UnCultured

SBTG for HYPEBEAST Nike Air Huarache "AWOL Camo" Part 1

For the latest installment of HYPEBEAST Process, we take a look at inside SBTG‘s studio in Singapore. A prolific name in the sneaker customization field, SBTG, also known as Mark Ong, has been at the forefront of one-of-a-kind sneakers, known for his eye for precision and perfect execution. Inspired by his military background and punk rock, Ong’s designs often feature his trademark camouflage print. Carefully hand-painted with each precise swish of the brush, SBTG designs are some of the most coveted in the sneaker market.

Nike Tennis Classic AC Premium Black/Black

Have a look at the latest pair of Nike Tennis Classic AC sneakers, sporting a simplistic design that flaunts a full premium black leather upper, and a matching black rubber outsole. Nike’s Swoosh logo has been outdone in a laser cut-out finish across the body, completing the black-on-black iteration. Retailing for €110 EUR (approximately $120 USD), full sizes are readily available for purchase from Titolo.

THROUGH THE LENS: Darren Heath

Characterized by dark and somber tones, Heath’s enlists the Leica M240 with a 50mm ’Noctilux’ lens as his camera of choice. Heath finds serenity in urban decay, places where there is evidence of life but without that essence of humanity – the tranquility of an abandoned railroad track, the empty industrial warehouse, the desolate highway at dusk, or the late night rendezvous at the diner. Colors are not found in abundance; rather, each photograph focuses on a single hue, such as the pale orange gradients found at twilight or the eerie greens of an illuminated building at night. Heath’s endeavours take him to abandoned and forgotten places, and the results of these solitary outings are visually poetic.

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Marc Trotereau "The Basura Project" Wireshade Lamp

In a space based in London, Marc Trotereau envisioned a studio where lighting could emanate out of even the sharpest of corners, around support beams and pillars and even from a flat wall. The Basura Project was created with a sole purpose and that was to reinvent the concept of the lamp. It was redesigned into adaptable cubic blocks that is able to sit flush on all corners of ceilings and support posts. The WireShade Lamp is marriage of practicality and innovative design. The structure is powder-coated and covered with corrugated plastic while the material used is antistatic and flame retardant. The corrugated plastic allows for the lamp to easily clip to the metal structure which means it’s malleable and can be arranged in a variety of different ways.

Jon Wexler Details How Kanye West Partnered with adidas

Global Director of Entertainment and Influencer Marketing of adidas, Jon Wexler shares candid details on how Kanye West partnered with the three stripes. A large part of Wexler’s job includes deciding which artists and entertainers are a good fit for adidas‘ marketing strategy. Following West’s controversial and infamous departure from Nike, Wexler was instrumental in bringing the music icon to adidas to continue production on the Yeezy line. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Complex Magazine, Wexler covers how he came to be adidas‘ Director of entertainment marketing, the process of partnering with Kanye West, and West’s impact on current adidas sales. Head over to Complex for the full feature.

HYPEBEAST Trade: Mikael Schiller of Acne Studios

“Effortlessly cool,” these are two words on the lips of most people when Stockholm-based fashion house Acne Studios comes into conversation. Despite becoming a global phenomenon and managing to stand out in a region where there are already a plethora of fashion brands with a strong pedigree, Acne Studios has retained the ability to stay elusive yet ubiquitous at the same time. Scroll through any “streetsnaps” from the past few years and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a set that hasn’t got someone wearing one of the brand’s signature leather jackets or denim shirts or jeans.

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Star Wars Descends Upon Real Life in Thomas Dagg’s Surreal Photos

While J.J. Abrams’s Twitter photos of the Episode VII set are as close as we’ll ever get to seeing Star Wars in the real world, photographer Thomas Dagg imagines what it would really be like if the space opera franchise actually existed in our reality. His simply titled star wars black and white series whimsically injects characters and objects from the intergalactic film into familiar everyday settings. From Boba Fett taking a selfie to the high-pitched, loquacious, abomination of a character known as Jar Jar Binks lying (hopefully) dead in an alleyway, the images offer a humorous amalgamation of fiction and life as we know it.

Fricote Magazine Food Tour with Julien Pham: Paris – Part 3

In the final part of our exploration into the Parisian edible delights, guided by Fricote Magazine‘s Julian Pham, in association with Warsteiner we take a look at the basics of what makes a great meal. Home to some of the highest quality ingredients in the world, Julien explores establishments that are renowned for artisanal foods such as preserved French candies, cured meats and food court/market place hybrids. Expertly guiding you through the city with almost too much to offer, Julien exemplifies how his eye for culinary perfection lead him to start and run a magazine of such high calibre that is Fricote.

Hermès Maison Shanghai Opening

Parisian fashion house Hermès has opened its first Chinese Hermès Maison retail store in Shanghai, which joins a roster of other Maisons in Paris, New York, Tokyo and Seoul. Located in the upscale shopping district of Middle Huaihai Road, the Hermès Maison is housed in a historic four-storey brick mansion from the early 20th century, which had to undergo six years of renovation before opening. Within its clean but striking interior, the Maison features the label’s ready-to-wear collections, accessories, jewelry, equestrian pieces, home collection and a lounge bar. The fourth floor is designated as an event and exhibition space, hosting pieces from the Émile Hermès Collection. If you are in Shanghai, make sure to carve some time out to visit this store, which can be found at the address below.

Hermès Maison Shanghai 217 Middle Huaihai Road Lu Wan Qu Shanghai China

HBO to Air ‘Banksy Does New York’ Documentary in November

After taking over the streets of the Big Apple with last October’s “Better Out Than In,” Banksy’s month-long “street residency” is set to be the subject of a new documentary from HBO. Entitled Banksy Does New York, the film — which roughly coincides with the one-year anniversary of the project — sees direction from New York-based filmmaker Chris Moukarbel and relies heavily on crowd-sourced footage for a unique look at the phenomenon from the perspective of local New Yorkers. Look for Banksy Does New York to air on HBO November 17 and, in the meantime, check out Banksy’s own video below and the @banksyny Instagram account for a look back at “Better Out Than In.”

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The HYPEBEAST City Guide to Shanghai

Although nothing is as exhilarating as spontaneously setting off on an adventure without an itinerary or plan, most of us will have had times where we look back and rue an overlooked, must-visit spot. Whether it’s a place to eat, shop or even just to bask in the ambiance, how many of us wish we had someone with similar sensibilities to inform us of these hidden gems, which aren’t included in your average guidebook? With ticket details consistently available, a last-minute getaway is literally a click away so leaving everything behind on a whim has never been easier.

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Essentials: Vhils

“I chose Vhils because the name consists of five letters that I could write as quickly as possible without breaking line” says Alexander Farto on his graffiti moniker which he continues to be known for despite moving on from the art form. Born in the outskirts of Lisbon in a town that had been affected by 1974′s Carnation Revolution, Vhils grew up surrounded by socialist propaganda murals and advertisements from a developing capitalist society that “sold dreams that never came true.” Such imagery was plastered atop each other, developing layers of social systems that shared different beliefs. Trading his spraycan for the drill, Vhils started dissecting posters and walls, carving out portraits of locals that were affected by the surrounding changes.

Harnessing a unique approach to portrait making, Vhils’ work has been widely celebrated and has been exhibited in Paris, London, Shanghai, and Lisbon, with his most recent exhibition “Dissection” taking place at the Electric Museum Lisbon. In his Essentials for us, we get a glimpse at the tools needed for his pursuit — hammer, drills, blades, and spraycans — alongside photo books from Cai Guo-Qiang and JR, and a sticker of Underdog — a gallery he started to showcase innovative artists otherwise bypassed by the mainstream. Enjoy Vhils’ Essentials above and check out a recap of “Dissection” here.

Behind the Scenes of the Nike SB 2014 Fall/Winter Lookbook

To be expected of any brand under the Nike umbrella, Nike SB strives to improve athleticism for skateboarders in not only footwear, but apparel as well. As the brand ramps up its efforts in skate fashion, Nike SB is set to unveil its lookbook for Fall/Winter 2014. The Swoosh recruited some of its select riders to New York City over Go Skateboarding Day weekend, taking to a remote Brooklyn warehouse to shoot its various tech-forward offerings for the coming season. HYPEBEAST was graciously given the opportunity to hang out with riders Alex Olson, Theotis Beasley, Paul Rodriguez, Luan Oliveira and Fernando Bramsmark behind the scenes. Master lensman Jerry Buttles caught the riders in their natural states between filming, capturing the robust personalities that make Nike SB’s team so eclectic.

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LES (ART)ISTS 2014 Spring/Summer Shirts

A French brand created by friends, LES (ART)ISTS made its first splash with a range of tees that were equal parts high-fashion parody and homage to one’s favorite designers. Now, the label returns bigger and bolder than ever with a new collection of graphic-driven woven shirts for Spring/Summer 2014. In either red plaid flannel or baseball-style oxford options, the designs feature the names and years of birth of designers or artists on the back of each garment, resulting in playful homages to some of the biggest names in the business. LES (ART)ISTS’ Spring/Summer 2014 shirts are available now at the HYPEBEAST Store.

Alexander Wang Objects Collection No. 5

Alexander Wang has a new Objects Collection featuring a selection of lifestyle items decked out in black and silver. The fifth collection from the brand, this season’s selection includes a water bottle, leather padlock, carabiner bottle opener, and leather mousepad. These luxe accessories are crafted from leather and metal and will certainly add a touch of style to your essentials. Look for these now at Alexander Wang’s online store.

Inside WonderWall Inc.’s Tokyo Design Studio

Having recently walked the interior of KAWS’s Brooklyn studio (seen here), a project of Wonderwall, Inc., we now get a glimpse at the design agency’s Tokyo headquarters as well as some of its captivating designs found throughout the world. The brainchild of Masamichi Katayama, Wonderwall is an interior design firm that focuses on entertainment and experience, rather than square-footage and budgets. It is widely known for its unconstrained approach in actualizing design concepts that touch the subconscious of its target audience, whilst respecting conventional and traditional philosophies. From the video above, we’re presented with a brief glance at its expansive portfolio, which includes collaborations with clothing stores, hotels, eateries, bookstores and everything in between.

Givenchy Robotics by Simeon Georgiev

Bulgarian artist Simeon Georgiev has followed up his work depicting futuristic robots wearing Nikes with a new project envisioning stylish robots as made by Givenchy. The two robots, one in black and the other in white, both feature the star motif that the fashion label has been so fond of as of late in contrasting colors — black for the white robot and red for the black robot — and wear a futuristic version of Givenchy’s signature Tyson high-top shoe. Check out both robots here and see more of the artists work here.