For Philadelphia-born artist King Saladeen, art has never been just about paint and canvas. It’s about purpose, perseverance, and passing down something bigger than yourself. With the launch of his new apparel collaboration with SNIPES USA, Legacy in Color, Saladeen brings that mission full circle.
“Legacy in Color is more than just a collection,” Saladeen said in a press release. “It’s a tribute to the hustle, creativity, and culture that shaped me. I came from West Philly with a dream, and through hard work and belief in my craft, I turned that dream into reality.”
Now available nationwide and online, the collection transforms Saladeen’s signature style, vibrant colors, emotional depth, and dynamic movement into wearable art. But beyond the fabric, the heart of the project lives in its name.
“We were just talking during a shoot—about my grandfather who had just passed, about my son being one of the models—and it hit me,” Saladeen explained in an interview with The Quintessential Gentleman. Then someone said to him, “Your whole legacy is like a coloring book.” And that’s how they landed on Legacy in Color.
Before the fashion drops and art installations, Saladeen, born Raheem Johnson, was just a creative kid scribbling on the walls of his West Philly home. Raised in a family that surrounded him with art and encouraged expression, his grandfather and uncle were among his earliest artistic influences.
“When I grew up in my grandmother and grandfather’s house, the art on the walls would be from my family members,” he shared. “So that was an automatic influence, where you grow up and you’re like, ‘Damn, who did this or like, damn, where these come from,’ Because you go to your friend’s crib and there’s no art nowhere and it was just something that I was always around.”
That foundation, coupled with a self-taught grind and a stint sleeping on a cousin’s couch in Miami to escape Philly’s “no” culture, shaped his resilience. In his words: “You hear that couple yeses or that one yes. That shit hit different.”
With his JP the Money Bear character already making noise in the art world, and previous collabs with brands like Champion, Saladeen wanted this drop to be something more accessible.
‘I’ve always done my own merch. I always do like 100 runs, 200 runs, things like that, and we sell out crazy. But I always wanted a situation where it’s like the people that don’t know me could just walk into a store and be like, ‘Oh damn, that’s fire.'”
For Saladeen, legacy isn’t just a hashtag—it’s a lived experience. That’s why his son is featured as a model in the campaign, a full-circle moment that started with Saladeen’s Champion collab when his son was born.
“Now he’s seven. He understands everything. He’s like, ‘Yeah, that shirt. I want to wear it with these jeans,” he shared. “It’s like he’s a little me because I got him around everything I got going on. So it’s almost like he’s telling me like, ‘Dad, can we do it like this?'”
It’s also why Saladeen frequently opens up his studio to young artists. “I invite a lot of young artists in my studio just because I would love for somebody to do that for me when I was running around Philly,” he said.
His advice to the next generation?
“You got to do what you don’t want to do. You got to invest in yourself. Nobody cares at all about any sob story you got. And you got to make people see your worth. You’ve got to put money into yourself.”
While Legacy in Color is the current chapter, Saladeen’s next moves are already in motion. He’s heading to Indonesia to unveil a new sculpture, building out his toy and product lines, and preparing for a solo show this fall. There’s also a growing interest in tech and AI.
“You got to figure out AI to the point where it can expand whatever you’re doing,” he explains. “I’ll be on ChatGPT, I don’t need an assistant no more.”
And as for what’s next with SNIPES? That’s still in the works, but it’s clear the relationship is far from finished.
