It all started with a simple tweet from Chicago streetwear designer and purveyor Joe Robinson (better known as Joe Freshgoods), who stated: "I wanna open up a gift shop inside a @7eleven." A few weeks later, Joe Freshgoods has taken over a 7-Eleven location in the Loop at 35 E Wacker, outfitting the shop with custom window decals, signage, shopping baskets and floor stickers. Employees at the store were even given Joe Freshgoods-designed staff shirts to wear—an exclusive piece of merch that won't even be available for sale.
The tricked-out shop is only the beginning of Joe Freshgoods' collaboration with 7-Eleven, which tapped the Chicago creative to help kick off its summer-long Brainfreeze SZN promotion that celebrates Slurpee drinks, skating and street culture. Freshgoods will launch a limited edition line of 7-Eleven-themed streetwear later this week, though you won't be able to buy it at any physical 7-Eleven location—the entire collection will only be available through the Joe Freshgoods website (so don't line up in front of the shop in the Loop).
The first wave of Joe Freshgoods' 7-Eleven collection launches on May 13 at 7:11pm ET, featuring a long-sleeved black shirt; a pair of sweatpants with the signature red, green and orange stripes; and a t-shirt and socks that bear the 7-Eleven logo. A second wave of 7-Eleven products will drop on May 27 at 7:11pm ET. Each item in the collection costs between $10 to $90.
His Twitter-aided collaboration with 7-Eleven is the latest in a string of prominent partnerships that Joe Freshgood has undertaken in recent years. The co-owner of local streetwear boutique Fat Tiger Workshop has worked with Converse, McDonald's, Snapple, New Balance and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago over the past few years, designing items that integrate his design sensibility with familiar branding.
If you want to snag a Slurpee or a bag of chips inside of a Joe Freshgoods-branded 7-Eleven store, you can head to 35 E Wacker throughout May. And if you're hoping to snag some of the limited-edition merch, you'll need to head to the Joe Freshgoods website and keep your fingers crossed that your size doesn't sell out too quickly. Check out some photos of the collection below.
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