I’m not going to pretend like I am particularly savvy about streetwear or fashion brands, but even I know that SoHo in NYC is at the epicenter of that world. UNION had their start in 1989 in the neighborhood, and grew to become one of the most influential stores in counterculture fashion, making it a streetwear and art-fashion touchstone for generations of local New York youth scenes, and the fashion world at large. G-SHOCK has always been an icon of streetwear, with its rugged and affordable timepieces that appeal to a younger, more middle-class audience—as a kid in the 2000s, having a G-SHOCK made you feel instantly cooler than your classmates with a normal Casio—so a collaboration between the two brands makes a lot of sense. G-SHOCK has a history of brash, colorful, and innovative models and a track record of collaborating with musicians, artists, and other fashion marques. With the new DW-5600RBG, developed in partnership with Chris Gibbs, owner of the UNION stores in Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Osaka, both brands make their mark on the iconic octagonal design. 

The DW-5600RGB is based on the DDW-5600, one of G-SHOCK’s most classically-styled models both aesthetically and functionally. It’s the bread-and-butter G-SHOCK with a rectangular LCD display that shows the date in the upper right corner, the day of the week and alarm setting in the upper left, and the time squarely in the center. No nonsense and known for industry-standard resistance to damage, it’s the perfect springboard for more eccentric colorways and designs. Here, UNION has made their mark with a color scheme inspired by the Pan-African flag, representing the cultural background of UNION and their early years embedded in NYC youth culture. The red and green accents are printed over a black base, creating a waving flag-type graphic that also covers the LCD display. When lit, the LCD also shows the UNION “Frontman” logo—a motif that also features on the caseback. 

Chris Gibbs, the mastermind behind the collaboration, started his career in the original UNION shop in SoHo, making him a legacy artistic force for the brand and a homegrown streetwear icon. While UNION is now headquartered in Los Angeles and features storefronts in Japan and the United Kingdom, centering brands from across the world, its NYC origin and roots in the street fashion community—pioneered and propelled by Black Americans—are rightfully celebrated here on the DW-5600RGB. Few watch brands straddle social class and brandish persistent cultural relevance like G-SHOCK; the utilitarian construction and function of many of their watches ironically makes it the perfect canvas for wild colors and artistic flair. That combination of the practical and the flamboyant is at the core of streetwear as a fashion movement—even a fashion newbie like myself can appreciate that marriage.

The DW-5600RGB won’t be for everyone, but as a celebratory piece made in collaboration with an influential giant in the streetwear scene, it should be a big success. Specially-designed G-SHOCK x UNION packaging and a tantalizing $165 price tag make it accessible and fun—two things the watch world always needs more of. G-SHOCK