Alexander Hughes – Brother Shabazz (Limited Edition T-Shirt/Packaging)

In a day and age where everyone and their nan have their own line of mediocre t-shirts, few actually have a deeper conceptual meaning, but many if not all use their produce as a means of raising awareness for their ‘brand’. Contrary to this mediocre movement within the apparel market, a seasoned ‘street’ artist, Alexander Hughes, has decided to launch the first phase of ‘Steady Pushing Dope’, a collection of T-Shirts and screen prints influenced by prominent role models that inspired Alexander’s artistry.

Malcolm X is a hero and role model to me. Never have I heard a greater story of change…

Malcolm X, May 19th 1925 – February 21st 1965, was an African American Muslim minister and a courageous human rights activist for the rights of African Americans at a time when racism, prejudice and segregation against blacks in the United States of America were the ‘norm’. Malcolm’s father and uncle were lynched by a brigade of White Supremacists from an infamous terrorist organisation, the Ku-Klux-Klan, after which he was placed into a string of foster homes after his mother was sectioned at age thirteen. In 1946, whilst serving a prison sentence for ‘breaking and entering’, at age 20 Malcolm embraced Islam, becoming a member of the Nation of Islam -then a controversial group- before departing in 1964. (wiki 2012)

After extensively travelling throughout Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East, he founded Muslim Mosque, Inc. and the Organization of Afro-American Unity to heighten both spiritual and political consciousness, and promote Pan Africanism -a movement that seeks to unify people living in Africa into one African community- in order to empower African Americans. Leaning more towards a ‘Global Perspective’ by identifying a direct connection between the domestic struggles of African American’s for equal rights and the liberation struggles of Third World Nations, Malcolm X’s beliefs changed over the years from black supremacy and the advocation of the separation of black and white Americans -until the African Americans could return to Africa, which was in direct contrast to the civil rights movement -who he often referred to as stooges for the white establishment, criticising their 1963 march on Washington because it was run by whites in front of a statue of a dead president who didn’t like nor respect the blacks whilst he was alive. Malcolm X soon become a sunni muslim and disavowed racism, expressing a willingness to work with civil rights leaders -previously prevented from doing so in the past at the hands of Elijah Muhammad- but still maintaining black self-determination and using any means necessary to defend themselves. Malcolm’s speeches had a profound affect on his audiences, especially those who were tired of waiting for freedom, justice, equality and respect because he articulated their struggle better than the civil rights leaders. (wiki 2012)

Click To Purchase

Malcolm was not only an eloquent great orator but a man of great intellect, but inspired many with his passion and determination to make a change ‘By Any Means Necessary‘. These are four words which are applicable to all aspects of our lives, our daily aspirations, these four words ‘By Any Means Necessary’ make our dreams possible once implemented. It’s not quite as catchy or contemporary as ‘YOLO’ -Rapper/Singer Drake’s 2011 remix of ‘You Only Live Once’ had everyone ‘gassed’ by creating the acronym which leads people to do the stupidest things under the guise of a frivolous acronym, it’s not as classic and airy fairy as ‘Carpe Diem’ -seize the day in latin, but these four words are as blunt, powerful, and simple as a direct order can be. By Any Means Necessary, do what it takes to achieve your dreams, do what it takes to defend your position, to fight all injustice, discrimination, segregation. These four words are revolutionary, they’ve always resonated deep within to the point that I say ‘By All Means Necessary‘, why? Because whatever opportunity I spot, I’m taking the chance to roll that dice and advance forward. In February 1965, less than a year after leaving the NOI, he was assassinated by three of it’s members -rumoured to be at the hands of the CIA and every other etcetera type of global elite governmental oppression organisation.

Each T-shirt comes packaged in a limited edition ‘paper toy’ New York subway carriage. The toy is handmade, featuring exclusive artwork, with each print in the series coming with it’s own subway carriage collectible, covered in Alexander Hughes’ illustration and artwork. The significance of the ‘Subway Cart’ dubbed with ‘Tags and Burners’ is a direct reference to New York City Graffiti artistry in the mid to late 70s throughout the 80s when graffiti legends such as Dondi, Seen, Zephyr, Lady Pink, Futura, Duro, Cap, Skeme etc ruled the subway lines and metro network of NYC by employing guerrilla tactics to the NYPD and subway maintenance workers who’d stop at nothing to ensure these artists can’t distract commuters and the general public from their humdrum existences with colourful and vivid artworked snaking it’s way through the poverty stricken crevices of the big rotten apple.

Alexander was born and raised in South East London. I met him briefly whilst doing a stint at 6th Form but whilst I was into Beats, Rhymes, Graffiti and Blunts, I had no idea that Alex was cooking artwork up in the notepad. Fast forward ten years and he’s turnt sketches into a clothing line ‘New Crack City’, a toy manufacturer ‘Hip Hop Toy Shop’ and an active street artist who showcases his work at many exhibitions. Alexander Hughes is a self taught artist, teaching himself how to paint graffiti, tattoo and animate. Drawing inspiration from meditation, philosophy, renegades and the rise of the downtrodden to places of prominence, he has a passion for directing projects creatively as a means to materialise his imagination. I respect what he’s doing creatively because it’s not just an empty logo on a t-shirt, it’s something steeped in depth, it’s conceptual creativity.

Store | Hip Hop Toy Shop | Facebook | Behance | Linkedin | Twitter | Tumblr | Website

Ghost.

Related articles

• Pan-Africanism and American Blacks Part 2: Pan-Africanism in Action (redsociology101.wordpress.com)
• When Malcolm came to town: He came to air his views. Just weeks later, he was dead. (philly.com)
• Remembering The Legacy Of Malcolm X (bossip.com)
• Malcolm X (socyberty.com)
• “One A Day” Black History Month Series ~ Mr. Malcolm X (theobamacrat.com)
• Malcolm X (socyberty.com)
• Women’s History Program on Health and Wellness in Honor of Dr. Betty Shabazz (harlemworldmag.com)
• Remembering The Legacy Of Malcolm X (hiphopwired.com)
• The Past Is Not Done With Us: Student Uncovers Forgotten Malcolm X Speech (historyisastateofmind.wordpress.com)
• The Foreword: Attallah Shabazz (africanamericanlitcsu.wordpress.com)

Back To ’95.

I love these sneakers.

Oi Ladies: Vans x Hello Kitty (June 2011)

To all my femme fatales who still refuse to don a pair of skate shoes, as if the safari print weren’t enough, please will you reconsider when you slip on a pair of the cutest sneakers collabs of the millennium?

Via Vans Girls Blog

It’s almost here, the Vans X Hello Kitty shoes are coming to stores next month, June 2011! I can’t wait to get my hands on those Sk8 Hi D-Lo’s. The checkerboard slip-ons are also Vans classic with a Sanrio twist. Are you excited for the collab? How will you wear them? Check out all of the style that will be available in Women’s sizes above, and Kid’s sizes below. (Via Vans Girls Blog)

Via Vans girls Blog

I wonder how many ladies will swap their heels, and high tops for skate shoes once they feast their eyes on this dainty collab?

K O

Style Street – Zack Tate x MNEK

So I set out to get to Pure Evil Gallery in Shoreditch, as I’ve been trying for days on end to no avail, and I ended up beginning a new feature in the process. I met some really interesting people today which made me feel as though I had some extraordinary intuition because the two people i happened to stop was purely based on what they were wearing. I was intrigued by their style, the way in which these gentlemen composed themselves signalled that there was a story to be told. Also, I had this on the cards for a while and I had my contact cards with me to cut 99.9% of the awkward explanation.

Zack Tate

Zack Tate - Marc Jacobs European Visual Manager

• T shirt : Hype Means Nothing
• Jeans: Acne
• Kicks: Jeremy Scott x Adidas
• Watch: Jeremy Scott x Swatch
• Glasses: Ray-Ban

Zack is a local resident who has lived in ‘the ends’ for four years, having previously moved over from New York. His occupation see’s him jet setting all over Europe and the America’s, whilst in pursuit of his pastime -collecting pieces from his favourite designer, Jeremy Scott.

Jeremy Scott x Zack Tate

I’m a young boy living in London, I do Visuals / Creative for Marc Jacobs and spend most of my time traveling Europe…

Big Pimpin'

Here’s Zack in action, word on road is that he’s an avid stylist too…

http://zacktate.com

@ZedTasty

MNEK

MNEK - Student and Singer/Songwriter/Producer

• Jacket: Ebay
• Shirt: Daddy Dearest
• Mirror Watch: Ebay
• Robot Chain: ASOS
• Glasses: Ray-Ban
• Pants: Jacamo
• Kicks: ?

MNEK (em-en-ee-kay) is a 16 year old student who is carefully trying to juggle his GSCE’s with being signed to a Publishing deal at EMI. Currently working with Nathan Retro -Tinchy Stryder et al- their collaborative production landed a spot on a Nike ad for the new ‘Air Max Lunars’ featuring Mario Ballotelli.

MNEK also remixed Tinie Tempah‘s Written In The Stars, which landed him a spot on The Very Best of Now! Dance 2010.

Keep an Ear out MNEK because he’s onto big things! To keep up to date with him, go here @MNEKtweets (I would refer them to your myspace but it fucked up my macbook so many fucking times that I suggest you get yourself a soundcloud or a fucking bandcamp account -I do say it humorously and seriously in unison so laugh but still I’m annoyed that it held me up a few fucking hours)

My Reassurance

The moral of this feature, is to highlight the important of being inquisitive, the importance of following your instincts, and taking your intuition seriously. (Roll your eyes and sigh if you will but it’s true)

I had this teacher in the 3rd grade at Tidemill primary School called Miss Robson. The first ever day of school she sat us all down in the classroom and proceed to give me, what was to be, the most practical advice ever bestowed upon any impressionable seven year old. She said…

Always be inquisitive, never be afraid to ask questions.

Had I not been intrigued by both Zack and MNEK, I would never of asked to take a picture nor engaged in any conversation to find out what it was about them that I found so intriguing. As someone who appreciates art in all its limitless forms, I find an individuals style most intriguing. Style says a lot about not only someone’s mood, but it tells you more about them than people care to realise. I didn’t know of Zack nor MNEK beforehand -I had heard of people around them and, probably knew of people who knew people that knew them but that was it. I believe that my intuition picked up on their inner creative energy that radiated forth, and by following my instinctive reaction to request a picture, I connected with two new creatives from opposite yet similar polarities of experience and creative disciplines. (No this ain’t the Mystic Khally moment before you roll your eyes and they get stuck at the top of your eye lids, I’m just calling it how it went down)

The important lesson to remember is that life is about energy, and that having a business card cuts of 99.9999999% of the awkwardness and questions because when they see your contact details on the card people feel reassured especially when it’s high quality matt gloss from moo.com (nice lil plug cah I need the masses to know manamans steas ya gemmme famalambilloskizzle!)

Next time I shant have to explain why I stop random people in the street and ask to take pictures ha!

K O

Kara Messina: Yagga Y’OH!

Last month I stumbled upon a Grime obsessed designer and intellectual by the name of Kara Messina. I was scrolling through my twitter and read a retweet with a link to an article about a designer who was currently working on a menswear collection to be launched on 280411. I started following both Y’OH and Kara after reading an interview which housed this image on March 18th. After various twitter exchanges on the beauty of Air Max 1s, I learnt that Kara Messina was a accomplished pattern cutter who worked in high fashion for 6 years, with a background working for award winning footwear designer John Richmond, as well as pattern-cutting for designer labels Basso & Brooke and Aquascutum.

Her skills as a pattern cutter allowed her to cut the collection herself so even the fit of the garments aren’t stereotypical to what’s around at the moment. She describes the silhouette as having a 90s feel to it “No skinny looks, Big Up oversize!”.

For Y’OH I’ve NOT used any checked fabric. There’s no point in rehashing another version of something that is already great as it is. Instead I’ve selected an existing cloth that has the potential to function as a “new classic”. Yeah it’s bold so I’m expecting some people might find it objectionable (hence the collection title) but it’s also a very beautiful fabric so if men can appreciate that, it can’t fail. What makes it so original is the context in which it is presented, which is streetwear.

So this is a designer who understands that it’s better to find your own niche rather than jump on to something that’s already been accomplished, similar to Missoni and their signature knitwear, Levi’s emphasis on denim, Nike’s emphasis on sport shoes. All brands just mentioned all respect their specialities, all have their signature ‘stock’ products which almost never change, whilst they may introduce a product to the market or reproduce a product under their brand, the question is: What gap is Kara going to fill, with no press shots of the collection, everything is pretty much a mystery unless you’re apart of her inner circle of creatives, family, friends, collaborators, and creatives.

Cut in three colours, one of which is printed fabric

Y’OH will consist of outerwear, shirts and non-jersey tshirts. The context of the printed fabric used in the collection is set to blow your minds. Inspired by comparing Hip Hop to Grime; Mens transition from youth to adult; 90s Fashion; Subcultural affiliation to brands and functional performance garments.  The market level is in between luxury and streetwear and will be sold on the online Y’OH store. The collection itself intrigues me because Hip Hop and Grime are basically the father and son when it comes to Culture and Sub Culture. Also many of the grime kids go on to become pop stars on music that is much slower in pace and closer to Hip Hop. Whether this transition is so one can tap into the global phenomenon of it’s father or artists leave grime behind because they don’t believe in its commercial viability is unknown but when mentioning Hip Hop, or their progression, a whole host of these artists use the terminology ‘growth, progression, and transition’. Does this indicate that when MCs were making grime they were young, sub culture, but when they grew to adults -not indicative of age- and made Hip Hop, father culture?

Either way, I’m intrigued to see how well Kara straddles the line between the two in order to plug the gap, and whether she answers the questions raised in the form of her collection ‘Heads Ain’t Ready’.

The concept for the first collection “Heads Ain’t Ready” came about though contemplating the popularity of the checked shirt. The much-loved garment that is timeless and unrestricted in that it crosses over into different generations and subcultures (Hip Hop, Skaters…) The checked shirt is considered such a classic, that regardless of the number of colours, wearing it is almost like wearing black. It performs in the same way that it pretty much goes well with everything. Camouflage print also functions in the same way.

Judging by this in depth and revealing interview with Full Frontal Fashion, Kara seems to aiming to take something that is already a classic garment and innovate in a contemporary forward thinking context. Kara knows that trend cycles come around every so often, but iconic designs such as the checkered shirt shall forever remain -most notably the Burberry print which has lasted several generations and still remains a staple house in chequered shirt design, or its lesser known but cult rival, the Aquascutum print, or even the Lumberjack checkered designs and those by Pringle (Argyle) to an extent.

My interpretation of Kara’s collection would be what Ralph Lauren did ,in the early ’90s, with the Oxford (candy) Striped shirt. The Oxford shirt rivalled that of Burberry’s iconic check which was created in the 1920s, first used as a lining in it’s military trench coats. After Polo dropped the ‘candy stripes’, Ben Sherman resurfaced out of nowhere to become the brand of choice after RL and Burberry for a checkered -oxford style shirt.

Shirt Fusing: 1 is the top collar, 1 is the underneath collar (a little smaller), 1 is the collar stand

The more interviews I read was the more the anticipation for the collection grew, I began to realise that Y’OH is more than a street label, it’s more than clothes, cuts, garments, and image. Y’OH is a philosophy of contemporary sartorialism, it’s not just about the aesthetics of an item, but whether its ergonomics are conducive to both user and lifestyle. Not only was Kara research trends, styles, cuts of clothes but she was going further afield by delving into cultural anthropology, semiology and semantic, social studies, esoterica and attending the free afternoon lectures at the LSE to see if there was anything she could apply for her craft.

I’m also a fan of the free lectures at the London School of Economics. My job is to find out what is missing and provide it. I am at an age where I don’t strive to be unique — or, to be more specific, to go out of my way to be different.

It was here that I began to respect Kara rather than just admire her for being an accomplished pattern cutter who was in the process of creating her very first solo collection which she had conceptualised, illustrated, designed and cut herself rather than outsource the work to outsiders, it’s a purely individual effort. Y’OH to me already signifies individualism and style before fashion, and the more importantly a lifestyle because Kara is at the helm of all activity and decision making, working to her strengths and showing strengths in outsourcing the sewing and assembling of the garments to local factories. it’s at this point, before anything has been seen that you respect Kara for supporting her local factory rather than taking the cheaper, less hands on approach and sending it to some sweatshop in a third world country. I’d support the brand purely on the basis that she cares enough for her local economy and the quality of her garments, as well as making the garments ready to order to make sure all items are fresh rather than piled up in an asbestos riddled attic being eaten by dust mites.

I see my work as providing a service, especially being a young female designing menswear. I am very careful to be thorough in my research. Hence images alone won’t suffice, and I spend a large proportion of my time reading cultural textbooks on subjects from music to advertising through to religion.

This is the front of a shirt (pattern) before it gets cut out & sewn up

I support what Kara is doing because she’s immersed herself in a subculture that people often forget and leave behind when they progress into the charts. For me, this is not just clothes, it’s the resurgence of a culture, a rebirth of something which formed an integral part of my life as well as many others. This is the rebirth of that which, had I not had it whilst growing up, I would never have learnt some of the most valuable lessons, and I would never have had a creative outlet for all of my teenage angst, and adolescent rage. Had it not been for Grime, I would never of had a dream, I would never of had something to keep me on the straight and narrow because of my firm belief in turning a negative circumstance into something positive. Besides, the emphasis of the collection is transition, and Kara seems to be attempting to cater for the gap in between boys to men -a demorgraphic which grime caters to because of its unadulterated energy. Maybe Kara is saying that Grime is not just for one particular demographic with this new collection she has made the choice to build her foundation in the gap between the childs innocence of eye, Grime, and its much worldly ancestor, Hip Hop.

Will the Y’OH collection be the catalyst of change, if Kara has immersed herself in the Grime subculture will she become the Dame Vivienne Westwood of our beloved culture, will this encourage other creatives as well as those who have already been a part of the culture, in some shape or form, to take more of an active roll in pushing it forward?

I don’t have the answers, I doubt she has either, but I believe that the stars only align themselves once so if your in the London area on 280411 make your way down to Pure Evil Gallery in Shoreditch and see for yourself.

Here’s a lil teaser… I was thinking the same when I saw this it was cleverly put together by Beatrice Alessio

Stayed tuned because now I’ve dealt with the culture’s Vivienne Westwood in a part 1/2 feature, I will do a spread on Grime’s Annie Leibovitz in the near future…

Keep Grime Alive

K O

Vans – Lo Pro Era: Leopard Print

I encountered these earlier on my adventure to Birmingham to see Adele in concert. A whole lot of my female friends dislike Vans, a few in particular, and I thought this Leopard print Lo Pro Era may convert the naysayers…

Fingers crossed.

K O

Dot Rotten – Normal Human Being (Video)

Directed By: Luke Monaghan & James Barber

Produced By: Dot Rotten, Naughty Boy

Mixed By: TMS

Tailor: Sauvage

Source: GQ

Black Milk Clothing

A majority of people may associate Black Milk with the rapper but the style conscious among you will associate Black Milk with clothes. Black Milk is a rebel brand run by an innovative designer who had a vision to create something Foxy for women which had that WOW factor. If I was a lady there’s so many styles I’d wear from Black Milk’s collection, especially the cape!!!

“At the beginning of 2009 I walked into a little sewing shop and bought two shiny new sewing machines. It was a slightly unusual sight – a shop full of older women making patchwork quilts for their grandkids… and me. I didn’t mind. It seemed very punk at the time. My idea was fairly simple – I would teach myself to sew, buy some beautiful stretch fabrics, and make insane leggings. Then I would find girls who would get into them. Girls who wanted leggings that could pack a little more punch than the ones on offer at your average department store. I made the leggings, found the girls, and so was born Black Milk.”

“Things were slow initially, but the girls who bought the leggings were always really positive, which was super-encouraging for me in the early days. The turning point came when I decided that I was going to figure out a way to wrap chains around a pair of leggings. It took me a week of drawing, sketching, scheming and failing before I finally figured out how to do it. I called them Cages, and they were a minor cult hit. From that time on, so many girls were ordering Black Milk gear that it became a full time job.”

“We’ve come a long way since those early days sewing leggings at midnight on the kitchen table. We’ve sold thousands of pairs of leggings all over the world. We’ve been featured in numerous magazines, newspapers and blogs from the local paper to Vogue. Best of all, Black Milk has now got score a reputation as one of the most exciting designer leggings labels in the world. But a lot is still the same. I still stay up to midnight sewing. I still personally design each piece. I still get a buzz every time a girl emails me a picture and tells me how many people commented when she wore out her Black Milk leggings.”

The Store

“Yeah, it’s still fun.”

The Blog

Moo?

Alice In Wonderland?

This is not a silly excuse to post pictures of beautiful women in leggings, I’ve been a fan from afar for the past year or so. Now that I have the outlet to let everyone know about the company, I’ve decided that it’s the right time for my readers, who hadn’t known about Black Milk previously, to become enlightened.

Personal Fave

A FUCKING CAPE TOO!!!

These are fly

Fucking Sick!!!

Very Deceptive

Black Milk, Up In The Ear salute you for being a creatively innovative self taught rebel with a vision. May you have lifetimes of prosperous creation, and if you ever need a place to showcase your new designs, holla at moi and I’ll be honoured to post something for y’all!!!

Peace & Love

K O

The Sartorialist: Scott Schumann

“BloggerScott Schumann, aka, The Sartorialist, shares photos from his Visual Life with 70,000 readers a day.”

This guy is a legend, he inspires me to actually use my camera not for a career but for the passion of capturing beautiful images. Scott Schumann is not a university graduate nor trained photographer, he just picked up a camera and started capturing images. Moral of the story: Follow your heart and be passionate about everything you do because you never know where it could lead. Scott Schumann’s blog The Sartorialist is not only highly influential, but he also gets invited to events, and coordinates photo shoots by the designers themselves.

On The Street: Paris

If I were to be stopped and have my image captured by Scott it’ll be the ultimate Swag acceptence because he has photographed and rubbed shoulders with everyone. Maybe it’ll lead to me meeting the legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld, who knows… From now until I get snapped Ima try and stay fly by always choosing style over fashion, staying individual rather than being apart of the crowd.

On the Street: Just Off Corso Como, Milan

I visit The Sartorialist a few times a week to see amazing shots, and the many places he travels to. I aspire to do such things in a totally different context, so when I get home I may just grab trigger and go out snapping but more importantly I shall apply the lessons learned from Scott Schumann to whatever blueprints I have.

For all your Sartorialist needs click here

Scott ‘The Sartorialist’ Schumann, Up In The Ear salute you.

K O

sartorial |särˈtôrēəl|adjective [ attrib. ]of or relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress : sartorial elegance.

Emporio Armani x Reebok

“Emporio Armani EA7 have joined forces with Reebok to create a futuristic line of high performance sportswear for Spring Summer 11 as a part of their EA7 range. The highlight of the collection is the first ever EA7/Reebok ZigTech colab.

This futuristic concept shoe brings Reebok’s most technically advanced running and training shoe to the stores. The Zig-Tech line consists of three athletic styles, two unisex, the EA7 ZigPump and EA7 Ziglace and one woman’s shoe, the EA7 ZigTech Nano, which offers a lower-profile ZigTech sole for style and comfort.”

 

Reebok x Emporio Armani = EA7

Not my type of thing ya na…

Your thoughts on the collab?

Nike ACG Wildwood – Black/Olive and Orange

Let’s start with a spiel about the ACG Wildwood, which I lifted from Size?

“Nike built the Wildwood to withstand outdoor abuse and still provide continuous comfort and fashion to the wearer. As one of the charter members of the ACG family, it was only a matter of time before the Air Wildwood’s return, as the brand continues to celebrate its first twenty years influencing sneaker fashion.”

ACG Wildwood - Black/Olive and Orange (On My Feet)

I cannot lie to anyone, my brother put me onto these back in ’09 because he had copped a pair that had the theme of an ol’ skool NES (the first Nintendo gaming console released in 1985 which birthed Super Mario Brothers, Zelda, et al) Control pad running along the one of the leather accents. I saw em and was blown away because I associated ACG with the uglier side of outdoor footwear, so when I saw the Nintendo joints I had to cop myself a pair. I had searched all of my usual haunts before going to Size? on Carnaby Street, my fave footwear and fashion district in the capital, and went home with a box of the Grey/Black and Comet Red. Little did I know how narrow the muffafuckers were, after a few days of wearing em my feet were fucked!!! Seriously I really should of worn them around the house because unlike Max 87s they have round fronts rather than pointed, they’re also much more ridgid because of their sturdy build. I really should have known better. After this period passed I literally couldn’t get them off of my feet, I was saddened when my first pair got soaked in a flood because I couldn’t find them anywhere until a few years later upon a Friday afternoon trip into Carnaby. That day Size? didn’t have my shoe size: UK9, US9.5/10, EUR42 (for future reference), ironically so I strolled 30yd over to Office where I got them for the same price they were in Size? with a student discount.

The other colourways were nice but I opted for this one because I had never been brave enough to wear such combinations of hues, added to the fact that I had purchased an olive Cardigan from work which matches the olive accent on the sneaker. I wanted to do something different because this year is much more brighter than previous ones, I feel that my first quarter is behind me, whilst the second quarter is a progression of the growth and learning from yesteryear. The second quarter and this purchase not only symbolises being oneself, but epitomises coming out of a shell, of my former self, to embracing the inner individual.

 

'Wildwood Safari' My next purchase

I use the mantra ‘Style Over Fashion‘ because my ‘Life-Style choices are not trendy‘. I’ve never managed to fit in, or ever felt like I did, so I learnt to embrace my differences, imperfections, and idiosyncrasies over the course of a lifetime…

To think I only intended on showing you what kicks I was wearing today, hope you enjoyed the insightful train of choice.

K O

^_^

Style On blast: Daisy Chain

Daisy Chain T-Shirts

My saturday morning started with an odd encounter, on the top floor of a well known high street retailer on Brompton Road, I met Maddie Knight who owns a clothing company called Daisy Chain with partner Shane Dowd. Here’s the company description and mission statement I stole from the Daisy Chain Facebook Page:

“Daisy Chain is a T-Shirt brand specialising in unique vintage inspired designs.

Our mission is to dress the world one beautiful t-shirt at a time…”

Here’s two designs that have made quite an impression on me:

The first T-shirt is a collaboration with Art Feministe.

 

ArtFeministe x DaisyChain: I Read The News Today

“Art Feministe brings a unique design with a high brow critique of today’s media…

Grab it today in a slim fit style, dress it with an oversize cardigan or cut to complete the look and wear on it’s own.”

 

The second is a collaboration with Jamille Graves:

JamilleGraves x DaisyChain: Bright Sky Night

 

 

“Jamille Graves and Daisy Chain join forces to turn a Yorkshire Garden into an extra terrestrial fashion phenom.

This richly coloured stellar tee is great worn as a statement in a plain outfit or layered up to create a unique look.”

 

To summarise…. Daisy Chain is a new brand set for big things with t-shirt designs fusing art and fashion to make statements.

T-Shirts start from around £15 amd there’s also an offer of 2 for £25 but ask in advance as the deal is not advertised anywhere on the storefront.

http://daisychain.bigcartel.com/

 

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/daisychainclothing

 

*All quotes are from company sources