On one hand, it’s another manbag, on another it’s unlike any other. Rare for most, but very common with Paul Smith bags/luggage is the printed canvas. This new business folio, part of the Fall/Winter 2009, features a printed snapshot of a classic Mini (complete with Paul Smith’s trademark colored stripes) in Sherwood Forest. Made out of 100% woven polyester with leather trim and styled with smooth chocolate leather trims and handles, it features Smith’s familiar interior detailing in form of a purple canvas lined interior. As far as bags go, it doesn’t differ all that much in terms of quality and cost of the majority of the options out there, however, if you’re a Paul Smith fan or are looking for something that goes above and beyond a regular canvas or leather bag, you’re in luck. Available from Paul Smith.

Read More

We rarely get into the product game but we’re really into the package design of the products and bag in the John Allan‘s Roll Up. We’ve been traveling a lot more as of late and we’re still not used to getting our man products jacked at airport security (we don’t trust baggage check). The problem is FAA-approved sizing, limits the product choices available. John Allan has been up on men’s products and service for awhile now with his own full service barbershops (complete with a full cafe and billiards room) and has been dedicated to men looking their finest in Manhattan with the latest ingredients containing vitamins, botanicals, and marine plant extracts. Included in the Roll Up are travel essentials including Sport shampoo, Bodywash cleanser, Scrub exfoliant, Shave cream and Face Moisturize. They all come conveniently and stylishly packaged in a custom designed Roll Up with interlocking pockets crafted of genuine leather with a protective nylon lining. Available here.

We’ve been really impressed with Vans’ formalized product offerings as of late such as their constantly updated Chukkas and Del Barco’s. Even the two-tone Era’s, when fresh and clean, could pass with a shirt and tie. The Vans Akat LX x Taka Hayashi sneaker above,  is the product of Japanese designer and ex-patriot Taka Hayashi, and influenced by Hayashi’s own art. Starting with a moccasin as a base, they’ve added a triangular design on the side panels, with white stitching for the tan sneaker, and color-matched stitching. Available in two colourways, Fossil – a grey/brown suede- and Brown, a tan leather. If Taka Hayashi sounds familiar, you might remember the J-Lay Mid Shoe DSNB in pony hair, baseball glove leather and pig skin lining. If you missed out last month on the Akat’s, here‘s another chance for you.

We’re pleasantly surprised by some of the new outerwear releases from Obey, not that we have anything against the brand, we’re just, surprised. One that particularly stood out from the rest was the Sawyer trench in cotton twill. While it’s perfectly suited and casual to wear everyday, even if you’re not a tench coat guy, you will eventually need one to throw over your suit in the late Fall. This one, is very reasonable. Classic shape and cut, military-inspired patch pockets for style, and logo-free. Also comes in black. Available here.

Saturday, August 22nd marks the highly anticipated drop date of the latest limited edition sneaker collaboration between New Balance and Berlin-based sneaker emporium Solebox. This release, dubbed “The Finals”, will include two versions of the popular NB 1500 sneaker, both based on the very first New Balance x Solebox collaboration – the NB 1500 GGB.

The classic retro runner will be released in two color versions – a Solebox exclusive red panel release, limited to only 350 pairs, as well as a green panel version scheduled for a wider release at select stores around the world. Featuring a classic combination material mix including suede, leather and mesh, this collaboration pack is an absolute must-have for pure trainer enthusiasts. No bells, whistles or fancy gimmicks, this double label dynamo has been making waves online since Hikmet from Solebox first made mention a few months back. Finally, the time has arrived for heads to form a line and pray for their chance to grab a pair or two.

Judging by New Balance’s track record so far with Solebox collaborations, including classics like the Nazar/Evil Eye, Purple Devil and Toothpaste pack, this one’s guaranteed to be gone in no time. Adding to the surrounding hype, this limited edition release is rumored to be the final collaboration between New Balance and Solebox. More pics after the jump.

- Mike Pokutylowicz

Read More

Big up to Duracell staying relevant to the times on this one. MyGrid is a brand new drop-and-go charging pad for all of your wireless devices without the mess of multiple chargers. Just plug in the MyGrid, fit your MP3 player, iPod, Blackberry, iPhone or whatever with a Power Sleeve or Power Clip, place it on the mat and go. It can charge up to 4 devices at once, shuts off automatically with one touch, charges as quickly as your devices’ standard chargers, and is obviously slim and packable. Available in the Fall for around $85, you can already pre-order it here. More details here.

Harris Elliott and H by Harris may be a new face in luxurious luggage, but is anything but in the fashion and music industry. Having already established himself as a leading stylist for the likes of Mark Ronson, Kelly Rowland, Nike and French Connection, Harris Elliot started H by Harris out of need for a stylish yet practical laptop case. His collection has since evolved to include rucksacks, totes and weekend bags, featuring hand quilted Nappa leather and wax Nubuck, designed and manufactured in the UK. We caught up with Harris to talk about the brand, inspiration and who might be in need of a Harris Elliot-makeover.

LH: Was the decision to start H by Harris a natural transition for you with your background as a stylist?

HE: From a creative point of view it has been a natural progression for me. As a stylist you are constantly coming up with ideas and new ways of presenting and interpreting other designers’ collections. So creating my own range was an obvious choice as my head is always full of details and ideas that I try and get out in one way or another.

READ MORE…

Read More

You’ve no doubt already seen a few releases from Louis Vuitton‘s Fall/Winter 2009 men’s bag collection, but here’s a breakdown of the entire collection recently revealed by LV studio director, Paul Helber. Inspired by the “traveling wardrobe of an African king”, the collection features a few familiar models such as the Keepall and Steamer bag featuring the monogram print. While normally not the biggest LV monogrammed-flossers, the highly anticipated soccer ball-quilted Monogram Hexagone Keepall 45 Bandoulière, originally spotted during Paris Fashion Week, is still absolute tops. Although, we would love to see that in a Damier Graphite. Other notables include the non-leather, Monogram Escapade Cabas tote bag and embossed, Monogram Revelation 45 Bandoulière. If you really want to stand out alone with your $5K bag, the Louis Vuitton Personalization is a really nice touch and that’ll make it uniquely yours. See the entire collection after the jump.

Read More

We’ve got a first hands-on look at Onitsuka Tiger‘s 60th anniversary, limited edition magazine, Made of Japan. For the Japanese, turning 60 is an honor, it completes the 60-year ‘cycle of life’ and in celebration of this, Onitsuka Tiger has created a 260-page magazine presenting the brands heritage, evolution and Japanese influence across the West through a feature of 30 influential athletes, artists and fashionistas. Aesthetically, the magazine’s attributes merge traditional Japanese book-binding methods with a clean, authoritative look and feel paired with the use of various types of paper underlines its intriguing contents. Made of Japan comes in a custom designed, limited edition box created by the creative team of German style title, Zoo Magazine. There will be only 250 boxed editions available worldwide.  More details to come.

Read More

Starting off with a side note, we often still marvel at Beams jump from small shops and quiet fashion brand to relative department store status across Japan and list of upscale collaborations. Speaking of collaborations, this one is a bit of tongue twister, long time interchangeable collaborators, B Yoshida, Porter and Beams worked with infamous Japanese photographer Ichigo Sugawara to produce this far departure from stale camera bags dubbed the ‘Photote’. While this was originally released around this time last summer, this is the first time we’re seeing this combination ripstop nylon pouch and tote in a blue/black and gray/maroon color combo. The exterior is waxed canvas but lined with a soft cushioning to protect your gear.  See all the pictures after the jump, including a really neat treatment of the film-inspired logo. Available here.

Read More

Japanese footwear brand, Rhythm Footwear, known for naming models after food – our favorites include sandwhich, pitta, scone and kiwi – are out with their latest, ‘Knives & Ketchup’. We can’t for the life of us, figure out why. We will forgo any ‘looks sharp like a knife, smooth like ketchup’ breakdowns, even though it looks like we just did. After releasing a low top, canvas line for Fall/Winter 2009 in colors that screamed summer more than anything, these all black, horsehide mid-tops are perfect for Fall combining a sneaker upper with traditional boot-sole. Available here.

Its been rumored for weeks with dozens of what seemed to be fake mock ups floating on the web, but Sony has just officially announced the redesigned PlayStation 3 at CamesCom in Cologne. The new 120g PlayStation 3 is over 30% smaller, lighter and uses over 30% less power than the old model and will feature a 120 gig hard drive and its set to be available at the end of September 2009 at a new $299US price. We’re really liking the design and think that Sony PlayStation is making the right move in trying to get back into the gaming-game since it fell to no. 3 console in the market after the Wii and Xbox 360. The new 120g PlayStation 3 can already be pre-ordered right here.  More snapshots after the jump.

Read More