Ale Et Ange: 37C Orchard Street - Basement

during the summer of 2009 my friend fasil recommended his friends store that is situated in the l.e.s right across the street from the store project no.8. so after walking around orchard street in search of this store i gave him a call and he said to look at the basement. thats when i spotted a tiny painted sign that read 'ale et ange' with flowers placed on both sides, next to the sign sat oshrea chilling out on a beach chair. stepping down the narrow basement staircase i was pleasantly surprised by the interior of the store. a lot of character, thought and effort had gone into the store. one of the best details that shot out at me was all the salvaged furniture and trinkets you can find around the city at garage sales or 2nd hand dealers. the hangers on the racks were ancient, oshrea had said they were old dry cleaner hangers he found in the trash. there's a shelf in the back with vintage toiletries packaged in the same charming way they've always been. bars of soap, toothpaste, lotion all looked like they were out of another era. i almost felt impelled to buy some of the products for my own use.

after talking with oshrea he shed some light on the manufacturing base of the company, pants are from the same factory that produces for engineered garments. the shirts are made from a more interesting location, an apron factory in china town. oshrea had taught the machinist in the apron factory how to sew basic button up shirts and tshirts, a decent job for an apron factory. fabrics that make up some of their products are 15 to 20 some odd years old sourced from back stocked factory storage warehouses out and around the northeast as well as japan.

upon leaving the store (with a shirt and pants), the overall feeling that i felt was that the shop was very much an extension of their own home; an extension of cultural elements from the city. a lot of effort, a lot of personal belongings and scavenged items that completed the interior.

our first shoot in our new home

as promised here are some photos from our new space at tan boon liat just off outram road. we're splitting the space with primary studios and another company. the space is quite a change from our old 400sqft work area on haji lane, we're now able to stretch out to a comfortable 1300sqft. indoor futsal, skating and huge screen projections are now available to us while at work. the lifts also come with operators, they remember your floor numbers and are a vast pool of insider information for what's happening within the 15 levls of tan boon liat.

the images below we're taken while doing our first shoot for the sifr webstore.











sincerely,
sifr

Charles Trees - Mahjongg

We mentioned 'The Dream' ep a few weeks ago put out by Charles Trees on the Musique Large label. Here's his own track off the EP called Mahjongg. Follow this link for a free download off XLR8R.
Mahjongg

We've Moved Out

we moved out of haji lane a few weeks back, and by we i mean the upstairs office that was residence to the sifr and kin paper pushers(us). the store is still intact at number 51, the upstairs is vacant, and we're still trying to figure out the best course of action for space that once sold shoes, housed artwork and roofed a couple of people working together.

touching base on the team of individuals that slowly took over the upstairs space. the evolution of the office space took place over a span of 13 months. from the team being scattered across the two floors (we were measuring clothes on the main counter, conducting meetings on the couch surrounded by shoes, typing out letters on the vintage upholstered chairs). we started to congregate in the upstairs region of the shophouse. next thing we knew shoes went downstairs and there was this huge ping ping table in the middle of the room providing desk space for 3 people.

it's almost been about three months since we've moved into our new residences at tan boon liat building, i think it's about time i throw the move out photos up.

*note my leg is busted that's why i am not helping out with the move



















a lot of people have not seen our new working environment, photos will be up in due time.

Summer Session: NYC - BOS

so it's been a whole year since i fully packed up and shipped out all my belonging from boston back to singapore. here are some photos that encapsulated my last summer state side 2009 (chi-bos-nyc) with the majority of time spent in boston and new york. the brevity of it all makes one wonder how fast the hands of time run. i don't usually clue in personal posts on d.e.a.r. time, but i think i'm going to change that up starting from this one.


setup in boston


abandoned restaurant in southend


wedding in chicago


cubs vs nationals


hedgerow driveway in capecod


public soccer turf by china town, nyc


off bowery


le labo, great concept


favorite vintage shop, bobbys

in the next post i'll be revisiting a store that had me more than impressed last summer.

Moscot Vilda - Coming soon

Moscot Vilda coming in soon at KIN and other fine retailers.

Johanna Blakley: Lessons from fashion's free culture | Video on TED.com

It's been awhile since I've shared anything from TED.com. The talk below is something worth sharing especially if you're in any sort of industry that requires creativity. A worthy 15 minutes to spend watching something that may bring up some questions on the way you, your team, your company, your industry operates.

Johanna Blakley: Lessons from fashion's free culture | Video on TED.com

Drifters + Sifr

We are pleased to announce our collaborative effort with our great friends at Drifters. 1 colorway in 2 styles. Both Brando (Uneck) and Steve McQueen (Vneck) are 100% pima cotton and extra lightweight. Tee it up and let it fly! They are now available at Whiteroom down the street.

K.I.N

GSS Sale - 1st June to 30th June

In conjunction with the GSS, we'll be having our weekly special sale.

This time around, the sale goes on for an entire month!!!

1st - 7th June _ Julian Red, WoodWood, Maiden Noir, Nakkna 50% off

8th - 15th June _ Gitman Brothers Vintage, Makr, Garni, Pointer Footwear 30-40% off

16th - 22nd June _ sifr, Engineered Garments, Moscot, Wrath Arcane 25% off

23rd - 30th June _ Clearance for past seasons items 70% off.

We'll see you then.

K.I.N

SYNDICATE 06 this SATURDAY

syndicate obey nobody

singapore’s revolutionary transmitter of beats & visual culture is playing host to its los angeles counterpart with low end theory resident, dj nobody.

come saturday 5 june 2010, syndicate celebrates its half a year in existence with a resident of the world’s most forward thinking night, low end theory. dj nobody is one of the main beat purveyors on the los angeles scene alongside flying lotus, daedelus & nosaj thing. the eccentric dj/producer helmed the now infamous low end theory wednesdays back in la together with daddy kev, gaslamp killer & d-styles.

a personality who sits admirably on the fence between the global electronic & indie-rock community, his musical involvements span various collaborations which include names such as prefuse 73 and members of the mars volta. nobody’s dj sets are known for their fresh blend of hip hop, dubstep and electronica. and as the low end theory flagship suggests, expect some serious bass with off-kilter rhythmic patters plus the staple rock motifs & psychedelic sampledelia.

joining dj nobody will be the syndicate residents who share the same musical vision; kiat, darren dubwise & max lane. meanwhile on the controls of the night’s cutting edge visuals are brandon tay & cherry chan.

for this special installment, syndicate is partnering with the most iconic name in street culture, obey. known for their camaraderie with the low end theory crew in los angeles, obey sustains its radical ideas by supporting syndicate’s revolutionary movement here in singapore.

syndicate 06

dj nobody (low end theory, la)

max lane

kiat

darren dubwise

visuals by: brandon tay & cherry chan

date: 5th june 2010, saturday

time: 9:30pm – 4:00am

venue: home club

20 upp circular road, the riverwalk

admission: $15 (with 1 drink)

free entry with event flyer

dj nobody – biography

nobody is one elvin esela who was been releasing records since 2000's la underground opus soulmates (ubiquity) which featured his moody production along with la mc's medusa, 2mex, freestyle fellowship, abstract rude and aceyalone. with time spent immersed at los angeles college radio station kxlu, nobody took his love for 90's indie rock and 60's psychedelia into a creative shift for his 2003 release pacific drift (ubiquity). this time the beats hinted at a more electronic edge and featured vocalists rather than mc's which include chris gunst (beachwood sparks), languis, paul larson and jimmy tamborello (dntel/postal service).

nobody and gunst's cover of the monkees' "porpoise song" sowed the seeds for their full length collaboration, nobody & the mystic chords of memory tree colored see (mush) in 2005. 2006's and everything else (alpha pup) saw a combination of both aesthetics into a more beat heavy approach that featured guest singers as well as mc's including mia doi todd, xololanxinco (omd) and prefuse 73. delving right into a full length collaboration with singer niki randa, nobody created his most cohesive work to date in blank blue: western water music vol. 2.

2010 sees nobody taking all the reigns himself with his latest release one for all without hesitation (alpha pup), which finds nobody in singer songwriter mode, gracing his own productions with his own autotuned laced vocals. nobody has also been part of the low end theory club that brings the freshest beats to the la scene every week. his dj sets are known to transport listeners to los angeles, ranging from unreleased bangers from la locals to rare 60's psychedelia from nobody's vault.

www.myspace.com/nobodyelvin

nbc interview:

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/around-town/events/nbc_musicraw_los_angeles.html

public nuisance radio show no. 63 : funk bast*rd (cosa nostra)

another great mix from the singapore based dj funk bast*rd. everything from b-sides, funk, soul to jazz and space oddities. catch funkbast*rd at stereolounge jamming with cosa nostra (vocalist, sax and dj) on friday or funkbast*rd helming the dance floor solo at la maison every saturday.





Public Nuisance show No. 63 w the Funk Bast*rd (Cosa Nostra) by Cosa Nostra

sifr % percentile

The whole team will be down manning our table/rack at the event, if you haven't met us don't hesitate to strike up a conversation. See you guys there on Saturday the 12th of June.

A fashion gathering of more than 20 retailers and fashion designers.


Date : Saturday, 12 june
Time : 2.00-2.30 (VIP entrance) 2.30 - 7 pm (all)
Venue : the butter factory 1 Fullerton Road, #02-02/03/04, Singapore 049213

Premiering new collections by Quinn and S2VS tshirts

Good buys from your favourite brands : Volta, Antipodean, Womb, Very Wooonderland, Dr Martens, Rockstar by Soon Lee, Beluga, Actually, Depression, Furrmuse, Dejavu, Dustbunny, sifr, Surrealist Love Scene, Epitome, fru fru & tigerly, Nooka . . .

Have you seen collections from Singapore fashion designers Nicholas, Mae Pang, Sundays, Pauline Ning, Pouf Pouf . . .

Something special from Kizuki + LIM

Want more ?

Sifr - Artisan Footwear

Introducing footwear from Sifr.

2 styles in; Toe cap Slip-ons in a contemporary shade of Grey and Navy as well as Evening Ankle Boots.

Cut in a slim profile, these are both ideal for lazy afternoons or power drinks at your local watering holes.

They have been lovingly produced by craftsmen in West Java, Indonesia; home to some of the best shoe-makers in the world. Rather than produce in other countries, we chose to work closer to home and support economies in greater need.

Branding for these were taken care of by the graphic people at Sifr's new design studio. Enjoy the splash of gold on the insole.

Photography courtesy of Julian Loh

Best,

Charles Trees, The Dream: Gratiot Gowanus (with Shigeto)

Charles Trees

The Dream

(Musique Large)

Hallucinatory bump-soul-tronics from Charles Trees courtesy of French imprint Musique Large, the first in a pan global series of producer EP's from around the planet called Tour De Table. Trees is a Michigan producer with a clear love of psyched up R&B and slo-mo funk styles, rubbed up with the kind of schizoid beat patterns resonant of fellow Musique Large peoples, Debruit and Fulgeance. Fresh. (Taken off of Bleep)

Gratiot Gowanus (with Shigeto) by SHIGETO

Business of Fashion

A great article from the BoF website right here

Seems like business training is all they are lacking.

This brings about the question whereby if Singapore is actually ready to produce great fashion talent.

Pessimism aside, infrastructure's lacking.

You could actually swatch at Mood Designer Fabrics. You cannot do the same here.

You have streets dedicated to getting trims, fabric and supplies there. You don't have that here.

You have people who can draft patterns, and small production runs down there. That's not available here. These are all available in Japan, Korea, the UK, etc

To all of you starting trade shows here hoping to get international attention from big stores, you guys need to actually walk through the streets of Singapore and plan for infrastructure to accommodate.

Or maybe we should all just embrace Dsquared.

Stretching Canvas in the Office

3 Year Anniversary Sale

K.I.N. is going into our 3rd year and to show our gratitidue there will be our 3rd year anniversary sale from the 14th - 16th May (Friday - Sunday).

For our loyal Facebook Fans there will be a private sale on the 14th May (Friday) from 11am - 1pm. Thanks!

Transparency.....

is a word frowned upon in this business. There's not enough of it.

People don't say what things cost, how much you spend to make it, what your profit is, why you're charging so high, how much your overheads are?

There's not much wrong in actually being transparent in retail/production, much of what this article highlights. A great read really.

Is it because we'd scoff if we knew how much a product cost to make? What's the harm when everything under the sun available for purchase actually goes through the same process of cost + markup. This concept is generic.

Essentials

These made for an interesting albeit small design hurdle. Here's a peak into our thought process:

From a design/production standpoint, you're often met with confusion as to when to draw the line. These tees we just produced embody our overall aesthetic to the fullest.

To most, these simply look like printed t-shirts. They've got more of a story than that.

What's interesting is that upon receiving the test prints, some uncertainty kicked in due to the boldness of the overall outcome.

The initial t-shirt pattern even had a lot more details on it than it currently does.

Combining the intricate detailing, brighter colors and bold prints would have been going in a direction that we're not really comfortable with. Its one or the other.

So for those of you that are great big fans of floral as we are, here's an interesting solution to avoid bastardizing it; we simply turned the prints inside out.
If that weren't enough, we toned down the details on the t-shirt to make up for the print that was still visible. We washed the garment to give it a slightly more worn-in feel and that managed to reduce the glare of the print to almost nothing. The end result was a more subtle, buttery soft, cotton/modal printed t-shirt.

That was more fitting for us.

These are cut for females, but still remain male friendly in sizing. Make sure to size up. Exclusively at Rockstar for $39 a piece.

Blue Daisy - Shallow Vicinity