LEGO Ninjago x HYPE.

[Clone OPatra]

Back in November, Eurobricks was approached with a mystery offer to review some LEGO clothing. Would it be Adidas? Or Levi's? Or... something else?

We gave them a hat and shirt size, and that was that. After hearing nothing for two months, a BIG box turned up on January 12th!

By now most people who follow LEGO news will have seen the promos and press releases for the new co-branded LEGO Ninjago line from HYPE., a UK-based clothing brand. If you haven't or want to see the whole range at a glance, I'll link to the post about it on one of my go-to Aussie sites, Bricking Around.

I do think some of the designs are pretty cool, though the plain Ts are less my cup of tea, so I was keen to see what they'd sent in this very big box. I've made an unboxing video if that's your thing, but I'll also list out what was included in the box if reading is more your thing.

Oddly, in the whole box there was only one item from the actual clothing line: an oversized red t-shirt with Jay (the blue Ninja) on the back. Also included were:

• a plush Kai wearing a little HYPE. t-shirt - cute but too big to be something I personally would display
• a LEGO HYPE. tote bag - quite large and with very long straps making it excellent for carrying
• a yellow 2x2 brick storage container - always nice
• and 71735 Tournament of Elements - a newset with several cool minifigures and a pretty good-looking build

All-in-all, a bit of an odd promo for the clothing line if you ask me, but I'm not complaining by any means, as what I DID get (a set, a storage box) is much more attractive to me personally than what I DIDN'T (more clothes).

That does it for this post, but I'll be back to share more thoughts on the T-Shirt and the whole HYPE. line, and do a thorough review of 71735 Tournament of Elements.

What do you think of LEGO's latest foray into mainstream, supposedly adult-targeted apparel?

[MKJoshA]

Loved watching the unboxing video! I'll be interested to see what else comes out of this line of products.

[makoy]

So cool to see this unboxing. A rare video production from Eurobricks.   Thank you for sharing with us.

 

[Peppermint_M]

Red shirt with Jay? Odd choice! 

I hope there are more hats to choose from (Only had a quick browse of the promo, site wants a phone number...), I love a good hat. Plus, from my browse, there is a jacket that I think I have to get!

Though my brother is likely going to be getting a lot more!

Cheers for the content. Unboxing is a classic format 

[Lucarex]

Hype. Meh, 2018 called and wants its garish very briefly fashionable kids clothing brand back. 

 

[Lyichir]

Personally I'm all for it. I remember ten years ago when I was entering my twenties, one of the downsides of "growing up" was having to say goodbye to the many kid-sized Lego apparel that no longer fit me. Back then I had to mostly settle for convention shirts and other fan-made items, which could be of mixed quality and pretty much NEVER covered the kinds of themes I was into, like Ninjago or Bionicle.

Fast forward to the past couple years and it feels like Lego FINALLY got the message I tried to send to them at every convention, that there was a demand for Lego-branded clothing for adults. But even so, for most of the past couple of years those sorts of collaborations have largely stuck to the safe, "themeless" Lego aesthetic, with bold primary colors and lots of brick iconography. Which is great, if you're into it! I certainly don't mind it! But I wouldn't want that to be my whole wardrobe.

This is the first time (other than sparse collaborations with outfitters like Hot Topic for the various movie tie-ins) that an actual, more specific theme has gotten this sort of spotlight. And for the most part, I'm a fan! I could do without the big logos and labels of the fashion partner itself, but that's a gripe I have for all SORTS of non-Lego branded clothing, which has a nasty tendency to seem like it's desperately trying to advertise itself to everyone who sees it. But beyond that, I like some of the actual designs! Instead of just settling for repurposed stock art, a lot of the graphics on these opt for either bolder art styles (like the monochrome ninja print on the shirt you received), or subtler, more ambiguous imagery (like the designs that use the Ninjago language designed for the Ninjago movie). It's a direction I'm fond of, and would have loved to see more of back when I was into Bionicle.

Again, there's still room for improvement. I don't like the garish HYPE patches on a lot of the clothing, and I've seen complaints about this and other collaborations that there's not enough gender equity in designs and styles (unfortunately, the fashion industry tends to carry even more sexist baggage than even the toy industry in that respect). But it's a good direction, and one that I've been hoping for for a while, so I hope that these collaborations continue and continue to improve.

[The Stud]

Like @Lyichir, I grew out of a lot of my childhood Lego clothing items a long time ago, so I haven’t worn a Lego shirt in quite a while. I like a few of the shirt designs, but need to know prices before I decide if I’m buying any. I’m not even sure how often I’d be wearing these shirts, outside of trips to Lego Stores and Conventions. It’s cool that Lego is making an effort to do special things to commemorate the ten year anniversary of Ninjago, my favorite in-house Lego theme.

[Holodoc]

I heard of Hype just today...

Interesting to note it's Jay on a Kai-coloured shirt.
If I was in bad mood, I'd say it's a misprint - so they gave it away for free . But I'm not in such a mood, so it's just... weird.

Thx for this video. I'd wear that shirt for sports.