Hand built in Kansai, Japan the recently launched Kinfolk Bicycle Co. is making some headway for Japanese-based bicycles. We also told you about Funriki not too long ago. The company has worked hard to make sure that their product delivers on its high quality promise and that each Keirin inspired frame from their collection is build according to the exact famed track racing specs. To ensure the quality KBC recruited renowned master frame builder Kusaka-san who has spent his life building bicycles by hand for Keirin racers and continues to be humble and not interested in taking advantage of the current fixed gear fad. Also, making sure the bikes look as good as they perform Kinfolk has had Marco Hernandez design the head badges, used Way&Means for the graphics and paint by Coat and ColorFactory. Kinfolk bikes are offered in somewhat limited supplies due to the fact that each frame is built to order by hand so if you want a Kinfolk bike contact them at info@kinfolkbicycles.com. More pictures after the jump.

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You’ve seen this watch before, whether it was on the wrist Jacques Cousteau or on one of the other countless blogs who clambered to get pictures of it online first. You’ll note that I take my watches very seriously and my Omega’s even more, so this wasn’t something I wanted to just throw up without much thought.

My watch affliction is in my genes, I deal with it, but no other watch has ever fascinated me as much as the original Omega Ploprof. As a teenager, working at a country club, I remember one guy who had the first and only original Ploprof I’d ever see, he looked like a Bond villain, but that begun my fascination with the model. It was essentially a “tool” watch, slightly crude in it’s form, yet so focused in it’s intent, a watch for the sole purpose of diving deep below the sea, it really had no reason to be anywhere else.

The history of the original Ploprof dates back to the 60′s, when it was developed by legendary diver Jacques Cousteau and french diving engineers at COMEX, who came to know the watch as the “PLOngeur PROFessionnel” or Professional Diver. They created the watch from a Monobloc case which was inherently stronger, but also meant that to service the automatic movement, you would have to go in from the front, since the back didn’t open. It also included a large locking bezel feature with red button, which really gave the watch it’s distinctive look, along with the “shark proof” bracelet.

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We’ve previously mentioned our affinity for Master-Piece‘s ability to bring quality Japanese manufacturing to mountaineering inspired pieces. Although we don’t knock Porter’s ability to deliver reliability, Master-Piece looks the part with an array of durable materials including PVC and heavy duty straps and fasteners. While you probably won’t bring this tote bag that doubles as a rucksack (there are two adjustable shoulder straps attached to the back) on a climb, it’s nice nonetheless to have the option. It is after all, a tote bag on Sammy Sosa‘s special sauce. The exterior of the bag is trimmed with purple nylon and white leather, or purple nylon and black leather, along with an equally bright interior – lined in wipe clean yellow PVC. There are two zip closing pockets, one inside and one outside and the bag closes with a d-ring fastening strap. Available here.

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Something that normally passes us by for some reason are the outerwear pieces from Paul Smith. Although we’re more partial to Paul Smith dress shirts for flashes of color, their outerwear always impresses with nice understatements with the usual Smith detailing (which you can see after the jump). From Paul Smith Jeans comes a 3/4 length, black military twill location coat with a concealed zip through front. Note the fully lined blue check plaid for added insulation and personality, and the convertible collar which can be worn flat or lifted and worn as a funnel neck. It has a mixture of pockets; two flap covered pockets, two hand warmer pockets and a gummed zip phone pocket. Other features include ventilation holes underneath the arms, a press stud fastened central back vent and elasticated knitted cuffs hidden in the sleeves. We could have done without the logo’d out zipper tag, in fact, this is bit off brand for the usually logo-free pieces from Paul Smith, but altogether we love the modern twist to the multi-functional coat. Best paired with the Paul Smith Dipe-Dye York boot. Available here.

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If you’re anywhere near Nürburg, Germany right now we would hope you take the time to go check out the Oldtimer Grand Prix taking place at Nürburgring this weekend and pass by the Arden booth to check out the new Jaguar XKR 5.0L. According to Arden the 2010 Jaguar XKR 5.0L model only needed slight modifications, so alongside the various well known 9×21” sportline alloy wheels, the new 5.0L possesses a redesigned chassis, which was developed in collaboration with Bilstein and improves the driving dynamics and agility.  If your not satisfied by 510bhp and a 250km/h top speed, Arden will offer not only a performance increase of roughly 30bhp and 50Nm, but also the accompanying V-Max suspension and a speedometer increased to 320km/h. The Arden XKR will be showcased at the Motorsportcenter at Nürburgring from August 7th to 9th.

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Vancouver-based, Lifetime Collective, has quietly evolved from a simple t-shirt operation into full, quality collections. To the designers at Lifetime Collective, their brand is not just about being put in a box and labeled, it’s about having the freedom of expression and the personal aim of creativity. The brand fuses both art and fashion into their clothing to communicate their message, creating clothing with both visual and functional aspects. This video of their Spring/Summer 2010 collection effectively displays the brand’s creativity and attention to detail.

Using motorcycling and hunting as its palette for the 2009 collection, VAEL’s Apres Boot also takes its inspiration from the hip Italian hiking boots of the 70′s. The brand’s great look and high production quality keeps it among our favorites for the upcoming and quickly approaching Fall/Winter season. For the Apres Boot, VAEL pared the full-grain uppers to Vibram soles with a yellowed PU midsole for the original aged look and adding a few custom machined eyelets and features full grain leather lining and a full grain leather covered EVA sockliner. The boots will be available as of September 1st in both black (shown above) and mahogany.

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We’ve long been fans of Japanese retail chain MUJI, a few over from UNIQLO in NYC, for their simple designs, quality and overall uniqueness. Everything from their pens, to bags to travel containers are downright neat. Now comes word of a partnership between famous German “Bentwood” furniture maker THONET. The duo have re-imagined two styles of furniture from the past, THONET’s curved wooden chair “No 14″ (now called the 214) and the classic Tubular steel furniture that was designed in the 20′s by the German school of design. The updated and beautifully curved Bentwood Collection chairs feature a horizontal panel for back support. Usually designer furniture also means designer prices but THONET has done its best to keep costs low without scrimping on its quality and used new construction methods to minimize their impact on the environment. All pieces are available at MUJI.

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Joe Simon and the team behind 2007′s Stoked on Being Pumped, who have a rep for producing clean, high quality videos, is back again with bike acrobatics that defy gravity. Featuring a bunch of riders including Josh Bedford, Brandon Hoerres, Hanson Little, Robbo and more of the Mutiny family. The team used a Canon 5D MK II and Panasonic’s HVX-200 with Glidetrack dolly and Glidecam 4000 Pro HD camera stabilization system, along with 16mm film with a Scoopic MS and a Canon 814XLS for the Super 8mm. The world premiere of the movie will be held in Austin, TX on August 29th and the DVD and BLU-RAY will be available in September 2009. You can also read a interview with the team about the whole project over on the Grip and if you like the music in the trailer, the song is called Moksha by Caspian.

It hasn’t always been this way, that is, brands taking the design of their retail shops as an essential part of the consumer experience versus maximum sales space per square footage. With agencies such as Japanese-based, Wonderwall, renowned in the architectural and interior design world for its work on store spaces such as A.P.C., Uniqlo, Bathing Ape, colette and BBC/Ice Cream, more brands are starting to take note and making their shops proper destinations. Another shape changer, Hayon Studio, has just completed the new Camper store in Tokyo, Japan with modern circus appeal. Candy cane door handles, walls covered in mosiac tiles and clean cement floor are among the features. Check out the entire photo gallery here.

We showed you the Acne x Bianchi bicycle available at Opening Ceremony not too long ago and heres another fashion-inspired bicycle, this time from James Perse with a custom built, vintage-style beach cruiser. Its not exactly new, but still relevant nonetheless. Originally popularized in the ’50s and ’60s, the Beach Cruiser is known for its stylistic fat tires that can handle sand, wide-style handlebars and coaster brakes. Its form and function has made it a fixture in Southern California. Each James Perse Cruiser is custom built and includes a limited edition serial number. A limited supply is available now. Our favorite, the flat black is picture above but check out the other color schemes after the jump. More information here.

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It’s been 25 years since the iconic LOMO LC-A graced the analogue world with its extraordinarily colorful pictures framed with vignettes. To celebrate this special occasion, they releasing the first ever LOMO LC-A+ special edition – LOMO LC-A+ 25th Anniversary Edition. It’s the same pocket-sized, robust, Minitar-eyed LOMO LC-A+ that we’ve loved, capable of bringing you pictures with the deepest saturation and punchy contrast, and shadowy vignettes, a look that’s distinctly LOMO. The Anniversary Edition boasts a textured skin and the 25th Anniversary badge on its body. To top it all off, the package is presented in a commemorative wooden box, proudly stamped with the 25th Anniversary logo. Available here.

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