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Love is essential to human life. When we build a relationship with something of our taste, the response is love. It is something that can bring us to our most sharpened state, or drag us down to despairful depths. Love .. is what the city of Chicago has for house music.
As electronic music grew in the early 90’s, a series of parties came about. Chicagoans would gather to enjoy local djs in any space they could get their hands on. Warehouses and residences were turned into madhouses for the night while everyone got to know each other under these homely roofs. In result, the term “house music” coined the sound that was heard throughout the events.
Fast forward to the 2010’s and you’ll come about the beginning of EVOL Chicago. EVOL is the idea of creating something that demonstrates the history of house music in Chicago while including the passion Chicagoans have for their city.
“EVOL represents the evolution of love as a whole; that constant and ever changing force that drives everyone every day.”
Anyone that lives in or has visited Chicago can agree that the city has many special qualities. Sporting events, food, music, and the people you meet in the area all represent the wild and funky vibe of the city.
“Chicago has this unique and beautiful energy running through it. It’s this amazing blend of posh, quirky, urban, artsy, industrial … well you get the idea.”
To incorporate the intriguing architectural aspects of Chicago, the two young minds of EVOL grabbed a giant piece of raw canvas and started to hand draw the Chicago skyline. It was only the beginning of their new life adventure.l When they finished, they brought the piece to a nearby show.
“The response we got at the show from random people was really positive, and it got me thinking if this could be something I could make available to other people. None of it would have ever started without that supportive response from the Chicago music community!”
Since then, EVOL Chicago has worked with numerous photographers, illustrators, and designers to perfect their enterprise. The designs and material used with their merchandise proves EVOL is not one for nonsense. This past year they’ve been included in events by Trinium, XDI, Hippie Cartel, and Backwards, all respectable Chicago event holders.
“A core value of Evol Chicago is to create designs that capture the charisma of this city. Something I personally have noticed, just from going around the country to various events and festivals, is that I rarely see other city flags. At the same time, Chicago flags are usually more present than not. That pride that Chicagoans have and also that inevitable unity that ties people to our city is exactly what I want to capture in our products. I want everyone who owns an EVOL Chicago piece to feel connected to something bigger.”
As they include these important elements to their brand, their clothing and pin line are really what represents their style of business. EVOL has multiple goals, but their main is to put streetwear on the people of the electronic scene.
“Although we’ve always had a clear idea of the message we wanted to portray, it has been an intense process to learn and grow as a brand. In 2017, you can expect more designs, greater detail, and an overall improvement in our products.”
As many of you may know, pins are common in the electronic scene of the midwest. They’ve been one of EVOL’s biggest hits due to their colorful representation of Chicago’s character. With only a certain amount printed of each one, each design has limited availability. New designs about to come in hot, so the ones available online will only last so long.
With that, EVOL concluded on a note that got me thinking ..
“Whether it be working with what you love, spending time with people you love, or learning and exploring new things to love, I want our designs to represent the passion Chicagoans have for our city and the inspiration that we all can draw from it every day.”
