Urban Outfitters Jumps on the Wagon
This falls under ‘everybody’s doing it’ - H&M, Target, UNIQLO, Payless Shoes. Urban Outfitters is teaming up with a series of young, modern designers to produce quality couture for the masses. The first collection to debut nationally will be ‘Hawks by Geren Ford,” followed by interpretations by Charlotte Ronson, Corpus, Paul and Joe Sister, and Steven Alan. Individual pieces will range from $48-128. Whatever.
Visvim x Honeyee
Well this combination of Japanese leaders makes sense, both have been ahead of the game in quality and direction and with an obvious long term relationship - stamping the Honeyee logo onto the Visvim Folly seemed like the next step. I’m not too sure what the deal is with the website collaborations, especially in a case like this where the companies do have relationships, does it create more value? Does it make the shoe more desirable? I’m not too sure why it is necessary to add one more logo to the mix. Likely, there is more going on then I probably know, but I would like to hear some answers on the matter. What is the real benefit of unnecessary collabs?
Exclusive Preview: SExSC06
Fresh off the press we are proud to give you denim junkies a preview of the next Self Edge collaboration project. The Self Edge x Sugar Cane 06 is set to drop in just a couple months with only 100 pieces available in the San Francisco denim shop. Self Edge has not only been bringing some of the world’s nicest denim lines into North America, they have been re-modeling and adding their own touch to create more ideal cuts and more interesting fits. The latest product is another slim cut jean for the summer; 13oz slack super slub denim, Japanese Selvedge of course. It also features lined rear pockets, black anodized buttons, and a double layered denim crotch patch - which should hold up nicely on the bike seat. Look for the next denim must-have to release in a couple months at Self Edge in San Francisco. More flics… Read more
Ratatat
Im not going to lie, I love rap. Like most middle class white kids, I grew up listening to 2pac and Biggie. Nowadays, I can’t get enough of rappers like the Clipse and Ghostface. Its hard for me to constantly listen to it though, every once and a while I want to listen to something that’s not hard as fuck. While Im a pretty big fan of beatmakers like Dilla and RJD2, the softer stuff with little or no lyrics, it still leaves something to be desired. Ratatat has recently filled the void for me. I might be a little late on the uptake when comes to the remixing duo but who cares, I hadn’t heard of them till a little while ago so that means they’re still relatively unknown. In their remixes of classic bangers like Young Buck’s “Stomp”, Jay-Z’s “Allure” and Biggie’s “Party & Bullshit” I get the dope rhymes I crave with easy listening beats, I love it. Check them out by downloading their latest mixtape here.
Antenna Magazine
Antenna is getting ready to drop their Summer Issue next month, with the obvious choice for a cover shot - they went with a John Deer ride-on lawn mower. Well hopefully what’s inside the cover is more interesting. I wouldn’t be surprised, Antenna has quickly become one of the more relevant and better designed magazines for me. Their articles are well laid out, and well put together, and cover topics I’m generally interested in. I’m looking forward to the next drop from the developing zine. I have been a magazine fiend lately, trying to get inspiration for lay outs and angles to write from, it has become fun analyzing publications and deciding how the h(y)r collective magazine will look once it becomes a reality. Until then, I recommend Antenna.
The Roots - Rising Down
Every couple years The Roots drop an album and bless our ears. Rising Down is their latest, which will hit shelves tomorrow, April 29th. I finally got a hold of a copy today and can’t stop listening. I have always loved The Roots, they always seem to get better, yet somehow their older albums seem just as good as their last. The new album is no different, its packed with eerie, smooth, hard hitting beats that are laced with one of the best who dun it, Black Thought. Rising Down also features some of the original Roots Crew members like Dice Raw and Malik B, as well as classic collaborations from Mos Def and Common, and new-comer Wale gets on the first single. This is definitely a great album from The Roots so go buy it tomorrow and support some hip hop music.
Goyard is So Rich
Lately I have really been into bags, messenger style, backpacks, duffels, travel bags and even trunks. Goyard is one of the best companies that are in this market. Their history is so rich and exciting, they have been doing it for over 150 years. The quality of the products are absolutely amazing, and the pattern they use is their identity. The company started in 1853 in Paris and was a family run operation for years. They still stick to their roots and all the products are made in France by hand with all the materials coming out of France such as the leathers and woods they use. Their clientele has ranged from the Duke of Windsor to Karl Lagerfeld to Lupe Fiasco. They also customize and hand paint your purchases for you if you want/have the money, these things aren’t cheap and why would they be they are beautiful. Read more
Neckface Vans
These are the new offerings from the Vans camp in collaboration with everybody’s favorite skating /scrawling mad man Neckface. This is the second installment of this joint venture, the first one was awesome so I have high hopes for these. There are the first few that leaked a little while ago, four different models, a Chukka, TNT 4, SK8-Low and the No Skool Mid. Now there is another one surfacing with the Brooklyn skate shop KCDC, which also look rad. The shoes are dropping with clothes as well, some tee’s a hoodie and a new era hat. Now you can get your whole Neckface outfit on, all you need is a ski mask to top it off. For the full run check out Mashkulture. Read more
Michael Rakowitz; Looking out for the homeless since ‘98
Homelessness is an ugly problem in cities everywhere but Michael Rakowitz, an artist and designer out of Chicago, has done extensive work to try and remedy the problem. His paraSITE, and (P)LOT projects are ingenious ways to enhance and legitimize the use of public space in urban centres. They look pretty good too. My favourite caption from the paraSITE project (inflatable shelters attached to HVAC systems) “An avid science fiction fan, Freddie requested a shelter in the shape of Jabba the Hutt.” See! There’s definitely creativity within us all. The P(lot) project is one that explores the leasing of public space (parking spots) for anything other than storing your vehicle, whether its for leisure, gardening or whatever…
Read about paraSITE here. or check out P(Lot).
Get your Sperry on
Boat shoes have been a classic on the deck and the water for a long time now. Sperry Topsider has been at it since 1935, trying to perfect the formula, and he did. The styles are so timeless and easy to wear, throw these on with some denim or some chino’s and your ready to go (don’t forget a shirt). Right now it seems everybody is doing a boat or deck shoe, even Skateboard P did one for his BBC line, how is he going to skate in those joints?. If you want the original then Sperry’s are for you, the authentic original, and the Bahama are great. Treat the streets like they are your own personal yacht. Read more
Amazing.
A friend of mine showed me this today and it’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time so I figured I should share it. Its probably the best ebay auction i’ve ever seen; “Hand crafted sculpture of ET in beast form”. I dont really know whats funnier, the fact that someone actually made this thing, or that they tried to sell it. The statute is pretty funny in itself, but the description is the icing on the cake, I nearly died when I read it. Im kind of sad that I missed out on buying it though
Sabre Vision
With Spring here and Summer right around the corner, you need to keep the UV’s up out your eyes. Sabre Vision will help you out with that. The line is real solid, they are taking some classics and flipping them with their own funk. The color choices are on point and the prices are good. If you can’t get your LV Millionaires on then these will do the trick (and are actually cooler). With models called the Dude, the Poolside and the Die Hippy’s the names are almost as good as the glasses. These will be in heavy rotation for the summer. Read more
Kanye connects four?
This is not a joke I really thought it was at first, but Kanye West really loves to play connect 4. Supposedly Kanye, Jay-z and Beyonce are into this sort of thing. I read the breakdown in Kanye’s personal blog and thought it was great. “When I was in Europe I would play this game for hours and hours… it helped me zone out. Everybody would get envolved… Derrick Dudley (Common’s manager) and Consequence were the best other than me… I beat Lexi… Don C beat Jay… Tony Williams beat Common… but every now and then people would speak of this legendary connect 4 champion……….. BEYONCE!!! I had 2 play her!…so last night at Jay’s new 40/40 club in Las Vegas (which is sidebar, crazy big w/ 24krt gold flooring, Black Jack tables, $500 slot machines,the biggest projection screen in the universe and the best turkey burgers I’ve ever had in my life) she beat me 9 times in a row! (and I didn’t even spaz lol) here’s a photo of the only game I won!” I don’t know if I believe the fact that he didn’t spaz, and I am also wondering if he wore his sunglasses the whole entire time? It is nice to see Kanye back at it doing his thing, after his mothers passing there wasn’t much from the man but hey what a way to get back at it other than a classic game of connect 4 with your peoples.
Cadence clothing
Cadence is a company based on fixed gear riding, coming out of Seattle. I like the different products that are being offered because they are strictly designed for riding. They are also conscious of the environment using recycled and sustainable materials. The products are made in small runs with great attention to detail. This line ranges from tees, hoodies, thermals, bags, wallets and other interesting accessories.
Supreme Vans Done Right
Supreme and Vans have been hooking up for a minute, they have been successful on different levels. Some of the collaborations are very lackluster and some result in the best Van to date. This next mash up of the 2 industry heavy weights should be a classic. Dubbed the ‘Color Pack,’ Supreme and Vans are bringing out 2 chukkas and 2 half cabs in some poppin’ colors. I’m find myself shying away from Vans a little bit these days, but it’s hard to deny those colors for Spring, not to mention being a big chukka fan. Supreme or not, these are definitely some of the hottest offerings from Vans lately.
