Remember way back when we interviewed Sickboy? Well, when I showed up for the interview I was informed that it was part of a little promotional documentary. Not really being dressed for the occasion I’m glad I didn’t end up on video much, but it turned out really good and captures the whole mood of the Sickboy Stay Free show. You may notice that Sickboy’s face is blurred out to hide his identity. It looks like a witness protection video or something, but I know his true identity… muhahahaha.
We got the skinny on Tavis Coburn’s inspiration for imagery with a vintage appearance. His newest tee — ‘Double Endorsement’ — is born from Coburn’s love of typography. The design makes use of a simple eye-test pattern that contains a pleasant, slightly hidden message. That’s the first endorsement. For the second endorsement you should probably take a look at yourself.
Countless new hip-hop acts are loved for sounding like they came out 15 years ago — turning modern rap into an ironic party favor. Because ingenuity is rare, those looking for quality in boom-bap dig back. That’s what the Hoarsemen are doing. The sensibility of this four man group from New York-by-way-of-New Brunswick, NJ is not a throwback, or a style shift … or an adherence to a style. It starts from scratch.
With their debut album Snacks and Catastrophes out for about a year now, it’s a cure for the common record. But their live shows are what they stake their reputation on. The goal isn’t simply making interesting music, but to create an engaging performance to go with it. I’d always hoped someone would redefine hip-hop in some form without attempting to redefine it at all, and the Hoarsemen have delivered on this wish.
The producer of this outfit, Sonny Ray, lays down beats on an MPC and supplements sample cutting with his own instrumentation. MC Long Division delivers bars in a clean voice and a rhyme style fortified with hidden metaphors. Loosie, a vocalist with an original voice, grinds out dirty hooks contrasting with Long Div’s orderly flow. Cuts from outer space come courtesy of DJ Dialect. Together, it sounds a little bit like this.
We sat in Sonny Ray’s LES apartment — also home base for production of the band’s tracks — over home brewed beer and pizza, where we talked the story out. READ MORE…
The fashion world is changing. The ethics of where and how clothes of made have become just as important as the color and the shape. Our friends at Apolis Activism have taken a strong approach to making some remarkable clothing while keeping their values of ethically made clothing at hand. Three brothers with a very impressive collection of passport stamps started the Apolis Activism label and have quickly developed it into a very impressive line of men’s clothing.
We caught up with the three brothers that make up Apolis Activism just before the release of their new Spring/Summer line. Have a read after the jump (including some nice new pictures from S/S ‘09).
If your significant other has a thing for graffiti, s/he may have a thing for Start’s latest project, Big Wall Graphics. But don’t pony up for this V-Day gift unless you’re comfy turning your living room walls into graff alley throwbacks. These ballsy eye candies — featuring the work of some very notable street artists — are, uh… not small.
Big Wall Graphics work a bit like the Pop Cling stick-ups we’ve grown to love so much: art for your walls that is easy-on, easy-off, and awesomely affordable. Thanks to a printing process that uses repositional fabric paper and eco-solvent inks, the end result is something that’s easy on your walls and easy to apply, even at sizes approaching 12 square feet.
Since Big Wall Graphics is a spanking new project, there are just two prints available right now, but more will be dropping soon. Of course, kicking off with Sugarluxe’s classic ladies and Vulcan’s epic robot (check out the interview) should keep those early adopters happier than two-year-olds with popsicles.
I love collaborations. There’s no denying it; when two brands I admire come together, the result is something that is bound to land on my wishlist. Though a far stretch in terms of brand identity contrast, the second in a series of collabs between streetwear brand Lemar & Dauley and skate brand DC have yielded some interesting results. Based on the DC Admiral, the guys at L&D brought a nautical theme to the design, in both a regal and casual sense. Fabrics and materials found on sails were used as inspiration, yet the hi-top silhouettes and contrasting patterns and materials definitely scream beach city. Perhaps, something you’d might see on the boardwalk in Venice or New Jersey. Other interesting touches include a plate engraved with Braille as well as reflective tape. The shoes dropped on February 1st and retail for $150.
Social Revolution. The thought of it has been woven into 2008 like an election campaign narrative. Change, equality, sustainability — all huge ideas in need of huge effort to bring them to life, and even bigger efforts to make them succeed.
Hector Estrada, an established streetwear innovator, head of triko, and the man behind the newly emerging Amivectio, believes in this revolution. According to Hector, it’s a literal revolution, set to change the industry, change the conformity, and most importantly changing the shirt on your back. He might not have the answers yet, but he's trying hard to find it.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve added Chuck Anderson’s website to the sites we check as soon as we wake up. His new book, Wondering Off Into Space finally dropped yesterday and we’re excited. Even better Chuck also dropped a few surprise details on us, like limited signed copies will only be $25 and a portion of the profits go to the Invisible Children fund. There is literary no reason why you shouldn’t buy this book — look we’ll even give you a quick link to the buy the book page of his website.
Chuck is one of our favorite illustrators (see our multiple posts about him, including this great interview).
We talk a lot about artist on joshspear.com, but when we get to talk with artist its like peaking inside their head full of amazing visions. Sickboy’s Stay Free is full of scary, amazing, funny and just wacky visions. The show is best described as an art playground. He took over a building (not a gallery) and put up paintings but also a sweet factory, weird girls in mask walking around, paintings planted in pots, a house to walk through (check out our exclusive pictures of the opening night for a better idea) and of course his iconic temples. Sickboy’s Stay Free is an entire world and in this interview we walk hand in hand through that world.
You know what we like? When the names of people we love (Jesse Hora) start winding up next to names of artists we worship (Si Scott; Alex Trochut; Hellovon). Not that we would expect any less of the designers, illustrators and artists we brag on so thoroughly. But still, every time it happens we feel like one of our kids just knocked out the class bully (see also: brimming with pride and high-fiving all around).
Jesse Hora (Dot Com), fresh off of the much cooed over Some Type of Wonderful (a project also shaped by the aforementioned Si Scott, etc.), took some time to fill us in on the distance he's traveled since '06.
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.
The first time I met Ray Young Chu he talked a lot of shit about my eyebrows.
This threw me initially, but once the topic of conversation turned to ice cream, then back to eyebrows (a friend's this time), then to PBR, I figured that Chu wasn't really talking shit, he was just full of shit — the really, really weird kind that helps people make amazing art.
It's been just over a year since Ray slammed my facial features, but in that short time he's made some serious headway. Read on as Ray slows down long enough for us to catch up.
Richard Haines is designerman, a fashion designer and blogger whose sketches of NYC style cause as many double takes as the people who inspire them. A brightly talented illustrator with a taste for the streets, Richard strolls New York City with pencils in hand, discovering the trends of today and tomorrow in a way all his own.
After a few embarrassingly emotional fashion experiences on What I Saw Today, Richard's aforementioned, personality-packed blog, we decided that a first hand chat was in order. Read on as we talk style, substance, and the visual ways of keeping those words together.
When Corey Rich was 13, a teacher noticed that he had very capable biceps. This happened during a pull-up contest – one of those middle school battles to trick kids into fitness over fatness- and Corey had knocked out 35 to win first place by a stretch. The teacher was a rock climber, and he thought the kid might enjoy tagging along. He did.
There's a feeling that comes with experiences of psychological and physical significance, and it's best understood as a crazy mix of endorphins, wonder, and an honest appreciation of your insignificance in the grand scheme of things. It doesn't have an official name – just call it “the feeling that feels like exclamation points,†— but it's addictive as hell. When Corey was 13, he experienced that feeling, and he decided to try to capture it on camera.
It's been 20 years since Corey Rich first made friends with nature, and nearly the same amount of time since he began capturing it on film. Now one of the most sought after adventure sports photographers in the world, Corey's remarkable shots have landed in the pages of most publications worth mentioning, and in the advertisements for the world's most famous brands. We caught up with a freshly de-planed Corey to chat life, lenses, and what it takes to make them work so well together.
It’s almost November, which means two exceptional things: 1) We can dazzle our neighborhood with our 100+ strings of diamond-cut twinkly lights and 2) Most Official Bitches Holiday ‘09. Nothing says “Hello, Santa,” like stringing cranberries in spandex leggings and a bomber jacket, and MOB’s Leah McSweeney is gonna have our asses covered (in really, really tight stuff, but covered nonetheless).
Standout items this season include the aformentioned Bomber, the Cloverfield Jacket, and the Varsity Bitch Jacket, but as always the tees are fresh and accessories worth a breeze through. Browse it here…
It’s almost November, which means two exceptional things: 1) We can dazzle our neighborhood with our 100+ strings of diamond-cut twinkly lights and 2) 
