“CREATIVES ARE THE NEW ATHLETES.” You’ve seen this slogan before. Maybe at that one party, you noticed someone wearing a T-shirt with the words emblazoned on it. Maybe it caught your attention while scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest. Well, it’s time you knew that the statement-making basic is a staple of Amsterdam-based streetwear brand The New Originals. More than a clothing label, the creative incubator has been designing show-stopping moments since it was founded in 2015.
TNO blossomed at the peak of Amsterdam’s street wear renaissance when a network of outsiders fostered their individual beauty and collective strength. “What I like most about Amsterdam is it’s a big mix of different nationalities—you learn to appreciate the different mindsets of people,” says Rizky Lasahido, one of TNO’s three founders. “I’m from Indonesia, Eben (Badu) is from Ghana, and Maru (Asmellash) is Ethiopian.”
The Dutch city has been responsible for a wave of fashion exports, from Stüssy to Patta. TNO operates in similar territories, has similar histories, and a shared practice to refine perceptions of street style. And, yet, while its elder peers continue indulging in loud ‘n proud graphic flair, the TNO imprint is all about staying humbly high-end through understated fabrication.
When TNO first launched, they did so with a full-range collection, not just the hoodie-and-t-shirt that’s a trademark for fledgling streetwear imprints. “What makes it streetwear is maybe the places where we started: some of us used to work for Patta, Nike and Filling Pieces, so I guess we learned from how they approached streetwear,” Badu explains over a video call. “But a lot of our influences are high-end. We also draw a lot of inspiration from our aunties and uncles wearing their best to go to church or to the mosque. So what we’ve seen in our communities is just as important to us as the high-end brands.”
Sartorially, TNO takes a utilitarian approach to streetwear minimalism. Clothes are well-cut, well-shaped, well-presented, and flavored with a pinch of Amsterdam’s streetwear legacy. There are references to workwear, tactical gear, academia, and African style cues, compellingly vivid and simultaneously grounded. TNO even cuts down on graphic prints—typically a street-wear staple. Oh, they’re still there, but they’re indulgently retro—like their classic dot print that subtly references the TNO logo. And then there’s their mascot “Freddy,” a cartoon whose Where’s Waldo-like appearance on everything from prints to teasers and collectibles makes him the unofficial face of TNO.
But beyond clothes, a lot of TNO’s output takes on new experimental forms. “We see ourselves as more of a lifestyle brand.” Lasahido explains that the founders all come from different disciplines and perspectives: Badu is the creative directorand designer, Lasahido handles all things commerce and sales, and Asmellash is concerned with storytelling. “We are so different from each other but every direction has its own purpose.”
TNO climbed up Amsterdam’s fashion ranks by capturing the zeitgeist with a slew of far-reaching activations and collaborations. It had the urgency of a streetwear brand with the taste of the founders’ origins. “There’s a big Western idea that culture is segregated,” Asmellash tells me. “But The New Originals, I think because of our backgrounds, instead of trying to fit into one box, we embrace all of those cultural or artistic expressions as one messaging. There’s a wider story and the pieces of the puzzle lie in the movie that we made in Ghana or the music that we released to go with the collection—everything comes from one essence.”
By now, TNO is known for consistently turning out surprising projects with influence uncontainable within the antiquated streetwear blogosphere. What other streetwear brand has dropped a chess collection (including a Freddy chess set, of course) and hosted tournaments? Or released original jazz music?
In 2024, TNO extended its influence into the jazz world, with a series of collections, events, and activations. Jazz was not just a theme but an “essence” flowing through the brand’s eager output. They went to Ghana to shoot their jazz collection on the celebrated highlife band Santrofi and even recorded original tracks with the group for their jazz record. “We’re blowing the dust off subjects that are more niche and trying to lower those barriers for our communities,” Asmellash explains. “We’re not interested in creating a new story or a new community, but rather making ones visible that normally aren’t associated with cool or with high art.” With this approach, the purpose of clothing becomes more about representation than it is made for consumption. In June, TNO collaboated with Amsterdam-based organizations and collectives on a fundraising event for Palestine. “In a culture which centers around clothing, it’s a very visible way of showing what you stand for, what you believe in,” says Asmellash. “That’s what we do best.”
Their inherent capacity to construct entire worlds around their projects and design from the head and the heart has endeared TNO to a wider and wider audience. And in July 2024, the brand steps onto its most global stage yet: this year’s Summer Olympics. TNO has designed the clothing of the Netherlands’ break dancing squad for the LVMH-endorsed Paris games expected to be fashion’s biggest Olympics ever.
“Creatives are the new athletes” is not just a slogan anymore. More than just mere purveyors of tangible products, the TNO ethos champions creating free from boundaries, using curiosity and heritage as guiding lights. Here, retro-inspired garms feel just as natural as jazz vinyls and Olympic-grade sportswear. So what more can we expect next?
“There’s a wide range of activations and events, all types of content and stories that are included in our world in the upcoming seasons,” says Asmellash. “We’re squeezing in as much as we can because there’s so much inspiration, so many stories to tell!”
“We just be doing shit,” he says. “Sometimes I do a couple songs, sometimes I only do one song. Sometimes I do five songs. I work every day though, so I make a boundless amount.” Hopefully, the new artists around him are taking notes.
© Copyright Rolling Stone Africa 2024. Rolling Stone Africa is published by Mwankom Group Ltd under license from Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation.
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
By registering for our sites and services, you agree to our Terms of Service (including, as applicable, the mandatory arbitration and class action waiver provisions) and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
