I’ve avoided the brogues business, I’ve avoided the boots business… I’ve got too many Nikes. I did buy an amazing pair of patent toe-cap Mr Hare’s last year, but that’s another story. These Redwing’s were originally designed as a country walking shoe for Minnesota’s farmers and gamekeepers who needed a boot to withstand constant exposure to water and that, when wet, would not break down and hurt a person’s feet.

The small perforations were crafted into the leather of the toecaps and quarters of the boot to allow water to drain and the boot to dry at a quickened pace.

The shoes, in Antique Brown Chapararal and Black Chaparral leather with a Nitrile Cork sole, will be available at the Red Wing Shoes store in Amsterdam, and online, coming fall.

These might be the ones to get very late on to this trend.

The 50 best shops in Shanghai? According to TimeOut, that is.

I don’t massively disagree with any of these shops, and there are enough places that I’ve not had the pleasure of spending my hard earned Rimbim’s/Rambo’s/Rimbibibibim’s/RMB in that I could spend an afternoon remembering the pleasures of  a consumerist society. It’s strange the things you miss…

Check out the article here, but I’ll be referencing it for DVDs, handmade shoes, vintage watches, ceramics, and adult toys.

TimeOut’s 50 Best Shops in Shanghai

Fascinating article about perfumer Christopher Brosius and striving to create something unique. In fact, so unique it smells of nothing…or rather, of you.

Well worth a read for anyone in the creative industry.

Article here

A Bathing Ape and its parent company NOWHERE has been sold to Hong Kong fashion conglomerate for minute sum of less than $3 million. Hypebeast call this a shocking sale…

But, many have speculated as to why the brand was sold for so little, and leave it to the Wall Street Journal to paint a sobering picture in regards to how I.T (the HK fashion conglomerate) is now in possession of NOWHERE’s ¥2.6 billion (approximately $32 million) in debt.

I find it less than surprising, to be honest.

As the brand lost relevance, it became a.n.other brand; BAPE’s history should have stood it in good stead, but it disappeared up it’s own hype, overexpanded and forgot what it was good at. Gucci and LV and many other luxury houses have gone through the same learning, but they now exploit the two market ends (entry level and uber-luxury) in tandem – even to the extent they employ staff who no longer judge you on appearance, but more significantly in hiring Creative Directors who know how to leverage the accessories market (it’s easier to buy a £100 key ring when comparing it to a £1000 bag). Tom Ford, we’re looking at you, kid.

You cant operate a loss leader for ever without some sort of game plan, Nigo. With BAPE, very few entry-level products were ever made, and those that were were bought by housewives. There’s your problem. Poor business plan.

Fundamentally, BAPE’s not been cool for about 10 years. Most streetwear brands from the same era that have survived have learnt to focus, and tailor for the market as their core audience grew up. When wa the last time you saw an adult (not a teenager, wannabe etc) wearing BAPE that wasnt “vintage”? All the new stuff caters for an audience that frankly, has many other labels to choose from, and when BAPE is so prolific, where’s the cultural cache?

Hypebeast points to an article by Neojaponisme‘s W. David Marx, where the author details A Bathing Ape’s subsequent up and down success over the last 10 years which ultimately led to the sale of the brand. Excerpts can be seen at Hypebeast (where you’ll see the inspiration for our own opinion) while the full article is seen here.

RFID in shoes from Hampus Lemhag on Vimeo.

WESC and Hyper Island have produced shoes fitted with RFID chips that can store opt-in information about the wearer, delivered through a web application at the time of purchase.

Furthermore, the shoes can be used to trigger a number of interactions powered by associated social networks, just by having the wearer step onto mats equipped with RFID readers. A handful of potential applications described include:

* Triggering a photograph at an event, automatically sending that photo to the wearer’s Flickr
* Connecting two people on Facebook when they both step on a mat
* Automatically trigger status updates when within range of a reader
* Access to VIP restrooms at popular events for people wearing WeSC shoes, or simply entry into the event itself

From PSFK

There is very little that is informative about this video.

More on the rise and rise of projection mapping here. It’s something that TheScrapBook has been advocating for the past couple of years, but all our briefs that we could have used it on seemed to be held in the Summer… oh well.

…beautifully shot short to accompany Rapha’s recent collaboration with Paul Smith.

Beautiful, simple, clean watches from Uniform Wares. Inspired by the form and lines of industrial British wallclocks. Christmas present, anyone?

Denim denim everywhere, and not a drop to spare…

I saw these jeans on JJJJound a couple of months back (different image, but same woven leather patch) and obsessed over trying to find them. The great thing about JJJJound is that Justin’s bringing back the digging mentality that the internet had basically killed off. It’s so easy now to see something online, click the link and then buy whatever you’d be coveting. As Justin himself quoted: “the things you have now are all those which you once wanted as much as the next thing.”

JJJJound brings back the mystery, the searching, the digging and the thrill of the chase to hunting down your purchases.

So, back to these jeans. It took me ages to find them and now I have. And now I’m going to spoil the surprise… but also share with you the best looking denim I found along the way.

Still looking for new denim ideas though, so share your best finds in the comments please.