Heather Grey Wall, the new business venture from Japanese designer Kazuki Kuraishi, has expanded slightly in the last few days. It is almost customary now for a business to operate an online shop alongside a conventional retail store. Kuraishi is definitely taking advantage of his online fan base, who may not be able to step inside his newly opened store. Open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, the new Heather Grey Wall online store plans to launch exclusive products that will be hard to obtain elsewhere. Unfortunately, it looks like they are not able to ship outside of Japan for the time being…time to reach out to your contact in Japan.

Hardcore UNDERCOVER fans would have already checked out the latest UNDERCOVER website when it launched last Saturday. Just as their designs are unlike staple fashion brands out there, their website is very much an unique design which goes against convention. After logging into the site with a secret password, viewers are led to a page with floating menu panels. Its most interesting element is the background, which is randomized and most of the contents of the website can be moved around on the site. The men’s collection page and women’s collection page differ in design, however both designs capture the essence of UNDERCOVER, linking its products and customers online. If you have not visited their website yet, take some time to explore the new website.

It is safe to say that UNDERCOVER is one of the most prominent Japanese brands who have survived countless years without an official website, even surpassing COMME des GARÇONS. Although designer Jun Takahashi is a familiar name on the honeyee.com blog and ZOZOTOWN launched their ZOZOVILLA with UNDERCOVER on its initial roster, their online presence as a brand has been absent to this day. Takahashi even dabbled on Twitter personally before noticing its incompatible with his lifestyle, resulting in the termination of his account. Although currently he prefers the Facebook platform and Takahashi can be found on the leading social networking site. Perhaps the team has saved the best for last, as their official website will launch on October 22nd at 22:22 Japan time. Coinciding with the launch of the site is an exclusive preview of the upcoming Spring/Summer 2012 Women’s collection. Register at www.undercoverism.com right now to secure a password to see the collection.

Star Wars fans, you’ll be forgiven if you haven’t checked out starwars.com lately, especially in light of the fact that the entire nine-disc Star Wars saga released last week on Blu-Ray, sales of which have already topped a staggering $84 million. So if you haven’t been on the site lately, it might be worth a visit, as the online home of the space epic has been completely redone. The once text-heavy site has been replaced with more rich content, including a Star Wars encyclopedia, video teasers, games and the animated Cone Wars series. Go there now and be transported to a place a long time ago, in a … well, you know the rest.

It started in 2008 when 4 friends from different cities wanted to create something suitable for their tastes. The outcome was Kinfolk Studios, multidisciplinary agency with several notable designs, including the hand crafted Kinfolk Bicycles.   With their new website up and running recently, a clearer insight is given to fans of Kinfolk Studios, its works, their Kinfolk Lounge in Tokyo and New York, and of course, those iconic bikes.  All told, it showcased an infinite capacity of the team.

Twelve Bar have just launched their brand new online store which is now the exclusive vendor for the brand.  At the new site you will find amazing new washes of their selvage denim, new graphic and classic logo tees, plus selected fleece and cut & sew ranges.  A handful of limited edition Twelve Bar favorites have also been thrown into the mix for good measure and in the Sessions and Playlists sections on the website you can explore the brand’s connection with music through a number of different features and mixes. Expect plenty more exclusive product and collaborations to be released through the site on a regular basis in the months to come. Visit: twelvebar.com

Keeping current and staying one step ahead of its competition, DC Shoes have gone back to the lab and revamped the design of their website. The new site is impressive in the way it puts focus on their larger than life photography from their past campaigns and it features new homepage, photo galleries and video galleries in each of their target markets. A social media buttons are embedded into the website to allow for seamless sharing on your favorite networks and a more interactive layout allows for easy navigation in retrieving news and product information.

A short time ago we reported that 1948, the Nike concept store located in East London, had reopened its doors following extensive remodeling. Following closely behind that unveiling is yet another: the launch of the 1948 iPad App. Essentially an electronic version of the 1948 print publication, the digital quarterly will allow readers to explore London sports culture as well as Nike Sportswear, including glimpses into future 1948 projects. The first issue boasts interactive content from local artists, writers and filmmakers, and an archive of past print editions. Download it for free here.

Any naysayers on the viability and the importance of data visualization should take a spin on the new EPIC by Nike Basketball‘s official website.  From the minds over at creative agency R/GA, the same folks which developed Nike‘s online store and subsequently the NikeID concept, the EPIC Data Visualization linked all the NBA players on Nike Basketball’s roster on a grid map.  During the NBA Play-Offs and the Finals, tabulations on number of Tweets per hour arranged the player’s position on the grid.  But more than just a visual gimmickry, the EPIC also dispensed historical stats and up-to-date information regarding each player, their tools of the trade, plus photos and videos. The all encompassing site is informational, fun, and most important element of them all, easy to navigate through. This also asks the question on why NBA hasn’t revamp their own website yet to something more streamline?

With the NBA finals right around the corner, Playboy took the opportunity to rate their coolest Air Jordan sneakers of all time in a project coined “Sole Mates”. Twenty three Air Jordans were selected for the ranking and each sneaker is accompanied by one of nine Playmates posing along side it. The whole spread is tastefully composed as one would expect from Playboy and the full count down is only a click away on Sole Mates section of the Playboy website. Take a sneak peek of the photos and video after the jump, which should give you an idea.

Since Satoshi Suzuki introduced loopwheeler loom fabric into the general public’s consciousness, several imitations have joined the fray as well. While he cannot lay claim to be the first to do so, Suzuki certainly can claim to be the most authentic. From the acquisition of the loopwheeler looms themselves, a process hampered by the search of these nearly 100-year old machines, the search for long gone parts, through their notoriously demanding upkeep, Suzuki obliged. Now, the process is documented on the new, just launched website of his label, eponymously named Loopwheeler as well. So far only in Japanese with an English version to come soon, the new site explores the production methodology, the different fabrics and weaves Loopwheeler made, and finally, the various end products. A few interesting secret unveiled too, including the important role of empty milk bottles.

Clarks Originals is a reflection of iconic footwear by Clarks and their new website gives an insight into the brand and their shoes in an easy to navigate layout. Whilst highlighting the classic shoes in a grid system, the site showcases the progressive involvement of Clarks Originals in various facets of cultural activities around the world. It establishes that the brand is not only focused on footwear design but also engages the viewers into the relevant events from the perspective of the brand. On top of the new website, the Clarks Originals Facebook and Twitter accounts may also be useful for fans in keeping up to date with the brand and its footwear releases.