I'm out

As I'm sure you've noticed, post have been few and far between and fairly close to nonexistent for the last long while. For the time being I'm pulling the plug on halfway crooks; maybe when more time becomes available the blog will be up and running again but for now, much like the gentleman in the above photo, I'm out.

photo by D Rich Photog

Koston on a Track Bike!

As many of you SHOULD know, we are knee deep in 'The Battle at The Berrics: 2' which is the biggest organized game of s.k.a.t.e. that goes down annually. 'The Berrics' being a skate park owned by none other than Steve Berra and Eric Koston somewhere in downtown Los Angeles; hence the name: Berra + Eric. This year something like 32 skaters where chosen to throw down at the Berrics and while catching up on some missed battles, I came across this gem during the Cory Kennedy, Greg Lutzka pre-game interview!

Koston, not only on a track bike, but he's skidding and almost hitting a decent track stand. 'Track bikes are HOTHOTHOT.'

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It was just brought to my attention the boys at macablog spotted this first. Curses.

Interview with Filip Pagowski

Edwin : Himself recently did an interview with Filip Pagowski who created the heart logo for COMME des GARÇONS' PLAY line. Along with CdG, Pagowski's clients include Saks Fifth Avenue, The New York Times, Diane von Furstenburg and Flaunt Magazine. Check out the entire interview on Edwin Himself.

What’s funny, is that Rei Kawakubo, did not realize I did all these things with CdG before. She “discovered” my work and wanted to use me based on that and not on some social connection. The PLAY logo happened just like that! I remember working on something, while all of a sudden not connected to anything, I got this idea of a red heart with a set of eyes. I drew it instantaneously and the first draft was it. The rest is history.

CADENCE Guerilla Store

Now that Dustin has gotten himself and his brand settled into it's new home in San Francisco, it looks like he's taking the label to the next level - a pop-up shop will be opening; Fridays only for about 6 hours a week - hey SF, get your Cadence on.


Guerilla store
Fridays only. Noon-6ish
906 1/2 Steiner st
San Francisco, CA 94117

NABIL shoots Jeremy Scott

I often catch heat for saying that Jeremy Scott is one of three pertinent modern American designers but I stand by my statement. This is a commercial shot and directed by NABIL for Jeremy Scott featuring some of the items he has recently done for adidas. I'm usually not for the neon-Africa-inspired designs that Carri Mundane helped popularize but come on...here's Jeremy Scott; some can do no wrong.

SUPREME A/W 09

I'm sure by now you've all seen the look book and the preview. This line is proving to show some solid pieces as far as outerwear is concerned but the brand has decided to make some moves this season that I'm not so sure about. First off is the Supreme x Mickey tee and hoodie which do an amazing job of highlighting how absurd the hype-chase can be; I know all of you readers don't live in Florida but send me a check and I'll mail you plenty of corny Mickey gear, I promise. It's almost as if the brand is trying to hold up a mirror to the face of street wear to pose the question 'Do you see what you've made us do? Look at what you've driven us to...' because I was certain the next collaboration from 'the Lafayette collabo king' was a joke... Supreme x Hanes

Adam Goldstein March 30, 1973 – August 28, 2009

Gallery1950 X Porter

Gallery1950 teamed up with Porter again on a re-release/update of their 2007 reflight chain! Dont front, you missed the first drop..
The 100% nylon chain cover is made by Porter and previously it only came in the black colorway but now it comes in three extra vibrant colors pink, blue and purple. The chain also comes with the reflectors on the ends of the chain cover fabric and the reflective Gallery1950 tag above the Porter tag. The chain is packaged with American Lock that will safely guard your bicycle while left unattended.

via the freshness

JC Nose Picker & Swimwear 2009

Just in time for back to school; Johnny Cupcakes drops the Nose Picker pencil. This #2 writing utensil glows in the dark and allegedly can kill a vampire or two. That's....useful!

Super cute...but a little late in the game, no? Shouldn't the boys in Boston be expecting some cold fronts soon??

R.E.Load Knapsacks

R.E.Load just introduced a line of waxed canvas bags for something called their 'Frontier Collection'; I'm assuming it's going to be a no frills line which gets mroe back to the basics of function. These bags look super lightweight and durable and since it's waxed canvas it's water resistant. This bag Remindes me a lot of the Day Pack Dustin produced for Cadence a few seasons ago; as the brands work very closeley together I'm sure there was a little of collaboration on this one; I'm super in love with mine and it looks like Ellie put a rad R.E.Load spin on this one. The bags looks great!

Maybe it's the Mos Def...

...because nothing else makes this video re-postable. You already saw it from prolly but here's the gnarcotix bike check. Pretty funny, if I do say so myself.



I'm sure glad I now know the colors of all those bike parts.

Shepard Fairey interviews Banksy.

Two of the heaviest hitters in the art world sat down together, metaphorically of course, for an interview and regardless of how you feel about these two artists you must admit that this is one of the best interviews that will ever appear in an art magazine. So, although you're still pissed at Banksy for 'selling out and doing galleries' and even though you'll never buy another obey t-shirt because 'its changed man, he's all about the money' why don't you just read this article, maybe even learn something?

Swindle has got the goods here.

B: I’ve done a few things to pay the bills, and I did the Blur album. It was a good record and it was quite a lot of money. I think that’s a really important distinction to make. If it’s something you actually believe in, doing something commercial doesn’t turn it to shit just because it’s commercial. Otherwise you’ve got to be a socialist rejecting capitalism altogether, because the idea that you can marry a quality product with a quality visual and be a part of that even though it’s capitalistic is sometimes a contradiction you can’t live with. But sometimes it’s perfectly symbiotic, like the Blur situation.

The Ronsons Love Footwear.

In the next few days Hollywood DJ Sam Ronson will be spinning at her own release party for her very first signature shoe, a pair of Supra INDYs; personally not a fan but hey, props to Sam for getting this done - the shoe comes in a black and gold color way and features Ronson's headphones logo on a hang tag. The INDY available now in Ronson's 'Distressed Black Gold' via Factory413

While baby sis is playing with Supra, big brother Mark is hard at work with Gucci; the fashion brand plans to open 6-7 'Icon-Temporary' pop up shops in major cities around the world (London, Berlin, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo. etc.) each will remain open for a maximum of 3 weeks and will carry 18 exclusive styles of 'temporary' sneakers. Expect classic Gucci design elements like the GG logo and red-and-green web detail on these kicks. Each shoe has an embroidered “Limited Edition” label inside and a silver or gold metal dog tag hanging from the laces.As for the collaboration...

“A new Gucci 'Ronson' version will be introduced at every leg of the itinerant project. Icon-Temporary sneakers are priced from $500 to $1,400, and Gucci Ronson shoes, $500 to $600.”

MM - King Rat Directed by Heath Ledger

After going a minute or two in silence, Modest Mouse is back and they're making it count. 'King Rat' is an unreleased track from their their 2007 album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, accompanied by a video directed by the late Heath Ledger. This from the Masses:

In January of 2007, while visiting his homeland of Australia, Heath Ledger presented Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse with an idea to direct a video for their yet-to-be-released song “King Rat”. Heath’s vision, brave and unapologetic in its nature, would marry his love of bold and original music with his impassioned stance against the illegal commercial whale hunts taking place off the coast of Australia each year.

Barbie foot at Colette

Colette, purveyor of awesome designer finds and utterly baffling tchotchkes, is currently hawking "Barbie Foot," a Barbie-infused foosball table in the doll's signature pink with clear lucite handles and two teams of ridiculously creepy armless Barbie soccer players. Designed by Chloé Ruchon and manufactured by Bonzini (of "authentic high quality football table" fame), the plastic teams are ready to face off with flowing hair, big smiles, and color-coordinated skirt sets—but at 10,000 euros, it turns out indulging your inner child is a bit more expensive than we thought.

A little creepy but pretty awesome; leave it to Colette. I saw it first over at the Refinery.

HEY LONDON,

Get Stoked!
Looks like the Euros are getting their second Goyard store, this one in London; the other being the the flagship in Paris.

Lily Allen for Chanel

Chanel unveiled their latest ad campaign featuring Lily Allen yesterday and I've got nothing bad to say. Anytime you seen Lily in her civilians you can bet she's wearing...jeans and some Jordan IIIs...but if she's not, then she's probably in...a dress and some Jordan IIIs...but if she isn't in either of those she will probably in Chanel, so this just kind of made sense. The photos for this campaign were shot by Karl Lagerfeld himself which makes the only quote from Allen about the whole thing certainly understandable:

'I don't feel comfortable modeling - it's not something that comes naturally to me, especially when I'm working with fashion photographers because they're used to working with really tall, skinny and beautiful models and I'm very aware that I'm 5ft 2in and a size 12.'

Dash Snow: A Community Memorial

As some of you may know, Dash Snow, more commonly known as SACER of IRAK, was found dead at the age of 27 in a hotel in lower Manhattan earlier this month. Although the cause of death is still being investigated, many speculate and Snow's grandmother was quoted saying the cause of death was a drug overdose.
Deitch Projects opened a memorial to Dash over the weekend which will run from July 23rd to August 15th.

Dash Snow’s friends and family have joined together to create an open memorial exhibition for Dash’s community. We have asked friends to bring photographs and video of Dash and works of art made for Dash and works made in his memory. Friends have also brought in special works by Dash from their own collections. A group of previously unseen Polaroids from Dash’s studio are also included.

The memorial project also has an open wall where Dash’s friends and admirers can write, paint or paste artworks and texts in his memory.

The façade of the gallery has been painted over with a giant fire extinguisher version of Dash’s tag, SACER.

Visitors are encouraged to bring flowers to throw into the main gallery where images of Dash and his own works are exhibited.

Dash’s community of friends is invited to bring in additional images and works during the run of the show.RIP dash snow.

images and info via the beast and deitch

TRADESHOW-A-GOGO

A few brand tradeshows have recently passed and although I'm not all about the documentation of all of the new product and sneak peeks from every booth, I found a few things note worthy via the blogosphere (yeah, I said it)

First, Maestro Knows is back with season 2 while giving us a semi-guided tour to the Bread and Butter show in Berlin which took place at the beginning of this month; great little video

And here's a closer look at the Bread & Butter "Salmon & Butter" Asics GT II given away in the BBBerlin care package:
The shoe was limited to 300 pairs, 200 of which were given at the show with the remaining 100 made available to the public; personally not in love with the shoe but that color is right.

Now, with the Agenda Tradeshow coming to an end yesterday in California, the bulk of the photos are beginning to surface; there's no doubt that some really great product is on its way but the only thing I really I wanted to know more about was Freshjive's Spring ‘10 line; orly?


This graphic can be found on the pictured flat bill and a matching tee; Freshjive fired some shits at a heavy hitter with this one but I wouldn't expect a rebuttal. All of this after Rick Klotz of Freshjive shines light on his problems with the business of branding and decides to drop all logos from his 2010 line...all logos he designed, I guess.

METAL BIKES - a bmx roadtrip

Eight minutes of insanity from metal bikes; if you were wondering where your drug addiction, lack of consternation, or appreciation for loud animal prints went, they're all safe with these guys. Great video.

INSA for NIKE; Air Maxim

London graff artist INSA put together a short video/installation celebrating the launch of the Nike Air Maxim.



It took NIKE and INSA 7 days to post these bills; all 35 frames were hand painted across east London according to Charlie Dark’s map for The IAM1 Journey Nike Sportswear project. The promo is accompanied by INSA's studio exhibit/installations of a multimedia mix of large scale installations, canvases, photography, prints, exclusive collaboration products entitled 'Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places'. The show will be exhibited in London from July 17th until July 26th. I really wouldn't mind making it to this one; alas, it's across the pond!

Ace Hotel x Generic Surplus x Arkitip

It's been a long while since a good, heavy hitting, collabo came around, right? Maybe not, but I've been waiting on this one for a while. I saw a picture of this shoe a few months back but specific info was no where to be found; I couldn't even find a brand involved with the project. Some details finally spilled at the reed.Ace, Generic Surplus, and Arkitip came together a few months back and decided that they wanted to capture "the essence of Palm Springs and the eclectic style of the [Ace] hotel grounds." Mission accomplished. Every aspect of this shoe was really well excecuted.A seriously perfect summer shoe; breathable, quick drying, cotton mesh upper and non-slip sole. That rubber toe cap placed ontop of the mesh cotton seriously makes it for me. Oh my, did I forget to mention the must-have matching tote? Killer.

Cadence double toe-straps at Give&Take

Jordan over at Give&Take has uploaded a photo to the shop's twitter of Dustin's new Cadence Collection double toe-straps.Word on the tweet is that they should land in the shop by the end of the week. Having landed a full color run of the SAGLiFE double straps late last week, G&T is giving you some options on your doubles; dont expect either of them to last long though! Not local? Cop them from the website here.

Well it's about macafreakin time!

Looks like the boys finally got their macaframa DVDs in; Check the macadventure here and get yourself a copy here.

'You got a skate-able mini right now?'

Just incase the free download of Nike SB's newest am video DEBACLE wasn't enough for you, Fourstar clothing released this short film of newest SB team rider Eric Koston called 'Afternoon in the life.' Check it out here. Nice little short; great music.

CADENCE Summer 09

I've been waiting too long for this!Really excited to get my hands on some of this stuff - Dustin's attention to detail is unmatched right now; stoked to see what else he has in store! Check the summer collection here and his new exhibition here.

To help you through the hump day.

This one is certainly a toe-tapper.


Mr. Hudson :: Supernova

Peep the definition of a well tailored jacket at 2:22.

Requiescat In Pace

Jessica Alba - More Cred.

Alright - I've had enough. First, Alba was spotted wearing the alife x SUPER sunglasses, now she's doing a little law breaking; while advertising awareness for the endangerment of the great white shark, she was out putting up wheat pasted posters in Oklahoma city and Los Angeles. I don't know how 'caught' she was with these photographs but it looks like she has no regrets. No files have been charged against Ms. Alba.

This One's For The Ladies...

Keep Company shoes is releasing some of their classic pieces in a new pack being dubbed the 'Saltini' in their fall/winter 2009 line.No new silhouettes from Keep on this collection but they did pull out the classic ones: Keep's Homer, Ramos, Nuss, and Benten can be found with the pretzel makeover. To me, a black on gum sole is an instant classic so I happen to be a huge fan of the Nuss and Ramos in this collection. Check out all the sneak peeks over at Provider, just make sure you stay hydrated kids.

Biting Gets You No Where - in4mation | 10 Deep

The above photo contains two models wearing two shirts from two different street wear companies - unfortunately those shirts contain designs from two entirely different companies all together. As a creator, I understand that in the year 2009 nothing is original anymore; anything and everything new is simply something old just tweaked a little, but as a consumer, I get offended when brands recycle ideas and concepts which they have no right to.

The t-shirt on the right is from 10 Deep's summer 2009 Look Book; nothing has been released from this line quite yet, unfortunately the biting damage has been done. The shirt features the phrase 'we don't play' with the iconic O and X combination that 10 Deep is recognized for, regrettably, the T also features a classic Comme des Garçons logo/theme from they're much sought after PLAY line; more specifically, a t-shirt which I happen to own. From what I can tell the folks over at 10 Deep kept the general shape of the jagged, uneven, heart as well as the eyes on the heart exactly the same; not to mention the font is almost identical. If imitation is the best form of flattery then 10 Deep sure has a lot of respect for fashion giant Comme des Garçons.

The t-shirt on the left is an in4mation shirt entitled the "no justice no peace" tee, that's cool except fashion brand Ksubi++ created, designed, built, and toured with the "Peaced off" sculpture over two years ago and the design can still be found in tag/sticker form and most all of their denim when purchased. In an interview, George Gorrow of Ksubi, had this to say about the design:

We built “Peaced Off,” a 9-foot sculpture of a businessman’s hand breaking out of the ground in the iconic two fingered peace formation accompanied by its index and middle fingers severed off at the knuckle lying beside it on the ground in a pool of blood — the perfect combination of politics, pop, and B-grade horror."

I guess it wouldn't be such a big deal if anyone that knew anything about the brand didn't know that Ksubi would never license out this design for any reason. The "Peaced Off" design was made into sculpture and taken around the country; they turned the whole ordeal into a pictorial book and short film. Unfortunately, there's no excuse for lack of originality, especially when it’s in the form if putting a photograph in illustrator and cropping out a cuff.

sign of the times from Ksubi on Vimeo.

Some may say these brands were just 'citing' or paying homage to brands which are bigger and obviously more established then they are but at what point does paying respects become 'borrowing ideas'? Biters beware; we noticed. Serious thanks to Jordan over at Give & Take for the background info on Ksubi, once I brought this tee to his attention he did some serious homework; I didn't even use half of what you sent over man!

Thanks Burd!

I just got my half of a trade I made a few months back with Burd. Can't wait to crack it open!

Geekhouse: never not working.

These guys came up in a conversation I was having the other night and I decided to see what they've been up to; found some pictures of some frames they're workng on and this one really caught my eye. This bike looks like a alot of fun.I love that fork. More of this bike and evereything else the boys have been up to can be found on their flickr.

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damnit prolly.

Eric Koston on Nike SB?

This picture has been floating around...No confirmations.

Lazy Wednesday.

Snapped some photos of goofing around outside of Give&Take.

xxx STRAIGHT hXc EDGE xxx

Been cutting down on the hype as of recent, but this one just hits too close to home. For the record; yes I was a shithead hardcore kid and yes I was a waste of space straight-edger so maybe that is why these Ts are hitting the spot right now. Nothing like some nostalgia on the wonder years, eh? The Hundreds teamed up with some heavy hitters (Benny Gold, Flying Coffin, Chain of Strength, Johnny Cupcakes, and CIV) and brought out some classic hXc designs for this 'Tribute to Hardcore' series. The first design being my favorite; the collaboration between two close brands that warm my heart: TH and Johnny Cupcakes, John Earl, creator of the brand, actually has some pretty deep roots in the New England hardcore/metalcore scene stemming from being the original lead samples and synth. player in On Broken Wings.Feeling the designs; certainly backing the collaboration. Peep the rest at the bestiality .

Update.

Teaser

Juliet Elliot- the Prolly edit.

Original. Edit. Sweet.

New Matt and Kim

This duo has made incredible strides since I saw them a few years back; good to see they're still at it after falling off the radar for a bit. Enjoy the two new vids.

G&T B43 - Official.

Official photos of Give and Take's first shipment of Velocity B43sBoth sets came laced to a solid Velocity AUS sealed high-flange hub, a hub that has striking resemblance, both aesthetically and functionally, to Gran Compe hubs - with Velocity badging of course; a refreshing change from the Formula hubs with Velocity badging that deep-Vs come with.

Guess what just cleared customs...

I got some iphone photos earlier today from Melissa over at Give and Take and it looks like they're the first American retailer to carry the Velocity B43. The first shipment, which seems to be more for principal than product, is made up of two sets; one with a radial laced front and the other with a 3-cross front - both with 3-cross rears. Don't expect either of the two first American sold wheel sets to hit the website but if you do some sweet talking, they might take a phone order. Tell them Frankie sent ya for no additional discount what so ever.

MOS DEF for Neighborhood.

Looks like Mos Def is the latest to grace the pages of a dope look book - this time it's NEIGHBORHOOD'S Spring/Summer 2009 Collection.More than anything it's nice to see a louder collection from Neighborhood- the brand as a whole seems to have the sleeper pieces on lock. Mod Def didn't do too bad either.

via Shinsuke Takizawa's honeyee.

Deuce Mesh

As of recently, if it's not a boot, I want it flat. This new guy from Nike is perfect for summer - clean and simple. Were you planning on rocking Authentics for the rest of the year? Oh Me too, but the Deuce is dope none the less.

Collette's got them.

MACATAMPA!

I was fairly certain that if I had to keep this under wraps any longer my face was simply going to turn to dust. It is my pleasure to post, after much deliberation and consideration, that the kind folks at Give&Take are proud to present an HD premier and DVD release of Macaframa to the Tampa Bay area. That's right kids, premier and DVD release - you too can have your own copy of the most anticipated track film of the millennium as a part of a limited edition two disk set with booklet. yes, booklet.

Official release:

Give & Take, Inc. Tampa's cycling and apparel boutique is bringing an HD premier and DVD release of Macaframa to the Tampa Bay area. This high-definition film, directed by Colin Arlen and Colby Elrick, features in-depth view of track bike culture on the streets of San Francisco, CA. This DVD release premier is made possible with the effort of Give & Take and its owners, as well as several sponsors including Cadence Apparel, Profile Racing, R.E.Load bags, American Classic, and Hufnagel Cycles.

The premier is being held at Give & Take's street-level retail store on Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 8:30PM and is being shown with no admission fee. After premier festivities are taking place at Czar Vodka Bar in Ybor, with drink specials and continued screening of the film throughout the night.

So come break bread, have a vitamin water, support local business, and buy a film...I mean...film. If you need your fix, g&t is offering a preorder on the 2-Disc DVD Set on their website which will ship out the same day as the premier, May 15th. Looking forward to seeing you guys there.

Mail's here!

Mike Giant for Cinelli

This was one half of a trade between Cinelli and Mike Giant; Giant received a 64cm Supercorsa Pista. The act of trading goods gets me really excited - something to shoot for, I guess. The Pista in the illustration actually is Giant's Pista, as if the head tube didn't give it away, check out the spoke pattern in reference to the fork, the crank arm position, and the toe clip position against this photo of Giant's whip.

Pretty nifty.

Give&Take

I walked into this shop a few weeks ago not knowing if it would all disappear as I reached for the door handle like an oasis in a desert; Give&Take is Tampa's first apparel and track cycling boutique. The shop not only offers a full range of new and vintage track components, full-service bicycle repair and tuning but also graces Tampa with fashion brands that most would never even fathom. I know, it puts you off at first --The shop is run and owned by a couple by the names of Jordan and Melissa and once you meet them you wonder how they managed to keep themselves under wraps for so long. Jordan has been riding his current custom Chamberlain Pursuit set up for 10+ years and is the kind of guy who has his hands in 150 things all at once, none of which can be discussed quite just yet; parts of G&T read more like cycling museum than a boutique and Jordan is the reason for that.While Jordan has the track side of the boutique locked down, his other half, Melissa has managed to pull some of the most influential and sought-after names in design. Just walking into the shop you'll notice the list of clientele that will wow - Ksubi++, Perks and Mini, Lonely Hearts Club, Alice McCall, retro SUPER future - the list goes on and on. G&T has a full line from Dustin at Candence and Ellie at R.E.Load and is possibly the only place left in the world that has the Jeremy Loves Ksubi Guitar Print skinny jean in stock.But don't be fooled by these gender rolls people! Melissa holds her own when it comes to track cycling, even when being quizzed by siblings with too many questions, her bike (seen above) is certainly one of the most dialed in Bareknuckles I've ever seen, not to mention the array of components that you might never get to lay ones on again - ergo look stem, Lady Turbo saddle (yes, Lady Turbo...) etc. Jordan knows more than his share of what's going on in the fashion world; a talk about our last shopping trips in NY over a few tacos in Ybor during a ride last month revealed that to me.I can type and type and tell you more and more about this shop but maybe you should save me the trouble and just stop by, eh? Give&Take is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm-7pm. More pictures from my shoot at the shop here!, and expect to hear these names very soon in reference to the Tampa fixed gear scene. Oh, and don't forget to say hey to Lafawnda when you walk in...

I thought these were records...

but when I found out they were pieces from Tomoo Gokita showing at the Taka Ishii Gallery in Tokyo, I got even more into them; Apparently this same exhibition is showing in New York simultaneously at the ATM gallery; running until May 2nd. This guy is certainly worth checking out.

It Ain't That Serious.

Another awesome one from OPEN.



Riding bicycles doesn't have to be that serious all of the time, some people tend to forget such a simple concept. We made this video as a little reminder, go ride your bike, get dirty and have some fun. Boston. Open Bicycle. Video by Steve at quarter productions.

Thursday Night Ride on PC

Pedal Consumption gave Tampa local Tristan Wheelock a little shout on the blog and posted some of his photos from our last Thursday Night Session. Fernando!I may have made it into one myself:Check out all of TLock's photo's on his photostream