Tom of Finland Shines On With Hiro Clark
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Over the last 10 years, more than 30 brands — from Comme des Garçons to Diesel, Sweden’s CDLP, French brand Carne Bollente, LGBTQ-focused underwear brand Cellblock 13 and, most recently, a third collaborative release with JW Anderson — have been associated with the homoerotic imagery created by Finnish artist Touko Laaksonen in the late ’50s.
It’s work that is now distributed in many countries and emblematic of gay and LGBTQ culture forever thanks to the Tom of Finland license, owned by the Tom of Finland Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles that is dedicated to preserving the work of the artist, the erotic arts in general, and to offering a cultural program and hosting artists in residence.
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Adding to their portfolio, Los Angeles-based T-shirt brand Hiro Clark is taking on the next collaboration with the Tom of Finland Foundation to release an exclusive all-black capsule titled “Darkroom.”
The minimalist range consisting of Ts, tanks, sweats and socks includes wording devoted to LGBTQ culture, with known quips such as “Sir, Daddy and Cruising,” the Tom of Finland logo and a graphic of the classic Tom of Finland rugged man (sans the muscular body).
“Tom of Finland is the original granddaddy of queer erotic art. His work influenced the city’s seedy underbelly where Hiro Clark feels right at home,” said Andy Salzer, owner and founder of Hiro Clark.
The LGBTQ-centered capsule is available now for purchase at Hiroclark.com, with prices ranging from $28 for the socks, $88 for the Ts, and $178 for the sweats — a percentage of the overall sales will be donated to the Tom of Finland Foundation.
Hiro Clark will be launching a second drop in the ongoing collaboration in early November during Gay Pride in Palm Springs, Calif.
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