No shock to anyone really, but we’ve never understood the “streetwear” thing. We know what it’s like to desire every single piece of kit we’d see on our favorite skaters, surfers, and snowboarders, but we never got our heads around the fetishization of those clothes by people who seemed to be more into the fashion (and we mean that in an East Coast/NYC way) than the skateboarding. We’re hoping Bobby Hundreds‘ new documentary Built To Fail: A Street Wear Story will finally enlighten us.
BUILT TO FAIL: A STREETWEAR STORY takes you through the history of streetwear, including the subculture of LA’s surf & skate scene, the punk rock scene, and the rise of graffiti street art out of NY. The film features interviews with Tommy Hilfiger, Russell Simmons,A$AP Rocky, Benny Gold, and LA-based designers such as Eli Bonerz (X-Large), “Bobby Tribal” Ruiz (Tribal), and Rick Klotz (Freshjive).
Built To Fail premiere’s this Saturday, June 17, 2017 at the Los Angeles Film Festival at 8:35pm at the ArcLight Santa Monica. For more info click the link.
Vans new performance skate shoes the UltraRange Pro look like a leap forward in tech, fit, and comfort if you ask us. Here’s what Vans is saying about ’em:
Vans UltraRange Pro’s versatile build pushes the boundaries of skate progression to provide uncompromising functionality with creative innovation. The UltraRange Pro also utilizes a brand-new internal sock-fit construction, providing a breathable, responsive and snug fit, along with ventilated tongue, collar and quarter panels for increased airflow.
Looks like Curren Caples likes ’em. Want a pair of your own? They go on sale world wide on Saturday, June 17, 2017. Follow the jump for all the official details.
To anyone who’s spent a day staring out the window of a Minoan Line ferry looking for surf in the Agean Sea this vid will seem like fiction. Yes, we spotted wave with potential off the coast of Delos, one fall during a storm, but nothing like what Nixon surfers Marlon Lipke, Yannick De Jager and Gony Zubizarreta found on this trip.
Chances to score are always very low considering the consistency of swells and the difficulty to predict conditions. Timing is key, local connexions are priceless. All they needed was a call: a friend and local shaper guaranteed them that the conditions displayed on the weather forecast would turn the coast into an idyllic playground, and it did.
Guess so. This whole edit was snagged in one day, and when the day was done, so was the surf.
Over the past decade Billabong has had nothing but trouble running their own retail stores. Not to rehash it all, but they’ve bought retailers and online retailers and partnered with other retailers all without ever gaining traction or experiencing any real success. But they’re planning to fix all that with the hire of Jim Howell as chief financial officer of the company.
Mr Howell has spent the last 10 years leading the finance and treasury division at Nordstrom, one of the largest retailers in the United States, where he oversaw significant cost management improvements, capital management and growth initiatives. . . He played a key role in the implementation of Nordstrom’s highly successful omni- channel retailing strategy, which has demonstrated consistent best in class financial performance.
Sounds like they have the right guy for the job. We hope Mr. Howell is up for a challenge. He starts at the Bong on June 12, 2017, and will be based in California. For the official word from Billabong, please follow the jump.
We’ve never understood the East Coast streetwear fashion thing. Growing up in the infinite expanse of the West, we never felt the crush of tight urban spaces or came face to face with the idea that anything was in scarce supply. East Coast kids don’t have that luxury. Many things are scarce in New York City and that may be why brands like Supreme are able to monopolize style and make kids believe that a product is worth hundreds of dollars more than another simply because it is difficult to get.
As Supreme met the Internet it became more important for them to make their highly coveted, limited supply fashion items available online when their product drops. Which is nice because not everyone can camp out on Lafayette St. each week to grab the latest before it’s gone. Problem is, it’s just as tough to get an order in as it is to get in line. Two Florida computer kids noticed how hard this was and they created a bot (The Supreme Saint) that (for a price) will dive in on the Supreme website and buy up product for customers in a matter of seconds, according to a story in Wired Magazine.
The breakthrough came within a couple of months, when Supreme released a version of Nike’s Air Jordan 5 sneakers. The shoes were offered in three color options, what sneaker fans call colorways: white, black, and desert camo. That day Matt and Chris charged $100 for each pair a customer wanted to buy. One of the colors received around 200 orders, making the duo roughly $20,000 in five seconds. Chris and Matt won’t say how much they make from their bot, the Supreme Saint, but they’ve formed an LLC.
Nice to know it’s still possible to jump in on street fashion and siphon off a little cash on the side. Then again, how exclusive is this stuff if anyone willing to spend a little extra can get it whenever they want? And what will the future hold now that Supreme is clamping down on bots in general? Click the link for the rest of the story.
Australian retailer SurfStitch (formerly partially owned by Billabong) is expecting its losses to double this year, according to a story on Sky News. In what has been one piece of bad news after another, the company will also be closing their US office a.k.a Swell.com.
SurfStitch on Monday announced that weak apparel and footwear sales in its key markets, particularly in the UK, will drag it deeper into the red than the $5 million-$6.5 million loss it had forecast in February. . . The company now expects a loss of between $10.5 million and $11.5 million for its 2017 financial year.
Guess the suits haven’t been able to turn the retailer around like they’d hoped.
Burton has partnered up with some of the best names in camping (Big Agnes, Yeti, Stanley) and created a one-stop shop for cool camp gear including tests, chairs, tables, sleeping bag, backpacks, and more. Click the link if you’re interested in getting ready for summer camping smooth and easy like.
Combining visionary ideas and unforgettable cuisine, Two Farmtables And A Microphone invites their guests to feed all five senses while creating food for thought. Event organizers promise that their guests will take part in incredible, transparently-sourced, farm fresh meals accompanied by a diverse array of exciting guest speakers from the frontiers of entertainment, technology, and culture.
It’s an evening that will stimulate both your palate and mind, leaving you with a full belly and a renewed hunger for the possibilities that surround us.
For all the details on upcoming events in Hawaii, Ojai, Huntington Beach, and Oceanside, California please click the link.
The new Nixon John John Florence Signature Series features The Base Tide, The Comp, The Descender, and The Ultratide all with 2 John’s custom black and orange color treatment (apparently everyday really is Halloween). For all the official details please follow the jump.
Scott Lewis has been named to the newly created role of global brand manager at Otis Eyewear. Lewis, who has formerly served as Director of International Sales at Oakley Inc, Commercial Director of Oakley Europe, International President at Globe and Director of Sales and Business Development EMEA at Fox Head, Inc. He will start at Otis’ home office in Australia in June.
For the official word from Otis, please follow the jump.
Over the past decade Billabong has had nothing but trouble running their own retail stores. Not to rehash it all, but they’ve bought retailers and online retailers and partnered with other retailers all without ever gaining traction or experiencing any real success. But they’re planning to fix all that with the hire of Jim Howell as chief financial officer of the company.
Australian retailer 
Scott Lewis has been named to the newly created role of global brand manager at Otis Eyewear. Lewis, who has formerly served as Director of International Sales at Oakley Inc, Commercial Director of Oakley Europe, International President at Globe and Director of Sales and Business Development EMEA at Fox Head, Inc. He will start at Otis’ home office in Australia in June.
