Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Jedidiah Clothing- Surf Art for Aid

Jedidiah Clothing not only donates 1% of all of their profits to social aid groups, but they also feature a Hope Collection that benefits humanitarian organizations one by one. Their company motto is Hope, Grace, Encouragement, Forgiveness, and Love. They support a bunch of surfers, and put on art shows all over the country. What's not to love about this company? Here's a collection of their spring and summer line, the boardshorts are especially steezy.

Jedidiah Eyes Zip HoodyJedidiah Circle Zip HoodyJedidiah Jailbreak Zip Hoody

Jedidiah Changed Hope TeeJedidiah Fly Fly Short Sleeve Tee  Jedidiah Fresh Sounds TeeJedidiah McCormick BoardshortJedidiah Fly BoardshortJedidiah Flight Boardshort

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Xavier Rudd- An Artist That Matters

Britney Spears does not matter to the world. Kanye West does not matter to the world. Over 60,000 people are subscribed to PerezHilton.com, a celebrity gossip blog that has never published a story that matters to the world.

And then there are small artists all over, doing more with their time and words than these pop culture assholes do with their millions. They do so in a soft spoken manner that doesn't step on the feet of anyone. They are respectful of others, and spread thoughts of peace and harmony that to many are only a dream. They are Good People. And this song here is aptly titled "Good People" by Xavier Rudd.

Monday, March 31, 2008

Darwin is the Father of Modern Design

Photo by: Kaptain Kobold

Modern Design is nothing more than a stem of modernism which showcases how humans can create and modify their environment. What bigger modification can be attributed to man kind than the modification of our own bodies through human evolution? Although autonomous in nature, the realization of this alteration from beginning to end is what gave artists throughout the western world a scientific example to reason many artistic alterations that would previously have been cast as inconceivable failures.

I know that was a little bit wordy, so let me dissect my point.

For an idea as drastic as human evolution to be taken seriously in the time of Darwin it would have been common to donate to the church in exchange for their public support. This route would have worked magnificently for Darwin if it weren't for the fact that his idea went directly against the teachings of the church. And since the Church was the only establishment with this power, it was simply not an option.

The only route Darwin could take would be to challenge the teachings of the church, while offering hundreds of examples of fossil evidence to maintain his integrity. This constant challenging of establishment by Darwin was a shock to the world. No one was ready for it. Even 200 years after his studies there are still conflicting view points, and the church still has not changed its teachings.

This is where we can connect Darwin to Modern Design. The disruption of flow from common thought by introducing empowering ideas that are hard to accept for the average person. It takes an open mind to connect variables that have never been connected before. It takes effort to build the bridges between the ideas, to view what has never been seen, and to think what has never been thought. And I truly believe that without the astronomical proportions of the connected thoughts from Darwin- many thoughts since would never have been thought, many bridges never built, And many sights never seen.

 

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modernism

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Colorful Modern Outdoor Furniture

Colorful Modern Outdoor Furniture is a good way to brighten up the sometimes drab outdoors. It's also a good way to not look Emo in front of your friends, who may accuse your obsession with furniture to be questionable.

Offi Tiki Stools

These plastic stools can just as easily be used as a side table. The most colorful and modern looking furniture of the bunch.

Colors: Black, Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, White

$59.99


Fatboy Headdemock Hammock

A hammock that you can wipe clean and wont give you rope burn. It also is enormous, like all the Fatboy products. 

Colors: Red, Sand, Turquoise, White, Taupe

$399
Botanist Flora Bench 

Colorful blue powder coating atop a wooden bench. Also available in many table variations.

Colors: Black, Blue, Red, White

$1599
Vitra New Panton Chair

Not as colorful as the Tiki Stools above, but certainly just as modern. The Pantom Chair is designed to stack within itself.

Colors: Blue, Red, White, Yellow

$245

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Jack Johnson covers Imagine for Save Darfur


This cover of John Lennon's "Imagine", was released on the Instant Karma CD. Instant Karma is a musical contribution to the Save Darfur effort which is a coalition of over 100 faith based groups that are working to gain awareness of the situation in Darfur. To learn more follow the links. To smile, listen to the lyrics.

Save Darfur
Instant Karma
Buy "Imagine" on iTunes

Friday, March 28, 2008

No one cares about shoe design.

This title may seem counterintuitive coming from a fashion blog that is heavily based in street styles. But what I mean in saying that no one cares about shoe design is exactly that. No one does.

Shoes trends are made by the athletes and personalities supported by the companies that are in power in the industry. If a company chooses to push a product hard with popular athletes in the right demographic, it will be popular. Regardless of it's design.

The biggest glaring example that proves my point are the 27 different "Jordan" models released each year. No one cares what the Jordan model looks like. They care that it says Jordan. It's Branding. It's not Design.

I'd also like to say that the Nike Dunk is not the most stylish shoe ever. It is not fantastically designed. Nike pays for product placement, and puts a lot of money into the image of that shoe. That is why you like it. Not because of it's design. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying the Dunk is a bad shoe either. I just don't think it deserves the fan faire is receives on a daily basis all over the world.

To those that DO care about shoe design, I encourage you to check out companies like Tom's Shoes, Sanuk, and Creative Recreation- At least they are trying something different.

Creative Recreation Spring/Summer 2008

Creative Recreation is one of my personal favorites in the Sneaker game. That's just my opinion though. Here are some facts why Creative Recreation makes the sneakers you should buy.

  • Creative Recreation makes sneakers you can wear with a suit, or sweats.
  • Creative Recreation Models are exclusive to Creative Recreation. No Bape knock offs.
  • Since Creative Recreation makes their own shoes their seasonal models are more in tune with the market- larger brands seasonal releases tend to lag.
  • Something for everyone- Brights, Dress, Patterns, Lo Tops, and Hi's

 Mens- Spring/Summer

The Creative Recreation Cesario Lo in Navy & RedThe Creative Recreation Cesario Lo in Navy & Red

The Creative Recreation Cesario Torrio Velcro in Tan CrocThe Creative Recreation Dicoco in Vintage

Womens- Spring/ Summer

The Cesario in Cement with Teal and SkyThe DiCoco Hi in Yellow Gingham/White Patent The Gallo Hi in Blues The Gallo in White & Black

Links:

Creative Recreation Footwear Website

Creative Recreation Sneakers at Karmaloop