by bobbyhundreds
Tag Archives: travels
DOGGY STYLE.
I love New York. But this week, not so much. Time to get out of the freeze…
This is The Hundreds New York’s unofficial mascot, TERROR. An olde english bulldogge, not to be confused with the original old english bulldog, not to be confused with just a regular ol’ bulldog.
Speakin’ of freeze, that’s Freeze:
Terror models the latest Phoenixes.
and a The Hundreds New York Store Exclusive™ Team cap:
The dog days of winter…
See ya on the other side.
by bobbyhundreds
TOP OF THE WORLD.
Talk about poor decisionmaking. I’m in New York and this is what it looked like today. Beautiful. But what it felt like was anything but. From what I hear, this is the coldest NYC has been in four years, sometimes hovering above zero (Fahrenheit) when you throw in the wind-chill. I don’t even know how to quantify that for all the L.A. folk back home. Umm, it feels like you’re trapped in the giant refrigerators at Costco but without all the frozen mozzarella sticks?
I mean, right before I left home, Los Angeles was doing great. A balmy 75 degrees (YES, FAHRENHEIT. I don’t know what that calculates to in Celsius, but it’s like 8 in dog years?), so some of the staff celebrated $2 Tuesdays at Pizzanista.
Say hi to Alexis, the rad photographer girl at the register, and grab a slice if you’re anywhere near downtown Los Angeles and hungry.
Got back to the office to find Alexander Spit and Manface perched atop The Hundreds’ heli-pad.
As the sun was setting on another epic California afternoon, it provided the ideal scenario for Brick to recount the infamous tranny fight at The Hundreds Santa Monica.
No, really. There was a crazy tranny fight at The Hundreds Santa Monica. You don’t have to take my word for it, but you can take Brick’s:
Alex’s new album is on its way out…A BREATHTAKING TRIP TO THAT OTHERSIDE. You can pre-order it through DECON here.
The Hundreds is also working on something special in collaboration with the rapper for the album release. More info coming soon about that, but in the meantime, Spit just released a short film to accompany the project:
by bobbyhundreds
BEYOND THE SEA.
Another epic dinner in Hong Kong with Subcrew and friends. We have known these guys for the better part of a decade now, and during that time, they have become family – although half a world away. Used to go skating with them, now we talk about marriage and kids. I can only imagine how much deeper our friendship would run if we spoke the same language … or maybe we would be less of friends!!
We’re back at the mantis shrimp spot – I don’t know what it’s called, but I’ve written about it on the blog a few times before. Here’s another close-up of these alien beings:
Before.
And after:
Kit has to bounce from dinner early. I feel like he’s ALWAYS on the run, but with good reason. As a world-class photographer, he’s constantly traveling for work. Tonight he’s got a flight to catch to Amsterdam, I believe it was for a Levi’s shoot. Right now he’s showing us some of his work from India and it really makes me wanna go there to capture some of that color.
KS is seated next to him, one of the designers at Subcrew, and the Hong Kong counterpart for our headwear/accessories designer Vito. Frankie is the PB&J in the sandwich, he’s the founder and head honcho at Subcrew, as well as the friend I’ve known the longest out of the crew. Frankie’s always straight-up and real, such a good dude.
This is Lee-Hawk, who is pure 100% Hong Kong skateboarding. He’s the man at DC in this neck of the woods. Everybody congratulate Lee-Hawk on recently getting hitched (or send your condolences).
And I can’t forget Nelson and Ben. These two are The Hundreds’ longest-running Hong Kong family. Alyasha introduced us way back in the day, and since the start, Ben has been our secret weapon in designing and producing apparel. We couldn’t have done it without him, and we wouldn’t be where we are, and who we are, if it weren’t for this man. The Hundreds couldn’t thank him enough for all he’s done, and we love and appreciate him.
Anyways, enough chit-chat. Time to eat.
by bobbyhundreds
WINDOWS.
Back in my second home, Hong Kong… Every time I return, there’s something new to see:
by bobbyhundreds
TREASURE HUNTING.
Since we were already on Tennyson street, the guys at Berkeley Supply suggested we check out the Yankee Trader antiques and collectables shop. We had a couple hours to spare before flying back to L.A., so why not?
We figured we’d just stay a few minutes, but ended up taking the entire time and rushing to catch our flight. Ben, Scotty, Tal and I all got completely lost and absorbed in the vintage Playboys and military surplus fatigues and old-school Transformer Constructicons. Yankee Trader isn’t just any antiques store, it’s an emporium of memories and niche novelties.
The owner’s daughter was telling us all kinds of crazy stories from the decades they’ve been operating the store; it turns out there’s really an audience for everything. It’s not rare for an old lady to walk in and chat for hours about all the detailed nuances of collecting thimbles. Or for a man to drop thousands of dollars on this WWII helmet with SS markings:
Yes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And antique shops like Yankee Trader have something for everyone.
For example, me. I’ve been on the hunt for this ancient Garfield Tyco telephone forever, and I spotted it high up top a shelf in the throwback action figure section. After I got it down, it wasn’t in the mint condition I was hoping for, so I had to pass (anyone got a good one for sale??), but I bet the thousands of people who’ve walked these aisles have overlooked this ’80s gem. But to me, it meant being 7 years old all over again.
Anyways, take a stroll down Memory Lane…
by bobbyhundreds
HANDMADE.
We’ve never ventured out into the Tennyson district of Denver’s Berkeley neighborhood, but there’s good reason today. Berkeley Supply is here, an organic, independently run American made goods boutique specializing in well-crafted and smartly-curated menswear.
From left to right, these are my new friends Josh, Tyler, and Eli. Eli is the man behind Berkeley Supply and we’ll get back to him in a bit… His shop is sandwiched between Josh’s workshop to the left and Tyler’s bike store on the right.
Tyler’s bicycle boutique is called Pearl Velo and is a tried-and-true, homegrown shop dedicated to the art and lifestyle of cycling.
Pearl Velo stocks brands from Cinelli to Poler, but the main attraction is Josh’s handiwork. Here’s one of his custom-crafted bicycles, a camp-themed piece with subtle references like the matchsticks that Tyler points out:
Over in Josh’s little factory, he’s toiling on his next creation.
And this is how Berkeley Supply came to be. Eli had always dreamt of such a project while hanging out at Pearl Velo with Tyler, so when the spaces next door opened up, Eli did something about it.
The shop is comfortably situated in a space the size of a living room, and emotionally feels as such. The story of Berkeley Supply was to reflect and replay Eli’s youth growing up in rural New Hampshire. The trustworthy American-made product have stood the test of time in Eli’s book – names like Filson, Red Wing, and Tanner Goods – and so they carry on that tradition here in his store.
These paintings were done by his neighbor back home, and are of Eli’s literal backyard.
Eli vividly recalls using these chainsaws as a youth. So the shopping experience is as much about fine goods as it is Eli’s personal narrative. It’s boldly authentic and refreshingly pure; a consummate example of effective branding.
What Eli, Tyler, and Josh are doing is a true success story, the realization of an American dream. But that value isn’t weighed by financial return or Excel spreadsheets, it’s not measured by fame or glory. As Eli and I were discussing, the fact that he DID it is enough. It’s more than most dreamers can actualize, it’s beyond what many hopers can fulfill. The success comes in the process of doing and completing, the journey of working and creating. It’s a really inspiring adventure to watch, even for just the brief time we’re here this golden Denver afternoon. If Eli, Tyler, and Josh are doing it, so can I and so can you.
by bobbyhundreds
IN FOCUS.
Okay, so Seattle, Washington.
We stayed at this awesome hotel called the Edgewater. You’d never guess why they call it that. Yup, it’s because it’s on the edge of the water.
Not only was there a clawfoot tub, 40 pillows, and a complimentary teddy bear on my bed, but the water came right up to the window. Back when the Beatles had their first world tour, no hotel would take them except for the Edgewater. That famous shot of the moptops fishing from their hotel window was shot here.
We had a meeting with the evo guys today.
Bryce Phillips and Steve Klotz, 2 of action sports’ finest. Bryce is the founder of evo, a little online project he started out of his apartment. Sales grew so tremendously that he decided to open up a brick-and-mortar shop up the street, which did amazingly well, so he expanded and moved it here. 10,000 square feet of a re-appropriated vintage Seattle warehouse, and what is now come to be known as one of the premiere retailers of action sports goods in the Pacific Northwest. evo is a response to the gargantuan, corporate ski/snow shops that don’t speak to the more sophisticated, core consumer.
The paint is still fresh. In fact, they’re still putting the finishing touches on the buildout.
The women’s side is interesting, because this building was originally constructed in 1911.
This is what 100-year old floors look like. (I’m also thinking that my Tropic Johnson Lows are borderline inappropriate for Seattle weather).
And the biggest surprise of all is right under that ancient wood. In the basement is what is shaping up to be Seattle’s first indoor skatepark of the plaza vibe. With local indoor parks being forced to shut down as of late, evo is not only providing a need for the local skate community, but giving them a fun, relevant environment to play in as well.
But that’s not all. evo houses two exclusive restaurants within it’s walls. The first is The Whale Wins:
and directly across the hallway is Joule.
Afterwards, Bryce and Klotz walked us over to Solstice for a cup o’ joe.
And then we made the mad dash over to Paseo. I mean… we had to come back to Paseo.
Still one of my favorite cities to visit. Unfortunately, we weren’t here long enough this time around, but we’ll be seeing you guys again shortly.
by bobbyhundreds
HOMETOWN HEROES.
The Hundreds is in San Francisco this weekend to celebrate the release of our collaboration shoe with Benny Gold. But while we are here, we figured why not stroll around and say hi to our friends in the city…
Jon Hundreds and Ben Hundreds. BRAND OF BROTHERS.
For lunch, we tried to eat at this place, but the hour-long wait was an hour too long for us.
So instead we walked down the street to Miller’s East Coast Deli, which – and I speak for all of us when I say this – was one of the best delis we’ve eaten at. Not just in SF, but in the country. Miller’s puts the Deli in Delicious. (That one’s for free, Miller’s)
When you see these getaway sticks, you know you’re on Haight Street.
And to check out the new Black Scale store! As per usual from the masters of minimal, clean, no-frills – perfectly stark, no gimmicks!
Just caught Mega and Alfred as they’re on their way to Los Angeles. So proud of these guys and what they’ve accomplished with Black Scale over the years. From some black and white t-shirts, to cross-country retail, setting their own niche aesthetic and market in the Streetwear realm, to having a large part of ASAP Rocky’s fashion branding, to even Jay sporting the big B on the eve of the elections… it’s truly impressive and inspiring.
Directly next door is one of our core retailers over the years, TRUE. (If you recall, I just caught up with owner Mike Brown for the POLITIXXX piece)
Always lock, stocked, and barreled with the staple graphic t-shirts and Streetwear:
Last stop of the afternoon, to show face at Benny Gold, as the shop gets ready for our collaboration party.
Still holding it down as one of the best boutiques in the city. Such great presentation, all the product feels unique and special. You almost feel guilty for leaving without buying something.
Here are our collaboration shoes with Benny – inspired by San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge:
A graphic designer first, Benny’s t-shirts are still done by his hand and heart:
His other love, skateboarding.
His other other love: Levi:
As the sun ducks out, Benny wants to show us his new office and warehouse space just a few minutes’ walk from his store.
Feels like every time we’re here in San Francisco with Benny, he’s in the process of moving, or in a brand new location. And this time is no exception. Once again, the designer and businessman is elevating. His new warehouse is going to be home for years to come and it’s exciting to see his shipping department alone. Look at all these stockists – each of these parcels of Benny Gold product headed to a different retailer somewhere in the world.
Shows you how possible it all is. It starts with one man, who makes one t-shirt, with one brand name, with one store to sell it to. And it just continues on from there, until one day, you turn around and you’re in a gigantic, open warehouse space, full of clothing and cardboard boxes, and you scratch your head and ask, “Man, how did I get here?” That’s the magic of what we do.
by bobbyhundreds
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