A Milestone for China’s Underground

On August 14, Human Register [ @humanregister ] took over Block 23 Shanghai for a collaboration with Jordan Brand [ @jumpman23 ] the first time Jordan Brand in China has worked directly with the underground community.

The whole space was built around the theme “Backstage.” You entered through a hallway washed in classic Jordan red, surrounded by posters and photos from Human Register’s history. One of them even came from our first Ginseng Museum exhibition in NYC, with Taco [ @tryagaincultonly ], Chinglish [ @chinglish9 ] , Lan [ @haotinglanlan ] and Hoozie [ @hoozie4_ ] performing together. Crazy full-circle moment to see that photo here.

Before entering the main space, an AJ17 was literally frozen inside a huge block of ice. Inside, the two worlds started mixing together: speakers, cables and guitars alongside lockers, crystal basketball hoops and Jordan pieces.

Human Register also had their own locker room, almost like stepping into a basketball player’s bedroom. They filled it with pieces from their own archive, their first backpack, NB belt, fingerboards, members’ CDs and other objects from over the years. Our favorite had to be the custom AJ5 with actual speakers built into the shoe, something Human Register made even before this collaboration happened.

Taco [ @tryagaincultonly ] and Skiboyvv [ @skiboyvv ] also performed a short live set, connected to a special EP they made just for the collaboration. Everyone left with a physical CD.

Hosted by Halms 汉幕 (a leading fashion media in China), the night also introduced the Jordan 16 Black Pack for its world premiere.

Seeing close friends like Human Register go from building their own world independently to bringing that world into Jordan feels bigger than just another brand collaboration. It’s a real moment for China’s underground, and hopefully a sign of where things are heading next.

Photos from Halms.