On one of our nights in Los Angeles we were invited by Chaz Bojorquez to have dinner with him and his wife Christina at their home in Highland Park. For those not familiar with his work, Chaz is credited by many to be the founder of the Cholo art form, and with over 40 years of experience, a true godfather of the LA graffiti and street art arena, inspiring countless of artists in the region and across the globe. His signature calligraphy art form and his character “Senor Suerte” have been Los Angeles art icons for decades, with some of his imagery even adopted by local gangland members “Los Avenues” as a revered sign of luck and power.
We met Chaz when he flew to New Zealand a few months ago for a combined artshow organized by our friend Peap, and we hosted a special Q&A session with a small invite list of 30 of our country’s top street and contemporary artists, including Askew, Misery, TMD, and others.
Christina and Chaz put together an incredible meal of traditional Latin American cuisine, starting with her version of ceviche, with fresh prawns and clams and tortilla chips. This was followed by pollo con mole y arroz, slow roasted chicken with cocoa sauce and rice. The dinner was accompanied by Mexican Sangria - with soda water and lots of freshly squeezed lime, which I actually preferred over the Spanish version. So good - I’ve never tasted food like this before.
Chaz also showed us a preview copy of his new book, “The Art and Life of Chaz Bojorquez“, published by Italian firm Damiani, and available in its first run as a 160 page limited hardcover edition of 2000 copies. It documents his entire career, and also has a plethora of never-before-seen photos, sketches and images of Chaz’s myriad career over the past four decades. You can pre-order the book HERE on amazon.com.
Chaz also wrote the foreword in this book - Cholo Writing: Latino Gang Graffiti in Los Angeles. A real insight to not only the art, but culture of Latino gangs here in Los Angeles.
After dinner, Chaz took us on a quick tour of his workspace and studio. Whilst most of his work was stored away in one room of the house, he told us that he paints in all areas of the house - in the living room, out on the front porch, wherever he finds inspiration in this neighborhood that he was raised in since he was a youngster. He even lives two minutes away from his old high school. All the original artwork and sketches aside, he also managed to share with us some pieces that aren’t commonly associated with his work, including watercolour landscapes, and original ceramics from the 60’s, including his first piece from college, from his formal training as a ceramic artist. He also showed us some original movie posters, where he worked as a layout and logo artist for legendary films such as American Graffiti, American Hot Wax, and the Empire Strikes Back. In his words - back when he had a ‘day job’. My favourite part - his brush collection, including his specially modified wide brush, consisting of three brush heads bolted onto one handle.
Thank you again Chaz and Christina for the wonderful hospitality. ¡Feliz cumpleaños Chaz!
Hello Los Angeles. I’m ashamed to say that I had absolutely no idea it was the Grammys weekend when we touched down in the City of Angels. As soon as we got in, Mega picked us up to take us out for a weekend of mayhem. I was wondering why he had a glint in his eye when he turned around and asked me “are you ready?” on Sunday night. The answer, for the record - no, I wasn’t.
It got rather ridiculous, but I guess it’s Hollywood style after all. A whole new experience for sure. Thanks for taking us out Mega. Super crazy, but super fun.
Went to catch up with my friend Elijah, who I hadn’t seen since Tokyo last year. He took us to his friend Pete’s (Union LA alumni) new store - CRAFT. Pete just opened Craft six months ago and as I said in my last post, it’s great to see people still opening up physical retail stores, and put the effort into building and curating a space. It’s also good seeing people try new things here in Los Angeles, a city driven by flash trends, yet still strangely dominated by oversized clothing, popped out tongues and big NE caps. His brand assortment includes Alden Shoe Co., Wolverine boots, MisterFreedom, Sugarcane, vintage workwear, denim and boots, with the focus on being mostly American/English made products, as opposed to China or asian mass produced items. A nice mixture of gentleman, vintage, and workwear. It was nice sharing thoughts and buying advice with you Pete. Make sure you pop in to see CRAFT next time you’re in Los Angeles. Right next door to Opening Ceremony.
CRAFT
513 La Cienega
Los Angeles 90048
P: 310-855-3976
T: @craftlosangeles
The following day, we dragged ourselves out of bed, and lived the American dream - In-N-Out Burger for breakfast. You’d be surprised just how busy it was in there at 10:30am in the morning. We were #42 by the time we got there, and cars were spilling out onto Sunset Blvd from the drive-thru.
Out of curiousity we ordered the one item on the secret menu I’d never seen before - the Flying Dutchman. Please don’t judge me.
With arteries freshly blocked, we sped down the freeway to Orange County towards Santa Ana, where we paid a visit and a long overdue catchup with the Triumvir triumvirate - Brandon, Brian, and Richard. Ordering at lunch got a little out of hand; we literally ordered the entire left hand side of the menu, which totalled about 10 or so dishes. Then we had Yoghurtland next door, where Brian tried to eat for free. Truth.
Popped into their showroom as well to see what they’ve been working on. Congratulations on the ongoing success of the Capcom Street Fighter licensed collection too. Very impressive to be working on something of that scale with such a globally recognised name.
Fortunately for me, Brian is also a bit of a camera nerd extraordinaire. He picked up this Russian lens for $15. I wish I knew what the engraving meant. All I know is that it stops at F2.8. Everything else seems like a bit of a mystery.
Thanks for the gear fellahs. Much appreciated.
After leaving Santa Ana, we stopped in to see Jon W (Vans Syndicate, Vault, senior footwear designer, all round rad dude), who wanted to show us the Vans World HQ in Cypress after we bumped into each other in Tokyo. Fantastic premises - and true SoCal company culture. Where else can you use such choice phrases like “dude”, “bitchin”, “rippin”, and “rad” with one of the sales directors of a billion dollar company? Took a sneak at the SS11 California and OTW lines, some super good items in there, and some new silhouettes. I think people are going to flip when they see Taka Hayashi’s new collection. Now placed under Jon’s product direction, they’re taking classic, old silhouettes and reviving some of the best aspects of their originals, but also adding a few modern touches, in term of materials and construction. Essentially, the best of both worlds. It’s changing for the better, believe me.
Best staff incentive ever - the Vans staff/warehouse “mini-ramp”. Sure.
Thanks Rian for this kind gift, the Syndicate leather/canvas slider belt. No thanks to the Department of Homeland Security and LAX for almost confiscating this.
Had a great time taking a peek behind the curtains, thank you Jon and Rian (Jay not pictured). Essentially these are the gentlemen who bring you the Vans Syndicate collection. A true passion project in every sense of the term, and a tight knit family of rag tag gentlemen who work with friends (not just companies) around the world. Sometimes I wish every creative/product dev group would work like this. It keeps things… real, which is why all of their co-designed projects exhibit a lot of substance and thought behind them, reflecting the person who designed them, as opposed to just a rehashed colourway packaged in a nice PR presentation. An amazing group of people to be around with, and tons of laughs too.
Finished the day with dinner with Jon at Cha-Cha-Cha on Virgil, Carribean cuisine. Jerk Chicken and Sangria, so good. Look forward to seeing you again soon guys. Look after that ankle Rian. Until then, stay safe, and try to avoid any falling acid.
Location: San Francisco, California, USA Temperature: 10°C - 13°C Weather: Pantone PMS 292
The USA, the last leg of our round the world visit. Before business in Los Angeles, we decided to fly into San Francisco for a quick stopover, to see some friends and to explore the legendary city for the first time.
Fell in love with Mike Martin’s drive - a beautifully restored VW Type 3 “squareback”. I love all of its little imperfections, it reminds me of Ivy’s old classic minis. We were hosted by Mike, Michelle and Mika during our short stay in SF, thank you very much for the warm SF hospitality Martins! Fortunately for us we arrived in between storms, so it managed to stay dry throughout most of the visit.
Our first stop, Mexican food. You have no idea how hard it is to find good mexican food outside of California. Mike took us to Pancho Villa for burritos in the Mission. After switching between three languages over the past two weeks, I was starting to really confuse myself, and was speaking Japanese to a French taxi driver just the day before on the way to CDG airport. I thought I’d finally finished having to use a foreign language… until I arrived in the Mission. Hola Gato!
We took the opportunity to go to the Nice Collective showroom and see Mike’s clothing range, Martin, in person. He’s now in his second season of production and we’d seen a lot of photos of it, but never had the chance to check it out in person. It’s a combination of all of his interests - style, cycling, and photography all mixed together and presented in garments. Very subtle technical aspects are infused into the clothing, including 3M reflective thread, which I’d never seen before. The shirting is also cut with a longer tail, for leaning over on bike handlebars, and the magnetic buttons are a superb touch for easy access, especially if you’re riding around and trying to fumble with zips. The teeshirts also feature some photoprints of Mike’s incredible photography, his first and foremost profession. All shot at F64, honest. We’ve seen a lot of clothes over the past two weeks, but I really liked this collection. A very unique touch geared for either a niche or a regular consumer, and I love when designers incorporate little special features like the 3M thread. Being manufactured by SF fashion and design house Nice Collective, it also fits well and is manufactured to their high standards. It’s fitted, but not as slim as some had told me about it - I fit most items in an M, which is quite similar in sizing to a Japanese size 3/L. Above is a preview of some of our favourite items from the SS10 and FW10 ranges. See more Martin here.
Nice Collective have also been working on this project with banking heir and eco-adventurer David de Rothschild. The Plas-tiki is a 60ft catamaran whose hulls are constructed out of no less than 12,000 reclaimed plastic bottles, a three year (and counting) initiative gearing up for a 11,000 mile (17,700 km) journey from San Francisco to Sydney. Nice Collective was tasked to design the interior of the yacht, using eco-friendly processes. This is their prototype uniform for David and… Richard Branson?
Mike & Gabe were also kind enough to drop these into my suitcase - a full winter riding kit, including a cinelli saddle he had kicking around, and one of their new winter riding caps made by Chuey. Super nice and super warm, I almost wish I had this in Europe. Maybe this was Mike’s subtle way of telling me to ride more. It was also nice to find out the story behind Rainier’s fascination with mushroom hunting too. Thanks a million guys.
Managed to finally meet up with the very talented LeviBenny Gold. He worked with us earlier last year on the MASH NZ teeshirt print, so it was great to finally meet him in person. We met up with him at his upcoming retail space in the Mission, which he’s currently renovating and getting ready to open in the near future. This is Benny’s first venture into a physical space for his line and a huge personal leap; very stoked for you my friend, and I’m sure it will be a hit. It’s nice seeing people still focusing on physical retail spaces in a world starting to be dominated by online retailing. The personal touch and creativity in designing and fashioning a physical space that represents your organization. Benny is an amazing individual too - for someone who has worked with some of the biggest names in our industry and being instrumental in some of the biggest movements in our arena, he has remained a super cool and humble man. Very inspiring, thank you for taking the time out to chat and have a cup of tea.
We went and destroyed a gigantic Tortas with Benny, Mike and Joshy. I had assistance from Levi, quite possibly the most popular dog in San Francisco. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if one day he answered to “Hey -is-that-a-french-bulldog?” instead of Levi.
We went for a stroll around the area and down to Valencia with Benny after lunch, in an effort to process the 2kg sandwich we had just introduced to our digestive systems. Stopped into SelfEdge San Francisco. Very nice to meet you Kiya, thanks for the conversation. Rest up, I hope you get on top of your jet lag.
826 Valencia, the independent Pirate Supply store. Funny story, this was originally set up as a free writing lab and workshop by author David Eggers, but unfortunately due to city zoning laws they had to set up a retail or food outlet in their desired location on Valencia, so what’s a writer to do? Set up a store for Pirates. Yup. Incredible initiative though, and a very amusing store, all completely manned and operated by volunteers.
Picked up a copy of the San Francisco Panorama from the workshop. A great project published by Eggers’ independent publishing house McSweeney’s, in which a group of writers have come together in an effort to try and preserve the printed word. This one-time, one-print issue is their interpretation of the newspaper format, what they considered one of the first victims of the digital print era. It features an eclectic range of articles, from political pieces to a guide to the best ramen. I feel a little ironic writing about this on an online medium, so I guess I’ll just stop right here. Do grab a copy if you can find one. The first print run sold out in days.
Not only is Benny a super nice guy, but it seems like he’s psychic as well. Thanks for the socks, believe me, it was very crucial at this point in my trip.
Closed off the quick whirlwind SF visit with dinner with Mike, Michelle, Mika, Benny, and Hiromi at Burma Superstar. Reccomendations - the rainbow salad pictured (listening to the guy’s accent explaining the million ingredients is worth the price alone), fermented tea leaf salad, and potato curry.
Good times with good company. Thanks for the hospitality all round SF. Amazing city, and such a great vibe, very different to anywhere else I’ve been to in the USA and reminiscent of the ‘community’ feel back home. Thoroughly enjoyed the short time that we were there. We’ll be back.
Stephen Mann. I’ve really admired Stephen’s work over the last year or so, in i-D and The New Order magazines. I’ll be honest, I first noticed him in various WDYWT threads across the internet a while back, and actually wondered back then if he would make a good stylist. In the end, he accomplished that and more, working with some very respectable names in our industry - including Stussy UK, Aitor, Arc’teryx, and more. It’s really great to see people like Stephen carving out a path for themselves in this industry, coming from a consumer background to working for the brands he once admired on the shelves. Sometimes I think dedicated consumers have the best eye for brands and can exhibit great understanding of product and design, moreso than even those working in the industry itself. Thanks for hanging out and the great conversation Stephen.
Stephen took us to his friend Steve’s store PRESENT out in Shoreditch. Opened alongside Duffer of St George alumni and designer Eddie Pendergast, this expansive retail space has a rather wide menswear brand selection, from Tricker’s to ALIFE to BBC to a full selection of Cire Trudon scented candles. The front of the store also features a small coffee/espresso corner, manned by world champion baristas - a nice touch and welcome break from the blustery rain and cold on that day. Judging from how many people had told us of this space before we went there, I’d say it’s gained a formidable following.
Present
140 Shoreditch High Street, London
020 7033 0500
We took a quick visit to the Gimme 5 showroom where Stephen showed us through the FW10 Arc’teryx Veilance collection. Veilance is a recently launched arm of the Arc’teryx outdoor performance company, which takes its performance technology and product design philosophy and applies it to a fashion and style element for a more everyday environment, without compromising its core value of putting forward high performance, functional products first. Amazing concept, considering that Arc’teryx is arguably one of the world’s leading outdoor brands, and a personal favourite of mine - I have a couple of Arc’ jackets in my wardrobe. Unlike other companies who try to mesh “outdoor inspiration” with fashion pieces, this design is derived from an actual world-leading outdoor performance leader. I had heard of Veilance previously, but never had the chance to see a full collection in person - incredible. Look for more soon.
We caught up with Tommy again in the evening for a quick snack and cup of tea at the Nordic bakery. Tommy also took us to see Liberty, another iconic London establishment, housed in a beautiful Tudor building on Regent Street. She also gave us this great goodie package before we left - packed with some of her favourite London snacks. So good - you know the way to our hearts. Thank you Tommy!
Onward, to the next destination. Thank you London.
Whilst we were in the neighborhood we decided to take a quick trip over the ditch for an overnighter in London.
Checked into the St Martin’s Lane Hotel in Covent Garden. Phillipe Starck design, a boutique type layout, and great service. Highly reccomended, although in the evening the bars do get quite rowdy.
Caught up with Andrew Bunney, (Gimme 5 alumni, Bunney, Creative Director Doc Martens) and Big Daisuke for tea at Fortnum & Mason. Having lived predominantly in modern/young cities most of my life - Taipei, Singapore, Los Angeles, Auckland, the history of European establishments and how they integrate into the modern world still amazes me. Fortnum & Mason is a 303 year old institution in London. Not quite your average Macy’s.
Andrew took us on a quick stroll and tour through the area, through the Burlington arcade, where we saw the jewellers who performed the work on Damien Hirst’s “For the Love of God” diamond skull.
Asprey, Bond Street, another centuries old institution.
Smythson’s, and then Church’s. I couldn’t resist.
We all met up for dinner on Brewer St with Tommy, Andrew’s wife, who incidentally writes a beautiful blog about life, culture, and food here - thisisnaive.com. I like her photography.
The rather glamorous, kinda nerdy, a little geeky, Mai Ikuzawa also joined us for the meal, as well as Chieko (HeadPorter alumni). Had a fun time trying to out-nerd each other. Daisuke was a real trooper too. This is the third country and third city I’ve seen him in over the past two weeks… then again, it looked like it was taking its toll. Nothing several shots of dutch courage couldn’t fix though.
You know those moments where a good idea turns bad? Here is one of them. Meet Harold the Hamburg.
