Friday, October 29, 2010

Naked & Famous FW10 Release

Naked & Famous FW10 Release

From L to R :

- Weird Guy Black Selvedge
- Weird Guy Grey Selvedge
- Weird Guy Deep Indigo Selvedge

Naked & Famous FW10 Release

From L to R :

- Skinny Guy Natural Indigo Selvedge
- Skinny Guy Black Power Stretch
- Skinny Guy Indigo Broken Twill Selvedge

Naked & Famous FW10 Release

From L to R:

- Skinny Guy Natural Indigo Selvedge
- Skinny Guy Black Power Stretch
- Skinny Guy Indigo Broken Twill Selvedge

Naked & Famous FW10 Release

- Slim Guy Black Selvedge


Photography : Shawn Chen

Looking for FT Retail Staff


Interested applicants to send CV to info@knowitnothing.com & firdauz@knowitnothing.com

Thursday, October 28, 2010

KIN FW10 Release

Engineered Garment FW10:

EG - Grey/Blue/Red Dobby Stripe Tux Shirt
EG - Black Whipcord Bedford Jacket

Engineered Garment FW10:

EG - White Broadcloth 80s Shirt

Engineered Garment FW10:

EG - Grey Dobby Diamond 19th Century BD Shirt

Engineered Garment FW10:

Moscot - Miltzen in Tortoise
EG - Red/Navy Twill Stripe Cyclist BD Shirt

Engineered Garment FW10:

EG - Brown/Tan HB Stripe Tab Collar Shirt
EG - Navy/Purple Novelty Silk Jacquard Neck Tie
Sifr - Black Coated Icicle Pants

Engineered Garment FW10:

EG - Brown/Tan HB Stripe Tab Collar Shirt
EG - Olive Ctn Ripstop Logger Vest
sifr - Black Coated Icicle Pants

Engineered Garment FW10:

EG - Grey Vintage Chambray Engineered Jacket
sifr - Black Coated Icicle Pants
sifr - Grey Nubuck Slip-Ons

Engineered Garment FW10:

EG - Black /Grey Stripe French Terry Bedford Jacket
EG - Black/Grey Stripe French Terry Sweatpant

Shades Of Grey FW10:

Shades of Grey - Denim Chambray BD Collar Shirt
Shades of Grey - Tan Flat Front Chino

Shades Of Grey FW10:

Shades of Grey - Grey L/S 2 Layer Tee
Shades of Grey - Tan Flat Front Chino

Shades Of Grey FW10:

Shades of Grey - French Cheque BD Collar Shirt
Shades of Grey - Navy Pinstripe 2 Button Blazer

Shades of Grey FW10

Shades of Grey - Grey L/S 2 Layer Tee
Shades of Grey - Denim Chambray Funnel Neck
Shades of Grey - Tan Flat Front Chino


Model : Darren Loke
Photography : Shawn Chen
Styling : Darren Loke, Gavin Lee
Location : K.I.N 2nd Floor.


Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Graduation

We've tracked our progress over the years. We've tracked the things we've done and our overall approach to life/design/spirituality, etc. Life has it's simple pleasures, it's actions/events that don't have any real consequence on the world or the people around you. That's why you undertake them. We channel our energies doing these small things/parts that tend to not have any weight on the whole and that's how we approach life/work, clothing production, etc.

You might wonder why we're writing about this?

It's because of a certain graduation we have experienced in the last year or so. Some may notice that the quality of work through our blog/our garments/our store curation, etc has been fine tuned. We are understanding who we are and where we'd like to take this/these businesses to. The comparison between the work we have done before as opposed to what we do now is vast. Sometimes "design" can be construed as creation for the sake of creation. When you don't have a grasp on things, that's usually the case.

There now seems to be more meaning in the small parts while considering the impact on the whole. I think Wikipedia calls this a "Holistic" approach to design/life, etc. Check and feel free to agree/disagree through the comments section.

How did we come to all of these more meaningful observations?

1) This came about the other day when we were going through our product line. The end results that we have received in our office in the form of garments have experienced significant growth in terms of quality since the date of the products initial conception. I have reserved a special post for this that will be useful to a lot of you guys in the clothing business. I don't mind sharing some of our trade secrets and things to look out for if it'll benefit you readers. For example, we have paid attention to all the small parts of the garment to create an appealing whole, even if it doesn't appeal to the greater masses. It's due diligence on our part, but more on that later.

2) The store has been our canvas to show all the things we find interesting, worthy of a mention under the umbrella that is culture. If it wasn't executed as well before, it will get better in the future as part of the "graduation". We've progressed in the form of window display competitions, pre-orders, useful production posts, more effective store interiors (the 2nd floor is just as beautiful as the bottom floor). All of this has been done with regard to our overall business direction. We might throw some parties soon as well. Again, more on that later.

To explain: The process of all this was part of a greater process called "Reductionism". We've been reading up on it and trying to apply. It's when we reduce everything to it's small parts and study it's effect on the greater whole. When you come to reduce everything and strip away the unnecessaries, you come out understanding things in greater depth. We've been implementing this concept into clothing production, store curation/direction and life in general. It's a stronger approach.

In terms of clothing production, by breaking down all of a garments details and studying them in depth, you will find that certain things can be improved through better technical understanding. When they are improved/adjusted, the garment on the whole has more life, personality and value (intrinsic and extrinsic/monetary).

If this is all too complicated, we'll go through it in the next post with relation to one of our favorite garments; The Icicles.

Till next time, enjoy the store curation, the second floor and the beautiful clothing. Here's to quality!

ssm

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Friendly Fire: Underscore x Vanguard

Our friends over at Underscore & Vanguard have teamed up to do a series of custom bicycles and installations to celebrate the second issue of Underscore Magazine, "The Constant Issue". If you're curious peep the flyer & information regarding the installations below.

Underscore, is an independent magazine with thematic content attuned to a simple rhythm; quality of life.

Vanguard, specializes in building & restoring custom one-off bicycles.

underscore-vanguard

We're featuring 4 VANGUARD X UNDERSCORE bicycles at 4 installation venues for the launch of UNDERSCORE N°2: THE CONSTANT ISSUE.

Mist Messenger Bike - 2902 Gallery Old School, 11B Mount Sophia, #B2-09
Rain Messenger Bike- Books Actually, 86 Club St
Cloud Messenger Bike - Grafunkt, Park Mall, 9 Penang Rd, #B1-21
Dew Messenger Bike - Fred Perry Laurel, 19 Ann Siang Rd
Do drop by from Thu 21st to Mon 25th Oct 2010 for a preview of the one-off Vanguard x Underscore bicycles and magazines available for presale before it officially hits the newsstands.

In collaboration with
UNDERSCORE N°2: THE CONSTANT ISSUE

Travel: Mustang Pt.2

The photos below are from the second installment of my 14 day hike through Mustang, Nepal. Truth be told I did not hike for all 14 days of the journey. I was on foot for the first 7 days to Lo Manthang, during the return I split the time between horseback and foot. I did not commit to hiking powerfully for a full 14 days, if I did, maybe I would feel like a true outdoors man (Davy Crockett concept, a huge influence in my own life, I must have watched 'Davy Crocket, King of the Wild Frontier' over 100 times as a child). Riding Nepalese style on a horse through the mountains was the main reason for passing up foot travel, the feeling of being a real cowboy. Although I did not wrangle or herd any cattle, I was able to traverse terrains that were reminiscent from scenes in an Italo-Western. In another reality we could have starred in a neu-Nepalese Western...

I rode in the company of: a master South Asian outdoorsman whom was the leader of the trek, a restoration expert responsible for keeping a lot of the ancient monasteries intact throughout Mustang and the Himalayas, a high-Lama that ran a school in Pohkara, 3 children from Mustang that attended the Lama's school in Pokhara that were on their way back to visit their families, and last but not least a great support team of sherpas.

The diverse group made for a trip filled with a range of different experiences and interactions on a daily basis. On any given day we'd wake up as the sun rose eat a relatively light breakfast that was usually made up of oatmeal &/or eggs, sausages and toast. We'd discuss the path we'd take, rest stops, points of interest, lunch break and our next camp location. An average day encompassed close to 8 hours of hiking up and down the surrounding landscape. Some of my most treasured experiences on the trip was times spent in restoration sites of Buddhist temples. Looking at frescos that dated centuries if not millennia humbles your existence in time. Seeing the restoration work on some of these massive frescos some spanning several meters wide and tall was amazing, with each brush stroke life was being breathed back into the space.

An unforgettable experience, I will most definitely return in the near future.

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prayer ceremony

stopping at a peak

having lunch at a teahouse

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Wednesday, October 20, 2010

ROX / November 5th / TAB

We are dipping our feet into throwing ridiculous parties and being part of great music events. The gig with ROX will be our first installment of several events in the coming year. This November 5th we are (sifr & kin) teaming up with TAB & X-mini to bring you ROX. She is finishing up several shows in Tokyo and heading on over to Singapore for a one night performance at TAB. If you are interested in getting a sample of what is to come take a look at her video, "My Baby Left Me". There's more information regarding the gig at the bottom of the page.


Although only 21, Roxanne Tataei AKA Rox, released her debut album Memoirs in 2010. Her debut album was partially recorded in New Jersey with Commissioner Gordon (of Lauryn Hill fame) but mainly in London with Jay-Z and Lupe Fiasco producer Al Shux.

Rox has already been described as "The next big thing" by music reviews. She's had a sensational performance on "Later.. with Jools Holland", been on tour with Mark Ronson and Danie Merriweather plus she was nominated for MTV's EMA Best Newcomer in UK 2010.

Rox is performing for one night only at TAB at 8pm on Friday, 5th Nov. Come listen for yourself as her soulful vocals soar through upbeat tunes and reggae-tinged beats on tracks like "My Baby and "I Don't Believe".

Tickets are available at tab.com.sg
Early Bird Tickets - $28 (until 20th Oct)
Standard Tickets - $38

DBS CARD HOLDERS ENJOY 10% OFF TICKET PRICES
PROMO CODE: TABrox

For more information go to
www.tab.com.sg/2010/10/rox/
www.thisisrox.com

*TICKET HOLDERS MUST BE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD.
*PRICES NOT INCLUSIVE OF $1.50 TICKETING FEE.
**DBS CARD USED MUST BE PRESENTED UPON ENTRY

Spread the message on facebook!

Keep an eye out as we're giving away a couple tickets for the gig. See you on November 5th!

Friday, October 08, 2010

public nuisance radio show no. 68 : funk bast*rd (cosa nostra)

no explanation needed, public nuisance no.68. it's ridiculous. keep an ear out for the mini-cascade feature.

cosanostra 68

Public Nuisance show No. 68 w the Funk Bast*rd (Cosa Nostra) by Cosa Nostra

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Sifr Annex Pop-up x KIN 2nd Floor Preview



Following up on our previous post about KIN's second floor, this weekend and next, we will have a preview of our space in conjunction with sifr Annex pop-up.

The second floor space is relatively raw, but this weekend and next provides an opportunity to view its original shell and see it transform and grow in weeks to come when it becomes a full fledged retail space expansion for KIN.

And just a quick recap,
sifr Annex is an online store where you have an opportunity to purchase past season items at 50% off the original retail price and for those who have yet to try a sifr garment, the pop-up over the next two weekends will allow you to try them before purchase.

Note that we have very limited sizes so spread the word, come early and dig for some good buys. See you over the weekend.





Mfoliage Skincare Line


Just in at K.I.N, a facial wash made from all natural ingredients to not only clean your skin but pamper your senses with calming lavender oil and undertones of Sandalwood and four other Australian oils and extracts.

Mfoliage by Janet Sng - "A skincare line created with passion and belief in natural scent and simplicity."

Visit the store to try the product.




Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Window Display by KARYA.






What began as an idea pitch during our weekly meeting sessions has turned into reality in 2 months. The idea originated from a disagreement we had during the meeting over the full utilization of our window space. The idea of merchandising curation was getting old and the potential impact of the window was being greatly undeserved as not only a space within KIN but as a public space as well. Not only do we want our window display to attract shoppers' attention, we wanted to convey an authentic message - something that resonates with the store's ethos.

We can not express how pleased we are with the work produced by KARYA, an architecture based design collective based out of Malaysia.

This is an excerpt explaining their idea behind the installation:

"The work installed by the team depicts the dynamics of the brand's growth and immeasurable potential. The work is made up of networks, an analogy and imagery of the brand's numerous developed connections throughout the years in Singapore's fashion scene. In its formation, the work also signifies KIN's intended growth and expansion in influence and bridging ties regardless of distance and dimension. The usage of thread, buttons and color exploitation lends a light-hearted air to the installation, a direct juxtaposition to it's mature theme. Lines are kept clean, sharp and minimal, materials are experimented to match KIN's outlook and KARYA's attribute."

Just as their work reflects growth, the team at KIN has unanimously agreed that this project is the start of many to come from 2011 onwards where we get creative entities to do work on KIN's window display on a quarterly basis.

This project reflects our determination to engage the local creative community to do collaborative projects with KIN. A considerable and positive change from our initial usage of the window display as product placement to utilizing the space currently, as a 'blank canvas' for creative expression.

Friday, October 01, 2010

K.I.N. new magazines in store

we're in the process of augmenting our reading section, 2 new additions that have dropped into store these last few weeks. if you have any suggestions for rare/niche/hard to find magazines, please leave a comment.

apartmento: visits, interviews and documents personal spaces; no gloss, no styling, just embracing the human element of inhabitance. a mix & match of old and new. apartamento captures personality not perfection. quoted off of japanese webzine, shift's feature on apartamento awhile back, "We will not show tidy interiors because they don’t exist outside your mum’s imagination. We want to show how people arrange their homes and the solutions they find to the same problems you have."

bjournal: is a collaboration between two photographers; Alvin Tang & Joel Chan. Their works are simple yet sincere. Through their well-crafted printed journal, they hope to get in touch with more like-minded artists for future collaboration.

Grab them at the store. They're beautiful!

mags in store (3 of 3)

mags in store (2 of 3)

mags in store (1 of 3)