Video: A Conversation with Supreme Creative Director Brendon Babenzien & “How Can I Be Down” Extended Trailer

By Such and Such shared a 13-minute conversation with Supreme creative director Brendon Babenzien who provides some insights into how he entered the industry and his take on style versus fashion. Of course Brendon has a pretty well-known history with Animal Farm/Pervert post Don Busweiler joining The Brethren cult so we are going take advantage of history by making this a double post highlighting both the interview mentioned and sharing a new extended preview for the captivating “How Can I be Down” documentary.

This eight minute preview includes chats with Erik Brunetti, Eric Haze, Rick Klotz, Alyasha Owerka-Moore, Shepard Fairey, Ian MacKay and many more. Obviously the parallels between the cult like fandom people have for their streetwear and an actual cult is not lost on me or the folks being interviewed which makes this documentary all the more interesting; but If you have no idea what in the world I’m talking about take some time to watch the clips below and you should be all caught up.

How Can I Be Down (Extended Trailer.) from Louis L on Vimeo.

KAWS: Seated Companion

With Original Fake’s impending closure this May comes news of what may end up being the final KAWS Companion release from the brand. Of course fans are familiar with the pose as it first made its appearance as the "Passing Through” installation in 2011 and later as a high end 4 ft sculpture sold to ballers; but now it looks like us common folk might be able to grab one for our collections, details to follow as they are made available.

KAWS : The Close Of The Shop And Company OriginalFake

There have been rumors flying around the internet over the past week that KAWS will be closing down his OriginalFake brand and store this year. Brain decided to release a statement last night addressing the rumors first hand and has indeed confirmed OF's closing to move on to bigger and better things.

“May 2013 marks the seventh year anniversary of OriginalFake, and it is at this time that Medicom Toy and I have chosen to close the shop and company. It's been an amazing opportunity to work with Medicom Toy on this project as well as working with Masamichi Katayama of Wonder Wall to create the interior of the shop and Konno of Nexus7 who's incredible talent really added sophistication to the clothing that we produced. I really want to thank the staff in production as well as in our shop. If you ever entered our shop you already know how awesome they are! I would also like to thank all the companies that collaborated with us, your friendship and support has always really meant a lot, and to everyone who has supported OriginalFake,THANK YOU! and I hope to see you all in the next chapter!”

Os Gêmeos Designs a Scarf for Louis Vuitton

French luxury brand Louis Vuitton continues to work with contemporary and street artists alike. After just launching their collaboration scarf with RETNA  last week at their Design District Miami store, where the artist also painted the entire exterior wall, we get our first preview of their next collaboration with Brazilian street art heavyweights Os Gêmeos. The twins’ signature art has found its way onto a Louis Vuitton silk scarf, which is apparently being released on January 1st, 2013.

Go Buy This: Etón BoostTurbine2000 (Hand Cranked Backup Power for Smartphones)

Here is something that will come in handy to all those New Yorker’s next time a hurricane hits the city. BoostTurbine2000 by Etón is a rechargeable backup battery pack for mobile devices that is charged by a hand crank generator. One minute of winding provides enough power for a 30 second phone call. When the pack is fully charged it can fully charge most smartphones. BoostTurbine2000 is available at Amazon but you should check out the wide range of products Etón have available for your doomsday needs.

Go Buy These: "The Night You Left" Mirrored Coasters by Nir Hod

“Inspired by his series of oil on mirror paintings entitled The Night You Left, Hod bottles the recurring themes of introspection and longing contemplated in this body of work into a functional object: a set of four mirrored coasters, lined with digitally printed white powder. Decadent and eye-catching, the coasters are backed with black velvet and are housed in a sleek black box.”

“The Night You Left masterfully captures a heightened and ephemeral emotional state; a moment of solitude and self-revelation. It is a meditation on love and love lost, on pain and catharsis. “There is a certain magic in loneliness,” Hod explains, “you have to be alone to create,” adding, “It’s not about drugs or glamour—it’s about the inside world, where you can dream and love and seek a greater truth—it’s about a feeling of being connected to something so human.”

The edition will be available for sale at PK Shop on September 13, 2012.

Please contact info@paulkasminshop to pre-order.

Video: Lunice - “Believe Dat”

Lunice has been a busy man; having only just released his joint project with Hudson Mohawke, TNGHT, the Canadian producer is involved with a new clothing line. Good Kids,  “dedicated to the progression of music and style in Montréal, and across the globe.” is a collaboration with a Montréal boutique, Off The Hook. In celebration , Lunice drops a new track and video called “Believe Dat”, which you might have caught at his Boiler Room set recently. 

Go Buy This: "Celebcalls"

Ever need to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies? Well do I have the product for you. Undisputed heavyweight boxing legend, Mike Tyson, is offering his services via a phone call. Just plug in your info and for $3.99 Mike will lay the smack down! Don’t have enemies? Well there are also options for “Special Occasion” and “Show Invitation” messages. CelebCalls has got a variety of personalities to fit your tastes and needs including Ice T, Snoop Dogg and more, fun stuff. Check it out HERE.

Go Buy This: The Burner App

Anyone who has ever seen HBO’s first class show, The Wire, is familiar with what a burner is. For those who don’t know, you should watch the show, but here is a description of a great app that will sum it up for you regardless. Burner is a privacy layer for your phone, providing alias phone numbers at the push of a button. You can purchase the app HERE.

Get Drunk On This: Slayer “REIGN IN BLOOD RED” Cabernet Sauvignon

This amuses me to no end, the puns in this write up make me laugh and cry all at the same time!

“The wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon from California, is as uncomprimising and tough as the band. After a couple of Seasons in the Abyss, the wine has an undisputed attitude and a soft nose of dark berry fruits with oak and spicy nuances. Good mouth feel with hints of fresh fruit and juicy, smooth tannins. Well structured and rounded with subtle notes of oak, showing true Divine Intervention. Best company for the wine comes as no surprise, enjoy it while headbanging, riffing or with food, friends and great music. Reign in Wine!”

From the 2nd of April you can order it in case of 6 from Systembolaget in Sweden. Order your Slayer wine here.

Name: Slayer Reign in Blood Red Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2010
Product Code: 74527-09 (can only be ordered in case of 6)
Origin: California, USA
Type of wine: Red wine
Price sek: 714.00 (per bottle sek 119.00)
Volume: 750 ml
Alcohol: 12,5%

Go Buy These: IdolKill Candles

Saint Kanye

Celebrity worship is pretty much in full swing in society today so IdolKill went one step further with these nifty prayer candles. Next time you're facing a challenge, just light the Saint Kanye or Amy of Guadalupe candle, say a prayer, and maybe it will be answered. 

Amy Of Guadalupe

Saint Nicki

Go Buy this: iPad USB Flash Drive

One of my biggest wishes for the i-pad is the inclusion of a USB hub but Apple has a funny way of dodging the obvious from time to time, please tell me why there is no Flash on your portable devices again?  Well Hammacher Schlemmer are offering up  something special with the only USB flash drive that wirelessly streams movies, music, photographs, and documents to an iPad. The size of a pack of gum, it accepts an included 8 GB SD card (supports up to 32 GB SD cards) automatically sharing files wirelessly up to 150' away, eliminating an iPad's need to dock with a computer or use e-mail to transfer files. Providing over five hours of stand-alone operation, it recharges via USB from any computer without the need for software, which also provides a convenient means of file loading and continuous file sharing. Up to six wireless devices can access the flash drive simultaneously using a free downloaded app, including iPhones, Android, and Windows smartphones. A digital camera's SD card can be inserted; holiday pictures and videos taken at family gatherings can be immediately accessed by family members. With built-in data encryption, it provides secure transfers between similarly configured devices. 3 1/2" L x 2" W x 1/2" D. (1 1/2 oz.)

Price $159.95, available for purchase HERE.

Go Buy This: Kirkebrann Stave Church-Shaped Candle

The Christmas season is in full swing right now and with it many folks are busy picking up gifts for friends and family but what if you don’t celebrate the birth of Jesus, what happens if you actually despise it? Well fear not because you can now make your black metal fantasies come true and burn a stave church in the comfort of your own home! Made famous in the early 90’s when Varg Vikernes (a.k.a. Count Grishnack) of the one-man band BURZUM burned Fantoft church to the ground, Kirkebrann is a stave church–shaped candle in the same likeness, handmade in the city of Bergen with an edition of 666. Varg Vikernes is serving a sentence for murder and the church burnings but you don’t have to! Act now as this is the second edition of the candle, the first was limited to 100 pieces and sold out immediately, and while you are at it pick up this book if you want to know more about the craziness that was going down in Norway's black metal scene at the time.

Thanks to my buddy Simon Tagestam for the tip.

Go Buy These: Muji Touchscreen Gloves

With the winter holiday season just around the corner on this hemisphere these gloves could make the perfect gift for your tech obsessed friends that can’t let go of their I-products. These gloves come with conductive material interwoven into the thumb and forefinger so you can operate your device without subjecting your bare hands to the cold weather! Visit MUJI for more.

Go Buy These: Just in Time For School

From the mind of artist Brandon Bird comes the Saturday Morning Cartoon version's of the stuff your kids love. Just in time for back-to-school you can get a brand spanking new ‘Gran Torino’ lunch box to show off to all the kids at school who will be super-jealous. If Clint Eastwood and his gang of crazy kids aren’t your thing then maybe a sweet pink box sporting Eric Roberts on a horse will make all the ladies in your click swoon. Gunuine plastic Thermos-brand lunchboxes are perfect for holding your lunch, your art supplies, your Star Wars action figure collection or pretty much anything that can fit in a 8" x 7" x 4" box, available HERE.

Buy This: The Bernie Madoff Collection (IPad Cases)

This collection is made from a limited number of personal clothing items belonging to the notorious felon, Bernie Madoff, obtained at an auction held by the US Marshals Service. As seen on Seized and Sold: The Madoff Auction on Nat Geo. Certificate of authenticty available upon request. Purchase yours at Frederick James.

Less is More?

Walking through the grocery store aisles you might begin to see a pattern. Brand packaging is getting louder. Cereal boxes are getting more colorful annoying cartoon characters. Energy drinks are pushing hyper-colored "Xtreme" imagery to sell their wares. Products are using anything they can to catch a buyers eye. But does that really work? Is that effective design?


Some of the larger companies (Starbucks, Coca Cola, etc..) out there are beginning to think not. In the era of Apple's sterile yet successful branding, companies are following suit and simplifying their look.

About 6 months ago, design consultancy Antrepo decided to look into this by creating a project in which they studied the effectiveness of minimalized packing design with some interesting results. Recently they revisited the project with a 2nd round of designs simplifying designs even more down to its bare essentials.