Pioneer DJ has never done a fashion collaboration before, but it's made sure its first will turn heads, by teaming up with Virgil Abloh's Off-White label. Arguably best known for its Nike sneaker reinventions, Off White has been among the hippest labels in the world for a number of years now. And it turns out that Virgil really wants to be a DJ. The fruits of the collab are the DDJ-1000-OW DJ deck, and a sound-themed capsule collection of t-shirts, hoodies and a jacket. Both the DJ controller and clothes are 'available in strictly limited quantities'. But of course they are.
According to Pioneer DJ, Virgil Abloh 'had a deep desire to create DJ equipment that explores the unity and harmony of music with Pioneer DJ.' The resulting concept is 'SOUND ENGINEERING' – cheers, clever wording – and the limited edition DDJ-1000-OW which, you have to say, looks pretty fly (for an Off-White guy)
So DDJ-1000-OW is Pioneer's DDJ-1000 given an Off-White twist. Abloh's trademark prints and colour blocks jazz this stalwart controller up considerably, whilse maintaining the usual high performance and portability of Pioneer's deck.
The DDJ-1000-OW is a 4-channel DJ controller has a colour screen tracking BPM, loop points and playback positions. As you can tell from that and the baffling range of knobs and buttons available, this is a proper DJ controller from which 'the DJ can truly boss the decks.' 'Legendary' effects let you warp and boost mixes to your heart's content.
Pioneer DJ DDJ-1000-OW and Off-White x Pioneer DJ DDJ-1000-OW: spot the difference
Pioneer DJ x Off White DDJ-1000-OW: price and availability
DDJ-1000-OW will be available to buy from Selfridges in the UK for £1,549 / €1,799 from mid-July 2021. We don't have US or Australian pricing but that is about $2,150 or AU$2,900. That's about £300 more than the standard model. If you're familiar with Off-White, that will seem quite reasonable – and if you're not, you probably won't want this anyway.
To celebrate the DDJ-1000-OW collab, Off-White is also dropping a 'SOUND ENGINEERING' capsule clothing collection, including t-shirts, hoodies and a coach jacket.
Pioneer says the designs here are 'inspired by the internal structure of the DJ controller' with silk-screened graphics and fluorescent green ink on cotton canvas. The jacket 'has been distinguished with a vintage treatment offering a refined aesthetic,' whatever the hell that means.
Virgil Abloh says: “As with the skeleton CDJ and DJM I designed with Pioneer DJ, I wanted to take this opportunity to bring together technology and human interaction… this time we took it one step further with 'SOUND ENGINEERING' bringing together this medium that unites so many of us with a fashion element. Both music and fashion, in my opinion, are these intense forces that have the unique power to bring people together while letting you make your own statement all at the same time.”
The capsule apparel collection will be available at Off-White online, Farfetch.com, and select Off-White stores worldwide.