Jump to Content

San Francisco Art Music Style Fashion Culture - Jungle Life

Content starts here

TRIVMVIR: Blind Faith - FALL '09

posted: Tuesday November 03, 2009 - 11:38 AM

tribanner


Back in Black.


We look forward to the Triumvir line each season with near piss-ourselves excitement, and after getting the news that the III were going all-out cut & sew with their garments for the Fall and Holiday 2009 drop, anticipation was higher than coked-out astronauts.


Needless to say, we're not disappointed. For the new jacks, when a brand goes official with it's own cut & sew, for example, that means graphics are no longer printed on shitfit prefabricated tees, but rather manufactured to an original fit deemed perfect by the brand and it's customer's standards - same goes for hoodies, and to an even further extent when it comes down to denims, jackets, buttondowns and... well, damned near everything. The fits, unbelievably, stepped it up a notch and now more blatantly than ever present the true Triumvir vision for modern menswear - if you're a loyal Triumvir rocker then you know that's saying some shit. You also know by now that with every III line there is an epic behind it, and that every piece has it's own story from it's own source of inspiration, each more badass than the next.


The full collection is split between two different stories, Blind Faith and Hell is for Heroes, based the histories of Constantine the Great and Knights Hospitallers respectively, with inspiration provided by religion, politics, war, the BMW R75 motorcycle and the dystopian aesthetic of Mad Max and Japanese manga series Fist of the North Star. Typically the connection between all of the aforementioned would be met with a "what the fuck" screwface, but in the case of Triumvir it makes perfect sense. A continuation of the past few lines filled with historical references, the Fall and Holiday '09 hit elaborates on the connection between the direful plots of many post-apocalyptic and anime flicks where society, politics and religion (often the same monster) are rebuild through new technology, or in Triumvir's case, fashion.


Follow the jump to check out some of the gear and learn more behind Blind Faith, Triumvir's Fall line at Karmaloop, with words from Brand Director Brandon Cheng providing invaluable insight into each piece and the overall story.


Blind Faith - The Protagonist

cons1cons2


cons3cons4


The Constantine Jacket


“The [Roman] Civil War involving Constantine and his vision of Christ’s symbol happened circa 312 AD - the screen printed Roman numerals [in] army stencil type on the back (CCCXII) translates to 312 AD. I thought the 'Blind Faith' theme could be best translated onto a bomber-styled when I was researching World War II Air Force squadrons and saw a particular graphic on the side of a plane with [cartoon character Felix the Cat] holding a bomb on it – Felix also meaning “lucky” in Latin.


“The jacket is meant to be a fusion between a bomber jacket and a sportier baseball jacket with contrast sleeve ribbing details. The left chest patch, right shoulder patch and the screen print on the back are all very common placements seen on WWII tanker, deck, aviation-styled jackets in WWII worn by GI’s. Of course some were regulated government issued jackets and patches but not all - back in WWII it was very common for GI’s to find local tailors and /or artists to tailor, draw, paint or embroider special garments or graphics that are unique top their squads, camaraderie or needs.”


tri7tri8chamb


The Maltese Flannel Buttondown in Yellow, The Maltese Flannel Burttondown in Red, The Maltese Chambray Buttondown


“In my opinion, Constantine the Great, the first Christian Roman Emperor who made the Christian religion tolerable throughout the Roman Empire is the perfect candidate for what I call Blind Faith. It is said and still disputed that during the Civil Wars, Constantine was visited by Christ in a dream and later adorned the symbol of Christ (Chi-Rho or Labarum) upon his soldiers’ shields, standards and later, his own helmet.


“There were many versions of this story but the main points are in the following; Constantine won the Civil War, made Christianity tolerable, and united the West and the East. There is a legend that still lingers today, saying that Constantine himself did not convert to Christianity until on his deathbed. This makes scholars question if Constantine’s purpose was solely a political move, because he needed to keep his empire stable since the underground religion of Christianity had grown in popularity and believers since it was founded 300 years prior to his reign. No one will ever know the truth, but what has gone down in history and legend is that he was present on the battlefield adorning the symbol of Christ, fighting as God’s general, reuniting the Western and Eastern Roman Empire and giving tolerance to a once persecuted religion that has changed the course of humanity since his time… and for the reason I based my story of the protagonist within the Blind Faith collection.”


madon1felix1


The Madonna Tee (top), The Blind Faith Tee (bottom)


tri5tri3


The Duchess Tee (top), The No Means Yes Tee (bottom)


tri9tri10



The Castor Selvedge Wash Jean (top), The Castor Selvedge Raw Jean (bottom)


This is just a quick sample of Triumvir's Fall goods now at Karmaloop - be sure to click the banner below to check out the rest, and stay tuned for the Hell is for Heroes Holiday '09 drop. Click here to check out the full look book and learn more about the line, the historical links and sneak peaks into what Triumvir has in store for all of us this winter.


tribanner

SneakTAKEOVER

posted: Tuesday October 27, 2009 - 4:36 PM

sneakbanner



From the home of The Warriors and The Cyclone, where dreams and the requiems from which they are composed are often shattered and unrealized, New York's Brooklyn dons Sneaktip come correct with that fix for the sneaker fiends worldwide each and every season.

Repping Coney Island heavy, the Sneaktip set takes over at Karmaloop this week with it's latest drop filled with tees, sweatshirts, outerwear, hats and more designed by sneakerheads, for the sneakerheads. It's in the name, afterall - amongst the cult of the sneaker (SNEAK) obesessed, always on the tip (TIP) to find the elusive diamond-in-the-rough or frozen filet mignon-rare sneaker release, these dudes learned long ago that copping the matching colorway is often next to impossible. However, where some make lemonade when life whips a lemon to the melon, Sneaktip made a brand to flawlessly bring those limited Jordans together with a fly track jacket, fresh tee or clean as fuck New Era.

This year's autumn drop features the first time in Sneaktip history that the brand offed the middlemen and went direct with it's own cut & sew, gaining complete control over the cuts, the fabrics, the prints and the fits. Needless to say, we're hella impressed and will be spending the rest of the night trying to findsome super-elusive limited editions to match up with just some of the gems from the newest collection:

sneak1


The Crackle Hat in Gray


sneak2sneak3


The Reversable Triple Proof Vest in Black


sneak4


The Fight the Power Crew Sweatshirt in Black


sneak5


The Sneaktip 718 Tee in Black


Stay tuned for more from the Sneaktip gang this week!


sneakbanner

Mighty Good Times

posted: Wednesday October 21, 2009 - 4:08 PM

While you were sleeping, Mighty Healthy was raging.

If there's one thing our New York fam does better than produce the illest denims and outerwear as well as some of our favorite, in-your-face, bold tee graphics, it's that these cats can throw down and jam with the best of 'em. Check out some flicks provided by Mighty Healthy's Ray Mate and company from a recent banger at the Lower East Side's 105 Rivington spot:

105_1


105_2


105_3


105_4


105_5


105_6


105_7


105_8


105_9


105_10


105_11


105_12



105_13

Our dude Wil is just everywhere.


105_14


105_15


105_16


105_17


Click the banner below to check out the crazy new drop from the Mighty Mightys!


mig-id

Mourning Wood

posted: Tuesday October 20, 2009 - 3:11 PM

Woodwork (2)


"Wally may have been our most troubled artist... I'm not suggesting any connection, but he may have been our most brilliant."


- EC Comics Publisher William Gaines




It could have been the constant headaches. Alcoholism, perhaps. Kidney failure, a stroke, the loss of vision in one eye... nevertheless, three self-inflicted gunshots in 1981 ended the life and career of heralded cartoonist, Wallace Wood.

Fast forward almost 30 years later and the art and influence that Wood left sketched into the minds of illustrators and cartoonists alike is unparalleled. The man inspired a generation of underground artists including luminaries Robert Crumb, Robert Williams and Art Spiegelman, left a major impact on graphically-charged movie posters, and now finds tribute in the world of street fashion.

New brand Woodwork has (legally - we swear) appropriated some of the more infamous, notorious works of Wood's twisted, pained brilliance for a line of killer tees, resulting in vaguely familiar, yet never-seen-before prints that you may spend more time staring at than actually wearing. Check 'em out:

wonka_witzend (2)


ww1ww2


The Wonka Tee (L); The Witzend Piggyback Tee (R).


creeps_piggyback (2)


ww3ww4


The Creeps Tee (L); The Piggyback Tee (R).


dirty_bucky (2)


ww5ww6


The Dirty Executive Tee (L); The Bucky Ruckus Tee (R).


Stay tuned for more madness from Woodwork in the coming weeks and seasons; with a career that spanned nearly four decades, there is enough material produced by Wood to make up for all of those bullshit, embarrassing Ed Hardy and Von Dutch garments tucked into the back corner of your closet.


Special thanks to Karmaloop's Aimy Tsao for the bitchin' blog graphics!


Click the Woodwork banner below to check out more from Woodwork.


wwbanner

RockSmith - All Around the World; Fall '09

posted: Wednesday October 14, 2009 - 5:39 PM

Our ninjas at RockSmith just released the Fall 2009 drop to much acclaim here at Karmaloop, and our folks were good enough to send over some flicks from the killer lookbook, featuring hip hop and streetwear luminaries M-1 (Dead Prez), Curren$y, Wiz Khalifa, X.O., Ninjasonik, Truck North, Pill, Theophilus London, DJ Iron Lyon, Memberz Only, Conroy Chan (24 Herbs), Law, Innate, Benji, Chris of CtotheJL as well as Karmaloop's own Dennis Todisco!


Check it:


rs1


rs2


rs3


rs4


rs5


rs6


rs7


rs8


rs9


rs10


This is an epic drop from RockSmith and we've got it all in stock and ready to go; be sure to click the banner below to get a closer look at the RockSmith madness we have for you here at Karmaloop.


rsbanner

A Karmaloop x RockSmith x Super Viral Brothers Joint

posted: Wednesday October 14, 2009 - 5:38 PM

loopxrsmixtape



The Antidote:

One part wonderfully demented producer;

One part beautifully sickening vocalist;

Equal parts aurally-pleasing, mind-bending sounds of Iggy and the Stooges and Crookers, Aphex Twin and Justice, Raymond Scott and Marcel Duchamp, Throbbing Gristle and Karlheinz Stockhausen, Zapp and Roger Troutman, Fela Kuti and assorted fresh sounds (preferably chopped, not diced).

Combine all parts in blender, mix on puree. Pour solution from blender into pot and boil. Remove from heat and and let chill. Draw cooled solution into syringe and inject into ears.

... wait, STOP! That's not the antidote, that's the sickness!

Too late? Okay, you'll be alright. Besides with sounds this sick, who wants to be healthy? The trip you're about to fuck with is 37 minutes of pure madness produced by Anthony Mills and Olle Cornéer, otherwise known as the Super Viral Brothers. Click the album cover above to give the mixtape a listen and download that shit immediately.

What's more, these crazy Swedes went and made one of the craziest, fucked-up music videos we've ever seen for the single Hot Chocolate + Polar Bear Rug. For real, we haven't been this tweaked out since we watched Eraserhead in a hot tub tripping balls with GG Allin back in junior high. Click the image below to check it out (and don't count on eating lunch today):

SVBvideo

"... Killing and killing..."

posted: Friday October 09, 2009 - 3:53 PM

"... they sort of develop a taste for blood."

mhbanner


New York bosses Mighty Healthy just dropped a grip of new tees at Karmaloop featuring the good ol' bold, brash, killer graphics we've become accustomed to from these cats - and stay tuned throughout the weekend for the release of some killer buttondowns, hoodies, hats, and an extra special surprise come Monday mornin'...


mh1mh2


Square Times indeed down there in the biggest damned tourist trap on earth. Our parents regale us with tales of horror, dread, debauchery and balls-to-the-wall fun from New York's 1970's heyday centered in The Square, we've read all about it in Please Kill Me and The Bronx is Burning, and some of our absolute favorite flicks are based there - Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, and the list goes on (with lots of DeNiro and Keitel appearances). At least our parents can relive past glories when they wake us up off of the front lawn while we're wearing The Square Times Tee, stained with last night's booze, blood and regrets.


Speaking of flicks, The Mother Tee takes one of our favorite moments from Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood - and not only immortalizes that shit, but highlights what we think every time we pass some poorly-dressed sucker on our way to the office, see Kanye West on TV or catch a glance of ourselves in the mirror... um, wait, what..?


mh4


Velvet Jones! Velvet fuckin' Jones! If you don't know who the god is, then you're copping your blackmarket goods from the wrong man, sucka! It looks like our dude Velvet and the Mightys have started a joint business venture to help all of you untalented, unaspiring musicians make it big. Join the Autotone Academy and sound like a star (or art least look like one, rocking The Autotune Tee).


Click the banner below to get a look at the rest of the pre-weekened tee drop, and stay tuned for next week when Mighty Healthy- whoops, almost spoiled the secret...




mhbanner

Haunting the Kazbah

posted: Thursday October 08, 2009 - 5:58 PM

"In order to appease the gods, the Druid priests held fire rituals. Prisoners of war, criminals, the insane, animals... were... burned alive in baskets. By observing the way they died, the Druids believed they could see omens of the future. Two thousand years later, we've come no further. Samhain isn't evil spirits. It isn't goblins, ghosts or witches. It's the unconscious mind. We're all afraid of the dark inside ourselves..."

kazbahkazbah



The Kazbah page has been possesed by an evil which cannot be stopped, cannot be contained...

...only purchased.

Check out some of the season's creepings that a few of our favorite Kazbah rockers have offered up over the past couple weeks:

distbanner



kaz1


It could be a hot debate over who bodied more suckers in his heyday - Julius Caesar or Jason Vorhees? Caesar had rivers flowing red with the blood of his enemies throughout his reign as Roman Emperor, but we can only assume that he had his legions carry out the dirty work. Jason, however, was one dude that loved to get in work on a personal level. Whether simultaneously running a fuckin' spear through a couple of humping, horny teenagers or simply utilizing the trusty machete-to-the-face manuver, that was one dude who simply loved his job. It looks as though District 81 agrees with The Caesar Tee.



tdfbanner


Creaper


From the inksters at To Die For is The Creaper Tee showing that no matter what the medium, the reaper is to be feared, no matter what lame prog-rock bands tell you. Hyper-detailed, bold and bursting with more color than that dude's head in Scanners, this is one frighteningly fresh tee you'll wanna rock long after Halloween passes.



schmbanner


Sailor's Grave


"There was young Nat Swaine, once the bravest boat-header out of all Nantucket and the Vineyard; he joined the meeting, and never came to good. He got so frightened about his plaguy soul, that he shrinked and sheered away from the whales, for fear of after-claps, in case he got stove and went to Davy Jones."


While it's not quite on the horror movie jones, drowning scares the living shit out of us. I mean, call us what you will, but even looking at The Sailor's Grave Tee by our peoples at Schmack causes panic attacks and forces us to swear allegiance to dry land forever.



subconbanner


The Cartoon Network Tee


Exactly how we remember 'em from Saturday mornings as young'ns (we were pretty fucked-up lil' kids). The Cartoon Network Tee by Subconscious Threads features all of your old animated favorites from back in the day, but we can't spoil the surprise by telling you who is who - but if you can tell Subcon correctly, there's a free shirt in it for you.



e5banner


The Mother Mary Tee


Dios Mio. Muerte con el e.5.charlie es muy... um, evil. The Mother Mary Tee - we love it.


The Zombie Koozie


And what Halloween party is complete without your own - yep - a fuckin' ZOMBIE KOOZIE. Dom and the e.5 crew kill it again... literally. And again... and again... but it keeps coming back...


Check out these gems and more gore over at the Kazbah page... and stay out of the dark...

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."

posted: Wednesday October 07, 2009 - 4:12 PM

ami1



Are we too naive to keep our eyes closed,
are we too young to not begin to lead,
are we too lazy to seek the truth,
are we so complacent that we will not move?
How can they write history for us,
how can we let them oppress the willing,
how can we sit in times of turbulence,
how can we listen to the inflated lies?
We are the force of the masses,
we are the thought of our inventions,
we are the dawn of the coming,
we are the truth of the times!



We are the friends of the revolution.

amibanner


Let's face it; making a bold statement or tribute to a cause is not always first and foremost on a brand's agenda while brainstorming an upcoming drop. Unfortunately, the few brands that do face that risk are rarely serious about their design and intentions, focused rather on a quick buck and striking while the iron is hot ('sup, Michael Jackson tees).


Amivectio is not one of those brands.


Through design, communication, and the strength of community, Amivectio strives for equal opportunity, tolerance, peace and progress, education, health and sustainability, as well as clean air, water, soil and energy for our generation and those behind us with each and every tee it produces.


Oh, almost forgot to mention - this crew gets down with some ill fuckin' designs when they're not out saving the world. We're loving the no-bullshit, militaristic approach to The Truth Seekers Tee with it's bright yellow stencil-itis, and The Soprano State Tee, a shout to New Jersey and Tony, Paulie and Silvio's set, while the vintage aesthetics kill on The Movers Tee, complete with the horse-drawn buggy, and The Anchors Away Tee, sure to keep you weighed down with a fair share of propers and compliments for copping such a gem.


Check it:


ami2ami3


The Truth Seekers Tee (L); The Soprano State Tee (R).


ami4ami5


The Movers Tee (L); The Anchors Away Tee (R).


Be sure to keep an eye out for Amivectio and click the banner below to check out the line here at Karmaloop; in the meantime, check out the flick our man Rich and the boys went and produced that - incredibly- tops last season's effort. Click the image beneath the banner or at the top of the page to check it out.


amibannerami6

"I was told there was nothing left...

posted: Friday October 02, 2009 - 3:44 PM

... No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong..."


Ah, yes... it's that time of year, boils and ghouls - our favorite time of year. As the grip of nightfall slowly chokes away the day's remaining sunlight counting down to the throes of winter, the air thins and chills, shadows look more ominous than ever and the tricks your mind starts to play become more cruel by the hour until the 31st, when demons and goblins of all shapes and sizes terrorize cities, towns, the suburbs and beyond, and... that reminds us, we need to find more acid.


Yep, Halloween is on the dark, moonless horizon, but why wait until the last possible minute of the witching hour to get into the spirit... or rather, let the spirit posses you? Here at Horrorloop, we've got some fresh death and recently-resurrected tees to celebrate the macabre no matter where your taste for evil lies - whether it's staying street with Dissizit!'s skull-gang prints, an unhealthy obession with slasher flicks a la Creep Street and new brand Woodwork, or all-out gorefests in the vein of what our dudes at KR3W have been slaying us with.


dissbanner



h1
Dissizit! - The Glow Skull Tee

h2
Dissizit! - The Too Fast To Live Tee

creepbanner



h3
Creep Street - The Blood Feast Tee

h4
Woodwork - The Creeps Tee

krwbanner



h5
KR3W - The Kleever Tee

h6
KR3W - The Krania Tee

h7
KR3W - The LA Bones Tee

h8
KR3W - The Lizagram Tee

Hoof and horn, hoof and horn; All that dies shall be reborn / Corn and grain, corn and grain; All that falls shall rise again.

WHAT THE FUCK?!

posted: Thursday October 01, 2009 - 1:03 PM

CREEPBANNER


A notice to the would-be tee-shirt designers out there: when a government entity threatens to sue you over a print, you know that you've finally made it to the big time. You should also know that said entity is totally not joking.

Our buds over at Creep Street got the word from the World Wildlife Federation earlier this week to cease and desist all future reproductions of the infamous WTF?! Tee, meaning that this absolute gem will be off the market in just hours - gone from the industry, but not from our shriveled, blackened hearts, however.

This is your last chance to cop this future collector's item both here at Karmaloop as well as the Creep Street Chopping Mall (new colorways), but you gotta be quick! There's no telling exactly how long this hippie-hated, much-debated, oft-masturbated tee will be available, so get on it!

wtf1wtf2


CREEPBANNER

We're Back!

posted: Wednesday September 30, 2009 - 12:47 PM

Following a major raid at KarmaloopBlogs headquarters resulting in the C.I.A., the F.B.I., the religious right and the evil clutches of McFashion shutting us down for the early part of the week, we're back like cooked crack and to celebrate the occasion...

TITS!

Kick back, keep an eye out for the boss and the prudes at human resources, and behold the glory of the Two in the Shirt Fall/Holiday '09 Lookbook:


1


2


tits1tits2


3


4


tits3tits4


5


6


tits5tits6


7



Our peoples at Two in the Shirt came through on Tuesday for a super-exclusive photoshoot with two of Karmaloop's top models, and the best of those flicks will be fashioned into a tee for the Holiday '09 drop. Never ones to sell themselves short, just wait 'til you all see what else Marek and the crew have in store...

... click the banner below to check out the rest of the T.I.T.S. Fall '09 line!

tit-id

"Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after...

posted: Wednesday September 23, 2009 - 2:23 PM

hollidaybanner


... It's a reckonin.'"


hol1hol2


hol3hol4


For the wild ones. The rebels. The men and women who make their own rules and submit to no compromise, never settle and refuse to live life any other way than their own. While some consider "The American Dream" just that - a dream, something to put smiles on faces and minds at ease - Holliday encourages people to stranglehold that goal and take one's destiny into their own weathered, wrinkled, blistered hands.


Established and made with pride in the United States by just one man, "Flaco," inmate 7----3 at Jordan Unit deep in the heart of Texas, Holliday wallets are as hard and tough as the folks the brand caters to. Crafted from 100% leather and produced entirely by hand from the stitch to the stain, these are not your run-of-the-mill velcro fuckers lucky to hold $5 and a bus pass.


Featuring one zippered billfold and five in total, Holliday wallets more than accomodate a passport and checkbook while holding four card pockets as well, leaving plenty of room to fit the rest of your life in 'em - don't worry, each wallet is universal to the point where they comfortably fit into any denim back pocket. Holliday wallets furthermore allow the ability to personally customize each piece, with removable, clip attached, hand-braided chains and stainless steel buttons that can be screwed off and replaced or altered to your own style.


Though with wallets this goddamned beautiful, we couldn't imagine such a thing.


hol5hol6


hol7hol8


Click the banner below to check out the rest of the Holliday line - live to ride, ride to live.


hollidaybanner

It's Not All Good - It's All-Nice

posted: Tuesday September 22, 2009 - 2:12 PM

ANbanner


“Being fresh is not a common privilege; it is a moral responsibility."



We would like to introduce you to the most revered, original streetwear brand straight from the Valley of the Sun. Our extremely unique designs and graphics are innovative, edgy, and tremendously entertaining. The ALL-NICE brand is manufactured in various forms of headwear, t-shirts, music and stationery artwork. We truly pride ourselves by being different from the norm. By immortalizing everyday conversational phrases and re-creating them in the literal sense, is a core concept that we have mastered. ALL-NICE has received an overwhelming amount of support in such little time. As 2009 being our first year in existence, our goal is to build a legendary empire worthy of high-opinion, the utmost respect, and blah-blah-blah. We are pretty sure that you have heard statements like that plenty of times. We are not representing a new lifestyle, we’re not trying to change the culture of Urban America... we just tryin’ to sell some dope gear. God Bless.

- RCM Productions, LLC

Please welcome ALL-NICE to the Karmaloop Family, keeping it cool and fresh out there in Phoenix, Arizona while bringing new heat to the streetwear industry. And, well, what more can we say that our dudes already haven't? We're loving the sheer cleanliness, humor and number of colorways offered for each piece that link nicely with the fresh fitteds, and we're sure that you will as well. Check out some flicks below sent over by ALL-NICE, and click any image to check out the rest of the swag live on the site.

AN1


AN2


AN3


AN4


AN5


AN6


AN7


AN8


AN9


ANbanner




Fashionably Late - Karmaloop Runway Show at The Liberty Hotel, Boston

posted: Monday September 21, 2009 - 4:46 PM



Check out some of flicks from Karmaloop's Fashionablty Late runway show last Thursday night at Boston's Liberty Hotel. Over 3,000 heads RSVP'd for the event with a 500-person capacity, but we managed to sneak a bunch of you through the doors to share in the madness.

The ballerinas absolutely stole the show, and we all had a blast hanging out with each other and our vendors - can't wait for the next jam!

Click here to check out the gallery.

A big "arigato gozaimasu" to Karmaloop's Mari Nishimura for the photos, a "werdups!" to all the vendors and friends who came out, and an extra-special thanks again to Boston Ballet's finest for helping us get down! Stay tuned for updates, pictures are still flowing in by the hour.

Hope to see you out at the next party (the ballerinas, we mean)!