing in Oxford aged only 15, where he started his first night, Mo’Wax Please. Relocating to London to start the record label of the same name, Lavelle took up residencies at some of the city’s most iconic clubs. Artistic collaboration was always at the core of the Mo’Wax ethos, and the label soon began forging connections with visual artists from around the world. The early years of the label saw works being commissioned from artists such as Haze, 3D, Stash, LEE, Req1 and Nick Walker and Rammellzee, amongst many others. The spirit of collaboration soon extended beyond simply providing a visual language for the music they were releasing, and Lavelle began to curate exhibitions around the world, showcasing the artist’s work, and often taking them on DJ tours.
One artist in particular, Futura, became synonymous with both the label and Lavelle’s UNKLE project after they met in the early ‘90s: ‘I first met Lenny on a trip to Germany in August 1993. He was over there for the Cycle Messenger World Championships, an event at which he was also doing some live painting alongside Stash. Stash and I were friends from New York, so Lenny and I had mutual connections already and I was a big fan of his work, having seen it in Subway Art and record sleeves for Celluloid and The Clash. At the time I was trying to collaborate with a lot of those classic New York graffiti artists. I was particularly into his work because of his references to science fiction, and it seemed like the perfect visual language for the label, fitting nicely what I was doing with UNKLE and Mo’Wax.’
Having created iconic artwork for Mo’Wax releases by artists such as Rob Dougan and DJ Krush, Lavelle enlisted Futura to create artwork for his fledgling production project, UNKLE. Utilising his Pointman characters, he created a world around the group that soon transcended the record sleeves. Futura’s work with UNKLE, particularly the artwork created around the ‘Psyence Fiction’ album, brought the Pointman to a global audience.
Lavelle’s ongoing cultural exchange with the figureheads of Japanese street culture led to close collaborations with Nigo and his Bathing Ape brand, and later Medicom. Futura’s artwork and characters often played a central role in the products they created together, which ranged from action figures and toys through to sneakers and clothing collections.
Meanwhile, Lavelle continued to establish further connections within the graffiti world, becoming friends with KAWS, becoming one of the first collectors of his work: ‘We had been hanging out together in New York, London and Japan, where he was one of the initial crew of people to be working and out there with Nigo and Oka. I’d become friends with him and we’d been talking about working together on something at Mo’Wax for a while. We ended up doing a show together at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms in October 2002 (#@! *$ : RECENT WORKS), along with Fraser Cooke and Michael Kopelman’.
The turn of the millennium saw these collaborations grow ever more ambitious, and in 2004, Lavelle was asked to collaborate with Nike on a Dunk. The resulting sneaker, colloquially known as the DUNKLE, utilised Futura’s artwork and was one of the very first music collaborations Nike had done, since taking on a legendary status, regularly featuring in lists of Nike’s greatest collabs.
Lavelle continues to produce albums under his UNKLE moniker, working with a myriad cast of musical collaborators including Thom Yorke, Richard Ashcroft, Brian Eno and Josh Homme. In 2014, Lavelle was asked to curate the iconic Meltdown on London’s South Bank, joining a long list of musical luminaries such as David Bowie, Yoko Ono and Nick Cave, amongst others.
Still a mainstay in the streetwear world, Lavelle has recently collaborated with brands such as Supreme, Undercover and Hysteric Glamour, and provided the soundtrack for Virgil Abloh’s final Off-White runway show. He was the cover star for a recent issue of Hypebeast magazine, and worked closely on the recent Style in Revolt show in Beijing.
The scope of his art exhibitions has grown in recent years, with 2016’s Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick, a blockbuster exhibition at London's Somerset House that featured contributions from artists such as Anish Kapoor, Sarah Lucas and Gavin Turk, and 2019’s Beyond The Road, a ground-breaking immersive exhibition at London's Saatchi Gallery, produced in collaboration with Punchdrunk creatives Colin Nightingale and Stephen Dobbie, and featuring works by Danny Boyle, Alfonso Cuarón and many others.
FUTURA—who also went by FUTURA 2000 began his graffiti career painting trains in the 1970s. He went on to exhibit at Patti Astor's famed Fun Gallery alongside his contemporaries, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Kenny Scharf, in good company with those explosive talents who would come to define the age.
Since his foundational days of tagging, FUTURA has now enjoyed cross-over commercial success as a frequent design collaborator with some of the world's most iconic brands, most notably BMW, Nike, Uniqlo, and Hennessy. His work continues to argue for the elevation of graffiti into the realm of fine art, a significance he played no small part in during the early aughts of the genre's birth alongside the evolution of Hip Hop as a full-blown cultural movement. In addition to New York City, his work has been internationally exhibited in solo shows in Strasbourg, Paris, Amsterdam, Monaco, Barcelona, Moscow, Venice, Australia, and Copenhagen, and is in the permanent public collections of Museo de Arte Moderna Bologna, the Musée de Vire in France and the Museum of the City of New York.
Lots
87. FUTURA - Untitled, 1993.
Commissioned by Lavelle as cover art for Mo'Wax's "Excursions Into Hip Hop"
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:25 AM AEST
Estimate: 25,000 - 30,000 USD
Lot Sold: 25,400 USD
Spraypaint and acrylic on canvas (36.22 by 54.33 in.), signed, dated and inscribed "For James Lavelle" to verso.
"I first met Lenny on a trip to Germany in August 1993. He was over there for the Cycle Messenger World Championships, an event at which he was also doing some live painting alongside Stash. Stash and I were friends from New York, so Lenny and I had mutual connections already and I was a big fan of his work, having seen it in Subway Art and record sleeves for Celluloid and The Clash. At the time I was trying to collaborate with a lot of those classic New York graffiti artists. I was particularly into his work because of his references to science fiction, and it seemed like the perfect visual language for the label, fitting nicely what I was doing with UNKLE and Mo’Wax.
This work, dated ‘93, and signed and dedicated to me on the back was later featured on the cover of the Mo’Wax ‘Excursions Into Hip Hop’ series of 12”s in 1995." (-James Lavelle)
88. Goldie Manslaughter, 1993
Signed and titled on verso of canvas.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:26 AM AEST
Estimate: 5,000 - 7,000 USD
Lot Sold: 5,080 USD
Spraypaint, acrylic, and threads on canvas ( 60.23 by 60.23 in.), signed and titled to verso.
"I’d met Goldie because of his highly influential label Metalheadz, and he was also best friends with my partner at the time, Janet. I was collecting more and more work from my favourite graffiti artists, so I really wanted to buy a piece of his work for my collection. I’d seen him in Spraycan Art, and then the influential ‘Bombing’, alongside 3D. He’d always been a legend in the culture, and this mixed media piece features a self-portrait." (-James Lavelle)
89. Nick Walker Untitled (Mo’ Wax), 1993.
Commissioned by Lavelle for the cover of Mo'Wax's "Jazz Hip Jap" compilation.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:27 AM AEST
Estimate: 5,000 - 7,000 USD
Lot Sold: n/a
Spraypaint and acrylic on board (32.28 by 44.09 in.), signed to verso.
"I’d seen some of Nick's work in The Face and met him in the early days of Mo’Wax when I had an office in Fulham. This work was originally commissioned for the cover of ‘Jazz Hip Jap’, the first compilation Mo’Wax put out, featuring work by some amazing Japanese musicians . Nick’s piece wasn’t used in the end, for various reasons." (-James Lavelle)
90. Req1 Royaltie$ Overdue, 1994
Dyptich commissioned by Lavelle for Mo'Wax's "Royaltie$ Overdue" compilation.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:29 AM AEST
Estimate: 3,000 - 5,000 USD
Lot Sold: 3,048 USD
Acrylic and spraypaint on board (23.62 by 23.62 in. and 23.62 by 23.62 in.)
"Req1 was one of the first graffiti artists I started working with at Mo’Wax. He worked on creating artwork for some some of the label’s early releases, such as RPM’s 2000, and Royaltie$ Overdue, the first compilation of Mo’Wax material that we released in the UK." (-James Lavelle)
91. FUTURA Untitled (Green Pointman), 1995.
Commissioned by James Lavelle, painted in the Mo'Wax London offices.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:29 AM AEST
Estimate: 20,000 - 25,000 USD
Lot Sold: 35,560 USD
Spraypaint, acrylic and pen on canvas (24.01 by 24.01 in.), signed, dated and inscribed "Upgraded in London - Can You Dig It?" to verso.
"This was probably the first of the Pointman works I commissioned from Futura, after I’d seen the character in some of his earlier works. This was done on what may have been his first trip to the Mo’Wax office in London, on Mortimer St in Fitzrovia. It would have been painted in the office, along with Anatomy of a Murder. It hung in successive offices of mine over the years." (-James Lavelle)
92. FUTURA Anatomy of a Murder, 1995.
Featured on the cover of Rob Dougan's "Clubbed to Death", painted in the Mo'Wax London offices.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:33 AM AEST
Estimate: 30,000 - 35,000 USD
Lot Sold: 53,340 USD
Spraypaint and acrylic on canvas (71.65 by 71.65 in.), signed, dated and inscribed "London" and "For James SDL Lavelle" to verso.
"This work was used on the cover of Rob Dougan’s hugely successful and influential release ‘Clubbed to Death’, which later went on to be featured on the soundtrack to The Matrix. Lenny again painted this one in the Mo’Wax office on Mortimer St in Fitzrovia. We had this small room which we set him up in, and he’d lock himself in there and get to work. It was pretty intense what was going on in that room, with the smell of the paint! It was a really exciting time, and there was always a great atmosphere in the office, where the Mo’Wax crew would come to hang out and record. At the time I was living with Fraser Cooke (now of Nike) and Tim Goldsworthy, who’d later go on to set up DFA. Lenny would come and stay with us while he was over.
The character was taken from an earlier print he’d done, and he asked me to pick a character to add to the painting. It used to hang in the office." (-James Lavelle)
93. Lee Quiñones Wild Style, 1995.
Commissioned by James Lavelle for the Wild Style Excursions single with Howie B.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:31 AM AEST
Estimate: 10,000 - 15,000 USD
Lot Sold: 10,160 USD
Work on paper with silver and blue pen (30.70 by 22.04 in.)
"I met Lee through Futura and Stash. Again, it was at a time when I was trying to work with those graffiti originators, like Ramellzee and Lee. I met Charlie Ahearn at the time, and a lot of the artists from that scene. I was working on a potential Wild Style inspired album, working with Howie B, and we’d done a cover version of Subway Theme from Wild Style. I commissioned this to be the cover art for that project, but in the end we put the track out as part of the ‘Excursions Into Hip Hop’ series and utilised Futura’s artwork (listed above) instead.
Lee later went on to be part of Fraser Cooke’s Contents Under Pressure show alongside Futura and Stash in Shoreditch in 1997, that we worked on." (-James Lavelle)
94. Req1 DJ Shadow, (What Does Your Soul Look Like), 1995.
Commissioned by Lavelle for DJ Shadow's "What Does Your Soul Look Like?" promotional vinyl set.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:33 AM AEST
Estimate: 3,000 - 5,000 USD
Lot Sold: 12,065 USD
Spraypaint on board (38.18 by 12.99 in.)
"Having worked with Req1 on other early releases. This was commissioned for the cover of DJ Shadow’s ‘What Does Your Soul Look Like’ release; a triple 10” promo only vinyl set. Putting all the sleeves together completed the image." (-James Lavelle)
95. Eric Haze Chair, 1995.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:33 AM AEST
Estimate: 6,000 - 9,000 USD
Lot Sold: n/a
Lacquered MDF Chair (16.14 by 48.03 by 17.32 in.)
"This Haze chair came from the first art exhibition I ever put on, ‘Iconograffiti’, with Gimme 5’s Michael Kopelman. Haze was the very first of the New York graffiti writers I’d become friends with, before Stash and Futura. I started working with him on various ideas, and we’d link up when I used to go to LA, where he was living, as he was doing clothing with Michael at the time. He worked on some very early logo designs for Mo’Wax, and we ended up putting on the Iconograffiti show at Gilmour Gallery in Fitzrovia in 1995 . I acquired this chair from the show then." (-James Lavelle)
96. Robert “3D” Del Naja Untitled (Airsonik Basquiat Figure), ca.1998.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:34 AM AEST
Estimate: 5,000 - 7,000 USD
Lot Sold: 20,320 USD
Digital print and acrylic on canvas (42.12 by 61.02 in.), signed on the front of canvas.
"I knew 3D’s work from the Wild Bunch days, and he was one of my cultural heroes growing up and one of my favourite British artist, having seen his work in Spraycan Art, which was very influential to me and my friends. I’d already met Daddy G and Mushroom (from Massive Attack) from DJing in Bristol, but I think I first met 3D when I was trying to sign Portishead, when I was 18. Geoff Barrow and I were talking about releasing a 12”, and because Massive had been involved in what he was doing, he told me to speak to 3D about doing it as a Wild Bunch and Mo’Wax collaborative record. Geoff ended up signing to Island in the end, along with Tricky who I’d also been trying to sign.
I went to meet 3D at Pizza Express in Bristol for that first time. We built a friendship and I asked him if I could use his artwork on the Mo’Wax compilation ‘Headz’ (in 1994). (-James Lavelle)
97. FUTURA Untitled, 2000.
Perspex diptych commissioned for the private home of James Lavelle.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:38 AM AEST
Estimate: 12,000 - 15,000 USD
Lot Sold: 38,100 USD
Spraypaint, acrylic and pen on perspex (145.66 by 118.11 in. assembled, 78.74 by 118.11 in. and 66.92 by 78.74 in. individually)
"I commissioned this piece around 2000 for the warehouse conversion I’d moved to with my partner at the time Janet, in Kentish Town, North London. The perspex piece was installed alongside the floating staircase. The ground floor was more like a gallery space, so when you walked in the house it would be the first thing you’d see ahead of you. He would come and stay with us, and painted it in situ there." (-James Lavelle)
98. KAWS Untitled, 2000.
Gifted to Lavelle by KAWS', and shown in KAWS' first London exhibition.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:36 AM AEST
Estimate: 70,000 - 90,000 USD
Lot Sold: 76,200 USD
Acrylic paint on wooden box (13.38 by 24.80 by 10.23 in.)
"KAWS and I had been hanging out together in New York, London and Japan, where he was one of the initial crew of people to be working and out there with Nigo and Oka. I’d become friends with him and we’d been talking about working together on something at Mo’Wax for a while. We ended up doing this show together at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms in October 2002 (#@!*$ : RECENT WORKS), along with Fraser Cooke and Michael Kopelman, but we never ended up doing artwork together. I acquired this piece from the show." (-James Lavelle)
99. FUTURA Untitled Collage, 1998, signed.
Preliminary character sketch produced during cover art sessions for UNKLE’s 1998 release ‘Psyence Fiction’ .
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:38 AM AEST
Estimate: 5,000 - 7,000 USD
Lot Sold: 6,985 USD
Mixed media collage on plastic board (21.25 by 18.50 in.), signed by the artist on the front.
"Lenny came over to London to do artwork for UNKLE’s ‘Psyence Fiction’ album in 1998, where he was working on a lot of character based artwork for us. I believe this was one of the outtakes from those sessions. We were getting him to focus on Pointman character work, doing a lot of drawings for us, along with the piece that was eventually used on the album cover. We were very involved working together on the direction of these artworks, alongside Mo’Wax’s designer Ben Drury. I think this was produced then, on what looks to be a part of a photocopier, which I assume he found on the street outside the office! The lined sheet of paper he’s included is the same as used on a lot of the character drawings I have, and reminiscent of the collage style used in the final artwork." (-James Lavelle)
100. FUTURA Untitled (Pointman Figures), 1998.
Produced during UNKLE’s ‘Psyence Fiction’ sessions.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:41 AM AEST
Estimate: 3,000 - 4,000 USD
Lot Sold: 6,985 USD
Pen and Ink on paper (15.74 by 12.99 in.)
"Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner" (-James Lavelle)
101. Futura Psyence Fiction Street Promo Poster, 1998.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:40 AM AEST
Estimate: 1,000 - 1,500 USD
Lot Sold: 1,016 USD
Lithograph on paper (36.22 by 54.33 in.)
‘Promo poster for the first UNKLE album, Psyence Fiction, which came out in 1998. These posters were for pasting up on streets and bus stops. We had a few different one-sheets made up, but most of them got destroyed, as they were just promotional material, destined for the streets’. (-James Lavelle)
102. [Nigo] Framed Ape Sounds promo poster for Nigo's first album on Mo' Wax Records, 1999.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:40 AM AEST
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000 USD
Lot Sold: 2,032 USD
Lithograph on paper (19.68 by 29.52 in.)
‘I had been one of the very first people in the UK to wear BAPE, because of Michael Kopelman, but I first met Nigo when he came to the Mo’Wax office in London. ToshI and KUDO were hanging around there, so everyone from the Japanese street culture world came through when they visited London. I then went to meet him in Japan, and we became good friends. We then started Mo’Wax Japan, and working with some amazing Japanese artists, releasing their music domestically, so I asked him to work on compilation with me. That release, ‘James vs. Nigo’ came out in 1997, and Futura did the artwork for it. I then asked him if he wanted to do a full album for us, working along the same lines as what I’d done with Psyence Fiction. This is the promo poster for that release’. (-James Lavelle)
103. Todd James (REAS) Mo’ Wax Records promo poster for "Now Thing" album, 2001.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:41 AM AEST
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000 USD
Lot Sold: n/a
Lithograph on paper (29.92 by 54.33 in.)
‘A promo poster that we had made for record stores, to advertise the Now Thing compilation we released on Mo’Wax in 2001. We were working with a lot of great visual artists during that period, such as Mark Gonzales and Phil Frost. We really felt Todd James’ visual style was appropriate for vibe of the record, so this image ended up being the cover’. (-James Lavelle)
104. Haze Mo’ Wax and Gimme 5 poster for the "Iconograffiti" exhibition, 1995.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:42 AM AEST
Estimate: 1,000 - 1,500 USD
Lot Sold: 1,016 USD
Lithograph on paper (19.68 by 27.55 in.)
‘Promo poster for the first art exhibition I ever put on, ‘Iconograffiti’, with Gimme 5’s Michael Kopelman. Haze was the very first of the New York graffiti writers I’d become friends with, before Stash and Futura. I started working with him on various ideas, and we’d link up when I used to go to LA, where he was living, as he was doing clothing with Michael at the time. He worked on some very early logo designs for Mo’Wax, and we ended up putting on the Iconograffiti show at Gilmour Gallery in Fitzrovia in 1995. Not many of these would have been made, and even fewer survived.’ (-James Lavelle)
105. BAPE BAPE FS-001 Bapesta 'Daft Punk' | Size 10
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:44 AM AEST
Estimate: 5,000 - 8,000 USD
Lot Sold: 6,985 USD
The sneakers are in unworn condition, with their original box. There are light markings on the lateral star logo, and light markings throughout the upper of both sneakers. There is light residue on both uppers and light residue on the outsoles of both sneakers. There is creasing from storage on the toe box of the left shoe.
‘I would have been the first person outside of Nigo’s crew in Japan to be wearing Bapestas, back when he was making the first prototypes. We went on to make a number of different UNKLE ones over the years, and I was the king of the Bapesta, being given every one they released for about a decade. I was head to toe in BAPE at that time, as evidenced in every press shot that exists of me for that period! These Daft Punk Bapestas are from that era, and again would have been gifted to me by Nigo. I was really into the ‘French Touch’ stuff, and was good friends with Daft Punk’s manager Pedro. We ended up putting on what I think was their last DJ set, at Fabric, and I worked again with Thomas more recently on my Daydreaming with Stanley Kubrick show’. (-James Lavelle)
106. BAPE x Marvel Collection of 7 BAPE x Marvel Bapestas | Size 10
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:44 AM AEST
Estimate: 6,000 - 8,000 USD
Lot Sold: n/a
Each sneakers is in unworn condition, in its original packaging. The plastic encasing the shoes are slightly detaching from the carboard backing along the edges, tape can be found on some pairs to mend the encasing and cardboard packing together. The plastic encasing is yellowed due age with cracks along the edges of the encasing on some pairs. Each pair comes with their original extra laces. This collection include the Spider-Man, Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, The Human Torch, Cyclops, and Silver Surfer pair of sneakers all size 10 (US).
‘I would have been the first person outside of Nigo’s crew in Japan to be wearing Bapestas, back when he was making the first prototypes. We went on to make a number of different UNKLE ones over the years, and I was the king of the Bapesta, being given every one they released for about a decade. I was head to toe in BAPE at that time, as evidenced in every press shot that exists of me for that period! These Marvel Bapestas are from that era, and again would have been gifted to me by Nigo. They were going mad on the product design, and these shoes being in a card-backed blister pack are the perfect example of that’. (-James Lavelle)
107. Nike Nike Dunk Low Pro SB ‘D.U.N.K.L.E.’ prototype | Size 11
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:45 AM AEST
Estimate: 25,000 - 30,000 USD
Lot Sold: 76,200 USD
The sneakers are in unworn condition, with their original box and Mo’Wax branded insoles. There is discoloration on the midsole and slight residue on the outsole. There are light markings throughout the upper.
"I met Sandy who ran the Nike SB team along with Mark from Nike with Fraser Cooke and Michael Kopelman for dinner in London. They were interested in what we were all doing, and the possibility of collaborating. What came from that dinner was the opportunity to work with the skateboard team on an SB shoe. They asked me my favourite sneaker and I said it was the Dunk. I think we were just releasing UNKLE’s second album ‘Never, Never Land’ around then, and I wanted to do something based around Futura’s artwork from the record. The low DUNKLE was always just going to be a prototype. It features different sections of Futura’s artwork from the record, and this time green paneling rather than pink. I believe only five pairs were ever made.’ We also wanted to do as many different applications on the fabric as possible, which you can see on the final product. It was one of the very first music collaborations Nike had ever done, and it has since taken on this legendary status, regularly featuring in lists of Nike’s greatest collabs.
We did a launch party at FootPatrol in London. It was cool and we had a long queue, but nothing like what you’d get these days. This was the start of the sneaker hype culture. For the scene it feels like a key moment, marking the start of this collaborative culture which is so prevalent today. I believe it was also the first time they used the pink box, too." (-James Lavelle)
108. Nike Nike Dunk High Pro SB ‘FLOM’ | Size 7
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:46 AM AEST
Estimate: 60,000 - 70,000 USD
Lot Sold: n/a
The sneakers are in a worn condition, with their original box. There is discoloration on the interior lining, upper, and midsole. There is creasing at the ankle and toebox. There are light markings on the toe overlay. There is minor star lost on the outsole and minor heel drag on the outsole.
109. Nike Nike Dunk High Pro SB ‘D.U.N.K.L.E.’ | Size 10
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:47 AM AEST
Estimate: 3,000 - 4,000 USD
Lot Sold: n/a
The sneakers are in unworn condition, with their original box, extra lace bag and Mo’Wax branded insoles. There is discoloration on the interior lining of the right shoe. There is slight discoloration on the pink suede section of the left upper. There are light markings throughout the upper. Excess adhesive marks throughout. Slight residue can be found on the outsole of both sneakers.
"I met Sandy who ran the Nike SB team along with Mark from Nike with Fraser Cooke and Michael Kopelman for dinner in London. They were interested in what we were all doing, and the possibility of collaborating. What came from that dinner was the opportunity to work with the skateboard team on an SB shoe. They asked me my favourite sneaker and I said it was the Dunk. I think we were just releasing UNKLE’s second album ‘Never, Never Land’ around then, and I wanted to do something based around Futura’s artwork from the record. I also wanted to do something kind of unusual colour-wise; that’s where the idea to do something pink came from, as it was uncommon on men’s sneakers at the time. We also wanted to do as many different applications on the fabric as possible, which you can see on the final product. It was one of the very first music collaborations Nike had ever done, and it has since taken on this legendary status, regularly featuring in lists of Nike’s greatest collabs.
We did a launch party at FootPatrol in London. It was cool and we had a long queue, but nothing like what you’d get these days. This was the start of the sneaker hype culture. For the scene it feels like a key moment, marking the start of this collaborative culture which is so prevalent today. I believe it was also the first time they used the pink box, too." (-James Lavelle)
110. BAPE x KAWS Collection of 8 BAPE x KAWS Bapestas | Size 10
Lot Closed: July 26, 04:05 AM AEST
Estimate: 4,000 - 6,000 USD
Lot Sold: 25,400 USD
BAPE, ASSORTED BAPE FOOT SOLDIER MODELS, SIZE 10 (US)
Rubber, Leather, Cotton
c.2000-2003
Each sneakers is in unworn condition, in its original box. Each shoe has wear and blemishes commensurate with age, such as light discoloration throughout, markings on the mid and outer soles, and light markings throughout the uppers.
‘I would have been the first person outside of Nigo’s crew in Japan to be wearing Bapestas, back when he was making the first prototypes. We went on to make a number of different UNKLE ones over the years, and I was the king of the Bapesta, being given every one they released for about a decade. I was head to toe in BAPE at that time, as evidenced in every press shot that exists of me for that period! These KAWS Bapestas are from that era, and again would have been gifted to me by Nigo. KAWS and I had been hanging out a lot, and I ended up putting on his show at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms in October 2002 (#@!*$ : RECENT WORKS), along with Fraser Cooke and Michael Kopelman’. - James Lavelle
111. [Unkle]; BAPE Custom BAPE Unkle 77 Varsity Jacket, 2003
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:49 AM AEST
Estimate: 3,000 - 5,000 USD
Lot Sold: 3,048 USD
Black wool BAPE varsity jacket with white leather sleeves, men's size M.
BAPE branded button closure, Unkle branded elastic waist and wrist bands, “Unkle 77” and "Never-Never-Land *A Bathing Ape ® Edition Reign -2003-" embroidered to left chest, Futura embroidered graphic and "JL 77" on right chest, embroidered "Unkle Sounds" patch on right sleeve, embroidered Futura logo patches on left sleeve, Futura Pointman embroidered patch on back with Swarovski crystals in the eyes, embroidered "BAPE® authorized Creepsta/Unkle" on back.
‘Nigo and I had been working together a lot, on both music and Bape collaborations relating to various Mo’Wax releases. By 2003 the brand had really developed, and when we released UNKLE’s second album ‘Never, Never, Land’, they were really at their creative apex. The products they were making were really creative and they were doing lots of stuff with Swarovski, which hadn’t really happened in that streetwear world at that point. We did an amazing collection to promote the album, with special pairs of Bapestas as well as these amazing hand-screenprinted tees in the style of Andy Warhol. This jacket was the key piece in the collection, though. I wanted to make the ‘ultimate’ varsity jacket, and we really went to town with it, in terms of the quality and the different kinds of embroidery and materials used. Doing this amazing collection around that record was the pinnacle of our collaboration together. It was really exciting, as it was was really the moment where they’d exploded as a brand too. I worked on the jacket with Nigo as well as Kazuki Kuraishi, who I’ve continued to work with to this day.
Varsity jackets had always been a staple of streetwear for me, ever since the early days of Hip-Hop, as well as the DMC jackets in early ‘90s. Bape would do one every season, and I’d always get them personalised, so this was one of the ones I had customised with my name’. (-James Lavelle)
112. [Kaws]; BAPE Chomper Varsity Jacket
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:50 AM AEST
Estimate: 3,000 - 5,000 USD
Lot Sold: 3,302 USD
Black wool BAPE x Kaws varsity jacket with black leather sleeves, men's size L.
BAPE branded button closure, ribbed black elastic waist and wrist bands, Kaws "X" motif embroidered on the left chest, Kaws "X" motif embroidered on the right chest, Kaws "chomper" graphic embroidered along the bottom of the front and back, BAPE head with Kaws "X" eyes motif embroidered on the back, BAPE merchandise tag on lower right side.
‘This would have been gifted to me by Nigo. By this point I’d been hanging around with KAWS for a while, and had worked on the show at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms in October 2002 (#@!*$ : RECENT WORKS), along with Fraser Cooke and Michael Kopelman’. (-James Lavelle)
113. Nike x Futura Nike SB Blazer High x Futura sample with Futura signature and inscription on the box | Size 10
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:51 AM AEST
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000 USD
Lot Sold: 2,032 USD
NIKE, NIKE SB BLAZER HIGH SAMPLE, SIZE 10 (US)
Numbered: 0019 out of 1000
Rubber, Leather, Cotton, Synthetic
2003
The sneakers are in unworn condition, with their original box with Futura signature and inscription on the box. There is slight discoloration on the outsole of both pairs and heel tabs. The shoe has a SKU different from the general release and the sneakers have a sample/pre general release production tag.
‘These are the Blazers that Futura designed with Nike in 2003. We were all collaborating with Nike around then, and all hooking each other up, so he gave me this pair, which he signed and dedicated to me on the box’. (-James Lavelle)
114. [Futura]; BAPE BAPE, Futura Satin Bomber Jacket
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:52 AM AEST
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000 USD
Lot Sold: 2,032 USD
Blue satin BAPE varsity jacket with quilted inner lining, men's size L.
White BAPE branded button closure, ribbed white elastic waist and wrist bands, ">APE< 21 Century Influence 2000" embroidered to right chest, embroidered "Umbrella Group" on right and left sleeve, Futura Pointman embroidered patch on back with "Planetary Sequences" embroidered below the patch, embroidered "Futura of the Apes" with embroidered Futura signature on the back.
‘This would have been gifted to me by Nigo’. (-James Lavelle)
115. [FUTURA] Stainless steel ring, ca. 2003.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:53 AM AEST
Estimate: 1,000 - 1,500 USD
Lot Sold: 1,651 USD
Steel ring cast in the shape of an Futura Pointman character with "Unkle" inscribed on the inside.
"I was wearing a lot of this type of ring at the time myself, with Star Wars and Bathing Ape designs. Nigo had commissioned Crazy Pig Designs to do some Planet of the Apes ones, so I decided to commission a Pointman collaboration. These were produced in very limited numbers; I can’t imagine more than 25 or 30 were made, mostly for friends and family." (-James Lavelle)
116. [Futura]; Mo’Wax Unkle 77 Pointman Action Figure, 1998.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:54 AM AEST
Estimate: 1,500 - 2,000 USD
Lot Sold: n/a
Futura x Mo’Wax Records,1998
Brand new resin action figure sealed in carded blister pack (10.23 by 11.02 in.), the carded blister pack has wear and tear along the edges.
"This was the first ‘Pointman’ toy that was released, and was made as a promotional item to tie in with the release of Psyence Fiction. I’d spent years trying to make toys, and had wanted to make one with Futura’s characters. I’d made soft vinyl toys, which were easy to do, but to make something more in the vein of the Star Wars action figures was really difficult. That is why these ones were made out of resin in the end. We made them in both green and blue variations, with the character sculpted by Mo’Wax’s designer, Ben Drury". (-James Lavelle)
117. [Futura, Bapeplay, and Mo’Wax Records]; Bapeplay Le James prototype and El Nigo prototype Action Figures, 2000.
Le James prototype and El Nigo prototype Action Figures, 2000.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:56 AM AEST
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000 USD
Lot Sold: 3,556 USD
Futura x Bapeplay, 2000
Brand new Le James prototype action figures (4.72 in. tall) with stand (10.23 by 11.02 in.) and brand new El Nigo prototype action figure (4.72 in. tall) with base/stand (2 by 2 in.)
‘Nigo had been experimenting with unique packaging for a while, putting T-shirts in cans etc. I’d introduced Futura to Nigo, and along with Stash, they started two stores together called Concept and Technique. The idea was to do lots of interesting and unique items, such as bikes, toys and furniture. I’d been wanting to make toys for a while, and because Japan had a more accessible network of manufacturers, we started work on these. They took a few years to make, and these are the prototypes of what would later be released in the spray can packaging, albeit coloured and painted. I doubt more than 10 or 15 of these prototypes were ever made. We eventually released three figures, the Nigo, the James and the Pointman, with these two utilising the character designs Futura had done for the ‘James vs. Nigo’ album’. (-James Lavelle)
118. [Futura, Bapeplay, and Mo’Wax Records]; Medicom Medicom, BapePlay Agency Preventative Evil Nigo and James Lavelle, 2000.
Lot Closed: July 26, 03:56 AM AEST
Estimate: 2,000 - 3,000 USD
Lot Sold: n/a
Futura, Bapeplay, and Mo’Wax Records in collaboration with Medicom, 2000
Brand new Evil Nigo and James Lavelle action figures (11.81 in. tall) with removable mask and claws, sealed within original box (4.92 by 5 by 3.51 in.), the box has slight wear and tear along the edges.
‘This is interesting, as it’s one of the the first toys I made with Nigo. I’d wanted to work with Medicom for years, as I’d been going to Japan a lot, and had built a number of relationships there through the toy collector community, that I was a part of. I’d wanted them to make a Pointman for us, as they were the kings of the 12” action figure, having made ones of characters like Alien and Predator. Between Toby Feltwell and I, we made a connection there and started a dialogue. Nigo was also keen to start making 12” toys, so we took him along to a meeting, which led to these action figures of me and him. It was the first 12” figure to incorporate Futura’s artwork, as there is a detachable Pointman mask and hands for my character’. (-James Lavelle)
119. [Futura and Mo’Wax Records]; Medicom 1000% Pointman Kubrick, 2004.
Lot Closed: July 26, 04:01 AM AEST
Estimate: 1,000 - 1,500 USD
Lot Sold: 4,064 USD
Futura and Mo’Wax Records in collaboration with Medicom, 2004
Brand new 1000% Pointman Kubrick action figure and ray gun (31.49 in. tall) with original box (35 by 23 by 13 in.), the box has wear and tear along the edges with punctures to the top and side of the box.
‘This was the first 1000% Kubrick we did, and one of their first collabs. I used to buy toys from Oka and we bonded over a shared love of Stanley Kubrick films. I’ve still got some custom Shining and Clockwork Orange toys he used to sell at his store. We had this shared cultural language through being avid collectors of toys, clothes and sneakers. He then got a job at Medicom, where he started these new lines, Kubrick and Bearbrick. I was one of the first people to collaborate with him there, and we made these figures which are styled after the Pointman character’. (-James Lavelle)