Sasso Goes 10 Deep With 10 Nations

Independence. It was on the mind of native New Yorker Scott Sasso in 1995 and it's still on his mind today. As the founder of the streetwear fashion line 10.Deep, the name speaks for itself. Sasso believes in putting strength in the hands of the individual (10 fingers), not in the approval of peers.

It's one of the reasons that 10.Deep has thrived despite the economic pressures that have kept plenty of artistic upstarts out of the market and deadened others. The reason his line continues to chug along is not from following trends too closely, but rather looking out for an opportunity to do the opposite.

"Stylistically, there's the equal and opposite reaction to all the art and goofy streetwear tees, which is that people want to do the opposite of it," said Sasso. "And then I started putting out button downs [when people were tired of T-shirts or sweatshirts]."

The newest design ideas from 10.Deep capture camo and cultures. 

He's right. The shift in streetwear has been moving in the opposite direction. People are less interested in wearing brands as much as the designs inspired by them.

Where 10.Deep made the right move this year was in fusing understated cultural patterns with an urban feel. Although the brand name items remain, the cornerstone of the collection is more timeless, something you can wear for awhile without feeling dated as whatever brand is in becomes deadened.

One of the more creative patterns began as a simple design, weaving in elements of a Navajo blanket. From that simple but urbanized look, the line expanded as part of a bigger concept. called 10 Nations.

As much as it is inspired by Native Americans, it also carries some patterns that work as more undefined tribal. The brand, which used to be front and center — whether the 10.Deep name or brass knuckle mark — is understated and regulated to a corner. It's about the art, not the mark.

Of course, some things haven't changed. The 10.Deep material is a tight, tough stitch for durability. The seams are all reinforced. Some of the T-shirts that are part of the collection incorporate woven flex collars that won't fray easily.

All and all, the idea was to break away from what Sasso and company called an all too vanilla offering of Americana that everybody was eating and do something bolder. Not only did that include a broader range of contemporary and Western cultural influences (along with  mud cloths), but 10.Deep also added a variety of international camos that hit somewhere in between natural and urban.

How the 10.Deep clothing line originally started with Sasso. 

In early 1980s, Scott Sasso was already interested in hip hop, breakdancing, and urban graffiti. And he saw the designs and patterns of streetwear as a continuation of it. It was also the continuation of his desire to do something and create out of his college dorm room. Eventually, it expanded to include all elements of urban lifestyle.

Originally, Sasso was publishing a graffiti fanzine but didn't feel like he was getting enough out of it. So T-shirts seemed like the next thing that made sense to him. After managing to keep afloat for two years, Sasso received one order that was equivalent to everything else he had sold over two years.

Since, 10.Deep designs have held their ground (despite growing up as an unstructured company) and have a number of different projects in play. They have collaborations with BMX, Reebok, Keds, and Adidas. Occasionally, the streetwear line puts out mix tapes of artists (Buju Banton, Vybz Kartel, Sean Paul, etc.) and has hosted several major BMX and skate events.

10.Deep Wild And Peaceful Fashion Line Hits 6.8 On The Liquid Hip Richter Scale.

There are dozens of designers who try to make a go, but very few can become fashion-oriented while retaining their roots. One of the underlying principles that Sasso and his team have maintained over the years is to keep it real, raw, and warm. It was never about and will never be about just making a product.

While there have been many successful collections over the years, the newest collection is one of the most accessible and universal. You can find highlights from the 10.Deep Wild And Peaceful line at Urban Industry. Although Urban Industry is a U.K. store, it ships internationally. You can also find 10.Deep apparel such as 10.Deep camos on Amazon.