Lifestyle brands (2)

Lifestyle Brands (part 2) 

A brief continuation of the Lifestyle brands post from earlier this year. Read HERE

The HundredsLooking towards other brands within the skate/streetwear there is more to be observed. Firstly while reading through FRONT magazine I noticed that none other than LA's much loved 1970's influenced brand have also offered a solution to our many housing problem by also releasing a rug.

The difference with this one is it doesn't have a massive hypocritical text and message emblazoned across it and is much more reasonably priced than the Diamond supply co. one. Priced at $99 (£63). If we retrace our steps once more your remember I fell distinctly on the side of Carhartt in my last post however Carhartt also offer a rug which after conversion would cost £75 . Being completely honest I would rather The Hundreds Loud, Adam design of their default logo than Carhartt's "Copyright" design not to mention it being marginally cheaper. In the last 12 months The Hundreds also released a Fixed Pedal Bike.  Regardless of your opinion of "fixey" riders, the collaboration with State created a very beautiful bike and may also show that The Hundreds aren't 

necessarily trying to cash in on this obscure trend but to identify themselves as a brand that knows it's true fans, given it has become both extremely successful and in turn accessible.

STUSSY After James Watkins' post (HERE) about Stussy i need not give you a history of the brand or really any back story at all all you need is there. But what I will look at is the gadgets and accessories they offer, my first questionable release was the hoody for iPhone 4/4s. Yes everybody does enjoy seeing stussy's double S logo and the more creative the place the better but really? this isn't 2007 when every mother and aunty rushed out to get "phone socks" for their electronics. I hope such a trtend never returns.That said they do also offer surprisingly well priced and helpful gadgets like credit card shaped multi tools, which would fit ever so nicely in one of their leather wallets.
Unfortunately Stussy do not have a rug for me to compare. But do often release cushions for sale, like the aforementioned "The Hundreds". Admittedly though, unless there is a lot of people who visit your house who would know what Stussy is you will run the risk of decorating you house with something that looks like little more than a third party brands making fake chanel cushions with camo print.

Nike SB

Nike SB:

The best of Times? The Worst of Times?

Firstly I apologise for the lengthy hiatus whilst I finished college. Which also lead to a few sudden life and relationship changes but I feel I'm finally feeling confident enough to return to writing. There have been a few and there will be a follow up post revolving around how my collection has grown during my "time off". I thank all those returning and greet all newcomers.

Existance

Nike SB, as the name suggests is the section of the Nike franchise dedicated solely to the Clothing and Footwear for skateboarding. This is not unusual for such a high profile sports brand as it is also something that Adidas bought into and it is relatively fair to say these two companies, despite not being 100% dedicated to just Skateboarding trainers are still favoured by many and have much stronger and relevant releases, this is presumably down to much larger access to funding and much larger and knowledgeable marketing teams.

But why skateboarding? Nike do not have a separate name for their football releases and likewise Adidas do not differentiate between their basketball or running shoes. The exceptions being Adidas Classics, which as the name suggests is for "classic" releases and does not favour between runners or balling shoes. Competitively you could argue Nike's "Air" range is treated as a separate company with its separate marketing and significant design and technology differences (as with "Nike Free" runners which refers to the "free" sole). However the AIR range does also cover both runners and basketball sneaks with the Air Max and Air Safari ranges contrasted with Air Jordan and Air Flight releases.

SBs first releases were simply slightly more rigorous versions of The Bruin and Blazer models which rapidly gained a reputation amongst skaters as being decent trainers to skate in. Although the Blazer has always stayed the same shape, even during its rather unforeseen and unusual comeback earlier this year.On the other hand Bruins (under SB) have undergone multiple changes to the point where the shoe, other than having a swoosh, bore more resemblance to a dunk than the original. This is a prime example of Nike riding its own success, like a narcissistic donkey calling itself a horse for the sake of being ridden by royalty.

It would also appear it can exist if/when it is needed. Anybody remember Nike 5.0? no they didn't do very well because, in short they sucked. The release was poorly marketed and the Trainers themselves were of very poor quality and as many (myself included) learnt from experience fell apart after very few skates. So Nike 6.0 followed, which amongst skating communities (especially younger ones) gained relative success. During this time period SB lay extremely low only releasing extremely high profile collaborations and reworks of classic trainers like:... (you guessed it) Bruins. At some points SB is completely dropped and reborn but SB has once again returned and is going strong which I can assume is primarily down to the massive growth in the Sneakerhead Community and the current infatuation with streetwear.

iD

as I have previously highlighted I have an unusual fixation with Nike iD and its ability to take both popular and exclusive Colour ways and have you put them on your favourite trainer. For which I have previously cited "Infra-red" and "Bred" as both simple and effective colourways to test and transfer. Interestingly enough, and rather smartly Nike do avoid you from being able to replicate High Profile releases for some SB  relevant examples: the Staple "pigeons" and the Diamond "Tiffany" SBs. However a few weeks ago as one of its limited runs of prints and materials to customize your favourite Sneaks with Nike allowed it's Infamous Elephant print to be used on certain Air Max and Dunks it was impossible to make Air Max 1s in the "HUFquake" colourway but there was a high profile release they missed the 2012 Nike SB x Supreme dunks which could be almost identically copied bar 4 minor differences:
*The stars on the sole
*The colour of the tongue logo tab

*The Supreme innersole
*The "World Famous" keychain

Usually I would humour Nike for such a tremendous mess up, however this release happened the same week I finally copped a pair of the Supreme Collab for £240 twice that of a pair of iD'd Dunks.
While not possible to completely mimic there are also many of variations of Tiffany dunks availible to be made missing nothing than the Diamond logo on the tab and crocodile skin texture overlay. Including a favourite of mine using a Liberty London Floral with an iD'd "PSSY DSTRYR" on.
But they wont let you have SWEAT SHOP. (google it)

As I said iD is a very interesting thing.

Misfits.

No not those useless super powered vagabonds on E4.
these horror punk kings forming in 1977 are one of the bands that I have enjoyed since a young age, sat in my bedroom giving myself a crash course in all things punk at the age of 11. So obviously the announcement of the Supreme Misfits drop hit me and put me in two minds.

Looking at the PCL (power, corruption, lies) release, there was a huge hype around the floral hoody which features the album artwork from New Orders 1983 album: Power, corruption and Lies. The problem was no one who bought the release really got the reference, bar a select few. Then came the re-sales all those skinny little white kids wondering why it "didn't suit" them. Perhaps they should have thought about it before buying what they saw as just another supreme floral.
I did commend Supreme in an earlier post for being an extremely diverse, yet thorough representation of counter culture but does this excuse it? I'm not sure that New Order really constitutes or embodies counter culture in the same way Futura 2000, Bad Brains or Public Enemy do. Even if the glove did fit it is abit like placing A Bathing Ape G-Shock on my Great Nans wrist. Perharps a more modern and fitting brand would have been a better call. But we'll never know, and with how nice the chukkas were its also not worth worrying about.

The misfits.
The questionablity of age is also present with The Misfits, being older than PCL. Comparatively speaking Supreme do seem like a more fitting collaborator given the history of the brand.
It goes without saying this release was far from groundbreaking. In fact given the amount of Misfits Merch floating around and the likeness to SSUR's Misfits inspired cap. This was also an extremely safe option given the impact of street goth slowly falling from high end fashion and slowly seeping dowards to more accessible items.

This posts back and forth approach means you probably don't need this conclusion. However both releases I am completely unsure about but leading strongly towards the Misfits release, for personal reasons alone. But with roughly £75 resale on the tee shirts its unlikely I'll be jumping at the chance to buy what is essentially high quality band merch.

Lifestyle Brands

What on earth is a lifestyle brand?

"A lifestyle brand is a brand that attempts to embody the values and aspirations of a group or culture for purposes of marketing"

Thank you Wikipedia. 

My first case study in answering this question is Diamond supply co.

All you need to do is to go onto the Diamond website to see that Diamond do offer items and designs that embody the skate culture which they have always firmly anchored themselves in, offering skateboarding hardware and even selling bolts in a Cannabis grinder. Delving rather deeply into skateboarding's culture and offering solutions that are helpful, whilst still letting skaters buy into Diamond in all aspects of their life.

let me reiterate: ALL ASPECTS OF THEIR LIFE.

Where does this stop being lifestyle marketing and begin being a case of selling just about anything and bumping the prices up because it has a name on it.prime example Diamond's rugs and cushions, just in case you forgot that you skateboarded in the few hours you reside in your home. One clear example of this is the "simplicity is the key to brilliance" rug costing roughly £229 (after conversion) lets have a look...

Pretty ironic given the design is far from simple.but what really hits me, is that this is a nice rug and I would happily have it in my living room however if Simplicity 
really is the key to brilliance surely a plain, simple rug would suffice.Like this extremely soft high pile rug from Ikea. The same dimensions but for next to a quarter of the price.

Carhartt

Also another brand that I feel falls into the category of lifestyle brand is Carhartt. Carhartt, especially Carhartt WIP (Work In Progress), has a maturity about it unlike many other under the vast umbrella of skate/streetwear. whilst offering a lot of simplistic designs that include various types of fabric they also use loud and deep camo prints in there design.

So lets delve deeper than the standard tee shirt or ever-increasingly common thick cuffed beanies. Carhartt offer many solutions to everyday problems. Carhartt actually offers solutions to every problem you may face to, from and in: College, school or work...

That annoyingly loud pre-adolescent on the bus? Headphones.
Need to take notes? Notepads and Pens.
Not quite finished that project? USB that'll fit on a lanyard or phone
Dreading taking your mom's floral Cath Kidson stool while you camp out for the next big drop? Camping Chair.
Fallen asleep on your ever so comfortable $350 Diamond supply co. rug when you have somewhere to be? Alarm clock.

See... any problem, its also worth noting that many of these essentials that Carhartt offer are at an affordable price. My wallet was the cheapest I could find after my favourite Obey Posse wallet fell apart after 6 years and I must admit it's already looking like it'll last much longer.

I suppose they really are the "Rugged Urbanwear" like they occasionally claim.

Pictured: (left) Carhartt Jetlack Alarm Clock, (right) My £18 Carhartt Wallet.
 

Generic Sneaks: NB vs Nike

So in this small feature I'm going put various different models and brands against each other. To expand and have an in-depth look at some of the everyday sneaks and I wanted to start with a pretty simple but worrying  comparison.

I'm going to start chronologically back in 1976 when Nike released the Elite. Which has now donned the the name "Elite Vintage" due to the fact they still release new versions of this model true to the original shape.This is a classic  in its own right and offers the basic look and shape in which most classic runners are based. With a 2 part sole to raise the heel , a smooth shape from top to toe (forgive the pun) and curves on the heel and toe of the sole for a fluent motion when running and simply comfort while walking.

then if we fast-forward into the 80's New Balance retaliated with their version of the Elite. In which I assume design was as simple as that of sticking a different badge on the same car or choosing the size to have your brands ever so original box logo. This is in short a poor design effort from new balance, and when considered alongside the context of originality surrounding the Elite and its lasting effect on the silhouette of running shoes this round belongs to Nike. 

Now, to offer a fairer comparison is to look at how each brand responded to the changes in the times and in turn, the shape of runners. The late 80's with a thicker heel and a greater slope from the tongue to the toe giving steeper and clearer "dip" in the shoes and in 1988 and 1989 both Nike and New Balance responded with their evolution to the runner. I've chosen to look at the New Balance 1500 and the Nike Air Pegasus 89. 

It is worth noting that the 1500 is noticeably easier to compare to the Air Max one coming out a year before in 1987 and featuring a similar structure and overlay however the AM1 is very much on its own level of influence and would simply not be fair comparison. but a good focal point to measure 

Both the 1500 and the Air Pegasus have a more triangular appearance to their predecessors and exaggeration the curvature of the sole as previously mentioned. However this is where Nike's persistent dominance of runners ends. The 1500 is a far superior shoe in terms of appearance they are an easily adaptable shoe for multiple collaborations and colourways and has a clear reputation amongst the sneaker community as a reputable alternative to the AM1. Not to mention it does show New balance clearly taking influence from Nike but not just re branding it but actually making it their own. For these reasons I'll happily come down on NB's side this time solely for my hatred of the Air Pegasus 89...

Air Pegasus or as I'm going to refer to them as the "89" has multiple visible and design flaws in my opinion. Firstly the shoe is nothing original for Nike and takes the weaker aspects from the Air range including: Max 1, Vortex, Elite and Windrunners to create a shoe that looks thrown together with the many irrelevant cut aways and additions  that make the shoe look more like an Elite in a shell than a whole new trainer, which is also the case for the Pegasus 92 which was an Elite in a Huarache Shell. The 89 is also tremendously toned down compared to the AM 1, the shoe is ugly, without a doubt but given the success and significance on the AM1 ignoring it's success was, to be blunt, a bit stupid and has left us with a tremendous skid mark on Nike's lucky boxers : it's Air Range.

 The 89 is simply a sign that the seed never falls too far from the tree and will try to compete but die because of the tremendous power of the parent tree. Yet the recent revival of this classic example of artistic failure shows you can dig any old crap out the ground and it'll sell. 

Stussy...

STUSSY

It is time for Generic to expand, with the mass of my coursework projects out of the way I now have more time for the blog. One of the things I want to achieve in the next few months is to have something preferably an article discussing most brands work for both reference and accessibility. So I decided to start big with, arguably, the godfather of OG streetwear Stussy. So I went and asked the person I know knows much more than most and certainly more than me. so here is brief overview of stussy courtesy or James "Jam Jam" Watkins:

"So I've been asked to write an article on Stussy for Josh’s blog and of course I was pretty honoured, as I don’t really consider myself as being particularly up to date with current streetwear trends etc.  But the reason he gave for me doing it was that I knew more of the back-story and history. And I suppose over the last few years of having been into streetwear, Stussy have been the brand that I will consciously have checked upon. The very mention of the name Stussy, the original brand that kick-started the streetwear trends and culture that are booming today will be, as of March 2013 into their 33^rd year, an amazing achievement for a company that have had to adapt to a very difficult market. In March of 1980 a young surfer by the name of Shawn Stussy decided that surfing was his true passion and he decided to brand his signature all over the boards he was making and to get the company and his namesake out there he would print graphic tee’s with said brand name. Summers spent surfing and winters spent skiing is how he met company co-founder and public accountant Frank Sinatra Jr. (Not in any way related to the singer!) Frank could see that this was a brand that would have authenticity, raw artistic talent and totally original character and in 1984 they set-up Stussy Inc.  He viewed the people within his company as a ‘tribe’ a family as such; he also had some people working for him that would go on to create their own streetwear brands such as:

 James Jebbia - Founder of Union; Founder of Supreme

Eddie Cruz - Manager at Union; Founder of Undefeated

Keith Hufnagel - Stüssy Skateboarding Team Rider; Founder of HUF

These people have now forged their own particular style and judging by the companies they started and founded, have made their own splash in the streetwear world. In 1991 they opened their first boutique shop in New York’s trendy Soho area, no one involved in the company quite realized what this had started and what it would later turn out to be.

So from ’91 onwards the company were doing very well, sales were on the up, the designs were still as fresh and inspiring as ever. Many stores have opened since the boutique in ’91, there are now altogether 15 stores (otherwise known as chapters), not all based in the U.S. either, he went international with stores in Milan, Madrid, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Seoul  and Kuala Lumpur. He took over the world and it all really stems back to him scribbling his signature on his first surfboard. In this part of the article I want to really go into a bit more depth as to why I think Stussy is the best in this business and why it will still be the best. For starters the list of companies that they have collaborated with over the years; Nike (this is in itself an depth list that I shall touch on later), Converse, Vans, BAPE, UNDFTD, Adidas, Supreme, Parra & Carhartt. It’s also not just the other streetwear brands that the collabs have been limited to, they have worked with companies involved in the comic book industry (Marvel & Real Deal) Musicians (Bob Marley & J Dilla) and even in the world of cartoons and animation (Beavis And Butthead & John K). This is another reason what enhances and pushes them forward, sets them apart form other brands. I feel that other brands can sometimes rely on big flashy designs and bright colours that often distract from any decent design direction, all Stussy need is the signature on a tee and its near perfect and I’m not saying that Stussy haven’t used the above mentioned ideas on their tee’s and clothing in the past, but they can go back to a simple design and they are still miles ahead of the competition. The other thing that I really love about them is that they have instantly recognisable branding, the two versions of Shawn’s original signature, the double ‘s’, very reminiscent of the chanel logo, the bent crown logo, the Rastafarian Lion and the skull with the crossed surfboard and skateboard. It also goes to show that once Shawn had left in ’96 that the company was still successful and that he was happy to give more time to his family and eventually set up S/Double.

Another aspect of Stussy that I like are the adverts, below are a few of my favourite examples:

Yet again, simple designs, Shawn has taken old adverts and used his unique handwriting to make it his own. The adverts did their job, they sold t-shirts and other items of clothing and I believe it was due to the simple yet clever designs of the early ad’s. Even the more up to date advertisements for current drops are still doing their job, as is displayed in the link below:

http://www.stussy.com/nike

Simple, basic printer colours, explaining the products and giving a small history between Stussy and Nike’s past collaboration’s also educate you as to why these successful companies do so well together when they collaborate. And I think this maybe another reason why I love Stussy as much as I do, they have a great relationship with Nike, which is my favourite trainer brand. The collaborations that they have had in the past are the best collabs done by any two companies in the streetwear market, here are my favourite examples of Stussy x Nike:

Stussy X Nike Sky Force 88, amazing shoe, made even more amazing by the Stussy throw on it, particularly like the two camo variants.

Stussy X Nike Dunk World Tour, a stable classic here for Nike, which is given a few touched which yet again separates it from anything anyone else was doing, the green/red and purple/black/silver are the best colourways.

Stussy X NikeNike Court Force XXV, Wow, that’s all I can say on these, wow. Absolute classic, such a good choice for Stussy to collab on, these are stone cold classics and the colours are excellent, black/white and the purple/black/white are the cherry on the top.Stussy x Nike Dunk High, very, very rare, to have such a high profile drop this early on (2001) and to have it on a premium dunk with ostrich skin on the brown variant and snake skin on the black variant, these are true marvels for any sneakerhead and street wear fanatic to own.Stussy x Nike Blaze, my favourite, in my mind it really doesn’t get better than these, amazing, unusual and a unique choice of colourways (either the midnight navy with turbo pink swoosh or cool grey with emerald green swoosh) Stone cold classic. They’re literally second to the Tiff dunks and anybody who knows me, knows that they are my holy grail!

 That’s all I can really express about Stussy, there are only so many ways that I can really put it, but you’ll find the same with any fan, or fanatic, or connoisseur for Stussy if you ask them the question:

Why do you like Stussy?

And they’ll simply reply, Just cus!"

So there we have it james' insightful and in depth look into stussy. Stay on it for more.

"Street Goth"

Street Goth

Street Goth is a look that is getting a lot of attention at the moment which I think has itself good chances of hitting the mainstream. I myself am a fan of the look which has started with big rap artists like Kanye West and A$AP Rocky donning a darker look, Courtesy of Givenchy, Raf Owens, Alexander Wang and Rick Owens.

Now Generic is not quite in the realms of high end, more uses it as a tangent it likes to refer to. So for a full insight into the history of the look, who’s doing it and how to do it I suggest looking towards Highsnobiety and its articles on the subject. Like THISONE.

WHERE IS IT GOING?

As I mentioned before there is a high chance of this look going to the high street, and this week I noticed a "street goth-esque" section in Fast Fashion retailer H&M(another reason behind my disappointed with the denial of a Givenchy Collaboration). The look obviously had to come from somewhere and must exist somewhere already, otherwise no one would be wearing it in the first place and upon further inspection there are a lot of brands that aren't too expensive existing already pushing “the look” with their own twists these do tend to be the “darker” streetwear brands but I have seen a few dropping good pieces to contribute to the look. Here’s a list of who has made some contributions:

10 deep
Actual Pain
Blvck Scvle
Flying Coffin
Fuct
Mishka
Mighty Healthy
Rook
Rebel 8
SSUR

MY FIRST LOOK

Here’s one of those little fashion mock ups all the Tumblr kids and those cheap women’s Gossip magazines make. I made this to show the look in full but without anything too bank breaking.