On my desk: Apartamento and Monocle
February 19, 2011
Two publications worth exploring outside of the digital container—Tyler Brûlé’s Monocle and Marco Velardi’s Apartamento. If you are a printed publication going through some major weight loss, take notes. Art direction, paper choice and well-written content really matter.
On my desk: Beams x Inspiration iPad bag
February 19, 2011
This years Inspiration Gathering attendees were treated with a complimentary iPad bag courtesy of Beams Japan. I don’t have an iPad, but it definitely makes for a good camera bag.
On my desk: Shirts! from Outsiders BMX and Marble Cycles
February 19, 2011
Rhandy of Outsiders BMX pretty much runs the BMX scene in San Diego. If you are ever looking to build an old school BMX bike, this is THEE guy that you should get a hold of.
The shirt on the right was given to me by the kind, Atsu Hanashima. He helps run Marble Cycles along with Makoto Kaji. My friend Ted (Jyumoku) introduced me to them at last week’s Inspiration Gathering. Their shop is based out of Los Angeles and focuses on custom motorcycle fabrication. Check out their site to see some of the work they’ve done.
On my desk: “Sleep Forever” 7-inch by the Crocodiles
January 28, 2011
With the sun finally starting to peek out of its winter slumber—these last few days in Portland have actually been pretty nice. I picked up this single at the Crocodiles show last week at the Doug Fir. It was nice to get a little bit of home just a few blocks away from my apartment. For those in San Diego, be sure to check out their show this Saturday at the Casbah.
On my desk: “The Hobo Style” by Porter Classic
January 9, 2011
During the Great Depression, high unemployment rates around the country lead to the rise of America’s hobo culture. By definition, a hobo is a migratory worker. They lived nomadic, day-to-day lifestyles with little-to-no money. Life was tough for these guys and they pretty much had to make ends meet with the limited resources that they had on the road. On top of the DIY aesthetic of their garb, hobos went as far as creating their own written code.
Last year, Leo and Katsu Yoshida of Porter Classic wrote a book called The Hobo Style. Published in association with the Hobo Museum, the book is a visual archive of the lives they lived and the items they carried along the way.
Over the holiday break, my friend Ted {Jyumoku} had the pleasure of running into Leo and Katsu at the Porter Classic shop in Tokyo. Before they parted ways, the Yoshidas relayed a copy of the book to me and were kind enough to sign it as well. Thank you gentlemen! More about Porter Classic here and here.
On my desk: Solitary Arts collateral
January 8, 2011
Solitary Arts is an awesome skateboard company owned by Geoff McFetridge and Yong-Ki Chang. I got these stickers at Igloo, which is an awesome shop in San Diego owned by Gary Benzel. Awesome.
On my desk: Eternal Ruler. Issue 2
January 2, 2011
On my desk: Coffee mug by The Real McCoy’s
January 2, 2011
Throughout the early 90′s, The Real McCoy’s rose to fame with their unmatched reproductions of WW2-era flight jackets. Since then, The Real McCoy’s have extended their collection—which now includes jeans, loopwheeled sweatshirts and a full range of military bags. While visiting San Diego over the holidays, friend Arik {Eternal Ruler} brought me back one of their mugs from Japan. Not a bad way to put down my morning coffee. No guts no glory! So rad.
On my desk: Christopher Moore’s “The Stupidest Angel” and AC Dickson’s “guide to eBay PowerSelling”
January 2, 2011
On my desk: Vans OTW Larkin and Alomar
December 26, 2010
I got quite the package a few days ago from the kind folks at Vans. My friend Rickey Kim, who has played a huge inspiration for me, is currently the voice behind the Vans OTW {Off the Wall} Collection. Relatively new, the OTW range finds it way to close the gap between lifestyle and skateboarding by taking a design-forward approach. The aesthetic is modern without straying too far away from the core values of skateboarding that Vans has been synonymous with. Unlike the rest of the Vans collections, the Off the Wall advocates are, photographers, illustrators and designers.
Within the package was a pair of their slim-profile, low-cut Larkins and a pair of chukka-inspired Alomars. These are my first pairs of OTW’s and so far, the Larkins have been my daily walkers. Super comfortable and pretty much feel broken-in right out of the box. Not a bad way to start off the new year. Thanks Rickey!
Visit Vans OTW to read more about the collection and the stories shared by their advocates.
