I have a major issue with brands that claim to offer "limited/exclusive" products....then go on to produce thousands of pieces. Then again, exclusivity is a matter of relativity: to a global brand, 2000 pieces could be seen as "limited".

Anyway, i've been following footwear brand FEIT for a while, and to say i'm impressed with their business model is a massive understatement. This is how it works:
"Each month we email images of our newest samples to our members who have 10 days to request "MAKE ME A PAIR".
Each sample is subject to MAXIMUM CAPACITY - the maximum number of shoes that can be made based on our material stock levels.
Once maximum capacity is reached, production begins.
If members respond well to the style but capacity remains, the REMAINING CAPACITY is made available to the general public for Pre Order."

By extremely limited....i mean each model/colour is limited to about 200 pairs worldwide (or less). At an average price of £220, you'd be hard pressed to find anything more affordable AND equally exclusive. In a world where clothing/footwear companies design to fit the consumer,and focus on maximising sales, FEIT brings art back to footwear. You can check out their online store at http://www.feitdirect.com/shop/

Below are images of their new model: the PNTHA Low Cork.

Style should be a reflection of self, yourself. It should mirror your mood, preferences, personality and lifestyle. Too often people get caught up in trends, allowing seasonal style trends and brands to define their identities. They feed into the hype created by the 'lame'stream media: "looks for this season", "must-haves". Who says these are must haves? Why do individuals allow their sense of style to be directed by complete strangers only focused on making a profit from the sheepish dedication and inclination of the masses to "keep up with the Joneses"?

Style is personal, a reflection of self. Mindlessly following every seasonal trend says a lot about you. Your desire to fit in with the masses, to blend in with the "in crowd". You allow your mind to be made up by others, choose to follow and not to lead. You fear standing out, being different, thinking diverging from the trend would make you "uncool". Corporations feed off your insecurity, shoving their products in your face and making profits off your "hive" mentality.

Style is a reflection of self... so who are you?

Blessed with the gift of gods and the curse of men,infinite mortality;
limitless mind in a frame doomed to fatality.
How do i maintain sanity,walkin a world replete with vanity,
and amidst such calamity,protect authentic intelligence in this shell of fragility.

Drank from the poisoned chalice at birth,
eyes wide open but all i see is the dirt.
Jealousy and envy;the filth, voices scream murder as i crawl through the wire,
ignoring the baying crowd i devour these sacred scrolls to feed my mind.

Can't help but wonder;whatever happened to originality standing out?
why do we play dumb to fit in with the louder crowd?
suppressing intelligence and exposing ignorance,
Suppressing the annoyance that feeds off my impatience,
I intelligently ignore the rants,and that definitely makes sense.

Shaped by the world to who i am,with focus on who i could be,
who i can be,accept no limitations let the world move me,
truly,one of the few moved by the world yet not changed by it,
finding immortal inspiration in this mortal dimension,
touched by gaea,sail through this dimension casting a never changing reflection,
moved,not changed, but improved by it.

Took a bullet of inspiration to the head, not dead,
but my heart's racing with adrenaline as my pen bleeds art instead.
Possessed by a spirit that has no voice yet wills to speak,
how did it come to be, of all that walk this fated earth this curse has come to me?

I say curse cuz it's positive with some negative side effects,
bloody canvas is the positive,hate and envy the side effects,
try ignore what's on the side as best as i can,
tunnel vision push the negatives aside,focus on the plan.

Authentic Intelligence,sometimes feels like i'm blessed with a curse,
at least i wasnt killed by the bullet shot into my brain at birth,
wake up, like Tupac cant help but wonder what's worse,
the view with this bullet in my head or the view from a hearse?

Bloody art,talent that's easily recognised,
but i cant help but wonder if it'll ever be recognised,
will the plan fail or will i land on a larger scale?
who knows,but just in case, jealous ones that envy please order a larger scale.

For they say a man's worth is measured in his words,
by what he says, that means his choice of words,
but i'm like Atlas i can barely talk,
the weight of the world on my shoulders so i can barely walk,
but like Atlas i will forever hold this up,
actions speak louder than words so by this, i'm already a level up.

Retro-Futuristic
That's how we like to see ourselves here. Our design ethos revolves around a rememberance and commemoration of the past, infused with elements of the present and future. The class of the 40's and 50's, the energy of the 80's and 90's, and the infinite imagination of the present.
"Remember the past/ live for the moment/ look to the future"

L'art de la revolte
Translates to "the art of rebellion". A rebellion against the masses, against comformity, against hive mentality. We follow no rules, are attached to no single lifestyle, but the aspects that make each one of us unique and different. A desire to step away from the crowd and dare to choose our own path, our own lifestyle, our own dreams. Bridging the gap between cultures, lifestyles and languages, in both art and music. There is no skate, there is no punk rock, there is no hip hop. We are defined by who we are, and not what society decides we are. Invent your style, create your legacy,... forge your dreams. Live.

I've been a fan of artist Kaws since i found out about him about 2 years ago. His OriginalFake clothing and accesories brand comes up with intriguing concepts on the regular.
Today, the brand announced and opened a new website where you can customise tshirts in Kaws lettering style. First off, i've never been a big fan of "ID" sites unless they offer something truly unique. NikeID got it right, OriginalFakeID....not so much. Having to pay 115USD for a tshirt is insane, but if i had to spend that kind of money, i would at least expect more customisation options and not just lettering. But as always, this is just my humble personal opinion. For those interested in "blowing money fast" as Rick Ross (rolls eyes) would say,....you can check it out here.  http://idstore.original-fake.com/

This past weekend saw the urban art and graffiti festival return to Bristol for 2 days of raw street art. Unfortunately sunday 5th June ended up a rainy day so I couldn't go back to look at finished pieces. Here are pictures from saturday 4th june.

If there's one word i'm quickly beginning to dislike, it's the word "swagg". Why? For the simple reason that it defines a concept that is misunderstood by the masses. Most people tend to associate "swagger" with brands....believing the more luxury brands you possess, the more "swagg" you have. As a result you find people on the street clad in all gucci, looking like someone slapped them with stupid and then forced them to parade around like circus clowns.

The general notion that brands elevate your level of style is flawed beyond belief. Style isn't so much about what you wear as it is about how you wear it. Wearing a million different luxury brands at once makes you look like a tasteless imbecile, or worse still, like someone suffering from a deep inferiority complex caused by some traumatic experience in his/her childhood and as such needing validation or feeling the need to impress by wearing expensive clothing.
Then again we live in a world where most people are under the illusion they are in some form of epic, legendary, Lord of the Rings style battle with the world around them.

The question to always ask is this: would i buy this if it did not say "Armani" on it? If the answer to that is "no", then i strongly suggest you put it right back on the rack, walk a few steps back, wait a few minutes, and laugh at the sorry soul who buys what you just dropped. Certain designer pieces are obviously of superior quality in terms of fabric, cut and fit. But for the most part, most people ignore all this and buy designer because it's designer, and not because it's better than available options.

As an artist and aspiring designer, I never want to get to that point where people buy my stuff just because it has a famous name/logo on it. I'd like for people to appreciate and be aware of what they're buying. If this means less money for me, that's fine. Because if there's one thing i dislike, it's ignorant fashion fiends who get brand names to impress people. In my mind, there is absolutely no justification for spending £300 on a belt, just because it has an "LV" logo on it. Regardless of how much money i ever make, the only way i would ever spend that much on a belt is if i was taken hostage by a gang of lemmings from an alternate dimension and forced to buy it in order to save their universe from complete and utter destruction.....and i'd still think twice before i did, laser blaster pistol to my head and all. There's a word for spending that much on something so tiny and inconsequestial, and it's not swagger,....it's idiocy.
ps: i'll explain why i use the robotic helmet thing in my next post