[In Stock] GMK CYL Tribal

designed by Oratio West

Tribal came from what I saw as an opportunity to create something that was more representative of my unique perspective in the hobby, especially within a community where I’ve seen positive creativity and self expression be very welcomed. It started out as something slightly different, but ultimately I knew I wanted the set to be a fun celebration of blackness, through the lens of my experiences. While researching, I came across an African language called Vai that is spoken by the Vai people in parts of Liberia and Sierra Leone, it had an incredible history and syllabary and was known for being one of the few African languages whose writing system wasn’t derived from Latin or Arabic script. I saw it as the perfect opportunity to use something that is uniquely black and creative, in a fun way, to pay homage to the origins of blackness and black creativity. I was also inspired by Ivan’s (@vheissudotme) design direction with GMK CYL Mictlán and how he was able to capture a piece of his heritage and culture in a fun but meaningful way. I took a similar path by taking elements from multiple different African tribal masks to create ambiguously abstract representations, as another fun exploration of the origins of black creativity.

The colors came organically with the theme that began to form from the pieces coming together. I knew the base keycap color had to be black since this was at it’s core, a representation of blackness. The red, green and gold are a combination of colors that growing up in Jamaica, usually represented Rastafarianism, but derived their colors from those of the Ethiopian flag. Variations of this color palette are common throughout many African and Caribbean nations’ flags, including my own, so it seemed like a right fit for the purpose. Another aspect that I considered heavily while designing the set, was how to capture and highlight the inclusiveness of the hobby. The most fulfilling part of the hobby for me, has been meeting and connecting with the people in it and I’ve felt welcomed in the community pretty much since day one and so, my greatest hope for Tribal, is to pay that forward as a beacon and welcome mat for people who might think the hobby isn’t for them.

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