The Air Yeezy invades London once again...

So, two days before they hit stores worldwide, the anticipation leading up to the release of the second [and possibly best] colourway of the Nike Air Yeezy has hit fever pitch - people are travelling the length and width of the country in a concerted effort to obtain the extremely exclusive sneakers as, armed with added layers, tents and emergency provisions, they prepare to wage war upon Nike retail spots. 1948 and Size are the two retailers that are stocking the highly sought after [and expensive] sneakers and, as tens, potentially hundreds, lay seige to the stores, similar scenes are sure to be found across the globe. From Amsterdam, to Tokyo, to New York, to LA, Air Yeezy hype has raised the bar, the success of the trainer a well documented global phenomenon and one that shan't be abaited by the general lack of access to the rare trainers. Nike's move to not only collaborate with Kanye West, but to also give him creative control, has paid dividends - his eccentricity a small price to pay for the originality and genius that has allowed for the creation of such a successful shoe.

The kicks will be available from Nike's 1948 store in Shoreditch and Size Carnaby Street as of this Saturday the 1st of May - good luck to the fair few who lay their grubby mitts on them, they will be well worth the long, cold wait.

Picture taken from here - merci beaucoup.

Make Art Not War

Once again, another brilliant drop from the one and only T.Magic, this time releasing the platinum edition of the 'Make Art not War' tee. With strong connotations behind the slogan, and a dynamic arrangement of bold, bright colour amongst grounded monotones, the tee is not only visually striking, but also extremely powerful in the message it is trying to portray. Get your hands on one here, and I'd do it quickly before they all go.

Image taken from here - cheers!

Such a Charlatan...

Tired of the streetwear industry being dominated by menswear, Charlatan is a refreshing take on urban wear from a female's perspective. Innovative and fresh, the by women for women brand plans to become one of the first successful female streetwear brands to grow from these sunny shores - following in the large stiletto prints of US brands Hellz Bellz and Married to the Mob, yet with an invigorated UK slant. With street wear constantly pronounced to be on its deathbed, the scene needs an original angle; an innovative outlook, fresh blood and a digression into real, intrepid, new talent – Charlatan plans to not only offer this spark of creativity, but to also lay the foundations for women’s street wear in this country in a way that no other UK brand has so far managed to do.

Check out more about the brand here, and stay peeled for updates…

Image taken from the site.

Nike x Nintendo Wii

A brilliant collaboration between two of the best brands about, Nike have come together with gaming company Nintendo to create a series of Wii inspired trainers. With inspiration taking the form of Air Max 95s, Premium Blazers, Skytops and Air Force IIs, this is one of the best collaborations in the sneaker game I have seen in a long time - with the Skytops in particular a welcome addition to any trainer lovers hoard. Difficult to get hold of, and sold in limited numbers, try to get your hands on these if possible - available at extremely select Nike retailers, according to hypebeast.

Image robbed from here.

The peoples choice...

The team over at Trapstar are causing stir once again, and, as the Reset approaches, they, alike the other involved brands, are stepping up their game. With a dedicated fan base, Trapstar are already well established amongst the British street wearers’ consciousness and, as a thank you to the constancy of their supporters, Trapstar have decided to give something back. One of their one off, exclusive, 'once it's gone, it's gone' pieces has an opportunity to be resurrected at the Reset on the 3rd of May at 1948; one garment, decided upon by us, the fans. With a choice of 13 of Trapstar’s classic designs, it is well worth proffering your opinion, especially if it will bring back one of their best designs.

Get your vote on here.

Image taken from the Trapstar gallery.

4/20

Apparently, and according to an unscrupulous source, post 4:20 PM on the twentieth day of the fourth month, the consumption of marijuana is a ritual procedure [not just a leisurely activity], and one ground deep into the culture of cannabis. Needless to say, I'm sure this attributed itself to much merriment amongst the denizens of our hedonistic, fun loving society... Still, it is something I didn't know and there is actually a history behind it... Find out more here.

'I smoke skunk with my peeps all day, Spread love...'

Image pick pocketed from here.

Miss PC's tees

Leading up to her involvement in the exciting Reset project, aspiring designer, socialite and east end princess Patricia Williams [aka PC Williams] is releasing the first few pieces from her forthcoming collection. With some of the most influential young women in the creative scene placed carefully upon white tees, Williams has dedicated each print to four women in four individual areas of the creative field - to art, music, make up and styling, with a medley of wonderfully talented young creatives cleanly centered on the white backdrop. Focusing on the positive attributes, and the talent within, the creative arena, Williams has brought added attention to the brilliance of the females within the industry, which ties in nicely into her work with WAH magazine. I wish her all the best, and, as one of the most determined young women I know, she is destined to be a success.

Find the tees here and check out her blog here.

Reset.

The UK street wear scene is fed up. Sales are down, shops are shutting and they are generally feeling hard done by... But they aren't going to take it lying down. Some of the UK's best 'Young Gun' brands are rallying together in an attempt to do something about the slump and, in conjunction with Nike, they have given birth to Reset. A fantastic initiative that brings together the influence of Nike with the floundering mid-recession street wear industry [brands such as Trapstar, Second Son and A.IN.T are amongst the ten involved], Nike has offered an opportunity for UK street wear to be showcased in grandeur settings - the 1948 store on Batemans Row a fitting home for the urban mix of clothing that shall set up shop over the 2nd and 3rd of May. By bringing together fledgling and more established brands alike, it offers both excellent exposure and an opportunity to buck the current credit crunch blues. With exclusive deadstock items and exclusives only available at the event, Reset is working towards instilling a new, reinvigorated energy back into the industry and good luck to them. I'm 100% behind all brands involved, and it will be one of the events of the year, so make sure that you all get down to the store - it will be well worth the trip, no doubt.

Check out more here.

Dazed & Confused: Japan Edition

If you can, try to pick up the Japanese May edition of seminal London based magazine Dazed & Confused. This particular issue focuses on the Japanese urban scene, so expect a detailed look into the country's cutting edge fashion, musical and assorted arts scenes. There shall also be articles on Japan's streetwear industry with focused features on the likes of Stussy, Milkboy, Silas, BBC and Ice Cream. Find it, even if it's for the pictures alone.

Check out more at Dazed Digital here.

Image plundered from here.

Do to be a doer..

It has recently dawned upon me that to get anywhere in this life, one must become a 'doer' [In the sense that I must bring the hundreds of ideas and thoughts that run around my head into a tangible existence]. No one gets anywhere by standing still, and I'm lucky enough to have the resources, the self belief and the people behind me, to go out into the wicked wide world and to do, to create. It's all well and good being a theorist, but theorists don't always do the do, it's time to stop being so static, and to forge forward...

'DO...'

Image robbed [at gun point] from here.

Urban life at its finest...

Check out the amazing pictures of inner city urban London life on seminal London based blog Better Never Than Late [BNTL]. Amazing imagery and a fantastic array of gritty, urban, intimidating shots of huge sprawling estates, 80s-esque graffiti and dank, dark tunnels - these images display life on the other side where things are far less pretty and far more gritty. Props to the guys at BNTL for creating such stunning photography. Nice.

Check out the series of image here and here.

Image taken from BNTL - just a little taster...

I'm a sucker...

'What you won't do...'

Thought I should share that with you all... What can I say, I'm a product of the Hip Hop generation!

Image stolen from here.

A quick heads up...

I recently found that tees from British streetwear brand A.IN.T [Art in Transit] are being sold for next to nothing on the online super store ASOS [A Super Online Store]. A.IN.T has long been one of my favourite UK streetwear labels, with the focus the clothing has upon Britain, and 'Britishness', commendable amongst the diluge of brands that are so fast to associate themselves to, generally, American pop culture. Apart form being great quality, and fantastically designed, A.IN.T has real roots in the London creative scene, with famous fans including the enigmatic Seb Chew and pop diva Lily Allen to name a few. At just over a tenner, it is a meager price to pay for one of the best British brands about. Nice.

Get the tees here before they're all gone!

Image taken from the myspace here.

The Air Yeezy lands in London...

The Air Yeezy is released at Nike's retail stores across London tomorrow as 1948 and Niketown both gear up for masses of hysterical crowds ready to descend upon the respective stores. The limited edition piece of footwear is the creative lovechild of Nike and musical maestro Kanye West, a collaboration that has caught the public imagination by the scruff whilst, whipping many trainer lovers into a sneaker obsessed frenzy to match the hype of only Nike's most sucessful releases.

Read more about the sneaker, the story behind it and about Kanye's take on the shoe here at We Are HQ.

Image taken from here - thanks Mr HQ.

Can you keep a secret?

Check out the new and improved Trapstar site. With added features, and a new online store in place, Trapstar have began to push on with further establishing a brand that has not only taken England by storm, but also our cousins across the pond and Europe. One of the most respected fledgling urban brands around, 2009 shall see a new dimension to the already versatile company as the streetwear obsessed masses eagerly await the coming collection, which, hopefully, will drop this side of summer.

'Shhh, it's a secret...'

Image taken from the site.