“Chill God, yo, the son don’t chill, Allah…”
“… what’s today’s mathematics, son? Know1edge, God.”
Up from the slums of Shaolin- er, Hong Kong – it’s Know1edge, back at The ‘Loop with a summer delivery so bright and tight it’s like they caught the sun and gave it to us in a Zip Loc bag (even if they did, we’d be like, “Of course, thank you.”).
Following a recent visit to New York City, the Know1edge crew noticed a few disturbing trends while strolling and trolling through the hipster-infested borough of Williamsburg. Man-tights. “Murses (if you don’t know, believe us, you’re better off).” And of course, “the Rainbow Brite on crack” look that Know1edge’s Annie Lee is still trying to scrub from her mind. With the United State’s fashionable reputation on the line, Know1edge travelled further south to Miami, Florida and found what they had been looking for: men that dressed like men.
“We’ve always been big fans of the Cuban style,” Annie wrote us. “Tony Montana, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, guayaberas, Cuban hats to Cuban cigar packaging, and that’s how the summer line was born.”
The Cuban influence is apparent on a number of items from the Know1edge summer drop, particularly with the new hats and buttondowns. iAye! The Rodriguez Ivy Hat (above left) and The Fidel Buttondown Shirt (above right) are so Havana that they come packaged with a baseball glove, pork, egg and cheese sandwich and a cigar (just kidding). And with the revolutionary aesthetic of The Columbus Buttondown Shirt (below left) and The Esteban Fedora (below right), forget about the fucking Che tee at your college bookstore and do the man some real justice by combining his neat, militaristic cleanliness with some ultra casual headwear.
Assorted purples and reds are THE colors of this summer (you have browsed the “New” section recently, haven’t you?) and Know1edge has those colorways on lock like a… lock… smith… yeah. The Maide Polo (below) presents the best of both, pairing an entirely purple composition with slight red accenting on the collar interior, as well as an all-black, sharp-as-fuck look with the purple collar and some bright green in there for good measure… not to mention that these 100% woven cotton stunners are more comfortable than leather couches after six or seven bong rips.
It is summer after all (may be shocking news if you’re reading from Boston), and this season means a sharp tee game is in order. So take off that funky hoodie, throw it in the back of the closet (again, if you’re reading from Boston – disregard) and show off that beer gut you’ve acquired throughout the winter with The Explore Tee and The Knight’s Moves Tee. We love Know1edge tees for the simplicity and sheer cleanliness of the graphics, and the cut-and-sew? Flawless. Each size feels as though it had been tailored to your fit, so keep poundin’ them Guinness Stouts and forget about the six-pack already.
Jeee-sus. The second collaboration between Know1edge and Diamond Supply Co. is another pairing not seen since Raekwon and Ghostface cooked up Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…
Nick Tershay of Diamond Supply Co. fell hard for The HongMuthaFuckinKong Tee created a couple years back out of Know1edge’s 8Five2 Shop (check out Karmaloop bossman Greg Selkoe choppin’ it up with Brian Siswojo and Annie in Hong Kong) leading to the highly acclaimed first collaboration. What started as a fun project between the two brands became a quick sensation, so it was only natural that the two brought it back. Featuring a slimmer fit, and with both raw and aged indigo washes for this season, The Diamond Denims are officially repeat homicide. Staring with the embroidery, the craftsmanship behind the “DIAMOND” signature text across the back and the Diamond Supply Co. logo peeking from the front left pocket might keep you from sitting or digging into your pockets at the club in fear of fuckin’ with the stitchin’… but don’t feel that way, buddy. These joints are tough like cafeteria steaks but much more delicious. Additional features include signature Know1edge buttons and rivets, contrast stitching in silver, gold and tan, plus that perfect not-nut-huggers, not-parachute-pants happy medium fit, with more crazy attention to detail that makes these denims pop like bottlerockets.
Check out the rest of Know1edge’s genius drop at Karmaloop here.
