new york state of mind day 1

I originally planned on going for the murakami exhibit on sunday but my flight was delayed by 2 hours. I also had some other plans but it was too late to get going, but i still checked out a couple of spots around the city.
disclaimer ( alot of the pics below are not mine, and were taken from other websites) I was too lazy to take pics and alot of stores do not allow cameras inside

Stopped at the uniqlo store in soho. They have been making a killing in japan and london. The store is the japanese version of gap but 50,000 times better. They have done collaborations with famous photographers like terry richardson, artists and celebs. The pic above is obviously not mine but since i am too lazy to explain why uniqlo is a big deal for affordable ready to wear, i will let this video do the explaining. Watch it, you might learn something

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/30/talkasia.yanai/index.html

My next stop was a store called opening ceremony. Like i said i am too lazy to explain, the video does a better explanation of the store. It's super ill, just watch

Inside opening ceremony, They stock the best of the best from brands all over the world including their in house label.

Alot of independent designers are bringing alot to the table. From the aesthetics, fit and quality, i find myself getting more and more interested in seeing what these brands have to offer

even nike did a collaboration with the store

I also made a stop at the bathing ape store in soho. For those that wanna hate on Nigo, let me just say he is a genius. If you look at bape 13 yrs ago you will have a better understanding why bape is an artistic driven brand. Nigo is also an influence on dobale. Nigo is a tastemaker, one of the biggest star wars collectors and known as a god of cool among heads all over. At the same time he is hated in the world of 'streetwear'. bape has always carried itself as a show. Everytime i walk in the store, it's always a new exprience for me. With over 10 stores in japan and around asia, london and new york, nigo keeps finding innovative ways to make his brand better

From bape condoms

bape tissue

mad collaborations with celebs, artists and brands go from spongebob square pants, johnny mnemonic, obey, supreme, futura, kaws, stash etc. I personally like the old bape from 99 to early 2000s. Back when bape heads was the shit, and his collaborations with kaws, futura, stash and answer had alot of substance. I originally wanted to upload more pics about bape, but like i said i am getting lazy at this and i did not want to blog about this trip but there's a couple of interesting things that are happening this week.

Like i said nigo is a business man and a visionary. He owns his own wrestling, music recording company ( bape sounds), barber shop, hotel etc.
check out this interview on nigo

http://thegame.blog.com/251845/?page=2

and this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waKYV9YJpBI

Steven alan oupost store

inside steven alan. Stocking the very best for the everyday new yorker like common projects, acne jeans, nike and their inhouse label steven alan

steven alan

Like i said independent designers are making a name for themselves in new york and are getting accepted fast. Trust me i have been going around the city and pics of these stores do no justice at all. I really haven't gone around anything 'street wear' related. Check out steven alan's website for a better understanding

www.stevenalan.com

New york will not be new york without visiting the mother of all streetwear stores in america. Everybody knows before limited existed or before hype existed, there was union. Stocking nothing but the best from visvim, original fake, p.a.m, w-taps etc. Union is nothing to be played with. Mary ann fusco, james jebbia ( supreme), eddie cruz ( undftd) and shawn stussy ( stussy) were all the original pioneers that set up union to what it stands for today.

I also had to make a stop at my favorite spot in new york, Nom de guerre. The store is hidden underground and again i was lost trying to find it, crap

underground nom de guerre

Stocking the finest of japanese hand stitched labels like their in house brand, comme des garcons, patrick ervell etc. Nom de guerre like many other new york stores are having their sale. I recommend you check them out if you are in their area. Comme des garcons for 40% is a steal. Hurry before they sell out

this is a collaboration they did with converse. I was mad i couldn't get my hands on these

this skate shop needs no introduction, but they have been causing alot of sleepless nights for many because of their online store releases. Supreme got the internet going nuts lol

A.P.C, the french label really has a way of making clothing look good. From their boots, trench coats, military pieces and their jeans which has been a must have for heads all over. APC jeans are not only affordable but their quality is unbelievable. Check out their website

www.apc.fr

inside apc. Like i said unbelievable. Pics do no justice of their store, you have to see it to believe it

apc

Oak store in new york

oak

And you know i had to swing by dqm. Stocking limited edition new era collabos by huf and dqm, and high end street wear labels like maiden noir, dqm, huf etc

Their recent collabo with nike has got alot of people talking. This is 1 out of 2 that was recently done. Obviously sold out and being sold on ebay for $300 plus. Damn resellers

Lastly Franks chop shop. The best barber shop in new york period. They also have their magazine called frank, and have done numerous collabos with new era. They also stock alot of fitteds to keep your head fresh.

More to come, too lazy like i said but trust me this week is looking good so far. Shout out to woody of lrg and Dj witness. More to come. Out and one