With the ongoing renovation, Colette welcomes shoppers to their Place du Marché Saint-Honoré mini-store (next to CDG Parfums shop). The store hours are from Monday through Saturday, 12am to 7pm. You will find all about the original Colette spirit, only in a smaller area. Many collector items available next 8/8/8!!
Colette will re-open on August 25th.
Mini Colette
23 Place du Marché Saint-Honoré | 
Map
75001 Paris, France
Store Hours: Monday through Saturday, 12am to 7pm.
More after the jump…
Interview with Ric Chiang (蔣先威) & Jay Chou (周杰倫) of PHANTACi
Interview by: AJH
Translated by: Poe
Produced by: Dan Hwang (DAN H.)
Situated in the trend setting neighborhood of Taipei City’s Eastern District (東區), where shoppers would find landmarks such as Taipei 101 skyscraper and stores like Undercover Taipei, is PHANTACi. More than just a simple urban fashion retailer, PHANTACi has the unique distinguishment as the only store with Nike’s “Tier 0″ account on this island nation.
A partnership between famed musician/actor Jay Chou (周杰倫) and his long time friend Ric Chiang (蔣先威). PHANTACi is the materialization of the 2 owners’ life-long interest with urban culture, from its cloistered stance from mainstream culture to its limitless potentials for individual expression. These 2 ideals played important roles in the store’s unique name, an amalgamation of the words “phantom” and “fantasy”.
Since its founding in 2006, PHANTACi has not only become the event space of many Nike product premiere events. It is now hub where Taiwan-based and international artists showcased their collaborations, such as the “I Can’t Brake” exhibition to promote fixed gear culture. To understand PHANTACi’s plans for both near and long term, plus its insights on the Taiwan marketplace, Freshness sat with both founders for a brief chat.
PHANTACi
1F., No.63, Lane 223, Sec. 4, Jhongsiao E. Rd., | Map
Da-an District, Taipei City 106, Taiwan
TEL: +886 2 8773 1426
Could you share with us how PHANTACi, the store and its name came about?
Ric: In its earliest form, PHANTACi was just a small store Jay and I started. We wanted to it to focus on things that we like, trends we thought that were interesting. Including, of course, lots of sneakers. However recently, we begin to test PHANTACi as a brand on the global arena, especially after our collaborations with Nike and others. As for the name PHANTACi, it was Jay’s idea. By combining the ideals he like about urban culture, along with his multi-facet roots in the music and movie world. He thought we should combined the words “fantasy” and “phantom” together. It is a bit mysterious and a bit playful take on the definitions of the 2 words.
*Note:* “Fantasy” was the title of Jay Chou’s second album.
Feature and Interview continue after the jump…
With Beijing 2008 right around the corner, Nike have just (re)launched their nikelab website as their ‘home for innovation’ for Beijing. The new site features 26 Olympic sports and 40-game changing technologies along with extensive interviews with all the Nike designers and profiles on innovations like Flywire.
“The Olympic Games push athletes and they push us. It’s a place where small is celebrated. At no other time will millimeters and split seconds put so many people in the world on the edge of their seat. The little things are riveting. They drive our obsession to create the most innovative products on earth.”
- Nikelab.com
More images after the jump…
An update from our friend 13thWitness.
Steve Nash had organized a charity soccer match called “The Showdown in Chinatown” which featured all-star participants like the NBA’s Jason Kidd, Baron Davis, David Lee, Leandro Barbosa and Raja Bell, along with professional foot-ballers Thierry Henry, Claudio Reyna, Steve McManaman, and Robbie Fowler. The match was an 8-on-8 on the Nike field at the Sara D. Roosevelt Park on Chrystie Street (between Rivington and Stanton Streets), across the way from Freshness NYC office.
The SHOWDOWN
Producer: Steve Nash
Creative Director: 13thWitness
Interview with Tom Chung, Owner of ACU
Interview and Written by: Tom Bradley
Produced by: Dan Hwang (DAN H.)
Founded by a group of longtime friends, ACU has given life to the fledgling Chinese streetwear market. Western ideals are infused with Eastern values as the brand develops into an internationally renowned label. With a few collaborations under their belt, ACU is forging a new identity for their community and changing the market as a whole.
ACU
Shop#15, 139 Changle Road | Map
Shanghai, China
Interview and Feature continue after the jump…
For the unveiling of its latest addition to the New Balance M576 series, New Balance invited Freshness to the city of Shanghai, China for a VIP regional launch event. The special evening saw live performances by Chinese rock band Yuguo (羽果), China’s first b-boy team Caster Dance Studio, and among others.
With an increasing global interest on Chinese culture, the design team at New Balance decided to base the new 576 on themes and inspirations taken from masks – essential props/tools in Sichuanese Opera. Similar to its more familiar counterpart, Peking Opera (or Beijing Opera), this ancient craft of utilized masks to propagate a storyline. However, practitioners of Sichuanese Opera must perfect the illusion of Bian Lian (translated as “changing face”), a sleight-of-hand skill where dozens of masks are worn by the actors to achieve the changes of facial expression.
To replicate same depth of colors and dimensions of these masks on the New Balance M576. The designers went with a number of processes. Portion of the upper were embossed with traditional Chinese Opera graphics, while other parts were etched with modernize Chinese patterns. To further the complexity, sections of embroideries were added as well. The design team also didn’t skimp over the materials on this special collection, with the application of premium suede, patent leather, and much more.
The China Mask Collection will feature 3 styles – Jing, Mo, and Chou, each in its distinctive and vibrant colorways. A fourth style, the limited edition Wu Shuang (translated as “one of a kind”) will be the centerpiece of the collection with only 576 units available worldwide.
Expect the New Balance MT576 – China Mask Collection to roll out toward the end of the Beijing Olympic on August 23rd.
More photos after the jump…
Interview with Jimmy Wu, Director of INVINCIBLE
Interview and Written by: Tom Bradley
Produced by: Dan Hwang (DAN H.)
Taiwanese clothing boutique INVINCIBLE is more than a store. It is a lifestyle, an attitude, and a state of being. For the creators of the location, the brands they carry and the space they occupy are steeped in their personal beliefs about art and fashion. These hip loners are not concerned with the popular market, opting to do projects they believe in aesthetically versus those poised to bring the most monetary gain. Yet with such a distinctly individual style they might find themselves squaring off with the international hype-beast sooner than they think.
INVINCIBLE
1F., No.3, Alley 35, Lane 181, Sec. 4, Jhongsiao E. Rd., | 
Map
Da-an District, Taipei City, Taiwan
TEL #: +886-2-8771-9958
> New Balance & INVINCIBLE: The MT580 Exhibition
Interview and Feature continue after the jump…
NSW- Footwear
Written by: Poe
Produced by: Dan Hwang (DAN H.)
Look into the definition of the word “classic”, you are bound to find other word associations such as “standard”, “tradition”, “established”, or “timeless”. It is generally something that’s been tried and tested. Something where its validity won out against time, trends, and critics. More importantly, it is not something that needs alteration or improvement. However, a product’s standing as a “classic” gives designers at Nike all the more reason to modify it. Again, it is that never ending quest to exceed the demands put on each Nike’s products. A motivation that has resulted in exciting hybrids like Air Max 90/360 and Air Jordan Fusion. The debut collection of Nike Sportswear (NSW) encapsulated the same motivation. After all, as the company puts it, “why reissue when you can re-master?”.
Feature continue after the jump…
NSW- General Overview of the Collection
Written by: Poe
Produced by: Dan Hwang (DAN H.)
It is suitable to state that no other brand in contemporary history of athletic lifestyle has infused so much influence as Nike. So on this, the 36th year of the label’s existence, the Beaverton-based company could easily rest on its numerous laurels in the past. However, its inborn nature – to create tools that exceeds the demands of all athletes, will not let it. It is this concept, so instilled in Nike’s DNA, of which the countless innovations, from the ubiquitous Nike Air to the most recent Nike SPARQ, all came to fruition. Out of this – of heritage and conceptions, you will find what Nike called “The Re-Evolution” of 8 iconic Nike products – the core of the new Nike Sportswear line.
Feature continue after the jump…
New Balance & INVINCIBLE Present: The MT580 Exhibition
Congratulation to Jimmy and the INVINCIBLE crew for a job well done! Here are some photos of the opening event.
Premiere retail in Taiwan, INVINCIBLE, will host a special event starting tomorrow, May 23rd, – The MT580 Exhibition. Working in conjunction with New Balance and mita Sneakers, this special exhibit will highlight all of New Balance MT580 collection, from the very first to the 11th edition. In the history of sneaker designs and collaborations, the MT580 is an important crossover series among sneakerheads all over the world. However, because it was exclusively available in Japan only. It was quite challenging to view the collection in whole until now.
In addition, INVINCIBLE will offer the oversea editions of MT580 with the launch of “Spy VS Spy” & “Pearl Leather” in store at 5 pm tomorrow. Because of all the initial interests, arrive early to avoid the long queue.
MT580 Exhibition
INVINCIBLE
1F., No.3, Alley 35, Lane 181, Sec. 4, Jhongsiao E. Rd., | Map
Da-an District, Taipei City, Taiwan
TEL #: +886-2-8771-9958
Exhibition Dates: May 23th (Friday) – May 30th (Friday) | 2 pm – 10 pm
> mita Sneakers (Japanese Only)
> realmadHECTIC (Japanese Only)
More photos after the jump…
The mounting human sufferings are almost unimaginable as the tasks of recovering continue after the double natural disasters this month in Myanmar (aka Burma) and China. In support of the ongoing efforts in both regions, we here at Freshness network and our sister sites, Sneakernews, Nitrolicious, and EN AVANT, each contributed to the cause and will continue to do so in the coming months. However, the scope of the matter still require more. So, we ask that our friends, fellow colleagues and dear readers, to please take a moment and donate (if financially permitting) to the Myanmar Cyclone & China Earthquake Relief efforts.
If you run a blog, please also link your readers to the American Red Cross, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and other reputable aid agencies sites.
On May 2nd 2008, tens of thousands of lives were lost and hundreds of thousands of homes damaged when Cyclone Nargis unleashed high winds, heavy rain, and floodwater in southwestern Myanmar.
On Monday, May 12th, 2008, a major earthquake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, jolted southwestern China’s Sichuan Province. Several lower-scale earthquakes and aftershocks followed in the same area. The quake destroyed many buildings in the area, as well as infrastructure like communication towers. According to the latest reports, more than 12,000 people have died and many more have been injured or are missing. Many schools were destroyed, including one that had at least 900 students in it. As authorities reach more remote areas, these numbers are expected to rise.
NOTE: Please be sure to donate to a reputable organizations or aid agencies.
With the advancement of communication and faster transport method, the world we currently live in is just getting smaller, with lifestyles intersect with one another. With this in mind, on this, our 5th year in operation, Freshness is setting on a new project – Freshness Asia.
Available in 2 languages, Japanese and Chinese, the 2 new sites will mirror the same intent of the original English version – An informative, in-depth platform on urban and contemporary lifestyle, whether be the arts, the culture, the products, and everything in between. Each will not only be an outlet on relative news from around the world. But also include concise local information and updates respective to each of the regions and the readers within it.
So, feel free to browse and look around at the 2 links below or the mini banners at the right side. And if you have any suggestions or questions, drop us a note at asia@freshnessmag.com.
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