Monthly Archives: December 2007

If you’re reading this, you’ve come to our website to read about either our brand or something streetwear-related. And I know I’m supposed to do some kind of 2007 wrap-up for either us or the streetwear thing, but what’s to be said that hasn’t been said before? As for us, you know where we’ve been.. and you probably have a good idea of where we’re headed.

And, as for streetwear? I guess I could complain about how streetwear is exploding – or dying – depending on how you wanna look at it. Or I could just remind everyone that the critics have been saying the same thing for the past 5 years, so maybe it’s time we set aside the cynicism, kept our mouths shut, and just forged ahead with a truly great thing. It’s been exciting and inspiring to see an entire collective of like-minded creative individuals from all walks of life, all ends of the globe, participate in the recent streetwear renaissance. A great deal of people carpe diem‘d their way into building established brands and businesses, chasing their dreams, leaving their stuffy jobs to do what they had always dreamed of pursuing. And it’s certainly been a lot of fun. For them, for you, and most definitely for us.

So while everyone in the underground eagerly seeks to debase the streetwear explosion, and those in the broader mainstream are sinking their teeth into their newfound streetwear romance, it might be smart to take a step back and take a proper perspective of what’s really going on here… Go ahead, try it.

Anyways, there won’t be an end-of-the-year countdown or wrap-up, or anything of the sort. Instead, I’ll just end 2007 with the same quote that I finished 2006 with.

“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.â€?
– Louis L’Amour

Happy New Year, from everyone here at The Hundreds. Here’s to new beginnings. All over again.

by bobbyhundreds

While everyone else reminisces over 2007, I’d like to address what the next year has in store for The Hundreds. I mean, while most of you are just getting ready for 2008, we’ve already been here, planning for this year for quite some time. By the end of ’08, you should be getting a bigger picture (quite literally) on the following projects:

Time to start working on 2009.

by bobbyhundreds

Steve Berra and Eric Koston formally invited us to come skate in their private park in downtown Los Angeles, otherwise known as The Berrics. Pretty much the most comprehensive skate park you’ve ever stepped foot in, and has been the stomping grounds for a select few of the world’s top skaters for the past several years. It’s kinda like being asked to play on Fenway or Madison Square Garden, except hmm, maybe even more presitigious and exclusive. Definitely cooler.

This goes without mentioning The Berrics website and blog, which hosts daily updated footage and cameos, and some poignant essays by Berra himself. About supporting skateboarding, why it sucks to be injured (again), and there’s even an interview with that guy from Heroes.

Anyways, here are some glimpses of the action. (Excuse the weak photography. A Canon Rebel without any additional lighting isn’t the most effective way to head into low-light action shots. But you get the point).

Ricky Webb. Frontside bluntslide.

Flowin’ Owen. Frontside bluntslide with a twist.

Kickflip to backside tailslide for days. Slick.

Kickflip to frontside bluntslide.

Rashad Turner.

Ricky. Nollie heelflip to noseslide.

Tailslide.

Rashad kickflips to a frontside boardslide.

Owen charges.

…Yeah.

As big as the pro skaters are, the handful of upper-echelon skate photographers are equally regarded for their skills. Case in point: Seu Trinh (Transworld Skateboarding), who is celebrated as one of skateboarding’s most prolific documentarians over the past decade.

Speaking of Seu, I caught his remote flashes on this shot. He told me that in the past 8 months he’s been shooting at The Berrics, the only other dude he’s seen pop the top off like Owen here was Koston. So, uh.. GO OWEN.

Reviewing footy from all angles. Got it.

Thanks again to Steve and Eric. We’ll be back.

by bobbyhundreds

Camo + Nilla collabo.

Remember Munchy?

It’s ratings week.

by bobbyhundreds 

More on THE STORE blog.

by bobbyhundreds

 Merry Mayhem from Hollywood, California.

Now go buy something.

by bobbyhumbug 

My friend Leah first turned me onto West L.A.’s iconic guerrilla artist Robbie Conal years ago. It was the season leading up to Bush’s re-election, and Robbie’s voice was being heard loud and clear on the streets of Los Angeles, via dynamic posters and street art in public spaces.. Distorted portraits of the nation’s President juxtaposed with bold double-entendres..

Perhaps you’re familiar with his celebrative “WATCHING / WAITING / DREAMING” series, but Robbie is best known for his satirical perspective on, and resulting grotesque caricatures of, political heavyweights. He’s kinda my hero, the way he amalgamates his political opinions with a healthy sense of humor into an artistically skillful work. And having fun doing it. ALWAYS having fun with it. I guess I try to remember and follow his mentality when it comes to my own work.

Robbie’s studio’s just a few streets away from me so I dropped by ground zero to give you a closer look at one of L.A.’s living legends.

This poster was part of the 2004 “Be The Revolution” campaign with Shepard Fairey and Mear.

And this is the newest poster out on the streets. Literally.

Here you’re looking at the beginning stages of a great process. Something about Dick Cheney being a gangbanger..?? I mean, c’mon, that’s just amazing, right?

He’s really gotten into baseball art lately. What’s the political statement with baseball? “Nothing,” he replies matter-of-factly, “I just like baseball.” (He actually played, himself, in the Canadian leagues. Oh, and he was a genuine ’60s San Francisco hippie. But that’s a story for another day.) And because no other high-profile American artists and galleries have properly paid homage to our national pasttime, Robbie’s making it a point to do so with his latest endeavors.

The one thing that I (and most people, for that matter) never realized about Robbie’s art by just pouring over it in books and print publications, was the amount of texture there is to his surfaces. In fact, he was trained his entire life as a fine artist, and it certainly shows once you can see his technique up close.

I like this one, with the iridescent paints and mixed-in glitter. Depending on how the light hits it, it pops off in different ways.

Again, with the texture. I asked Robbie if he was straight taking the tubes to canvas, but he actually uses those cake icing baster things.

How long does it take to dry? That must take forever! “We don’t talk about that,” he quickly responds.

Awe. Inspiring.

by bobbyhundreds

Over at Stix today for their holiday party.  We’ve been with these guys since we started,.. they were screenprinting our one-color/one-hit, pixelated graphics 4 years ago, and they’re doing our 12-color oversized jobs today.. pretty much every The Hundreds t-shirt in your closet has gone through their hands. Perhaps you’ve seen Jason, Kenny, Ken, and Rick on our blog, at our parties, or getting us into/out-of Vegas barfights. Most the time, they’re mistaken for our bodyguards/dirty money, but let’s just call them family. After all, this is our home.

Ken’s daughter is way cooler than him.

Jason can punch a hole in your sternum with his thumb alone.  I’m not sure how he figured that out, but he can.

Soon-to-be Lakers t-shirts.

Zeke’s the (bail bonds)man.

Charlie and Bruce.  Objects in photo are bigger then they appear.

When you’re 3-and-a-half and snugly fitting into a 5XL t-shirt, you’re pretty much qualified for one of these.

The most violent person in the building.

Thanks guys.

by bobbyhundreds 

Check NEEK‘S blog on the sidebar.. hey, over to the right there.
That one, smartguy –>
He just had his first show at House of Commons. Go Neek.

And I hope you’re staying up with The Feed for our handpicked product news of the day. My handpicked of the handpicked goes to the new Versus tees,… and Sarah painted on a side of a New York City building. Yeah.

Don’t even bother checking The Store‘s blog or Ask Yasi, because Tony and Yasi have apparently joined the Writer’s Strike or accompanied Bob in jail or something.  The site would be better off if I passed their login info onto a blind chimp with boxing gloves. Boooooo.

by bobbyhundreds

Welcome to The Hundreds Holiday Party 2007.

Start your engines.

Have you seen him?

Idiots by design.

COMMUNE.

Buscemi (Gourmet)!

My childhood chum Maria (right) with her friend. Maria’s doin’ pretty good on her VH1 reality show ‘The Shot.” Much better than I would with these grainy piss-poor photographs.

Speaking of which… yes, I meant to focus on Linds.

Kenny (Stix).

Twelvebar sans Jackson.

Crooks & Hellz.

Switch is the WORST.

Crew.

The Matt Pack.

Jess.

Photo of a photo.

Brothers from the same mother.

Astrid (and Rerie) did an amazing job styling the new Snoop vid…

..and her nails. Oh, and Lax did good also. Although I heard those knuckles were smashing in some chick’s face at the end of the night. Nevermind.

Sean B always comes through. Thanks again.

Jackson James (LAX), Braydon Szafranski (Baker), Dominick Deluca (Brooklyn Projects), and Buscemi (Again).

You had to be there for the rest.

P.s. Everyone came to work this morning and was wearing the same clothes. Hmm. Strange.

by bobbyhundreds
with help from vito