CHEMICAL: December 2013

Friday, 13 December 2013

AKOMPLICE

Colorado brand Akomplice describe themselves as 'a movement...characterised solely by the love inherent in each individual moment', with the philosophy 'Evolution Through Innovation'. With an impressive catalogue of projects and collaborations, often philanthropically or politically motivated, the brand are definitely making an impact by bringing something refreshingly unique to the industry.

For the Holiday season Akomplice have produced several capsule collections, most notably joining forces with the J Dilla Foundation and Joey Bada$$ by fusing unreleased music from the late great artist, with that of the contemporary and popular Brooklyn emcee. The project aims to use influential hip hop figures to bring awareness of youth's access to music, with profits going to fund inner-city music programs and helping underprivileged kids . Unfortunately we don't have the record in, but we have the t-shirt which features a print depicting a nimbus cloud effigy of Dilla's head.

The rest of the collection includes a collaboration with artist Michael Cina, featuring an awesome 'Black Ocean' print t-shirt, bucket hat, and 5 panel; as well as photographic print t-shirts by Ricky Powell of iconic figures such as Andy Warhol. Other capsules include a 'Flamingo & Tucan' 5 panel and pocket t-shirt, as well as a flamingo print tee and sweat, and embroidered beanie. For the most sartorially daring, there's also a purple tie-die sweater with a large photographic print of Seinfeld's George Costanza.

A brilliant and original range from a distinctly individual brand, Akomplice are definitely ones to watch...be sure to check out the whole collection on the site.

Akomplice x Michael Cina `Black Ocean` Bucket Hat, Box Logo T-Shirt, All Over Print T-Shirt, 5 Panel Cap

`Dilla x Akomplice` T-Shirt

Akomplice x Ricky Powell `Basquiat & Warhol` T-Shirt, `Black Beatle` T-Shirt

`Flamingo Love` T-Shirt, `Doo Boy` Knitted Beanie

`Costanza` Sweater

`Gradient Of Smoke` T-Shirt

`Flamingo & Pelican` 5 Panel Cap, `Flamingos & Tucans` T-Shirt

`Renny` T-Shirt

Tuesday, 10 December 2013

SON OF WILD ARRIVES AT CHEMICAL

We love seeing fresh UK talent emerging on the scene, especially when it's local; that's why we're particularly excited to welcome new brand Son of Wild - the brainchild of Bristol boys Jake Phillips and Tim Chapman. The young designers are no strangers to the game, having successfully run their own clothing store "My Yard" on Bristol's Park Street for a number of years, as well as a namesake graphic tees and sweats label.

The boys shut up shop a few years ago to concentrate full time on developing the My Yard label, a move that paid off, with the brand consistently producing killer designs, leading to international recognition (this was wonderful for us to see, having been loyal stockists of My Yard since it was launched in 2009). Although the brand was enjoying great success, the collections were still largely limited to graphic tees and sweats; not enough of a challenge for accomplished designers Jake and Tim who were eager to push their skills to new levels. Thus the creation of Son of Wild came about; with a more directional and detailed aesthetic in mind, and a range primarily focused on cut-and-sew pieces such as printed shirts.

Son of Wild's AW13 collection shows a remarkably strong and evolved sense of identity, especially considering this is the brand's inaugural season. Inspired by Apache and Eastern style patterns, Jake and Tim have implemented bold and unique prints to create a range that seamlessly blends streetwear and high fashion.

The brand has only been online a few days, and is already having a great reaction. Here's a selection of some of the items we've had in, see the website for full range.

Shop Son of Wild

"Apache" Shirt

"Cairo" Shirt

"Apache" T-Shirt

"Tapestry" T-Shirt

"Jagged Diamonds" T-Shirt

"Bombay" T-Shirt

Wednesday, 4 December 2013

CROOKS & CASTLES X MONOPOLY BOARD GAME

Following the success of the Monopoly x Crooks & Castles clothing collection, the brand has now once again joined forces with Hasbro and USAopoly to create a collector's edition of the Monopoly board game. The Crooks & Castles stamp is evident across all aspects of the game, from adorning the box and board with their trademark bandana print; to custom cards, currency and tokens. We also notice an emphasis on luxury, with train stations replaced with a Bullet Train, Executive Heli-Pad, Clear Port, and Yacht Harbour. In place of original game pieces such as the top hat, boot, scotty dog etc, are Crooks and streetwear-inspired objects such as a fitted hat, retro trainer, and the co-founder’s French Bull-dog.

The Monopoly x Crooks & Castles board game was released on Black Friday, and to celebrate the launch, last Tuesday the brand hosted a Monopoy tournament at their Fairfax store, with a guest list that included Nipsey Hussle, Casey Veggies, Omarion, Karrueche Tran, Christina Milian, Dom Kennedy, Joel Madden, I am Su, Jo Koy and Russell Simmons. The streetwear crew were also there in force to show their support, with Javier Nunez of Supreme, Bobby and Ben Hundreds, Nick Diamond, Keith from Huf, plus Geoff and Teron from Black Scale to name a few all enjoying a night of food, drinks, beats and board games.

We're excited to announce that we will shortly have two Monopoly x Crooks & Castles games to give away, so keep your eyes and ears peeled over the next couple of weeks to be in with a chance of winning this awesome collector's item.