All Entries in the ">manindie" Category

WrecordsByMonkey

It all started the year 2003 in a one-bedroom apartment in Chelsea.  It was the place where a group of friends, all students at the Fashion Institute of Technology would go to relax at night and in between classes.  Two of these friends were Patrick Chirico, otherwise known as “Monkey,” and Brian Farrell.  “We would stay up late listening to music and creating art.  Most of our friends were studying some kind of design, so it was an amazingly creative environment,” says Farrell.

One night, Chirico was trying to turn old vinyl records he had found on the street into bowls.  When an oven malfunction occurred, the idea hit him to start turning these unused records into bracelets.  At that point, WrecordsByMonkey was born.  The company now operates out of a studio in Brooklyn, where they design and manufacture all of the bracelets, fine jewelry, and apparel assortments.

Patrick and Brian realize their success and inspiration are driven by the community in which they live.  To show their appreciation they continue to be involved with charitable organizations and philanthropic ventures.  WBM has donated to the Make A Wish Foundation, Life Beat, and the Stoked Foundation.  In 2006, they collaborated with 12 local artists to create the “NYC Artist Series” in which a percentage of the proceeds have been donated to art and music programs in public Brooklyn schools.  To find out more about any of these organizations, visit their links in our “Friends of Mine” section.

There is no limit to what WBM might do or where they might show up.  They are continually growing, with innovative ideas and creative designs paving the road to new product offerings and customer satisfaction in this progressive market.  WrecordsByMonkey.  Where Fashion, Art, and Music Collide. 

John Varvatos, 75% off Sale

John Varvatos
Deal: Up to 75% off sportswear, tailored clothing, shoes and accessories
When/Where: Thursday, May 8th through Saturday, May 10th. Thu 8am—8pm; Fri 8am—6pm; Sat 11am—4pm. 26 W 17th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves, ninth floor (no phone).

From Racked.com

Leffot, Luxury Hits Christopher

The opening of Leffot should have all men running, being one of the only high end men’s shoe stores around. Owner Steven Taffel hand picks his shoes and offers an array of designers not seen on this side of the world, including Aubercy and Gaziano & Girling. You can also customize your own, now that’s something not many shoe stores offer!

According to Urban Daddy, “this store has a formidable purpose—it aims to be your one-stop shop for some of the world’s best men’s shoes, side by side, all in one place (shown above) and at your disposal.”

Leffot, 10 Christopher St (between Gay St and Greenwich Ave), 212-989-4577

The Bashed: Junya Wantanbe for Lacoste

The Satchel said it best. The new collaboration with Junya Wantanbe MAN and Lacoste is by far the most laziest, lamest and unnecessary partnership in the history of design. They must have beat Junya over the head with a hammer before asking him to come up with these unoriginal polo’s.

“Yes, I will change the color of the alligator emblem and then sell the polos for $100 more than traditional retail.”

You would think Junya would have made a better effort on this line, but sometimes it’s just about the name and has nothing to do with making good fashion.  Or maybe they just didn’t want to send their overstock of polo’s to T.J Maxx or Marshall’s and figured a collaboration with Junya would have been cheaper than paying for shipping?

Source: SatchelofGravel

Arbitrage Launch at Union Square

Arbitrage will be launching our Spring/Summer Collection at Rothmans in Union Square. Guests will enjoy complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, as they shop and view the latest slim fit shirts and our newest Krona hooded shirt designs.

6 PM to 9 PM
@ Rothmans
200 Park Avenue South (NE corner of Union Square)

RSVP by email at rsvp@arbitrage.com and feel free to bring along a few friends.

Source Partycrasher.us

Facebook Turns Fashion

Perhaps this trend will take off in a few years when the hotness of Facebook and other social networking applications cools off. The way I see it, the overall “coolness” of this particular trend is not quite ready yet and will probably have a greater success when there is more of a ‘retro’ connotation to this type of icon.

TrendSpark: The Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox is a pint sized teen idol from the days of Feris Bueller and Pop Rocks, so it should could as no surprise to anyone that his signature doo, a feathered style haircut ideal for the yuppie set, would makes it way onto todays 80s addicted fashion scene. John Mayer is one of the first “celebrities” rocking the look, which personally I feel is just his way to better connect with his over-the-hill love interest, Perez Hilton Jennifer Aniston, who actually grew up and was a teenager when Alex P. Keaton was running prime time TV with his Reagan lust.

Mayer, in true cooler than thou, look how much I don’t care, but really do style decided to rant on about his new hair cut and provide inspirations for the look on his blog. Yes, John Mayer keeps a blog where he talks about his hair. He claims the look exudes  an “attitude of ease and quiet confidence that seems to have all but eluded our generation.”  I think it exudes an attitude of douchebag ala douche.  Hopefully, Mayer will eventually stop focusing on his hair and begin focussing on new songs we can bang to. “Your Body Is a Wonderland” just doesn’t guarantee the same type of action it once did.

We have John Mayer’s full take on his new look below…

Today I set off on my newest project; to grow and maintain an authentic ’80s style feathered haircut. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for some time and I’m very excited to bring this amazing look into today’s pop culture landscape. The feathered cut projects an attitude of ease and quiet confidence that seems to have all but eluded our generation.

This is a work in progress, and as my hair grows longer it will serve to become a more stirring and poignant statement.

Below are some photographs I used as inspiration. I look forward to reporting on my progress in upcoming blogs.

Back View

Below are some photographs I used as inspiration. I look forward to reporting on my progress in upcoming blogs.

Michael J Fox, the Master.

The Masterwork

Shaun Cassidy, the One With the Better Hair

Mary Lou Retton

Designer Discovery: Jim Rickey

The Market makes another footwear discovery, this time it’s Jim Rickey, a Swedish footwear brand that blends handicraft tradition with sleek design and a streety edge. The brand is owned by two sneaker freaks who started their careers at Onitsuka Tiger. The line is available online at Urbana.se

Poor Little Lost Boy

Ponystep.com recently featured this photoshoot inspired by the 1987 cult classic, The Lost Boys.

Alright, maybe I’m missing something but this is definitely not the type of shoot I was expecting. No blood, no fangs, no half naked vampire groupies. And where the fuck are the Corys.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6qYtid7zh0&NR=1[/youtube]

For a proper homage to the classic check out Lost Boys 2 - The Tribe. It’s coming straight to a DVD near you and it features a Cory.  Thank god someone knows how to treat the 80s right.

Views of Fashion: Shayne Oliver of Hood By Air

The Market got a chance to step into the world of Hood By Air recently, interviewing the brands poster-boy designers Shayne Oliver.  He tries to explain the difference between hood and ghetto, tells us about the future of the brand, and share his design inspirations.  We have bits of the interview below…

“Whether he’s co-hosting a party with Roxy Cottontail, or chillin’ with Vashtie at a 1992 affair, Oliver has become a part of the backdrop of the new LES scene.”

A label’s name usually captures the designer’s aesthetic. What’s the story behind “Hood By Air”?

It’s a multi-faceted name. It has to do with the sensibility that my friends and I had acquired from being involved in fashion but being from a different background than many of our industry peers. It’s like Men In Black (when the aliens were trying to appear like humans). We learned to appreciate, not condone where we came from (the hood), and incorporated the hood look into our style of dress and vice versa. So instead of it becoming streetwear, it evolved into street fashion. This is what Hood By Air works to epitomize. To us, this is the future.

I also believe that being “hood”, not ghetto (huge difference), is skill: to make something out of what you have. Instead of becoming a victim to your circumstance, find the pros and run with it… to find your way out of it!

The pieces have an unusual mix between edgy and chic– something even more unexpected from a boy who grew up in Minnesota. What would you cite as your inspiration growing up?

I was born in Minnesota, but grew up mostly in St. Croix and Trinidad. My grandparents served as a huge inspiration to my views (in terms of fashion). My grandmother used to be a label-obsessed seamstress and my grandfather was a don dada.

In Minnesota I was inspired by the hood girls, they all dressed like their boyfriends (who were usually vice lords) with better hair.

St. Croix is where I first learned the concept of “getting dressed”. Everybody hung out in malls. The sneakers, the clothes, the music (The Fugees’ The Score had just dropped)… so much fun!

Besides the don dadas, Trinidad is a lifestyle inspiration for me. They are very free and work hard to be happy…. to me, Americans work hard to appear to be happy.

What would you say inspired the Fall ‘08 collection?
The goths and punks of Astor place, Wu Tang Clan and Joan of Arc. I wanted to play with the dark side of hip-hop.
Are there any trends in menswear that you love, or on the other hand, would like to send out into fashion exile (”hammer pants” style)?

Trends I don’t really know. I like when people acquire their own classics; hood boys in skinny jeans, that’s kinda’ cool (if you fit them right).

We should do away with exact interpretation dressing. If you’re gonna’ do it, apply something new. If you don’t, at least be good at it… Oh, and the Keffiyeh scarf.

 
This is literally just the beginning; what can we expect in the near future from Hood By Air?

Art, multimedia, events… they are all in the works. I want to make Hood By Air an obtainable product of our lifestyle. I just want it to be good.

Written by Virginia Jackson-Reed  for The Market