10 DEEP

Reaching twenty years in the streetwear scene is a feat not many brands can attest to. 10.Deep has not only survived the recession, but it's managed to outlast a host of competitors in a heavily populated industry. VICE caught up with Scott Sasso, the man behind the brand, to discuss everything from the time he stopped working on 10.Deep in 1996 to getting his designs on the backs of some of the biggest celebrities.

When asked what he thought was his first successful collection, Sasso harkened back to his '96 "Urban Survival Games" series, which he says really started it all for the brand. Then he revealed that he had stopped working on 10.Deep, thinking "OK, that's done." But this was followed by a high demand for his clothes in Japan, making the next few years all about that market.

Sasso was very candid during the interview, even admitting that it wasn't until fall 1999 that he "felt good about" 10.Deep's products. "I designed embroidered sweatshirts and it felt mature," he said. "It felt like something real. There wasn’t any particular design that was strong. But as a whole, it looked good. I think it was the season where I started to get a little bit of respect in the streetwear community."

But now, twenty years later, all this seems light years ago—10.Deep has since made a name for itself in the streetwear scene, even garnering co-signs from celebrities like Kid Cudi and A$AP Rocky.


Researcher Lisa Lee Muldrow
Source: Complex
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