San Francisco Art Music Style Fashion Culture - Jungle Life

Fuck yeah, our dudes are everywhere right now! We caught J. Cole showing his ®S.O.P. swagger yesterday with The People's Choice New Era fitted, and today we have Naledge of Kidz in the Hall presenting The Life Line Jacket at last month's CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. Be sure to check out our Chicago brethren at RubyHornet.com - Karmaloop features a Look of the Week and the site is absolutely filled with crazy features, interviews, music from editor-in-chief DJ RTC & pals, The Key to Naledge blog, and much, much more.

The Life Line Jacket

Roc Nation representer J. Cole was seen on the MuchOnDemand television show (Canadialand's answer to MTV or some shit) reppin' ®Society Original Products' The People's Choice New Era fitted at the 3:20 mark. Cop yours here at Karmaloop, and stay tuned for an ®S.O.P. surprise next week. In the meantime, click the image above to check out the interview - this dude is next, we swear.

The TK Society Sneaker in Black Suede

Built specifically for Supra pro rider Terry Kennedy, The TK Society Sneaker in Black Suede is as smooth and burly as the man's style on the skate decks. Featuring suede side, instep, toe and tongue panels with a perforated suede heel panel, that alone screams "don't fucking wreck me." Not to worry, friends - with a background steeped in birthing the gnarliest street skaters to ever tear concrete apart, the super-tough TK joints can take a slaying and still keep it's swagger (hate that word, but whatever).

The TUF Muska Skytop Sneaker in Black Gunny

Speaking of tough - or rather, TUF - The Skytops in Black Gunny are about as hard as three day-old steak but much tastier. Typical suede starts to show wear, tear and abrasion after roughly 25 to 40 days in the elements. Supra's TUF suede, however, goes through more than 200 estimated cycles before showing even a hint of scuffing (see the product description for more details). Waterproof and super breathable, TUF suede furthermore grabs on to griptape so well that you'll wonder how you ever skated another shoe brand. Our advice: don't. TUF'n up, bia.

The Vaider Sneaker in TUF Black Gunny

Now it's just a matter of personal taste - Skytop or Vaider? We wouldn't dare ask you to pick just one. It's tantamount to the boobies vs. booties debate; why chose one when you could have both?

The Jim Greco Thunder Sneaker in Black Canvas

Arguably the most comfortable shoe Supra has ever produced. Without any frills, embellishments or other distractions, The Thunder pro models are aesthetically polar opposites of namesake pro and Johnny Thunders understudy, Jim Greco. Don't get thrown off by the canvas if you're in the market for a sturdy, comfortable, durable shoe - with interior padding and reinforced detail in all of the right places, Greco's signatures are just as well suited tearing up Babylon or while you're out Looking for a Kiss later that night.

The Dixon Sneaker in Black Gum Canvas

Whoever said that black and brown should never be worn together deserves a slap in the face with The Dixon Sneaker's gum rubber soles. Seriously - hard enough so that the backwards Supra logo is a constant reminder of said fool's stupidity. Antwuan Dixon's signatures are fresh to death and tough enough to withstand twice the time our dude spent getting his face inked up. If you're looking for a low top sneaker to either skate senseless or keep your feet light when running from the beast, look no further - while not as TUF as the Skytop or Vaider high tops, Dixon's joints are no fuckin' joke. Shake Junt, son!

This is just a small sampling of the Supra Fall drop at Karmaloop - click the banner below to take a look at the rest of the styles, colorways and innovative tweaks to some old favorites, as well as a grip of new tees and hats:

Back in Black.

We look forward to the Triumvir line each season with near piss-ourselves excitement, and after getting the news that the III were going all-out cut & sew with their garments for the Fall and Holiday 2009 drop, anticipation was higher than coked-out astronauts.

Needless to say, we're not disappointed. For the new jacks, when a brand goes official with it's own cut & sew, for example, that means graphics are no longer printed on shitfit prefabricated tees, but rather manufactured to an original fit deemed perfect by the brand and it's customer's standards - same goes for hoodies, and to an even further extent when it comes down to denims, jackets, buttondowns and... well, damned near everything. The fits, unbelievably, stepped it up a notch and now more blatantly than ever present the true Triumvir vision for modern menswear - if you're a loyal Triumvir rocker then you know that's saying some shit. You also know by now that with every III line there is an epic behind it, and that every piece has it's own story from it's own source of inspiration, each more badass than the next.

The full collection is split between two different stories, Blind Faith and Hell is for Heroes, based the histories of Constantine the Great and Knights Hospitallers respectively, with inspiration provided by religion, politics, war, the BMW R75 motorcycle and the dystopian aesthetic of Mad Max and Japanese manga series Fist of the North Star. Typically the connection between all of the aforementioned would be met with a "what the fuck" screwface, but in the case of Triumvir it makes perfect sense. A continuation of the past few lines filled with historical references, the Fall and Holiday '09 hit elaborates on the connection between the direful plots of many post-apocalyptic and anime flicks where society, politics and religion (often the same monster) are rebuild through new technology, or in Triumvir's case, fashion.

Follow the jump to check out some of the gear and learn more behind Blind Faith, Triumvir's Fall line at Karmaloop, with words from Brand Director Brandon Cheng providing invaluable insight into each piece and the overall story.

Blind Faith - The Protagonist

The Constantine Jacket

“The [Roman] Civil War involving Constantine and his vision of Christ’s symbol happened circa 312 AD - the screen printed Roman numerals [in] army stencil type on the back (CCCXII) translates to 312 AD. I thought the 'Blind Faith' theme could be best translated onto a bomber-styled when I was researching World War II Air Force squadrons and saw a particular graphic on the side of a plane with [cartoon character Felix the Cat] holding a bomb on it – Felix also meaning “lucky” in Latin.

“The jacket is meant to be a fusion between a bomber jacket and a sportier baseball jacket with contrast sleeve ribbing details. The left chest patch, right shoulder patch and the screen print on the back are all very common placements seen on WWII tanker, deck, aviation-styled jackets in WWII worn by GI’s. Of course some were regulated government issued jackets and patches but not all - back in WWII it was very common for GI’s to find local tailors and /or artists to tailor, draw, paint or embroider special garments or graphics that are unique top their squads, camaraderie or needs.”

The Maltese Flannel Buttondown in Yellow, The Maltese Flannel Burttondown in Red, The Maltese Chambray Buttondown

“In my opinion, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman Emperor who made the Christian religion tolerable throughout the Roman Empire is the perfect candidate for what I call Blind Faith. It is said and still disputed that during the Civil Wars, Constantine was visited by Christ in a dream and later adorned the symbol of Christ (Chi-Rho or Labarum) upon his soldiers’ shields, standards and later, his own helmet.

“There were many versions of this story but the main points are in the following; Constantine won the Civil War, made Christianity tolerable, and united the West and the East. There is a legend that still lingers today, saying that Constantine himself did not convert to Christianity until on his deathbed. This makes scholars question if Constantine’s purpose was solely a political move, because he needed to keep his empire stable since the underground religion of Christianity had grown in popularity and believers since it was founded 300 years prior to his reign. No one will ever know the truth, but what has gone down in history and legend is that he was present on the battlefield adorning the symbol of Christ, fighting as God’s general, reuniting the Western and Eastern Roman Empire and giving tolerance to a once persecuted religion that has changed the course of humanity since his time… and for the reason I based my story of the protagonist within the Blind Faith collection.”

The Madonna Tee (top), The Blind Faith Tee (bottom)

The Duchess Tee (top), The No Means Yes Tee (bottom)

The Castor Selvedge Wash Jean (top), The Castor Selvedge Raw Jean (bottom)

This is just a quick sample of Triumvir's Fall goods now at Karmaloop - be sure to click the banner below to check out the rest, and stay tuned for the Hell is for Heroes Holiday '09 drop. Click here to check out the full look book and learn more about the line, the historical links and sneak peaks into what Triumvir has in store for all of us this winter.

From the home of The Warriors and The Cyclone, where dreams and the requiems from which they are composed are often shattered and unrealized, New York's Brooklyn dons Sneaktip come correct with that fix for the sneaker fiends worldwide each and every season.

Repping Coney Island heavy, the Sneaktip set takes over at Karmaloop this week with it's latest drop filled with tees, sweatshirts, outerwear, hats and more designed by sneakerheads, for the sneakerheads. It's in the name, afterall - amongst the cult of the sneaker (SNEAK) obesessed, always on the tip (TIP) to find the elusive diamond-in-the-rough or frozen filet mignon-rare sneaker release, these dudes learned long ago that copping the matching colorway is often next to impossible. However, where some make lemonade when life whips a lemon to the melon, Sneaktip made a brand to flawlessly bring those limited Jordans together with a fly track jacket, fresh tee or clean as fuck New Era.

This year's autumn drop features the first time in Sneaktip history that the brand offed the middlemen and went direct with it's own cut & sew, gaining complete control over the cuts, the fabrics, the prints and the fits. Needless to say, we're hella impressed and will be spending the rest of the night trying to findsome super-elusive limited editions to match up with just some of the gems from the newest collection:

The Crackle Hat in Gray

The Reversable Triple Proof Vest in Black

The Fight the Power Crew Sweatshirt in Black

The Sneaktip 718 Tee in Black

Stay tuned for more from the Sneaktip gang this week!

While you were sleeping, Mighty Healthy was raging.

If there's one thing our New York fam does better than produce the illest denims and outerwear as well as some of our favorite, in-your-face, bold tee graphics, it's that these cats can throw down and jam with the best of 'em. Check out some flicks provided by Mighty Healthy's Ray Mate and company from a recent banger at the Lower East Side's 105 Rivington spot:

Our dude Wil is just everywhere.

Click the banner below to check out the crazy new drop from the Mighty Mightys!

"Wally may have been our most troubled artist... I'm not suggesting any connection, but he may have been our most brilliant."

- EC Comics Publisher William Gaines

It could have been the constant headaches. Alcoholism, perhaps. Kidney failure, a stroke, the loss of vision in one eye... nevertheless, three self-inflicted gunshots in 1981 ended the life and career of heralded cartoonist, Wallace Wood.

Fast forward almost 30 years later and the art and influence that Wood left sketched into the minds of illustrators and cartoonists alike is unparalleled. The man inspired a generation of underground artists including luminaries Robert Crumb, Robert Williams and Art Spiegelman, left a major impact on graphically-charged movie posters, and now finds tribute in the world of street fashion.

New brand Woodwork has (legally - we swear) appropriated some of the more infamous, notorious works of Wood's twisted, pained brilliance for a line of killer tees, resulting in vaguely familiar, yet never-seen-before prints that you may spend more time staring at than actually wearing. Check 'em out:

The Wonka Tee (L); The Witzend Piggyback Tee (R).

The Creeps Tee (L); The Piggyback Tee (R).

The Dirty Executive Tee (L); The Bucky Ruckus Tee (R).

Stay tuned for more madness from Woodwork in the coming weeks and seasons; with a career that spanned nearly four decades, there is enough material produced by Wood to make up for all of those bullshit, embarrassing Ed Hardy and Von Dutch garments tucked into the back corner of your closet.

Special thanks to Karmaloop's Aimy Tsao for the bitchin' blog graphics!

Click the Woodwork banner below to check out more from Woodwork.

Our ninjas at RockSmith just released the Fall 2009 drop to much acclaim here at Karmaloop, and our folks were good enough to send over some flicks from the killer lookbook, featuring hip hop and streetwear luminaries M-1 (Dead Prez), Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa, X.O., Ninjasonik, Truck North, Pill, Theophilus London, DJ Iron Lyon, Memberz Only, Conroy Chan (24 Herbs), Law, Innate, Benji, Chris of CtotheJL as well as Karmaloop's own Dennis Todisco!

Check it:

This is an epic drop from RockSmith and we've got it all in stock and ready to go; be sure to click the banner below to get a closer look at the RockSmith madness we have for you here at Karmaloop.

The Antidote:

One part wonderfully demented producer;

One part beautifully sickening vocalist;

Equal parts aurally-pleasing, mind-bending sounds of Iggy and the Stooges and Crookers, Aphex Twin and Justice, Raymond Scott and Marcel Duchamp, Throbbing Gristle and Karlheinz Stockhausen, Zapp and Roger Troutman, Fela Kuti and assorted fresh sounds (preferably chopped, not diced).

Combine all parts in blender, mix on puree. Pour solution from blender into pot and boil. Remove from heat and and let chill. Draw cooled solution into syringe and inject into ears.

... wait, STOP! That's not the antidote, that's the sickness!

Too late? Okay, you'll be alright. Besides with sounds this sick, who wants to be healthy? The trip you're about to fuck with is 37 minutes of pure madness produced by Anthony Mills and Olle Cornéer, otherwise known as the Super Viral Brothers. Click the album cover above to give the mixtape a listen and download that shit immediately.

What's more, these crazy Swedes went and made one of the craziest, fucked-up music videos we've ever seen for the single Hot Chocolate + Polar Bear Rug. For real, we haven't been this tweaked out since we watched Eraserhead in a hot tub tripping balls with GG Allin back in junior high. Click the image below to check it out (and don't count on eating lunch today):

"... they sort of develop a taste for blood."

New York bosses Mighty Healthy just dropped a grip of new tees at Karmaloop featuring the good ol' bold, brash, killer graphics we've become accustomed to from these cats - and stay tuned throughout the weekend for the release of some killer buttondowns, hoodies, hats, and an extra special surprise come Monday mornin'...

Square Times indeed down there in the biggest damned tourist trap on earth. Our parents regale us with tales of horror, dread, debauchery and balls-to-the-wall fun from New York's 1970's heyday centered in The Square, we've read all about it in Please Kill Me and The Bronx is Burning, and some of our absolute favorite flicks are based there - Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, and the list goes on (with lots of DeNiro and Keitel appearances). At least our parents can relive past glories when they wake us up off of the front lawn while we're wearing The Square Times Tee, stained with last night's booze, blood and regrets.

Speaking of flicks, The Mother Tee takes one of our favorite moments from Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood - and not only immortalizes that shit, but highlights what we think every time we pass some poorly-dressed sucker on our way to the office, see Kanye West on TV or catch a glance of ourselves in the mirror... um, wait, what..?

Velvet Jones! Velvet fuckin' Jones! If you don't know who the god is, then you're copping your blackmarket goods from the wrong man, sucka! It looks like our dude Velvet and the Mightys have started a joint business venture to help all of you untalented, unaspiring musicians make it big. Join the Autotone Academy and sound like a star (or art least look like one, rocking The Autotune Tee).

Click the banner below to get a look at the rest of the pre-weekened tee drop, and stay tuned for next week when Mighty Healthy- whoops, almost spoiled the secret...

"In order to appease the gods, the Druid priests held fire rituals. Prisoners of war, criminals, the insane, animals... were... burned alive in baskets. By observing the way they died, the Druids believed they could see omens of the future. Two thousand years later, we've come no further. Samhain isn't evil spirits. It isn't goblins, ghosts or witches. It's the unconscious mind. We're all afraid of the dark inside ourselves..."

The Kazbah page has been possesed by an evil which cannot be stopped, cannot be contained...

...only purchased.

Check out some of the season's creepings that a few of our favorite Kazbah rockers have offered up over the past couple weeks:

It could be a hot debate over who bodied more suckers in his heyday - Julius Caesar or Jason Vorhees? Caesar had rivers flowing red with the blood of his enemies throughout his reign as Roman Emperor, but we can only assume that he had his legions carry out the dirty work. Jason, however, was one dude that loved to get in work on a personal level. Whether simultaneously running a fuckin' spear through a couple of humping, horny teenagers or simply utilizing the trusty machete-to-the-face manuver, that was one dude who simply loved his job. It looks as though District 81 agrees with The Caesar Tee.

From the inksters at To Die For is The Creaper Tee showing that no matter what the medium, the reaper is to be feared, no matter what lame prog-rock bands tell you. Hyper-detailed, bold and bursting with more color than that dude's head in Scanners, this is one frighteningly fresh tee you'll wanna rock long after Halloween passes.

"There was young Nat Swaine, once the bravest boat-header out of all Nantucket and the Vineyard; he joined the meeting, and never came to good. He got so frightened about his plaguy soul, that he shrinked and sheered away from the whales, for fear of after-claps, in case he got stove and went to Davy Jones."

While it's not quite on the horror movie jones, drowning scares the living shit out of us. I mean, call us what you will, but even looking at The Sailor's Grave Tee by our peoples at Schmack causes panic attacks and forces us to swear allegiance to dry land forever.

Exactly how we remember 'em from Saturday mornings as young'ns (we were pretty fucked-up lil' kids). The Cartoon Network Tee by Subconscious Threads features all of your old animated favorites from back in the day, but we can't spoil the surprise by telling you who is who - but if you can tell Subcon correctly, there's a free shirt in it for you.

Dios Mio. Muerte con el e.5.charlie es muy... um, evil. The Mother Mary Tee - we love it.

And what Halloween party is complete without your own - yep - a fuckin' ZOMBIE KOOZIE. Dom and the e.5 crew kill it again... literally. And again... and again... but it keeps coming back...

Check out these gems and more gore over at the Kazbah page... and stay out of the dark...

Are we too naive to keep our eyes closed,
are we too young to not begin to lead,
are we too lazy to seek the truth,
are we so complacent that we will not move?
How can they write history for us,
how can we let them oppress the willing,
how can we sit in times of turbulence,
how can we listen to the inflated lies?
We are the force of the masses,
we are the thought of our inventions,
we are the dawn of the coming,
we are the truth of the times!

We are the friends of the revolution.

Let's face it; making a bold statement or tribute to a cause is not always first and foremost on a brand's agenda while brainstorming an upcoming drop. Unfortunately, the few brands that do face that risk are rarely serious about their design and intentions, focused rather on a quick buck and striking while the iron is hot ('sup, Michael Jackson tees).

Amivectio is not one of those brands.

Through design, communication, and the strength of community, Amivectio strives for equal opportunity, tolerance, peace and progress, education, health and sustainability, as well as clean air, water, soil and energy for our generation and those behind us with each and every tee it produces.

Oh, almost forgot to mention - this crew gets down with some ill fuckin' designs when they're not out saving the world. We're loving the no-bullshit, militaristic approach to The Truth Seekers Tee with it's bright yellow stencil-itis, and The Soprano State Tee, a shout to New Jersey and Tony, Paulie and Silvio's set, while the vintage aesthetics kill on The Movers Tee, complete with the horse-drawn buggy, and The Anchors Away Tee, sure to keep you weighed down with a fair share of propers and compliments for copping such a gem.

Check it:

The Truth Seekers Tee (L); The Soprano State Tee (R).

The Movers Tee (L); The Anchors Away Tee (R).

Be sure to keep an eye out for Amivectio and click the banner below to check out the line here at Karmaloop; in the meantime, check out the flick our man Rich and the boys went and produced that - incredibly- tops last season's effort. Click the image beneath the banner or at the top of the page to check it out.

... No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong..."

Ah, yes... it's that time of year, boils and ghouls - our favorite time of year. As the grip of nightfall slowly chokes away the day's remaining sunlight counting down to the throes of winter, the air thins and chills, shadows look more ominous than ever and the tricks your mind starts to play become more cruel by the hour until the 31st, when demons and goblins of all shapes and sizes terrorize cities, towns, the suburbs and beyond, and... that reminds us, we need to find more acid.

Yep, Halloween is on the dark, moonless horizon, but why wait until the last possible minute of the witching hour to get into the spirit... or rather, let the spirit posses you? Here at Horrorloop, we've got some fresh death and recently-resurrected tees to celebrate the macabre no matter where your taste for evil lies - whether it's staying street with Dissizit!'s skull-gang prints, an unhealthy obession with slasher flicks a la Creep Street and new brand Woodwork, or all-out gorefests in the vein of what our dudes at KR3W have been slaying us with.

Hoof and horn, hoof and horn; All that dies shall be reborn / Corn and grain, corn and grain; All that falls shall rise again.

A notice to the would-be tee-shirt designers out there: when a government entity threatens to sue you over a print, you know that you've finally made it to the big time. You should also know that said entity is totally not joking.

Our buds over at Creep Street got the word from the World Wildlife Federation earlier this week to cease and desist all future reproductions of the infamous WTF?! Tee, meaning that this absolute gem will be off the market in just hours - gone from the industry, but not from our shriveled, blackened hearts, however.

This is your last chance to cop this future collector's item both here at Karmaloop as well as the Creep Street Chopping Mall (new colorways), but you gotta be quick! There's no telling exactly how long this hippie-hated, much-debated, oft-masturbated tee will be available, so get on it!

Following a major raid at KarmaloopBlogs headquarters resulting in the C.I.A., the F.B.I., the religious right and the evil clutches of McFashion shutting us down for the early part of the week, we're back like cooked crack and to celebrate the occasion...

TITS!

Kick back, keep an eye out for the boss and the prudes at human resources, and behold the glory of the Two in the Shirt Fall/Holiday '09 Lookbook:

Our peoples at Two in the Shirt came through on Tuesday for a super-exclusive photoshoot with two of Karmaloop's top models, and the best of those flicks will be fashioned into a tee for the Holiday '09 drop. Never ones to sell themselves short, just wait 'til you all see what else Marek and the crew have in store...

... click the banner below to check out the rest of the T.I.T.S. Fall '09 line!