Alife

Hypebeast says Alife was founded in 1999 in New York by four friends: Arnaud Delecolle, Tony Arcabascio, Tammy Brainard and Rob Cristofaro. It says they started it as a creative workshop on Orchard Street in Manhattan, aiming to fill what they described as a void of creativity in New York, and explains the name as bringing an inanimate object to life, or infusing hype into a product.

An Interview article published in June 2019 said Cristofaro was the only one of the four founders still with the brand, and described him as a Bronx-born former graffiti artist. Interview did not give a founding year; the 1999 date rests on Hypebeast.

We found no source stating who owns Alife today or naming investors. Wikipedia's article on skateboarder Tony Ferguson says he left professional skateboarding in 2006 and moved into footwear, acquiring the global footwear license for Alife, and that he founded his own footwear brand, Rone, in 2015. That describes a license, not ownership of the brand.

Interview says Alife lost its Orchard Street lease in 2004 and moved to 158 Rivington Street, and describes the focus as shifting from visual art exhibitions toward live music and performance sessions.

Wikipedia, citing Footwear News, says the Alife Rivington Club store at 158 Rivington St. closed on 1 April 2021. Hypebeast reported on 5 May 2021 that Alife was officially closing its New York City store, and quoted general manager Treis Hill on Instagram saying there is not a person of influence in streetwear who has not stepped foot in the shop. We did not find a source on whether Alife has opened another physical store since.

Interview ties Alife's look to a Lower East Side aesthetic shaped by late-1990s skate culture, graffiti and hip-hop, and associates Cristofaro with the white tee and Timberlands look. Hypebeast calls Alife a prominent street and skatewear brand known for innovative designs and forward-thinking products, and lists its product categories as streetwear, accessories and footwear.

Complex, on 22 November 2013, described Alife's 2013 holiday collection featuring Cope2, with tees, a crewneck sweatshirt, outerwear, knit caps and an ALIFE KILLS hoodie; it listed no prices.

Hypebeast lists Alife collaborations with Nike, Reebok, adidas, New Balance, Saucony, Timberland, ASICS, Lacoste, Mitchell & Ness, Dickies and Kangol, among others. Interview names Reebok, Adidas, Fila, Budweiser and Nike.

Hypebeast reported in an article dated 8 June 2007 that Alife and Puma had teamed up on a pack including the First Round High Tops, with a retail price of $200 USD. The article announces the pack rather than a release, and we have inferred 2007 from its date.

Alife sells through alifenewyork.com, which has a cart. When we checked in October 2026 its collections page held only the Graffitio Sneakers, in five colorways, all marked sold out.

HBX, a retailer, listed an Alife Heather Grey Core Hoodie, a 100% cotton knit hooded sweatshirt, priced in pounds and marked sold out. We did not find the date Alife began selling online.

On the brand's own site, checked in October 2026, each of the five Graffitio Sneakers colorways was listed at $2,000.00 USD and marked sold out. Snobette reported on 9 August 2020 that the Velcro strap sandal in Ceil blue or Mars black sold on alifenewyork.com for $70, without naming a currency.

HBX listed the Heather Grey Core Hoodie at £65 with a sale price of £40, a sale price rather than a regular price, on an undated page. We found no tee, trouser or jacket retail price in the sources we opened. These items differ in type, currency and date, so they are not like-for-like.