French fashion and denim label April77 is launching its own music label, April77Records (april77records.com) . Conceived as both a record label and a clothing line the brand will release good old traditional vinyl records - A side and B side - of a different band each month. Now the brand's motto "We used to be about music, now we are music" really rings true.
The Alexander Olch collection of fine silk, cashmere, woolen, and cotton neckties injects something unconventional into the conventional world of luxury neckwear. Combining old world craftsmanship with a unique modern style, each Alexander Olch necktie is originally designed and handmade with a fine slip stitch for a full knot and complete look throughout. Olch's collection of ties can be seen here. His desk , pictured here, is the subject of a feature on A Continuous Lean.
Coinciding with the launch of their brand new website, WTAPS has provided a look at their 2008 collection titled "Extreme Prejudice". A few pieces to highlight for the new collection include a collaborative helmet with good friend NUTS which will be available exclusively at Blackflag Tokyo, Tiger camo M-65 and vest, John Smedly x WTAPS sweater and a Gore-Tex Sherpa jacket. Details regarding each piece can be seen within the lookbook can be found here. The new site also goes on to discuss WTAPS' brand philosophy and a list of retailers worldwide.(Hypebeast)
Say the name Quoddy and you’re talking about all-American authenticity. Quoddy moccasins and shoes have been made by the Shorey family for generations, beginning with Harry Smith Shorey, a handsewer for L.L. Bean in the early 1900s. Today, the Quoddy Trail company is still family run. In Downeast Maine, near the shore of the Passamaquoddy Bay, the Shoreys make traditional moccasin styles using time-honored techniques and quality materials. Each process is done by hand — cutting, skiving, stitching, and handsewing. Quoddy Trail are available by mail order and you receive a genuine handmade moccasin. While leather properties vary slightly with every hide, each pair demonstrates the family philosophy: Attention to detail and no shortcuts. More info and pics after the jump.
Every style features a one-piece vamp, which wraps around the entire foot. This is hand sewn to the "tip" with locked stitches to ensure comfort and durability, the two most important benefits of moccasin construction. All styles, soled or unsoled, have full leather sock liners (not just half) and heel padding for added comfort and cushioning.
Material Boy's SS09 fashion show took place last night and we love the interplay of shapes and silhouettes, as well as the cool graphics designer Mic Eaton put forth. The comparisons to Jil Sander and Raf Simons are inevitable but we still feel that Material Boy presents a vision that's like no one else's. Definitely one of the most directional and innovative collections out now. Pics from the show ( via fashionising) after the jump.
A bit of business news. Footwear has undergone more change in the past few years than anyone could ever have imagined. Just look at sneaker culture, hipsters wearing jazz shoes, or the return of the Chuck Taylor. Shoes are no longer just an accessory, they're a culture. With all the lifestyle, the collectors and new collaborations infusing footwear with a new energy, it's pretty evident that the industry isn't what it used to be. Things are different and we're about to prove it. BPMW presents Compass, the new show with a tightly-edited assemblage of the footwear industry's most captivating brands, will help modern retailers navigate shifting changes and point visitors in the direction of what's next. Compass will present the most directional and exciting footwear brands of today.
The Washington Post published a great story on the design duo behind Duckie Brown, Daniel Silver and Steven Cox, entitled "Breaking the Menswear Mold." "The designers, who launched their label in 2001, have an affection for bold colors, unusual fabrics, sequins, embroidery and droopy crotches. The brand's distribution is limited, as not a lot of men have the wherewithal to dress up in an ivory organza blazer such as the one from the spring collection. But its customer base is dotted with boldface names, and in 2007 Cox, who is British, and Silver, who is Canadian, were nominated for best menswear designers by the CFDA." The story also mentions the coming Florsheim/Duckie Brown Collection as well as notes on the cotton and nylon trench coat shown above. (Selectism)
We just got word about a new collection from the folks who designed Cheap Monday. The collection is called MTWTFSS Weekday. and is designed exclusively for the Swedish store chain Weekday. Here's a quote from the designer, via Skeleton Legs. "MTWTFSS Weekday is our very first brand which now have developed to a full-scale high fashion collection with good prices, exclusively made for Weekday stores. The MTWTFSS Weekday collection is available for both men and women and the colors are based on a monochrome color scale. The design refine the classic antihero base wardrobe: jeans, t-shirt and motorcycle jacket. The collection is inspired by shadows and the circle/rectangle/triangle - where shoulders are main focus. On the men’s side we use a looser silhouette with angular shapes in smooth qualities dominates the women’s collection." Check out the full collection on the Weekday web site. (Selectism)
Alchemy is a specialized design firm that takes an innovative twist on old New York style, providing fresh accents for today's discerning buyer. Alchemy products are manufactured in Como, Italy, where each piece is handcrafted in the highest European fabrications. Alchemy's new collection of unisex scarves, sashes and pochettes boasts design inspiration from 19th century iron works. This unique line features vintage keys and padlocks, shields, swords and daggers as design elements.
It's Australian Fashion Week, and although there have been plenty of shows, very few menswear designers have shown their ss09 collections yet. While we're waiting for Material Boy's show on Friday, we bring you some pics from Frisoni Finetti. The Australian menswear collection is intended to toe the line between street and formal. While the styling gave the show a weird vibe, there were some innovative ideas, and saleable pieces, in a palette of black, gray and blue. We've got pics after the jump.
(photos: vogue.com.au)
Anoma from Complex just turned us on to Jim Rickey, a Swedish footwear brand that blends handicraft tradition with sleek design and a streety edge. Owned by two sneaker industry veterans who got their start working as sales reps for the Japanese brand Onitsuka Tiger by Asics (much like Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, Nike’s founders), the brand definitely reflects a just-do-it attitude. The line is sold at top boutiques like Kiliwatch in Paris, and Urbana.se. More pics after the jump.
YMC just released its Autumn/Winter ‘08 collection. In addition to 40s and 50s style menswear, featuring cotton western style shirts, kid leather biker jackets and Japanese Selvedge denim, the collection will also see the launch of a line of women’s wear. Rabbit hair, merino wool, and silk crepe work together to create an intelligent, distinctly feminine, ‘West Side Story’ inspired collection. (-KB)
Though nowadays we have portable devices for just about everything, human beings only come with two hands. That’s where these boosted Stiloso Headphones come in. Designed to give you optimum sound from your cell phone, without compromising your iGizmo or techno-berry. With a slim profile answer/end call button and in-line microphone, the headset is ideal for hands-free chatting – yet is also compatible with multiple devices. Forget hard, plastic ear pieces jammed down your auditory canal – the soft pliable leather (in cool retro colors like ‘pepto,’ ‘rojo,’ and ‘commodore’ tan) of the Stiloso is comfortable for even the most uncomfortably long phone conversations. At $51.99, truly portable technology is finally at hand – or rather, hands free. More pics after the jump.
(-KB)
Blundstone is a Tasmania-based company that has been making traditional work boots since 1840. Built to meet the rigors of the Tasmanian climate, these steel-lined shoes are designed to fit the foot’s natural shape, are cut resistant, impact resistant and compression resistant. With all the heritage brands making a statement on the streets right now, we just thought you should know about the ultimate Australian heritage brand. Pics after the jump.
Trendy juniors unite! WGSN reports that mega-retailer Wet Seal has launched an online community. Customers can now shop online, as well as create and design their own pieces, using Web 2.0 technology. It also allows girls to build, tag, share and purchase outfits through a personalized boutique, build a fashion network by chatting with other stylists in the message center, and rate and purchase other stylists' outfits in The Runway.
Creators of unique bespoke suits for exceptional men and women, the master tailors of Savile Row have dressed the famous and infamous from all over the world, satisfying demand for the Row’s touch of elegance and eccentricity. Icons of Savile Row’s past include: Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Windsor, Sir Winston Churchill, Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, and John Lennon. Costumers today demonstrate the Row’s spectacular diversity: the Princes William and Harry, Mick Jagger, David Beckham, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Pete Doherty, to name a few. A new book, The London Cut, written by James Sherwood, style writer for Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, The Independent, and fashion critic at Royal Ascot for the BBC, is a portrait of modern Savile Row, and contains detailed information on London’s premier tailors, including images of Savile Row past and present. It presents both the style and story of a street that continues to inspire fashion: Ralph Lauren, Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, and Tom Ford have all walked the Row while Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen were trained there. (Rizzoli)
A.P.C. knows you need new tight jeans, yet also knows you don't want to look like a tragic hipster. Thus, they bring you the Petit Standard, a new classic with a narrow leg, but not too narrow. Artist Jacques Floret is so taken that he rendered them in four-color ballpoint pen. (Hint)
When I think of the ever precarious plight of the young designer, Miguel Adrover always comes to mind. The designer, pictured here, was one of NY's most critically acclaimed and inventive designers. Then he was forced to close his business for financial reasons. He has been away from the spotlight for a while but now, he's back. He's teaming up with Hess Natur, the German mail order company that's known for it's emphasis on sustainable fashion. Adrover will be creating a capsule collection of environmentally friendly clothes for the brand reports today's IHT. The collection will be available online and in several shops in Germany in July.
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It's Fashion Week in Australia, and we've got our sights set down under. So we were especially happy to hear from one of our favorite Aussie designers, Stan Wan. The former designer of Peckers now has a new collection called Saxony that's a little more mature and a lot more saleable than his previous, more avant garde collection. We love the collection's progression from full suits to more casual hoodies, and polos. Pics after the jump.
It's pretty safe to say that when searching for the pulse of New York's social scene, one doesn't have to look much further than the gentrified streets of the LES. Sure, you can hit midtown to shop. And sure you can shmooze at mixers with "old-money", but you'll find nary a Banksy sighting, and even fewer like-minded people (probably because they're all at Off Bowery or The Delancey). And few people know the scene better than Shayne Oliver of Hood By Air. Whether he's co-hosting a party with Roxy Cottontail, or chillin' with Vashtie at a 1992 affair, Oliver has become a part of the backdrop of the new LES scene. I caught up with him to chat about his much buzzed about line, the kids from around the way and what's next for Hood By Air.
-Virginia Jackson-Reed
A label's name usually captures the designer's aesthetic. What's the story behind "Hood By Air"?
It's a multi-faceted name. It has to do with the sensibility that my friends and I had acquired from being involved in fashion but being from a different background than many of our industry peers. It’s like Men In Black (when the aliens were trying to appear like humans). We learned to appreciate, not condone where we came from (the hood), and incorporated the hood look into our style of dress and vice versa. So instead of it becoming streetwear, it evolved into street fashion. This is what Hood By Air works to epitomize. To us, this is the future.
I also believe that being “hood”, not ghetto (huge difference), is skill: to make something out of what you have. Instead of becoming a victim to your circumstance, find the pros and run with them to find your way out of it!
The pieces have an unusual mix of edgy and chic-- something even more unexpected from a guy who grew up in Minnesota. What would you cite as your inspiration growing up?
I was born in Minnesota, but grew up mostly in St. Croix and Trinidad. My grandparents served as a huge inspiration to my views (in terms of fashion). My grandmother used to be a label-obsessed seamstress and my grandfather was a don dada.
In Minnesota I was inspired by the hood girls, they all dressed like their boyfriends (who were usually vice lords) with better hair.
St. Croix is where I first learned the concept of “getting dressed”. Everybody hung out in malls. The sneakers, the clothes, the music (The Fugees’ The Score had just dropped)… so much fun!
Besides the don dadas, Trinidad is a lifestyle inspiration for me. They are very free and work hard to be happy. To me, Americans work hard to appear to be happy.
Who would you currently cite as your muse?
Hood boys and girls, and my squad.
What would you say inspired the Fall '08 collection?
The goths and punks of Astor Place, Wu Tang Clan and Joan of Arc. I wanted to play with the dark side of hip-hop.
Are there any trends in menswear that you love, or on the other hand, would like to send out into fashion exile ("hammer pants" style)?
Trends I don't really know. I like when people acquire their own classics; hood boys in skinny jeans, that’s 'kinda cool (if you fit them right).
We should do away with exact interpretation dressing. If you’re 'gonna do it, apply something new. If you don’t, at least be good at it… Oh, and the Keffiyeh scarf.
Would you say that you have a "signature silhouette"?
The “hood” look past or present, boy or girl, and the fusion of it all.
This is literally just the beginning; what can we expect in the near future from Hood By Air?
Art, multimedia, events... they are all in the works. I want to make Hood By Air an obtainable product of our lifestyle. I just want it to be good.
Filius, the house label of one of the coolest stores in LA, All Purpose, will hold its first-ever sample sale this Thursday, May 1. The sample sale will feature up to 80% off of past season goods. The event also promises “booze, tunes, and paparazzo” – as if you needed another reason to go. The brand is currently developing a line of woven shirts, knits, outerwear and bowties! Inspired by Lawrence of Arabia, the current collection cites distinct European and military influences, with an attention to unique drapery.
All Purpose,144 South Flores Street, LA.
Cobra Snake was on hand to snap photos of the Claw Money x Boost Mobile launch party. Working with Boost, Claw has created a line of eight vegan friendly, environmentally sound bags and cases. Claw's characteristic bold prints and custom charms drive the collection.
Santo Gold popped the party's energy level with an awesome live performance.
Check out more flicks of the party after the jump. (HighSnob)
Kris Van Assche: Brilliant multi-tasker, and equally talented designer. As the head of Dior Homme and the founder of his own fashion line, Van Assche has got his hands full. This hasn’t stopped him from tackling footwear in his Spring/Summer ’08 collection. Somehow, with their patent leather toes and wickedly styled lacing, these fairly standard high tops manage to seem modern, fit for even the most high-brow homme. Check out the black, white, gold and bronze versions after the jump.(-KB)
