Artist Profile - Liu Di

Liu Di is an artist from the little known Shanxi Province of China, where the cities are just starting to get industrialized and overpopulated. His first series here, "Animal Regulation", is a little social commentary on nature vs urban development in these cities...









Now the cool part about Liu Di, is that while his works are way beyond the realm of reality, he is actually a photographer. All of the city settings are his photographs, the animals are obviously put there afterwards, and the result is a pretty seamless mesh of two mediums.

China is on the verge of a complete artistic revolution right now, and I'm so excited to see how many amazing new artists are finally coming out of the biggest country in Asia.



PREVIOUSLY: Artist Profile - Marc Johns


-john-

Shawnimals - Aviator Ninja

For February, Shawnimals will be releasing an all new Ninja that bravely flies high in the sky... Aviator Ninja...

"Flying high above the clouds over Ninjatown, Aviator Ninja is a serious hot-shot fly-boy. Loop de loops, barrel rolls, mach 1 – anything to wow the ground dwellers below. One important note however: None of this would be possible without the macho Moustachio!"

Set to release on February 2nd, limited to 100 pieces, and as always comes with a handful of goodies.


-john-

Reebok Insta-Pump Fury "Tent"

Reebok's Insta-Pump Fury is one of the more unique models that you'll see out, but they never get any justice with nice colorways. Well for the spring Reebok finally got it right and gave them a couple simple looks...







Dubbed the "Tent" pack, the colors and materials are inspired by, well, tents and camping. So happy to see Insta-Pump Fury's in a nice colorway, but the model is really only popular in Asia so might be tough one to find. But you can always bust out Google Translate and buy them online, here.


-john-

via HB

Walter Van Beirendonck - Fall 2011

Feels like it's been a while since I posted some runway on here, and after seeing this collection from the wild mind of Walter Van Beirendonck I felt compelled to change that. Peep the Fall 2011...
























The undeniable swag of these models is absurd, but I guess you need that to be able to pull off most of these outfits. The crazy shit is what it is, and most people won't be able to appreciate that, but the basic pieces of the collection, like the suits, are pretty damn sharp. And especially that first suit, is absolutely amazing.



-john-

via Style & HB

Kaws Light Bulbs for The Standard Hotel

Kaws just got together with The Standard Hotel for a set of 'XX' light bulbs. The detail in them is pretty crazy, and make sure to check the video on the bottom to see them in action...

They aren't your standard light bulb that you would light a room with, instead they only carry 3watt glow to be used for some ambiance. (the packaging is pretty nice too)

They are sold in sets of three ($65, one of each color) and only 1,000 sets were produced. They are already sold out through The Standard's online shop, but if you visit the actual hotel shop, they should still be in stock. Along with the light bulbs, 2 different types of KAWS pillows in multiple colors and KAWS companion key chains will be exclusively available for sale at New York shop. A Sorayama/KAWS metal sculpture is also on display now at the shop (not for sale).



-john-

Bape Pirate Store London Opening & Pirate Store Tees

Bape's traveling Pirate Store is finally hitting the streets of London, opening up shop on January 22nd, and offering these special Pirate Shop tees...





The pop-up shop will only be open from the 22-30th, so all you London Bape heads be sure to head out there! It really is worth the trip, and even the long line that it will most likely draw. By the last days of the Pirate Shop in NYC this summer, items were marked like 90% off, which as you know is just unheard of for Bape.

Bape Pirate Shop
January 22nd-30th, 2011
Dray Walk, Truman Brewery, London E1


-john-

Clippings - Devon Aoki for Chanel

This latest Clippings segment features model Devon Aoki in a spread from a '07-08 Chanel campaign...







I must have torn the ad out of a magazine a while back, so no idea where exactly I nabbed this from, but after scouring the internet I was able to find the full set of ads from this campaign. (the final image is the only one I actually scanned, sorry for the poor quality on that one)

Aside from the timeless design, I really love the vintage feel of these shots, and honestly if her hair was done up I would believe that these ads were from another generation. Well executed, and I'm sure shot by Karl.


Previously: Clippings - Naomi Campbell in GQ UK
MIA for Marc by Marc Jacobs
KiD CuDi and Vashtie in Mass Appeal #50


-john-

MF DOOM - Operation Doomsday (Deluxe Reissue Pack)

This Spring, Stones Throw is blessing us with a complete über deluxe reissue of MF DOOM's Operation Doomsday. Peep the justice they're doing for your favorite metal faced MC...

"The history of MF DOOM's debut album OPERATION: DOOMSDAY is a spotty one - it's been released in at least two different versions on different labels, out of print, bootlegged, and even released once with a cheap scan of the original cover.

This Spring DOOM's own label Metalface Records will be releasing the first complete & remastered version of OPERATION: DOOMSDAY, containing the original album, alternate versions, b-sides and instrumentals - 51 tracks total - with all new artwork and two deluxe, metal formats."

The CD format comes with 2 discs and metal lunch box, while the Vinyl fomat will come with 4 LPs and round metal case. Both formats will be coming with a complete 32 page lyric book and 10 cards with images of the Operation Doomsday MCs. Pre-orders will be starting and announced soon.

Between the artists on the roster and the special projects and collabs they put out, Stones Throw is just this perfect storm of fucking awesomeness. Rispek.


-john-

Chocoolate x Bit Bit - New Years Collection

For the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration, Hong Kong based brand Chocoolate will be teaming up with Panda-a-Panda's Bit Bit for a small capsule collection...


...and with any purchase over 400HKD you get some complimentary red packets for the new year...


Bit Bit is the small rabbit character from the Panda-A-Panda comics (get it? year of the rabbit), and the collection will also extend slightly into February with a couple of Valentine's Day items as well. Check here for the full line up of products.

For all you Hong Kong readers, this will be limited to a few main Chocoolate locations, with the head location being in Festival Walk in Kowloon Kong, connected to City University *thows up City U set*. There will be an autograph session there on the 21st by the artist, 小克.


I miss Hong Kong...


-john-

"Jet Life" Nike Blazers by JBF Customs

Although there is a huge market and following of DIY people out there who love to customize their sneakers, I've just never seen the appeal. Guess I'm just a purist when it comes to most things and love what companies like Nike produce. Well this one pair of sneakers by JBF Customs just made me set all that thinking to the side for a moment. Peep these Curren$y inspired pair of Nike Blazers...






Sure a small part of the appeal is my fanhood to Curren$y, but it goes way beyond that, I mean look at the detail in these things!! Smoke cloud swoosh, 'Jets Do It' on the tongue tag (yeah I see what he did there), and Spitta's trademark hand signal on the back. And while that sounds like it might be too much going on, he saves it by going with a completely classic Nike Blazer colorway in classic Nike Blazer suede. These are beyond smooth.

JBF does all these by hand (peep the video of him making these), and they're made to order. Just visit his site for all that info and to see more of his great craftsmanship. And while most customizers have heavily themed pairs, JBF keeps it pretty simply and focuses on the materials and colorways rather than a theme or gimmick. Always interesting to see what he's brewing.


-john-

Pic of the Day - The Scholar

-john-

NYC Time Lapse by Mindrelic | Video

Upstate NY based photographer Mindrelic, who specializes in the stringent form of time lapse videos, presents us with this collection of spellbinding views of New York City...

Seriously amazing. It's funny how you can live somewhere and walk by things all of the time, but it's only once they are portrayed to you as art that you truly appreciate the beauty in them. HUGE bravo to Mindrelic. Make sure to peep his Vimeo page for more eye candy.


*looks into time lapse methods to replicate this in Tokyo*



-john-

via the beast

Original Fake s/s 2011

Keeping up with Kaws once again, we take a look into some of what Original Fake has in store for this Spring...















I've definitely pretty much ignored Original Fake for a year or so as they seemed to be putting out the same old cut & sewn pieces season after season. However this year I am pleasantly surprised to see their offering is slightly different and pretty damn clean. I only posted a few highlights, but check out the the entire collection of cut & sewn and tees here.


Previously: Kaws Companion (Passing Through) Installation at The Aldrich | Video


-john-