I first met Ivan a couple years back when he’d send me photos of kids wearing our tees in different European cities, but he’s here in L.A. mixing business with pleasure. The Nike SB rep hails from Spain, but also runs his own brand Worldwide (great blog). This is one of his upcoming t-shirts, the same graphic inked on his arm by the world renowned LTW tattoo shop next door to Trust Nobody.
Speakin’ of LTW, they’re also the ones responsible for 10 years worth of work on my friend Elia here… also “holiday”-ing in L.A. from Barcelona for the first time. Her thoughts on Angelenos? More huggable than New Yorkers. Nice.
It’s a late night at The Store as we prepare to drop the new Holiday season of The Hundreds and Tens tees and hoodies tomorrow morning at 11am. Out with the old, in with the new. 7909 Rosewood Ave.
Oh and for all of you who patiently waited, our Fall Elements T-shirts and New Era 59/50 fitteds are now for sale in our Online Shop.
I finally had time this afternoon to go upstairs and visit our newest neighbors here on the block, Lanie and Bam from Hellz Bellz. You’ll be able to learn more about the progressive female brand and Lanie’s story in an upcoming Chronicle for our site. Until then, drool over this sneak peek of an upcoming HB jacket dropping this holiday season..
We’ve all been invited to speak at UCLA.
(No, not at the same time.)
Of all the email I receive every day, aside from the CIALIS spam and obscene inter-office messages, I get a few messages that go something like this:
B. Hundoz~!
Yoooo DAWG, iM comMin wit dat HOT FIYAAAHHHH. How do I run a CLOTHING COMPANY like y’aLL and make a bazillion dollaz? Get at me,
Rick Springfield
Hot FiyaHH Clothing.blogspot.com
*I’m gonna be RICH!*
or it’s along the lines of this:
Hey Bobby,
Can you tell me how to start a brand? And give me all your manufacturing contacts overseas, all-over-print silkscreeners, webhost information, and anything else you think I should know. Oh and your Australian distributor. And make my logo for me.
Or else I won’t support your brand.
Rick Springfield
p.s. Don’t forget where you came from.
but it’s usually just like:
To The Hundreds,
My friends and I have a great idea for a clothing line but we don’t know how to get started. We don’t have much money, experience, or industry connections. What we DO have is a great idea. Any advice?
Thanks for your time,
Rick Springfield
p.s. Back to the Future II is the greatest movie of all time.
Which is why, when UCLA formally invited us to speak on-campus and share our story with the students, the only thing I could really think about discussing was how to do what we did. For years, there was only one real way to enter this arena. You had to either be loaded, know the right people, or come from a family background in the industry (of course, there are some major exceptions to the rule. But you know what I mean).
Until the Internet and downloadable design programs came along and leveled the playing field. As it did with the music industry, the web suddenly gave a voice to the voiceless. And before anyone knew it, if you were talented enough, all you needed to survive was a great concept, passion, and a healthy work ethic to make moves. (Of course, the older generations lament the Gold Rush of the new millenium, but at the end of the day, as history has always proven, the fittest survive and the C.R.E.A.M. rises to the top.)
But at least everyone can now say they have an equal shot at following their dreams.
If you’re in the area, come see us speak at the Kerchoff Grand Salon, which is located in the center of UCLA’s campus next Wednesday from 12 to 1. I’ll be going through a brief history of the brand, and doing my best to share what little knowledge we’ve gained over the years. Hopefully it’ll be worth your time. If anything, you can take a photo with Scotty.
I know the Animal posted this on his SGV site a few weeks ago already (which is, like, 4 years in Internet time), but I thought it was still worth a post. Plus, there’s a special surprise in the middle. Like a jelly-filled donut.
Except this jelly is covered with fur.
BTW Animal, I choose Eric Ricks for old time’s sake. For now, Haslam.
When it comes to pop art (or post-pop art I should say), I’m a straight-up sucker for cartoons and colors. Perhaps it has to do with growing up in Southern California, surrounded by graffiti competing for passers-bys’ attention with vibrant characters and a rainbow of paints. Maybe it was due to the heyday of Saturday morning cartoons and comic strips,.. and there’s a lot to be said for Disney’s influence on just about everything that shaped my childhood. So when my girl’s parents gave me a book by a Japanese artist named Takashi Murakami back in 2000 entitled The Meaning of the Nonsense of Meaning, I was captivated. It was kinda like manga.. except disturbingly perverted and twisted. It was childish and fun, but dark and sinister underneath. I was intrigued.
The following year, Giant Robot Magazine released their 21st issue, the cover story being this guy, Takashi Murakami. Within that 5-page article, Eric Nakamura introduced the Japanese artist to the rest of the world. I was immediately struck by the Andy Warhol parallels, Murakami running his own factory of apprentice artists, albeit outside of Tokyo instead of New York. The article also went on to explain how he only did his own original art for a couple hours a day, the (still) confusing history behind his signature character Dob, and how the heavy implementation of eyeballs was inspired by The Matrix.
That interview also coincided with the introduction of Superflat, Murakami’s expression for his post-pop style (After something pops, it goes flat. Get it?) and his traveling art exhibition featuring 19 Japanese artists like Mr. and Yoshitomo Nara. In my mind, that 2001 show at L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art is still unmatched as far as art gallery experiences go. It was so ahead of it’s time and so new that it felt like being broadsided by a Mack Truck in slow motion. You couldn’t really tell what was going on, but you just knew that it was gonna leave a mark.
My gradual obsession with The Artist carried further into the year when his “summon monsters? open the door? heal or die?” show opened at The MOCA in Tokyo. I was living in Japan with my girlfriend at the time, and because of the prohibitively expensive cab fare, we shot around the subway, trudged through sloppy rain up grey streets, and hand-gestured for directions to finally reach the space. But it was all worth it. The DOB-heavy event was monumental,.. while Superflat had debuted Murakami’s fantastic world to our ill-prepared senses, “summon monsters?” ensured that we were comfortable with his characters and style, and catapulted his true agenda into the art atmostphere.
That’s where the trail, for myself, turns cold. You see, Murakami, in many ways, encapsulates modern Japanese culture in that there is an unnerving fusion between art appreciation and consumption. Perhaps you’ve seen it with the Japanese lineups for particular limited-edition shoes or streetwear items for the mere sake of consumption/appreciation, a phenomenon that’s trickled down to… you. And with The Artist’s work, it was no different. Murakami was wooed by a certain Marc Jacobs to join forces with a designer label you may have heard of called Louis Vuitton. Since that time, you’d have to be a blind, bedridden eskimo to not see the artist’s work on the arm of every fashion-conscious female in the world.
Or in my back pocket. (Don’t worry, it’s a $7 knockoff from Canal)
So as Murakami’s art flourished, so did this cross-fertilization with fashion, with material product, and buying things. Because in essence, that’s as much a part of the Murakami experience as the observation. The only problem for me is that in some ways, the process is cheapened. The art’s longevity and substance is at stake if it can be mass-distributed, accessorized, and disposed of. The way I see it, if the art is intended to be on the shelves, then it’s also intended to have a shelf-life. And call me crazy, but I like my art to be timeless.
Regardless, maybe The Artist’s vision won’t reverberate decades from now (or maybe it will), but for the present, it’s sure doing it’s job. Admittedly, I even came out-of-pocket for a slice of the Murakami take-home experience a month ago when one of my favorite brands, Supreme, collaborated with The Artist on a 3-deck series.
I mean, .. I just had to.
As of Monday morning, Takashi Murakami’s latest and most comprehensive exhibition is opening to the general public once again at L.A.’s MOCA. This is pretty much the man’s entire history of work, all the way up to his current projects involving animation and crazy-out-of-control Dob. There’s also a Louis Vuitton store that’s been installed in the middle of the show space, selling co-branded Murakami pieces that aren’t available anywhere else in the world. *Ahem* that’s where that whole art/commerce thing comes to a head,.. but I digress.
Although photographs have been disallowed since the official press showing last week, I was granted the opportunity to take photos of the exhibit this past weekend. But don’t be satisfied with online photos, which do little justice to the magnitude of these pieces. Make the trek out to the space.
Even if it’s raining.
In certain kinds of writing, particularly in art criticism and literary criticism, it is normal to come across long passages which are almost completely lacking in meaning.
– George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language,” 1946
I remember the first time our friend Eric told us he was opening up his own store in downtown Los Angeles. I’m sure it seemed a great venture, against all odds, but he and his crew pulled through and formed Archrival in the Little Tokyo district of L.A. The shop is situated in the thick of Japanese restaurants and cultural boutiques, and the guys even held onto the “Fish Mart” sign from the previous residents, providing an innocuous exterior that’s disguising a selection of brands like Crooks & Castles, TwelveBar, Sinful Things, and The Hundreds. Stop by and check it out.. if you can find it!
Directly across the street from Archrival is RIF, which was voted L.A.’s best sneaker consignment store this year by Los Angeles Magazine. The stock is pretty ridiculous, there’s not a popular shoe that you can think of that’s not on the walls. RIF’s also known for their online superstore as well,.. check it out here.
Aside from nerding out and part-timing at Reserve, Yasi also runs Cultist. Plus, she just launched the site’s new blog. Oh, and there’s something else in the works for our site. Fried day.
This is as close to The Porch Life as we’re gonna get at The Store. Steph lazes out with her iPhone, a sack of Chipotle and the new issue of Frank151. Fried day.
What is it with Chipotle chips? Marinated with crack and deliciousness. Definitely Fried day.
The good people from the Magic Tradeshow fizzle their week out in The Studio. Thank Goodness It’s Fried Day.
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