Model: Studio Buds
Release Date: December 1
Price: $149.99
Buy: UNION LA's website
Editor's Notes: Even amidst 2021's highs and lows, stalwart streetwear retailer Union LA has brought the heat for its 30th anniversary. Over the course of the year, it's issued collaborations with everyone from Cactus Plant Flea Market to ESSENTIALS to Needles, with more major drops somehow en route.
Union's collaborative Beats Studio Buds are the first of the last to launch, serving as the earbud's first-ever joint effort since the style launched in June.
This partnership continues Beats efforts to align with influential Black creatives, following the recent A-Cold-Wall* headphones and Don Toliver campaign.
Union's Beats collab is very much Black-centric, in fact. Its packaging and the colors of the Buds themselves are informed by the hues of the Pan-African flag to directly reflect Union's legacy as a Black-owned business, with Union's Frontman logo rendered on the Buds' case.
"Music is the lifeblood of our store, so when Beats approached us, we were excited to work with them on these Buds. Collaboration is almost as important as music," said Union founders Chris and Beth Gibbs.
"It feels great to have worked with Beats on this project and to have collaborated with Vince Staples, a longtime friend of the store, to bring our vision to life."
Vince Staples not only co-signs Union's Studio Buds in accompanying campaign imagery, he also appears in "Home Sweet Home," an accompanying short film that sees him being introduced to the Buds by the Gibbs.
"Union has always championed local and Black art, music and fashion, and their LA store on La Brea is one of my favorite places to shop," Staples continued. "Beats and Union are family, so this campaign felt really authentic to be a part of."
