NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.

Nike SB recently screened the premier of their first full length skate video called, Nothing But The Truth. With no expenses spared, they rented out the legendary Ziegfeld Theater for the event. The red carpet was made up of the real stars of the show...the sneakers! The 30 best SB Dunks of all time with a special tribute to our creation, the Pigeon at the top of the list. The Pigeon also made a nice appearance in the opening sequence of the film. Maybe I am too old for skate films now, but this was really a weird cinematic creation. I'm sure after 12 cans of Pabst, it all makes sense.







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Shout out to my friend and super talented photographer Atsuko Tanaka for hooking up this dope shot of the Staple x Muro x Alpha Jacket we created over the summer for our Tenth Anniversary. She has a very interesting blog as well that documents all the different photo projects she has going on.

JETLAG.

Most people get pretty wrecked from Jetlag. I'm no exception. But oddly enough, jetlag puts me on a "normal" person's schedule. I usually work past 2am and wake up at 10 or 11am. So jetlag makes me sleep at 11pm and wakeup at 6am. I strangely like this. It's pretty productive in the morning. But of course you can forget about burning the midnight oil. Also, 6am in NYC is a pretty interesting time.


Like I said before; the flight to and from Tokyo to JFK is a bus. This time, I saw my old homegirl I.A. as she was coming to town for short trip. We haven't had a chance to catchup for a while. She has a ton of things going on! She's a VJ on MTV Japan, hosts mad radio shows and TV shows, and now just launched her own ladies clothing line called Le Jet Set. Check out her site to see what this lady has going on.

Got a lot of nice goodies waiting for me in my office upon my return.




I love collaboration projects that really think outside the box. This is definitely one of them. Agent Provocateur (high end womens lingerie) and House 33 (design and typeface studio) join together to create this set. I guess AP hired House to redesign their logo and wordmark...and it just grew into this silky dopeness. Kudos to both teams for this. And thanks for the gift. I'm sure I'll find some use for this. AP's website is awesome by the way.


Nike Air Max 1 by Huf (Thanks GT).


Converse x Kicks Hi (unreleased colorway) (Thanks Ben).


Also had a nice surprise visit from one of my childhood friends. Can't mention his name or his profession, but basically, he has to carry one of these around everywhere he goes. Pretty sick job. A GLOCK is an amazing piece of technology. They call themselves the "Safe Action Pistols". I guess that depends on which side you're standing on.
Me: Where's the safety on this?
Him: There is no safety on Glock's.
Me: Then how does it not go off?
Him: Don't pull the trigger.
Genius.

OSAKA.

I haven't been to Osaka in over 7 years I would say. It was good to return for a brief stint while I was in Tokyo. We went for our Staple Spring 2008 exhibition. Gabe Urist came along for the trip as well. There are certain foods you must try when you're in Osaka. One is Okonomiyaki. It's a native Osaka-style food that they are known for specializing in. It's honestly not my favorite thing in the world, but its fun to make.





The other thing you have to eat in Osaka is their beef. Well, the actual beef capital is Kobe, but its only 30 mins away so its good enough. Kobe beef is legendary and we went to one of the oldest restaurants to specialize in this and it's called OXON.


The personal service was amazing. Yeah, thats the chef tying our bibs on for us. And the woman you see serving us our desserts is the same person who made them that morning! The kind woman in the bottom left photo is the owner of the business.

***VEGETARIANS TURN AWAY***


How fresh is the beef? They show you the death certificate of the cow you are eating to ensure its freshness! That's the snoutprint of the cow I am eating. Her name was Hitomi. And that's Hitomi on my plate in the right photo. It was 8 slices of beef for US$200. At first I was pissed about the portion. But to be dead honest, I was completely satisfied. The beef was so perfect, I would have done it all over again.

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Osaka sometimes has the bad rep of being a city of bootleggers and money hungry scrubs with no sensibilities. I don't like to generalize people...but this magazine's design team should be ashamed. Looks familiar doesn't it?



I guess imitation is the highest form of flattery.

JPN FOOD + FRIENDS.

On this last trip to Japan, I tried some of the best I have ever tasted in my life. Each day was like an attack on my tastebuds. It's always amazing to me how Japanese people are able to perfect other culture's cuisine. For instance, you can have some of the best Italian, Chinese, French and Korean food in Japan. Here's just two of my recommendations.


The Shanghai Crab from Fureya. Hands down the best Chinese I have ever experienced.


The mango pudding from Nabi. An interesting place that specializes in Organic Korean. Amazing decor with a menu to match.

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An underground hole in the wall restaurant is suprisingly home to some of the best Soba and Udon I have ever had. Great company as well. (Mike, Angela, Ewan, Code;C)

What's so damn funny??


This?


Or This?

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Lunch at Hama (great beef lunch spot) with Ai, Mie and Young Kim. And at the studio of DJ Muro. Big things from this man coming in 2008. Knowledge reigns supreme over nearly everybody!


Bape opened their new shop in Shibuya and the afterparty at WOMB was crazy...Teriyaki Boyz and Pharrell on hand to perform. Thankfully I was safely tucked away from the madhouse below. Meet my bodyguards.


Kazuki from Fragment and Yuki treated me to a great homestyle Italian spot restaurant called Appia. More food!!! Also went to visit Fraser at the new Nike Design Studio. Great new office they have in Meguro.


With so many common friends, it was great to finally meet Edwin from Carhartt in person. He has a really great character and I was lucky enough to tag along for dinner with his wife and daughter.


Caught up with my old friends Miyoshi and Yone who's seen here with head of Staple Japan, Hiroko-san.


Meet Tet from Neighborhood / W)Taps. Meet Konno from Nexus 7 / Original Fake. You could say they have shit goin' on.

JPN FINDS.

Japan is always a treasure of new finds, especially in fashion. Here's some incredible stuff I stumbled upon... Or stumbled upon me.







Levi's FLU, headed by Ewan Reynolds from Playford and Okazawa from CLS continues to innovate and break the mold of what a denim label is "supposed" to do. Still only available in Japan, this athletic inspired collection is hands down one of my favorites.

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If you haven't heard of SOPH of FCRB...well continue sleeping. It's another one of my favorites and with the recent addition of Uniform Experiment, you wonder how Kiyonaga-san has any time to sleep. Much less watch a football match. Nike asked him to help them with the upcoming relaunch of their storied ACG Collection. Kiyonaga basically looked back on the archives and redid some styles...adding special touches like leather reinforcements, tech pockets, Riri zippers, and luscious fabrics. Sorry, not available in your local Niketown. Try Sendagaya.








(Figure out what the numbers mean yet? Try to typing them in your phone and spelling it out.)

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Finally, the biggest surprise find I discovered in Osaka was HIDEHIKO YAMANE. Yamane-san is the founder of a little known denim brand named EVISU. I guess he got tired of hood rats rocking Evisu denim with multi-colored embroideries going all the way down both legs. This private collection he is doing is exquisite. Classic cuts with subtle hints towards his denim heritage. Its still available in Evisu shops in Japan but in very small quantities. Again, only available by passing thru Narita first.

THE RETURN OF WU-TANG.

Wu is back. And in great form.
Rae, Ghost and Meth on this exclusive Riottt track.

UNIFORM EXPERIMENT.

There's only 2 things in life that are certain: Death. And Taxes. Which means if there is one commonality in all of us, it's that we get old. I am getting old. Hell, I inexplicably purchased 2 suits this past summer...even though I never wear suits at all. I find myself listening to Elton John and I attend Billy Joel concerts. I am slowly, but surely turning into my parents.
Two really inspirational people in Japan must be feeling the same way: Kiyonaga from SOPH and Hiroshi Fujiwara from Fragment. They have come together to create a new collection called UNIFORM EXPERIMENT. It's mainly a suit collection that definitely is catering towards street kids that have grown up. Amazing detail in sweaters, suits, pants, ties and other accessories. I was privy to their Spring collection in Tokyo. I can't show too much but rest assured this is something for you thirty-somethings to be on the look out for.

GT5.

Celux and Sony invited me while i was in Tokyo to come and play the newest version of Gran Tourismo...Sony's highest selling game series...and pretty much the hands down standard in driving sim games. They set up this driving simulator with Recaro seats, and everything. It was so real I literally got carsick playing this. I would love to bring this back to NYC! Look out for Gran Tourismo 5 in Feb 2008.


Also check out this CELUX x Casio G-Shock collaboration. It features a nice lasered detail etching on the wristband.





In the evening, Celux held an opening exhibition for UK artist Conrad Leach. His new works feature infamous musicians and celebrities that all died at the same ominous age: 27. He portrays them in an eerie monotone black or white format. Very powerful.

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In Japan, you'll see these people all over town. They sit at corners of intersections, both busy and dead...with a little desk full of counters. It's very mysterious what exactly they are counting because there are so many counters! So we went and asked one of them. They said pretty much they count everything. People, Men, Women, Children, Cars, SUVs, Trucks, Motorbikes, Scooters, Bicycles, etc etc. They work for the city I guess. But this particular woman with the white hat on was at the corner of Omoteosando and Aoyama-Dori...one of the busiest intersections in Tokyo. Her hands were movin' like the Matrix! It was so funny to watch.


Yokohama...famous for its tasty Pigeon Cookies. Someone please put me in touch with them!

I HEART TOKYO.

Strange feeling....to have a homesick feeling for a city you never called home. I have been away from Tokyo for over 6 months which is a very long time for me. And I felt the urge to go back. Here's a travelogue of the people, places, and things I have seen. Still one of the best cities in the world.


As I always say, the flight to Tokyo is like a local bus now. You will always see someone you know on the flight. This time, it was Gabe Urist...the infamous jeweler (and member of the NRF).


Deep thoughts. By Gabe Urist.


In Japan, the product selection is of course always killer. Where else would Coca-Cola make a drink called LOVE BODY. Americans get CRUNK JUICE. They get LOVE BODY...it explains a lot of things.



Of course I had to go diggin' for limited edition Kit Kats. This time I managed to pick up Caramel and Chestnut. My dream is to one day do a Staple Kit Kat.

Want to see how they park cars in the future? Just go to Japan. This is from Roppongi Hills.


Not very original. Bloomberg should call his lawyers on this one.
Lots more to come....stay tuned.

SUMMER'S END...

...a sale to mark the end of the summer (tear.)
October 18-21. 12pm-7pm
featuring your favorites: 10Deep, Crooks+Castles, MHI, Trainerspotter, King Stampede, The Hundreds, Staple, Nike and more.
30-70% off everything.

@ Reed Space
151 Orchard Street b/w Rivington and Stanton.
CASH ONLY.

TRUTH.

Real music still exists. Its hard to believe. Its hard to find. But its out there.
(Respect to my man DJ Akalepse for putting me on. Akalepse is also a mean table tennis player that represents with the woody paddle.)

ADD TO THE 10th.

Levi's presents a gift for our 10th Anniversary Collection.
It's the 3rd installment of the Levi's Artist Series (#1 by Matzu and #2 by Kaws.)
Here are some sneak preview picts. This special edition will drop in Mid-November and I'll have more details when the time comes around.


(Aluminum back patch and stitching to commemorate our 10th Anniversary.)


(There's pink acruates for a reason. I'll leave that discovery for the people who are lucky enough to get a pair.)


(Coming soon...)

NO "I" IN STAPLE.

Just recently dropped Fader Japan, features a story on Staple Design. Its rare to see the entire team together in one shot like this. (Well almost, a couple people are missing...) But rest assured everything you read on this blog could not be made possible without the help of these dudes and dudettes.
Allow me to introduce: (l-r) Nico, Do, me, Jun, Jerry, Luna, Aya, Delia, Gio, Kuni, Tim, Suzette and Morgan.
(Photo and story by Atsuko Tanaka.)

UNDER 35.

The makers of Johnnie Walker, the world's number one Scotch whiskey brand, announced this week the recipients of the Johnnie Walker Blue Label 35 UNDER 35 AWARD. And I was on the list!
When I first heard the good news, my immediate question was "Do I have to actually drink Johnnie Walker to accept this?" Luckily for me, they said it's not necessary. (I haven't had a sip of alcohol in 14 years.)
The award was designed to celebrate the brightest young minds across a broad cross-section of disciplines including artists, writers, music executives, comedians and designers. The 35 will be featured in a distinguished coffee table book highlighting their accomplishments. there was a private celebration at Gramercy Park Hotel on Oct 4th (don't try the Chinese). I wasn't in town to accept the award so I sent my beloved staff out there on my behalf. Looks like I missed some good lobster.

HIROSHI CAN'T MAKE ME WEAR KANGOLS.

Hiroshi is keeping busy. After last week, single-handedly putting Converse Chucks back on the map, he now follows up with a Kangol release. It drops this Saturday at Reed Space and about a dozen other locations around the globe.






Colorways for days....(photo: jerry)

To the casual eye, this looks like a logo slap on the back of a hat. But if you're a close follower of my blog, you'll see that this collaboration took almost a year to bring to life. I said this in my last entry about Gravis: I think the beauty is creating something that looks effortless. The reality is the effort that goes into it. I'll give you a flashback...
- Nov 16th, 2006: The conversation begins about what a collaboration might look like.
- April 22nd, 2007: A sample is seen in the wild.
- July 7th, 2007: A meeting in Berlin to talk about how it's sold, distribution, marketing, etc.
And of course, this doesn't include the many hours David from Kangol and HF spent without my graceful presence. I was really only a fly on the wall for this project. But it was nice to be there to offer my 2 cents whenever I could. The creative process is the stuff of magic. It cannot be bottled or calculated. You watch it grow and try to let nature take its course.
Par example...do you know how this project even happened? HF was in New York on a short trip and one day decided to go to The Whitney Museum uptown. David from Kangol happened to be there as well. David saw this guy wearing a Kangol and approached him and low and behold it was Hiroshi. In essence, if Hiroshi needed to take a piss instead of being at THAT spot at THAT time, this whole project would or could have possibly never happened. I tell you...luck doesn't find you. You have to find IT.

GRAVIS BLACKBOX by STAPLE.

Gravis graciously invited us to design this year's Blackbox Collection. It was perfect timing as it would coincide nicely with our 10th Anniversary as well.
The whole set consists of 3 shoes (Lodown, Royale and Dune), a set of luggage (Terminal Case, Metro Backpack and Jetway Rolling Case), a New Era 5950 Cap, and a tee.
When I was designing this set, it was actually in the middle of the summer, and I was reminiscing on what winters in NYC are like. When snow falls in NY, its beautiful on day one. Then as the days progress it slowly turns into this slushy, muddy pile of nastiness. Especially on cobblestone streets which is difficult to plow. This really reminds me of the old New York. So first off I wanted to develop an icon that represented both city and snow. Second, I developed a color palette that drew off this snowfall. The resulting colors are: FRESH POWDER, WET CEMENT, and PARKING LOT. Then we applied these colors to the different shoes and bags we selected.


The iconography we developed that best represents winter in the city.


The Gravis Blackbox Royale in "Fresh Powder". We did this in the lo-top because when the snow just falls, you actually don't need that much protection or traction. Its still fresh and fluffy.


The Gravis Blackbox Lodown in "Wet Cement". Gotta move to the mid, now that shit is getting a little nasty.


The Gravis Blackbox Dune in "Parking Lot". Bring the ruggedness for when snow just turns into a quicksand molasses.
All 3 styles feature premium reinforced leather, super tack rubber compound found on rock climbing shoes on the toe and heels, and fur trim details to match that snorkel or fur coat.


The luggage goes along the same theme. Escalating size and matching patterns.


And of course, to cap it off, the 5950.

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And just to give you guys an idea of how long this sort of design process takes, I blogged on August 5th, 2006 of a meeting I had with Gravis. I couldn't allude to it back then, but this was the first meeting we had to discuss Blackbox. 14 months later and its finally available. Lots of design meetings, sample reviews, and tweaking in between. I think a lot of times, on these blogs, shit comes out and people think you wave a magic wand and it just magically appears. On the other hand, some people post images of 2D computer renderings of designs and then you never actually see the real product. I'll try to show more of the design process in the future, but NDA (non-disclosure agreements) make it a pain in the arse. But I always try and drop as many clues as possible...so just keep on the lookout for what we have coming in 2008.

WAKIYA.

I'll be the first to admit that Chinese food in NYC is pathetic. Its amazing that in a city like New York, one cannot get some decent Chinese that won't punish you on the toilet the following day. Those who don't agree with me need to go to Toronto, Vancouver, China, London, HK or Tokyo. All have havens for the perfection of Chinese cuisine. NY definitely has a void to fill. Enter: Wakiya.
Ian Schrager and his overhyped Gramercy Park Hotel recently opened his answer to this void.
He missed.
Forget the ornate decor and the staff with the attitude...operating a restaurant should have some pretty solid principals: If you're gonna charge $30 for a plate of beef, $12 for a bowl of soup, and $36 for 4 slices of Peking Duck...it should either A) blow me away in the taste buds department or B) be so huge that I am rolled out on a stretcher. It was neither. Small portions of uninteresting dishes.
Oddly enough, the best part was the desert. If you want to go, I would suggest getting the Wagyu beef dish and the desert and thats it. The waitress will tell you the dishes are served "family style" but that's complete bullshit unless you're a family of anorexics.


Lots of theatrics. Little left on the actual plate.
For now, Chinatown Brasserie is my choice, by default.