Always Hand Paint, Colossal Media x Only NY

Twenty years strong isn’t just a milestone—it’s a statement that craft, creativity, and the human spirit make hand-painted OOH the industry’s most engaging and authentic format. It’s proof that hand-painted OOH isn’t a fad, it’s a flex. So when Colossal Media achieved its 20th Anniversary in 2024, attention had to be paid.

With massive murals all over Manhattan, Brooklyn, and beyond, it’s hard to believe there was ever a time when Colossal was…small. But in 2004 with a bit of paint and a big dream to resurrect the forgotten craft of sign painting, Colossal reimagined New York as a city with more art adorning the sides of buildings – literally creating art out of outdoor advertising. Colossal has steadily changed the face of the industry, welcoming more diversity to the field, laying bricks, and painting pathways for the next generation of walldogs.

The team has come so far from where it began, but when it came time to celebrate, Colossal wanted to collaborate with a company that parallelled their journey. A New York-based brand making a global mark through grit, humor, and no small measure of creativity.

Always Hand Paint, meet Only NY – an independent clothing brand driven and inspired by the City, Outdoors, and Arts.

Together, we made a merch line honoring the history of hand paint, refreshed for the contemporary Colossal crew. A limited-edition drop of the shirts will be available in the Only NY flagship store, while the team is outfitted with special “Certified Walldog” gear to keep them cool (and warm) while they’re at work.

We’re proud to share in this tradition of New York City creativity and continue making an impact on the local culture we love so much. Here’s to hometown makers, lasting legacies, and to you, from Only NY and Colossal Media.

Colossal Media: We've done a lot of thinking this year about what it means to be a born and bred New York City business. It's common for brands to lean on New York City aesthetics for a 'cool factor', but it's more rare for an organization to embody this city in an authentic way. Without sounding too on the nose, what does "Only New York" mean to you?

Only NY: Only NY is about being authentic to who we are whether you're from here or not. As born and raised New Yorkers we founded the brand on what continues to influence and inspire us in the ‘City, Outdoors, & Arts”. We want Only NY to always feel relatable and classic in terms of what we’re offering assortment wise.

Colossal: Whenever we get to thinking about local brands we admire, Only NY always ends up at the top of that list. The quality paired with the playful, fresh design approach really made you our dream collaborator for merch. As a company that creates on behalf of a lot of heritage New York City institutions, what were you thinking heading into this collaboration with Colossal?

Only NY: The main thing we try to do when collaborating with a partner of any scale is to immerse ourselves into their world and vice versa. Those initial design conversations about what is possible are always the most engaging and inspirational as the options for creation are endless. We definitely are fortunate to have a great team who love old signage and anything NYC as well. I think specifically we wanted to create something memorable that of course could be worn as a Painter uniform but also double as a cool graphic to wear out in the city with friends.

Colossal: In our early conversations, we were talking about having this 20th Anniversary really speak to our heritage of sign painting, and the long history of that craft, while also making something that feels current to where we are in 2024 and beyond. It's a tough balance to strike, and what you designed did that perfectly. What was that design process like?

Only NY: After we agree upon the brief and deliverables between parties, we’ll meet internally for a general breakout and begin the moodboard / exploratory phase. We have a few designers who collaborate on all projects, so it’s really inspiring to work together and create what ultimately we feel is a stronger collaborative end product. After the initial concepts, and revisions we’ll of course end on a final product and begin the sampling production process. This particular “Always Hand Paint” illustration was drawn by our Co-Founder Micah Belamarich, which he’s known for really bold line work and fun / straightforward compositions that work well on clothing.

Colossal Media: It's funny how heritage and future really go hand-in-hand. The more we look back, the more hope we have for our next twenty years to come. For us, that means more murals in the world. What hopes do you have for the coming years?

Only NY: Yes for sure, this is a great question. We see Only NY as a beacon for authentically New York products and want to continue to grow our assortment of styles and categories while still remaining a small yet mighty team. In the recent season’s we’ve really engaged with our core audience and gained the attention of new customers through our accessories program, and so leaning into that more and seeing where it goes would make sense. When doing business in NYC, the stakes are high and nothing is promised, so being around for another 20 years would be a huge accomplishment, one we definitely have to hit up Colossal for a celebratory mural.

Photography by Killestt + Only NY and Colossal Media. We’d like to thank our incredible partners for their collaboration. Shop the limited edition Only NY x Colossal Media merch while supplies last.