FaZe Clan have officially collaborated with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami on a new flower jersey and mouse pad collection. Here’s how, where, and when you can buy the collection, which Murakami has likened to the partnership between Warhol and Basquiat.
If you don’t know Murakami by name, you most likely know him by art. His 2007 cover art for Kanye West’s “Graduation” album is considered by many to be a key moment in the evolution of hip hop culture. And further along, his colorful flowers have felt omnipresent in pop culture — gracing walls as neon signs and galleries at France’s Palace of Versailles.
While FaZe Clan’s earlier collaborations have spanned sculptures with Bearbrick and clothing with Xbox, the Murakami partnership is a step in an intriguing direction. Fans appear to be ecstatic about it, but even Murakami has expressed some uncertainty. In a statement shared by FaZe, the 59-year-old artist mentioned discomfort about the age gap between him and FaZe’s ownership and audience. Drawing parallels to Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, he also expressed serious excitement.
If you want to buy anything from the unique new collection, you’ll need to do so in a unique way. The collab is only being sold via NTWRK, a live-selling platform that can only be accessed via mobile app. Here’s how.
FaZe Clan by Takashi Murakami
A collaboration that can stand the test of time.
Available Monday, June 28 at 12pm PT pic.twitter.com/hkXhHO5MJk
— FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) June 22, 2021
How to buy the FaZe Clan x Takashi Murakami collection
The collaboration will be made available on Monday, June 28 at 12 PM PT (3 PM ET, 8 PM BST). To get onto NTWRK and try to buy items from the collection, follow these steps:
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- Go to this link to get an invite to NTWRK
- Fill in your mobile number to receive a link to the app
- Open the link on your phone to download the app
- Once you’ve downloaded and opened the app, you should be directed straight to the FaZe collab
- Click “Notify Me” to ensure you don’t miss the drop on June 28
And there you go. Once the collection goes live, users will only be able to access the launch via the NTWRK app (…unless you want to wait on StockX resellers). Adding to the hype of fans, Murakami has already seemed very excited about this new partnership — which includes two jerseys and four mouse pads.
FaZe Clan by Takashi Murakami: coming soon. pic.twitter.com/Q0XfkLZw9W
— FaZe Clan (@FaZeClan) June 21, 2021
Announcing the partnership, Murakami cautioned that he was initially skeptical. When he saw an older Warhol work with Basquiat in the ‘80s, he was worried Warhol was “sucking up to the youth.” As such, he was uncertain about working with FaZe, noting that he “felt a bit shy about doing a collaboration with such young people.”
But considering the longevity of Warhol and Basquiat’s partnership, the Japanese artist is excited by the prospect of this collaboration. While it may feel “incongruous” at present, he believes it may take on a different level of appreciation in 30 years’ time. Murakami is best known for walking the lines between fine art and pop culture. FaZe are best known for walking the lines between gaming and pop culture. It’s a wide venn diagram, to say the least, but fans already seem very hype about how the collaboration has turned out.