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Kathy Truong
Art 438
Textile Designer Report
Newkoncept
Fall 2013
Professor Davis
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Local Los Angeles graphic designer, Jason "Newkon" Ulep, came from the small humble
North Shore of Hawaii where he was destined to become a farmer, a surfer or a fishermen just
like the men in his family, however, after discovering his calling for art he changed the course of
his life. Growing up with unlocked doors, small streets, highly multicultural vibes and the
modest of native Hawaiian hospitality, the Aloha spirit was instilled in Ulep and still heavily
influences him along with everyone he meets. Ulep sparked his interest in art at a young age after
his uncles challenged him to a tracing contest along with freestyle sketching. After honing his
love for art, Ulep took up the courage to enter into art contests as well as showcasing his artwork
for friends and family, Ulep slowly caught the attention of people around him throughout the
small island, however, after graduating from the University of Hawaii in 1991 with a Bachelor's
in Digital Arts, Ulep came to realize the small unrealistic opportunities of a starving artist from a
small town in Hawaii and pushed his art as a hobby and fell into minimum wage jobs. He took
on mediocre office jobs as well as inspirational jobs such as volunteering and sponsoring for the
youth and recreational centers in his neighborhoods.
Ulep did not realize the importance and impact of his art on the people around him
especially his younger brother Josh "Hazmat" Ulep, whose was also an aspiring artist and dancer.
After Josh took a short trip to New York, the urban art graf scene and graffiti culture reminded
Josh of his brother's iconic art and entered his older brother in an Internet Art Battle. Shortly
after Ulep won the contest, he came to realize his love of art again and there the brothers
concocted his famous nickname "Newkoncept" was released and "Newkon" for short. Ulep then
took on the challenges of becoming a striving artist and in a short matter of time and in between
art shows and art movements Ulep grabbed the attention of a growing southern California based
clothing and apparel company, Kallusive. Ulep later became the Graphic Designer and the
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Artistic Director for the brand as well as other well known clothing and apparel companies
including PacSun Clothing, MetroPark and others worn by celebrities including rapper 50 Cent.
That growing southern California clothing brand Kallusive started as a exclusive clothing brand
mainly housing urban wear, street wear and dance wear who targeted teenagers to young adults
and grew to become a brand worldwide under the founder Alex Contraviwat with some help
from artists along the way such as Newkon. After creating his first line of graphic tees that
resembled his stylized graffiti art, Newkon quickly became a notorious artist throughout the local
urban communities outside his little home on the island. His work consists of anything graphic
from conversional graffiti, art movement lifestyle works, pop art, to even portrait style artworks
along with his medium ranging from building size walls for murals, canvases for painting,
human skin for tattoos and now his most popular graphic tees and other clothing apparel that
involves mainly screen printing.
Ulep's famous nickname "Newkon" started getting bigger and better in the mainland and
had a great influence on the urban street art such as downtown Los Angeles murals and the
worldwide dance community. Ulep's younger brother Josh, remains a huge motivator and being a
part of the worldwide dance community, both brothers still represent the urban dance lifestyle.
Newkon, as a part of Kallusive and their brand motto "Leave Your Mark", continues to be a huge
supporter and sponsor for dance convention such as World Dance Tours and other big or small
dance events. His graphic designs are mainly featured on graphic tees of Kallusive and his own
brands of Newkon and Newkon Kids along with other major clothing brands. The Ulep brothers
also contribute to their own dance studio back home in Hawaii that sponsors young dancers
including the originate Hype 5-0 which is Josh's own world famous dance crew who have
worked for the Disney Channel, America's Got Talent as well as MTV.
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Transitioning from a small town in North Shore Hawaii to the major cities of Los
Angeles and becoming a worldwide internally name, Jason Newkon Ulep never thought of living
his life off of his art, however, his remarkable artwork and innovative talents, such as his
enormous murals, tattoos and graphic designs, Ulep remains an inspirational name. Newkon
broke the cycle and took on his own challenges and made a name for himself. Jason Newkon
Ulep remains a freelance graphic designer for different brands including his own brands yet still
remains a simple, modest Hawaiian man.
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Work Cited
1. KALLUSIVE CLOTHING - LEAVE YOUR MARK. Kallusive, 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.kallusive.com/>.
2. NEWKON. N.p., 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. <http://newkoncept.com/>.
3. Pacheco, Sarah. "Hypersquad Bids Aloha To Founder At Fundraiser." Hawaii's Favorite
Newspaper. Midweek, 3 Feb. 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2013.
<http://archives.midweek.com/content/zones/west_coverstory_article/hypersquad_bids_a
loha_to_founder_at_fundraiser/>.
4. Trondsen, Chris, and Angelica Alumia. "Interview with Jason Ulep (Kallusive, Brother of
Hype Member Hazmat of Hype) at ABDC Taping." YouTube. YouTube, 24 Mar. 2010.
Web. 11 Oct. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOTv5ekx7cw>.