2016 highlight reel
Posted on December 23 2016
2016 was a v BIG year! honestly, something awesome happened every day but because that would take way too long to read we compiled a highlight reel. buckle up, this roller-coaster rocket ship is one heck of a ride (but don’t worry we won’t make you sign a waiver--just don’t tell HR).
this spring we launched a collection that brought you classics like THE BEAR + THE SYLVESTER from awesome Artists in ny and right here in ga. Owen from athens drew THE ROCK-A-BIRDIES and showed us how to get down with the whip and nae nae [still haven’t quite mastered it, but slimcedes is close. kind of.]
this summer we launched a delicious collection featuring tasty Kartwork like THE SLICE and THE DOUNUTS by our girls Dior and Maritza from our Giving Partner in harlem, ny. we’re not drooling, you’re drooling.
we also packed 10 umano team members in a 10-person van and drove 13 short hours to detroit. this was a super special Giving Trip because 1) we teamed up with high schoolers for the first time 2) the same high schoolers came on our Giving Trip to Detroit Achievement Academy and co-designed the Kartwork for our detroit capsule collection 3) the students taught us how to play bunny bunny (alex and mx2 are actually pretty good at it.) read more about the whole trip and collaboration here.
in july, we teamed up with two incredible organizations called Friends of Refugees and World Relief. these Giving Partners help to resettle refugee youth. we traveled to clarkston, ga and nashville, tn to meet these kid Artists from all over the world. they inspired us to launch our fall collection, #umanonations. learn more and check out these powerful drawings of flags from their home countries here.
we looked at umano classics like THE FIXIE + THE BOT with new eyes to bring you our deconstructed collection. we also introduced the umano logo alongside THE TINY DANCER + THE GEORGE. big, bold moves that we were super stoked about, and apparently you guys were too! we’re so humbled by the people who choose to wear our logo as a badge of honor that represents our mission.
our first-ever Kartwork contest was a massive success! Kartwork poured in from across the globe: from right here in our hometown of athens, ga all the way to doha, qatar. you guys voted for our newest Kartwork, THE HAPPY MAX, drawn by Karely from visalia, ca. we were all freaking out around our computers watching the final votes come in!! we seriously can’t wait to do things like this to continue to celebrate all kid’s art from everywhere.
we’re ending 2016 in a BIG way with the launch of umano mini, our new kids line. you’ve asked for a kids line for a very long time, and we are so proud to deliver! kids in Kartwork look better than we ever imagined.
other freakishly-awesome highlights include: our virtual summer “roadtrip” guided by influencers across the country, our partnership with CAUSEBOX, our pairs launch featuring bffs like THE PB-N-J and THE SALT-N-PEPPER, getting featured in refinery29 men’s gift-guide, getting a snapchat (ahem, shameless plug @umanoclothing) and meeting rockstar musicians + artists like allen stone, the future birds and david hale.
2016 was huge, but we’ve got even more in store for 2017. #umanounion, we hope you’re ready to join us once again on our roller coaster rocket ship: ups, downs, backflips and all.
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