The Delta Project x Adeshola Makinde
Limited Collection
Apparel Collaboration
A commissioned, limited-edition release created to support the work of The Delta Project.
a small, intentional run of wearable pieces that reflect shared values, storytelling, and purpose.
This limited apparel release is a commissioned collaboration between The Delta Project and Adeshola Makinde. Each item was designed specifically for this release and will not be reproduced.
Only 25 hoodies and 25 t-shirts are available.
About the collaboration
This collaboration brings together The Delta Project’s mission-driven work and Adeshola Makinde’s approach to meaningful, symbolic design.
“How do I become something I don’t see? With this collage I wanted to embody what I believe The Delta Project represents as an organization. Which in turn is what influenced me to highlight different people who were impacted by prison. From Malcolm X to George Jackson to Tupac Shakur to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr - they all were impacted by the system in different ways, but didn’t allow for their legacies to be defined by those moments behind bars. I also wanted to highlight the different people (i.e Betty Shabazz) who are instrumental in ensuring that children receive the love and care that every child needs to live fulfilling lives. I went with yellow as the primary pop of color because of The Delta Project’s branding, but I also wanted it to represent "light" and "new beginnings".
The Grand Rapids Public Library doubled as my makeshift studio in the beginning of my art practice and is where I made the first 100 collages. It's where I researched and dove into archives of Black history. It is how I really began to see myself and it's my pleasure to pass that on in any way that I can. I spent many of my formative years in West Michigan (and the state at large) and to be able to work with an organization like The Delta Project, that gives back and advocates for an often overlooked demographic in that community feels like a true full circle moment for me.”
— Adeshola Makinde
Photo ©2018 ADESHOLA MAKINDE. All rights reserved.
About the Artist
Adeshola Makinde (b. 1990) is a Nigerian-American multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago, Illinois. He was raised in the Chicagoland suburbs and in his younger years attended predominantly white schools. This is something that shapes his work today, due to the fact that it was such a stark difference from the life he led at home with his immigrant parents from Nigeria. By going to schools with this sort of racial makeup, he didn’t learn a great deal of Black history, if at all. This is why the mission statement of his art practice is to educate by sharing the information that he learns on his personal journey of Black consciousness.
Makinde’s drawn to highlighting Black life in his work because he feels as though it’s something that is often neglected. The social justice themes found throughout his work is his way of advocating for those without a voice. Throughout his practice, Makinde often features source material from publications such as EBONY, JET, and other Black ephemera. Makinde utilizes these images of black life in his work to highlight social justice themes and challenge viewers to question the systems they find themselves in.
Shop the collection
Support the mission
This is not a reprint or leftover inventory. It is a shared creative effort produced in limited quantity to support the work happening now.
This limited-release was intentionally kept small. Only 25 hoodies and 25 t-shirts were produced for this collaboration. Once they’re gone, the designs will not be reproduced.
All items from collaboration are final sale. Shipping included in price.
Thank you for supporting the work of The Delta Project and the artists and collaborators who help bring it to life.
Product Images by Chris Bain/Feature Studio
