Breath of Fresh Air vol 4. – Ambush POW! & Beeeeethoven Series
Ambush was a bit of an accidental discovery when i visited the Silly Thing store in Chai Wan. This Exclusive brand has been graced by the likes of Kanye West, Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, Verbal from the Teriyaki boys. Ambush has definitely made a impact on the International Fashion Scene.
I love the “Pow” ring which is now in it’s 3rd season and has a forthcoming collaboration with Silly Thing. There is also the awesome “Beeeeethoven” series and both the Pow and Beeeeethoven come a great range of bold colours. Anyway, just check out the pictures below and also their store or this one. Enjoy!
Uniqlo X +J – Best High Street Collaboration Yet?
Japanese high street retailer, Uni Qlo have teamed up with Jil Sander to create the +J range. On my lunch break, I decided pop over to see what all the fuss has been about. I was greated by a big queue and it took about 20 minutes to be granted access to the Uni Qlo palace on Oxford street.
As you would expect, the range is of high quality and you wouldn’t expect less from Uniqlo as I believe they make the best quality garments on the high street by far. The main difference between Uniqlo and +J is the tailoring. This is particularly evident on the +J suit jackets which have a much slimmer fit compared to Uniqlo’s more casual fit. The rest of the range features some nice little winter warmers which are perfect for this time of year and even some lovely cashmere jumpers.
Previous High Street collaborations may have sounded more attractive, for example, H&M X Comme des Garcons but I have to say, this has been my favourite because of the high quality in tailoring, choice of material and the versatility of the range to create a great outfit as the weather continues to cool. The + J range is only available at selcted stores and online.
Oliver Spencer X Monocle – Simple, Functional & Chic?
I am a great fan of Monocle magazine. Why? Monocle has also really tapped an area of the market that has been left malnourished for a considerable amount of time and this very brave during these challenging times for the publishing sector. As a part of their offering, they have set up shop in London, Los Angeles and online. The range is very exclusive and features brands from around the world which pride themselves on quality and have a strong sense of individuality.
The Oliver Spencer shirt is one of the many goodies featured in the Monocle store. This shirt features the classic Oxford style shirt plus some added extras. The shirt has been contructed using the highest quality cotton coupled with the trademark slim cuffs. It has also been “jazzed” up with a hidden pocket by the waist, which is handy and there is also pen/passport chest pocket. Available from collar sizes 15-17″. There are only 60 of these in each colour (white/blue) worldwide and are available from their stores (London and Los Angeles) and also online.
So Fresh, So Clean Vol. 2 – How to Wash your Denim Properly
It really irritates me when people don’t know how to wash their jeans properly. They spend a lot of money on a nice pair of jeans and end up treating it such a way that causes the denim to lose shape and feel like a pair of jogging pants. To stop the slaughter of denim in cities all across the globe, Moses has decided to write a little guide to washing your denim properly…
1) This is the first and most important tip to washing your jeans…DON’T WASH THEM unless you really have to ie: rubbing kebab meat all over your legs or some other non-descript mass spillage. FACT: I have worn many pairs of jeans for 18 months without washing them. If they smell of cigarettes or something more pungent, air them out for a day. If they still smell, wash them immediately because they probably are containing a new strain of the H1N1 virus.
2) OK, now you have come to a point where you have to wash them but you still want that rigidity and ruggedness when you first bought them. You have two options, you either take them to the dry cleaners or you can go to the beach! I recommend that you only dry clean once for the lifetime of the jeans. If you want to go to the beach to wash your jeans, take a dip in them for about 5 minutes, rub dry sand on your jeans and repeat this process about 3 times. When you’re done, just rinse in cold water (no salt) and let them dry in the sun. This seawater method is particularly good at keeping your denim very rigid.
3) Since we don’t all have the luxury of living near a beach and you had no option but to take the dry cleaning route, you will need to do the following for the second wash: Soak your jeans in cold water for about an hour with WOOLITE BLACK, once done, rinse and roll in a towel and then leave to dry.
Tip: It may sound obvious to some of you, but I am going to say it anyway: If you don’t want your jeans to bleed (fade), wash them inside out.
It might seem like a lot of extra effort to wash your jeans but if you think about it, you will only do this once or twice a year. That has been Moses’s Guide on How to Wash your Denim Properly, let me know how you all get along and if you have any other tips to bring to the table.
Breath of Fresh Air – Bleu de Paname
With only their first collection, they have turned heads and received a lot of press attention. They are currently stocked in many of the top boutiques/shops around the world, Dover Street Market (London), Kapok (Hong Kong) and Colette (Paris) to name a few…
I went to go and check out their latest collection at Dover Street Market and could quite clearly see what the fuss was about. The Jeans are made from a lovely 13oz denim, which in my opinion is a nice weight for everyday use as well as keeping that rigid denim feel that we all love! Denim shirts are flavour of the month at the moment and Bleu de Paname have one of the best designs out there at the moment. I also love the shape of the pocket flaps on the shirts from the rest of the collection.
I suppose what is really refreshing about Bleu de Paname is that their inspirations are somewhat unconventional. Across their collection, they have taken sources of inspiration from 21st century military, British prisons and the blue collar industry.
Stylenerds eagerly anticipate their second look book which is due to be released shortly. Below are some pictures from their first collection and also a sneak peak into the making of the 2nd look book. Check their website for your nearest stockist
22 Design Studio – Lord of the Rings?
The people behind 22 design studio are Taiwanese Design Graduates, Sean Yu & Yi-Ting Cheng. Why the number 22? Simple. They have kept their passion and ideals for fashion design since they were 22 years old. Their most popular product out at the moment is the Concrete Ring series. They chose to use concrete as their choice of material because it represents their admiration for architecture in Taiwan, Japan and is also a very unique material once exposed to the elements, which is why no two rings will ever be identical.
22 Design Studio Concrete Rings are available from their website 
Breath of Fresh Air – Michael Jackson Is Not Dead By Wrongwroks
Wearing this tee is one way to get looks in the street isn’t it?!? Don’t worry Wrongwroks are not a “One Trick Pony” NO WAY! For me, they are without one of the most underrated street wear brands out there. The Taiwanese outfit have been around for a while and I have had one eye on them since I purchased one of their earliest designs (Doradimon) a few years back.
Throughout their Collection you will see that they have taken inspiration from a lot of designers, Cute Taiwanese girls and cartoon characters like: Marc Jacobs, Takashi Murakami, Supreme, PLAY by Comme des Garcons Sponge Bob Square-pants, Doraemon and many more. As you can see, these designs do come with the Wrongwroks special touch and at a fraction of the price of their designer counterparts.
Available from their site and various other international retailers which can also be found on their site!
