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BACKSIDE February 13 2009
I originally thought my Thursday night would be spent along Sunset catching a documentary at the Laemmle, or maybe at the Downtown Art Walk bracing the cold. Instead, I ended up in Burbank, hanging out with John and Eric at Backside til after closing. They needed to be restocked with crewnecks, and I wanted to throw in the Live and Die and Change tees.We got to talking about the MAGIC trade show, future designs, upcoming events, and of course the economy. While it seems that the rest of the country is taking a hit, Backside continues to thrive. It could be because Backside has been a staple in the valley, or maybe it's Eric's unfailing knowledge of street culture. But I think it has to do with being the underdog and remaining outside the limelight, because it's that persona and it's that position where streetwear succeeds. More than anything, creativity will come out of this mess. Backside will prove it to you in the form of solidified brands like The Hundreds and Obey, and indie brands like Erratic Clothing and Chicharon Adventures.
WORDS TO LIVE BY December 11 2008
One of the sites I've patroned for a couple Christmas gifts has been Vans.com. The brand is definitive in both skate and street culture, and in my opinion, has become a staple in the Southern California repertoire. Their website matches in strength. I've revisited many times after purchasing because of their flash oriented homepage that has a pretty inspiring piece by Vans team skater, John Cardiel.
Given my infatuation with East Asian religions like Taosim, I especially liked the "true freedom is within the flow" part.
I failed to realize, though, that Cardiel's story was actually part of a bigger Vans project called ICONoclasts. It features Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead), Stacy Peralta (Z-Boys), Robert Williams (Juxtapoz), the abovementioned John Cardiel, Wes Humpston (Bulldog Skates), Joel Tudor (surfer), and Sarah (Collette Paris). I have a lot of interest in these people and in this endeavor because of the core message. Taking away the religious undertones, an iconoclast breaks the rules and goes against the norm. In some ways, that's what we're achieving here at CA. I've said this before - we want to creatively modify the way you think about cultural brands and about your identity. We march to the beat of our own drum, releasing shit that might only make sense to us. And still, that's all good.
GLOSSY December 2 2008
Besides trashy celebrity news publications and art/business/fashion/political ones, too, I like to read Interview Magazine. I cannot for the life of me remember when I bought my first issue, but I do remember being intrigued by its large format and intense photographic layout. Any text on the front cover was overshadowed by the full face of the 'interviewee'. And on the inside, you'd delve into the featured life by reading a no bullshit style of dialogue.With the launch of their new website, the magazine is even cooler. Packed with tons of content from various industries like fashion, film, and music, you can easily be on this site for hours (as I was). What I really enjoy is "cultural roulette" on the homepage. When you click on it, the site generates a random story. So far, I've read about the girls of Battlestar Galactica, the photography of Taryn Simon, Pharrell Williams, and Chester French.
It is now my goal for Chicharon Adventures to be on this site. I can envision it now.
MANNY November 29 2008
Our friend Gerard has been wanting us to meet Manny Paquiao for a while now. He happens to train at the same place the Pacman trains when he's preparing for a fight here in the US. He lets us in on some events like the one we finally went to on Saturday. See, Gerard fueled our guerilla marketing fire and encouraged us to give CA shirts to Manny that afternoon. He even gave us a tip - Manny has gained some weight (watch out, de la Hoya) and is now a size large.We made our way to the Wildcard gym in Hollywood not knowing what to expect other than a bunch of Filipinos going gaga over the motherland's national hero. Though that is exactly what we saw while waiting in line, it was nice to experience the strong sense of community packed in such a small parking lot. Whether you were black, white, or brown, everyone raised their voice to chant "Manny, Manny!!"
Manny got the Love, Life, Hope t-shirt, and we got our guerilla marketing fire burning.
WITH US OR AGAINST US November 21 2008
Earlier this month, our good friend Kat asked us to design a lil' something something for her upcoming birthday and grad celebration. We couldn't say no; Kat's been with CA since day one (when we used to have photoshoots in my office). Plus I grew up with the girl and to see her blossom is very rewarding. It'll be a joint party with her friend, Jeanelle, who is celebrating the same two occasions. Inspired by vintage mugshots and riot footage, they wanted their party to portray LA, the streets, causing havoc, and the prison vibe. So I tried to arrange a photoshoot with Studio Artistre but our schedules conflicted. Kat and Jeanelle took matters into their own hands and headed to Melrose to take their own pictures. They turned out great, and we were able to get their vision across with this:
Sorry ya'll...we had to blur the information. Invite only.