When you start to pay attention to the imagery associated with a certain subset of “vape lyfe” — the culture of the connoisseurs of e-juice, the Juul enthusiasts who hang out in the lounges or stream videos of vape trick masters and “cloud chasers” on YouTube — the aesthetic, from the store signage down to the brightly labeled glass bottles, is surprisingly consistent anarchy: the same boardwalk/strip mall vibe, with some ska/punk/hardcore elements and, at times, a nightmare cartoonishness. In fact, it calls to mind Allen’s arguably best-known work, which would come years later: Gritty, the beloved orange, googly-eyed, unhinged mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers.
