Yo! We got the BBC and Ice Cream season 6 lookbook and its “very nice”!

“We like!” …. but “how much….$” ?

Check it out!

Gonna add the rest of the pictures tomorow…gonna go have a beer.

BAPE store Los Angeles is born!

New York is to trendsetting, as L.A. is to fame…so its about time Nigo sets up shop in the valley. BAPE’s L.A. store opening has been long awaited, so its only natural that upon its grand opening it be joyously celebrated (by a crème de la crème crowd of creative artists and celebrities).

Maintaining the continuity, the L.A. store bears a wall of blue camo print , the sneaker conveyor belt and “Go BAPE” sign ‘on the front of the building; each of which can be found at the brand’s sister locations. They kicked off the kickoff of this new store with a kickass pair of exclusive Roadstas in a cool colourway, kicking it up a notch from the usual commemorative t-shirt, we’ve come to expect.

The celebrity we were most suprised attended the grand opening? Mike Tyson. Why is it that he is the ONLY person we can picture wearing the BAPE Panda hoodie, without it making him look (any) crazy(er than he already is)?!?

Can’t wait to check it out next time we’re in L.A.!

In related news, Google has launched its iGoogle Artists Themes which include snazzy BAPE designs and a Bapex watch to decorate your personal iGoogle page with.

A few months ago, I went back home (Toronto, ON). My friends and I planned to meet at some new uber-club called Circa. Being the hater that I am, before even stepping foot inside, I had already decided that this wasn’t my type of venue. I rolled my eyes at the scantily clad girls, sarcastically chuckled at the costumed ravers and sneered at the $20 cover. Once inside, I continued to mentally criticize everyone and anyone within eyespan. However, the further I delved into this massive funhouse, it became more and more diffucult to concentrate on hating, constantly getting distracted by the various themed areas ranging from the toilet room, the barbershop and the underwater lounge.

Earlier that same day, I had been sporting my new black and fushia “robot head” hoodie, so I was somewhat surprised when I strolled into this next room with the same robot head plastered all over the walls. Yes, it is a given that once a brand is sold at Urban Outfitters, it has entered the realm of mainstream trend for the wannabe underground trendsetters; however to have an entire bar in a club adorned from floor to ceiling with Kidrobot art, exposes the brand to even more future fans.

This new venture came about when club legend Peter Gatien (more famous to non-New Yorker’s for being portrayed by Dylan McDermott in the 2003 film Party Monster which starred Mackaulay Culkin as Michael Alig, Gatien’s star promoter who later murdered one of his fellow club kids in 1996; than for the club empire he erected and was later yanked from him by unfortunate scrutiny from various New York authorities), was summoned to conceptualize the design of a Toronto nightclub with all the excitement and artistic overload he had once been acclaimed for in New York City. Summoning Manhattan’s hottest talent, a call was made to Paul Budnitz, president and founder of Kidrobot.

Kidrobot, a collection of art toys, clothing and accessories, was born in 2002 in a California garage; and relocated to New York the following year. Two of Kidrobots earliest and best selling characters are DUNNY and MUNNY, both are soft vinyl ‘action figures’. DUNNY created to be customized by various artists working in different artistic millieus, and MUNNY a blank canvas of sorts, created to tap into everyone’s artistic abilities. DUNNY and MUNNY, with the help of some colourful strokes by diverse artists, were accepted into the permanent collection of New York City’s Museum of Modern Art; further solidifying their place in history, and documenting a new moventment in modern art reflected in Kidrobot’s philosophy of artistic collaboration; bringing together artists of all genres from graffiti to fine art and musicians to fashion designers alike.

Kidrobot’s widespread appeal, not only in its list of products but in its even longer list of partners and affiliates, is so impressive it’s rather intimidating…at least to its competitors which are scarce. There are very few brands that can boast partnerships with the likes of elite enterprizes such as Barney’s NYC and Volkswagon, as well as prolific icons for this generation such as artist/producer SwizzBeats and Lemar&Dauley.

In 2006, Kidrobot launched its unique apparel line. Available only at Kidrobot stores, online at kidrobot.com and at select retailers; its limited edition production makes it a very sought after brand. Yet again, liaising with its contacts in the fashion industry, Kidrobot continually creates vibrant, quality apparel incorporating both fashion and function.

Having dipped its robot head into so many pop culture avenues, its hard to guess where we can bet on seeing Kidrobot next…however the answer is quite simple: everywhere.

**BREAKING NEWS**

As implied by the title, this post was supposed to be about BAPE’s new and improved website. HOWEVER, we interupt this broadcast with an important message from AHoodie.com. While “researching” the new BAPE website, in order to accumulate information to write this post, we came across a photo that was not only shocking and appaling, but downright disgusting!

Dear readers, we are so sorry to have had to subject you to such a horrible, sight, but we felt that you had to see it to believe it.

What we want to know is, WHY THE F@!% IS BAPE MAKING BIRKENSTOCKS!?!?!? OMGGGGGG…ahhhh! This just makes us want to scream … for a long time … in a locked room…while hopefully (for our own safety) wearing a straightjacket! Has BAPE come out with a sock collection yet? If not, they better get on it. Any fool with so little sense for fashion (and self-respect) stupid enough to wear these monstrosities, will be looking to buy a pair of equally ugly, red-toed, mid-calf length wool socks to be worn winter, summer, and fall, with their everyday puke-inducing cargo shorts.

Alright, back to our regularly scheduled programming….

BAPE has finally made it a whole lot easier to view their site by getting rid of that pesky download, allowing it to be viewed regardless of firewalls or not. BAPE.com is relatively the same, and is still very much aesthetically pleasing; however now it is accessible to a wider audience.

Our only real complaint (OTHER than that whole sandal fiasco) is that the site takes some time to load, and in turn may deter some impatient viewers. Otherwise BAPE.com is filled with an updated news section, BAPE store information, an illustrated version of the menu available at the BAPE Café, and many other interesting things to be learned about the BAPE empire.

Hailing from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, the owners of Lemar & Dauley have a very precise vision of what they hope to inspire in those who wear their clothing, as well as those who see (those who are wearing) their clothing. Like the Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth of fashion, these partners are ‘Bringin’ back sweet memories’.

In their own words, growing up, they “were like most kids out there - into Jordan , sneakers, cars, and any other significant movie or toy that was out there on the market.” Using iconic symbolisms from their youth they put together collections that conjure up nostalgic feelings and take us all for a walk down memory lane while propelling these thoughts from the past right into the present. BLAST OFF!

Created with the intention of arousing interest and making a culturable impact, their designs are a form of “fashionable propaganda”, delivered in a colourful and artistic package.

They want you to feel like you’re THE shit when you’re wearing their shit. The kind of shit that doesn’t give a shit what kind of shit any other shithead has to say about the shit you’re wearing. You may just feel like you are so much of THE shit that you’ll lose your shit and take a shit on one of these shitheads. In which case, you’d REALLY be the shit…in all senses of the word…TURD!

Keep an eye out for Lemar & Dauley gear, their Spring ‘08 collection is out and it’s great. It makes me want to eat peach sorbet and strawberry shortcake.

• BAPE brand turns 15 years old this year, and what better to celebrate this occasion with than a bunch of boringass T-Shirts?! Be sure to grab one of these 15th Anniversary tees to kick off this fashion snoozefest! Like seriously…you think they would’ve made a minor effort to impress us on this most joyous of occasions. Check out, these Zzzz-inducing tees in all their yawning glory:

• Tokidoki’s makin moves via your feet! Yep, they’ve sealed the deal for yet another collabo, this time with Japanese sport shoe co. Onitsuka Tiger. This pretty little marriage will have us seeing in tokidokitechnicolour for two years begining in May 2008, with a promise of two shoe collections. Take a look:

• I, HATE MY K-SWISS…I-HATE-MY-K-SWISS…..but, I do happen to like these kicks, probably because they’re a collab with London-based Oki-Ni. I feel like if I wore these sneakers I’d be like a geometric chameleon, able to blend into any geometrically shaped background…or at the very least I’d be able to kick ass at Tetris.

• KAWS’ most prominent quality, other than his great work of course, is his ability to express a concise message…and we got this one LOUD AND CLEAR…

FUCK DEATH!!! …and we couldn’t agree more. Stupid death, always getting in the way of life…always showing up at the worst time, ruining everyone’s fun! I’d like to meet whoever came up with the “brilliant” idea of death anyway, what a genius! What’s that?…You say “God” came up with death?…You say without death the earth would be an overpopulated crater of a world, disease ridden and unfit for rats and cockroaches, let alone humans? Well look at the bright side Mr.Negative, at least we’d have all eternity to try to make it better.

While other trendy brands are busy spewing out tees that are so 80’s ”inspired”, they even SMELL like they were worn over 20 years ago (you know the ones with the big thunder wolves on a pine tree background? Come on, don’t even deny how much you begged your parents to buy you one with the shredded sleeves and the beads when you went up to Niagara Falls in ‘86. With that t-shirt, you’d only be a braided rat-tail away from being the 8th coolest kid in jr.high), our favorite research group LRG, is kickin’ it up a notch with a hood that’ll bring out the Teenwolf in us all. It’s the Huff and Puff zip up hoody, and it’ll blow your house down!

We’re not sure why, but every time we see it, Tom Green comes to mind….wink*. The hood of the sweatshirt features a well-designed, itimidatingly teethy wolf-face. The hood doesn’t zip all the way up like the “dead serious” hoodie, this sweater was designed with guts in mind! The sweater is made to appear as though you had cloaked yourself in the bloody carcass of a wolf , so careful not to dirty up your rat-tail in the fleshy inside lining of the hood.

We’re glad to see that LRG is still in the game, pushing the limits with bloody carcass, chainsaw wielding maniacs and grill-wearing skeletons; all this without harming any poor lil’ baby animals with big sad eyes! This piece is daring and bold but LRG stays true to roots by maintaing a certain quality and thematic throughout its various collections.

So have these bitches gone insane???

….No, they’re men, and they’re just marking their territory.

Much like those perpetually sad Emo kids, BAPE likes to stuff its goods into a pair of castratingly tight skinny jeans, slather its pretty lil’ eyes with a whole-lot of ’man’liner and subject itself to a future which consists of wearing a permanent neck brace caused by excessive neck-jerking in attempt to keep their black ”bed head” hair out of their ’man’liner-lined eye. Woah…where am I?….Does that even pass as ONE sentence??…

I apologize, I got a little carried away. Okay, so as I was saying, BAPE, much like the lil’ Emos, is known for taking what’s already trendy, cool and fun and attaching its own name to it. Not necessarily making it any better per say, but just making attractive to a different market. Kind of like how everyone laughed when you wore your grandpa’s suspenders to school one day because someone stole your belt at the party you weren’t really invited to the night previous, and were the first to pass out after you had ONE shot (of beer). Then the next day Avril Lavigne wears the same suspenders on MTV and all of a sudden its super cool to be a dork. BAPE’s already latched its leech-like self to a variety of other brands, bands, rappers and fictional characters: 

BAPE X DC Comics
BAPE X Sponge Bob
BAPE X Simpsons?
BAPE X Brad Pitt…..(you get my point)

Kind of like, if you like it, BAPE likes it…let’s collaborate! 

After over-using the shark and needing another cool animal with which to mask the face of his thirsty BAPE fans, Nigo went in search of yet another “Craaazy” concept to spice things up. So what’s cute, cuddly but won’t hesitate to rip your head off if one more person tries to pat its furry little face? - A panda bear! - Despite their cute little noses, and vegetarian diet, these bears are some mean muthaf*@$a’s;  and now that their lazyness in the sac has made it likely that they’ll soon be extinct, Nigo’s released a Panda hoodie, a great way to keep the beast on the streets.

The hood is an interesting piece but hardly wearable. I mean yeah its cute, but I don’t think you really want to be walking around in a panda hoodie, anymore than you wanted to dress up as Pinocchio on Hallowe’en…when you were 15…and your mom made you anyway. 

Regardless, the hood is available in 3 different colors and features printed details and patched designs, as well as what looks like Panda barf (but we’re guessing its supposed to be bamboo, or whatever it is they eat) coming out of its mouth.

2008 News Titbits…err…Tidbits

Okay, so its 2008…HAPPY NEW YEAR to our Ahooders!
Another year just means we’re getting harder, better, faster, and stronger….but mostly harder. Recently we were informed that the world is ending in 2012, that’s only 4 years away! So remember all that stuff, about stepping away from your crack habit? Well think again! 4 years is just enough time to develop a real addiction, plus it’ll ease the burn when the meteorite hits. We won’t waste any of your precious fiend-time; just read these news tidbits so you’ll have something interesting to say while you lay on the couch rambling during a drug-induced seizure.

First up is the official opening of the 3rd BBC & Ice Cream store in NYC.
Is it just us, or does this seem like its old news??? I mean the opening was back about 2months ago, but it just feels like it should have been a looong time before that. It IS New York. Either way, the new store in the SoHo neighbourhood is open 7 days a week and surely made a KILLING over the holidays. Check it out next time you’re in the Big Apple.
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Love it, love it, love it love it…
Oh Hasheem, you lil’ perv!

KAWS and his many X-eyed companions have been as busy as bees coming up with all sorts of fun little surprises. First we have Hasheem, and let me tell ya, if KAWS himself were wearing that shirt…he’d have found what he was looking for, right here at Ahoodie (I © KAWS). Next up are his Spring/Summer ‘08 coulour-by-number stickers. These sticky works of art feature the familiar faces of Companion and Chum, as well as a few new faces we’ll surely grow to love…my current fave is this cross-boned fellow:

We’re told these stickers are a teaser meant to get our panties wet while we wait for the Spring/Summer ‘08 exhibit……MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

And if that didn’t do it for you, you’re either a dude or you just suck. Yeah, its my opinion, so what?…so try to resist THIS! Word on the street is that Nike AirForce1 Supreme has collaborated with KAWS. A few images have leaked of the black and neon-green kicks bearing simple signature details, indicative of their creator. And if you don’t catch on from seeing the X-references on the top of the shoe, perhaps you’ll understand when you see the ‘KAWS’ name written all over the sole of the sneaker (while it quickly approaches your face for trying to touch my pair!). At the very least, these kicks should give all you sneaker freaks a raging semi. Enjoy!

P.s. thanks to the Korean TomCruise for the pics, he seems to be the only one with any visuals of these bad boys.
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KidRobot dropped a couple of their first clothing items for 2008, and their ‘special‘.
Despite being kinda cool to look at, this gear from their Gingham Collection makes us a little uneasy. The only person we can picture pulling off this look is a mime. And everyone knows mimes are just about the lowest lifeforms on the ladder (several notches below paraphiliacs and cockroaches); so in that case should pulling off this look REALLY be considered an accomplishment?!?! Take a look…

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Nevermind ‘Bling Bling’
…this kind of luxury probably sounds more like ‘BAM BAM’. TIffany & Co. has designed a cell phone covered with a modest 400 diamonds, totalling more than 20 carats. You know, just enough so that it shines, and not so many that it becomes gawdy….

….**crickets**……
At an affordable $94,000 a pop, this phone is sure to be all over the place! With all the money rolling in from Ahoodie.com, I’d be the first on the block to snag one of these lucky charms. But since I’m not a huge fan of white diamonds (with the money *I* make, I can afford to be picky), I’ll stick to using my little sister’s ‘Be-Dazzler’ to snazz-up my phone.

Well that’s it for now, so happy 2008 and check back soon for some new full length articles and goodies.

Tokidoki Tokipoke-me

What’s the next best thing to actually BEING Japanese??? Being inspired by Japanese culture! And these days, we’ve all been touched by a little Japanese inspiration! Just look at Gwen Stefani! (good thing someone invented the word inspiration, otherwise we may have been using the word ‘wannabe’…which wouldn’t be entirely incorrect!)

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