The interesting thing about Berlin: Really everybody is into graphics and fashion. But where again do they put all their work when they’re through?;-)  Anyways – we were lucky enough to find Richi from TOPDOLLAR (Berlin/Germany) having some real great stuff. Definitely existing in reality and ready to order.

Cool advertising campaign from Adidas for the fall collection

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On the eve of Limited Edt's fifth anniversary, we were lucky to catch up with General Manager Mandeep to get the dirt on their extra luscious new collaboration with New Balance, the state of Singapore’s sneaker scene and why other countries need to watch their back as Limited Edt go from strength to strength in the fledging sneaker retail market.

Hey Mandeep, tell us about yourself?
Sure, I’m 31 now and sorry gals I recently got married. I have always been around sneakers being born into a family run sporting goods business which has spanned 3 generations. Together with my love for sports you can say that I am truly blessed to be doing what I do.

We know a little about Limited Edt. You have four locations, so tell us how your stores work and in particular, explain the concept of the Vault for those that haven’t heard about it?
Our first store Limited Edt is in a mall called Queensway which is famous for sneakers and sports merchandise. This remains our most busy store which stocks the most products. Then we also have a skate store in the same mall. The Vault Store is the most high end and stocks the most limited product. It is located in the heart of the most famous Shopping district in Singapore called Orchard Road. In keeping with the name of the store, there is an actual mock “Bank Vault” inside the store which is an archive of rare and sought after sneakers. Entry into this “Bank Vault” is by appointment only and we regularly change the displays in there. The last store acts more like our outlet store and is a great place to find some older models.

And how is the scene progressing over there? What’s everyone rockin’ right now?
The scene has grown so much and so fast in the last few years to the point that even if it can maintain at current levels in the near future, it will be great. Right now many kids here seem partial to Vans and Converse maybe because of the whole skinny jeans look. But these trends always move in cycles don’t they.

Congratulations on the announcement of your collaboration, it’s a grand way to mark the fifth anniversary of your opening. How have things changed since you opened?
Thank you, it is a great honour for us and its something we always wanted to do. When we opened in early 2003, we honestly didn’t know where this would take us and the whole aim was to bring in products that otherwise would not grace our shores. So the main change is now that we are very established, we get access to top tier stuff from all the big brands. Other changes include us having to deal with a much more educated crowd and us having to put more effort to get them excited.

Limited Edt is the first store in Singapore to be graced with a collaboration shoe. Why do you think it has taken so long for shoe companies to recognize Singapore as a haven for sneaker heads?
Good Question and I wonder why myself. I think it is mainly to do with our small market size. However I don’t think the companies should ignore us any longer as not only do we have a fledgling sneaker scene here but are the standard bearers for the whole Southeast Asian region. Also I feel Singapore will only grow in importance as a global and exciting city. We see our growth in tandem with the exciting things happening in Singapore. With the nightlife, music, arts, sports and entertainment scene looking very bright with events like the first ever night street circuit Formula 1 Race this year and developments like 2 mega casino/integrated resorts and a state of the art Sports hub/stadium all being built within 2 to 3 years time, the future looks bright.

The design encompasses many facets of the Limited Edt store, from the rich burgundy and gold interior to the iconic Vault. It seems no details were spared. Can you tell us how this all came together?
As you mentioned we simply used the Vault store as the inspiration for the shoe. We chose the 577 silhouette and wanted to keep it simple, classy and understated. So besides using the colours represented by our store, we chose a full premium leather upper rather than a concoction of different materials on one shoe, as has been the recent trend. To give the shoe a bit of our identity we added some touches like 2 sets of “Vault” lace locks, one in gold and a silver version. We also have an insole print which was designed by Moritz Kofler who hails from Germany and mimics the “Bank Vault” handles of the store. This same graphic is used for the box.

Let’s talk in detail about the packaging. The case itself is almost more of a talking point than the shoe itself! It seems you guys think outside the box. (Pun intended!)
Yeah, while the shoe was kept simple we decided to be very unique and extravagant with the packaging. The box is also totally inspired by the store. Firstly the hard metallic silver finish represents the “Vault door”. The velvet inner lining of the box matches the velvet walls that adorn our store. Lastly the combination lock is a play on the fact that you do not have easy access to the “Vault” and reminds you that you are purchasing something very exclusive. The combination for each box will match the serial number of each shoe.

How important for you was it that the shoes were ‘Made in England'?
With our first colab we did not want a mass produced shoe and the “Made in England” range was perfect for this. We also like the attention to detail, workmanship and comfort of the range. Most importantly the ‘Made in England” range was the only range of New Balance we carried in the early days of the store and it always did well for us. So essentially it was going back to our roots.

New Balance seems to be the quiet achiever with some of the colabs. Why do you think stores are favouring them more so than the obvious choices for colabs?
Agreed, New Balance has been coming out with some gems without milking it in terms of distribution with the Solebox and Stussy/Hectic/Undefeated colabs coming to mind. The best part is they have been very varied with colab designs coming from all over including of Asia, Australia, US and Europe. As to why stores chose to work with them I would put it down to simple reasons like them being very easy to work with and being very receptive to ideas and the sneaker culture in general

 
Has working with the brand altered your appreciation for the design process of shoes?
Most definitely, although this shoe was always meant to be simple and so was not very difficult, it can be a very tiresome process of going back and forth on what can and cannot be done especially so for more complicated designs we have come out with in the past.

And has this given you a taste to collaborate beyond footwear?
Yes we have many diverse plans for the future but sneakers are our first love and it is what we are good at so we still want to concentrate on sneaker projects for the future.

And finally, what’s the deal if we want to get pair?
There are only 140 pairs produced so majority will be sold locally within our stores. However New Balance is currently finalising a few of their top accounts worldwide to carry a size run of the shoe. So far countries we may see this include Japan, USA, Australia and neighbour countries like Thailand and Malaysia.

Check out more images of the New Balance x Limited Edt shoe here

http://www.sneakerfreaker.com/sneaker-releases/New-Balance-X-Limited-Edt/

www.limitededt.com

Streething presents “ALL IN THE FAMILY”

Date: 16 February, 2008

Time: 6.30pm – 11.00pm

Venue: Zouk, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Get ready for a post-Valentine’s day massacre as the Streething family takes over Zouk once again. Unlike past events like last year’s successful Swap & Gawp 2007 meet that was more focused on sneakers, ALL IN THE FAMILY is a call to arms to all our extended family members in South East Asia Pacific. This round there will be no extremity, no rim land, no borders! Your ridiculous obsession with streetwear is your access to this event!

ALL IN THE FAMILY presents regionally acclaimed appearance and performances from wall to wall. Our non-stop line-ups of Art, Action, Music, Fashion will definitely hold your senses hostage

6:30pm: Graffiti installation by some of the regions best represented street artists, including:

Darbotz (Indonesia)

Jahan (Taiwan/Singapore)

Orkibal (Malaysia)

Phobia Crew (Malaysia)

Shieko (Malaysia)

The Killer Gerbil (Singapore)

Action: Simultaneous skate demo by leading skateboarders and rollerbladers from the region will be leaving skid marks all over Zouk, line ups are:

Riyaz (Malaysia)

Kecik Ampang (Malaysia)

Preduce (Thailand)

Wheel Love Rollers (Malaysia)

Music: At 8.00pm, guests will be ushered into the Mainroom, where globe-trotting rapper, MC Vandal (Canada), will pump his lyrical prowess against a backdrop of montages and footage from past Streething events.

Fashion: We will be presenting streetwear fashion show styled by Ethan Chu that will feature family members modeling streetwear from streetwear stores around the region. Our invited Models are not your average Kent and Barbies but of local trendsetters and influencers. It is our personal illustration of how real fashion should be represented by “REAL PEOPLE”

Music again: the Lapsap crew (DJ Blink and DJ XU) will be bringing their unique mix of funky and eclectic tunes to keep the party in an enrapture throughout the night.

Art again but nevertheless…The highlight of the night will be a live sketching demonstration by renowned artist Dave White (UK), who will be making his first public appearance in Malaysia. Another high point will be an installation by esteemed sneaker customizers Mark Ong aka SBTG and Lazy.

There will be also display of customized sneakers, bearbricks, toys and art pieces at stadium area (mezzanine floor) brought to you by:

• Sole Obession
• Phuek
• Hypethetic
• Spoonman
• Lazy
• The Killer Gerbil
• Orkibal
• Shieko

Apart from that, there will be a limited print run of T-shirts designed by Darbotz and the Sole Obsession collective up for sale. People who purchase aformentioned T-shirts qualify for a lucky draw, with a stash of prizes that include mobile phones courtesy of Samsung Mobile.

and if you really have no clue, what we are rambling about in the past 8 paragraphs above, we are simply saying, Come Party with us and you would witness the “authenticity” of the word streetwear in real representation ..FINALLY!!!

Supra has really blown up in the past year and releases like this help you to understand why. This new model from the Supra crew is definitely for those chill sessions where the coke is piled sky high and you talk with a Sosa inspired accent. These should be hitting Supra retailers soon so get your linen suits and gold chains ready.

Info.Image: Supra

Society for Rational Dress, notably one of the best brands to come out of LA in the past 3 years has been able to maintain its integrity and aesthetic since designer Corinne Grassini’s launched in 2005. After studying pattern making at Central Saint Martins in London Grassini moved to LA to start her brand, which initially consisted of leather shoes, than bags, and now a full collection of well tailored but simultaneously flowy and unrestrictive clothing dressed with thick leather trims and heavy duty hardware. Here is a sneak peak at her Spring 08 Collection. For full preview and access to archive of collections visit Society for Rational Dress.

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For the opening of their Osaka store, Sophnet made a collaboration with Nike on the Air Revaderchi. They feature a mixture of kangaroo and full grain leather on the uppers along with a gray and a white colorway with matching t-shirts. Both the sneakers and the t-shirt will be exclusively sold at Sophnet stores in Japan. via highsnobiety

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Swedish label Odeur for Spring/Summer ‘08.

Second in-store collection, reaching stores in Sweden and Japan during february 2008. This collection included four styles of t-shirts, one singlet and one hoodie. “New Space” is the first collection including the scent of Odeur. Every garment comes packed with a scented hangtag.

Odeur was founded in 2006. The first collection was presented in May 2006. One year later, the first in-store collection, including four styles of t-shirts reached the stores. The Odeur collections are designed by Anna Lidstrom and Petter Hollstrom.

As always, more photos are provided after the jump.

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Well, one day somebody had to have this idea: Organizing the second “real underground” streetfashion tradefair in germany. Now we have the BRIGHT (Frankfurt am Main) and this new thing called “WEARe” in Düsseldorf. So why not be spontaneous once in a time, grab the car and head over to have a cool one with our friends from WEMOTO, 667 and AUHUUR? Two hours later: Really friendly staff at the press counter. Somehow feeling a bit lonely though. Where are the masses? Entering right the heart of WEARe: The huge exhibition hall. Stylish installation, nice lightning concept, smart interior design for the boothes. Passing by at some never-seen-before-never-see-again labels. Old ladies with tiny dogs. OBEY, Akomplice, Gio-Goi, and Evisu just to name the others. But exactly no visitors. I mean NO visitors at all. Getting over to Stefan and the boys from WEMOTO. Seeing again Lucas and Nicole after a couple of months. Long faces all around me. Nobody seems to be happy with the weekend. And then we discover the giant fridge with the beers.

Just to be fair: We definitely had the impression of something interesting coming up. But somebody forgot to invite the people. And yes: we’ll definitely give it a second try. See you next time at WEARe.

The Snow G-ds shined on Chicago early this winter by delivering a Burton Flagship Store to downtown.  This is only one of five flagship stores in the world and its totally rad.  It’s three floors of new gear, new technology, and a very knowledgeable sales staff.  I figured it would take me 5 minutes to get in and out.  30 minutes later I was leaving with a catalog, and a need for a Burton Supermodel with a Carbon I-Beam.  If you like to ride, or your thinking about getting into riding, definitely check it out.

A name like Tittsworth is kind of hard to forget. I’ve been reading about this guy for some time and to my surprise, I found out he was going to be playing at Volar last Thursday. Despite the three other events that night, I wanted to be sure to catch his set. (more…)

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The adidas/NBA HomeCooked collection tells the lifestyle and cultural story of nine MAJOR U.S cities through a distinct package of apparel and footwear. Taking inspiration from the city’s rich history in jazz music, Cajun food, Africana and mysticism- the N’awlins kit will lead the collection during its debut at the 2008 NBA All-Star game. In honor of the host city, The N’awlins swingman jersey will be the official uniform during the McDonald’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday, February 15th.