CIRCA X JUN CHA (BLACK TEAR)

C1RCA Footwear and Apparel and renowned LA-based tattoo artist, painter and illustrator Jun Cha have joined creative minds on a special footwear collaboration dubbed The Black Tear project.   This limited edition capsule represents Cha's mastery of the black 'n grey tattoo style, crossing over into skateboard culture through the unique application of his illustrations on C1RCA's footwear silhouette, the Hatchet.   Cha uses a mother's profile and a tear drop to symbolize the transition from death and sacrifice to freedom and growth of one's true roots. C1RCA and Cha collaborate to unify and emphasize such a degree of commitment - a commitment to skateboarding, art and the streets. One tear, one kill, one voice...2010 is the shedding of the Black Tear.   The Black Tear shoe is available as a limited run of 100 pairs beginning April 30, 2010.   

PRESS RELEASE

Cha's art career has been watched over and guided by some of the tattoo industry's modern masters. His career as an illustrator is equally fueled by influences from his education at the Art Center College of Design Pasadena. At age 21, Cha has already worked with a long list of celebrity clients, and other worldwide personalities. Today, Cha has developed within the depths of his work through his own Arudima Studios -- which is endlessly evolving, collaborating and encompassing a process that transcends the limitations in today's standard art form. 

"The collaboration between Jun Cha and C1RCA is a natural one," says C1RCA's Creative Director Dennet Oyanguren. "Skateboarding and art are the same culture, in that they both speak the same languages - individuality and expression. Cha's talent and vision encompasses that language, and the 'Black Tear' story it a perfect example of that. The simplicity of the art, as well as the color story and material choice of the Hatchett shoe, set off the message that Cha and C1RCA share - commitment."   

"Intuitive, psychological, yet simple, this project bridges the gaps between design and tattooing," Cha explains. "Although they both differ in application, they share the same encrypted quality that the Black Tear conveys."  