Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Hype’ Season 2 on HBO Max, Where Co-Signers Continue Their Search For Streetwear’s Next Top Voice 

HBO Max is rolling out season two of The Hype in double three-episode blocks followed by a big two-episode finale, and that should help build the anticipation over which full collection from its ten young streetwear designers will win the prize money and achieve “co-signer” industry cred. This time around, such guests as DJ Khaled, Law Roach, 24KGoldn, Dapper Dan, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Rhuigi, Angelo Baque, and Blacc Sam will join the returning judges of The Hype in their fit checks and drop comps.

THE HYPE – SEASON 2: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Los Angeles, and the downtown Fashion District. Inside the sunny warehouse space The Hype calls home, we see the show’s three judges or “co-signers” as they inspect racks of vibrant streetwear fashion.

The Gist: Taking one piece in hand admirably, Beyonce and Kendall Jenner stylist Marni Senofonte says that it “takes actual elements of athletic wear and repurposes it into something that is the complete opposite.” We also get reacquainted with designer and video director Bephie Birkett and Offset, Grammy-winning rapper, fashion designer, and husband of Cardi B. Senofonte, Berkitt, and Offset are the returning co-signers of The Hype, host Speedy Morman tells us, and it’ll be up to them and their celebrity guest co-signers to determine which budding designer will win out and secure the $150,000 top prize. And as season two of The Hype begins, there are more competitors than there are workroom spots.

That’s right, there’s a challenge happening right out of the gate, and it’s a thirty-minute “fit check” to create an outfit that’s emblematic of who the three hopefuls on the bubble are. “Come with the drip,” Offset encourages them, but ultimately it’s Alexzander from Detroit who wins the final Hype spot with his focus on outrageously-hewed, rockstar-ready pants. Also in competition this season is Dominique “DOMO” Wilkins, whose brand is Faded NYC. “I don’t need to use pins,” the confident DOMO says. “I’m that fuckin’ good.” There’s also Columbus, Ohio-based designer Khanh Ngo, who incorporates a muscle car and workwear aesthetic into his style; Winston Bartholomew Holder III – “Barth” – who says he rolls blunts and cuts fabric all day everyday; LA-based Knox of the Dvmnpigeon label; Brian of Second &7th, also of LA; and Cierra Boyd of FriskMeGood, whose existing rack piece originally caught the eye of Senofonte.

The streetwear hopefuls will design an entire collection over the course of the season, with each challenge a chance to create a specific piece for their “lookbooks,” and the first big test is putting luxury streetwear from concept to reality in just one day. Bolts of fabric are thrown and frantic cutting and sewing ensue, and then the co-signers see and judge the results with the help of celebrity designer Law Roach and season one Hype champion Kai Nguyen.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Like so many contemporary reality shows in this style, the format of The Hype is descended from Project Runway. And in keeping with all of that cutting and competition, Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn’s Making the Cut just premiered its third season on Prime Video.

Our Take: Hand the average person a pile of fabric, scissors, some sketches and cut patterns, and a sewing machine, and it will take them more than an overnight to compose and produce a ready-to-wear outfit. Give any of us regular mortals even a year with the materials, and it’s likely our piece would resemble a pup tent with arms. That isn’t any kind of problem for the streetwear designers on The Hype, who take to their first challenge with a tenacity and certainty that feels baked-in to an industry that thrives on expectation and tension. As they begin to realize their concepts in the physical space of the workroom, it’s not any lack of vision but the requirements of the competition that stress some. “Come correct with your tech pack,” host Speedy Mormon warned, and Alexzander is fretting over including all of the exacting details the seamstresses will require.

The prep phase of the challenges are a real highlight of The Hype, because they mix the intangibles of attitude and concept with the practical nature of fashion design. But it’s the drop, that big moment of reveal, that’s the most satisfying portion. All of that aesthetic toying and careful fabrication comes down to actual designs worn by real models walking in front of the veteran co-signers, who offer pointed commentary – that look is “very editorial,” this one over here “hits the mark” – and single out a group at the bottom from which to cull. This process isn’t new to fashion-adjacent reality shows; it’s not even new to the larger genre of competition reality. But The Hype, with its distinct approach to the concepts and crafting of streetwear, keeps itself fresh by being specific in its aims, and never being anything less than confident.

Sex and Skin: Nothing beyond some bare midriffs from the designers’ models.

Parting Shot: Amid the camera flashes and talky hubbub of Los Angeles Fashion Week, Barth is reveling in his first challenge win, and seeing his work on the runway. “This is the highlight of my design career,” he says. “I’m happy right now. Don’t even know what else to say.”

Sleeper Star: Knox of the streetwear brand Dvmnpigeon asserts that everybody in the Los Angeles fashion scene already knows her, and her swagger duing the drop for the first big Hype challenge – she points out that she sewed everything they’re seeing herself, even the jacket’s lining – gets points from Offset and others. In a competition that’s all about weaving personality into presentation, Knox seems to have plenty of it on offer.

Most Pilot-y Line: Beth “Bephie” Birkett is explaining what the co-signers are looking for from the young designers participating in season two of The Hype. “If you don’t know how to tell a story through clothing, then it’s really hard for people to want to buy into your brand.”

Our Call: STREAM IT. In its personalities and visuals, The Hype has lost none of the compelling boldness of its first season, and continues to evolve the familiar format of fashion-based competition reality toward something uniquely its own.

Johnny Loftus is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift. Follow him on Twitter: @glennganges