SSUR’s Russ Karablin talks sex, politics and protest

There are few words as misunderstood and misappropriated in today’s lexicon as the term “street”. A word that still prompts mental caricatures of late ’80s Brooklyn and the adidas Superstars, boomboxes and graffitied subways that are inescapably conjoined to the era, street culture has been hijacked by marketers, retailers and high-flying brand ambassadors to sell the impossible illusion of impoverished luxury, while ignoring the present microcosm of cultures and influences belonging to those who live and breathe the street as they walk it. One such figure that grew up immersed in the reality of the street from a young age is Ruslan “Russ” Karablin, head of streetwear and urban art label, <a href="https://www.ssur.com/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">SSUR</a>. A respected authority on street aesthetics, Karablin’s impact on shaping the scene for over 20 years is as understated as his humble approachability, sitting somewhat at odds with the discourse of disobedience found in his graphic apparel and artworks. Ironically, despite his standing in American street culture, Karablin hails from an empire that stood as one of the country’s most feared enemies: The Soviet Union. Sitting in the newly opened Habitual creative space on the launch of his first solo art exhibition in Singapore, Eternally Bonded, the streetwear veteran reminisces, “I was brought to the States by my mum at a young age. It was a culture shock. I grew up in a neighbourhood that was sort of like ‘the hood’. Growing up around people that were different from me, I sort of embraced and became more like them. That definitely drove the style of what I do”. <a href="https://medium.com/@trentobento/ssurs-russ-karablin-talks-sex-politics-and-protest-ed1fac2a6f2f">Learn More</a>