Need a new backpack for school or the an Arctic journey? Which ever is your current challenge Fjällräven bags have you covered.They’ve been making bags for 50+ years in Sweden (in Swedish design years they have the expertise of a 200 year old company). Despite having their inherent natural Swedish high quality design skills, the founder of the company was a hiker who frequented the Arctic treks. So when they dumb down their bags enough for you to pack them full of books while ordering a latte, remember that this bag could be saving your life in the Arctic. As for the kid in the picture, he goes along with the company’s advertising history and we just couldn’t pass it up.
The warmth is played out, suntans have lost their sparkle — even mojitos have abandoned their minty appeal. We’re ready to swap sweat for sweaters, and — as said item is among our favorite of apparels — we will welcome fall with our arms wide open and covered in shit.
Oh, hold on; La Merde, we mean. Covered in La Merde. And for you saucy bilinguals out there, yes, both words do mean the same thing, but La Merde also happens to represent a decidedly un-poopy clothing company based out of Portland, Oregon. They specialize in a breed of very outstanding hoodies — dapper, well-cut, rockstar/fop- hybrid things — that make me want to crawl straight out of summer and into the embrace of boy hovering just under room temperature.
Browse the upcoming collection here, and do your best not to lose your merde over the linings, details, and overall street sense that make this collection of toppers worth trick-or-treating in. You can’t shop on their site, nor is there a dealer list to comb through, so what the heck? Just shoot them an e-mail to get a jacket to carry you through 2009.
When I was a child, I saw an episode of That’s Incredible where they tested Timex’s claims. The watch company, which has been around for 50 years, had a famous slogan: “Timex: takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.” They put the watch through its paces and (for the most part) it came out perfectly able to tell time. Timex was, in many ways, the G-Shock of yesteryear. It’s an everyday man’s watch that you could wear to the jobsite and not have to baby it or worry about it getting scratched or banged against the sink. In what seems like perfect retro timing, the company has recently reintroduced their Timex 80 watch. Available in both plastic (my favorite) and metal versions, the watches have time and date features and, of course, that infamous Indiglo backlight. The straps are the exact same color as the face for a uninterrupted visual loop around your wrist. To round out the package, they come in cushioned slide boxes. Get yourself a Timex 80 and a Casio calculator watch and you’ll be set!
In the past, the dapper Dutch apparel makers at Ontour have provided us with some deliciously wearable duds. This time around they’re proving that their attire can be downright addictive. Their fall/winter ‘08 line, Cosmic Crack Ontour is the product of a collaboration between the brand and fellow Eindhoven native Cosmic Crack (aka Crackrock), a botanical artist with quite the array of work under his belt. The co-founder of BetaMaxxx made the designs using a variety of different methods, none of which included direct computer imaging. Each particular piece tells its own unique story through design, whether referencing the architectural infamy that is North Korea’s Ryugyong Hotel or just playing on some people’s penchant for being clad entirely in tinfoil, every tee and/or hoodie in this collection has a deeper meaning beyond shapes and sizes…and they look pretty sweet too. See for yourself by downloading their lookbook.
Our old friend MWM (Matt W. Moore) got a nice push last week for his soulful geometrics when L.A.’s REVOLVE Clothing featured 16 new pieces from his Vectorfunk series at their flagship store. REVOLVE boasts a synchronized online and physical store, allowing shoppers to request clothes online which become available in the store the next day. We didn’t get a chance to head out there, but you can check out photos of the event on MWM’s blog and REVOLVE’s online store.
This is him on Rano Raraku volcano crater on Easter Island. It’s pretty damn far, and pretty damn exotic — and for that he will receive two pairs of Alex & Chloe sunglasses. Time to find a travel companion Greg!
Tune in next week for another exiciting episode in expensive win-ables on Big Ticket Tuesday.
We love Michael Young and ODM’s watches and we’ve got the blogpost to prove it. Now they have joined forces to create the “Zen” SV27-1 Commemorative Watch to honor Hong Kong’s return to China and the innovative brands that have developed from the Hong Kong scene. We don’t know enough about the Chinese political landscape to understand why Hong Kong’s return to China is being celebrated only in the design community, but we do know the watch looks great. Look for these to appear on the wrist of an Olympic Athlete near you.
When we travel we like to pack light to make room for shopping. When I was in Prague last week I made sure to make my rounds to see some of the Czech fashion. We admit the shop Kebab doesn’t have the most appetizing of names, especially for clothes, the shop does have some great indie fashion brands (nice to see some SupremeBeing) and local Czech clothing all representing a really young and energetic style. The shop is downtown but a couple blocks from the tourist high street shops just to keep its street cred. Have a look at the clothes and mingle with some of the young hip Czechsters.
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.
Tokens may have gone out of style, but since they became “rare” items they’ve been coveted fashion accessories. Transit token cufflinks will run you at least a Benjamin, and now apparel designer Hangar 3 carries a line of necklaces that features the vintage tokens. They offer a diverse selection — unlike the pedestrian tokens from Boston or New York, you can pick up tokens from the 1934 World’s Fair and from Los Angeles on distressed leather or chain for a fraction of the cost of those cufflinks. We know what you’re thinking. L.A. has a subway?
Cheer up. According our watch, it’s still summer for another month (it’s a really big watch). That means you’re going to need some fashionable shades for the late season sun. How about a pair of Alex & Chloe sunglasses? We’ll assume you said yes.
The Prize: A set of Alex & Chloe sunglasses, one Santa Cruz style and one Cape Town (est. retail value, $190 each)
This Week’s Rules: We know our readers are savvy world travelers. For this Big Ticket Tuesday, we’re asking you to submit one pic of yourself wearing sunglasses in an exotic location. It can be a link on Flickr, Shutterfly, Picasa, et al., or you can send it directly to feedback [AT] joshspear.com. Also, provide a quick caption of where you are (we’re not frickin’ Carmen Sandiego over here). The reader with the farthest traveled specs will get two new pairs to continue the trek.
Back in ‘96 the now superstar Web 2.0 politician by the name of Barack Obama ran for State Senate in the 13th District of Illinois, and there’s a T-shirt to prove it. Homage clothing is giving a portion of donations to CARE, a humanitarian organization fighting global poverty if you buy it. We find it to be slightly irreverent, and pretty nifty — just our kind of tee.
Anyone who has been reading this site since the beginning knows it was birthed during the 2004 presidential debates. And it’s probably no great mystery that this time around, if this site could wear a button, it’d be one for Obama. And if a website could vote, he’d be our choice for the next President of the United States of America. Well the bad news is, websites can’t vote, the good news is– those who run it, can, and he has my support. We believe in freedom of speech (you can thank America for believing in that as well), so as expected, you can comment away– but keep it constructive. Unintelligent flaming will not be permitted.
While Singapore is not often considered a streetwear capital, subterranean youth culture brews almost anywhere. Through various product partnerships and creative clothing lines, Flesh Imp is giving Singaporean youth an expressive outlet through style, and in many ways driving a fashion revolution. While the brand is still young (they just celebrated their 7th anniversary this past December with a collabo with Adidas), they are making moves, their most recent project being limited edition Coke Zero gear. Founder Vincent Q has some poignant things to say about the burgeoning Singaporean street culture and hopes to expand Flesh Imp’s influence from the unique mix that is his city.
The Nat 2 Shoe that’s buzzing around the blogosphere has me in stitches today. It’s reminiscent of those old school REI pants that zip off into shorts. The ones I had to have to go camping as a kid. More than 20 perplexing styles are for sale by this company– and all I can think to myself is– seriously? What happened to some good old fashioned flip flops and chucks in your bag? And something about the glitzy zipper around the sandal has my toes curling up to avoid scrapes and cuts. But the concept looks fun, almost like an art piece. What do you think, readers?
In case you still haven’t figured it out, vampires are going to be all the rage this fall. Between two new TV shows and the film Twilight, everyone’s going to be talking about bloodsuckers. In celebration, the Spanish Tolky Monky has added the vampire rabbit Moneja to a lineup that feels like a cross between Joe Ledbetter’s illustrations and the wacky personalities inside Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. She’s not available yet on their new line of polo shirts, but if you’re a lady — or just want to dress like one — you can snag a pink, black, or purple fitted tee that sports her image.
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