Crooks and Castles

www.crooksandcastles.com

The crooks are back at it again and their next round of exclusive online tees are no joke. One tee has the signiture Crooked Angel and the other has Gucci links with a gucci colored ribbon. These two tees will be released at 10am in the morning at the Crooks & Castles online store. As a brand Crooks has over the past few of years set off a strong trend and its sick graphics have really become known in the streetwear market. Commitment, longevity and a strong set of collabos will drive the brand to the next level, while still remaining true to the concepts and ideas that the brand was built on.....Cant Stop The Crooks!

Billionaire Boys Club

www.bbcicecream.com

Ladies and Gentlemen,Boys and Girls! I bring you pictures of the Hennessey Party and BBC grand opening, plus a bunch of photos from all the traveling they did. The one thing that really grabbed my attention was the bag full of custom made ostrich Bapes that Nigo handed off to Pharell. Head over to the Billionaire Boys Club website to see what it’s like to dress like a Billionaire.

Reed Space

reed space

151 Orchard St(Bet Rivington and Stanton)

New York, NY 10002

212-253-0588

Hours

Mon-Fri 1-7pm

Sat-Sun 12-7pm

On October 18th The Reed Space will be having a huge end of summer sale. The sale will be on some of my favorite brands, Like: The Hundreds, Crooks, 10 Deep, MHI, Staple, Nike, and much, more! The sale is CASH MONEY ONLY, so bring some paper. Don’t be the only dumb ass to miss out because you only brought plastic.

Digital Gravel

http://www.digitalgravel.com/

There is probably hardly anybody out there that does not know or has not heard of Digital Gravel. Just in case to refresh your minds, its the premier online store for streetwear. How have they gotten their? Well, the answer is pretty easy. Digital Gravel was not only the first one bringing streetwear online, but they also kept promoting young strong labels and gave them a word out to the world. They work very close with their brands and only take people into their shop that they feel have something special to show. Most brands insist on being displayed in a store and only along with that, to be sold online. Digital is probably the only site, that has so much trust and in streetwear to get brands exclusively online! So much to the business side. But who is behind Digital Gravel? I had a talk with Nima, one of the founders of the site, that now already exists quite a few years. We talked about how Digital Gravel became what it is today, the newly launched Diggers Society and new business ventures and ideas that are being checked out in the Digital Gravel camp!

Whats up Nima, its good to finnaly meet you. Please start by letting the people know who you are ! Hey Rico… first off, thanks for this opportunity, you’ve always been showing us love and we appreciate the support. Ok, let’s see… my name is Nima, I started a website 8 years ago and now I spend my days working with my friends and doing something I love. Contrary to some rumors that may be circulating, I am not cool.

So, you have been running Digital Gravel now since 1999. Tell me how the idea came about for launching Digital Gravel ?I guess it was all pretty simple. It’s the type of thing where you’re just a young guy thats into hip hop and all that, and you’re always dreaming up crazy schemes on how you’re gonna do something in the game. Well, when I was 18 I was pretty sure I wanted to open up a physical streetwear store. I started getting cracking on it, and pretty soon I was emersed in the industry, meeting people and getting to know how everything worked. I was scoping out locations, going to trade shows and just generally pretending to know what the hell i was doing. The crazy thing was that I never realized how much of ‘streetwear’ is actually just big business with an urban face plate on it. The deeper I got into it, the more I realized that the bigger, mainstream lines were pretty much corporate outfits that really didn’t give a rat’s ass about ‘the culture’ and all these little elements that the young devout kids were obsessing over.So I kept digging deeper and deeper until I found these tiny streetwear lines that were generally run by a couple real young creative people, who pretty much knew very little about the big leagues of fashion. They were pretty much just some cool people doing some cool shit. These brands didn’t have any real good distribution, cuz if you didn’t have some sort of mass appeal, you wouldnt be able to get into many stores.It was pretty much at that point that I changed course and decided to focus on these important but small brands that noone was paying attention to. They needed great distribution and with the growth of the internet in the late 90’s, it just seemed like perfect timing for a site like Digital Gravel, that would expose these brands to all the right people without overexposing it to a mainstream crowd.

You are one of the few or the only store that is only online and still manages to get hold of all the gully brands. How did you pull that one off ? Usually brands want to work with physical stores, mainly for prestige reasons !That’s a good question. You have to keep in mind that we have been doing this for over 8 years now, and have always been a hub for all of these lines to expose their goods. We have consistently introduced new lines to our huge base of customers and even many retailers look at our site to get ideas of what brands are doing well and which ones they too should carry. For these reasons, we are alot less of an online store and alot more of a center for a creative community. Once a brand gets put on Digital Gravel, they instantly have the eyes of 50,000 customers and the entire industry in general, so they want to make sure that they have a strong presence on the site. On top of that, brands know that we are committed to growing all of our brands. Unlike most retailers that just want whats hot, we stay committed to our brands and have put alot of our own promotional budget into creating goods and campaigns that will further their development. Without trying to sound boastful, I think brands come to us because they know we can put alot of stuff into action for them and because they know we don’t have some greedy corporate agenda.

Now you also started the Diggers Society. Tell me what that’s all about , how the idea come about?The Diggers Society is our new ‘t-shirt of the month’ club. We realized that people were paying more and more to get exclusive t-shirts from their favorite brands, so we came up with an idea that we thought people would dig. Basically, customers buy a year long membership for $250, which gets them 12 t-shirts from some of the dopest brands on DG. Since registration for the membership is only open 3 days a month and these designs are exclusively designed and distributed for this project, the shirts are still extremely limited. However, since people essentially buy the shirts ahead of time, our costs drop dramatically, so everyone saves on the pricing. Its just a way to get our customers the best, most exclusive designs without them breaking the bank.

Now tell me something about yourself. Which clothing lines are you feeling at the right now and who do you see being also very strong in the future ?Let’s see…Foreign Family are good friends and show a huge amount of potential to be the next hot line in the game. Everything is hand drawn and very different from whats out in the market now, so keep an eye out for the fam. The Hundreds is huge, and getting huger. These guys ushered in a new era of the game by using the internet to expose the lifestyle we live to our customers. They’re smart guys, and people are really watching them. Scifen is about to change everything for the big boys. Seriously, mark my words. Their Fall06 collection is no joke. We love all the lines on the site though and don’t really mess with anyone we don’t think has a strong future. They are all family and I wear everyone’s stuff.

What are your plans for the future ?

Stress out and relax. We have some really cool plans for the growth of DG, so we’re all putting in a lot of work in and trying to have fun while doing it. I just found a cricket walking on my desk too, so my immediate plans are to take care of that.Thanks Nima for the Interview and keep up the good work. It was great meeting you and getting some insight on how you built up Digital Gravel !!Thanks Rico! i appreciate this and my apologies for being so late with it ! I’d like to take this chance to thank all of our customers, brands and the true believers… we’re nothing without you.

Kilo Goods

http://www.kilogoods.com/

I had a talk with Erik, the man behind Kilo Goods, who gave me some history on the brand, the new Spring ‘07’ collection and the future of the brand. We also talk about upcoming collabos, and I can promise there is some dope stuff waiting. Its interesting to hear where the inspiration behind Kilo Goods comes from, as they present a very refreshing style, not seen on any other brand before. Other than that Erik is also involved with the FoshoFoshow trasdeshow, that takes place in Vegas around the same time as Magic.

How did you get into the clothing game? What is your background?

Drugs!!!No, not really,……I was always into drawing and clothing. I went to 21 schools, mostly shitty neighborhoods in Miami and spent a lot of time as a child in the sunshine program (Miami’s program for “delinquent” children). When I visited my older sister in NYC for the first time in 9th grade It really opened my eyes… such a vivid city with so much hustle. My sis, Marlene Marino is an amazing photographer and artist, she definitely played a big role in my development. I moved to NYC in 99 and was blessed to be around one of the most important modern art movements of the century in my opinion, The Barnstormers. Seeing artist like Ro-Starr doing their thing was very inspirational. I learned graphic design and started a tee line called Demographx with a partner in 2001. Ive put in some time with an urban “major” clothing line where I learned more about cut n sew, on their dime. That was where I met my current partner Kenshin who convinced me to quit and move to Japan to work on a big freelance job. Kenshin had already been a player in streetwear as well as an original member of Matonyc, which was ahead of it’s time. We then left Tokyo with pockets full of Yen and the formation of our current company Kilo International. With the addition of Lin Yeezy, formerly of The Fader Magazine as our secret weapon and Nasty Nate the ambassador we are ready to build out the brand.

Kilo Goods is the shit right now and so far your graphic Inspiration and colorways seem to come from the 80's and Miami Lifestyle. Do you agree? What inspires you the most when designing the clothing? How come you being based in NYC, Miami Lifestyle has such a strong influence on your collections? Does that fascinates you or what?

Thanks for the compliment. I know you got your eye on the whole industry, so that really means a lot. I would say yes, that the spring collection is inspired by the attitude of Miami lifestyle in the 80’s. It isn’t literally interpreted in the graphics but the color story and mood reflects that era of decadence and style. Art Deco, Hollywood and politics also inspire the line. As a Cuban/Colombian kid growing up in Miami, I looked up to the hustlers...all the kids on my block did. Their entire presence was luxury, the cars, the designer European clothing, the woman around them...they were the American dream. While many of my childhood friends chose to follow in their lead, I decided to paint the picture. I would say, yeah I’m pretty fascinated by Miami, even though Ive been in NYC for 8 years now, Miami is where my daydreams were sculpted.

How do you see the market now and how do you think it will develop in the near future?

I love whats going on in the market. It’s the rise of independents. It’s not really for the suits to understand, and they don’t. It’s a new game with new media, new marketing, new blood. Ill say that it’s a lot more exciting than 2003. Compitition is good..it breeds better products in the end. I do think that a lot of newer brands will fall off though in the near future just because they will see that this shit ain’t easy. Its one thing to have some tee shirts printed, it’s another to source fabrics a year in advance and construct quality garments. Plus the day to day business is a killer, but very worth it if you truly love to grind.

Tell me a about how you see the future of Kilo Goods. How do you want to build the brand?

With Kilo Goods I see the future as bright. It feels like a long time coming, our team is at the top of our game and everything is in place. We have some interesting colab projects coming out this spring/summer with Cali roots in Stockholm and 24 Kilates in Barcelona. For the NYC locals, look out for a series of summer parties. Going into Fall 07 you will see an expanded collection with a deeper range of products like jackets, pants, headwear etc. Kilo Goods is a lifestyle company, we will continue to push intricate detail, top quality and fresh design. We just do what we do man, and grow by the day. Don’t be surprised when you see kilo goods luxury vehicles with matching driving gloves…. hybrid of coarse

Thanks Erik for taking the time to talk to me. I m looking forward to meeting you again soon and make sure to keep me posted on the future development on all your ventures!

No doubt Rico, thanks for the opportunity. Stay Fresh Brooklyn is Dope, you really have a worldly appeal to your blog. We are big fans. Our crew has a lot of things cooking right now, with more marinating in the fridge. Big things, you’ll be the first to know.-eazy!

Kiserny

410 5th ave.Brooklyn, NY 11215
phone: 718.986.5722

http://www.kiserny.com/

P.Rico- So Kiser...how did you come up with the line?

Kiser started in 2004 when the graphic design firm I was working for went nder. I decided to "do my own thing" which at the time consisted of designing websites for people, logos and random shirts as well. One day in the summer of 2004 me and one of my boys decided to take some shirts out to a popular artist/street vendor spot on Prince St. (Soho NYC.) The shirts I designed sold quick on the streets and kept reinvesting the money into the business. Maryam from Union saw us one day while she was walking down the streets and picked up the line. Then I met some cool cats (Andy Stromberg and Harvey Osgood) who decided to throw some money behind these ideas. The rest as they say is history.

P.Rico-What is your background?fashion?art?

I am a graphic designer, got my BFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology. I didn’t know anything about fashion when I first started and really just wanted to create dope art on t-shirts. Since then I’ve learned allot and been real fortunate to meet some real down to earth people in the industry who have been willing to give me advice and contacts. I still feel like I don’t know shit about fashion but I like to think I’m a quick learner.

How did i feel to see Kanye West wearing your design on MTV..I know it was good for business.
But..Do you think you lost props from your fans and your "Underground street Cred" ?

Shout out to my dude DJ A-Trak for hooking that whole thing up. To be honest the Kanye thing has been amazing for business and as far as street cred is concerned I’m not so sure that I have any still. But if I do I think Kanye could only have helped since he is a bit of a fashion icon.

P.Rico-Where do you stand, How do u see yourself, as a Businessman/entrepreneur/Artist?

I like to see myself as an artist but the more you're involved in business the more you have to become business savvy. I’m learning alot about business and I guess the key is to have the right balance. Alot of successful businessmen can take wack ideas and make them sell. Alot of famous artists or creative people don’t make a dime or become famous until their dead. The goal is to be as creative as possible while making as much money as possible.

P.Rico-Who and what is Kiser?

Kiser as an individual is someone who grew up all over the world and has been exposed to so many cultures, so as an artist/fashion designer/graphic designer I want to create work that transcends stereotypes and brings something fresh to the table. I hate walking down the street and seeing people dressed completely as stereotypes whatever they may be. My goal with the line is to constantly create great work that is not based on stereotypes.

P.Rico-Most streewear/Brands wait until they blow up to drop a womens line. What made you drop yours right away?

I think womens streetwear is wack because brands basically toss the same graphics on womens baby tees. What I have learned so far is that women are more into the style of shirt than they are into the graphic. With guys you toss a graphic on anything and if the graphic is fresh they will wear it. Women are more sophisticated and they want more unique styles of shirts. I try to bring that to the whole game and I also create alot of my graphics specifically with women in mind. I started with womens stuff right away because I want to the line to be more universal. I don't want it to just be for a certain kind of person that goes to all the streetwear parties and hangs out in the lower east side. I want the line to be for people who appreciate creativity and women definitely appreciate creativity when it comes to fashion. Also you know I'm trying to get some groupie love too.......

Memes

3 Great Jones St., New York, NY 10012 nr. Lafayette St. 212-420-9955

This boutique’s underground designers from America, Europe, and Japan may be small time now, but they could be the next big thing. Particularly hot are Nike White Label,Addidas Y-3,Triko, Mad Anthony,Ten Deep, and Brooklyn-based designer Just Another Rich Kid (tees start from $33). Grab a pair of vintage Gazelle sunglasses while you’re at it. Take it from me this is one of the illest underground spots to shop at in nyc, with price tags everyone can agree with. If you cant find anything you like here chances are your not looking for shit at all.

Adidas Metro / Flavored Ice Stan Smiths

The Adidas Metro Attitude is a classic that makes few appearances but are often welcomed with an applause. The Metros come in a nice colorway that doesn’t come off as too plain like most white high top kicks do. The shoes have baby blue stars as well as lasered patterns on the shoes. The Decade Lows come in black and red with white accents. Adidas rolled out a matching bag for each pair that fit the era of style of the kicks.
These shoes are available now at the “German giant” Overkill, but I have heard from my friends here in NY that these are available in the US as well.

The Adidas Stan Smiths are a summer sneaker essential. Clean lines, classic and conservative look, and bright white leather makes these a great pair of kicks to wear when your girl’s parents are going to see you taking their daughter out for the evening. Come on, you know they wouldn’t let their daughter date a chump with wack kicks!
Adidas brings back the Stan Smiths this summer with a little more “flavor” than we have seen before. These have translucent outsoles in four different colors to match any possible out-fit. The “Flavor Ice” package as they are called are available at at Finishline for just $65.

Yoropiko x Greedy Genius

Greedy Genius will released a special projects collection with Yoropiko jeans. The collaboration includes a pair of ultra-limited Yoropiko jeans co-developed by Japanese denim guru Martin Ksoho, the man responsible for creating and designing the Red Monkey Company.
Check for the sneakers to drop this fall, but you can cop the jeans in stores now at these retailers, Riccardi (Boston) Vinnie’s Styles (NY) Lulu Couture (FL) SF2 (TX) UP Against the Wall (CA). These jeans will set you back about $650, but hey when there this fresh...who gives a flying fuck.

Vinnie's Styles

Vinnie's Styles
160 Flatbush, Brooklyn NY, 11217

Phone:718.636.9787
http://www.shopvinniestyles.com/

Vinnie's Styles was established with the goal of providing quality lifestyle brand clothing. With the launch of the vinniesstyles.com website, and established customers can acquire the same exclusive store merchandise online. This store is loved by all brooklyn fly guys with some spending cash and hustlers.

Busy Work Shop (Bathing Ape Store)

Busy Work Shop
91 Greene StreetManhattenNYC, NY 10013USA
Web http://www.bape.com/
The first Bape flagship in the western world opened here in NYC. The store has usually not much in it, as all the hot items sell out the day they come in. A beautiful minimalistic store in the heart of Soho!

A.P.C

A.P.C.
131 Mercer StreetNew York, NY 10012USA
Phone +1 212 966 96 85Web http://www.apc.fr/
A.P.C. is a brand originating in Paris. They are know for very simple, clean styles of good quality and decent price. They also have fantastic denim for real great prices. Their shopin Soho is fantastic and perfectly displays the simplicity of the brand!...What more can I say Their denim is the shit son.

aNYthing Gangstore
51 Hester StreetNYC
Phone +1 - 212 777 0919Email info@anewyorkthing.comWeb http://www.anewyorkthing.com/
The Gangstore is also the home of the NYC brand aNYthing. But aside from their own brand they sell their friends brands which include Mike23, ClawMoney and many other hot finds. The store also offers vintage products, ranging from books, to LP's and other nice goodies.

Atmos
203 West 125th StreetManhattanNYCUSA
Web http://www.atmos-tokyo.com/
The store from Tokyo also opens its doors in NYC, bring lots of heat from over there to the western world. They also carry of course their various hot collabs with Head Porter, The North Face, Nike, New Balanc, etc and their

Stussy & Head Porter

Stussy & Head Porter
140 Wooster StreetManhattanNYC USA
Web http://www.stussy.com/
The store is in the heart of Soho and carries both the Stussy collection and the a huge selection of Head Porter!

Alife Rivington Club

Alife/Alife Rivington Club
158 Rivington StreetNew York NY 10002USA
Mon-Sun: 11-7
Phone 1-212-375-8128Web http://www.alifenyc.com/
Alife carries the Alife clothing line with lots of great collaboration works and the Rivington Club carries all the hot sneakers that you can dream of!

4 Feet Kaws Companion

At first it seemed impossible to get hold of the 4 Feet Kaws Companion, but now there are at least a few places where you can at least try. Sold Out will receive a shipment of the massive toy and also Kawsone will be releasing the toy in the next two days, as mentioned by the artist himself. Keep an eye on the site!

Kool Bobito Love AF-1

Overkill just received the last edition of the Nike AF1 25th Anniversary Kool Bob Love pack. The sneakers is made of pilgrim green suede upper and beige leather and features a Pilgrim green laquer swoosh as well as ice blue mesh material. They will launch it on July 21rst.

Bape x DC comics

You might have noticed that I do not really report all that much about Bape. As innovative as the brand was, I don't feel that they are who they used to be anymore, there way too comercial. But I still have to respect what they created and all the things that they started, that nowadays seem so normal, but were ground-breaking at the time when they introduced it. So, some of their special projects I definitely still dig, like the recent Bape x DC Comics collaboration.
After the recent release of the hoodies, crewnecks and toys featuring pictures of the DC Comic Heroes Superman, Batman, The Flash and Wonderwoman, Bape now releases the matching Bapesta sneakers (kinda late though) Just like the Marvel collaboration Bapesta series, these are also released in special packaging. They are now available at cliff edge.com
Check out the other two models after the jump.

Greedy Ganius..Get em or get lost!

Today I present you the latest Greedy Genius sneakers to hit retailers on July 21.
They are releasing two new sneakers this time around. One multicolor sneaker with blue/green/red upper and a patch embroidered on the side. The second one being released is probably the most basic sneaker ever released by Greedy Genius . It comes in all white with parts in white crocadile skin, silver lace locks, translucent outer sole and a zebra pattern as the inner lining. One of out favorite new Greedy Genius sneakers.
Check out the detailed pics after the jump and get ready for these in about a weeks time.