A week after news broke of the do-or-die sale of A Bathing Ape, Nigo is still in the news. Industry publication WWD ran the first post-sale interview with Tomoaki Nagao, aka Nigo, and this week also brought a preview of the Spring Summer 2011 lineup from the grown up sub-label Mr. Bathing Ape. And as Nigo says in the WWD interview, he is focusing on other projects, so fittingly this week brought a new drop from the Billionaire Boys Club 2011 collection. Another big name in Asian fashion who has been much in the news lately, Edison Chen, also deserved a bit more coverage this week with the release of two AF1′s he created at 21 Mercer. Hiroki Nakamura has less star power than Nigo or EDC, but is a much-respected designer and textile savant – and his label, Visvim has been turning heads, as usual, with the steady release of Spring/Summer 2011 product. This week Freshness focused on his project with Honeyee, and several of the footwear models Visvim is releasing for the upcoming season. Slightly more high fashion, Junya Watanabe got some attention this week for the release of the COMME des GARÇONS MAN Spring 2011 collection, which included a beautiful brogue, done in partnership with Trickers. There were also a few news items regarding Original Fake this week, as the label released some new products for the coming season. And among the overwhelming number of Spring/Summer collections, one standout from our coverage was from the Errolson Hugh-designed Stone Island Shadow Project, which reflects Hugh’s expertise in meshing the highly technical with the highly fashionable. Nike, of course, deserves a mention for the release of the Eric Koston signature shoe, which seems poised to be a hit. Also in footwear, a cornerstone of streetwear retail in the UK, end clothing, produced a feature on the Flimby factory, the hallowed New Balance production center in Flimby, England, which included a sneaker giveaway. And finally, Freshness is running a giveaway too – two jackets produced by Puma along with artist Kehinde Wiley. Read on after the jump for a recap of the top streetwear stories this week.

Previously the embodiment of unity, the French National Team disintegrated among petite accusations and infighting at last year’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa. In an effort to reinvigorate its spirit after such a public altercation, the Fédération Française de Football asked Nike to illuminate the pride and glory of the team. What Nike designer came with was a blue several shades darker, a symbolic cross between the Royal Blue of the French flag and the Marine Blue, which traditionally represented the republic. In Nike’s trademarked Dri-FIT fabric with accordance to Nike Considered guideline, the new national kit accentuates on details from satin lining around the collar to a tuxedo stripe running from the kit’s side. For an addition of flare, players can roll up their sleeves to reveal a hint of red, as in the flag’s tri-color. The most important aspect, however, is the one can’t be seen – an emblem sewn on the inside, close to the heart with the slogan ““Nos Differences Nous Unissent”, “United By Our Differences.” The Nike – French Football Federation Official Home Jersey for 2011-2012 is currently available at Nike retail locations worldwide.

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It’s pretty obvious what the overall theme was this week: shows – both runway and buyer’s events. From Pitti Uomo in Florence, to Paris Fashion Week, to Bread and Butter in Berlin, and Agenda and (capsule), in our own New York City, which had artistic direction by Dr. Romenelli, who released an inspired Chuck Taylor. The first Green Hornet collaboration, with the PHANTACi and New Balance collaboration released this week, along with a full Bape women’s line – inspired, but a bit confusing. Plus, MCM splashed onto the blogs with a capsule collection done with Phenomenon, which would do Lady Gaga proud. Other fashion news on the higher-concept end was the Junya Watanabe MAN preview of the Spring/Summer 2011 collection. And the one-time soccer hooligan staple Stone Island proved it’s reinvention doubly over this week with two amazing new jackets, while in other soccer news, Nike announced it’s project for the French Football Federation, with a full Sportswear collection and on-pitch kit for the national team. Nike also released a capsule collection inspired by Steven Alan, who got quite a bit of free rein with the sneakers. It was another big KAWS week too, starting with the release of his Companion as interpreted by Robert Lazzarrini, and ending with the release of his lightbulb project for the Standard Hotel. Also in art news, we had a preview of the Damian Hirst exhibit at the Gagosian in Hong Kong. And finally, while some people might be (and others definitely are) sick of the Destroyer jacket, there was news on that front this week too, most notably the video of Edison Chen creating his own at the Nike Stadium. Get the full edit of anything you might have missed this week after the jump.

Although France might want it’s entire soccer program to stay out of the spotlight for a while (following a number of very public and very embarrassing incidents involving the team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup), the program is getting attention from a new uniform and apparel project by Nike. Following our look at the fan and casual NSW apparel that Nike created for fans of the team, here’s a look at the on-field component. The new uniforms incorporate both French football history and all of the textile technology Nike can muster. Key changes include the full collar, which has a satin lining and a pearlised button, and a tuxedo-inspired stripe running from the underarm to the hem, which lends a hint of elegance. The collar also features the marking “1998,” honoring France’s victory in the FIFA World Cup. The jersey is also slightly darker than past French kits, a color which Nike press materials say “combines the bright royal blue of the French flag with a classic French marine blue.” The Dri-FIT uniforms are manufactured according to Nike’s Considered Design doctrines, and are made up of 96% recycled bottles – which is great for the earth, but the French team might have preferred a totally new beginning after 2010. The jerseys are very attractive, but they have a tough debut on February 5th, when the French team will wear them against Brazil in a match at Stade de France. Check out the images after the jump, as modeled by some French stars like Florent Johan Malouda, Gael Kakuta, and Abou Diaby.

The relationship between Nike Sportswear and soccer hasn’t been all honeymoon; while the Swoosh was all over the 2010 FIFA World Cup with Mercurial Vapors on many team’s feet and the massive (and well-executed) Write The Future ad campaign, some fans saw Nike as a Johnny Come Lately to the sport. Nike clearly isn’t giving up on soccer, as it was recently announced that the company has designed both a new kit for the French National Team, and a large collection of accompanying fan apparel. The collection defies most fan apparel clichés, and adheres to the style benchmarks set by the broader Nike Sportswear family. Key pieces are familiar from NSW, including an M-65 jacket and the ubiquitous Destroyer jacket. The collection is filled out by a number of T-Shirts, and layering options, some featuring the Fédération Française de Football initials, and some emblazoned with the collection’s theme: “Nos Differences Nous Unissent” – “Our Differences Unite Us.” While Nike didn’t reinvent the wheel here – again, a number of pieces are direct analogues from the parent NSW line – it’s a solid collection, and sure to be a hit among fans. Also likely to buy Nike a more solid footing among soccer fans; any holdouts should look to the entry of the Swoosh into skateboarding: ten years ago there was grumbling at the formal creation of SB; now Nike is an undeniable skateboarding powerhouse. Anyway, Nike created a huge lookbook for the collection; check it out along with product shots after the jump.

A World Cup full of ups and downs, some memorable, some not so much. With Spain snagging the coveted 2010 FIFA World Cup trophy back home, and Spain celebrating with an overflow of sangria and ham, 2010 FIFA World Cup has finally closed and it will be another four years before teams such as Brazil and USA come back for revenge. Well, on that note, everyone except for Spain will be trying to make it back for revenge. A quick verbal run through of some notable happenings– strangely, everyone in Nike’s Write The Future campaign were out of the game when the matches are heating up; Paul the soothsayer octopus has proven that animal intuition is a lot more complex than human minds can comprehend; Germany had an interesting 4 goal streak; USA were miracle workers until last minute comebacks didn’t show up on the courts; and last but not least, the adidas Jabulani ball which has enjoyed the high voltage spotlight of controversy from the beginning of the game till the end. Sure, this list is by no means exhaustive and there are many more memorable things we can possibly bring up, but words can only say so much. Meanwhile, a picture speaks a thousand words, so The Big Picture has brought us a wonderful recap of the key moments in 2010 FIFA World Cup from beginning till the end, when fireworks are set off and Iniesta raised the trophy into the sky with pride (shirt on). Check out the pictures, and get a quick refreshing dose of the World Cup again if you are still suffering from withdrawals. images via: The Big Picture

5,500 lucky participants will receive a free souvenir to take home on July 11th, the day when fate decide a victor on the pitch of Soccer City. In addition, a day where Nike celebrates the FIFA World Cup final with the giant Ball Man sculpture. Dangling high above Carlton Centre shopping mall in Johannesburg, the Ball Man is an experiment in ingenuity and coordination. By deconstructing a 3-D image and reconstituted  from 5,500 Nike soccer ball, the Ball Man is held up by around 10 miles of cable. The sculpture is about 21 meters in height and weighs in at 4.75-ton (who knew soccer balls could weigh that much) As mentioned before, 5,500 participants will walk home with a soccer ball when Nike begins to disassemble the giant sculpture. In the meantime, enjoy the last 10 days of World Cup festivities and cheer on the last 8 teams to the championship.

Netherlands, Brazil, Uruguay, Ghana, Argentina, Germany, Paraguay, Spain; or, Nike, Nike, Puma, Puma, adidas, adidas, adidas, adidas– if you want to a new way to think about the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the teams as we had previously introduced, via the genius of Hirofumi Kiyonaga of SOPH. and SOPHNET. As 2010 FIFA World Cup officially heats up, and those who had proven themselves have made it through second round (Sorry, Japan, it was a good fight though!) and will be kicking off the quarterfinals starting tomorrow, fighting to be amongst the four to be in the semifinals, Kiyonaga has updated his Brand Wars bracket. Check it to see if your predictions had pulled through, and fill the rest out for a quick dose of fun. Perhaps a fresh perspective is all you need to accurately predict the champion. Logic be gone!

If you have resided on the stateside, and is either newly initiated into the joys of soccer or doesn’t quite care about it; or, if you are a veteran of  FIFA World Cup game-viewing and is looking for a fresh perspective, we came across a wonderful bracket on Hirofumi Kiyonaga’s (man behind SOPH. and SOPHNET) blog on honeyee.

For them, the task ahead was a taunting one, to face off a global powerhouse with 5 World Cup titles under their belt. Still, the squad from Ivory Coast lived up to their nom de guerre, The Elephants, yesterday against Brazil. At 79 minute marker into the match, Ivory Coast (aka Côte d’Ivoire)’s captain Didier Drogba scored against Brazilian goal keeper Julio Cesar , despite a broken arm,. In that instant, became the first African nation in World Cup history to score against Brazil. A fact not lost on the majority of Brazilian supporters at Nike Sportswear 21 Mercer as the boutique host a viewing party yesterday afternoon.

Entranced by brilliance, the National Team Kits imagery by LAPP-Pro are ones of otherworldly beauties yet awfully familiar.  Commissioned by Nike Stadium in part to celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup, lightstalkers Joerg Miedza and JanLeonardo Woellert, principals of LAPP-Pro (short for Light Art Performance Photography Pro), meticulously manipulated light sources during a prolong exposure to create a picture of fantastical dance in light.  Because factors along each National Team Kits’ photoshoot varies, each image is a singularity with no second take, along with any post production editing (fawn upon).  An ethereal experience in light indeed.

Urban planners be damned (figuratively of course), the definition of what makes a city is not by the sprawling dimension. Neither, it is by the height of its skyscrapers, not even by the density of its population. The true definition of what makes a city is its core representation, or in simple term, its “soul”. As inanimate as it is, a city still can be as soulful as a Miles Davis’s rendition. Simply from its citizenry daily interactions, the culture it breeds, or just by its presence. A fact not lost with PUMA when the athletic giant created PUMA City.