It appears that Waterparks lead singer, Awsten Knight, is always trying to see us in something. The cheeky slogan “i see you in hi idef”, throws a twist on the band’s closing track, ‘See You In The Future’, off their 2021 album Greatest Hits. But you may be wondering, what does Knight even mean when he says “i see you in hii def”?
[ Awsten Knight Wearing Season 3 of Hii Def via Twitter ]
Hii Def, or High Definition Industries- not to be confused with the band's track of the same name- is Knight’s passion project, something that has been on his infamous bucket list for years. Most people are familiar with Hii Def through the clothing released, but to call Hii Def simply a ‘clothing brand’ would neglect the company’s past, present, and future. Yes, Hii Def has released various limited edition clothing items, from shirts, pants, jackets, and even hats. Knight has tapped into other markets as well by releasing a blanket, a doormat, and most recently, a fragrance.
Back in February of 2021, Hii Def had its official launch with a semi-private Instagram account. The first post featured the brand’s early tag design sewn onto what was later revealed as the first item in the collection- a hand-dyed sweatshirt with embroidery on the front. Like the majority of the pieces within this capsule, the sweater was limited to 150 and is now one of the most coveted pieces for those who collect the brand.
In total, Hii Def’s first season contained 5 different clothing items: the hand-dyed sweater, a heat-activated sweater, a reversible bomber jacket, and two barcode t-shirts. All of these items were unique and bold for a first launch, yet each piece did the job of solidifying Hii Def as a brand that was here to stay rather than being a simple one-off project. With all the pieces selling out near instantly, the demand for Hii Def was made mildly clear, allowing Knight to dive deeper, completely elevating the brand into something massive.
[ High Definition Industries Season 1 Promo Polaroids via Instagram ]
The second and third seasons were both longer in terms of release and had much larger collections. Knight experimented with knitted sweaters, zip-ups, mesh t-shirts, two-toned pants, and anything else you could imagine. Every time there was a launch, and even before then, depending on whether the password got leaked, the website became an absolute warzone as supporters of the brand needed to get their hands on the latest piece. With each mock-up Knight was caught wearing, to confirmed teasers of new products, fans found themselves always on their toes, ensuring post notifications were on not only for all the Hii Def socials, but for Hii Def Password Finders, a Twitter account that frequently updates information on the brand.
The last year has been huge for Hii Def, as they’ve not only picked up the additional slogan of “Sold Out Worldwide”, but the brand has been recognized by fashion circles worldwide. In May of 2024, Knight announced that Hii Def was invited to Paris Fashion Week, a massive opportunity for the brand to gain exposure from beyond what was formerly believed to be a ‘niche internet group’ of Waterparks adjacent fans. Though due to scheduling, the brand never got the chance to participate, it has not slowed down Knight or HiiDef at all, and I would not be surprised if the brand was invited back for a later opportunity.
Recently, Hii Def has announced its newest collection, ‘Orange Frost’. At the crux of this capsule is the long-awaited Hii Def fragrance that has been rumoured and teased for over a year now. ‘Orange Frost’ has top notes of Orange, Tea, and Cypress, heart notes of Iris, Heliotrope, and Spun Sugar, and base notes, White Amber, Cedar, and Musc. To accompany the fragrance are three clothing items, two sweaters and a t-shirt. All of the clothing items are bundled with a bottle of fragrance, which means that none of the products could be shipped internationally, but hopefully, there is a workaround for that soon.
With the launch of ‘Orange Frost’ being heavily anticipated, Knight decided it was finally time to hold an in-person pop-up shop fans have lovingly been calling the 'Hii Def House', a reference to the Season 2 House Promo. The event will be held in LA at 700 N Fairfax Ave from June 13th-15th, featuring the opportunity to buy the fragrance early and also shop pop-up exclusive merch, which as of now includes a Season 1 Style cloud dye Orange Frost Sweater limited to 300 pieces. Apart from that, the intricate details of the pop-up are a mystery, and we’ll need to wait until June 13th to see what Knight has planned.
RSVP TO THE POP-UP HERE.
SEE HIIDEF ONLINE.
