“The helicopter came out of nowhere!” said the excited resident… Buried beneath the troubled headlines in the recent years, there are accounts of actions merely talked about. This particular account was the elimination of a potential threat, a top member that belonged to the fast growing branch of Al-Qaeda in Africa. The location was a desolate part just outside of a village; on an arid landscape most have forgotten. After several days of surveillance, an imminent threat determined, authorization given, action taken. What the locals saw was in fact the aftermath, the mop-up portion as the helicopter landed for a visual confirmation. What the locals failed to mention was the men from the darken copter, the irregular uniforms, no identifiable markings of any kind, maybe except for one, their distinctive footwear… of course all of this was hearsay. But, we still wanted to know more. So upon requests and appointments, we went through a different channel of communiqué and to the source of those unique hardware – Oakley.
» Freshness Feature: An American Original: Oakley Military Footwear Program
Whether you have noticed it or not, we have been slowly expanding our features section of the site. Recently, we’ve done pieces on adidas MEGA and Self Edge that have provided exclusive and in-depth interviews and a wealth of visuals that we are quite proud of. Our latest feature is about a shop that is a hidden gem in suburban New Jersey, just across the Hudson from New York City. The shop is known by many in the high-quality garment industry, but not many outside of it. Named M.S.R. after Mike, Suzanne, and Robert Ak, the shop constructs shirts of unparalleled quality for the likes of Engineered Garments and Unis. They also made the button up shirts for Supreme for a decade, helping the brand develop the rich reputation it still enjoys today. Check after the jump for a story of devotion and uncompromising precision, and get ready for more features on the horizon.
We at Freshness celebrate innovation. adidas has been hitting hard of late with their Originals collections, and the designs that sprung from the minds of Jeremy Scott, James Bond, and Kazuki Kuraishi (KzK) continue to impress. Founded in 1924 and with unparalleled international success, adidas has a rich and storied history. And while they could simply “retro” old models in new colorways season after season, it seems that they have avoided simply resting on their laurels. A project like the recently-launched MEGA proves that there can be more to heritage than simple re-releases. With MEGA, adidas is revisiting old models with contemporary flair. We got the chance to chat with Noah Bernard, Category Manager, adidas Originals Footwear, and the conversation reveals the intricacy and inspirations behind a project that fuses old and new.
Self Edge is about to open their third store in Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 1, which is quite an accomplishment for a store that carries products that are unwaveringly devoted to bringing the highest quality products to its customers. Self Edge is the result of Kiya Babzani’s interest the high quality construction of Japanese-produced Americana garments. Since then, he’s opened stores in San Francisco, New York, and now Los Angeles. Kiya runs the shop in the Bay area, while Andrew Chen (co-owner of 3Sixteen) handles the day to day management of the New York shop. Freshness recently spoke at length with each about the fetishistic denim craze, the state of men’s fashion, How to Make it in America, and much more. Get ready for an extremely in-depth look at two minds whose devotion has left an indelible stamp on today’s menswear market.
What’s not to like about working with the happiest place on Earth? Disney is not only many people’s childhood favorite, it is also many grown-ups favorite collaborator. Because, beyond being a source of happiness, it is also magically captures our imagination no matter how old we are (Toy Story 3 did not get a raving review for no good reason, and it proves that a movie does not need to have nudity or expletives to be wholly enjoyable). As previously reported, CLOT has collaborated with Disney to open up the Man Is In The Forest pop-up shop featuring collaborative coveted items from Disney. To celebrate the launch of a cool concept store that will have us pulling out the plastics quite willingly and joyfully, we had a chance to sit down and chat with Ben Yue, the Senior Product Manager of Disney’s Fashion Division in Greater China, about how the collaboration originated and every nuance that came after.
» Freshness Feature: Man In The Forest: A Conversation With Ben Yue of Disney
Once upon a time, there was a watch that was all-resistant, it could fall through stories and stories, it could be frozen in ice then brutally excavated with a hammer, it could be thrown into the sea and then fished out after an extended period of time, and, it would keep on running. That’s right, the watch would keep on ticking, the digits would flash and change as if nothing happened, quite like time itself, stopping for no man.
In another land, at another time, a pair of twins discovered that they have a knack for transforming LEGO blocks into something wearable, something cool, something funky and fun. Gone were the days of building ranches and two-storey houses with white picket fences and swing sets with the little plastic blocks. Now, the LEGO blocks come in shapes of hearts, of everything imaginable and can be worn on shirts, coats, hats, bags…wherever you like.
Then, the shock-resistant watch met the twins, and something new was born. It was the Dee & Ricky x G-Shock GA-110 watch we had first reported on, partied for, investigated and delved into. To find out more about the partnership between G-Shock and fashion’s playful dynamic duo, Dee & Ricky, we spent a little time, caught up with Tadashi Shibuya, Vice General Manager of Casio’s Timepiece Division and Dee & Ricky, to chat a little bit about the collaboration. To get the low down on the who, when, what, why, where and how.
Avid cyclists and Freshness readers are probably familiar with the brand, OUTLIER. The clothing label dedicated to making the perfect cycling gear unheard of in other sportswear or even cycling labels has steadily won fans over since the company’s inception. OUTLIER’s founders Abe Burmeister and Tyler Clemens founded the company under a serendipitous meeting (although the barista at Gimme Coffee who introduced them might have said it’s quite a deliberate introduction) without prior experience in neither fashion design nor tailoring. However, both men shared the same goal in wanting to make something perfect they can’t find on the market (Abe wanted to make cycling pants, and Tyler wanted to make shirts), and they also shared a common belief that cycling is the 21st century’s urban transportation of choice. Long story short, after the duo met they went on by trial and error to create some of the most amazing cycling gear (the label’s 4 Season cycling pants repels rain and is magically self-cleaning of light grime) that are pretty much resistant to everything unwanted by the cyclist. As such, OUTLIER liberates cyclists from restrictive clothing and unpredictable weather, giving them the freedom to simply enjoy the ride.
A pattern there, a silhouette here, color palettes strewn about, clippings of material and samples tacked on an over-sized cork board…this is how one would imagine how the workstation of a sneaker designer looks like. Then situate this very scene in a person thought process. This is the ultimate definition of a sneaker designer, one with so much affinity to the “process” that it becomes instinctive. Such is a designer who usually goes by one name – Hue. For close to a decade now, Hue has been the “go to” person on numerous projects and collaborations. The obvious reason is his almost natural faculty in coming out with great, solid designs. (we eyewitness this in a recent project where he came out with 6 solid design concepts in the period of 48 hours) However, it is his wealth of knowledge and experiences, from his days as a buyer at Fred Segal, an early participant at Nike’s Blue Haus Project, to the more recent works with UNDFTD, that really set him apart from his peers. Yet in any form of outings, you will not hear the mention of his name. Making Hue the most novel designer you never hear of. It also makes him a “person of interest”, or more fittingly, a “designer of interest”.
Yesterday, Christophe Lemaire (Creative Director of LACOSTE) debuted LACOSTE’s Fall/Winter 2010 collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (which is on its last run at Bryant Park this season). The winning collection once again wins the world’s top fashion editors, buyers and tastemakers over with a new level of sophistication and imagination. The collection takes an elegantly measured play on proportions and volume and gives old classics such as knits and pea coats a new life and perspective. The result, like all Lemaire’s previous work with LACOSTE, is an extremely wearable with a lyrically concrete jungle quality to it (perhaps the coolly moody rampant greys have something to do with it) and it doesn’t compromise on classicism from which the collection is derived from– one again proving that heritage doesn’t have to stay a thing of the past but can be relevantly updated to be progressively inspiring.
In this light, Freshness had the honor to catch up with Lemaire on his work with the heritage French sportswear label, whose founder and tennis legend, Rene LACOSTE, revolutionized sportswear by bringing the pique cotton polo both into the playing fields and into the sartorial courts. Lemaire shared his experience in working with LACOSTE, what the label means to him and how he went about bringing the label off the courts and under the spotlight, perfecting the label into runway material without compromising on LACOSTE’s rich legacy. Also, we stole a few style, music and lifestyle tips from Lemaire as he shares his favorite eats (Usagi), wardrobe staples (vintage Burberry long tweed coat and Christophe Lemaire Boots) and even a play list for happy ear (Violent Femmes, James Pants, John Fahey…)with us. Check out our interview and stay tuned for a full runway coverage for LACOSTE Fall/Winter 2010 very soon!
> Freshness Feature – Match Point: A Conversation With Christophe Lemaire of LACOSTE
Perhaps a sense of curiosity and desire to peek into other people’s lives is ingrained in the human mindset, and this has probably in turn fueled the rise of reality television over the past decade and more. The quality of television programming have been in many’s opinion, gone fast downhill, thriving constantly on presupposed hype and artificial drama, therefore delivering controversial, trashy programs such as MTV’s latest Jersey Shore. Amidst sensory overload from television and light-speed user generated content, news and everything in between and beyond, few projects actually stand out, and even fewer have the quality to back up its popularity.
In comes Levi Maestro, the mastermind behind online series, Maestro Knows. With a determination to return to his roots of simple, honest filming and a desire to connect with inspiring friends and sharing their stories on the internet, Maestro has come a long way since Maestro Knows started a year ago, and even released an extremely well-received collaborative tee with 13th Wonder. The success and credibility Maestro enjoys today is largely due to a refreshingly honest take on people and the world around him, sharing candid conversations only friends who truly trust and understand each other can have. Some of the subjects Maestro Knows have profiled include renowned music producer 9th Wonder, tattoo doyen Mister Cartoon and burgeoning BMX whiz Nigel Sylvester.
Freshness was excited to get a word in with Maestro, chatting about everything under the sun from his work, to kicks, music and great cities to live in. Check out our freshly released feature and get to know the man who behind the awe-inspiring videos of key and newly prominent additions in the industry.
> Freshness Feature – Refreshing Authenticity: A Conversation With Levi Maestro Of Maestro Knows
It’s no secret that the sneaker game has changed. But the more it changes, says Mike Packer, owner of Packer Shoes in Teaneck, New Jersey, the more it stays the same. The Packer family has been in the shoe business since 1907, and Mike is part of a storied lineage in the world of shoes. He remembers the days of writing down one-off orders for customers, calling beeper numbers, and putting a shoe in the storefront so they could see it for the first time before there were “release dates.” Packer has an encyclopedic knowledge of the products he sells, and he is still as passionate as he’s ever been about the possibilities that lie ahead.
A few months back, Packer Shoes collaborated with Reebok for a special version of the Pump20 that honored Dominique Wilkins. There were only 29 pairs of the sneakers produced, so the release was highly-anticipated, but when Packer announced that Dominique Wilkins was going to be on hand to sign autographs and shoe boxes, it made the release quite special. Many in the industry felt that Packer Shoes finally got the recognition it deserved, and the future of the shop, as Mike told Freshness, is exciting as well.
Freshness got a chance to sit down for a very in-depth interview with a man who knows the sneaker game as well as anyone else. Packer discusses being in the difficult requirements of running a niche-market shop with great candor, and gave Freshness a look at the business side of sneakers. In an extensive question and answer session, our readers will get a chance to learn a great deal about a product that seems hot now, but has really never fluctuated–sneakers.
> Freshness Feature – A Lifelong Passion: A Conversation with Mike Packer of Packer Shoes
It is a common error, and in many ways quite unfortunate, to mistake simple arrogance with a more substantive character, confidence. There is no need of a logo emblazoned appearance or a pre-arranged marketing ploy. It is, instead, part learned behavior and part natural-born ability. To narrow it down, confidence, is a state of being, a finite formula of daring, personality, talent, and belief that exudes from a person. Yet it is a concept more easily grasped when defined visually, something the New York City-base apparel label Public School achieved since its founding 2 years ago. Freshness recently sat down with Co-Founders Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne and asked them to give us a brief introduction to the brand.
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