Axel Arigato Unveils Akaia: The New Logo That’s Basically a Street Legend

Axel Arigato dropped Akaia—a fresh emblem born from a year-long creative jam session between Creative Director Jens Werner and Chicago street-culture icon Reggieknow. Akaia takes the OG Bee-Bird logo (that clever mashup of Japanese and Swedish bird vibes) and levels it up: part symbol, part character, fully alive across sneakers, apparel, storytelling, and the whole Axel Arigato universe.

It’s all about overlap—heritage meets progression, craft meets intuition, past meets future. Reggieknow, the creative force behind ’90s Chicago hip-hop visuals and campaigns for Virgil Abloh, Lady Gaga, and Chris Gibbs, brought his instinctive, character-driven eye to the project. Think street energy, skate culture, and graffiti-inspired authenticity all rolled into one.

Jens Werner on the collab:
"When I stepped into the Creative Director role, I knew I wanted our Bee-Bird symbol to have more bite—more cultural relevance, more street edge. Reggieknow was the perfect partner… we met at our NYC store opening and instantly clicked over the city’s culture and our shared skate roots."

Reggieknow adds:
"What pulled me in was Axel Arigato’s comfort with the edge. Akaia is the product of a real creative conversation, a respect for iconography reimagined for a new era. It’s bigger than a capsule or a moment—it’s a whole new chapter."

The launch comes in two drops, embedding Akaia everywhere:

Drop 1 (out now)

• Graphic T-shirts, illustrated sweatpants, and denim
• Textured herringbone bomber jacket
• Knitted balaclava and scarf featuring Akaia + Reggieknow’s signature visuals
• Reworked Dice Lo sneaker with custom Akaia details
• Limited-edition collectible finger-skateboard featuring Akaia art and tagging

Drop 2 expands the range with more apparel, denim, and new Dice Lo colorways.

To top it off, an animation brings Akaia’s “birth” to life, adding narrative depth to the emblem and giving fans a full emotional arc.

The collection is live in Axel Arigato stores in London, NYC, and Paris, as well as online at axelarigato.com.