Are you a fan of music, art, and design? Fil-Canadian and Guyanese graphic designer from Toronto, Canada, Andrew Chee-A-Tow is killing the game as the Senior in-house creative designer for Universal Music Group. His designs are inspired by nostalgia with R&B and hip-hop influences.

Get to know him and his background more through these fun facts.

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1. Andrew's creative style is bringing back nostalgia
   With over 10 years of experience as a graphic designer, he looks to inspire young creatives and show that individual style can be pushed to the forefront and celebrated.
   
2. He's custom design airbrush t-shirts have been taking over
   In 2020, his collection of airbrush t-shirts was raved about online gaining support for the t-shirts. It was inspired by the popular trend in the 80s, 90s, 00s but with a modern spin.
   
3. His designs have been worn by numerous artists
   The airbrush style was pushed back into the forefront of fashion and worn by artists like Brent Faiyaz, Josh Levi, Manila Grey, Soulection founder, JoeKay, Youtuber, Trey Richards.
   
4. Check out his curated playlist
   Deep Cuts is a hand-selected and curated playlist that focuses on highlighting 90s & 00s hip-hop and R&B music as a "deep cut" catalogue. There's over 600 songs over 6 volumes and over 1000 saves on Spotify. All of the playlist covers and digital assets were design by Andrew.
   
5. Andrew's art pieces have been featured at art exhibitions
   He's created a "R&B Building Blocks" which used CD cases to put together a "Cassette Tape Bag" with empty cassette tapes. The pieces were featured at the Toronto studio space in 2022.
   
6. His current role at UMG assists a roster of artists design album and single covers.
   Andrew was hired in 2018 as an in-house senior creative designer for UMG Canada. He works with their roster of artists by designing albums, singles, packaging, and brand identity art, everything visually to launch a musical act.
   
   He's assisted creatively with roll outs for artists like Drake, Shawn Mendes, The Weeknd and more.

Cover Photo Credit: Andrew Chee-A-Tow Instagram

This partnership between RHUDE fashion and automative manufacturer McLaren will showcase McLaren's Formula 1 history through Rhude's luxurious designs. Rhuigi Villaseñor "sets to produce exclusive capsule collections launching throughout the 2021 Formula 1 season," according to McLaren's announcement. The collection will convey the style and energy of racing while paying homage to Bruce McLaren.

RHUDE founded in 2015, mixes luxury and streetwear elements into ready-to-wear style. He calls this a dream project as he gets to blend sport and fashion into his designs. The fashion brand continues to grow a global fanbase on its own, but it's only upward with this collab. Pulling inspiration from paddock fashion and Formula 1 legends, we expect Villaseñor to redefine "track suit" style.

We will see a preview of selected pieces from the capsule collection during Paris Fashion Week. "The official launch of the RHUDE x McLaren collection is set for Summer 2021 with an exclusive fan digital preview to be announced." The RHUDE Fall and Winter 2021 collection, Storms Never Last is the first sneak peak of the collab and other looks.

Rhude “Storms Never Last” AW21 is now live!

Zendaya may be on the cover of this month's issue of GQ, but so is a story about Rhude founder/designer, Rhuigi Vellaseñor. His designs are worn by Jay-Z, LeBron James, Justin Bieber, Nick Jonas, Michael B. Jordan, and Kendrick Lamar to name a few. The brand is finding its niche in fashion, but continues to gain an audience globally. Rhude continues to step out of the norm with its designs and functions on the basis of "becoming something larger." What exactly is the Rhude world? It's more than graphic t-shirts, shoes, and streetwear. It's a glimpse inside the creative mind of Rhuigi Vellaseñor.

In this piece by Senior Editor Sam Schube, Rhuigi shares his journey from Manila to the US. Growing up, he traveled a lot with his architect father, but it was the job he had as a kid working with his uncle building furniture that led to his curiosity in design. He moved to the US at the age of 9 and officially became a US Citizen last summer. However, the road there wasn't without making hard decisions. Between balancing the cost of an immigration lawyer and producing his designs, Rhuigi believed in the process and "everything falling into place."

Fast forward, Rhude is taking off with making $30 million in revenue in sales alone last year. His collection continued to sell despite the world staying home. Rhuigi recognizes the success, but stays true to himself. He realizes that there's always going to be the next big thing, “waiting to knock him out,” but this is where he looks to the youth for input and inspiration. Rhuigi has a mission in mentoring the next generation and working together to think outside the box. He emphasizes the youth brings the new energy that we all need when we get into the routine of adulting.

Rhuigi Vellaseñor has created his own path in the world of design and fashion. The only way is up for Rhude which now can give him the "advanced taste he's always had." He may be part of the "in-crowd" but doesn't forget about the humble beginnings. As the brand grows, we grow along with him.

Other articles on GQ:
Rhude Designer Rhuigi Villaseñor Is Making the Leap
Rhude’s Rhuigi Villaseñor Is Listening to the Youths