Respect it or get collected!
The Bone Collector x Lasso collection dropped last week, offering everything from socks and tees to various hats and sweaters. Having Larry "Bone Collector" Williams so closely involved in this entire project—from concept to completion—has made it incredibly real, raw and authentic. His fingerprint is on every item in the collection and we wouldn't have it any other way. We had a photoshoot in Los Angeles in mid-November to get ready for it all and had a helluva day shooting content and playing in the streets.
From barging La Cienega Blvd. and stopping traffic to lurking around crusty alleyways, all the way to pulling up on a public court in a drop-top Mercedes, it all happened through the vision of our Creative Director, Ryan Nevarez and Lasso videographer, Alex Heller. With that said, the entire Lasso team was strapped with cameras, ranging from various DSLR's, a classic Hi8 handycam, smart phones and more, charged and eager to make sure we didn't miss a moment. Multiple vantage points. Multiple perspectives. One vision.
The day started at Lasso Founder/CEO, Partha Unnava's house in West Hollywood where a backdrop was set up and the collection was organized into outfits to shoot. We had Zach Graves and Curtis Sumlin (two close friends of our Creative Director, Nev) there to help model the collection alongside Bone Collector. No strangers to basketball or having some fun in front of the camera, having them as part of the shoot was as natural and fitting as everything else. Safe to say, the items offered in the Bone Collector x Lasso collection were right up their alley. After about an hour of shooting at Partha's, we packed up and hit the streets. The clock hadn't even struck 10 a.m. yet! The vibe had been set. La Cienega was calling.
SHOP THE BONE COLLECTOR x LASSO COLLECTION!
La Cienega Takeover
Like many guerrilla shoots in Los Angeles, we took the streets armed with ambition, plenty of cameras and a plan. Sometimes that's all you need. Waiting on red lights from a block up, we'd send the clear signal down to the creative team as they'd run into the middle of the street and do their thing. The talent handled biz in the streets, fearless and confident like actors in a Scorsese film. A few one-on-one matches went down on an imaginary hoopless court in the center of the busy street, as the Hollywood Hills rested quietly behind as an almost surreal backdrop. With a few attempts cleared, we checked the footage and photos and all agreed we had what we needed. With a few wardrobe changes, we were back at the Mercedes planning our next move.
We decided while we were parked off La Cienega to start shooting some of the crew in and around the Mercedes. Bone, Curtis and Zach were naturals in front of the cameras once again. Snap. Snap. Snap. With multiple cameras firing and eyes on high alert for traffic cops and security, we got what we needed and made our way back to Partha's before hitting a local court in a nearby neighborhood park. That was where the fun really began.
Observing Bone Collector in his natural element on the court was really something to witness. Pick up game after pick up game, he'd play to five with anyone who'd let him, and he did! His energy is magnetic, to say the least. You can tell the guy genuinely loves the game and isn't scared to have some fun, let out a scream and keep moving. We spent a decent amount of time at this court, setting up multiple scenarios and situations under the warm California sun.
With another backdrop set up (after some minor difficulties from the wind and added support from Partha, V and Sri), and another wardrobe change, we were right back at it. All hands were on deck as we did our thing on the court. Hanging with the locals and noticing the interest they all had in what was going on kept the energy high. Let's be honest—having the chance to play some one-on-one with Bone Collector is a heavy claim! Bone played a few random players, along with some of the Lasso team (Partha and V). Any willing takers! Seeing him in videos on social media is one thing, but seeing Bone breaking ankles in real life was something special for all of us (even if it was our own ankles!)
The Drop Top Mercedes
Seeing the Mercedes slowly creep onto the court with Bone perched in the back really ended up being a larger-than-life moment. We knew we were getting gold but it really didn't hit us until after the fact. Reflecting on that part of the day was a huge highlight. From the mind of Nev, who originally pitched the idea to renting the Mercedes for the day, to the entire team showing up and putting in the work, by midday it was safe to say we had already accomplished a lot. And in true Lasso fashion, we stayed moving to the next location.
Back Alley Lurking
We finished the day lurking around an alleyway to really shine some light on the gritty aspect of the collection. Streetball culture is packed with attitude and style, so having our last location in an alleyway filled with graffiti and miscellaneous trash actually ended up being the perfect place to pull up in the Mercedes and close out the shoot. Our videographer, Alex was really fired up and his enthusiasm for the footage he was stacking had everyone hyped. Bone even had to mention how hyped he was about how hyped Alex was. He said something along the lines of, "When the guy filming is that excited, you know it's a good sign." And he wasn't wrong. You can watch the video from the day here!