IT TAKES TWO: A Collaboration with Laser Barcelona
An interview with Hugo Huerga and Justo Heras
This collaboration comes out of friendship, a shared passion for design, and the bicycle. Hugo, founder and creative director at NDLSS, and Justo, creative director and owner at Laser Barcelona, have been good friends for over 15 years. Their story starts like many love stories with a friend in common: Alfredo de la Cruz. These three dudes found each other in the graffiti world during the early 2000’s in Madrid and Barcelona. Their paths continued to cross at fixed gear events all over the world, from Berlin to New York, and eventually they began to develop their own brands. Hugo and Justo share an affection for what they do and have been known to spend hours on end chatting about future plans for their brands. In 2019, Hugo approached Justo and suggested constructing a streetwear collection together. After more never-ending conversations, they have created a lovely collection that exemplifies both of their brands and includes both casual wear and cycling clothing. Meet NDLSS by Laser.
Check out what Hugo and Justo have to say about the collaborative process and the pieces themselves.
What were some challenges in carrying out the collaboration?
J: Well it’s something that I consider whenever we do a project with a different brand. The biggest challenge in this collaboration was expressing Hugo’s personal ideology that’s reflected in NDLSS without losing our identity at Laser. The truth is that it wasn’t simple, but we are really connected and working together opens up horizons--like the feeling of freedom that comes from a long bike ride.
H: This project has been a long time coming. We have been friends for over 15 years, so it was about time we did something creative together. The hardest part for me was probably when I had to narrow down which pieces we were going to produce out of all the options Justo presented to me.
Regarding the collaboration, what are you most proud of?
J: The thing I am most proud of when it comes to this project is how we were able to synthesize two brands into one.
H: I am most proud of and excited about being able to wear NDLSS not only when I am riding, above all when I meet with my non cyclist friends or I go to visit my family, I am very happy because finally my father can wear an NDLSS garment!
What aesthetic details of Laser can we see in the collaboration?
J: I think the simplicity and color are both fundamental to our brand. We were in charge of the concept, design, production and photography. We maintained our high quality, made in Europe standard where we revise the cut of each piece so that the clothes work both on and off the bike.
We used our favorite waterproof fabric made by British Millerain for the accessories and made sure out friends were the protagonists in the photos.
What aesthetic details of NDLSS can we see in the collaboration?
H: The triangle was the central design element in our Precious Gem Collection. You can see the repeated triangle pattern specifically in our Obsidian and Sapphire Jerseys. Geometric lines and cuts guided the design behind our Amethyst, Garnet, and Emerald Jerseys as well. In addition to these geometric features, you can see our stripes on all the labels.