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This tee really ties the site together.
Hands-down the Blog’s favorite comedy of all-time, The Big Lebowski has become a cultural phenomenon since it left theaters as a critical hit and box-office bomb, spawning a traveling Lebowski Fest, tours with “The Real Big Lebowski,” sequel rumors and hundreds of quotes within the movie that could be used for just about any situation in real life… mind if we do a J?
Anyways, Upper Playground’s superFishal rolled a strike with The His Dudeness Tee, featuring El Duderino in all of his bathrobed-glory with a few of his favorite things surrounding him; bowling pins and White Russians, of course. Click the tee images above for a closer look, and if you haven’t seen the film, check out the short version below:
Posted 2 days, 11 hours ago. Add a comment
… and you can be, too!
Cudders sent us some flicks rocking Super Sunglasses‘ Flap Top joints, and the Wayfarer style with gold lens is killin’ it! Cop yours in time for the uber-bright, retina-fucking rays of Springtime sunshine (or when those peepers are just too bloodshot for the public eye)!
Posted 4 days, 9 hours ago. 1 comment
While we absolutely do not encourage or support carrying loaded and/or unlicensed handguns under any circumstances, we are advocates for innovative, consistent music so we’ll miss our dude for the next eight months (with good behavior… we know you can do it, Weez).
In the meantime, show love and support with some Carter-inspired goods, including MindRite’s legendary Cake Tee re-issue, The Good Music Tee from Ginormous, and for the Youngest Money in your life, The Lil’ Grill Onesie by Pre.K Apparel.
The Cake Tee (MindRite); The Good Music Tee (Ginormous).
The Attitude Tee (BePriv Paris); The Lil’ Grill Onesie (Pre.K Apparel)
Posted 4 days, 17 hours ago. 1 comment
All of the true graffiti heads out there know that when it comes to technique, hand-styles, fills and balls-out bombing, Germany is no joke. This much is proven with the latest heat added to the site from Bavarian-based brand Pyromaniac, blessed with redwood-sized roots in graffiti culture that has been stirring the coals of streetwear since 2003 – time to let these motherfuckers burn hella bright.
(Keep reading:)
Clean lines, ridiculously intricate graphics and killer colorways is what Pyromaniac brings to the table, before they scorch it bare and leave a wake of ash and fat caps, that is. Featuring collaborations with top European writers such as SATONE, BANOS, I ARE UGLY, DISTURBANITY and, for Spring 2010, Bern, Switzerland-based Ata Bozaci, a.k.a. TOAST – check out dude’s site to see how he incorporates graffiti with architectural sensibilities. Madness.
Pyromaniac encourages people to ignore those telling us who we should be, but rather, listen to the voice inside of us and become who we are meant to be. Create a destiny, don’t settle on complacency… carpe diem and all that shit, or however it’s said in German. This crew simply burns with inspiration, inventiveness and passion for what they do, and that much is clear after a look at the latest drop here at Karmaloop. Pyromaniac will let you know that this is a new age these heads are creating, an evolution based on the graffiti elements and expanding to new places. With what is described as “urban functional,” the Pyro crew takes smoldering pride in producing garments that allow you to be comfortable enough to stay creative… and look damn good doing so.
Click the banner below to check out more from the so-hot-it’s-gotta-be-stolen Pyromaniac drop at Karmaloop.
Posted 5 days, 10 hours ago. Add a comment
It seems that the power of graphic tees has often been diluted and reduced to badly colored and tightly fitting tattoo tees. Frankly, it’s time for a change. What happened to tees that provided messages beyond the fact of someone being a brand whore?
Well, we bring to you Profound Aesthetic. This emerging fashion line creates graphic tees that are not only aesthetically appealing, but bring a unique, intellectual message within every design. Through carefully selected colors, powerful images, and thought-provoking messages, Profound Aesthetic is leading a change in the way we wear and think about graphic tees. As the brand begins to expand beyond tees, we definitely suggest you be on the lookout for this line in the future.
Enough of the banter, check out interview and see how Profound Aesthetic is making their mark within the fashion game.
- Leandrew Robinson, Karmaswap
(Read more and check out some flicks:)
1.) Where are you from? What do you do for a living?
Located right in the heart of the Jersey, we are an hour away from the greatest city on the planet: NYC, the inspiration of all inspirations. Our living is our passion, and that is making Profound Aesthetic the next big thing. They say once you start doing what you really love, work doesn’t seem like work anymore and that’s the holy truth!
2.) What kind of product do you produce? Also, your name is dope, how did you come up with that?
We create concept tees that are visually appealing yet profoundly stimulating to the new trend of intellectuality in urban culture. You see it everywhere, rappers are becoming more conscious of their lyrics, well spoken, well read; fashion is becoming more sophisticated and daring and we are finally starting to use our own mind to think and be conscious of our surroundings. It’s a beautiful thing and we celebrate it.
We landed with our name when we sat down and thought about what it is that we are trying to promote and we kept it simple. We wanted an aesthetically pleasing tee that was profound beyond just the visual and that’s exactly what we did. It’s kind of like Kanye’s music; if you like the sound of his songs and don’t listen to the lyrics, cool. But if you love his composition of finely tuned beats with well thought out lyrics you develop a deeper love for it. But, either way, you really enjoy his music. Our concept is pretty much based on the same principle and it’s been working quite well. You can love the design or you can love the design and the message behind it.
3.) Your artwork is clean and as your name suggests aesthetically profound, who does the artwork and where did you perfect your craft? When did you get involved with selling it to people?
The founder of the brand, Faraz Zaidi, does the artwork. He is a graphic designer of the highest mark with a vision that is truly impressive. He started his very own graphic
design company at the age of 15 and its been magic since. I imagine he perfected his craft with a crazy artist mind that needed to release the tornado of his thoughts and ideas on a computer screen. With his artist ability and the collaboration of the entire teams creativity, we started to release our stuff in the market when we came to the realization that we really had a solid concept. When the founder of Porsche couldn’t find the car he wanted to drive he went into his garage and made his own. We did the same thing, our mind-lab being a mac monitor screen.
4.) Highlight 2-3 items and briefly describe the purpose of them.
Our very first t-shirt was the Peace by Piece tee. The concept is as simple as the layout of the design. It sort of mimics Michael Jackson’s, “Man in the Mirror” concept. Peace
cannot be attained overnight, or by some grand scheme but rather you have to start with yourself and be the change you want to see in the world. It’s a positivist attitude,
primarily, that we stand for which is duplicated in each design we release.
The bird with headphones tee is another one that really highlights the vastness of our creativity. We go to a lot of tradeshows, events, charities, conferences etc. and this tee is always the most interesting with respect to how people react to it. It’s truly up for any sort of interpretation and we’ve gotten some pretty dope ideas since its release. One of my favorites is, “the hummingbird is known for the beauty in its melodious chirp, it’s therefore ironic that the bird is listening to the melodies of man-made sounds through headphones/speakers.” I actually wrote a blog entry [on the brand] at I AM PROFOUND BLOG about the different interpretations we’ve gotten since its release. Check it out. It just goes to show you how amazing art is and to be able to express your art on a t-shirt that every single person you pass by gets to see, that’s pretty powerful, and hey, if you just like the image that’s cool too.
The “Mind is my Nine” tee is perhaps one of our best selling t-shirts. Something about it really appeals to people and we’re happy to see that, not because we are selling them like hotcakes but because people are actually starting to appreciate their given ability to use their minds and peace is actually becoming a trend. When we first came up with the design, I was thinking it was only going to appeal to men but, that is certainly not the case. We sell this tee equally to women. The beautiful part about it is the irony presented in the tee. The words say to use your mind as your weapon, but visually you see a gun blasting with what is seemingly blood. It kind of forces you to look a little deeper and wonder, “whats up with the gun?” and once people understand it, they stand there for a second and say, “that’s dope.”
5.) What kinds of influences are reflected in what you produce?
We are influenced by everything around us. From hip-hop, to technology, to art, to something as simple as a tree. We come up with our design concepts just by living our
day-to-day lives and observing our surroundings with a constant feel good attitude. Einstein once said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” You can imagine, we chose the latter and it feels pretty damn good.
6.) What are the ultimate goals of your line?
We ultimately want to develop a full-fledged clothing line beyond just t-shirts. Fashion is in our blood; being unique, well that’s pretty much what we do. When you collaborate the two it’s powerful. We want to share our abilities with the world and be as strong and influential as one of our greatest fashion heroes, Ralph Lauren. He started by making ties, and it’s pretty safe to say he is timeless now with creativity that never seizes to amaze. We want to mimic his success and we are confident we are on the path to achieving it.
7.) What are your opinions of the new Karmaswap? How do you see this affecting concrete culture?
Karmaswap is a real dope concept. A lot of people don’t really realize that what karmaloop represents is more than just some shoes or clothes, it represents an entire
culture, a culture of hip-hop heads, sneaker heads, and fashion heads that are unique, think outside the box and got some serious style and a feel good attitude. Every single
thing on your site is different from anything you see at your local mall. It is no wonder you guys are the gurus of concrete culture. And the ability to exchange, swap, buy, sell and recycle is genius. I know I don’t mind exchanging a solid pair of kicks with someone across the country so I can constantly stay fresh. And that’s exactly what karmaswap is, a recycling of the freshest stuff to stay fly. It’s solid.
Posted 5 days, 16 hours ago. Add a comment
Based on our celebrity-obsessed culture, Naked & Famous made it’s mark and earned it’s name by poking fun at the Hollywood and glamour brands that have the balls to sell jeans at an absurd cost only because a recognized face is paid to wear them, rather than based on the denim’s quality… in case you forgot, quality is what really makes a pair of denims matter. The logo, a take on 1950’s pop art created by the likes of Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, depicts what pop artists called “the ideal blonde,” a satire of mass media and mass culture – Naked & Famous wants to shove it right back in the face of the masses as their pop art brethren had done 60 years ago.
Using only the most unique and rare denim fabrics from Japan, the prestigious mill from which N&F imports all of it’s fabric is committed to producing only the best (and most expensive) denim in the world. The mill (we could tell you where it is… but we’d have to… you know, insist upon making out with your mom or something) uses a combination of old school and modern methods and practices throughout each step in denim production with so much culture and history poured into the fabric so that it can be appreciated by the denim purist and newcomer alike.
Naked & Famous keeps all of the jeans raw and simple – no washes, no embroidery, no gimmicks – just the best fabrics in the world combined with modern fits, effectively eliminating costly (and often unnecessary) after-effects; the jeans are stripped down to the core essentials and proudly presented to you.
(Read and see more here:)
Naked & Famous offers three men’s fits to accommodate any lifestyle and comfort level; skinny, slim and “weird guy,” a straight legged tapered fit.
The Skinny Guy Jean in Broken Twill Selvedge
The Skinny Guy Jean is exactly that; a skinny cut with a 9″ rise (that’s the crotch from the button down) and 14″ leg openings that stays thin from the thighs on down. The Broken Twill Selvedge joints above are crafted with 13 oz. Japanese cotton the whole way through – no spandex or elastane blended in – giving the jeans substance, weight, toughness and durability. Madness. Plenty of madness, too.
The Slim Guy Jean in Natural Indigo Selvedge
A fuller cut than it’s manorexic brother, The Slim Guy Jean is more of a straight leg fit with 16″ openings at the cuff and a deeper rise at 10.5″ from the button. The Natural Indigo Selvedge models shown here feature a (barely) more lightweight 12.5 oz. Japanese denim without losing any of The Skinny Guy’s strengths in weight and durability.
The Weird Guy Jean in Lightweight Selvedge
Featuring the straight leg cut as The Slim Guy with The Skinny Guy’s 14″ opening at the cuff, The Weird Guy Jean is the happy medium of both cuts for those of you who like it both ways (pause). The Lightweight Selvedge above is a 10 oz. Japanese cotton (we got arrested the last time we had 10 ounces in our pants), and like the rest of the Naked & Famous line, features selvedge detail on the interior as well as the coin pocket, N&F signature buttons and rivets throughout and a leather belt patch with the soon-to-be iconic logo.
Check out these and more (the buttondowns are nuts… coming soon!) by clicking the banner below. Get Naked! Get Famous!
Posted 1 week, 2 days ago. Add a comment
Two new styles from Holliday wallets for the Spring, continuing it’s early tradition of hand-crafting the world’s finest leather goods.
What’s hugely different about The Denver and The Smith Wallets are the added leather panels around the corners, and in The Smith’s case, at the button tab as well. The Smith’s snake skin panels and The Denver’s lizard skin detail gives each a distinct, Southwestern look only adding to the toughness exuded by Holliday products. Just as the offerings from the past two seasons, The Denver Wallet (above) and The Smith Wallet are made from 100% premium leather, each hand-stitched and braided in the United States, with fully-customizable options in the removable chains and tab buttons. We’re loving the latest hand-painted stains in both tan and reddish brown this go ’round, and the burly size of each makes these truly unique, one-of-a-kind wallets that will last more than a lifetime… your Holliday will be here long after your own permanent vacation.
Check out The Denver and The Smith Wallets here, and remember that these are only available in super-limited quantities – once they’re gone, don’t cry to us because we told you so.
Posted 1 week, 4 days ago. Add a comment
Following just a quick glance at Lifetime Collective’s Spring 2010 collection, it’s as obvious as a boner in trackpants that this season is inspired by the brand’s West Coast roots. With this “wintery mix” weather here on the East Coast while typing this, we’re tempted to hiss “the hell with them” but, shit - the line does have us looking forward to barbecues, baseball, days on the beach, nights skating the city and everything else defined by the warm rays of summer. Just can’t hate on that.
Still… we can’t bring ourselves to waxing on Lifetime’s tees, tanks and henley shirts just yet (60-70 degree here next week..?), but ‘lo and behold, LC’s bread and butter of the line is the crew’s denim, offered in three cuts to fit your lifestyle.
The Billy Jean is our choice for it’s “slim, straight” cut, meaning it avoids the my-legs-are-melting look while making sure your nuts stay fresh and unsquished with more room in the thighs. Lifetime’s Raw Blue wash combined with the gold stitching throws out that vintage vibe we like, and some pals around the office have used the Light Blue wash models to coordinate up some crazy shit… we’re sure that you fashionistos out there have the wheels spinning already.
A looser fit without hanging off of your ass and dragging behind your feet is The Bobby Jean; with it’s straight leg and wider cuff, we’ve been rocking these with our Red Wing boots (goddamn winter never ends, but at least we have our Red Wings) with hella success and they’re ideal for high top sneakers. Like the Billy Jean, The Bobby joints rock it with signature rivets, button fly and contrast stitching, but furthermore present an additional stash pocket above the back left pocket. Show us a man who doesn’t like strategically-placed extra pockets and we’ll show you a goddamned liar.
The anorex- uh, skinny fit option is The Belafonte Jean… which, while indeed skinny, is by no means a painted-on pair of women’s jeans. The Belafonte is stitched with a degree of spandex allowing some give and take, and we’ve found A LOT more room around the thighs and seat than on skinny fit denims some other brands put out there. These are still some tough bastards that have survived more than a few bails, all without giving us the chipmunk voice. Success.
All these and more at Lifetime Collective’s page – click the banner below check ‘em out!
Posted 1 week, 5 days ago. Add a comment
You might wonder how The Blogs stay so up on current events and culture within our marketplace – or not. But regardless, it’s no easy task (especially since we don’t have a television and listen to Slayer almost exclusively), it’s a huge part of the job, and we certainly couldn’t do it without the help of our thankless minions that we call “interns.” We’re letting young Brittany Zaragoza take the wheel for her first spin around the block today, so shut the fuck up and pay attention, you stupid jerks.
We’re pretty sure most of you can’t dance or sing like Jason Darulo, or maybe you can – who knows but you, right? Well, we know how you can get your gear up like his, seen in the latest video “In My Head” as he dances around in the TUF Muska Skytop.
Now, who really wants to jock another guy’s style? (Not us. – Blog) We have The TUF Skytops in a variety of colors to choose from, so there’s no reason to even have the same color as Jason… unless you really want to.
Posted 2 weeks, 1 day ago. Add a comment
Rooted in skate, snow and surf culture with heavy emphasis on the art of it all, Gravis is totally unfuckwithable when it comes to product research, development and attention to detail with every single line of footwear, packs, bags and luggage these folks put out, and our pals came through with yet another killer drop here at Karmaloop.
Back again like herpes – albeit much sexier and way more comfortable – our beloved Cortex Hi got the all-black treatment this time ’round, save for the kaleidoscope of color on the mesh fabric interior. No one’s really gonna see that while you’re rockin’ ‘em, but who gives a shit? It’s like copping your girl just a card for your anniversary – the thought DOES count, and you can tell her we said that.
Back to the Cortex – full leather uppers, ankle strap, gum rubber sole… you know what’s up.
New Shit Alert; the bitchin’ Lowdown HC got a lil’ bit lower with The Lowdown LE, remarkably without compromising this motherfucker’s toughness, durability and comfort. Featuring the same combination of leather and nylon panels as it’s taller brethren, this is still a hard-as-day-old-dog-shit sneaker whether you’re pushing decks or kicking rocks. Not to mention that the burly black and red colorway is universally rockable with just about anything… except this bullshit.
We introduced the low top Slymz joints last Spring to much acclaim, and just as we expected, Gravis picked up the ball and ran with it by making some very welcome improvements for 2010. First, foremost, and most noticeable from the jump, the low profile sole is not quite as low as last year’s effort which almost came off as some kind of house slipper/women’s Keds hybrid. Gravis kept the clean-as-fuck seam piping and contrast tan gum rubber tread (gotta love the little details) and even came through with a SICK mid top model. Less clunky and awkward than your typical chukka-style sneaker, the best way we can describe The Slymz Mid is the bastard child of a Vans Half Cab and Supra Thunder High. Crazy tough canvas, strategically placed foot vents to keep your dogs fresh, padding at the ankle and heel… can’t wait to put ‘em to the task once this rain quits here in Boston so we can go skating…
…fuck it. Can’t wait, we’re going. G’nights!
Posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago. Add a comment
