All throughout June, BANDITS is diving into the details of the "Earth Chase" bandana by Madrid, Spain based illustrator and graphic artist Pedro Oyarbide. "Earth Chase" intricately weaves together Native American totems, The American West, and how the cultural myths of both paralleled each other over time.
The design itself is Pedro at the height of his powers – vintage vibes, crazy kinetic energy, and layers of meaning packed into every square inch. The earthy browns tie it all together with Pedro’s chosen charity, 350.org, telling a story of the land, the people, and the misconceptions packed into the Western myth in the United States.
The Earth Chase Bandana Designed by Pedro Oyarbide - BANDITS featured Design for June
“Earth Chase” provides a complex look at American constructs, while also living squarely within the iconic Western style that they inspired. Like everything BANDITS strives for, it’s bold, unique, an unapologetic. It’s Western Style at its most woke, and its BANDITS featured design of the month.
Keep reading below to learn more about the artist, the design, and the incredible cause that it helps to support!
The Artist – Pedro Oyarbide
"Earth Chase" creator Pedro Oyarbide is a self-described “hand-drawn illustrator” and graphic artist based in Madrid, Spain. I first discovered Pedro on Instagram after stumbling upon this insane bandana design he did for the Oscar’s Hotel web series. A quick peek at Pedro’s Instagram feed (@pedroyarbide) reveals an incredible portfolio of work overflowing with energy and emotion. Pedro's incredibly detailed work combines traditional, hand-drawn illustration with elements of biker culture, tattoo art, skateboard graphics, and cultural ornaments. As he explained to Huck Magazine in a 2014 article, “I love to mix ideas from different eras and translate them into my style."
Pedro’s unique illustrations and patterns combine traditional illustration styles with an edgy attitude that fits perfectly with the long list of adventure brands that have featured his work. His eye-catching designs have been featured in campaigns for brands like Hurley, O’Neill, Globe, Nike, Triumph Motorcycles, , Joker and the Thief Playing Cards, and Eden Mill Gin. As his portfolio grows, his confident creations are sure to pop up on your favorite brands very soon. BANDITS is beyond excited to feature an original design from this unique talent in our first collection!
In the time since I got Pedro to sign on for BANDITS, I’ve realized that he is somewhat of a bandana specialist. Each new bandana design that pops up on his feed is more incredible than the last, and I truly consider the work he did for BANDITS a masterpiece.
Pedro's Recent Bandana Brilliance - Click Images for More Detail
From a personal standpoint, Pedro was a great partner to work with throughout the design and creative process. He’s also been a huge advocate for BANDITS on social media, showing off his design (and many of the others) to his loyal following. In fact, I had such a great time working with Pedro that we might have something exciting in the works for later this summer – make sure to sign up for our email list here to be the first to know about it.
The Design - "Earth Chase"
According to Pedro, “Earth Chase” was heavily influenced by Native American ornaments and motifs, combined with archetypal images of the American West. They blend together seamlessly in Pedro’s re-imagining for a design that toes the line of conflict, mysticism, and modern mythology.
The Initial Sketch for Pedro's "Earth Chase" Design
In each of the four corners, Native American totems anchor the design, standing like sentinels at the gates of the world that Pedro is taking us into. Woven between the totems, traditional Native American figures ride majestically, bows drawn, moving effortlessly through the natural landscape. In the middle a cowboy, the archetypal hero of the American West, struggles to ride a wild, bucking horse. He is caught between day and night, unsteady in this world as arrows and dust swirl around him. The traditional “hero” unsuccessfully attempts to tame his natural surroundings, all under the watchful eye of the Native people and their cultural artifacts.
Pedro presents these traditional images in deep brown and tan earthy tones to advance a not-so-familiar narrative. In this story, the Native people and the natural landscape have taken the upper hand. This obviously stands in stark contrast to the reality of the American west we see today, in which the land has largely been tamed and there are few truly wild landscapes left.
“Earth Chase” presents an alternate history, one in which the natural world is able to fight back against the ingresses of modern man. It’s a story that Pedro’s chosen charity, 350.org hopes to make a reality.
The Charity – 350.org
350.org is a global non-profit organization fighting climate change and its largest perpetrators. 350 uses online campaigns, grassroots organizing, and mass public actions to oppose new coal, oil and gas projects, take money away of the companies that are heating up the planet, and build 100% clean energy solutions that work for everyone living on our planet. 350's network extends to 188 countries from their headquarters in New York City.
Images from protests and demonstrations around the world that 350.org has been involved in. Click the images to learn more.
In recent years, 350 has campaigned against the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines in the United States, stopping fracking projects in hundreds of cities and states in Brazil, joining historic grassroots mobilizations before and after the Paris Climate Agreement was signed, and pushing hundreds of universities, foundations, cities and churches to divest from fossil fuels.
Pedro chose 350.org in hopes that his design can help to fight climate change and what he sees as environmental injustices being carried out on a global scale. 10% of proceeds from “Earth Chase” will go to support 350.org and their worldwide campaigns against climate change.
Learn more about 350.org on their website or via their Instragram feed (@350org) and find out how you can get involved!
The Most Exciting Part
BANDITS is beyond stoked to feature this amazing bandana design, introduce Pedro’s work to a whole new audience, and bring awareness and financial support to this globally imporatant organization. That’s why BANDITS is helping you to support all three!
In honor of “Earth Chase” being this month’s featured design, BANDITS is giving you 20% OFF all June long! Just use code JUNEFEATURE at checkout and do it for Dad, do it for yourself, or do it for the planet. Tie it up your way and set out like a BANDIT for Summer adventures!
Click the discount code above or go HERE to grab an “Earth Chase” bandana of your very own!
