One of those items that makes me proud of my current attempts to expand my closet. File this under "Unusual and Unlikely Collaborations".
via Slam x Hype: Puma has teamed up with Atmos and National Geographic photographer, Mitsuaki Iwago, for the second time to bring the Asia Pack. The Asia Pack consists of two Clydes and a Puma Mid and each of the three feature an insole with a picture of an endangered animal from the continent of Asia. The Giant Panda, the Golden Monkey, and the Crested Ibis are all featured in this newest installment in the series between the three entities. The shoes are slated to release on July 28th at Atmos.
Ant says: The names alone would warrant second look. I admire their respect for the endangered species as well, as long as everyone's going green you might as well try to save everything on the planet. If you can make some profit, so much the better.
7.24.2008
FASHION: National Geographic x Atmos x Puma
7.16.2008
Fashion: Graniph Design Awards
Some very clever designs via Honeyee. I have to side with Jeff on this one, U.S. designers need a shot in the arm when it comes to innovation (the bag of skittles/look-at-me-I-remember-the-80's look doesn't do much for me). Out of sheer (kinda)shock, I'm liking the one with the tiger head/ human female body combo. I'm saying "kinda" because I saw something similar in this season's Antenna Magazine. Big ups to all the winners, competitors and judges and I AM rooting for the U.S. in the Beijing Olympics so you can't say I show no patriotism.
7.03.2008
Raewon x Diamond Supply CO
What happens when the Chef cooks up a recipe with Diamond Supply Co...
A limited run t-shirt made exclusively to celebrate his upcoming album, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II. Now I know some of you are like, "Beats you're kinda late with this one" *cough cough E.T. cough cough*, BUT!!! let me continue. The shirt was rumored to only be available at the Rock The Bells Tour but Rae and the heads at Diamond Supply Co decided to release the shirt online also. Now i do have some bad news. Unfortunately the white t-shirt was only available at the store and is most likely gone for good, but the black t-shirt will be available to purchase starting July 4th at 12pm at Diamond Supply Company's online store
Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II is slated for release later this year and, he is currently on tour with Ghostface Killah promoting the album.
7.02.2008
Ice Cream & BBC Seventh Season Line Up
Two of the biggest brands in street wear have released a glimpse of what to expect in their new line up.
Below are pics of BBC's and Ice Cream's seventh season line up all modeled by N.E.R.D. and Nigo. I really like the colors and overall design of this seasons stuff. Might just drop 200 dollars on a BBC or Ice Cream t-shirt.
Pics courtesy of Kanye's blog
7.01.2008
Kanye West x Louis Vuitton
Since Kanye's introduction to the hip hop world as a rapper in 2004 he had no problem letting us know that he is the "Louis Vuitton Don". Well, Mr. West may have the right to officially be considered as such.
While in Paris, Kanye stated "I'm here for Louis". Mr. West also informed the press and the fashion world that he and Louis Vuitton are collaborating on a line of men's shoes. Nothing has yet to be confirmed but if you're a Kanye fan and a fan of Louis Vuitton be sure to keep an eye out for this, and as always PxP will keep you updated.
4.11.2008
for all of you....
environmentally friendly folks, Barney's and Loomstate are giving you a discount for doing something good for our earth.
Barney's has a promotion going on with Loomstate, to give you 20% off your purchase of "Loomstate for Barney's Green" and "Men's Loomstate" products when you donate your old tees to Barney's.
I bought this Loomstate coat from a Barney's sale earlier this year. Before buying it, I knew nothing about the company.
In case you don't know about the company either, here's a snippet from their site."Loomstate was founded as a casual brand dedicated to creating demand for certified organic cotton using socially and environmentally responsible methods of production."
The "Loomstate for Barney's Green" items on the Barney's site aren't so interesting to me. A bunch of cotton tees, thermals, and some jeans. I did find a cute jacket though. Kind of expensive but you know.... whatever. To view the jacket, click here. If you want to participate, act fast. The discount will only be available for use between Sunday, April 13, 2008 and Sunday, April 27, 2008.
3.19.2008
FASHION: And I Stay On Track Like A Box of...
PUMAS! In my quest to get the f**k out of Niketown (meaning diversify my closet), I came upon this little gem @ High Snobiety.
It's a very clean shoe. I'd wear it on a date or formal function with the right gear (gettin' dressed up to get messed up!) on a clear day because there is no way I'd get these water damaged. Chalk it up to the curse of white shoes. Instinct says "get the matching tracksuit SON!!!" but my conscience tells me "keep it simple my yute". Release in April!
Best For: Beach, Country Club, Bashment Party (for those who run THROUGH shoes like track).
- Ant!™
3.05.2008
For all of you.....
fashionistas, Rachel Roy is holding her New York Sample Sale today!
I wish I could go but I'm DEFINITELY not going to make it. No it's not the timing... it's the pricing! I hear garments that were originally around $1,000 will be marked down to around $500. Garments that were $500 will be around $250. That's a pretty good deal considering.
Rachel Roy Sample Sale
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 – Friday, March 7, 2008
12pm – 7pm
148 West 37th Street
2nd Floor
btwn 7th Avenue & B'way
New York, NY
Cash, Amex, Visa, and MasterCard all accepted
2.29.2008
If you're looking for....
a good deal this weekend, hit up the Kid Robot Warehouse Sale.
It's coming to Miami, San Francisco, and LA this weekend.
Friday, February 29, 2008 - Sunday, March 9, 2008
1512 Haight Street in San Francisco
7972 Melrose Avenue in LA
638 Collins Avenue in Miami
You can also shop online at KidRobot.com.
HAPPY SHOPPING!
2.12.2008
Random Hot Sh!t Vol. 3
It's that time again! Random heat for music, fashion and the world featuring one half of the Cool Kids, Adidas new ventures, Art Thieves and... a new headquarters?!?!?!!
Mikey Rocks of the Cool Kids talks inspiration.
Very surprised that he'd put Public Enemy up there though that would explain the new song on the Cool Kids myspace page called "Action Figures".
Adidas cookgear?!?!?!?
And in the "making a resurgence" category: Art Thieves. Because tech crimes and wars are sooooo 2007.
Last but not least, a preview of the Paid & Popular HQ.
For more interviews, updates and features click + subscribe to the Paid & Popular RSS feed.
1.31.2008
MOTIVATION-al Speaker
Paid and Popular linked up with the illest boutique in Ann Arbor, Motivation, for a Q & A for some insight on how a boutique is developed and run. Shoutouts to Mike, the co-owner, for taking time out for the interview!
Motivation Boutique // Premium Streetwear & Fashion
1203 S. University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
(734) 769-2260
www.mtvtn.com
1) Why the location of Ann Arbor for the store?
Well, even though I'm originally from Pittsburgh, I've been here in Ann Arbor, Michigan since 1999 going to college and then grad school at the University of Michigan. When I was in college, there were never any stores in the area - and especially on campus - that I would like to shop at; I'd always end up getting my clothes online or back home in Pittsburgh. I knew there were others like me that didn’t dress in Abercrombie and U of M apparel everyday, so when we were thinking of the concept for the store, Ann Arbor just made sense. There's nothing like it here. From a business standpoint it's an almost perfect location --- we are right on campus and there's 40,000 college students living within a half mile radius of the store. It would be perfect if the students were here year-round!
2) How is Michigan's economy affecting your bottom line, if at all?
It's hard to say, only because we've only been open for 2 and a half months now, and those two and a half months fell during the holiday season. We've fortunately been doing better than we expected so far, but ask me that in a year and Ill have a better answer for you.
3) What was the process in making the Motivation mixtape & did you have any say in it?
I actually had no say in it, haha! DJ Benzi, who's from Michigan and loves the store, was the one who came up with the idea, and he hit Mick (Boogie) up and they got Fatman Scoop on board and made it all happen. And it turned out dope and everything I expected it would be! I've been working with Mick for 4 years or so now and learned to let the professionals do what they do best. I trust his musical/marketing expertise 100%, so I usually don’t give him too much input. My extent of working on this project was simply sending the graphic designer our logo for the back cover!
4) What's your inspiration behind the design of the boutique? We know its important to keep a fresh vibe by being creative with the blueprint.
Well the design was based on my personal style and ideas I guess. I designed all of it and just wanted real clean simple straight lines and a high-end modern look throughout. Everything is black and white for contrast with silver accents, and the wood floor and clothes pop against these colors. I also love hip-hop (I sold and promoted it in my previous business) and wanted to incorporate that into the atmosphere, so all we play as background music is dope-ass classic instrumentals. We also have some paintings being commissioned for the store that once they get done will add to that atmosphere. One thing that was also important was to have a layout that made sense and not have a crowded store, I really hate that when Im shopping! We didn’t have the huge budget as some of these stores in NYC or California but it still came out nice and like no other store in the area, that’s for sure.
5) What MOTIVATED you to want and do a joint venture with Mick in the form of a boutique? Why not something like, I don't know, real estate?
Haha, I don't know shit about real estate so that was out of the question! No, I'm a big supporter of doing something that you're passionate about and that you will be happy waking up and doing everyday. When I got my Master's degree, I got offered a job at Ernst & Young in accounting right out of school. But I didn’t accept it because I had this internet-based business popping off that sold rare hip-hop CDs, DVDs, and mixtapes. It really wasn't making much at the time but I thought if I had time to dedicate to it (most of my time was spent hitting the books), it could turn into something big. Plus, I'm not a very corporate person and couldn’t see myself crunching numbers in a suit and sucking up to my boss on the daily. My parents thought I was crazy. But I ended up putting my all into the business and it blew up. I sold it this past summer because CDs will be dead in a year or two and flipped some of the proceeds into Motivation.
But umm back to the question as to why a boutique, well me and Mick met through my old business and actually had another business together (and still do) where we partnered up to promote him as a Dj. We would always bounce business ideas back and forth and we both had a love for the clothing and culture in general (especially sneakers) so one day we got to talking about opening a boutique, came up with the concept, and when I sold my other business it was the right time to make it happen. Me and my girl Indra handle all of the day-to-day operations and management while Mick focuses on the marketing (he has a Masters in Marketing) and promoting it on a national level, because we aren’t trying to have Motivation known just locally!
6) How did you get so many accounts with such dope clothing companies & why'd you pick these specifically? Any chance of you guys getting an Obey or 12 grain account?
Right from the start, I singled out brands that a) I like and wear myself and b) I feel are at the top of the industry or creatively can be there. I'm a big believer of doing things the right way from the start, so I went after the big names - the Alifes, the Crooks & Castles, the Hellz Bellz', etc. - right from the beginning. There's a million and one streetwear brands out there and instead of picking up a lot of emerging brands that will readily give anyone an account, I went right after the big boys that are choosy with who they let sell their clothes. These brands only want to be in the top boutiques across the world so that they can keep their product exclusive. I set up meetings and presented our business plan and concept to all of the brands and they loved it; we ended up getting most of them on board before we had even started constructing our buildout for the store!
As far as Obey, I actually had them down in our business plan as a brand we wanted to pick up, but then I saw their booth at one of the trade shows and it was HUGE - they had the biggest selection of clothes out of all the streetwear brands at the show I'd say, so I decided to hit them up once we were more established and had a bigger budget haha. 12 Grain I'm not too familiar with, you have to put me up on them…
7) What's up with Mick's Thelonius brand?
I'm not even sure, you'll have to ask him about that, haha. It was supposed to be a collaboration between him and a dope designer we both know. It would be a good time to put it in motion though, now that we have the means to get it out there through Motivation.
8) Do you have a Nike (or any other sneaker) account in the works? Shoot for that tier 0!
We will have Alife footwear starting this Spring and also have a few other things in the works. No Nike yet though, we are really trying to focus on being known for having one of the best selections of clothing around and then we will move into other avenues like footwear!
9) Any plans on expanding the brand? Will we see something like Motivation car parts?
Haha, yeah we have the car parts coming out this Spring and then Motivation tires dropping this Fall! No umm…we have some things in the works but I really don’t want to say because there are a lot of copycats out there. I will say that you can expect more Motivation mixtapes. Also lookout for a crazy exclusive project between Mick & Lil Wayne, like on the level of the Dedication mixtapes…as long as Weezy can stay out of jail!
10) Predictions for 2008's fashion?
I think in general you can expect a continuation of what was started in 2007. A lot of streetwear companies are going towards more cleaner and subtle looks with a focus on the details. Crewneck sweatshirts will make an even bigger comeback as hoodies are being phased out. Also look for a lot more streetwear brands aimed at women to come to light. Hopefully we will see more creative brands coming out for the guys, it seems a lot of the new brands starting up keep using played out ideas that have been done 10 times over. Also hopefully in 2008 people will keep up the trend of wearing more fitted clothes…wearing your shirts two sizes too big is not what’s up…
11) How important for you was it to attain your Masters degree so quickly after finishing undergrad? I know it's hard for most to continue through 16 years of school only to tack 2 more on.
You know, when I was in my senior year of college I still didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. There’s not so much that you can do with just an undergraduate degree in Economics now-a-days, so I was like what the hell, let’s go another two more years! It was important in the sense that the Master’s program really gave me a direction as to what I could do career wise (even though I didn’t end up being an accountant) and it gave me a really specific and detailed education in Accounting. Whereas when I got my undergraduate degree in Economics, I felt it was a lot more open ended and basic education; I felt it really didn’t prepare me for one specific job and I wasn’t really an expert in Economics. Or it could be that I partied too much as an undergrad, haha…
12) Do you feel it is necessary to attain a formal upper level education to become Paid and Popular...well, at least with regards to the paid part?
I wouldn’t say its necessary but I definitely think it’s helpful. If you go the normal route and get a job working for someone else, just by having a Master’s you’re going to get paid better starting off, that’s a given. You’ll also have a much better chance at finding a good job quickly because employers know you have that much more experience and education. If you go the other route and are going to be working for yourself, I don’t think it’s as helpful, but there’s definitely benefits. Yeah I might only use my accounting knowledge around tax season now, but what I picked up from my higher level Marketing and Entrepreneurship classes I use all the time. With my old business that translated into dollar signs and hopefully it will with Motivation.
13) What other business ventures do you have in the works?
Man, I have my hands full with Motivation and promoting Mick right now! I’m just really trying to focus on Motivation and putting my all into it to develop it into a successful business and brand. Maybe in a few years Ill have something else popping off, I definitely have some ideas I’d like to put into motion, but I’m taking things one step at a time …
14) Lastly, whats up with a discount??? Size L & 32 please!
Haha, I got you, I appreciate the love on the interview! For anyone looking to get some of our stuff, we do ship across the world, just hit up the blog on our website at www.mtvtn.com and you can see what we have new in stock and info on how to make an order with us. Also be sure to check out www.mickboogie.com, Peace!
Mick Boogie & DJ Benzi's "Motivation" Mixtape
1.30.2008
The Deadstock Market
As an effort to give back to the sneaker community, Culture Kings presents:
"The Dead Stock Market".
Held during the last Wednesday of each month at Culture Kings Miami,
"The Dead Stock Market" is an opportunity for sneaker heads, sneaker collectors, and sneaker enthusiasts to meet, buy, sell, and trade Dead Stock or Near Dead Stock sneakers.
Admission is free. All ages welcome.
Event starts at 6pm and ends at 8pm.
Miami's own
DJ Louie Arson on the 1's and 2's.
You are not required to bring sneakers to participate in the event, "The Dead Stock Market" is a great opportunity to find sneakers you may have been trying to find or turn unwanted sneakers into cash.
Culture Kings
305.573.2399
**SEE STORE FOR MORE DETAILS**
1.29.2008
if you're in LA....
this weekend, you're in LUCK! I hear 10Deep is having a CRAZY sample sale.
The good people over at 10Deep have even bothered with doing a commercial. It's really comical. Check it out HERE!
Saturday, February 2, 2008 & Sunday, February 3, 2008
11am - 7pm
645 N. Martel Avenue
Corner of Melrose and Martel
Los Angeles, CA 90038
1.27.2008
FASHION: If she cooks you grits in the morning...
don't tip her. Because the tip will probably look like this.
First commercial off of the Louis Vuitton & Pharrell Williams jewelry collection known as Blason. Yes I'd probably cop it for my girl but I'd have to be with her for a year or more before I even start thinking of jewelry. Or even presents... just kidding!
Valentine's Day is in a few weeks by the way!
Side Note: I know everyone loves the new N.E.R.D. song but am I the only person that feels like it doesn't fit the theme of the commercial?
INFO
The Blason jewellery collection, or the magic of an encounter.
Designed by Pharrell Williams in collaboration with Camille Miceli, this new Louis Vuitton collection is a variation on four themes, in which the rhythm and energy of the new continent harmonize with the spirit of historic Europe.
The collection will be available in Louis Vuitton Shops this spring."
1.09.2008
Random Hot Sh!t Vol. 2
It's the return of the randomness! No one shall be spared!
Random Hot Kicks:
Nike SB Dunk Hey
Fitness Quotes from T-Nation.com:
"I think men should just withhold cock. Women should withhold the vag, too."
"...We need IQ tests before having children and we need body fat tests before being allowed to practice making children.
I'm kidding. But not really."
"You know what's not missing? Gimmicks."
"Unfortunately, it's easier to change a person's religion than it is to pry the Cokes and bread out of their chubby fingers."
"I told one fat guy to have a low-carb protein shake at night to reduce nighttime overeating. What did he do? He mixed it with whole milk, then added sugary yogurt, and bananas. Then he told me he was "doing just what ya told me to, Mr. Shugart!"
*puts the Coke away and does 500 sit-ups... minus 495*
New Missy Elliot: Ching-A-Ling
Pros: Missy's back! And not on drugs!
Nice beat.
Cons: Lyrics are a bit sub-par... or maybe up to par compared with the latter part of 2007.
Lacks the innovation & "fresh" factor of previous singles, ie: Work It
And I got 495 more sit-ups to go so until next time, never tip your barber saying "stay in school".
1.06.2008
SUPRA DANCE
Ok. So Main Event, E.T., and myself were doing one of our extensive PxP meetings and I decided to create this dance in between the dead time. Now we did this like 2 weeks ago; completely spontaneous. E.T. posted it on the PxP's YouTube page last night and by tonight Mickey Factz has bulletins, Laced Magazine has it on their blog, and its' popped up @ other sites. I decided to post here where it originated. Here it is, the infamous "Supra Dance". Enjoy, favorite it, add that to your myspace page, I don't care; just something for y'all to watch and laugh at.
LE Beats
A.K.A.
The Resident Hater
B.K.A.
Mr. Supra Dance
1.04.2008
No Idea's Original
Sneaker boutiques like A-Life Rivington Club and Bodega show the creativity all future stores should strive for in their conceptions. HGTV representatives don't need to design the place but at least let the store represent your own innovative blueprint. Hoping to see something fresh last Saturday, the Paid and Popular team went to Las Olas in Ft. Lauderdale for the Liberty premium sneaker boutique grand opening.
The digital fliers didn't list a time so word of mouth spread of it's 6pm opening. A customer I was speaking with close to the opening time stated,"I have $200 to spend but since they're taking so long I'm not spending it in there anymore", not a good look. At 9:30pm when the doors actually opened, a crowd of restless sneaker connoisseurs and hypebeasts spilled in to find a small & brightly lit white room with a meager selection of merchandise. What immediately caught my eye was the resemblance to another established South Florida boutique Culture Kings. (see juxtaposition below; Liberty on the right)
There's no excuse for a lack of creativity. As a business owner you want to emulate the success of your competitors through innovation, not imitation.
A certain Queens MC clarifies my point perfectly:
"No idea's original, there's nothing new under the sun//It's never what you do but how it's done"
-Nas
All photographs are the copyrighted property of Kevin Clancy.
EBAY Item Of The Week...
Now, I get all my clothes from EBAY. I’ll be real on that one. Actually, you should too. It’s better than shopping in stores and much more affordable. Just be careful buying sneakers there because you might get burned like Moss did the Giants secondary this past weekend. Sheeesh!
If you had any worries about buying on ebay, all my clothes are authentic. Whether Banana, Theory, Varvatos, etc. No fakes potna, except for these damn Nike AF1 Black Albums I copped from some cat from the Lupe side of
But, I don’t make mistakes like that anymore. No siree. My feedback isn’t in the 1,000’s, but it’s good. And you only purchase from people who got good feedback. Read it closely. Don’t be buying stuff because someone has perfect feedback, because people on ebay can buy feedback if you never knew. Anyways, to the gist of this blog.
I’m one of these dressed up cats. “Oh you one of these Kanye dressing dudes.” Na dog. Kanye wears a lot of urban ish. I’m not really on that. If you consider that guido tuxedo dressing up, get your closet re-examined.
So…I’m not the dunk wearing, Supreme fitted, skinny jeans (why you wear skinny jeans below your ass is a ridiculous concept), Champion hoody brothers. “I’m Not You” as Pusha and Malice would say. Nothing against it. I’m Dominican so that shit got beaten into my hood from a young age to dress “fitted” so to speak.
So every week, El Ranchero will hit you with an EBAY item of the week. I’ll try to tailor my pick so it can cross the tracks of my type of estilo to Fabulous or Lupe style.
So I’m hitting you with an item that can cross both tracks.
This is one of the illest jackets I seen in years. Look at the detail. I got so much beige shit, I’m looking at the black because it’s so crack. Batman type shit. Shouts to J.T.W. on this one. This is some
I’m not making myself an authority on style or anything. I’m not an icon or anything. I’m just the best dressed man north of
I just ordered mines last week. Once I receive mines in the mail and if it matches description, I’ll tell you guys to go ahead and cop if you want to wait for my feedback on this. Buy a size larger by the way. Even I’m doing that. I got to get a percentage from this cat because I’m about to make him some bank. Till next time putos…All the best in 08!
P.S Whether it’s Ralph Lauren or Banana, holla at me on AIM: Precise2103. If you need to know who sells fakes and who doesn’t. I’ll provide that info without a problem. Chuuch!
El Ranchero…12.24.2007
Clever Kings
Paid and Popular headed down to the design district early last week to check out Culture Kings, one of Miami's premier sneaker/clothing boutiques. The owners were extremely cool and the store itself is on point. Here's a transcript of the interview we conducted with the owners Mike and Chris. Shoutouts to DJ Louie Arson for helping out!
P x P: What’s your names, introduce yourselves.
C: My name is Chris.
M: -silent-
P x P: So how’d you come up with the name of the shop, what was the inspiration for it?
Chris: The name for the shop basically was a tribute to my graffiti crew CK (Clever Kings). Traditionally the crew initials usually change up; find different meaning for the initials. I thought culture kings tribute to the crew embodies what we represent as more than sneaker culture; it represents all cultures and sub cultures of hip hop.
P x P: Where are you guys from?
C: Originally from South Florida.
P x P: Since you said the shop was Hip Hop influenced, what are your favorite MC’s or era of Hip Hop?
C: My favorite era of Hip-Hop has to be the early to mid 90's, that’s Hip-Hop at its pinnacle.
P x P: Do you guys have any other stores?
C: The Orlando, FL store. The Miami store opened up September of 2006 and the grand opening was the last week of August. The Orlando store opened in March of 07.
P x P: Do you have any other jobs/side hustles etc. or is it Culture Kings all the way?
C: Culture Kings is number one priority, no other jobs.
P x P: How many times do you visit the Orlando store?
C: I try to get out there as much as possible. Lately it has been real tough, twice a month.
P x P: Why did you guys decide to open up a sneaker boutique?
C: I Opened up Culture Kings because it was a goal of his for a long time; since I was in college. Prior to Culture Kings I was a financial advisor for Merryl Lynch and hated it. The corporate world wasn't really for me, I felt like I’d lost myself.
P x P: How did you financially ready yourselves to open up shop?
C: I made a few investments prior to the whole real estate market crashing and while I was in the financial industry; it helped me out big time and I had money from past ventures saved up. With that and a little help from a loan I got it open.
P x P: I’ve seen pictures of the infamous bathroom, what was the inspiration behind it?
C: Mike was the inspiration for the bathroom sticker design. That’s how he does his artwork; by putting a collage of pictures from early 90’s magazines. It was his rebellion for the color of the store.
M: You go to the bathroom and do your 30 seconds of business you get to travel back in time. The only thing you can see in the front is product and artwork. In the bathroom you get to go into your own little world. The bathroom is a different world you go in there and you go threw a little journey back in time.
P x P: How long did it take?
M: It started off in pieces. I get in a zone and I just won't stop I can do it pretty quickly. The thing about it is it took a long time to do complete the entire wall. Everything that is in the collage was a collection of things that I’ve collected from magazine ranging from the last 10 years. In reality it took a lifetime but physically it only took a couple of days.
P x P: Why did you pick the Design District area out of all the other possible locales?
C: First, we’re in this area all the time. We have a lot of artist friends and with the account I wanted I had to be a certain distance from Shoe Gallery and Arrive.
P x P: What’s your relationship with the Anti-Kulture Gallery?
C: The owner Rob is a good friend of mine. We have the same background and “click” on similar things. Also our success determines on the area’s success. More than likely if someone comes here they’ll probably like the things we have here and vice versa.
P x P: What do you do outside of the sneakers?
C: We do fashion shows, co-host parties… We did Hot Import Nights over the weekend that just passed. We did Hoop it Up and things like that. It's just not sneaker events. We do art events. We just do things that we like and embrace.
M: You can't just deal with sneakers because you kind of isolate yourself into one thing and one type of customer. We have the opportunity to touch so many people and so many areas. Like he said, we did the Hoop it Up thing with 99.1 Jamz; They approached us about it and I was like “let me know about it”. I made a Michael Jordan collage basketball hoop that we presented out there. We didn't make much money but it was just a cool thing to do. The whole goal about it was to reach out to people we don’t know. Same thing with the fashion shows. We've done it all.
P x P: What’s your history with sneakers?
C: Well for us we probably started this whole shit on Jordans more than anything. Not just Jordan but NIKE. Their marketing team and strategies. Us growing up watching those commercials. Nike epitomized that with Jordan. All your role models were wearing Nikes it's a common way to identify it. Basically Nike and Jordan’s were how we started collecting. I kind of don't understand the hype behind all of this stuff. I understand why it's happening but not so much the success of it. For the younger kids most of them are interested in SB's but they're interested in Jordan’s too. It's the hype with the internet they've never experienced Jordan.
M: Dave Chappelle kind of covered it with Michael Jackson. It's like a 13 year old has a dying wish to see Michael Jackson but why? He doesn't remember Thriller but it trickles down from generations before, and they feed off of that from their older brother’s cousin, but the sneaker thing is just like how a lot of other things that have blown up with the internet. The hottest sneaker magazine back in the day was Eastbay that shit was like Sole Collector. Things like that, Nike Talk, Just For Kicks, you already liked sneakers but back in the days you did it just for the love.
P x P: Why did you choose the brands that you carry?
C: Nike, just because a lot of products like AF1 are classic sneakers. The products they released were classics back then and because they were leaders with the culture, you're going to chase after what was popular back then. Nike has always been doing that even when it was a small niche they were doing collabo’s with artists and boutiques. They weren't doing it because of the market, they did it because they could. Nike doesn't make money off that shit; they make money off of mass production and mass sales. They get a white shirt and put a black check on it. They just do this shit because they can, and luckily they hired the right people.
P x P: Where’s the balance between finance and art? How do you choose what you want to have in the store versus what you have to sell?
C: When I first opened up, the brands I carried were really cool to me. You kind of have to dumb it down. It was 70% of brands I like and 30% of things I think think the public would like. Miami is pretty slow with new trends, styles, etc. so you have to dumb it down. A lot of brands we carry I wouldn't carry if it were my ideal store.
P x P: How would someone approach you guys about carrying their product?
C:We have a lot of no name brands like growing pains. A lot of them have come and gone. We are always looking for new brands. A lot of time these brands can't keep up with the rest of the season, and a lot of new ones pop up with strong graphics and do things that aren't be done.
M: If you want to get your shit into Culture Kings, it's not hard to do. You would have to do a lot of thinking ahead of time. Where do I want my shit? Arrive, Culture Kings everywhere in Miami, or do I want it in just a few stores across the country? You don't want your shit everywhere then just build a relationship. Then have your shit together. You have to be able to present yourself in a proper way. We look at anything. No one is going to go out of their way and come here to cop some corny shit. If it's hot we call them back like “Yo your shit just sold out, bring them back”. And it's up to the people but they aren't up on their grind. We are regular people you come in and talk to us and it's happened a lot and we've helped a lot of people.
P x P: What are your future plans?
C: Open up some more locations in cities that don't have too much in their area but have a strong scene. Places like Portland, and Phoenix. Places that see or contain more of an urban demographic. At one point it was really only a major city thing. There are a lot of areas out there with kids that would spend every last dollar on a place like this. It's just a matter of finding a place, finding a partner, and finding someone who can keep the integrity of the place."
12.23.2007
If anyone is....
looking for something to do on New Years Eve, here's an event.
Monday, December 31st, 2007
7pm - until
YUME BKNY
925 Bergen Street (btwn Franklin and Classon)
Loft 406
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Rahsaan will be performing along with Print, Outasight, and Kapps!
Music by DJ Shark (in from Japan)
$20 Cover all night long
FREE refreshments before 12am
And it's going to be extra exclusive so you guys can e-mail me at assataSAYS@paidandpopular.com or artisluv@aol.com for the secret password. If you don't have it, you def won't get in. SEE YOU THERE!!
