About V. H. Hess

hypnagogoc retro vibes

How it started

On a summer night in 2016, my mind was racing. It felt restless. I could not sleep, likely from anticipation of an upcoming video game at the time. Before I fell asleep I received a chat message from a friend, mesmerized by an hour-long mix on YouTube that was shared by him. Taking a brief listen I was overcome with nostalgic sounds and beats of the 80s and 90s, awash in reverb and low pass audible effects. Seeing a burger with a pineapple slice in the middle as the album artwork was slightly unsettling but I did not mind. The sounds were wonderful, calming, perhaps medicinal to my mind. And boom, like that, I was asleep while it played...
Stuck in my head

Nostalgia pursuit

It was apparent that I experienced the music in my dreams, because I couldn't get the sounds and beats out of my head. I needed to learn more about what I experienced. It was at that point my friend introduced me to Vaporwave, the umbrella sub genre of electronic music meant to instill nostalgia; that was my first experience to retro-induced hypnagogic music. I wanted to make content to give homage to my new discovery. As a graphic designer, I wanted to join the fashion trend that blossomed from this music in 2018. And 2020, the plan to start as a vaporwave aesthetic apparel brand began as V. H. Hess, with more to come.
Wait one moment...

What is Vaporwave?

Vaporwave, which began as meme, is a microgenre of electronic music, a visual art style and fashion trend that began in the early 2010s. Its use of pastel colors, Japanese calligraphy, retro sounds and technology, and greek statues - used in entertainment from the 80s to early 2000s - have become a recent Internet phenomenon. It started as an offshoot of the Chillwave music genre and has grown to become a fashion statement based on past decades of consumerism. It is time to bring loud and colorful fashion back to the masses.
People posing behind a pink and orange gradient background superimposed over a valley view
Just the beginning.

More than apparel.

Helping keep Earth happy is a primary focus of V. H. Hess. Every order placed will go towards multiple incentives to aid the environment. Planting trees via One Tree Planted and offsetting carbon emissions, helping grow edible plants through Eden Restoration Project, and ethical sourcing of materials and inks are only a part of the long-term plan for keeping our planet as healthy as possible from our collective efforts. While V. H. Hess may be starting out as an apparel brand, expect future projects spanning into my own electronic music, ebooks and (perhaps several years from now) an animated series heavily influenced by anime from the past. Projects in 2022 and 2023 are my next goal-set milestones, and I can't reveal all my secrets, but stay tuned. This will be a fun adventure and I hope you can tag along for the ride!

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Daydream Men's Tee - V. H. Hess
Daydream Men's Tee - V. H. Hess
Daydream Men's Tee
¥5,900
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Holiday 2021 - Chill Sweatshirt
¥7,800
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Vapor Sea REMIX Men's Tee - V. H. Hess
Vapor Sea REMIX Men's Tee - V. H. Hess
Vapor Sea REMIX Men's Tee
¥5,900
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Insert Coin Joggers - V. H. Hess
Insert Coin Joggers - V. H. Hess
Insert Coin Joggers
¥7,800 ¥7,100 Save ¥700
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719 products

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Artwork “Hamburger” From Masao Saito’s Food Illustrations (1988). "What is Vaporwave?" background image by WOLF ΛRT from Pexels.