Ruben Spelta started skating in the square that made Italian skateboarding history. Milano Centrale, in the early 2000s, was a — let’s say — rather interesting environment: alongside skaters, you’d run into old Milanese folks and fashion tourists, eccentric homeless people and businessmen. Those who were there say that something crazy happened every single day. And, in a rare twist, no one ever tried to kick the skaters out.
In the following years, Ruben traveled across Europe skating. In the meantime, he began experimenting with painting and sculpture — and he hasn’t stopped since. Today, he’s half artist, maybe more than half. Over the past five years, he has explored various forms of expression, from airbrush painting to installations.
The capsule collection "Italians Do It Worse" by IUTER in collaboration with Ruben was born while flipping through his sketchbook, and it later evolved into a catalog of his ideas and artworks: the release includes jackets with abstract prints, T-shirts featuring his airbrush works, shirts with wild illustrations, and workwear pieces featuring graphic elements inspired by Milan’s historic manhole covers...
The IUTER X Ruben Spelta – Italians Do It Worse collection will be available starting June 18 (release at 4:00 PM), exclusively on iuter.com and at select IUTER retailers.
Alongside the collection, a very limited number of baggy jeans custom-painted by Ruben himself will also be available — only by contacting the artist directly.
“Italians Do It Worse” is also the title of Ruben’s solo exhibition, opening in Milan at Spazio Mina on June 18, co-curated by Mina and supported by IUTER.
