Supreme Satisfaction

Supreme have constantly produced high quality gear guaranteed to send a collective orgasm to streetwear geeks across the globe. The only problem is, unless you live in Japan, there ain't much chance of getting any. The NY skate company has seven flagship stores; NY, LA, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Harajuku and Daikanyama, along with only ten licensed retailers across the globe and very strict importing rules. Luckily three of the afore-mentioned retailers are stationed within the UK; HIP in Leeds, The Hideout and Dover Street Market in London, meaning that not only is this stuff in my grasp, but its also attainable (once I have some cashflow).

I recently headed down to Dover Street Market to scope out the Supreme Autumn/Winter collection, and to see how little of it I could afford...

'Invincible Armor' Tee

Almost blagged this, but they were sold out of my size. Motif of old-skool Shaolin masters in a cool blue screenprint on a white tee.

Also available in black, gold, heather grey, teal, and navy.

£30 - Good shout, was expecting more towards the BBC/BAPE price range of £70+.

'Bored to Death' Tee

Image of Queen Victoria in an almost Chronic/Zig-Zag montage. Not as nice as the 'Invincible Armor' tee, but still a top-drawer item.

Available in various colours.

Varsity Jacket

Again, bang on trend and the finest example of a varsity jacket I've seen so far. Melton wool with snap front closures and leather trimmed pockets and under-collar.

I really REALLY want this. I tried it on in blue and grey and felt that I rocked the shit out of them both. Another shop patron joined me in fawning over these jackets - they are that good. When a jacket can unite two strangers in conversation then its worth it's weight in gold.

The only problem, however, is the price tag. If you're lucky enough to live in America you can pick one of these up for $338 (or £216) which is a fair price. Dover Street Market were listing these at £440, that's a mark-up of over 100% - 100%!!!

Don't get me wrong, if I had the money I would definitely own this, but at the same value as a month's rent I feel like crying.

Available in navy, cardinal, black and heather grey.

Small Box Logo Pullover Hoodie

Standard run of the mill hoodie featuring a tiny Supreme logo above the left breast. Nice product, but I wouldn't particularly pay £140 it (or $128 online).

Available in heather grey, red, blue, white, teal and black.

Box Logo New Era cap

Simple but effective, the must-have accessory from this collection. Supreme also have various other caps and beanies released for the Autumn/Winter season, but the box logo New Era cap is the pick of the bunch.

My only gripe is the US flag on the side, but hey its an American company and proud of it.

Available instore for £50 and in the following colours; dark grey, dark green, navy, black and red.

Available online (aka 'in your fucking dreams')

Vans/Supreme Old Skool 

As anyone knows, any Supreme collaboration turns heads and this is no exception. Whilst nowhere near as iconic as the Nike Dunk collab, and will probably be nowhere near as sought-after, these are still damn fine shoes.

Vans are seemingly on a high again after the resurgence of the classic 'Era' and 'Zapato Del Barco' models on practically everyone's feet, and these new versions of the 'Old Skool' model are continuing the trend.

Available in navy, maroon, grey and black.

There you go - the pick of the bunch of the Supreme Autumn/Winter 2010 collection. Check out the Supreme website, and run to your nearest stockist before it all sells out.

The clock is ticking, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? 

The Empire Strikes Back...

The difficult second album, the 'long awaited sequel', 'Breakin' II: Electric Boogaloo'. All tags associated with the age old adage of following a surefire hit. There are examples of success ('Led Zeppelin II'), failure ('Escape from LA') and the golden goose; the superior creation ('Godfather II'). Where this comes into context in the fashion world is with regards to the Adidas Originals Star Wars line, a line which not only proved that the German sneaker powerhouse CAN create a good collaboration, but also proved financially and commercially successful t'boot. So now we are presented with an Autumn/Winter Star Wars range, but can it capture the magic of the original?

THE GOOD:

Death Star Letterman Jacket

Bang on trend with the current 'prep-hop' look that's being sought after by every man and his dog. My only gripe is patchwork overload - the TIE Fighters down the right arm are unnecessary, same for the red text below the right breast and the Adidas Star Wars logo on the left arm. The massive back print is superb, and the geekiest thing this side of a 'Dune' convention. Spot on.

Star Wars Adi Dassler Tee

I fucking love this item, it's superb. If you know me personally then you know that I have a permanent hard-on for white tees and off-centre prints (in this case, off center vertically speaking). This garment teams up Darth Vader; Dark Lord of Sith, Adi Dassler; Co-founder of Adidas, and C3PO; gold plated arrogant robo-twat, and the three are presiding over a very old-skool football boot. The item is finished off with a slogan above the left breast, and the Adidas Star Wars logo just below the neck.

Star Wars Top Ten 'Droids'

First spotted on Jay Baruchel's feet in the amazing TV advert in the summer, this design combines the colourways of the saga's foremost robots - the afore mentioned C3PO, and robotic bin-bad-ass R2D2. Now on paper, a shoe which is half gold/half white should be horrendous, but I personally adore them. Finished off with lace-covers saying 'DROIDS' and presented in blister-pack boxing these are definite must-haves.

THE BAD:

Star Wars Nizza 'Good'

Not a fan of these. Very cheap looking and would expect them to blow-up the second you laced them up. Heel has a 'Wookiees' logo that looks like little more than a transfer tattoo. The kids versions are very cute though. Buy for your offspring!

Boba Fett Track Top

Now this disappointed me. Boba Fett, the coolest anonymous bastard in the entire franchise, immortalised in a drab, overcrowded jacket. Although the colourway is clearly based upon the character's battle armour, it comes across like a hospital constructed in the late 1980s, or a mint-choc-chip ice-cream eaten on a cloudy day. Its also got far too many pockets. FAR TOO MANY.

THE BIZARRE:

Boba Fett Backpack

Have you ever seen a more gloriously bizarre/unnecessary commercial release backpack in all your days? Based on Boba Fett's helmet (although its more like a Clone Trooper THERE ARE ONLY THREE FILMS) this is a weird, although nicely designed/constructed accessory. I'd have killed for one of these as a kid.

A while back I wrote an article for 'CYNIC Magazine' highlighting the inaugural collection, and one thing ringed throughout - what is the purpose of this collaboration? What links German sportswear with intergalactic civil war? The answer is nothing. Nothing links the two, but frankly I don't care. This collaboration combines two things that I love - Star Wars, and clothing. The Autumn/Winter collection is disappointing compared to the initial collection, but still has some items that would be welcomed into any self-respecting wardrobe. So in essence, this season's offerings are more 'Return of the Jedi' than 'The Empire Strikes Back' - very good, but gimmicky and not as memorable as the original.

DOOMSDAY

He’s the man behind the mask, the eponymous heir to Dr. Doom and responsible for shaping the underground hip-hop scene in ways you've probably never even considered. He goes via many aliases like a secret agent or a felon on the run, and constantly thwarts those who try to second guess him. He is MF DOOM, and he’s finally coming to Britain.

Now go to your average music fan, or indeed your average hip-hop fan, and most will draw a blank when confronted with DOOM. His technique is simply stunning, sampling audio from old Fantastic Four cartoons and music straight from 1970s television and advertising, layering on top of that loose, somewhat surreal verses about everything from pie to cartoons, all delivered in an almost half-arsed drawl, but always containing a spark of wit and humour often scant from today’s ‘rappers’. Amazingly prolific, but still fiercely underground, he spits out albums faster than reality TV spits out ‘stars’. As such in the past five years he’s put out ten records - a smorgasbord of albums, EPs and mixtapes, has appeared on the second Gorillaz LP, ‘Demon Days’, and produced for Wu-Tang stalwarts Ghostface and Masta Killa. He’s even had his own action figure and Nike Dunk released (see my previous sneakergasm), the latter of which trade hands online for upwards of £250. Put it simply – he’s got IT.

However, DOOM has almost seemingly gone out of his way to severely piss off everyone who has ever given a damn about his music, not through traditional diss tracks or through the time feared notion of ‘selling out’, no what DOOM has done borders on both arrogance and art.

Even though he’s whipping out new material at an almost superhuman rate, his live appearances are getting rarer and rarer. Indeed online news of his upcoming UK tour (his first ever) was met with anger from loyal US fans wanting to get what they described as ‘the good show we deserve’ from Mr. Metal-Fingers. Indeed when he does make his rare US appearances they often leave a very sour taste in the mouths of the punters, for the man behind the mask on the stage in front of their eyes is not MF DOOM at all, no, in fact its an imposter. Rumours began circulating online that DOOM had employed a stooge for a club show in LA, miming to his hits before being booed off after roughly 3 songs, this was furthered by an angry open ended letter from a former DOOM fan that quickly circulated forums and blogs. Then one fake appearance became two... then three... then it spiralled out of control. Each DOOM show is now pre-empted by fears and worries that the $30 ticket for the show will be wasted money on another ‘Doom-bot’ appearance.

As such the news of DOOM’s UK tour has left some weary of paying upwards of £30 a ticket, just in case it all turns sour. But what this suggests to me is that the idea of MF DOOM is an art project, a lesson in phenomenology similar to the Shepard Fairey OBEY street-art campaign. What this DOOM Campaign is showing, is that there is no MF DOOM. It makes you question everything you thought you knew about the man behind the mask. Is this guy the guy we’re hearing on these records? Is he in fact one guy at all but a carefully constructed team of artists and producers, all trading under one name and one image? Is it one piece of a much larger picture? At this point all is speculation, but it won’t stop people trying to wing tickets for his upcoming shows because whether he appears or not, DOOM’s shows are going to be talked about on these shores for quite some time.

Dispatches from the Capital #1

29/08/2010 

It’s been four days since I moved down to foggy old London town, where the streets are paved with gold/phlegm. As of yet I’ve not explored much of my new city, save for a jaunt to Ikea and a few trips to ASDA. Now I know this sounds terribly tragic and thoroughly middle aged and anyone reading this must be thoroughly disappointed at my lack of heroin abuse, supermodel shagging and generic NME coverage, however it’s a period of adjustment so accept it or I’ll smash you in with some wood... 

...not that I’m going to abuse heroin, I’m fine with tea thankyouverymuch. 

The hat in question, only mine is charcoal
(least interesting caption ever)

My first foray into greater London (not ever, I’m not a fucking tourist) came courtesy of a half-arsed stroll into Shoreditch in the search of somewhere to watch the mighty Liverpool take on West Brom (I’m still trying to convince the world that I am a man dammit). We soon found out that Shoreditch is too trendy to show footie, well aside from one pub that was showing Everton vs. Aston Villa – fuck that. I’m actually still surprised that they showed any football at all, the best I was expecting would be something ‘quirky’ like a Wimbledon 1985 season review or Icelandic, blind beach football, but hey everyone just wanted to hang out, drink coffees and revel in their own beauty. Little did we know (being new to the area) that Sunday was market day on Brick Lane with a variety of little stalls selling everything from vintage smoking jackets and KISS tees, to Lego jewellery and meatballs, as well as booming business in the local Rough Trade record shop. I came this close *pinches fingers to symbolise distance* to buying some old hardcore punk fanzines and a couple of Converge records, but the ever present icy stare of my bank balance burned into my back like a hot skillet. 

I managed to also uncover a sample sale of OBEY clothing on the edge of the market, a three-day smash-and-grab kinda job offering new season clothing at massively reduced prices. I gave in to my new found pretentiousness and splurged on a pork-pie hat for only £20. Apparently I wear it well, but I can't help but feel a little like Gadget from This is England...

06/09/2010

I have been here for nearly two weeks now, and I remain jobless. Granted, my search has been, well, kinda half-arsed so far as I’ve achieved little more than sprinkling a few CVs around (of course they were to good places though; BAPE, The Hideout, Eastpak etc. – outlook on myself landing ANY of these is very slim indeed) and I am in the midst of filling out an application form for Foot Locker. You may be thinking “Stop blogging to no-one and finish that form you overweight idiot” and you’d have a point, but it is such a banal piece of literature that I’m having trouble convincing my own being to not stab myself in the throat.

EXAMPLE; “Tell us about a time when you provided extraordinary customer service by delivering the unexpected.”

If this form wasn’t so important, and, to a lesser extent, if I didn’t actually want to work for Foot Locker (it’s just a ‘for now’ thing, not a lifetime career) then I would crumple it into a tiny ball, insert it directly into my anus, light the protruding tip on fire then spend the following 45 minutes smashing my head into my desk.

Away from the job search, London continues to treat me fairly well. I’ve yet to be harassed, stabbed, mugged, threatened, raped or even looked at with shifty intent. My female-friend popped up for a few days (check her blog - wintagenetvoodle.blogspot.com) and made me feel loved and relaxed. Again, we checked out the Brick Lane market as it was one of the bargaining tools I used in coaxing her down for four days. Needless to say she loved it, and I managed to pick up a vintage Stüssy cap for a tenner off of a bloke in the street. It’s my kind of area – busy, yet somehow cut-off. Friendly, yet not ‘in-your-face’. Quirky, yet not annoying. Once I get the ball rolling career-wise, I could definitely see myself living there.

However the pangs of no fixed income snapped at my heels for the entirety of her stay. A trip to Size? unearthed a varsity jacket for £50 that would usually be eaten up like yesterday’s curry, but was instead left to hang like a high-five from a knobhead, and my search for a denim shirt (never thought I’d find myself searching for a denim shirt) only produced depressing examples of how urgently I need employment. I may have to swallow my pride and go with anything. I may go all Midnight Cowboy on yo’ asses and attempt to pimp myself out to wealthy 40+ women, befriending a diseased Dustin Hoffman in the process and eventually immigrating to Florida...

...now I come to think of it, that’s not such a bad idea after all.