Monthly Archives: June 2014

Awesome MCM Bucket Hats

These MCM bucket hats are perfect! Made from a super thick faux leather monogram MCM fabric, and shaped perfectly. We only have a few in stock so be quick

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Founded by German Michael Cromer in 1976, MCM became popular during the 80s for wealthy business folk and free-spending fashionistas who appreciated the understated designs and iconic monogram logo. The company, founded as ‘Michael Cromer Munich,’ specialised in travel bags as well as accessories and some clothing.

The brand began to fade in the 90s but stayed relatively strong in Asia, where it was later relocated after being bought out by South Korean entrepreneur Kim Sung-joo.

But MCM has found its international appeal once more, making a huge comeback in the last decade.  Its rise has largely been fueled by celebrities and artists revisiting the brand as they look for retro inspiration for their latest looks.

 

Sports Specialties The Cord Script Snapbacks

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We just got in a bunch of Sports Specialties “The Cord” script snapbacks, check the store now.

The cord snapbacks were a unique Sports Specialties’ hat, and the build of them is quite different to the regular wool or cotton snapbacks. Like all their 90s caps, the hat is made for Sports Specialties by Youngan, but is 5 panels, not six.  This made the embroidery easier, which is a bit trickier on the cord material. Also the button is plastic not metal and larger. The adjuster on the back is a plastic slider too.

The hats came with single line or double line script embroidery

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Lo Life. Ralph Lauren culture from the 80s to today

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Ralph Lauren Polo is a huge part of hip-hop and urban fashion but like all sub-cultures, your average joe probably doesn’t know all that much about it.  Their only interaction with Polo culture in urban fashion might be to ask: why is that dude wearing a knitted sweater with a cute little teddy bear on it?  Or why did I see a second hand ralph lauren jacket sell for $3,000 on eBay?

You could write dissertations on 80s and 90s Ralph Lauren Polo culture, but here’s just a few pointers, for anyone wanting to understand why we sell Polo Bear gear.

“Lo Life” was the term adopted by a group of youths from Brooklyn in the 80s who had a fixation with all things Ralph Lauren.  They would get together sometimes 2 or 3 times a day to boost Ralph Lauren items from stores, which they could sell on or keep for themselves.  These guys wouldn’t leave the house unless they were covered from head to toe in the most sought after Ralph Lauren garms.

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In a subversion of the norm, it was young black kids who were moving away from LL Cool J leather jackets and sportswear towards a brand that evoked the style of English aristocracy.  The movement spread to many other major cities in the US.

In this hash tag age, the term “lo life” has become diluted to reference anything or anyone Ralph Lauren. But Lo Life was a lifestyle followed religiously by a group with founded on the corner of Utica and St Johns, Brooklyn NY.  Many of the original members are now dead, imprisoned or live on and attend swap meets where they trade vintage Ralph Lauren to this day.

Check out some of the stories from original Lo Lifes in this 1998 article from Hip-Hop magazine Stress.  Some of the tales are pretty crazy:




Some of the most popular Ralph Lauren Polo items include the Snow Beach, Polo Bears, Cookie Crest, P-Wing, Ski, Silk Crest, and Stadium. Illustration courtesy of Defunkd.com

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Countless brands have copied the style of most of these lines over the past two decades.

Hip-Hop producer Just Blaze is considered to have one of largest collections of classic Polo garms. Check out the breakdown of his collection with Complex Magazine.  Here he is rocking a stadium jacket, alongside Smoke DZA with a custom polo bear shirt/hat combo.

Taz “Ti$A” Arnold also has a decent collection below

Check some out our collection of Polo Bear 5 panels, polo bear pocket tees and polo bear watches, available now

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Wooden Brim 5 Panel Cap

Every day new identikit “brands” popup selling wholesale beechfield 5 panel caps with a 10c woven tag stuck on the front. There’s a hundred “brands” out there right now “their own” suede brim B658  hat.  We like to do things differently, by making all our products from original or carefully sourced parts, and assembling them in unique ways. Take our new wooden brim 5 panel for example

The fleck acrylic crown is reinforced with a thick lining to make the cap firm and prevent wrinkles. The brim is a multi-toned high quality PVC wood print with textured detail. And the faux suede embossed front patch perfectly matches the brim. We are always looking to use the freshest materials to create innovating product


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