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STUSSY SHINJUKU CHAPTER – STORE RENEWAL | EVENT RECAP ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Stussy‘s Shinjuku chapter store in Tokyo reopened last weekend on April 21st, and the crew got together with family and friends for an exclusive party the night before. Attendees enjoyed free grub, Red Bull and Singha Beer, and last but not least, a mini skate ramp in the back of the shop. A minimalist white exterior — strongly reminiscent of Stussy ’s La Brea storefront in Los Angeles — is matched by an equally clean interior, with bare white walls and exposed pipes and wiring overhead. And on the shelves, a fresh selection of Stussy goods and accessories. Be sure to check out the store if you’re in the area. Stussy Shinjuku 3-23-5 Shinjuku | Map Shinjuku, Tokyo Japan

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.29

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honeyee: GDC 2012 Spring/Summer Editorial ___________________________________________ The latest editorial from honeyee finds the respected Japanese publication showcasing garments and pieces from GDC. Based around a theme of “American casual,” photographs from Mitsuo Okamoto showcase colorful items meant for warmer weather conditions – focusing on bright tank tops, shorts, T-shirts and lightweight sweatshirts. The result is a cohesive editorial that bring GDC’s designs to life in a real world and accessible manner.

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.29

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STUSSY – ZOZOTOWN 5TH ANNIVERSARY T-SHIRT COLLECTION ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Not too many relationships stand the test of time, but when you find a good match – like that between Stussy and ZOZOTOWN – there’s reason to celebrate. After partnering together to bring people around the world the latest in street fashion and gear for the last 5 years, Stussy and ZOZOTOWN mark the occasion with an Anniversary T-Shirt Collection that stay true to the two brands’ philosophy of quality threads, innovative designs, and comfortable fabrics. The two chose to use the Stussy logo on each of the three Tees, with one prominently featured on the back in a flurry of colors, similar to the second, but with the addition of crossbones across the front and the note “5 Ahead.” The third shirt has the logo paired with a traditional Chinese dragon weaving its way down the back, almost in the shape of a 5. All three designs come in two colorways – black or white – and can be pre-ordered ahead of a mid-July release directly from ZOZOTOWN ’s online shop.

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.29

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Essentials: Willie T “I feel that every moment I capture someone in front of my lens is a memory they leave behind.” Willie Toledo, or more commonly known as Willie T, is a Los Angeles-bred photographer/filmmaker known for his ability to capture and document notable artists, revealing cover girls and creative environments from his hometown to Japan. Having first started filming in 1997 shooting his first passion, skateboarding, the Guatemalan-American later opened the viral doors to one of the first ever social networking sites with DoYouSkate.com in 1999. Today, the visionary has worked with everyone from T.I.T.S. and DC Shoes to Estevan Oriol and Snoop Dogg. After recently returned home from his visit to Germany documenting the Frankfurt Tattoo Convention, Willie T stopped by Hypebeast to offer a look at his Trade Essentials. Featuring equipment both vintage and modern, Willie T presents a brief look into his personal style as well with a Gucci Bi-Fold Wallet, Samsung Galaxy S smartphone, and a SK8MAFIA deck adorned with his photo

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.29

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Posted by 30T | 2012.04.29

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Video: IKEPOD – The Horizon by Kaws \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Designed by Marc Newson, IKEPOD is known both for their individual design and high-quality watch making. This year they present a new high-profile collaboration with New York artist Kaws, brings his popular artwork into the world of horology. Highsnobiety has been given the opportunity to premiere this IKEPOD Kaws video, shot by Philip Andelman at IKEPOD’s workshop near Geneva, ahead of the official launch event at colette on May 1, 2012. Enjoy.

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.29

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Jenova Chen: The Art of Video Games +_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_ In recent times of economic uncertainty, video games have managed to carve out a solid portion of the entertainment industry. Going head to head with movies, the successes of video game franchises such as World of Warcraft, Mario Kart Wii, Grand Theft Auto IV and Call of Duty: Black Ops has shown their ability to muscle out more traditional segments with revenues in excess of $1 billion dollars. The current complexity of video games has created a level of engagement never seen before thanks largely to the method in which they have been conceptualized. Although “game designer” is the easiest way to describe Jenova Chen’s work, he goes far beyond that. His breakout hit Cloud enabled him to catch the attention of Sony who offered Chen, Kellee Santiago, and their co-founded Thatgamecompany a three-game deal which led to successful releases with flOw and Flower. An upcoming release for Journey will surely pique the interest of devoted Chen and Thatgamecompany enthusiasts as we probe the Shanghai-born creative about this beliefs and approach to design. What are the goals behind your work? I identify and create emotional experiences that are, in my opinion, of great need by the world at large. To touch the audience and feel connected to them is important. Then I try to deliver these experiences in the most elegant, precise and authentic way through a medium I’m best at – video games – one of the fastest growing forms of interactive media. What are your inspirations? A lot of my inspirations come from every day life. Pretty much anything I experience could end up as inspiration for a game. From watching a cloud moving in the sky to browsing through flickr.com and wondering why there are so many closeup photos of flowers. The thread connecting all these random inspirations are peoples’ common dreams and longings. I once sat next to a three-time space shuttle commander during breakfast. He told us that there’s a strange phenomenon in the NASA space program – the mission specialists who have been to the moon, mostly scientists & atheists, all became very spiritual after they returned. One particular guy claimed he still didn’t believe in God when he returned from the moon was found unconscious in his closet two weeks later. When he woke up eventually, he became an avid evangelical Christian. What I read beneath the surface of this entertaining story is that the emotion of awe, the sense of small, the sense of not knowing; emotion that could drive a person to his spiritual enlightenment. Man marvels at things he doesn’t understand and worships nature, animals, human and body. But today, most the time, we feel we know everything or at least everything we ever care about. Even the things we don’t know, they are somewhere on Wikipedia or Google. Very rarely does the sense of awe occur. It’s also reflected in video games. The majority of the games are about empowerment, players have all the information presented to complete their tasks. They’re made to feel they can do anything, all powerful like a god. From there I realized that the feeling of smallness and wonder is the emotion that has been with human for thousands of years. In today’s information explosion, it is even more needed by our audience. That’s the inspiration behind my game new game Journey. While you reside in an ultra-creative industry, you were born in Mainland China which has had a poor track record of creativity. What are your thoughts on this? Copycats are associated with China today, but what you see is the result from a particular system, not from individuals. Fundamentally, Chinese people as individuals are smart and hard working, they are capable of being extremely creative. I know many Chinese fine artists and designers who are making marvelous creations right now. But very rarely does their art get exposed to the entire world. What you see from China today is what China is heavily exporting: their manufactured goods. China used to be a very poor country but now economic growth has been pinned on the dead center of the entire country’s policy. Making money is now the number one priority for many people and how much money you make has become the symbol of success and the standard of the Chinese dream. This is the value system that is limiting the creativity presence of China at large. In a legal safe heaven and a domestic market that is as large as U.S. and Europe, when you copycat Western ideas and manufacture these ideas into products, you are doing it without any R&D costs. You are running a more competitive and successful business manufacturing compared to those who waste their budgets on R&D. Being successful is more important than being unique and different in most Chinese businessmen minds today. When Japan and Korea had their economic boom, they also started with copying the western world, and making things cheaper. By selling cheap labor, the country breathed in wealth. But their cost of living skyrocketed. Eventually, the cheap manufactured goods were not that cheap anymore. In order to stay competitive they had to increase the quality of their goods and come up their own ideas. China is in this phase. The government has realized that they have to make a transition from manufacturing to creating. That is the hot topic in China today. But I think it won’t really get there for at least another five to 10 years. What are the procedures behind video game development? It’s varied based on the size of the team and the type of the games. Independent and large commercial studios are making video games in almost completely different ways. Some are doing it with a comprehensive game design document and a solid waterfall execution process. This usually works for a larger team working on an established genre. Others take a very exploratory method making games. They tend to not know what works at the beginning but have an idea of the rough direction they want to go. Then the development process is like building a ship while sailing it – Thatgamecompany is along these lines. What are some common misconceptions among game designers? Many feel that it’s a fun job because they get to play a lot of games. Except the games they have to play are mostly unfinished games they are making. Imagine playing the same game tens of thousands of times. The fun doesn’t come from playing games for game designers, the fun comes from seeing players enjoying the game they designed. Do you have any ideas that are limited by technology? I feel as though ideas and technological limitations are a good couple. When your ideas go wide without any technological limitations, you have too many choices. I will have a mental breakdown because there is absolutely no way I can pick one over the other. I love limitations and constraints. It’s like an artist throwing paints at a blank canvas. It creates constraints and then you know how to make it the best within the limitation. What are your thoughts on the future of video games? Video games are something that will be played by everyone. I don’t mean the console games are going to be something your grandma will enjoy. But there will be a genre of games for them. Just like the music industry or movie industry. No matter how old you are, which gender you are, or what mood you are in. There always will be something for you. Today, people still ask you “are you a gamer?” But no one asks you “are you a music listener?” This is going to change very soon. I’m sure you maintain a heavy workload? True the work is demanding and as stressful and rewarding as any other creative industry. But since video games are heavily computer oriented, we sit for long hours. What’s your dream project? My next dream is always my next project, unfortunately I can’t talk too much about it yet. One thing I can say is we want more people to have access to our games in the future. Not just for console gamers, we want people you respect to also be able to enjoy it. How important is storytelling in video games? It’s a complex subject. In the USC film school, we often say a good film is a good story, well told. The story and storytelling are two separate concepts. So to me, a story in a video game is like a cello in a big orchestra. The orchestra can be called an orchestra without any cello. But certain orchestra will only be memorized because of its cello. A story is wonderful but not necessary for video games. As a creator of video games, whether to use a story or not is all about what you want the audience to feel. If your goal is to make players feel some broad primal emotion such as thrill, excitement, or the total focus of being in the flow of puzzle solving, you don’t need stories to achieve that. In fact many games made in the past had stories that felt tacked on. Nobody cared or remembered them. Story is a narrative structure involving characters, plots which changes and evolves over time. It is a tool that can help you to make in-depth, precisely focused emotion. For example, you can make a game that makes a player feel sad just with certain mood of lighting and music. But you can’t make a player experience the exact sadness for that of a 12-year-old boy who lost his mother in a concentration camp without at least using characters and plots to give your audience a reference point. Story telling in video games though is very similar to the movie industry. It’s about how to put a collection of different media content together, arrange them in certain combination in order to convey a strong emotion, a meaning or a message. It can be artful, or a mess. What is different in games compared to the movies is that video games have interactivity and social activities which were are not in filmmakers’ arsenals. It’s currently the most all-encompassing medium in human history. There’s been a remarkable shift towards gameification among the current youth generation. What sort of ramifications does this have in video games? Gameification is very different form video games. It’s not about how you use visual, sound and interaction to create meanings. The gameification people practice today should really be called, “feedback enhancing.” Sure, video games are things loaded with feedback, any little input you do creates great feedback. But a boring math class may not be very rewarding at all times. Since interactivity design, psychology of providing reward and feedbacks had a big lead in the entertainment sector, many people see the opportunity and need to bring those designs to other fields such as education and politics. If the kids are growing up with a new level of feedback and reward provided by video games, they will be bored with interactivity designed 50 or 200 years ago. What was the impact of the first video game you ever played? My first experience was not even memorable. It’s some platforming game on the original Apple II computer with a green monochromatic screen that I played when I was 10 years old. What I do remember is the first game that touched me and brought me to tears. I recall reading a Peter Jackson interview. He talked about how watching the original King Kong at age nine was such a shocking experience that it made him dream to become a filmmaker. For me, the emotion flowing through my body playing as I was playing my first game was so raw and so strong that very rarely a game I’ve played since can replicate that feeling. I experienced a catharsis through a video game. I felt empty and started to reflect and ask for meanings of my own life. It was a defining moment for me. I know that if I can make something that touches others and make them a better person afterwards, I will be happy.

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.24

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Stussy 2012 Spring/Summer “BURLYGEAR” Collection \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ The Stussy Spring/Summer 2012 “BURLYGEAR” Collection sees vintage-inspired items with signature Stussy sensibilities employed for the upcoming season. Utilizing a nuanced color palette that includes, olive, beige and khaki, standout items include a Herringbone Mix Chino Pant, Mix Casquette and Canvas Cinch Shoulder Bag — all of which contain quality workmanship and a harkening back to an era where clothes were both fashionable and utilitarian in nature. The “BURLYGEAR” Collection from Stussy is available at Stussy chapters and accounts.

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.24

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Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Fisheye-Nikkor 6mm f/2.8 lens, first produced in 1970 at the Photokina trade show in Cologne, holds the distinction of not only offering an angle of view of 220º, but also being known at the time as the world’s most “extreme wide-angle” lens. The lens officially went into production in 1972 and uses 12 glass elements in nine groups with a total weight of 5.2kg. The extremely wide-angle lens from Nikkor is available via Grays of Westminster for £100,000 GBP (approximately $161,400 USD) for those of you with the deep pockets and the desire to own a piece of camera history

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.24

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L71 House by OFFICE AT ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Recently completed by OFFICE AT is the design firm’s L71 House. Sitting at the northeastern end of Bangkok, the beautiful single family home features split-mass construction so as to allow for increased ventilation and natural light. To maximize the use of the space on the property, each of the split mass sections houses either a miniature lawn, wooden walkway or pool. Additionally, the two-layer concrete and metal sheet roof allows for additional ventilation and easy maintenance of the brick, wood and glass structure.

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.24

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2.-L71 House by OFFICE AT

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.24

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3.-L71 House by OFFICE AT

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Subcrew x Vans OTW Release Party – Hong Kong +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Our last release party of the Subcrew x Vans OTW was held last Friday in Hong Kong, and thank you very much for those who came. This release parties, from Beijing, to Chengdu, and then Hong Kong, was very successful because of the hard work and contribution from all the staff. It was a very meaningful night not because we are all from Hong Kong and the support from friends and family, but also the party is on Canton Road, same as our headquarter in Hong Kong. I hope that this pair of Subcrew x Vans OTW can show you guys the story and spirit behind it.

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.17

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One Nine Zero Six by Gymphlex 2012 “Century-Spring-Two” Collection +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ With the 2012 Summer Olympics in London steadily approaching, the ageless British brand, Gymphlex, expands its contemporary sub-line – One Nine Zero Six – with a freshly conceived collection for the spring/summer months. One Nine Zero Six return with its “Century-Spring-Two” collection which aims to demonstrate “British Heritage” while incorporating aspects of traditional British sport. Blending the storied brand’s traditionally utilitarian build with a penchant for tailoring and modern design, this understated collection offers a wide range of minimal, yet chic styles.

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.17

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Essentials: Kobe Chen CO-FOUNDER OF SUBCREW +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Continuing with our ever-popular Essentials series, Hypebeast showcases the daily necesities of Subcrew‘s Kobe Chen. Flourishing to one of the most influential brands in Asia, the Hong Kong-based label prides itself as an advocate of streetwear culture, educating both China and the world on its rebellious spirit. Having recently sat down with Hypebeast to discuss his team’s forthcoming collaboration with Vans, Chen runs his pockets to offer a glimpse into his creative lifestyle. A hardworking man evident by the presence of two cell phones, Chen is always in an artistic mode carrying around the industry favorite Canon 5D Mark II with a 13″ MacBook Air wrapped in a Rib and Bull Case. The streetwear purveyor continues with a Hermés cardholder, a pair of limited edition Nike Lunarglide sneakers, and Subcrew by Mikli Rotor Sunglasses, which were recently featured here.

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.17

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Rumor: Apple Planning to Release iPad Mini +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A month after Apple delivered its new iPad, rumors are swirling about a new iteration of the tablet designed to compete with Amazon’s Kindle Fire. The latest rumor to make the rounds is that Apple is planning to produce 6 million smaller iPads for sale some time in the third quarter. The report, from Chinese portal NetEase, was translated by Kotaku. Speculated to cost between $249-$299 USD, many industry insiders believe a smaller iPad could do wonders for Apple, allowing it to dominate the smaller tablet market as well. The main problem with this speculation is that it was widely-known that late Apple CEO Steve Jobs disliked the idea of 7-inch tablets, calling such devices “tweeners” – too big to compete with smartphones and too small to vie with the iPad. Stay tuned as more confirmations or denials are made available.

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.17

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1.-Kenzo x Vans 2012 Summer Collection +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ After an initial preview days ago, Vans officially pulls the covers off of its collaboration with Paris-based high-fashion brand Kenzo. A long-time associate of European fashion circuit, the brand now headed by Opening Ceremony founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim has seen a strong injection of youth and creativity. Originally raised on the West Coast in Los Angeles, the duo like many saw Vans as a footwear staple. Stylistically the approach for the project includes vibrant colors and a net print, all culminating on the fan favorite Era model. The release is set for Opening Ceremony, colette, Harvey Nichols, Bosco Milan, Lane Crawford and IT starting mid-May with drops each month till July

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.17

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2.-Kenzo x Vans 2012 Summer Collection

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3.-Kenzo x Vans 2012 Summer Collection

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.17

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1.- Patrick Reilly by Joseph Bleu

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.16

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2.- Patrick Reilly by Joseph Bleu

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.16

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3.- Patrick Reilly by Joseph Bleu

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.16

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Essentials: Joe King HEAD ARTIST & CO-FOUNDER OF ROOK //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Like many of the famed illustrators to grace our viral pages, Joe King tolerated school as a child just for the chance to participate in art classes or any other creative outlet they could provide. After working at local skateshops after high school performing various odd jobs just to survive, the Southern California native enrolled in a few semesters at his local junior collage and uncovered his passion for illustration and design. Already with a large network of skatewear homies, King began designing T-shirts for brands like OBEY, Crooks and Castles and KR3W. Now the curator of his own brand, ROOK, with fellow longtime illustrator Jonathan Garcia, King has finally discover why the frivolous time spent in school is needed to help shape young creatives, uncovering their aspiring talents. Sitting down for our always controversial Essentials series, the Co-Founder of ROOK showcases the tools of his craft with hopes of inspiring and educating young artists. “These are tools and art supplies people may have in their house which they can start using now. Weather you have a crayon or number 2 pencil, the idea is to surround your self with the tools that work for you.” Keep in mind however, the tools don’t always make the artist. Be sure to peep ROOK’s forthcoming spring line mainly comprised of physically illustrated designs from King and Garcia.

Posted by 30T | 2012.04.16

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