“Custom, limited and upcycled” wares for men and women are the calling card of clothing upstart apliiq, and the results are punchy shirts, second life Reeboks, and jewelry. The Splesh V-neck tee and Oliver hoody look like something you might create yourself if you had good throwback checkered fabric, decent sewing skills and, oh yes, a solid design aesthetic– check them out.

Ethan Lipsitz started apliiq after stitching hoodies in his UPenn dorm room. “Philly has some great old fabric shops with basements and hidden corners–I felt like a DJ digging for rare records as I would build the fabric collection,” said Lipsitz, an urban development and design student who wanted to encourage customers to be inventive in selecting patterns. The company still uses basic methods and geometric shapes to show off bright materials, and some items can be found online at Cultist and Karmaloop. But the best (and most giftable) option is picking out your own materials and going to town with their team.

The Wall Street Journal has a nice little story about How Your Favorite Sneakers Got Their Names. Reebok? Adidas? The Puma Clyde? ASICS? Good trivia stuff. Also, I knew the Chuck Taylor has sold a lot over the years– but 600 million pairs? That’s insane. Go on and get your sneaker-nerd on and check out the article. Thanks Brett!

Alex & Chloe: Fork You Necklace: Read JS Review | Buy It ($50)
Because sometime you just can’t say it out loud — especially in the same breath as “Happy Holidays.”

Bumboo Tees: Read JS Review | Buy It ($58 – $68)
Bamboo tees are worth their weight in … oh, that’s right, they don’t weigh anything. Awesome.

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac x JC in the Sky with Diamonds Collection: Read JS Review | Buy It
Wearable … nah. But I have no doubt of this collection’s historical and artistic significance, so buy something before it winds up at Christie’s, even if it’s just a minifig.

Reebok Bowery Pop-Up Shop: Read JS Review
You only have until Dec 14th to make it to Reebok’s NYC Pop-Up, but shopping after then sucks a big, fat Santa anyway — and also makes you a slacker. Get thee to the Eighties (eh, 169 Bowery).

Richard Haines Sketches: Read JS Review | Buy It
We didn’t think to ask Richard if this gift was even a possibility (oops), but a stylee friend would love a Haines sketch … or better yet, a sketch of him/herself by Haines.

Saint Augustine Academy Reverence Tee: Read JS Review | Buy It ($75)
Look close enough at this tee and you’ll find God. And you thought it was just fashion.

Atmos x K-Swiss: Read JS Review | Buy It
You have to hand it to K-Swiss, the often forgotten brand is being “reborn” and what better way to make a mark than to collaborate with Japanese powerhouse Atmos? Great attention to detail and subtle but distinctive colorways make these kicks a sure bet.

Ospop Shoes: Read JS Review | Buy It ($76)
I know they didn’t originate it but for me the whole clothing with a story concept started with Trovata. Since then, brands like Ospop have put their own spin on things. These shoes are modeled after the same ones used by Chinese blue-collar workers. Needless to say they are updated for durability and comfort. Check them out!

Gram Designs Shoes: Read JS Review | Buy It ($122)
Hailing from Sweden, Gram shoes has been a perennial SuFu (Superfuture) favorite. The interesting materials, most notably waxed cotton, give the shoes a uniqueness and sense of character, not unlike raw denim.

JackThreads: Read JS Review | Buy It
If you’re still wandering up and down the aisles at Macy’s like someone in home furnishings lobotomized you, try JackThreads. If you still can’t find a decent fashion statement, we throw our hands up. Or just throw up. Or both.

Calling all fans of choice kicks, if you currently have no reason to feel “pumped” up, maybe you should revisit the classic Reebok sneakers. The brand that pitted Dan and Dave against each other in the race for Olympic glory so many years ago is finally getting around to erecting their very first pop up store. Beginning November 15th, the hot spot for Reebok apparel will be the Reebok Flash store at 169 Bowery in Manhattan. In addition to some sweet and fashionable threads, each successive week will bring the release of a new limited edition sneaker available for that week only, the first of which will be a hot pair of Insta Pump Fury. The store will be around for one month — that means four new kinds of kicks. So do yourself a favor, get down there as soon as humanly possible starting this Saturday, because the shoes you want are sure to be gone in a flash.

READ MORE…

The Anakin Skywalker of hip-hop, Lupe Fiasco has remained steadfast in his position as one of the most mature artists in the game. Rather than signing on the dotted line for every endorsement that comes along (excuse him for the Reebok campaign), Lupe is making sound choices when it comes to who he is teaming up with. Recently, he joined forces with Dr. Romanelli to design a pair of flashy patent leather Chuck Taylors as part of the Converse PRODUCT (RED) line. I have to give credit to Converse for promoting the cause and continuing to churning out stunners with industry heavyweights such as Lupe and Romanelli.

via Hypebeast

NYC’s Married to the MOB just dropped their contributions to Fall ‘08, and if last season’s Reebok Freestyles had you twitchy, this collection of hoodies, jackets, and denim (that’s right, the Most Official Bitches have officially entered ready-to-wear) will feel like a skydive mixed with fire ants mixed with the dank breath of a grizzly bear about to bite your face off.

As per usual all of the styles are rockin’, the vibes are strong, and the message is pure. MOB is truly beating bitches daily, and as long as I’m wearing those pants, they can do as much beating, spanking, and well… you know… as they want.

Browse, shop, and ship the new collection here.

Sao Paulo’s in the blissful midst of a bona fide sneaker craze. Last week we brought news about Maze’s new kicks store in one of the world’s most populated cities, but located within the same tony Jardins area is Doc Dog’s freshly minted shoe-specific space; launched in celebration of their 10 years in business and stocking brands like Nike, Reebok, Royal Elastics, Tretorn and Bape on the shelves. International jetsetters with a lot of spending cash or big credit lines already hit up the flagship store a few blocks away to get their apparel fixes on Marc Jacobs and Harajuku Lovers.

I love the bold, loud design of the store. A large framed 3-D collage of sneakers covered in paint greets visitors at the bottom steps, and they’ve done the walls in black to bring out gold-colored accents and white shoe shelves inside. Colorful neon flourishes have been added to imitate the ’80s look to match the current trend in shoe design, which means the store’s style will keep changing with the times. A side area called the Limited Edition Room promises special releases from John Varvatos, Alexander McQueen and others; they also have a small line of Eastpak backpacks for sale, plus some streetwear. All of it comes together as the ultimate space for picking out new kicks.

The store’s located at Rua Bela Cintra, 2108 in Sao Paulo. Look for a doorway with stairs leading to the second floor of the building for the shop.

According to Chris Torres, there is a new dandyism. Perhaps born of his own creation, perhaps a child of necessity, his renewal of the term, like its predecessor, defines a gentleman. A particular type of gentleman, to be sure – a dandy, by eighteenth century standards, was a well-spoken, well-dressed, well-mannered, revolutionary; a tireless rabble-rouser, threatening in his premature acceptance of the world to come. To paraphrase, he was a gentleman of the sort that — were you a lady falling prey to his guises — your father might wish to shoot.Today's dandy, so it seems, bears certain resemblances to that gentleman. He is daring; he is respectable; he is a tad fearsome; he is the closest representation of idealized manhood since Clark Gabel. And, according to Chris Torres, the man behind the online men's clothier/lifestyle brand, NewDandyism, he exists.

The question we leave you is this: New Dandyism — lifestyle or fashion statement? Like those who debated the term in the eighteenth century, you may find that the answer to that question is muddier than first imagined.

Joshspear.com: How did you become involved in the men’s apparel industry?

Chris Torres: It was actually through footwear. I have an industrial design background and have spent my whole career designing footwear, most recently at Reebok. My involvement in the apparel industry, professionally, came through the friends and connections I've made throughout my career. I've worked with people behind really great labels, like 6876, Call of the Wild, Maharishi, and even RVCA.

READ MORE…

Oh, the Reebok Freestyle– one of the only shoes to be worn by teenagers and their grandmothers during the same year. At the beginning of this month, Reebok released the first of a series of special edition Freestyles to celebrate this retro hightop’s 25th birthday, and I’ve been high off of the sound of Velcro ever since. This is the first of the series, which is being rabidly pursued by ex-dance aerobics instructors and sneaker collectors alike, and I’m feeling pretty giddy about it. I had quite a relationship with these in elementary school. Of course, I’m not the only one; in 1984, the Freestyle made up more than half of Reebok’s entire sales, and it continues to hold the rank of one of the best selling shoes of all time. The advertising for the shoes is also partially credited for the women’s fitness craze of the early eighties (good ankle support for that strenuous step-aerobics, hah). Darn it, Reebok, hurry up and give us some more!!

The new collection from Kenzo Minami is here and it's lookin' good! Minami, a former set designer and Parsons School of Design graduate, has worked with XLR8R, Reebok, Flaunt Magazine, and was the first artist commissioned for Nike's Art Project Space. His new collection of tees is a combination of colorful graphics and monotone canvases. Breaking away, but not totally abandoning the anime style we have grown accustom to in his art, Minami's geometric designs have an almost mechanical feel to them. Check out his website to view the collection and locate a retailer near you.

Here to drop some serious knowledge on sneaker culture as it relates to art, design, fashion, and music is an appropriately named blog called Weekly Drop. But this is a lot more than just an ordinary blog. The minds behind Weekly Drop, Jeff Carvalho of DropForm.com and Rob Heppler of SneakerGame.com, decided to utilize podcast technology as their platform of choice to discuss topics that range from the upcoming Reebok Concept store in Japan to the Adi Color shoes. Their latest podcast episode features none other than the legendary Dave White, who is known for his amazing sneaker-inspired art. Weekly Drop fills a huge gap in the media coverage surrounding sneaker culture and I have a feeling that this will be the start of something that everyone will soon be talking about. I highly suggest you drop by the website and sign up for the Weekly Drop newsletter to find out how you can win a Dave White print they are giving away.

To follow up on Josh’s Reebok tip, I wanted to throw out some food for thought with regards to the new Reebok Basquiat shoe, the Reebopper. In an attempt to connect with the youth market, Reebok is heavily pushing its new advertising campaign called “I Am What I Am,” of which the Reebopper is an integral part. While the concept of using Basquiat’s art on the shoe is good, I think in reality it misses the mark. Basquiat is no doubt one of the most highly acclaimed artists of his time in the avant-garde fine art world. But it is ultimately his association with that scene, and not the current realm of street/graffiti art, that results in the shoe’s shortcomings. If I were Reebok, I would’ve signed an exclusive deal with a “living legend” of the graffiti scene, someone like Zephyr or Doze Green.

Last month Reebok introduced their shot at a customized sneaker system. It’s amazing to me it took them this long to come out with it, but alas it’s here. Believe it or not, I’m actually somewhat impressed. It allows you to customize more than a dozen parts of the sneaker– far more than available on Nike iD. I’m not crazy about the sneakers to begin with, or the mediocre name ‘Rbk Custom’, but it’s definitely a move in the right direction.

Pharrell and Reebok team up to bring you their ice cream series sneaks’. These are very Limited Edition sneaks by the ground breaking producer/artist. The design is in collaboration with the long time designer Nigo, Pharell says “The Ice Cream collection is everything the sneaker enthusiast desires- it is fashionable, aspirational, and most of all it is limited”. I don’t quite know how I feel about these, kids will probably gobble them up because Pharrell’s name is on it– but i’m not so sure about wearin sneakers with ice cream embroideries on em….$209 here.