Bootlegging in streetwear has always been a form of rebellion, but lately it’s been evolving. Instead of reworking existing products, artists and brands are now creating entirely fake collaborations with major names, blurring the line for profit.
In recent years, this movement can be traced back to ASSPIZZA, who dropped a “fake” Supreme triple box logo collab, complete with a lookbook featuring Sheck Wes.
But more recently, UK-based artist SLAWN went viral for a bootleg KAWS collab, which even caught KAWS’ attention. SLAWN then followed it up with a fake Supreme box logo collab featuring his artwork, solidifying the idea of “bootleg collabs” as a new cultural wave.
Now Warren Lotas has stepped directly into that conversation with his latest project, a bootleg Dragon Ball Z collab. Posting artwork of his fake collab online, Lotas captioned it bluntly: “Bootlegging is the only way to keep things interesting.” The word “bootleg” was even slapped onto the art itself, leaving no room for confusion about what this was meant to be.
In response to the backlash, Lotas doubled down. “There are consequences but I really do not care. Safe is not exciting. Sue me, say whatever you want about what we do. This company is like a cockroach that survives the nuclear apocalypse. You just cannot kill us.”
For Lotas, bootlegging isn’t just copying, it’s disruption. “What a lot of you mouth breathers don’t understand is: If I bootleg something, I’m telling you it’s a bootleg. Misleading ‘collaborations’ ≠ bootlegging. A good bootleg isn’t copying, a bootleg takes the IP and does something they wouldn’t do with it because of bureaucracy.”
He’s also tying the approach to the current climate. “We are in a recession. Safe is not exciting and will not get someone to spend their money when they can barely afford groceries.”
In his view, people aren’t interested in predictable licensed drops. They want standout products. “Everything is so boring now. It’s because too many licenses got given out and everyone makes things according to the rules of the parent company. No progress gets made because everything is done safely.”
In an industry where collabs have become the norm, he’s betting that fake collabs might be the only way to shake things up.
With ASSPIZZA, SLAWN, and now Warren Lotas all pushing this idea forward, the question becomes: is this a trend that more brands will pick up on? And if so, how will bigger companies respond when bootlegging starts feeling more interesting than their official collaborations?
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