A new bird takes flight.
Axel Arigato is introducing Akaia, a fresh brand emblem created in collaboration with cultural pioneer Reggieknow. Rooted in the label’s original Bee-Bird logo, the new symbol reimagines the house icon for a new era – blending heritage with a sharper, street-leaning edge.
Rather than simply redesigning the existing mark, Akaia expands on the Bee-Bird’s original concept of fusion. Drawing from Japanese and Swedish bird references, the emblem layers together multiple visual cues to create something that feels both familiar and forward-looking. The result is less logo refresh, more character introduction – a symbol designed to live across product, storytelling, and the wider Axel Arigato universe.
The project comes out of a year-long creative dialogue between Reggieknow and Axel Arigato Creative Director Jens Werner. Their collaboration revisited the foundations of the brand’s iconography, reinterpreting it through Reggieknow’s instinctive and character-led visual language.
To mark the debut, the brand is also releasing an accompanying animation that visualises the birth of Akaia, adding a narrative layer to the emblem’s introduction.
Reggieknow, whose creative influence stretches across music, fashion and culture, has previously collaborated with figures including Virgil Abloh, Lady Gaga and Chris Gibbs. Often described as a “secret weapon” behind the scenes, his work helped shape Chicago’s hip-hop scene in the ’90s and has since touched everything from campaign visuals to luxury fashion illustration.
Akaia arrives alongside a capsule collection released across two drops. The first introduces a mix of ready-to-wear, accessories and footwear, including graphic T-shirts, illustrated sweatpants, denim pieces and a textured herringbone bomber jacket. Accessories lean playful, with a knitted balaclava and scarf featuring Akaia artwork and Reggieknow’s signature graphics.
Footwear centres on the label’s Dice Lo sneaker, reworked with Akaia detailing and custom graphic elements. A collectible finger-skateboard featuring Reggieknow tagging rounds out the first drop.
The second instalment builds on the concept with additional apparel, denim and new Dice Lo colourways, extending Akaia’s presence across the collection.
The Axel Arigato Akaia collection launches from March 11, available at Axel Arigato stores in London, New York and Paris, as well as online.
PHOTO CREDIT: Axel Arigato
