#8.

I gotta admit. I had my doubts. This whole project was insane to produce. Imagine coordinating all the parties involved: Nike Product Team, Nike Marketing Team, Nike Basketball, contractors/installers, Kobe, Kobe's Security, The NYPD, The NRF, Reed Space, ourselves...it was insane. And to be honest, it was crazy right up until #8 walked thru the doors of Staple Design. But once he did, it's like the clouds parted and it was smooth sailing from there. That's preparation right there. You prepare, you try and tie up every loose end, and hope that when the light turns green, you have all the bases covered. I would say we did. The night was incredible. It was like Kobe chillin with his boys. Bobbito was integral to this. He kept the conversation flowin and laid back. It didn't feel like some BS Nike media campaign, or a press conference. It was a dynamic, natural free flowing conversation. We touched upon the 81 points, the new Nike Zoom Kobe I, being at Nike vs being at adidas, favorite opponents, training techniques, mental preparations, even discussed the science behind a crossover. It was really cool. Kobe was intelligent and professional throughout, as was the audience. I'm extremely pleased with the way it turned out.
After Kobe finished talking with the NRF, he went over to Reed Space and greeted the kids waiting in line for his shoes. Man were they suprised! It was dope! Kobe signed some autographs and was very approachable.
Each pair of the Kobe's we are either auctioning or raffling have been signed by Kobe tonight. Speaking of, this is the deal with the kicks. There are 8 pairs up for grabs. 4 are for a raffle. Come into Reed Space and buy a Kobe t-shirt. This enters you into the raffle. There are 81 t-shirts so you have a 4 in 81 chance to get one. There are still a few left so come quick cuz they are flying out. The other 4 shoes are for silent auction. The auction ends 2/6/06 at 7pm. Check stapledesign.com or thereedspace.com to see the current highest bids (updated daily). Bids must be made in person. The proceeds will go to the Gauchos Basketball Program.

Preparation people. That's the key. A lot of hard work and effort of a lot of people went into this. But if the event is a success, no one should notice all that hard work. It should feel smooth & seamless. Here's some rarely seen behind the scenes shots.

Bobbito really handled the evening. I realize his strength is really in being able to control the crowd. Whether he is behind the turntables, behind the mic, or behind the radio, Bob has the situation under control. Thanks Bob.

The crowd and Kobe interacted like were they old friends.

The Staple Angels (Aya and Yuka) getting in some Kobe-time at Reed Space.

The three stooges.

I'm giddy.

KOBE ZOOM 1

THIS MONDAY kids...sorry for the short notice.

POWER BREAKFAST.

Ordered way too much! Thanks for the suitman, suitman.

Due to my jetlag from the Japan trip, I've had some crazy ass hours. Well, normal for most people, but crazy for me. Like sleeping at 10pm and waking up at 6am. Since Young Kim was in town (jet lagged as well), we decided to meet for breakfast since we were like the only 2 people functioning at 8am in the LES. We headed to Clinton St. Bakery; one of our favorite breakfast spots. I read somewhere that power movers and shakers (i.e., the P. Diddy's and Trump's of the world) always have power breakfast meetings. They say its more effective to have project meetings over a good breakfast. I could see why. You're pretty aware but not yet burdened by the day's bullshit. So you're clear but also open for creative thinking. I could get into it...but waking up early just suuuucks.

They should make an infomercial for this.

Yes, its Pink. And Pearl White. Kawaiiiii.

When i got to the office, I had some packages. OK, I know this looks mad nerdy...but I always get the BEST inspirations and ideas while I'm taking a shower. And then I end up trying to write it down on the wall with a bar of soap. I thought I was the only one who did this but apparently I am not! Cuz someone invented THIS! The minute I saw it, I had to have it. What a great invention!
I also got my Nintendo DS with Super Mario Kart. I have to start practicing for my next trip to Japan. I didn't know that I can play people wirelessly worldwide. It's dope. I'm ready for you Hiroshi!! (I had to get the pink one like Detz...it's the only one they had!)
Then I had an afternoon meeting with Dan Weise, a very talented designer who finished 2nd in the Cut & Paste Competition I recently judged. I felt bad for placing him 2nd, so I decided to hire him for some freelance work out of sympathy. He self publishes an arts magazine called Sherbert. He even had Apple make him a specially designed PowerBook! (or maybe it's just a sticker...)
Finally, got a late package in from New Balance. It was a sick pair of 580s in the Hectic colorway. These are super dope and mad comfy. Just one problem. I don't who to thank for them! They just came in a box unmarked with no note! I suspect it's either MC or CP. If you're reading this...fess up! Wanna give props.
This was a fucking crazy Friday. We're scrambling to prepare for Monday's event. Come out and support!

NRF - WEEK 6

WEEK 6!
http://www.nikerecessfederation.com/

GAME 1:
#1 vs #1. And it was a battle royale. Foamposite (Uptown) vs Terminators (Downtown). Foam came out strong and aggressive while the Terms looked sleepy. FOAM went into the first half with a 13 point lead. The TERMS clawed their way back to actually take the lead but it came down to the final shot, and FOAM takes it by 1 point, 45-44.
3 teams now have a 4-1 record. Foamposite, Terminators, and Huarache. Congrats.

GAME 2:
Rematch of the NRF 2004-05 FINALS! Generation vs Dunk. Same results as Generation takes it and moves into sole possession of 3rd place with a 3-2 record. Dunk falls to 1-2-1 and sits 4th in the Downtown Conf.

GAME 3:
This was a battle from last season's powerhouse teams that are struggling a bit out of the gate this season. Delta Force wins a squeaker (reminiscent of their playoff battle last season) and looks like they are finding their rhythym. 2 wins in a row puts then in sole possession of 2nd place, a game behind 1st. Shox falls to 2-3 and 4th in the Uptown conf.

GAME 4:
AF1 just cannot catch a break losing another close one by a mere 2 points. Check out their OP/DP and you'll find they lose their games by an average of 2.6 pts. Ouch. Regardless, they are still searching for their 1st win. Huarache on the hand is the hottest team in the NRF. 4 straight wins! They are now tied for first (in record) in the Uptown Conf.

*********************************************************
Player of the Week:
Erskin Felix (DELTA): 22 pts / 22 rebs / 1 blk / 2 stls / 2 assts
*********************************************************

AIR PRESTOS.

COMPANY: Nike
STYLE NAME: Air Presto
ALIAS: Prestos
COLOR: (top-bottom)
Medium-Grey/White-Comet Red (011) (China) (05/07/2000) (B)
Lt Graph/Scrmg Blu/Met Zinc (042) (Vietnam) (06/10/2000) (C-)
Harbor Blue/Wht Mt Slvr-n-Gry (411) (China) (05/07/2000) (B+)
Black/Zen Gry Harbor Bl-Gl Bl (002) (China) (05/07/2000) (B+)
(Olympic) Ntrl Gry/Comet Red-Obsidian (104242 461) (Vietnam) (05/07/2000) (B-)
White/Oriental Poppy Skylt-Black (181) (Vietnam) (04/06/2000) (D)
White/Orange Peel-Black (182) (China) (02/04/2000) (D)
STYLE #: 104231 (except Olympics 104242)
SIZE: All Medium (Mens 9-11)
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: Varied (See above)
DATE MANUFACTURED: Varied (See above)
CONDITION: Varied (See above)
ACQUIRED: Varied
OTHER COMMENTS: Welcome to the Presto explosion. Really, this is the anithesis of my sneaker obsession. I had more. Part of what I threw out, but this shoe was really the equivalent of crack cocaine for me. Priced right ($84.99), mad colors, the right season (hot summer), and comfortable as hell. In retrospect I probably went too far. The top 2 grey ones were good with jeans. The next 2 were sort of a mistake. I actually wanted the light blue lightning model (4th one down), but accidentally bought the dark ones. I blame Nike.com for misrepresenting the product shots. The light blue lightning joints looked hot with my Evisu jeans. (That was 2000! Betta recognize.) The Olympics has a funny story. HF managed to convince me that Prestos are even better if you remove the laces and cut off those plastic finger cage things on the side. So of course I tried it and they sucked! Maybe my foot was wider than his or something, but they basically fell apart on me. So what does any self respecting sneakerhead do? Buy another pair of course. You owe me Hiroshi! The last 2 are dogged to death. I remember when I just got the Orange ones, it was my first time breakin them out and I was riding my bike to work in the hot summer. I was near Union Square Park when I hit this crazy Exxon Valdez like oil slick on the street and completely wiped out (IN OIL!) with my new kicks! White kicks! Why God why!?! Anyway, as you can see, the effects of the oil damage are still prevalent after repeated washings. Makes you wonder what the Alaskan Coastline must look like today.
Some funny things I noticed about these shoes: A lot of them were made on the same day. Even in different countries! Does Nike manage its production schedule this strict or am I just lucky? Also found it interesting that the Olympics got their own style # even though it's exactly the same shoe but with different graphics. Finally, I find the color code on these shoes dumbfounding. How does the lighting joint get a color code of 002? I know 001 is white. And these are 002? Must be a nightmare to organize the colors at Nike.

RAG & BONE.

I had dinner last night with Nathan Bogle, co-founder of Rag & Bone, a high end denim label that's really setting itself apart from the rest of the pack. The GFV introduced us and we broke some bread at Apizz. It's always good to connect with peers in your industry. For one thing, it makes you realize you're not alone in this crazy game and it helps to know others are going thru it as well. Kind of keeps you moving. Good luck with your show next week, Bogle!

ZOOPLE.

The Staple Design x Zoo York skateboard collaboration has been released. We can now die. The concept of the deck goes in line with our Staple Gambling themed season. It's a collage of those Lotto scratch off tickets we all love (and hate).

STREETWEAR. YO.

Am I buggin' out or am I the only person that thinks it's simply bananas that we now have a 200 pg magazine dedicated to "streetwear"?! I mean, I think it's dope, but it's just amazing to me. 8 years ago, I was hand silkscreening tees at night in school and hustling my ass off, along with a motley crew of other like minded idiots. Today, there's a magazine (a pretty dope one at that) dedicated to us. It's remarkable to me. One, I can't believe people want to write about what we do. Two, I can't believe people want to read about what we do. Well, I can't hate, cuz Streetwear Today just did a very dope 2 page spread on yours truly and the small universe of Staple Design. From very early on, I learned something about this business: Press is a double edged sword. You can get burned. Badly. Hence, I always took it with a grain of salt. Because chances are, they would fuck something up and make you look like a complete moron to the entire world. And to your mom. But when they get it right, then it's really cool. Thankfully, they got it right. No misquotes...no taking my words out of context...no close ups of zits on my face, just a straight, well edited piece. Props to Steven for a job well done.

AIR LAG.

Jet lag is a bitch. Came back from Tokyo and I'm still recovering. My hours are all f'ed up. And of course it doesn't help to return to a mountain of mail, packages, emails, messages, et al...but like I said, that's what vacations are for right? Pssshhh. One good package that actually came was from JL at Nike. He hooked me up lovely with 3 kicks from the Air Max series. The Tier Zero Air Max 360 in the gray/black wool and 2 of the "pantone" series. The Air Max 1 and the 97. Good lookin' J! I really like the new box on the 360 but to be honest, I think Nike needs to tone it down with all the special make up boxes. It's too much, and it makes it too easy for bootleggers. Kids can't even decipher what's real or not because Nike makes so many damn boxes we can't keep up. I like the days of those cardboard kraft and black/orange box days. It was simple and consistent. Anyway, just my 2 cents...

HOME IS WHERE THE HATRED IS.

Back home. New York Shitty. Why do I have this love-hate relationship with this city? It's like the suffering of this city is what fuels it. I don't know...I'm rambling. If you live in NY too, I think you know what I'm talking about. Lately I've been listening to a lot of Gil Scott Heron. Some of his songs just really resonate to things going on in my life right now. In particular check out: "The Prisoner", "A Sign of the Ages", "Did you Hear What They Said?", and "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" (which was recently used as a sample on Kanye's Album.)

HELLO AGAIN TOKYO.

Not so fast. I'm still here. Remember that blizzard I mentioned? It kept me grounded in Tokyo for another day. Really pissed me off too. All the monitors in the main terminal of Narita read "ON TIME". This is where all the good restaurants and shops are. So one would assume it's cool to proceed thru immigration, security, customs and that bullshit. But of course, once you get to the gate area, it's a freakin madhouse. People were sleeping and sprawled out everywhere. It looked like Woodstock in an airport. Planes were 5-7 hrs delayed! So I decided to chill in the AA Platinum Lounge. Same shit! Packed! It wasn't looking good. They weren't saying when we would take off. They were saying "hopefully an hour". But then other people would say flights that weren't cancelled were delayed an average of 5 hrs. 3 at best. The snow wasn't letting up so I made the decision to try and head back into Tokyo for an additional day. Luckily, this woman at AA was on top of the ball and worked some magic to make everything go smooth from there. On the ride back to Tokyo, I couldn't help but wonder if I made the right decision. What if my plane is taking off as I'm heading back to town? When I got back to the house, I checked aa.com and learned I made the right decision. The flight WAS eventually cancelled and all the fools who waited hours for the flight are now rewarded with a sleep over on Narita's cold floor. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

PEACE OUT TO TOKYO.

I'm out today. Japan was great but I miss NY. Cool thing about flying from Tokyo to NYC is that you actully get to NY before you took off in Japan! Weird but true. I leave Tokyo 7pm on Sat. I land in NYC 5pm on the same day. Some Twilight Zone shit....
I guess Hokkaido misses me because it sent me a farewell snow all the way from up North. It rarely snows in Tokyo proper, but today is blizzard like conditions. Hopefully, my flight ain't delayed. See y'all stateside.

MISERY MASSAGE.

Fraser, Kaz and I went to a massage place for my last night in Tokyo. This spot is pretty famous for really good (legal) massages, as many friends have told me about it...so I was looking forward to it. Little did I know, I was about to relive James Caan in Misery. Holy shit, the pain was almost unbearable! I was screaming like a lil bitch! Apparently, it means I'm pretty unhealthy since my pressure points were going off like a car alarm. I feel significantly worse than before walking in there. I guess it's good in the medical sense, but definitely not fun in the relaxation sense.

AI COMPLEX.

This evening I went to a cafe in Harajuku (+ac) to meet up with Ai... a designer and artist that used to work for Staple Design Japan. She's on her own now and doing very well on freelance projects and working comfortably out of her home/office. She is cool peoples.


During this, Hiroshi stopped by. Complex Magazine was trying to do a story all week on Hiroshi, but they just kept calling at the worst times! (At no fault to them, just bad timing.) But we'd be boarding an airplane, going into the Onsen, getting off a chair lift, etc...timing was just fucked up. So Complex emailed me (since they saw from the blog that I was in Japan with him) and asked if I would do the interview in person. Mind you, this is my quote-unquote vacation. Normally I would have said piss off, but Hiroshi looks out for me a lot and the least I could do was make him sound as cool as possible in my home turf. Plus I get to expense an iTalk MP3 recorder. (woo-hoo!) In addition to the interview, I had to shoot him. So ghetto...anyway, we'll see how it comes out soon.

Some interesting snippets from the interview:

"I get inspired by people."

"I try and be honest with myself. That's all I've been doing from the past 20 years."

"If i go to sleep and I don't wake up tomorrow...it's fine for me."

NEVER STOP EXPLORING. (or Shopping)

Just picked up this sick coat from North Face Japan. My friend Shinji gave it to me as a gift. They make shit America will never see in its wildest dreams. I actually picked up 2 coats but the other one doesn't photograph well cuz it's all black and stealthy. This one is denim Gortex 3 Layer XCR. Denim Goretex! The cut is also really good. Perfect for when you want to go flashing people but don't want the wind riding up your you know what.


Also got hooked with these joints. FC from Nike Japan blessed me. Foot Patrol AM 90s (niiiiiice), Stussy Court Force (doooope), and seamless AF1s for GFV. (saaaaved). I am now officially certified in unfolding and compressing Nike boxes for air transportation. If all else fails in my life, I can go to Vietnam and just fold up and assemble Nike boxes all day. Yay.

SUITMAN.

By some random happenstance, I met up with Young Kim this afternoon for lunch and some possible projects down the road. Young Kim is one f'in multi-talented asian bro. He currently calls Japan home but also has bases in HK, NYC and LA. He once had to be admitted to a hospital in Japan and the doctors wouldn't touch him simply because of his tattoos. Hence, Japan is not at the top of his list. When similar minds connect, it's kind of cool cuz even though we only met for like 2 hours, we raced thru topics of conversation as if we were hangin for a week. It was good to catch up with him. He hit me off with his new book and DVD project which I'm looking forward to checking out. YOU should check out his shit at Suitman.org.

BLOWFISH SPERM.

Yes I ate more sperm tonight than any man (or woman) should be digesting. Blowfish (or Fugu) is a rare delicacy in Japan. As most of you know (from that Simpsons episode no doubt), it takes a trained expert to prepare Blowfish properly. Under normal conditions, there is about a 20% chance that you can die a quick death by eating Blowfish. All that makes for a fun evening in Hiroshi's mind. So we went to this underground spot where they only serve Blowfish and every single imaginable part of the fish...including the...ahem...sperm. Mike Ikeda from Levi's/Fenom was there as well as fellow Honeyee blogger, Hironori. Kinda weird to have 3 bloggers eating together. Are we all gonna post the same thing?

Hironori and HF savoring the blowfish sperm.

If you don't hear from me by the end of the week...it means I am dead and it's all this chef's fault.

Mike's turn for some oral spermicidal goodness.

After dinner, HF gave me a ride back home...the big question: Do we out run em (in the Ferrari) or run over em (in the AMG G-Wagon)? We went with the G-G-G-G-G-G-Wagon.

RANDOM JAPAN.

Spent the afternoon shopping around Harajuku today.

Ralph Lauren is slated to open a tiny little shop in the heart of Harajuku come March 2006. Scratch that, make that a Home Depot. Fuck this thing is massive. Just for reference, that little doghouse next to it is the Gravis and Hectic store. I think you can fit 15 of them into the RL castle. I hear it will have everything from the Lauren family of brands except Polo Jeans (thank god) and RL Rugby (me like). Yes, Double RL will be available!! My favorite label from Ralph.

Nike rented the space above Soph.Net and used it to exhibit their Joga Bonito Brazilian Futbol Campaign. Pretty dope set up.

Gotta love Japanese-English... M·T Planning--A Division of Know Foresight Worldwide, Inc.

The Japanese even make limited edition Kit Kat bars!!! Each region of Japan gets their own special flavor that connects back to the city itself. For instance, the Melon one is only available in Hokkaido and Sapporo. The Sakura (Cherry Blossom) one is only available during Cherry Blossom season and the Creme Strawberry one is limited to Tokyo.

7-Eleven and Nike have come together for a collaboration in Japan. Nah, j/k, it's some weird holding company that obviously didn't hire a very good marketing/branding firm. I mean, #1, how are you gonna fuck with the 7-Eleven logo? #2, Wassup with that swoosh like abomination? Who you trying to kid?

It comes out the wrong end, but I definitely give them style points.

Ummm...not anymore.

OLD FRIENDS.

I had lunch today with two of my oldest friends in Japan. These guys were some of the first people I hooked up with when I first started coming to Japan in 1996. Shinji, the guy on the right is responsible for almost every piece of Staple clothing that comes into Japan. Miyoshi, the guy on the left has been a friend and supporter since literally Day One.

The beautiful main concourse of the Cerulean Tower Hotel in Shibuya.

SAYORNARA HOKKAIDO.

Unfortunately, the time has come to leave Hokkaido. It's been simply incredible. The food, the onsen, the lodging, the snow conditions, the company...all top notch. But it comes hard earned. We now embark on our trek back to Tokyo. We had one last supper together before parting ways (for now)...this dope Italian restaurant. Uni Lasagna and Baby Eel?!?! What?!
I won't be forgetting this trip for quite some time.

If you look up "Virgin Snow" in the dictionary, these photos will be there. It was truly epic conditions. Waist high powder. Untracked. We were in the backcountry where the foxes and wolves play. For real! We came across some! Just sick.

The drive back to Sapporo airport. It was pretty crazy driving thru the snow. Big up to Ryuta for braving it behind the wheel while Kaz, Fraser and AK were wiped out in the back.

Airport to check in. If I ever got lost, all I needed to do was keep my eye on the ground and look for a flock of Visvims.

We wave goodbye to our gracious Sapporo hosts: Ryuta and Kaz run Stussy stores in Sapporo as well their own shop called Fygure. Peace!

HONEYEE x DARRIN HUDSON.

(drum roll....)
Please welcome the newest addition to Hiroshi Fujiwara's, Honeyee.com--Darrin Hudson! (or better known as yours truly).
Ever since Hiroshi blessed me with a section on his site, I have been racking my brain about what to do with good ol' Darrin Hudson here which is not even a month old! My decision: Keep em both. Some news will be on both blogs, some won't. The sneaker archive that was the orignal reason for Darrin Hudson's existence will only live here. So enjoy the news in stereo kids.
Thanks for your continued support.

PLANES. TRAINS. & AUTOMOBILES.

Getting from Tokyo to Hokkaido, I soon learned is no easy feat. It reminded me of that John Candy flick. First it was a quick cab ride from Ishino's house in Shirokane to Hiroshi's house in Shibuya. But with my 90 pound snowboard bag, it made the trip considerably more difficult. From there it was a 30 minute drive to Haneda Airport. Had some pretty damn good lunch at the airport and then boarded our flight on ANA to Sapporo. The flight is about an hour and a half. After landing and getting our bags, it's a 2 hour train ride to Otaru...I suppose the closest thing to a "city" Hokkaido has. After getting off the relatively small train, it was another one and a half hour cab ride to the Prince Hotel. 4 of us jam packed into the cab! It was rough. In the cab was myself, Hiroshi, Fraser Cooke from Nike and Astuyo who heads up Burton Japan.
Fortunately, its been well worth it. The conditions are great, fresh snow, temperate enjoyable weather. After the runs, we kill time by taking each other's money in Machiavelli and over-the-air Mario Cart on Nintendo DS. The hotel also features its very own natural hot spring, which is simply amazing. "Onsen" is supposedly very good for your health and you definitely feel the effects immediately after. The food has also been amazing; from the fresh milk & cheeses, varied odd snacks and amazing sushi. To top it off, when you roll with these cats; it's gadgets and cool shit galore. All this limited edition shit is everywhere. It's almost as if a page from Freshness exploded. 3 more days to enjoy here...I'll report back soon.

HF Tip: Take a photo of where you parked your car at the airport. This way, you don't have to worry about remembering it while you're on vacation. Scenes from the 8 hour commute up north.

Cool Shit #1: Check out this Burton boot fashioned after the adidas shelltoe. It looks sick on the slopes. Fraser was using these.

Snack-a-licious: (left-right) Hot, Hotter, Hottest and "Death". (Hence, the devil on the packaging.

Onsen: We chilled in the hot springs at night. It's indescribable how good it is.

Equally good is the sushi. Kids in the US: When you go to a Japanese restaurant, this is what tuna is supposed to look like!

Cool Shit #2: Nike ID x Tiffany & Co. dog tags. These were given as gifts to people who helped out with the 255 ID Space in NYC. Floral AF1 pattern on one side and the employee ID # on the other. This one belongs to Fraser. I think he sweeps the sidewalk out front every Tuesday and 3rd Sunday.

Speaking of...behold: Nike's Global Brand Energy Leader. Fer real. It is...lol...

Gaming central in Hokkaido: Mario Cart (wireless) on Nintendo DS, the hotel game room.

We managed to actually get some riding in as well. Conditions are amazing.

BUSINESS UNUSUAL.

Gangsters posing as businessmen I tell ya.

I know, I know...this is my vacation. But it doesn't feel right to fly 10,000 miles across the globe and not visit the people that help Staple tick. So today I had a lunch meeting with Uniqlo. Uniqlo is big. They are the #1 apparel company in Japan. Which puts them somewhere a little smaller than Gap and a little bigger than Abercrombie+Fitch. Business with the Japanese is kinda weird. They blow smoke in your face, try and get you drunk off your ass, make you sit in cramped low ceiling stinky bars... and these are all signs of respect! There's also a lot of no-talking...and grunting. Anyway, I was feeling kinda ill by the end of the meeting.
After the meeting, I had dinner with Hiromi at Roppongi Hills. (obviously a place for gaijins and the asian women who love them.) Hiromi was integral in the startup of Reed Space. You might remember her as the weekend manager for Reed. She now works for Shu Uemera in Tokyo (a high end cosmetics line). Congrats on the new apartment! I completely passed out afterwards. Now I'm preparing for another quick flight up to Sapporo. From there, it's a 2 hr drive to the top of Hokkaido for snowboarding in what I hope will be some epic powder. Dude.

Hiromi...all grown up.

This sign appears in all the subway cars. Apparently, random ass groping is a major epidemic in Japan. This sign basically says, it really hurts the people you touch, so, NO MORE ASS TOUCHING! Nah, for real, it really says that. Statistics show the signs are helping. I want that job. What do you? "I am an ass touching statistician."

ONE MORE THING...

I just creamed my pants.
The question is not "whether to buy". Or "when to buy". But simply...how fucking many to buy!?

LOVE IS STRONG.

I wouldn't say I LOVE Chloé...restrained approval might be better. But damn...they know how to throw a bash!
I met up this evening with Asako-san from LVMH/Celux...one of our clients. She graciously invited me to attend a Chloé Party that celebrated the opening of their new flasghip store in Aoyama. The store itself was pretty non-descript as stores go in Japan. The Japanese have raised the bar so high in retail design that if you don't have 3D holograms, a time machine and the cure for cancer in your shop, it's wack. So relatively speaking...I give this store like a 2 out of 10.
The after party was kinda ill though. They made this temporary structure to house the party. It was quite "experimental". For one thing, the music was really low..which I thought was odd. Turns out, what they were doing was handing out these headphones for everyone to wear. Meanwhile they had 5 DJs playing different types of music. On the side of the headphones, you could push a button and toggle between DJ sets. So in essence, every person had a party inside their own head. Kinda interesting, but makes conversation sort of hard and everyone looks like a raver on Battlestar Gallactica.
But they made up for it in the food department. The freshest sushi, uni, eel...it was awesome. Tough to save room for our dinner meeting after the after party.

Kinda unimpressive right?

The future of partying. Lame.

Asako sporting the latest in party trends. DJ Muro and myself prefer the old school method.

Only the finest treasure from the sea for Chloé customers.

1st SUPPER.

Touchdown.
I had my first meal with Mike from Levi's Japan (dude in the middle). Great guy I met a few years back who makes things happen over here in Japan for Levi's. He's responsible for Tab Device and Fenom, Hiroshi's Levi's collection. A smart business man with the right mix of left brain creativity and right brain number crunching. Met him for a great dinner at a nearby hotel. The jetlag begins to takeover...

OK in Japan, this is what they call "Ceasar Salad". This plate encompasses all that is good in Japan. I didn't even want to touch this sculpture.

TOKYO.

I leave today for Tokyo for my quote/unquote VACATION...we'll see about that. This is the fancy new JFK International Terminal. Unfortunately, they didn't change the signs coming into the airport! So everyone who went to Terminal 8 had to trek to Terminal 9. That was a blast with my 90 pound snowboard plus carry on in tow. FUCKERS!

15 hrs later...Tokyo. Isn't she glorious?

NRF: WEEK 4

Sup Y'all.
I bring you week 4's update via satellite feed 12,000 ft on the top of a volcano on the Northern Island of Hokkaido, Japan. (That's dedication)
So with my spotty internet connection, please excuse the quickie update.
GAME 1:
Foamposite beats Hyperflight.
FOAM is undefeated and sits at the top of Uptown Conf.
HYPER still searching for 1st win but showed some promise in this close one.
GAME 2:
Terminators sits atop the NRF with a 4-0 record. They beat Cinderella expansion team Uptempo 35-31.
GAME 3:
The reigning champs Generation lose a very controversial game by 1 pt to Huarache. GEN takes on top ranked Foamposite next week.
GAME 4:
DUNK notches their first win over AF1.

***********************************
NRF Player of the Week
Chris Dowling (AF1): 12pts / 8 rebs / 2 blks / 4 stls
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"I Live For Tuesday's!"®
http://www.nikerecessfederation.com/

KNOWLEDGE REIGNS.

I dropped by my friend James' office today for a chat before I take off to Japan tomorrow. James owns and operates a little brand by the name of Supreme y'all might have heard of. He also runs the NYC Chapter of Stussy and started one of the most influential streetwear stores in the world called Union. If it wasn't for Union, there probably would be no Staple to speak of. Union placed the 2nd order EVER from us.
James will never tell it to you, but in my mind, he's one of the people responsible for what streetwear and sneaker culture is today. All praise due, kids. It's no coincidence he's sitting in front of James Brown...The Godfather.
And to top it off, he was right. History of Violence did suck.

Today was one of the most busy and stressful days of my life. It's ALWAYS like this before and after vacation. It's like, what's the point of even going on a vacation? Anyway, I leave for Japan tomorrow for mostly pleasure and a little business will probably get mixed in as well. In case you haven't heard, they are getting bombarded with the most snow since WWII! I can't wait to hit the slopes out there. I'll keep y'all posted. But if I don't post a new entry for a while, someone please come and thaw me out in the Spring.

GOOD FOR THE SOUL.

One of our favorite clients at Staple is Housing Works. Since my longtime friend Chris moved over there, we have been consistenly working with them on different projects. The work they do is amazing. Check them out. It's not always about sneakers and fly gear. Design is a powerful thing that can literally change the course of the world. And when it connects with something like Housing Works...you feel like a difference can really be made. Everyone say hello to Kristine and Chris. They fight AIDS everyday...and what have you done lately?

ADIDAS TORSION SP LO

COMPANY: Adidas
STYLE NAME: Torsion Special Low
ALIAS: n/a
COLOR: Chrome / Mercury / Blue
STYLE #: 010441
SIZE: US 10 / UK 9.5 / EUR 44 / CM 28
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: Vietnam
DATE MANUFACTURED: 06/2003
CONDITION: B+
ACQUIRED: Gift from Thomas/Double-Park/I.T. Hong Kong.
OTHER COMMENTS: Adidas never came out with many technological wonders that impressed me, but the one piece that always stood out to me was the Torsion. Essentially a yellow plastic that was embedded in the outsole..supposed to provide stability, resistance and hence, tourque. Hey, it made sense when i was 16. Anyway, this Torsion Special I picked up in HK is a great combination of water resistance in an ACG-ish like styling. The Torsion technology. And some hot ass colors. Too bad Adidas in general, feel like SHIT on my feet! I don't know why? I wish i could rock these all the time but I can't...it's too painful. Regardless, beautiful piece of product design.

ADIDAS TOP SALA LE

COMPANY: Adidas
STYLE NAME: Top Sala LE
ALIAS: n/a
COLOR: Black / White / Poppy
STYLE #: 671390
SIZE: US 10 / UK 9.5 / EUR 44 / CM 28
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: Vietnam
DATE MANUFACTURED: 06/2001
CONDITION: B-
ACQUIRED: ABC Mart. Tokyo, Japan.
OTHER COMMENTS: Love soccer shoes. Don't play but love the way they look. I think it stems from my days in NJ high schools and the fact that all the popular kids wore Adidas Sambas and slouch socks with Z. Cavaricci pleated pants. Ah...the Garden State. So I can relive my childhood with these dope soccer kicks updated with a modern tech edge. Thought this was gonna be all Nike didn't ya!

NIKE AIR DRI GOAT

COMPANY: Nike
STYLE NAME: Air Dri Goat
ALIAS: n/a
COLOR: Metallic Silver / Varsity Red / Black / Neutral Grey
STYLE #: 104245 061
SIZE: US 10 / UK 9 / EUR 44 / CM 28
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: China
DATE MANUFACTURED: 08/10/2000
CONDITION: D
ACQUIRED: Paragon. New York City.
OTHER COMMENTS: I'm a big fan of both the Goatek and Goretex. This shoe was the best of bold worlds. And as you can see, I dogged the hell out of these. These kicks have been with me thru hell and back. Backcountry snowboard trips, rained out trails, mud, hurricanes...jut about everything. And to be honest, for all these shoes have seen, they don't look half bad. A definite trooper. They did a Air Dri Goat 2 but less utilitarian and more fashiony. I'll post them also down the line.
This was part of the short lived Alpha Series. Can anyone enlighten me as to what that was supposed to represent? It was like in and out in a year. All these different types of shoes could be categorized as "Alpha" and it was denoted by 5 silver dots. Weird.

YOU HEAR IT. FIRST.

Well if you're reading this blog...you surely won't hear it first from them, but MTV NEWS came in today and did an interview on me and the world of Staple Design. They've started some off-shoot of MTV NEWS called "MTV Chi" (rhymes with "tea"). It's based on Asian-American culture. It's on its own channel on DirecTV (too bad I have Time Warner). Anyway, it went well. I still find it very strange when people interview me and ask how, why or what I do. I never thought my job was newsworthy...it's just...work. I just bust my ass everyday and for some reason, people feel that is interesting. Not complaining...just find it amusing sometimes.

OVERHYPED.

Seriously...what was the big deal about this? Movie of the year? I don't think so....I mean, it was aight...but not mind blowing.

FAQ: What is NRF?

Inside Nike NYC HQ. Their new offices are cavernous.

Some people have asked what the hell the NRF is. It's like Fight Club. Rule #1: Don't talk about NRF. Rule #2: Don't talk about NRF. Nah, j/k...but it's an idea I had to put a basketball league together that comprised of NYC's creative professionals. We're talking publishers, editors, designers, photographers, musicians, architects, etc. etc. The Nike Recess Federation. We all play organized official basketball housed under the Nike umbrella. There are currently 10 teams (each team is named after a classic Nike basketball shoe). The league is complete with regular season, playoffs, finals, a trophy, refs, fouls, a draft, free agency, franchise protected players, scouting reports...pretty much everything the NBA has. Along with the rest of the shit I do, I'm also the co-commissioner of the league. It's definitely a labor of love and of ball. Anyway, I figured I'd post results of each week on the blog cuz other people who don't play in the league are interested as well.
So today, I had a meeting at Nike to recap NRF and plan some future events that involve the NRF. There's little more one can wish for besides having a meeting at your favorite company, sitting with some cool heads, shooting the shit about something you love to do and calling that "work".
Follow all the action. Nike Recess Federation.

The entire lobby/waiting area of the Nike NY office is covered in Air bags used in the new Air Max 360. It's so sick...i want to get this in my apt!

Picked up the new Kobe 1's (All Star Edition) from Nike today. (Thanks Joe B & Oz). I gotta say, these are the best basketball shoes I've played in, in a while. I broke them in tonight and lit up the court. I was on fire. Was it the shoes? I don't know, but it sure felt like it.

The NRF "trophy" from last season. A custom made pair of Dunks in all premium leather with the NRF logo embroidered on heel. 12 were made just for the team. (And 1 for me. :) Archive purposes, I swear...)

NRF - WEEK 3

Welcome back from the break.
Week 3 saw some crazy upsets but more so, proved that this year is a completely new season with new powers on the rise.
First game saw undefeated Terminators facing last years Championship Finalist, Team Dunk. The steady Terms added another win to their record with a 48-40 win over Dunk. Next week, Terminators face Uptempo in an inter-conference battle of undefeated's. Conversely, Dunk and AF1 face off next week and I'm placing bets that there's only 1 winless team left in the Downtown Conference after Week 4. One of them is bound to get off the schnide.
Game 2 was a nail biter to the finish! Generation squeaked out a 32-31 win over Hyperflight as a half court heave by A. Waxman (HYP) was called off because of a foul away from the ball. The shot would have won it for Hyperflight, but instead they remain winless. The NRF champs (GEN) get to .500% and they sit in 3rd place in the Uptown Conf.
Game 3 showcased heavily favored Delta Force going up against expansion rookies Uptempo. The rookies came in and upset the power houses 39-34. Delta with 2 losses in a row is now forced to reassess their situation in their bye week. Uptempo now sits undefeated and facing #1 Terminator next week. Let's see if Cinderella still has their glass slipper in week 4.
Game 4 was yet another upset. Team Shox (without their star guard J. Leonard) couldn't come up with answers for Huarache's new and improved look. Huarache wins it 50-43. Ironically, both power houses Shox and Delta Force were upset and get a week off to think things over. Huarache has a major test next week as they face the NRF champs Generation.

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NRF Player Of The Week
Jesse Thompkins (HUA): 14 pts / 3 rebs / 2 blks / 1 stl
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NRF - "I Live For Tuesday's!"®
NEW SITE URL: http://www.nikerecessfederation.com/

TIMBERLAND. NO MAGOO.

Just wrapped my meeting at Timberland. It went great. Good things to come. Check back in for details.
I'm headed back to NYC now. Took some snaps of the Timberland WHQ. Check the picts. Woke up at 6:30am...I am so beat.

The Timberland Campus is pretty nice. It's like walking into a big corporate treehouse.

CJP seen here installing new wallpaper. Nah, j/k, he's putting the final touches on a big meeting. Watch that back, Chris!

As you can imagine...boots are everywhere!

Check this out: Black seamless Tims with B.I.G. on the bottom and "BIGGIE" embroidered on the heel. Alas, you will never see these in your lifetime kid. 1 of 1s.

Whoever at Timberland is reading this: Size 10 please!

LGA-LOGAN

Today I go to Boston. But more specifically, New Hampshire (about an hour away) to visit Timberland World Headquarters. Timberland and Staple have some thoughts brewing and this will be my 2nd time up to NH. The weather really sucks in NY today. But it always amazes me what 30,000 ft will do. Check out before and after shots.
Even though about 80% of my footwear collection is Nike, I have bits of pieces of each brand. One never knows whom you'll be meeting, so it's good to represent properly. So today, I'm wearing my Timberland Wingtips. Yes you heard it here first. Wingtips, son. Coming soon to your next Kanye video. These pairs were given to me from a shop in London called The Timberland Boot Co. which is a complete off shoot of what we know Timberland as here in the states. (i.e., they do doper shit.) Thanks for dinner at Lindberg's guys...looking forward to tomorrow's meeting.

At the Sheraton Portsmouth. A nice little seaside town. The hotel was OK. The room service was horrible. Internet was free but didn't work properly. I'd rather pay for it and just have it work.

CJP, MOD, and Sabai taking me out for grub at Lindberg's. They actually call everyone by initials at Timberland...kinda like a sports thing I guess. But it makes names easier to remember. They can't do it for Sabai though cuz his initals would be "SB", which would make him a walking infringement to the corporation.

NIKE AIR PRESTO WOVEN B

COMPANY: Nike
STYLE NAME: Air Presto Woven B
ALIAS: Presto Wovens
COLOR: Faded Olive / Walnut / Vegas Gold
STYLE #: 302840 321
SIZE: Medium (Mens 9-11)
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: Vietnam
DATE MANUFACTURED: 09/11/2001
CONDITION: B+
ACQUIRED: AD21. Tokyo, Japan.
OTHER COMMENTS: I don't know if people slept on these or if they were limited in release. But I don't see many people with these on and when I rock them, people are suprised to see a Presto and Woven remixed. I fell in love with them immediately. I was already a huge Presto fan (as you'll soon see) so when I walked into AD21 and saw these, I copped them immediately. AD21 was Nike's concept shop in Harajuku. It was located on the ground floor of Hiroshi's office building. For some reason, it closed and it's now a Gravis store. The person who sold them to me was named Takashi. We got a long right away and hit it off. I try and see him everytime I go to Japan. Takashi went from working sales at AD21 to becoming head of Nike SB for Japan. He's a good dude so that's definitely the right place for him to be.
Interesting tidbit about these kicks: Check the manufacture date. 9/11/01. Creeeeeepy.

NIKE x KID ROBOT x BARNEY'S AIR MAX 1

COMPANY: Nike
STYLE NAME: Air Max 1
ALIAS: Nike x Kid Robot x Barney's
COLOR: Hot Pink / Chili Red / Pink Ice
STYLE #: XXXXXX XXX
SIZE: US 10 / UK 9 / EUR 44 / CM 28
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE: Thailand
DATE MANUFACTURED: Jan 2005
CONDITION: A
ACQUIRED: Gift from LK at Nike.
OTHER COMMENTS: This was a very interesting collaboration between the toy store Kid Robot and the high fashion department store Barney's New York. It was released during Fashion Week (Feb 2005). This special edition features a little Kid Robot keychain and custom designed footbeds. There are 4 designs by different illustrators (mine is Gary Baseman). Each comes sealed in a silver sleeve which is what vinyl figures are commonly packaged in. The shoes came in 2 colors: Black and Pink. The Black version was released exclusively at Barney's New York (uptown location). I believe about 300 were made. The Pink versions were not for sale. They were distributed thru promotion directly thru Nike. I believe 50 were made in the Pink. The back of the shoes feature a Kid Robot logo where you would usually find a Nike logo. This is rarely done on a Nike so it's interesting to see.
Little known fact: The box and packaging for this was created by yours truly, Staple Design. We oversaw the manufacturing and delivery as well. Want proof? Check out the tiny copy embedded within the barcode. It reads "4STPL-1905". "1905" is the Pantone Color Code of our favorite shade of Pink. Also, these were so limited and done so quickly they didn't even issue a Style #. We were instructed to just put "XXXXXX" on the outer sticker. In fact, the inside label which usually has the barcode, size and date of manufacture simply says: "PROMO SAMPLE SIZE 10". Holla!

AND SO IT BEGINS....

OK, sorry for the delay. Here comes the first posting of shoes from my collection.
Just a few notes before we begin:
1) The shoes are posted in no particular order. Well actually there is an order. I'm going from right-to-left on my shelving unit. So it ain't like "my favorites" are coming first or the "most exclusive" or anything. They come as I grab them.
2) I'll be including some specifics about each shoe. If you find there's a mistake or want to add your own little tidbit of 411...please feel free to post a comment.
3) Theoretically, all shoes are available for purchase. Post a comment and make an offer. There's no bidding involved. It basically depends if I feel like your price is worth it to me or not. Some really crappy shoes might have a lot of sentimental value to me while some exclusives might be meaningless. It also depends on my mood for the day (And how my poker playing is going.) So feel free to keep trying. Upon acceptance of an offer, I will email you directly and we will finalize the details. If you don't hear back from me, your offer is most likely insufficient. Also keep in mind, it does not necessarily have to be US Dollars. I'm open to barters. Be Creative.
4) Other than that, enjoy! I hope to maintain at least one new shoe archived per week. (Along with the usual shenanigans sprinkled in between.)

DUCK YOU.

New Year's and very chill. It is a lazy ass day.
Glad I got to see my cousin Chris from D.C. and his girl Courtney who lives in NYC. We went and got some Peking Duck in Chinatown at Sweet-N-Tart. Yes, we devoured that bird.

2006.

I rang in the new year at my friends Marz & Sona's (better known as S+M) new spot in Brooklyn. They have a sweet place. It makes me wonder why I continue to stay in Manhattan and pay the ridiculous rents. Anyways, it was nice small private fair. I liked the "Pre School" theme they had going with the foam visors, noisemakers, kiddie sunglasses, and that PS2 game Guitar Hero. That game is so addictive. It's like Karaoke but with an electric guitar that has buttons on it instead of strings. Anyway, Happy New Year to everyone and enjoy the photos.

Custom design your own foam visor! It's like Nike ID but better! You might be seeing these in Staple's next collection. haha...(photo: Marz)

Your hosts for the evening, Marz One and Sonabon. Congrats on the new crib!

Gwen and Sakura, gettin' high off those toxic bubble makers you played with as a kid.

Scenes from the stroke of midnight.

Jon G. had to call in an Asian mechanical engineer to roll this massive joint. Just kidding, that's Wook. Jon gets some support from his newlywed Aiko, and then...........Rey enjoys the fruits of his labor. (Along with everyone else in Western Brooklyn.)

Sonabon shakin' her bon.

Everyone gets on the Guitar Hero game and replays their childhood dream of being a rockstar. Sona plays to a standing room only crowd. Rey puts his soul into it. And David...made sure his visor matched his guitar. lol...