NYC Hip-Hop Meets Tokyo Streetwear: Needles x A Tribe Called Quest Drops Online

Japanese streetwear label Needles has teamed up with A Tribe Called Quest, the hip-hop group from Queens, on a collection built around the group's 1991 album The Low End Theory. The record, known for folding jazz samples into hip-hop, remains a touchstone for the genre, and the clothes borrow its spirit.

The core of the line is a track suit. On the Nepenthes online store, the Track Jacket in poly smooth is listed at ¥29,700 and the matching Track Pant at ¥24,200, the kind of top-and-bottom set Needles is known for. The collection also includes a wool varsity jacket with the album art on the back and a 3D-knit roll-neck cardigan. The cardigan, priced at ¥107,800, comes in black with red and green accents, a palette that nods to the group's look.

The collection went on sale October 20 through the Nepenthes online store, the retail arm tied to Needles. The store notes that stock may be limited when sales overlap with its physical shops, and that sold-out items can sometimes still be found in stores.

For New Yorkers, it is a Tokyo label paying tribute to a Queens classic. Fans of the album, and anyone who follows Needles' track-suit designs, will find plenty to look at, even if the buying happens online.