Last Saturday COMUNE had a nice little get together at their office compound in Costa Mesa to celebrate Adam Wright’s photo exhibition entitled “Karlson Tea Party”. People from all over came out, bringing in over a hundred different custom motorcycles for everyone to check out. I wish I could have definitely attended this one! looks like it would have been a rad time! Classic motorcycles, Pabst, Mexican food, even some QT’s! thats a wrap, maybe next year!

COMUNE, a contemporary streetwear label, has created a culture surrounding the brand that allows them to represent the lifestyle of its founder and staff. A large part of this lifestyle surrounds vintage motorcycle culture, whose elements come out in the design of their clothing line.

Check out additional photos from the event after the jump! Big Thanks to Andreas at Anthem!
Continue reading COMUNE’s Karlson Tea Party →

Click below to check out some random iPhone photos from Jared Souney.

Continue reading JARED SOUNEY: RANDOM IPHONE PHOTOS →

I’m sure I don’t speak for my self when I say that the Sartorialist is one of my favorite fashion/photography websites. If you don’t know, The Satorialist (Scott Shuman) travels the world photographing people with great style. Yesterday Refinery 29 put together a pretty humorous “Step-By-Step Guide To Getting Shot By The Sartorialist”.

Check out the complete guide after the jump! Continue reading Get Shot By The Sartorialist →

It’s been a little while since we have done any sort of clothing, so we decided to do a limited run of Defgrip snapback hats! They are snapback, so one size should fit all, and they only come in gray.

They are very limited (only 30) and there will be no more made, so once they’re out they’re out!

Get yours before they’re all gone!

$24.95 domestic / $29.95 International (shipping included)

To order yours click the jump!

Continue reading Defgrip Hats! →

I’m pretty sure everyone at one point or another has worn Vans in their life. You really can’t deny their history.

With that said, Vans will be releasing a book on June 1st.

“The book weaves together the multi-generational story of the community and culture of all that has influenced and has been influenced by Vans: boards, bikes, art, music, and street culture, and the iconic shoes that have united them together. ”

Get some info, and check out some videos HERE.

My buddy Brett Wiley has parted ways with Estate and has teamed up with Monarch Manufacturing to create his own headwear brand Quintin, named after his dog Quincy. Two weeks after I heard this news, Brett and I were meeting at my place where he rolled out the new logo with a full line of caps and tees, along with detailed plans for future projects including snowboard and BMX teams. Brett is moving full speed ahead with the aid of his sidekick Carlos Avalos (more on him later). Brett’s and Carlos’ calendars pretty much look like this which is setting a good pace for the new brand.

I’m working with them to establish the Quintin BMX program which will be repped by a few of my favorite riders, and will launch on the Quintin website very soon. Also look out for upcoming collaborative efforts with Verde and Lavar.

Check the brand new Quintin website here.

My friend Eden just hipped me to this feature on Honeyee; a click-through introduction of Carhartt’s line in Japan. Those jeans on page two have been on my body for months, literally. People are starting to look at me weird.

Regarding Carhartt, here’s an interesting piece by Jeff Staple highlighting brands that aren’t quite as cool in the US as they are overseas.

Another dope referral from Jason Eichhorst. I haven’t see this book yet, but judging by the click-through preview it’s incredible. The history of skate shoes goes further back than you may think, and this book catalogs all of it up to the present.

Go here to check it out.

I must admit that I’m very into models. Her Famed Good Looks is a website which catalogs photographs of all sorts of models, from editorial to advertising shots. If you know of a model that’s not in their directory, you’re an aficionado.

Check the site out here.

Check the directory/galleries here.

Just a reminder… cats are awesome.

Josh Sperber, owner of Bay Area’s Hella Tight hat brand (and Defgrip fan), sent through some caps for our melons. Thanks dudes!!!

At first, the name didn’t ring a bell, but once I saw the branding/designs, it all clicked. The hats arrived in that solid black box, and appear to be built real nice and with good details. Check them out below.

For more info, here is Hella Tights blog.

Continue reading HELLA TIGHT →

I’m super psyched on the intro animation/movie for the Re Reserved site. I definitely feel like you get a bit lost in there for a second, like you are looking at something more than just a website. I did find everything after the into a bit confusing… I’m also really into the repeat video on each side of the main screen.

Check out the Re Reserved intro here.

Kevin Porter recently opened up a coffee shop in Chicago with his wife Chelsea, named De•li•cious Café.

I was stoked and intrigued when I heard about this venture, as it is a departure from the predictable bike shop that you would expect a pro rider to open. Hence, I asked KP some questions about it.

Click below to check it out.

Thanks to David Leep for the pics.

Continue reading Q&A: KEVIN PORTER & De•li•cious →

Selectism just (and by “just” I mean in October 2008) posted up this interview with designer Trace Marshall which incorporates a look at the latest Warriors of Radness offering. In no particular order are my 6 favorite things about the interview:

1. The background story of W.O.R. and Gonz coming out of the Freshjive camp.

2. This quote:

“I can jump on the bus in front of my office Downtown and 30 minutes later I’m at the Pacific Ocean! On that 30 minute bus ride I’ll pass through 15 different economys with each one having an endless amount of local history and nuanced information.”

3. The strong Tecate theme in the photos.

4. This quote:

“Surf all day, party all night! Will that Fabric give me a rash? Will that fit get me laid? Will this t-shirt graphic get me beat up? Would my Dad wear these shorts too? How many people will this t-shirt graphic piss off? These are all the questions we ask are selves when designing these garments.”

5. The brand’s foundation on the strong opinion that, according to much research and experience, LA is far, far superior to OC. Correct.

6. This quote:

“It’s our life! This only happens in Los Angeles! We are creating garments people relate to. Maybe some people don’t even realize yet how much it really relates to them. It’s all about waking up in a pair of wool elastic waist shorts in the Hollywood Hills hung over in some girl (or Guys) bed you met last night at some function. Jumping on the bus down Sunset to 1st point Malibu. Grabbing an old busted up longboard out of a trash can, surfing in those same shorts for a few hours to shake off that hang over (or washing away or sins as we call it). Drinking a beer in the hot sun to start the day off right. Meeting some Russian models on the beach. Throwing on a simple button up. Rolling to Numbers in West Hollywood for dinner. Go to 1 or 2 or 6 different functions. Score some crack down town. Then end up in some Girl (or guys) bed in the Hollywood hills and doing it all over again.”

Read it here.

Ride BMX just dropped their 2009 Photo Issue, which has a colorful photo of Rich Hirsch on the cover.

If the cover caught your eye, but you didn’t know why, than you are in luck. I hit up Keith Mulligan with a few questions to find out exactly what is going on with the cover.

Click below to check that out.

Continue reading Q&A: KEITH MULLIGAN/RIDE BMX →

Tom from Streetphire was so kind as to post up this little article on the new Lavar release, along with an interview with yours truly. Wynn Ruji supplied the photos of me and Tom’s dialed layout allows you to get a better look at the tees than we even have on our own site, so thanks to both of you.

View it here.

Ryan Denehy from BNQT hit me up with a link to a new project from the owner of Vestal watches called Tsovet. Tsovet looks more like a “grown up” brand compared to Vestal and has a lot of Bell&Ross/aviation inspiration going on.

Check out Tsovet here.

Here is Randy Brown’s signature Orchid shoe called The Function. It’s meant to have the ankle protection of a mid-top, with the flexibility and comfort of a low-top.

Click below to check it out.

*UPDATE* – Randy Brown/Van Homan Orchid edit below too.

Continue reading RANDY BROWN’S SHOE & EDIT w/ VAN →

The brand new Lavar website is up and running, with a click-through book of the new product.

More urgently, go to The Come Up right now and check out the Lavar/TCU giveaway. Check out the questions and then go to my Q&A thread to answer them, and we’ll send one of these to the first correct answer.

Click HERE to check out a flipbook of the new Fit softgoods.

Click below to check out 2 upcoming Animal shirts, which should be available soon.

Continue reading SNEAK PEEK: ANIMAL T’S →

Famed fashion designer Hedi Slimane has been getting a lot of recognition for his photography over the past few years and after leaving his lead design position at Dior, that seems to be all he’s been doing. He has a personal site that he updates quite regularly and his images are pretty amazing. This past year Yves Saint Laurent passed away and his art collection (valued at approx $440 million!) is about to go up for auction. Most of it is displayed at his Paris apartment and Hedi Slimane had the chance to photography the YSL estate in November of last year. I really love how close up Hedi gets with a lot of his shots and he creates some amazing patterns with the way he frames the images.

Check out the series here.

Odyssey teamed up with Estate LA on two new hat designs. One is a nice looking fitted with their O driver logo on the front in white, orange and blue and the other is a retro looking “pirates” style hat in brown and orange. They have a nice flip book going with a bunch of photos and you can check it out ater the jump.

Continue reading Odyssey Estate CAPS →

Nike Sportswear just released a new collection and Nigel is still holding it down for BMX! There are a few new photos and a few o we’ve already seen of Nigel, but it’s just dope to have a BMX presence in a mainstream campaign like this!

Check it out on the Nike site.