RETAIL: ACNE STORE OPENS IN NYC
Acne Studio, 10 Greene Street, NYC 212.625.2828
March 29, 2008
CLAW $ X BOOSTED
Blogger Josh Spear did a nice write up of our girl Claw MONEY's new collabo with Boost: After dropping out of the Fashion Institute of Technology Queens-born NYC grafitti artist Claw Money hooked up with her PMS crew and took up bombing urban landscapes. Despite being a fashion school dropout, she hasn’t dropped fashion altogether. Not only does she have her own signature clothing line, but she’s also served as a stylist for the likes of Ice T, Korn, and Guns and Roses as well as on projects for Nike and Adidas. Her latest collaboration combines her love for grafitti and fashion, as she’s been paired up with the mobile-minded merchants at Boost to create an eight-piece collection of bags that showcase her unique knack for urban fashion while also being pretty sensible solutions for shouldering your mobile load. The Claw Money XBoosted collection is made from low toxicity, vegan-approved artificial leather and consists of 3 mobile device cases, a traditional school boy nap sac, hip bag, round duffle bag and two laptop bags. (Josh Spear)
RETAIL: DUNDERDON'S NEW DIGS
Sweden's Dunderdon might not have the name recognition of a Carhartt or Dickies, but with a new, larger NYC store, the brand is primed to give Americans a taste of what they've been missing. Its unpretentious, wearable pieces in muted tones, made from twill, corduroy, and raw selvage denim, are hardy enough to earn its "workwear" label but presentable enough that you won't look like your plumber. The shop is twice the size of the label's former home on Lafayette, and is down the street from Opening Ceremony and Ted Muehling. This spring, the trio will be joined by a very unworkmanlike neighbor: Jil Sander.
Dunderdon, 25 Howard St., NYC, dunderdon.com (men.style.com)
We've got a few product shots after the jump.
LODEN DAGER
MEN'S SHOPPING MAP NYC
A Continuous Lean has compiled a great men's shopping guide and map for NYC. Featuring all sorts of boutiques and salons that caters to today's man, the shopping guide has it all- from the traditional to the more fashion forward. There's everything from John Allans to Opening Ceremony. Alden Shoes, Frank's Chop Shop and Odin. The list spans the gamut. Check it out here.
March 27, 2008
WHAT ARE YOU WEARING TODAY?
A new photo exhibition documents what some of the market’s die hard style aficionados are wearing now. Pushing the essence of a recent internet phenomenon to its extremes, NYC-based photographer Sidney Lo embarked on creating a visual record of something typically taken for granted in our daily lives-- the outfits we wear each and every day. A new show, called What are you wearing today? originates from the popular Superfuture Supertalk message board. The site features a thread affectionately known as WAYWT which spans thousands of pages containing photographs documenting what Superfuture's members are wearing each and every day. What are you wearing today? turns the idea of a public visual record into a personal diary, and reduces the daunting nature of the project- a year's worth of snapshots- into something altogether more easily understood by even those that have never once stopped to think about the clothes on their back after they've thrown them on. The show also evokes elements of yet another niche integral to the Supertalk message board: that of raw, unwashed denim. tying every single photo together is the exact same pair of jeans, which, once dark and full of indigo dye, eventually became a canvas upon which 367 days worth of experience came to light.
Presented in collaboration with Superfuture, and sponsored by iconic Japanese denim shop self edge, what are you wearing today opens on March 27th, on view through April 19th at 721 Broadway. 8th floor, NYC
BRAND PREVIEW: ANOTHER BOY WINTER 08
"Less pop dink and more tough ass." That’s how designer Mic Easton describes Another Boy--the hip younger brother of Aussie cult label Material Boy. Intended to bridge a gap between the street, skate and hip-hop markets and the higher-end of fashion, Another Boy captures an audience seeking out a design-focused quality garment without the designer price tag. Another Boy goes tough with a darker palette of black, purple and red. Some old favorites including flannel check and the 70’s lumber-jacket. There's also an updated tartan and new prints like ‘bloodbath’ and ‘spider-pan’. And, there’s loads of cool tees, track pants, hoodies and sweats feature with some highlight jackets and beanies. More pics after the jump.
SHOP THE WORLD WITH SPORTSWEAR INTERNATIONAL
Sportswear International recently released a book that’s all about the world’s coolest stores, Open: The StoreBook, The World’s Best New Fashion Stores, is an oversized coffee table book focuses on the crème de la crème of contemporary retail store design in the last year. The book is an easy “read”-- featuring visually driven “portraits” of nearly 100 outstanding new multi- and monobrand stores all over the globe with more than 250 full-color and high-quality photographs of the stores’ interiors. There’s also info about their locations, brand assortments, size, opening dates, architects and interior designers.
DANDY IN THE UNDERWORLD
Two days ago, on his way to New York for a book tour, commentator Sebastian Horsley was detained at Newark airport on grounds of "moral turpitude." His memoir is Dandy in the Underworld. Here’s an excerpt from an interview with NPR in which he explains his passion for Dandyism. “Dandyism is social, human and intellectual. It is not a suit of clothes walking about by itself. Clothes are merely a part — they may even be the least important part of the personality of the dandy. Dandyism isn't image encrusted with flourishes. It's a way of stripping yourself down to your true self. You can only judge the style by the content and you can only reach the content through the style. Being a dandy is a condition rather than a profession. It is a defiance against suffering and a celebration of life. It is not fashion; it is not wealth; it is not learning; it is not beauty. It is a shield and a sword and a crown — all pulled out of the dressing up box in the attic of the imagination. Dandyism is a lie which reveals the truth, and the truth is that we are what we pretend to be.”
GO NORTH!
While the US retail scene seems a bit dismal, Canada is doing fine. DNR reports that retail sales in Canada rose 1.5 percent month over month in January to roughly $35.8 billion, compared to a predicted 1.4 percent increase. Clothing and accessories sales recorded an impressive 2.9 per cent jump. Two Canadian financial institutions predict the Canadian economy will avoid being dragged into a recession by the slumping U.S. economy, but that Canada’s economic growth will slow to 1.3 per cent this year from 2.7 per cent in 2007. Start calling those Canadian accounts! (DNR)
LUXURY RISING
The rise of bespoke products is a clear movement which has risen to the increasing perception that some luxury brands are increasingly interested in marketing rather than quality . American tailors - notably Thom Browne, and Tom Ford - have built powerful new brands on the power of bespoke. And now other categories are getting in on the action. Bespoke perfumes have been on the rise for several years, and continue to grow in strength: Bespoke perfume (and cologne, for men) is one of the ridiculous luxuries of a certain self-absorbed demographic, with the likes of Chanel and Cartier charging as much as €60,000 for the privilege of having a nose find your perfect scent. — (Via GridSkipper) While Sir Hand Sloane offers bespoke chocolates: The $2,400 tailor-made package includes tasting consultations, a handmade rosewood-and-maple inlaid box containing 60 customized chocolates, and a backup box of another 60. — (Via Time)...
March 26, 2008
RETAIL: RODEN GRAY
As if Vancouver didn't already have tons of great shopping, there's a new men's store in town called Roden Gray. Roden Gray is owned by Rob Lo, one of Vancouver's most venerated retailers, former buyer for Richard Kidd and founder of Dutil Denim; and businessman Davie Fernandez. The shop carries avant-garde to mainstream styles for the modern man. Being influenced by trends in Europe, Japan and America (New York) Roden Gray hopes to outfit and inspire fashionable clients with a range of intelligent labels and designers such as Comme des Garcons, Obedient Sons, Filson, Nice Collective and Wings + Horns. Roden Gray maintains a careful mix of the known to up and coming brands, leaning toward casual separates.
More pics after the jump.
Roden Gray, 231 Cambie Street, Vancouver BC
March 25, 2008
WINGS AND HORNS FOOTWEAR
We've just got a glimpse of Wings and Horns footwear collection, now available at Vancouver's new shop, Roden Gray. We love the clean styling, and updated take on traditional looks. And, the quality is great- they're all made in Italy.
More pics after the jump.
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BESPOKE SUITING FOR THE MASSES?
Fokke de Jong takes a pristine cashmere jacket from a rail in his new store, Suitsupply, in Mayfair, and in one dramatic gesture, rips out the lining. “You won’t find this kind of workmanship for this price anywhere else in the UK,” he says, motioning to the fi nely stitched inner construction of cotton, wool and camel hair. “It’s made using an old-fashioned Italian technique that gives a more comfortable fit.” The 34-year-old Dutchman is on a mission to give the cheap suit a good name with his Europe-wide Suitsupply chain. The formula is simple: high-end suits with a starting price of less than £200 for ready-to-wear and a mere £300 for bespoke tailoring – something that may have agitated a few folks on nearby Savile Row. “They probably frown on us a bit, but I don’t really care what they think about it,” says de Jong. Business has been so brisk in the three months since the London branch launched that he confi dently predicts another six to eight UK stores will open within 12 months, eventually growing to a chain of 30. Read the full story here. (Sunday Times)
B-STORE'S ARRANGEMENTS
This month Savile Row's B Store plays host to Previous Arrangements, the latest project from photographer Tim Gutt and set designer and art director, Shona Heath. Combining their contrasting minimalist and expressive styles respectively, they have created a series of photographs inspired by a class in Japanese flower arranging, featuring hand-picked clothes from designer Peter Jensen's archive. "We are attracted to Peter's clothes and incorporate them again and again in our work. They seem to celebrate a cinematic iconography, they enhance narratives and they bring the cast to life. His pieces are beautiful, timeless and courageously simple," say Gutt and Heath, who previously collaborated with Jensen in 2006 on a stereoscopic photo story shot in Central Park in New York. Previous Arrangements runs until April 12 at B Store, 24a Savile Row, W1S 3PR. (Vogue.com)
EASTER STYLE
Damn! we knew we should have gone to the Easter Parade! I'm sure there were plenty of dandies just letting loose on Fifth Ave in all their pastel finery. Our friend Mordechai, aka Mister Mort sent us this photo of one of the more, ahem, interesting looks.
TOP SECRET DIADORA ON OKI-NI
oki-ni is launching four new styles from Diadora exclusively for their email subscribers. Only 15 of each style are available so if you want em you better et on it quick.
March 24, 2008
BRAND TO WATCH: MATERIAL BOY FALL/WINTER '08
We are totally digging the Australian label Material Boy right now. Volume and precision become the new key words, moving on and up from the oversized and exaggerated silhouettes of past and typical Material Boy styles. Designer Mic Eaton takes his inspiration from the history of Australia, and incorporates indigenous Australian art and digital prints in a whole new earthy color palette. We’ve been talking about the return of Goth in a big way and Material Boy totally nails it. Eaton experiments with new fabrics including Japanese silks, Japanese wools and soft leather. Key items include the large button-down double pleated trouser, elasticized baggy crotch wool pant, and cape like cloaks in thick Japanese wools.
RED WING TO LAUNCH OUTERWEAR
Red Wing, a venerable maker of high-grade, steel-toe work boots, is debuting a line of outerwear, marking its first push into apparel and highlighting the label’s growing cachet as a lifestyle brand. Made under license with Richlu, a Canadian workwear company, the leather coats and jackets, launching this fall, may look tough, but the range is squarely aimed at the company’s new and growing customer base: the fashion-forward, contemporary market. Long a staple for construction workers and farmers, Red Wings have unexpectedly become the It-boot among the trend-conscious. Three years ago, the fashion set in Japan and Europe “discovered” the boots, lured by the brand’s apple-pie credibility and rugged designs, and suddenly hip boutiques in Tokyo and Paris were calling the company’s headquarters in Red Wing, Minn.—a town of 16,000 located on a tight bend in the Mississippi River, 60 miles south of Minneapolis—for product. Red Wing had done no advertising nor pitched fashion editors. (DNR)
ACCESSORIES: PANTONE EYEWEAR
When the iMacs started coming out in multiple colorways, it was arguable the beginning of the modern customization era where you can have just about anything in any color you want.. Pantone, the og of color-matching, is releasing their Pantone Eyewear series that allows for consumes to customize the (you guessed it) color of the eyewear frames. The palette for Pantone eyewear has "endless possibilities" for interchanging rims and arms. Look for them soon in metal optical, semi rimless, sport metal and sport variations. (Selectism)
