Luca Benini had no real connections to the fashion industry. Surprising, given the impact the 62-year-old has had since starting his cult clothing store and fashion label Slam Jam back in 1989. “I come from a small town in the outskirts of Ferrara, literally in the middle of nowhere,” Benini tells Hypeart. “I have always been naturally interested in clothes and how people dress.” Like an invisible magnet drawing him from afar, music “played – and still plays – a major role” in Benini’s taste and curiosity — from disco and house to electronic and hip hop. For nearly 35 years now, Benini has in-turn become the magnet that now draws in customers and tastemakers from around the globe, as he continues to shape clothing with an “Attitude for the Global Underground,” as his brand’s motto goes.
Slam Jam started as a simple clothing distributor, but quickly evolved into a streetwear gathering point in the busy streets of Milan in the early ‘90s, where the shape-shifting brand, shop and “cultural archive” continues to operate. Collaborations have remained a constant, such as partnerships with Nike, Converse and Salomon, as well as educational ventures that take you down the rabbit hole, emblematic of the graduate degree on Street Culture and Fashion Design that Slam Jam co-initiated at Università Iuav di Venezia (IUAV), as well as an ongoing venture with ILL-STUDIO, dubbed ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER PROSTHETIC MEMORY PROGRAM (ADDPMP).
In an age inundated with images and information, the latter project — started in 2020, came at a poignant time for people to help “classify and organize your thoughts,” Thomas Subreville, ILL-STUDIO’s founder previously told Hypeart. Since then, Slam Jam continues to house labels that move the cultural cognoscenti, from OAMC, Carhartt WIP to mfpen, KAPITAL and District Vision.
Throughout each collaboration, Benini has been able to brush shoulders with a number of meteoric artists and designers, acquiring several of his favorites for his personal collection. Standouts include a pentaptych set of Supreme Last Supper skate decks that is fetching around $12,000 on eBay currently. Other notable artworks include a phallus rocking sculpture by Herman Makkink, as seen in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1972) and an oval parody painting by FUCT founder Erik Brunetti. “All the pieces I own are through working with the artist, people I highly appreciate as artists and as human beings,” Benini explains. Hypeart hopped on a call with the Slam Jam frontman to discuss some of the more memorable pieces he stores in his personal collection, along with discussing some of the bigger Slam Jam projects in the near horizon.
“The underground is more of an attitude today.”
Do you remember when and what opened your eyes to art?
Certainly the world of graffiti and many friends within that scene from the early days. That opened a whole universe.
While Italy is a museum in itself, Ferrara, where you grew up, is far removed from the buzz of cities like Turin and Milan — the latter where you’ve had a store for some time now. Can you describe the scene in which you grew up in, the subcultures you gravitated towards — from disco to fashion to art/design?
I come from a small town in the outskirts of Ferrara, literally in the middle of nowhere. I have always been naturally interested in clothes and how people dress, I don’t know why. Then music played – and still plays – a major role in addressing my taste and curiosity, and what the ‘riviera romagnola’ and its club scene meant to me are definitely a milestone in my path.
Who were the bands, DJs and musical period that left the biggest impact on you in the early days of SLAM JAM?
There are two: one is dance music, the other rock and underground. Starting with dance, the period between ’79 to ’88 really left a big impact on me — from disco, New Wave and electronic. Hip hop as well, when Beastie Boys’ License to Ill (1986) came out. That album means a lot to me, as did the beginning of house music.
How about today? Who are the newer acts or older bands that continue to influence your creative direction at SLAM JAM?
Not sure, because I feel everything — from hip hop to trap to house music — is really mainstream and I’m not really into that. I’m more interested in listening to an obscure musicians. But I always look for inspiration through music. The underground is more of an attitude today, rather than a rate of visibility. We search for that still, but it’s hard to spot — that authentic underground expression.
For decades, you both anticipated and nurtured underground subcultures at the intersection of music, streetwear (even before that term was coined), art and design. Can you reflect on the genesis of SLAM JAM, your early ambitions and how the company and your creative endeavors evolved over time?
Main two pillars are clothes and music, that are forms of art to me, and involve a lot of design thinking too.
Have we entered an age where the idea of an underground is a non-existent? Where all sub cultural niches seem to exist, in some form or another, on an equal plane — the plane of social media — where anyone and everyone is hyperconnected at any time of the day.
It does exist to me. Underground was referring to access and visibility in the past, while now it’s more an attitude and an approach to things. I like to think it’s possible to be visible and keep the underground attitude, like Pink Floyd did.
“Dig deep into yourself to understand your desires and stay true to that.”
When Slam Jam worked with ILL-STUDIO on ADDPMP, the project was more educational in scope. Can you explain your reasons why?
We met in 2017 at the opening of Spazio Maiocchi, our cultural hub in Milan and started speaking about everything but clothes. Everything that felt interesting to us, from music to historical references, movies and more. We decided to do something that was half clothing, half disciplinary that blends all sorts of lifestyles together in a book — which resulted in a second book. It all stems from translating the YouTube ultimate algorithm into a book, so it is tangible forever, where you can take notes on it.
Your recent Umbro collaboration is one of the best of the year. The silhouettes of the models in the clothing look reminiscent of medieval crusaders. Can you talk about the process of bringing that collection together?
We were excited about the heritage of such an iconic brand like Umbro, which talks about two things we like a lot: football and UK culture. The brand is very connected to the working class, so we were excited about that. Our conversations with the brand started a few years ago and we decided to call it “Penalty Culture”, which refers to how people unite during a penalty shootout. It’s not a bad moment, just an intense one — especially for Italians. We also thought about how people unite through clothes and translate sportswear into a lifestyle. Clothing wise, we started with trench coats and denim, eventually included jester hats and medieval things to play on heritage and history.
How about the objects and paintings that you collect? Walk us through your at-home curation — from paintings, sculptures to furniture.
Most of the pieces included are from my archive – formerly a personal collection – that come from direct relationships or through friends. I never buy art just to buy art. All the pieces I own is through working with the artist, people I highly appreciate as artists and as human beings.
Your recent Umbro collaboration is one of the best of the year. The silhouettes of the models in the clothing look reminiscent of medieval crusaders. Can you talk about the process of bringing that collection together?
We were excited about the heritage of such an iconic brand like Umbro, which talks about two things we like a lot: football and UK culture. The brand is very connected to the working class, so we were excited about that. Our conversations with the brand started a few years ago and we decided to call it “Penalty Culture”, which refers to how people unite during a penalty shootout. It’s not a bad moment, just an intense one — especially for Italians.
We also thought about how people unite through clothes and translate sportswear into a lifestyle. Clothing wise, we started with trench coats and denim, eventually included jester hats and medieval things to play on heritage and history.
Are there any projects or collaborations in the near future you can give a sneak peak about?
We’re opening a new space in Milan, which is going to be really multi-disciplinary. Hopefully at the end of 2025. We’re also working on a special collaboration with Tintoria Emiliana, which is a legendary Italian dyeing company that has worked with some of the biggest labels around the world to dye garments in a sustainable way. There will also be an embassy outside of Milan, but will be a spatial representation of what Slam Jam is, along with special projects, but that is all we can say about that one for now.
What is the greatest piece of advice you’ve ever gotten and what is your advice for the next generation?
My main piece of advice is to dig deep into yourself to understand your desires and stay true to that. Keep going even when the going gets tough.
All photos courtesy of Luca Benini and Slam Jam.
