2008

I know its cliche to write about the past as a whole but honestly, the year was neither good or bad, but was a reality hitter for me. Although meeting my nephew and nieces for the 1st time this year was all that mattered to me. Obviously everyone knows that the recession was really the main issue of 2008. I can honestly say maintaining a small t-shirt line has kinda been a pain especially this year. Every time i traveled to new york, the same people that were originally looking for something new and original are now looking for something that will sell. In other words "fuck art, fuck your message, we want to sell what's trendy so we can pay our bills." Can i blame them. No, that's life, i blame myself for spending thousands of dollars to add substance and originality to t-shirts. Why not add the " naked girls holding a gun" or something obvious, maybe my numbers would do better. The recession not only made alot of these boutiques settle down for mediocrity just to pay the bills, but competition between these stores and brands were tough. And this doesn't just apply to "streetwear" alone. Did you notice alot of sales going on this year. SUVs going for mad cheap at the dealership, your favorite "exclusive" brands becoming more accessible and cheaper just to make ends meet, Saks having a 70% markdown on products to make up for the millions of dollars they kept losing every week. Everything this year i thought had value lost it. I know some of you saw my last trip to new york, the topic was obviously the r-word. Everyone is not eating. Nothing is guaranteed. Sometimes its not all about that college degree that got you that 1 job. That's why i thank God i do more than t-shirts to secure my future. But honestly with the way this keeps up i don't know how long substance will be around. Since i'm graduating this year, i know dobale won't be my main priority. The funny thing is that most of the artists like Nigo and futura and brands like king stampede i look up to faced tough times when they started. I was watching TBN the other day ( hate that channel) and Creflo Dollar said what i believe is a solution to the issues we all face today. He said " Never let your outside influence your steps" In other words never let your situation determine your destination. That's easier said than done, but i can honestly relate to what he spoke about. The bottom line is whatever you love to do. Do it to the fullest because your craft will get the respect first, then the money afterwards. That's usually the case in the world of " streetwear". With all this said i will post what i think was the best of 2008 just to remember the good times like the O-TEAM

SNEAKER OF THE YEAR-COMMON PROJECTS

The true def. of minimalism. If you are looking for something that has quality, neutral colors and comfort, then this is the shoe.

Runners up - LANVIN, YSL, RAF BY RAF SIMONS

STREETWEAR BRAND OF THE YEAR-KING STAMPEDE
the most underated brand in America. I respect this brand for their consistency in adding substance to their shirts. Very artist driven and worth the money. I'm really jealous of them. They are inspired by 70s music, cults, religion, philosophy, sombero galaxies etc. The brand is indeed a thinkers brand

RUNNERS UP
perks and mini, original fake, maharishi, comme des garcons


ALBUM OF THE YEAR-TRONIC byBLACK MILK
honestly i really don't listen to much, i'm too lazy to know what's out there. My brother usually recommends stuff for me, but this album really did it for me. For 1 the production was sick and he is a producer that knows how to roc the mic



SHIRT OF THE YEAR-CHARVET
The french label is known for making the perfect shirt. They take up to 20 measurments on your body before they make the perfect shirt for you. Think i'm bullshittin, watch this
http://video.men.style.com/?&fr_story=d0a3a6c1ff423cdfa2b13c94824183e8bfd58899



HIGH FASH. BRAND OF THE YEAR-APC
U can't deny their top quality wool coats and their japanese selvage denim cuts. This french label was too official

runners up
NOM DE GUERRE, TOM FORD







JAM OF THE YEAR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yHLXeikXeI

THAT'S SHAWTY LO by SHAWTY LO

I can't deny this, i heard this at the boundlessny store in brooklyn. I realized this had to be on the list when i got my car from the dealership yesterday. I just got some new speakers, and the bass was undeniable. Forget what yall gotta tell me. This shit go fed

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

INDMIX DOS AND DONTS BY FREE AND FBA

http://www.vimeo.com/2547184

Can't deny it, it's true

Ok i'm tired of posting pics

REST OF THE BEST OFS

GADGET - I PHONE

See 08 wasn't as bad as we all thought, but 09 is here and change is nice. We bringing back the good times. O-TEAM shirts are available for $30. Ask about them