The saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” has always been a true statement to me, and in the case of the Supreme Book, a picture is worth sixteen years worth of words. The new Supreme book is a photographic representation of the history of the brand. The book is packed to the gills with great content such as, an interviews with KAWS, photos of work with Damien Hirst, Public Enemy, Lou Reed, and even a complete product index, kinda insane. The Supreme Edition of the book, comes in a white slip cover and has a bit of additional content that will be pretty obvious when flipping through. This limited version can only be obtained from Supreme retail stores in the US as well as Japan, or from the online store for 68$. The normal edition is available via Amazon and other retail outlets for 32$.
Its pretty sad to see the last lines of true trades die off. This next generation will never know the joy of truly handcrafted quality items, or what other things they might have missed out on. And while there are companies such as Tanner Goods and Yuketen, to name a few, they are few and far between, as well as being out of reach for your average consumer. At least we have great videos such as this to document the past.
As a child, the simple idea that items such as shoes, jeans, and even toys, are meant to last, is a concept I think our little minds fail to grasp. Maybe its because we have the attention span of a gnat, or maybe its all the sugar, I don’t know. But as we begin to grow, we quickly begin to grow out the items that once fit, and toss then aside like rags, it sorta sets this throw-away mentality in children. The idea that once something has become worn, has been around for a long period of time, gets tagged as something that needs to be replaced. Sadly, most of the retail industry thrives on this state of mind, and they make their products accordingly. Constructed to last just long enough for your credit card to clear. I’ve fallen prey to this bait and switch many times, and have finally arrived at the point in my life were products that I buy should be more like a long term investment then something to get the job done for now.
My first venture into responsible purchasing, was for and item that I’ve needed for a good period of time, a briefcase. As an adult, I thought that when I went to interviews or to meet clients I should look the part. And while there are plenty of brilliant looking backpacks, they don’t fit the professional ascetic I’d like to portray. That being said, I began the task of hunting for the briefcase to fit my needs. The selection process was pretty strict:
needed to be constructed of quality material that can stand up to the elements and wear
made by a company with a track record of quality, long lasting products
have shoulder and hand straps that could put up with varied amounts of weight and not damage the bag or break
and finally will look great, if not better, years down the road.
After a couple weeks of research, the company at the top of my list was Filson, with the Original Briefcase in tan.
I managed to pick up one locally at one of my favorite shops, Unionmade. The awesome part about their Filson section is, they have one wall lined with the brand new version of each bag, and lining the opposite wall, the aged versions of each. After eyeing what my bag wound look like in a year’s time, I can’t wait for mine to start getting beat up and worn in.
The bag itself is like a tank in hand. Constructed from industrial weight cotton, you’d think this thing could stop a bullet. All of the straps, handles, and the lip joining the zipper to the bag itself, are made from high quality bridal leather. Overall the bag looks and feels spectacular, and probably one of the smartest investments I’ve made in some time. If you’re interested in picking up one for yourself, or just checking out the huge range of goods Filson has to offer, just head over to Filson.com
Anytime the name Taka Hayashi and Vans appear in the same sentence, you can probably expect the unexpected. The latest Vault released, dubbed Prix Hi Lace LX, is no exception to that rule. Combining durable suede with a leather upper, and various Native American embellishments, make this a truly unique silhouette. Don’t let its “fashion sneaker” appearance fool you though, this shoe was built to be skated and take a beating.
One thing I’ve discovered recently, is that its pretty difficult to find a high quality pair oxford shoes, that won’t put a hurting on your future plans to eat or have a roof over your head. After a lot of four letter words and praying to my bank account, I luckily I stumbled across Nordstrom’s 1901 Carson Oxford. A classic blucher-style oxford, these shoes have a suede outer, with leather lining, rubber sole, and footbed padding that makes you feel like you’re walking on pillows. The Carsons cover a pretty nice range of colors as well, from white, to dirty buck, to a very fashion forward red, even light blue. For some strange reason they don’t come in a black though, odd. Regardless, at a price point of 99$, they are going to be pretty hard to pass up. That being said, if you have the bread for a pair of Churchs or Mr. Hare, by all means, get them, and loan my twenty bucks since you’re so damn rich, ha.
On a side note, the pair I’m wearing are actually deep navy blue, outside of direct light they look black. Also, damn I have some big feet…
I’ve been following the Wolfpack Hustle races for awhile now, and I really hope that one day I can get down to LA for one, because they sure look like a hell of a lot of fun. The most recent race was set up on a 26 mile closed course, on the LA streets, at 4am. No lights, no traffic, fuckin crazy. </jealous>
Wolfpack Hustle is dedicated to fixed gear, track and road bike culture in Los Angeles, a city currently dominated by the lowly automobile. No we aren’t Olympians or roided-out weekend warrior types… not even close. We are simply here to ride stronger, faster and to assert our rights to these gritty streets.
I’m still a comic book nerd, and not ashamed to admit it. While I don’t collect individual issues like I did when I was a kid, I’m definitely a fan of trade paperbacks. At this year’s Wondercon, I picked up a copy of one of my recent favorites, I Kill Giants, from Image Comics. Written by Joe Kelly, and illustrated by J.M. Ken Niimura, its the story of a fifth grade girl named Barbara, struggling to battle giants, both literally and figuratively. An excellent story, that I’d recommend even to those that think they are too hip/intellectual for comics. I’m pretty sure some Hollywood producer is trying to figure out how to ruin turn this into a movie as we speak. You can pick up the hardcover Titan Edition on Amazon for about 26$ if you’re interest has been peaked. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
This shirt is quite possibly my favorite article of clothing.
There is really nothing special about it. It’s around two years old and the quality is just ok. Hell, the top button popped off the second time I wore it. No, it’s not made of super, high-tech cotton fabric with old world stitching.
But, you know what? None of that matters to me because I love it.
That’s actually the problem with most fashion sites (even mine, sometimes) — all you hear is talk about the newest/hottest shit that people like. Which, nine times out of ten, is far out of the reach of your average consumer. Rarely do you hear about great finds at regular, nationwide chains and how great they actually work with the looks you might be trying to achieve.
This simple, Old Navy flannel jumped out at me when I first spotted it because it had a nice, slim cut and a lot of versatility. I can wear it with a pair of dark denim and just about any pair of boots in my closet. Or I can wear it unbuttoned over a white tee, a pair of shorts and Sperrys/low Dunks/New Balance and call it a wrap.
The point of this post is: don’t let the fact that a piece didn’t come from Italy or Japan deter you from picking it up. Who knows, it might end up being a piece that you’ll see in your closet for a long time to come. Fashion is like life — if you can’t enjoy it then what’s the point?
