When it comes to expressing your love of cannabis on apparel, there’s a subtle art to getting it right. And few companies understand this better than Upper Playground in San Francisco.
For the last 19 years, Upper Playground has been quietly dropping collectible cannabis lifestyle designs to their loyal fans around the world. And now, in celebration of 4/20 and legalization in California, they’re re-releasing 46 of them from the vault across a wide array of styles for both men and women.
The 4:20 Collection from Upper Playground features a diverse range of design concepts and styles from a variety of different artists. And the designs are presented as they were originally released over the years–in all their polished and unpolished glory—as a sort of design time capsule.
Also at work is a consistent, inside-track sense of humor that must be seen to be appreciated. At one end of the design/conceptual spectrum is the obviously-hilarious Smoke Patrol, which features a cop pulling a huge ripper from a glowing bong. At the other end is the more subtle, second-read humor of the Trimmers Union badge, which can easily be mistaken for a barbers association if not for the small cannabis references within the design.
Without question, the capsule within the collection that fans are most eager to re-order from is 18 Strains. Initially released in 2011, it features some of the most dominant strain names of the day like Presidential OG Kush, Grand Daddy Purp, and Sour Diesel paired with a related/unrelated design element to throw off outsiders and earn a nod or two from the like-minded. It was all about hiding in plain sight.
It’s worth noting that Upper Playground, as a brand, isn’t entirely about cannabis inspired designs. Far from it. Since 1999 they’ve been a dedicated promoter of street artists and street culture. But, by virtue of that fact, cannabis inspired art is an inevitable thread. And we’re happy it’s finally all in one place.