Beautiful handwriting will flow from your fingers with only 10-15 minutes of practice a day.
On a side note: Have you written a letter to anyone recently? The notion of writing a postcard to a friend or loved one in mind only takes a matter of minutes but the impact on that person once they receive it in the mail is beyond words. In some ways communication through chat programs, bbm, email and even through blogs like this one has tainted our interactions with other people in more than enough ways to either see ourselves lose touch with friends or to lose the "humanity" within those interactions.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
A Flashback Fabric Post, Osaka: Part 2
It was a mix of rain and shine while I was in Osaka, fortunately it was manageable and nothing close to a torrential downpour. It added an interesting somber mood whilst walking alongside a city park towards the end of the day. The photos below will relate more to just exploring and eating around and doing some market research.
The subway cars in Osaka are rather peculiar, the wood and matte metallic finishing adds an almost vintage vibe about the cars. Even with the stark fluorescent light you feel like you're riding on something out of another era.
The iconic Glico running man!
Saw this huge Alaskan Snow Crab, looked a little scary but after awhile I became hungry just thinking about it. I wonder what it would taste like to combine the softness of the meat from the Alaskan snow crab in a pepper crab recipe.
My visit to Muji was quite exciting as i had been studying the company for a little while. It was quite interesting to see the depth of the 7,500 or so items in a full on Muji flagship store.
Seeing an in-house alteration and tailoring service inside the Muji building was quite a delight. It's impressive when you think about the customer service and the thought that went into putting this service into a store. When it boils down to it, putting out this type of customer service doesn't cost a company like Muji anything but in return it does wonders for the kind of appreciation a customer will show to have such a convenience available to them.
All the gaijin sizes were gone.
United Aarows is a multi-label niche retailer under United Aarows Ltd. umbrella (which comprises of several other companies and labels in Japan, one of the more notable companies they hold in Japan is Chrome Hearts), they also have their own lines Beauty and Youth and a less expensive line called SHIPS.
Ah I forget the name of the store, I think it's called Warm Gun, right next to the Cosmic Wonder Light Source sales installation. The store carries a wide range of aesthetics ranging from Kato, Kitsune, Hunting Research, Engineered Garments, n(n), and a handful of other labels. On the left wall there are passageways to the other side of the shop which is acid washed open brick face, the lighting also looks a little DIY/construction site-ish to go along with the whole unfinished vibe. They had a number of real persian carpets adding a nice splash of color against the stark white interior as well as complimenting the open brick face in the other room. Great store.
They did an installation just for an end of the season sale.
Hysteric Glamour flagship... Only one word to describe it, lavish. I thought the store in Harujuku was pretty crazy, this takes it to another level. The photo doesn't do justice but, the part that's all white is the 4th floor which looks like a rectangular metal container that contains the menswear section. The shop is 4 levels with the 3rd being an open air wave like concrete slope.
A.P.C flagship, one of the most striking details I've ever seen was the wood pressed concrete beams and steps to match the texture of the wood paneling that flows through the store.
Archer fish extinguishing a Mild Seven.
Just a reminder that the store will be closed until mid-November, please keep your eyes peeled on the usual information channels for an update when we will be re-opening again.
The subway cars in Osaka are rather peculiar, the wood and matte metallic finishing adds an almost vintage vibe about the cars. Even with the stark fluorescent light you feel like you're riding on something out of another era.
The iconic Glico running man!
Saw this huge Alaskan Snow Crab, looked a little scary but after awhile I became hungry just thinking about it. I wonder what it would taste like to combine the softness of the meat from the Alaskan snow crab in a pepper crab recipe.
My visit to Muji was quite exciting as i had been studying the company for a little while. It was quite interesting to see the depth of the 7,500 or so items in a full on Muji flagship store.
Seeing an in-house alteration and tailoring service inside the Muji building was quite a delight. It's impressive when you think about the customer service and the thought that went into putting this service into a store. When it boils down to it, putting out this type of customer service doesn't cost a company like Muji anything but in return it does wonders for the kind of appreciation a customer will show to have such a convenience available to them.
All the gaijin sizes were gone.
United Aarows is a multi-label niche retailer under United Aarows Ltd. umbrella (which comprises of several other companies and labels in Japan, one of the more notable companies they hold in Japan is Chrome Hearts), they also have their own lines Beauty and Youth and a less expensive line called SHIPS.
Ah I forget the name of the store, I think it's called Warm Gun, right next to the Cosmic Wonder Light Source sales installation. The store carries a wide range of aesthetics ranging from Kato, Kitsune, Hunting Research, Engineered Garments, n(n), and a handful of other labels. On the left wall there are passageways to the other side of the shop which is acid washed open brick face, the lighting also looks a little DIY/construction site-ish to go along with the whole unfinished vibe. They had a number of real persian carpets adding a nice splash of color against the stark white interior as well as complimenting the open brick face in the other room. Great store.
They did an installation just for an end of the season sale.
Hysteric Glamour flagship... Only one word to describe it, lavish. I thought the store in Harujuku was pretty crazy, this takes it to another level. The photo doesn't do justice but, the part that's all white is the 4th floor which looks like a rectangular metal container that contains the menswear section. The shop is 4 levels with the 3rd being an open air wave like concrete slope.
A.P.C flagship, one of the most striking details I've ever seen was the wood pressed concrete beams and steps to match the texture of the wood paneling that flows through the store.
Archer fish extinguishing a Mild Seven.
Just a reminder that the store will be closed until mid-November, please keep your eyes peeled on the usual information channels for an update when we will be re-opening again.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Renovation Sale This Weekend!
Hello,
We're having a sale this weekend prior to our temporary closure for a minor store renovation. All labels will be 20% off.
Hope to see you this weekend.
Sincerely,
K.I.N
We're having a sale this weekend prior to our temporary closure for a minor store renovation. All labels will be 20% off.
Hope to see you this weekend.
Sincerely,
K.I.N
Monday, October 19, 2009
A Flashback Fabric Post, Osaka: Part 1
On my last trip to the USA I had extended my layover in Tokyo to about a weeks length so I could travel down to Osaka and meet with the fabric company we had been working with for our first season to collect a bunch of new fabric swatch cards for selecting fabrics in future product drops.
About to board the bullet train to Osaka. A 3 1/2 hour trip from Tokyo station. Bought a nice katsu bento set to eat for the ride, unfortunately I have no photos as I ate the meal and passed out.
The meeting area where clients discuss and view new fabrics and potentials buys. I spent a good 24 hours here over the next 2 days.
Another vantage point of the fabric showroom in Osaka. Wall to wall in fabric and over 20 binders filled with swatch cards.
Notating and shortlisting fabrics was a daunting task, especially on the second day when I had to resift through binders to confirm my final fabric selection to mail off to Singapore. But just seeing the different possiblities for sifr just from stock fabric alone was inspiring. Can't wait to start developing custom fabrics, however it's 3000m minimum.
Green tea, oolong tea and water dispensing machine. Looking to get one of these for the office.
Green tea and onigiri kept me going through the day.
Great pencil, didn't improve my penmanship though.
No secretary, open office concept. The boss is at the end of the room by the window. Interesting take on an office space. Most conventional office spaces communicate hierarchy of the employee structure through office spaces/suites, but in this case everyone is given the same working space. Maybe a reflection of post bubble Japan. So long, until SS11!
That's it for now, in the subsequent posts I'll be showing the other fabric company I met with and some snaps around Osaka and Tokyo.
Sincerely,
Chris
About to board the bullet train to Osaka. A 3 1/2 hour trip from Tokyo station. Bought a nice katsu bento set to eat for the ride, unfortunately I have no photos as I ate the meal and passed out.
The meeting area where clients discuss and view new fabrics and potentials buys. I spent a good 24 hours here over the next 2 days.
Another vantage point of the fabric showroom in Osaka. Wall to wall in fabric and over 20 binders filled with swatch cards.
Notating and shortlisting fabrics was a daunting task, especially on the second day when I had to resift through binders to confirm my final fabric selection to mail off to Singapore. But just seeing the different possiblities for sifr just from stock fabric alone was inspiring. Can't wait to start developing custom fabrics, however it's 3000m minimum.
Green tea, oolong tea and water dispensing machine. Looking to get one of these for the office.
Green tea and onigiri kept me going through the day.
Great pencil, didn't improve my penmanship though.
No secretary, open office concept. The boss is at the end of the room by the window. Interesting take on an office space. Most conventional office spaces communicate hierarchy of the employee structure through office spaces/suites, but in this case everyone is given the same working space. Maybe a reflection of post bubble Japan. So long, until SS11!
That's it for now, in the subsequent posts I'll be showing the other fabric company I met with and some snaps around Osaka and Tokyo.
Sincerely,
Chris
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Maiden Noir A/W 09 : The Mountains Beyond
The Mountains Beyond is based on the forests of North America. Taking inspiration specifically from a small group of mountain ranges in the Pacific Northwest. The reinterpretation of this theme is seen in the silhouettes, detailing, color and fabrics.
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Landcaster Madras Shirt (Red Plaid).jpg)
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Landcaster Madras Shirt (Navy Plaid).jpg)
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Henley Work Shirt (Indigo Stripe)We also have this in the other colour (Black stripe)
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Jaguar Tee (White).jpg)
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American Mink (Heather Grey).jpg)
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The Lodge (Charcoal)We also have the Officer Work Shirt in store.
Do drop by or email us for more information on this much anticipated collection.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Monday, October 05, 2009
A Flashback Production Post, Shenzhen – Guangzhou: Part 3
Completely slipped my mind to finish up the final segment of the production post until the subject of Shenzhen came up over dinner the other night. Hopefully the relevance of this hasn't completely evaporated.
The final installment of the SZ - GZ production trip which took place ... over nine months ago. Damn time flies.
Arriving at the factory
Finishing up some sampling in the conference room
A beautiful cafe we found in this small alcove in Guangzhou
Oldschool apartment
An interesting shop, they had a full on bootleg NikeSportsWear display
Very quaint and pretty green space within the alcove
Textile center escalator vanity shot
Bape pajamas
Nice view to wake up to after a night of partying
Eco friendly airport in Guangzhou, very nice use of natural light
Hope you guys enjoyed this installment of photos and captions. Will throw up the Tokyo fabric trip in a short bit.
The final installment of the SZ - GZ production trip which took place ... over nine months ago. Damn time flies.
Arriving at the factory
Finishing up some sampling in the conference room
A beautiful cafe we found in this small alcove in Guangzhou
Oldschool apartment
An interesting shop, they had a full on bootleg NikeSportsWear display
Mid-day tequila shot, Suraj's birthday
Back massager in park
Very quaint and pretty green space within the alcove
Textile center escalator vanity shot
Textile center bustling
Overwhelming how big the textile center is
Bape pajamas
Nice view to wake up to after a night of partying
Eco friendly airport in Guangzhou, very nice use of natural light
Hope you guys enjoyed this installment of photos and captions. Will throw up the Tokyo fabric trip in a short bit.
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