Continuing with their various collaborations, Wacko Maria teamed up with Porter to come up with some bags including a messenger bag, a tote bag, and a limited edition zip wallet. The messenger and tote bags come in similar style prints that have a very strong Jamaican flavor with palm trees, ocean, guitar, and different flowers. The zip wallet comes in two styles, one with cow print and the other with leopard print. Available now at Beams.
Continuing with their various collaborations, Wacko Maria teamed up with Porter to come up with some bags including a messenger bag, a tote bag, and a limited edition zip wallet. The messenger and tote bags come in similar style prints that have a very strong Jamaican flavor with palm trees, ocean, guitar, and different flowers. The zip wallet comes in two styles, one with cow print and the other with leopard print. Available now at Beams.
Famed tattoo artist, Jun Matsui, collaborated with Nike on the Dunk Electric. This model, honoring the centennial of Japanese immigration to Brazil, is designed with both cultures in mind and the two strongest influences in Jun’s life, the cangaco and the samurai. The shoe comes in brown leather with gold accents and shoelaces. A mouse, controversial animal in Brazil while popularly adored in Japan, is embroidered in gold on the tongue. There will only be 400 pairs of these Dunk Electrics made, 300 for the Brazilian market and 100 for the Japanese market. Each pair will come with an illustration signed by Jun Matsui.
Source: SneakersBR
Adidas has just released a new ZX800, named “Flavor of the World.” This pair of shoes is very unique in that the right shoe has a red color scheme and left shoe a blue scheme. Not only that, the design is based on a very interesting story about the beginnings of the Festival of Folclorico de Parintins, a popular annual celebration held in the Brazilian city of Parintins.
According to legend, a pregnant slave named Mae Catarina had a sudden craving to eat a bull’s tongue. In order to satisfy her, her husband killed the best bull, but was consequently sentenced to death by the master. However, Catarina was able to find a priest who resurrected the bull, thus saving her husband. This story stays alive through the efforts of two wealthy, feuding families: the Cids and the Monteverdes. The Cids and Monteverdes both built models of bulls, one named Caprichoso and the other, Garantido. Both families paraded the bull models on the streets and fought with each other if they crossed paths. And the Festival of Folclorico de Parintins is a re-enactment of the fights between the two bulls in the streets.
The shoe comes in a special box that has separate compartments for the left and right shoe. The shoes definitely have design references to the story including the red and the blue, representing the two feuding families, with Garantido labeled on the tongue of the red shoe, and Caprichoso labeled on the blue. This is definitely a very special pair of shoes, so get it while you can at Overkill.
Hip Hop artists and fictional comic book characters make an easier fit then one would think. Although Hip Hop since its inception has been steeped in rhetoric about reality and the importance of being authentic, there has always been an undertone of hyper reality or reality amplified teetering on the fantastic. This is why aliases are so paramount in the genre. The stage names are almost the MCs other identity when they take the mic. The most legendary MCs have made careers on boasting how dope they are with clever punch lines amplifying their abilities to almost super human characteristics. No one knows this better or has exploited it more than the legendary Wu Tang Clan. Part of the Clans mystique has been the incorporation of kung fu excerpts in their music and comic book characteristics in their persona. This clever tactic has allowed the group to make a balance between hardcore, gritty east coast rap and absurd fantasy as each MC takes on a new moniker and throw themselves into the character.
This past year has seen a bit of a rift in the legendary crew as a few of the top lyricists in the group have broken ranks and showed their distaste for last years’ “8 Diagrams”, most notably for the RZAs production on the album. Undaunted by the criticism RZA takes solace in his comic book persona; Bobby Digital to produce a new album entitled “Digi Snax” due later this summer. The first single “You Can’t Stop Me Now” has the instantly recognizable Wu sound with sampled guitar licks, dirty drum kicks and ominous chanting on the chorus complete with the late Ol Dirty Bastard’s drunken crooning. The video is a comic book inspired visual acid trip. Lyrically the song finds RZA in a retrospective state contemplating his street days and his early career achievements. The subject matter of early Wu leads one to believe maybe he was affected a little more by the voices of dissent then he leads on. But, it’s nothing a comic book hero can’t handle.
Created on the basis of offering their customers fresh gear to match with the sneakers they sold, sneaker boutique Classic Kicks founded Reine et Roi as their outlet for fashion. Their summer collection is marked by a collaborative effort with Shanghai based Jellymon on Reine et Roi’s well received windbreakers. Two styles, the “Space Race” ($120 USD) and the “Space Drip” ($135 USD) both incorporate metallic fabrics as their foundation. From there, Jellymon’s iconic characters can be seen in droves throughout each base. The Space Drip also incorporates a wet look nylon body to complete the drip effect.
To compliment the Jellymon x Reine et Roi hoodies seen here are some of the brand’s staple offerings, the Color Block hoodie ($100 USD). The hoodies feature some 80s-esque neon colorways, perfect for fans of vintage colors. For online sales, the Color Block hoodies are available now while the Jellymon x Reine et Roi collection will release this weekend at reineetroi.com. The hoodies are also currently available in-store at Classic Kicks.
Classic Kicks
298 Elizabeth Street
New York
p: 212.979.9514
ALIFE have continued their range of exclusive shoes with the chain Barneys. The title of this range is “The Soft Hand Pack” and is inspired by the catchers mitt in baseball. The drop consists of three shoes, the Everybody High, Chaser and the Kennedy. All three have a red, natural and black colour scheme whilst also all incorporating some woven leather detailing. All three are available now at Barneys stores across the US and via their webpage www.barneys.com.
The legendary fleece making efforts of Japanese brand Loopwheeler finds itself at the center of a collaboration with the worlds largest sporting company Nike. With Loopwheeler’s unparalleled ability to create high quality and long lasting fleece, the pieces are generally devoid of any Nike markings instead focusing on feel and execution. Aside from the heather gray crewneck and hoodie seen here, look for other products to release from the Loopwheeler x Nike capsule.
Here’s BBC | Ice Cream Hong Kong’s last items for May set to release this weekend as part of their 2008 spring/summer collection. A large number of products include graphic t-shirts. Other products feature denim shorts and two instances of fitted and mesh caps. Available this Saturday, May 31st at BBC | Ice Cream Hong.
BBC | Ice Cream Hong Kong
14 On Lan Street
Central, Hong Kong
p: 852.2526.7166
In a first for high profile fashion house Maison Martin Margiela, the brand has released their first pair of eyewear in the form of the L’Incognito Sunglasses. In a page out of Geordi LaForge and Star Trek: The Next Generation with the visor steez, the sunglasses feature a large wrap-around frame-less build. Aside from the style seen here, other colorways are also available.
Source: SlamJam
In a story that reflects on the unconventional canvas the Zippo lighter became during the Vietnam war, FUCT has created their own design in line with symbolism a Zippo represented for soldiers in the war. Zippos quickly became a method for soldiers to express their thoughts and solidarity as many would engrave names, battalions and other random thoughts on the metal cases. Soldiers would develop strong bonds with their Zippos to the extent that enemy soldiers would rig up explosive Zippos to be left randomly at areas popular with American soldiers in hopes they would be picked up and ultimately resulting in an untimely death. Unlike the American style Zippos, the Japanese line features a much different process which achieves a different visual and in the case of the FUCT collabo, a Zippo which appears to have weathered a storm of many hard fought battles.
Number 4 of 5 from the UNDFTD Regional collection will release this Saturday, May 31st at UNDFTD’s Silverlake branch. Continuing with the trend of paying homage to UNDFTD’s retail locations, past tees exclusive to each respective store have included Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Tokyo.
