Y-3: The best of adidias have to offer, in terms of style. Designer sports wear by famed japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto. Prices here are slightly higher compared with online retail prices, but the spread is minimal.

Nike SB History...

Nike Dunk Low Pro SB Soft-Grey/Magnet "London"

Like the "Paris" and New York City "Pigeons", this pair represents one of the globe's largest metropolises - a dynamic city whose sneaker culture is well respected on the world stage.

Embroidered on the hell panel is The River Thames, a 200-mile waterway so central to and intertwined with the England's past that it has been described as "Liquid History."

Limited to Unknown pairs in the world.

900 - 1500 USD

Surrender @ Singapore

Surrender: Carrier of many of your favourite japanese street wear brands including common projects, vivim, wtaps etc all in one shop. Although the prices are slightly higher then normal retail prices, they are still within the reasonable range.

Originals by Originals, carrying the best of what adidas originals ahve to offer, both located in central singapore.

Adidas Originals Pacific Plaza:
Carries the latest of what ObyO has to offer, whatever that is available internationally is available here too

FattyMingz Goro's Collection

In conjunction with my last post about Goro's, here is my own personal Goro's collection fo all to view. I also own a hand crafted bag made by Goro Takahashi using premium saddle leather and silver conchos to enhance that native american feel,or what my friend would say (got the village feel) that is really a beauty. (will post pic later on)

Extreme GOROS!!!

There are tons of Goro's fans out the, many huge Goro's fans and Hardcore Goro's fans. BUT THIS DUDE IS IN A LEAGUE OF HIS OWN. I have a feeling he used up half his life just waiting for Goro's to open.

Goro's who was created by Goro Takahashi a.k.a. Indian name of "Yellow Eagle" is a renowned name in Japan for silver jewelry and leather accessories with an authentic style molded after Native American designs that have been very influential in Ura Harajuku.

Takahashi went to Navajo in the United States after graduating from college for many years, where he learned antique skills to make silver accessories. Meanwhile, he was given an honor of being an indian warrior, and reagarding of the blessedness, he had the right to make Navajo's silver works. He went back to to Aoyama, Tokyo and opened his first and only shop in 1971 in the fame streets of Harajuku. Takahashi insists on making each piece of work merely by his hands, which is the reason why Goro's silver and leather accessories are that hard to come by.

In Japan, Takahashi is more like an artist than just a silversmith or jeweler. He combines the Navajo's traditional silver-making skills with his unique ideas and designs into his works, presenting by extraordinary delicate and exquisite details. His most symbolic works would be his feathers and yellow eagles. When you look closely, you may find each hair or gibril of the feather, looking like its swinging in the wind. This shows how exquisite his craftsmenship is when it comes to details.

BUT!!! if you think of making a trip to Goro's in Harajuku be prepared to que for at least 4 hours (from personal experience) on a hard steel bar as the shop only allows 4 customers in at a time. Best advice is to take that time to enjoy and take in as much street culture of Harajuku or just bring a Nintendo DS.

Nike SB History...

Nike Dunk Low Pro SB Grey/White-Dark Grey "Pigeon"
Exclusive to NYC. A riot broke out at one location on the release date of the shoe. When the cops cleared the area and the smoke settled, there were litters of knives and baseball bats left on the ground. The people who actually got to purchase a pair were immediately escorted to a taxi to go straight home for safety reasons.
Limited to 150 pairs in the world!!!
1800 - 2400 USD

Leather UPed my Knifes and Equipments.

Just added some leather straps to help differentiate my tools with other people (usually use tape). When the tools are washed, the leather will start to shrink which will give it a perfect fit on the tools. I am very happy with the entire look of the set of tools.

Ultra Dope MONOPOLY!!!

Lets face it, we all have played MONOPOLY some point in our lives, and i still enjoy playing it but this MONOPOLY set is no joke. Its board is 23K gold plated, with each token and dice made from 18K SOLID GOLD. Talk about playing in style, owning that set of MONOPOLY will make you from zero to HERO!!!

Nike SB History...

Nike Dunk Low Pro SB Rope/Special Cardinal "Paris"
This colorway was released as a Special Limited Edition shoe for the "White Dunk: Evolution of an Icon" art exhibition in Paris. Throngs of people queued for them for days in the cold cruel weather. The shoe features works of french painter Bernard Buffet. The toe cap and side panels are made of suede while the other painted parts are made from canvas. Last but not least, EVERY SINGLE PAIR OF THE "PARIS" DUNK IS DIFFERENT.
Limited to 202 pairs in the world!!!
3000 - 5000 USD

Artisan Converse

SAK x Converse

There are only 64 pairs of each design WORLD WIDE and these Masterpieces retail for USD$600 - $700.

This are the works of ace Japanese shoe maker Ryusaku Hiruma (a.k.a SAK) who operates in Florence, Italy, birthplace of Da Vinci, Michelangelo andGuccio Gucci. Every stitch, every perforation, every naunce is applied by SAK himself over a 30 hour period. Even the laces are cut by his own hand from one continuous spiral of leather, with a Converse star as an exclamtion mark for the tip.

The evocative smell of leather is also prominent in the first experience . They're lined with supple calf skin and the midsoles are generously thick cut of beef hide... even the soles themselves are polished to a hard leather finish, then imbued with a sipping pattern that will be instantly familiar to boat shoe devotees. That they are screenprinted with Converse's classic rubber thread pattern is just another example of SAK's meticulous attention to detail, not to mention evidence of a sly sense of humour.

Dopeeest Converse!!!

Denim!

Denim 101

Jeans are the most commonly worn casual pants in the modern day. It was invented back in 1873 by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis, originally designed for rugged work but is now a US$15billion business in America.

Dry Denim

Dry denim are also known as, raw, unwashed or untreated denim, which we may take a while to get used to it as they're a little rougth on the skin.

Easily identified by their deep indigo colour with no signs of distress. A pair of dry denim will fade, fit your body contours and distress according to how you move and what you carry in your pockets creating a unique, natural look.

Dry Denim Care

The trick is to wear it for 6 months before washing, unless you really soiled them, to ensure they are properly broken into. After your first wash, the creases will be displayed perfectly, uniquely. With proper care, the jeans should last as long as you do. This may sound awfully disgusting, but airing them in the sun should be good enough to last them till their first wash.

Washing of Dry Denim

Different brands have differnt instructions, some may recommend hot washes to define the creases, where as others recommend cold washes with no detergent. Below are recommended washing techniques by french brand A.P.C.

• Extremist recipe: Let your jeans get dirty for as long as possible. First wash: dry clean. following washes: soak your jeans for about an hour in water with a little WOOLITE BLACK added, rinse, roll in a terrycloth towel and hang up to dry
• Semi-extremist recipe: Soak your jeans for about an hour in water with WOOLITE BLACK added, don't scrub, rinse, wring and hang up to let water drain.
• Machine recipe: Machine wash at 30degrees celcius, delicate cycle, no spin cycle, with WOOLITE BLACK.
• Seawater recipe: Lets your jeans get dirty for as long as possible, go swimming in the ocean wearing your jeans, rub your jeans with dry sand and repeat several times. rinse in fresh water and let them dry in the sun.

Selvage Denim

Selvage denim is a form of denim that forms a clean edge and does not fray at its ends. It is popular among designer and premium brands for its durability.

Our current modern jeans are made via projectile looms, which are faster and requires less fabric per jeans. With seperate threads, rather then a continuous one, projectile weavings leave the edges frayed requiring stitching to be done to its length. The result, a lighter denim that is much less durable.

What makes selvage denim unique and expensive is due to the fact that they are made on traditional shuttle looms. Shuttle looms weave a narrower fabric, increasing the amount of fabric required per pair of jeans. To reduce wastage, jean makers use the fabric all the way to their edge which can be seen when the cuff is turned up. Selvage denim typically weights around 13Oz.

Notes

Dry denim and selvage normally come hand in hand, you want something that can last long enough for you to imprint those beautiful natural creases. Below are some of the premium brands that carry selvage raw denims.

• Evisu
• Neighborhood
• Levis
• Nudie Jeans
• Sugar Cane
• Flat head
  

Leather!

Leather 101

This post will guide you on how to tell quality of leather, types of leather and how they cheat. you'll soon understand why some leathers are priced highly and why some are more durable then others.

Steps of how leather is made:

1. Cow is skinned and hide is taken to a tannery where excess meat, fat and hair are removed.


2. Moisture, oils and natural preservatives are extracted and the leather will be in a state known as wetblue.


3. The wet blue hides are dumped in a giant drum where new oils, preservatives and colouring are introduced and left till the liquids penetrates all the way to the middle/


4. The leathers are then pressed in heated presses, hung up at controlled humidity level, sprayed with finishes and sealers before being pressed again.

Cheating!:

Some tanneries try to make as much money, therefore they cut the tumbling times by up to 90%. This not only allow them to tan more leather, but also reduces the amount of oil, colours and preservatives used. Suc leathers will fade and crack easily.

A good way to tell its quality is to look at its seams and needle marks. If they are of differnt colour, they are surfaced dyed merely to cover up the leathers defects. If they are the same colour, they are anline-dyed where the oil and preservatives pentrates fully. However its hard to tell simply cos most companies will fold, sew or paint their edges

Leather Types

Generally, theres 4 grades of leather that can be attained from a single hide, they are commonly available in our markets. Definetly there are other forms of leather, but this are the main 4.

Full Grain Leather:

• Best form money can buy, coming from the top of the hide where the grains are retaining strength and durability. Plus the grain also has breathability and rather then wearing out it will create a patina over time.


• It also refers to hides that have not been sanded, buffed. It retains all the natural imperfections on the animal, which are considered desirable as it gives the product more character. This kind of scarring however are not common on cow leather as cows are more gentle creatures as opposed to pigs.

Top Grain Leather:

• 2nd best grade of leather, its fibres are more horizontal as compared to full grain making them more pliable and pulled apart. The surfaces are sanded to remove scars and scrapes thus removing the strong fibres and a finish coat added removing its breathability, and giving it a plastic feel.


• However it has a greater resistance to stains as long as the finish coat remains.

Genuine Leather:

• Most common form of leather available in our market, but its 3rd grade and produced from the layers of the hide that remains after the tops are splited of for the better grades. generally its painted to resemble a higher grade. Suede is also an example of genuine leather, however they do have a full grain grade that resembles suede which is also known as nubuck.

Bonded Leather:

• Made from left over junks composing of 90%-100% leather fibers bonded together with latex binders to create a look and feel that is simliar to leather. It is not durable and is reccomended only for use on products that are not frequently used, ex. bible covers.

Threading and Seams

Threads:

• Cotton: ($1.5/km) rots with moisure and low abrasion resistance. Turns to ash when burned.
• Nylon: ($3/km) standard for sewing of leather products. Made of thousands of nylon strands that can be rubbed apart and detoriates in direct sunlight. Balls up when burned.
• Polyester: ($10/km) thread used for making airbags and all weather gear. Its 4 times as strong as nylon
• Sinew:(>$50/km) made from tendons and used during pre-industrial eras as tough durable fibre for sewing and lashing of tool blades to shafts. It is incredibly strong, contains natural glues and shrinks as it dries doing away with the need for knots.

Seams

The fewer the seams the stronger the leaher, it is cheaper to use many small pieces as it reduces wastage.

This is just a rough guide on leathers and i hoped it helps you when you purchase your next leather product. There are many other forms of leather out there, ostrich(the ones with the goose bumps) crocs etc and many forms of leather tanning like chrom-tanned and vegetable-tanned.