The goal of most brands is to completely infiltrate and entrench your life. This concept of lifestyle isn’t a recent idea, but one avenue that is being explored by streetwear is how lifestyle is defined. With streetwear largely influenced by skate culture, music, sneakers, and sports, many brands have redefined what accessories make up this idea of lifestyle. A cashmere throw from HUF doesn’t make sense, but a skate tool that doubles as a pipe by Supreme does. There will always be the occasional skate deck, co-branded backpack, or casual sneaker collaboration that make up the seasonal accessories collection, but the renaissance of lifestyle is here. Streetwear accessories is leading the charge with some of the most unique pieces in the fashion industry, and is slowly redefining what lifestyle encapsulates for the young consumer.
Here’s a short list of some of the most-interesting, albeit unnecessary, accessories from streetwear for 2015.
Pendleton x Tanner Goods Saddle Blanket
This is the type of white people shit I find in the cabin when I go snowboarding in Mammoth, Vancouver, or Salt Lake City, AND it’s awesome. These old wool blankets are incredibly warm, and a welcome addition when you’ve got a cold brewski in one hand, and wondering what channel ESPN is in Big Bear.
Tanner Goods does the saddle blanket right by going to one of the oldest mills in America. Pendleton has been making kick-ass wool for over a hundred years and the two brands come together to create a gorgeous jacquard fabric with Native American-inspired glyphs. This is a well-made blanket that is made to last, and would be pretty sweet in a rustic cabin or a smelly condo.
Source: Tanner Goods
DOPE Candle 01
DOPE isn’t the first streetwear brand to make candles, but they’re most recent to approach it in such an artful way. While most brands would be content in slapping a logo on a generic candle, the Los Angeles-based brand went all the way to France to find the perfect wax, and opted for the more time-consuming—but traditional—hand-poured method to set the candle. The all-natural wax has a ginger-fragranced scent and DOPE takes the extra step to contain it in an custom matte ceramic vessel. All that work results into something very unexpected from the brand, and rivals the attention to detail you find in candles from Diptyque.
Source: DOPE
Diamond Supply Co. 2-Piece Towel Bath Set
Let’s just go out on a limb and say that Nick is a marketing genius. You can’t trademark a color, and within a few years, a skate hardware and soft good brands can conjure up the luxury associated with the Tiffany brand. By playing up the Diamond logo and using the familiar hue of turquoise, Diamond Supply Co. creates a towel set that has a premium look and feel. For sixty bucks you get a super soft bath towel with the a brilliant crest logo, and a matching hand towel. Diamond Supply Co. goes the extra mile of throwing in some striped ribbon packaging.
Source: Diamond
HUF Campout Chair
Before it was HUF Worldwide, it was HUF SF and they had a firm place in sneaker culture. They were responsible for some of the illest runners and Dunk SBs, and of course the camp outs followed each release. The Campout Chair is a shout-out to the good o’ days, and it’s a nice packable chair that comes with its own carrying shoulder strap. Using a durable nylon ripstop, the HUF logo is printed firmly across the center as a reminder to those countless hours of sneaker waiting.
Source: HUF
Black Scale x House of War Bottle Opener
What is obviously cool about this bottle opener is how it conjures up fellatio, but it also serves a legitimate purpose. Black Scale took that experience with their jewelry line, and took a step toward home goods with this wall-mounted bottle opener. The bottle opener has a nice matte black finish and is hand-casted by House of War, a legitimate metalworking outfit from Los Angeles. Thanks to Black Scale, an innocent bottle opener now was a rare prurient edginess commonly found in dirty alleys.
Source: Black Scale
Stussy Welcome Mat
What makes this door mat from Stussy so interesting is how unexpected it is, but so squarely part of any home. Stussy turns thirty-five this year, and with all that history, their brand covers more than just kids and young adults. There are some older dudes that still love Stussy, and many of them have homes that can appreciate the unique flavor of the Shawn Stussy script. The natural fiber coco palm mat is typical of what you would find in any hardware store, but it is that simple print of “Welcome” in the famous handstyle that gives this piece a unique flair.
Source: Stussy
Supreme Crowbar
I honestly feel the design team at Supreme is trolling their loyal fans with many of their accessories. While the co-branded Dieter Braun travel alarm and calculator are a testament to Supreme’s appreciation for industrial design, the crowbar from the Fall and Winter season is proof that consumers will buy anything with that Barbara Kruger-inspired logo. How often do you need a crowbar? And why would “Supreme” printed across the handle mean anything? This is Supreme’s way of infiltrating nearly all aspects of your life, and re-defining the idea of lifestyle.
Source: Supreme
{illustrated example x MiiR Growler
One of the perks of living in Diamond Bar is being 15 minutes from The Bruery. Craft beer is awesome, and having a growler is one of the best way to enjoy some suds. {illustrated example teams up with MiiR to create a nice branded version of the vacuum-insulated bottle. It has a nice double-wall metal design that makes it BPA-free, and keeps things cool for over 24 hours. The heavy-duty 64 ounce size means it’ll hold enough booze to get you and at least two other homies fucked up.
Source: Deadstock
The Hundreds x Kershaw
As someone who loves knives, this blade with Kershaw was right up my alley, and The Hundreds did a kick-ass job by selecting the Leek. The Leek is one of the most affordable knives still made in the US, and electing to use the premium Sandvik 14C28N was a super slick move. The Leek is also an excellent size for every day carry, and the little details like the ionized metal and the diamond-like carbon coating on the handle means it was made to take a beating.
Source: The Hundreds
Dipset Shower Curtain
I’m a proud pre-Yuku member of NikeTalk, and you know around those parts Killa Cam is a GAWD. In 2015, Cam also proved that he is a marketing genius by creating a line of home goods that started with couch cushions and duvet covers to the coup de grâce: the shower curtain. Covering two famous eras of Cam’ron, there are curtains from the Purple Haze-era and another from the lighter hue, called “Pink Haze.” I honestly can’t think of a better way of welcoming a guest into my bathroom then to have them be greeted by one of the greatest of all time.
Source: Dipset
