Steve Aoki’s new menswear collection is making a political statement.
The DJ, 39, revealed his Spring/Summer 2018 Dim Mak collection Paradise Found during an outdoor concert and fashion show, live streamed by BUILD Series on Tuesday night in New York City. Aoki also debuted songs from his upcoming rap-infused album Kolony, due out July 21.
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When Aoki sat down to brainstorm for this collection — his sixth for Dim Mak — he was drawn to the current politics in the U.S. “One of the feelings I got when we started developing this mood board was we live under the Trump presidency,” he told PEOPLE. “We live in a state of chaos.”
As a self-proclaimed “walking sampler,” Aoki tours globally, taking in ideas from many cultures. For Paradise Found, Aoki used the American socio-political climate as a starting point. “We live in regression, and let’s try to find paradise through this difficult era that we’re in,” he added.
Aoki explained that these sentiments inspired designs such as palm trees made out of barbed wire, as well as imagery of guard dogs and burning cars, and some imagery that feel downright Banksy-esque.
Amidst creating this collection, Aoki had also been working on his album Kolony, which marks the EDM producer’s first full turn into hip-hop. The album features rap stars like Migos and Gucci Mane, but still has Aoki’s EDM flare, bridging the gap between the genres.
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He noted that the genre swap shouldn’t be difficult for fans to enjoy since U.S. listeners “accept” and “listen to all kinds of music.” “I’m happy I live in this kind of world where it’s not strange for these things to happen,” he said about his ability to mesh musical styles.
With such a busy schedule, it is no wonder Aoki is renowned for getting by on very little sleep – despite the high energy he delivers to a crowd.
“I’m a deadline-oriented person, and I think that one of the hardest things for me, even as a producer, is finishing a song,” he said. “I love having a deadline so it forces me to finish all these projects.”