Blog

Gary Aspden’s coveted adidas Originals Spezial imprint returns with a new long awaiting line up of footwear and apparel for the SS20 season. Featuring a wide variety of silhouettes taking reference from the adidas Originals archives, the collection draws inspiration from the look and history of the British Soul scenes. Closely observing the Northern Soul phenomenon of […]

Gary Aspden’s coveted adidas Originals Spezial imprint returns with a new long awaiting line up of footwear and apparel for the SS20 season. Featuring a wide variety of silhouettes taking reference from the adidas Originals archives, the collection draws inspiration from the look and history of the British Soul scenes. Closely observing the Northern Soul phenomenon of the 1970s through the early House/Jazz Fusion of the 80s through Acid Jazz in the 90s, the imprint and legacy of each era is seen within the latest Spezial release blended with adidas’ rich heritage in sportswear with modern technology, tooling and fabrics.

Apparel within the collection covers all bases with the terrace classic Standish Anorak, boxy-fit rain proof Holbeck Jacket, Newsam Long Sleeve Polo, two new graphic T-shirts styles and the Heswall shorts –  all featuring adidas Spezial branding. The Pleckgate Tracksuit, the standout piece of the apparel collection, is based on the fit of the Forest Gate tracksuit – a Spezial classic from back in 2017.

The footwear offering for SS20 consists of four styles – The Ashurst SPZL – based on the adidas Sydney from the City Running Series, The Lotherton SPZL which takes from the much loved Ardwick SPZL, easy-to-wear Training 76 SPZL and the Zurro SPZL, with an upper pattern based on the vintage adidas Azzurro married up with the striped midsole of an ultra rare version of the adidas Montreal 76.

adidas SPEZIAL SS20 is rounded off by a range of accessories that further highlights the collection’s Soul influence. The fan favourite SPEZIAL towel and Mod Trefoil socks return in new iterations, and are accompanied by the Summer appropriate Meanwood bucket hat which further nods toward the collections homage to Northen Soul culture.

The adidas Originals Spezial SS20 collection will be launching at The Hip Store on 11/06/20 at 11:00pm.

adidas Originals continue their city series in 2020 arriving in the German city of Frankfurt. Originally released in 1984, the Frankfurt draws design cues from the ever popular Hamburg with the same “Bluebird” luxe suede upper alongside it’s own unique velcro closure and metallic finish to the side stripes and heel. Rounded off with a […]

adidas Originals continue their city series in 2020 arriving in the German city of Frankfurt. Originally released in 1984, the Frankfurt draws design cues from the ever popular Hamburg with the same “Bluebird” luxe suede upper alongside it’s own unique velcro closure and metallic finish to the side stripes and heel. Rounded off with a vintage feel white sole unit resembling those seen on many of adidas handball silhouettes, the Frankfurt also has the signature “City Series” silver foil branding on its side wall.

The adidas Originals “City Series” Frankfurt will be launching at The Hip Store on 05/06/20 online at 11:00pm.

Following on from opening up the year collaborating with the likes of both Carhartt WIP and Reebok, Angelo Baque’s Awake NY present their new collection for Spring Summer ’20. Staying true to the brands eclectic style and vibrancy, new stand-out silhouettes are introduced such as the mohair cardigan and corduroy varisty jacket alongside tweaked staples […]

Following on from opening up the year collaborating with the likes of both Carhartt WIP and Reebok, Angelo Baque’s Awake NY present their new collection for Spring Summer ’20.

Staying true to the brands eclectic style and vibrancy, new stand-out silhouettes are introduced such as the mohair cardigan and corduroy varisty jacket alongside tweaked staples like the classic logo sweatshirt and tee arriving in a plethora of colourways.

Alongside the staple classic logo graphic, Awake continues to make their voice and stance heard politically with a Nelson Mandela portrait tee and slogan led graphics such as “in God we trust, in the President we don’t” and “civilizing the uncivilized”.

Keeping things local to their New York roots, Awake has also created a mini capsule collection which is included within the delivery – featuring original artwork from NY based artist Sam Friedman adorned on both a silk short sleeved shirt and 5-panel cap.

The Awake NY Spring Summer ’20’ collection is online now.

As we are all encouraged to stay working at home during these difficult times, we connected with friends from some of our favourite brands here at Hip to get an insight into their worlds. This week, we caught up with Eiichiro Homma – Founder and Designer of Nanamica to check in on his current situation […]

As we are all encouraged to stay working at home during these difficult times, we connected with friends from some of our favourite brands here at Hip to get an insight into their worlds. This week, we caught up with Eiichiro Homma – Founder and Designer of Nanamica to check in on his current situation at his home in Tokyo.

Hi Eiichiro, please introduce yourself and your role at Nanamica?

My name is Eiichiro Homma and I am the founder of nanamica. My role involves direction of the nanamica brand and managing the company.

Where are you currently in the world?

Tokyo

What’s your guilty pleasure working from home song?

Remote work often requires a quiet environment since there are many video meetings throughout the day. However, I am enjoying some good soul music recommended by a friend who is the owner of a soul bar and others who are DJs.

Your go to comfy WFH piece from Nanamica?

Sweat suits work best for both remote work and for dog walking. I have since shifted from such WFH wear to woven pants and woven tops since I am wondering if such easy pieces for every day wear can cause weight gain.

Sofa, desk or garden office? 

 A desk at my home office

Current media diet?

Recently I have been enjoying American TV dramas. I intend to learn more about daily life in America whilst we prepare to launch our first overseas nanamica store in New York City.

Which objects at home are keeping you sane?

Music with drinks.

What things in life have you come to appreciate more during these times?

I have come to realise the importance of the freedom of human beings and a family’s support.

If the world went back to normal tomorrow what is the first thing you’d do?

Go sailing!

There’s usually a silver lining with all tricky situations, what’s yours?

I try to consider this current situation as difficult as it is as a good opportunity for me to review our business, the lives of my staff and my life. Although I am still very busy whilst working remotely little physical contact means I can spend time thinking about these issues more objectively.

Stay up to to date with Eiichiro here view the latest arrivals from Nanamica here and keep an eye out for more in this series over the next few weeks. 

As we are all encouraged to stay working at home during these difficult times, we connected with friends from some of our favourite brands here at Hip to get an insight into their worlds. This week, we caught up with Shinya Hasegawa – Founder and Designer of Battenwear to check in on his current situation at […]

As we are all encouraged to stay working at home during these difficult times, we connected with friends from some of our favourite brands here at Hip to get an insight into their worlds. This week, we caught up with Shinya Hasegawa – Founder and Designer of Battenwear to check in on his current situation at his home in Los Angeles, California.

Hi Shinya, please introduce yourself and your role at Battenwear?

Hi, I am Shinya Hasegawa, the founder and designer of Battenwear.

Where are you currently in the world?

We live in Los Angeles, California and work out of our design studio in Topanga Canyon. Our Topanga office is currently just for my wife/partner, Carrie, and me. So, even before the pandemic we were social distancing at work!

What’s your guilty pleasure working from home song?

Our kids are really into “Blitzkrieg Bop” by the Ramones. I think they heard it in a soundtrack for a movie. Anyhow, it is played WAY too much in our house, but I still kind of love it every time it comes on.

Your go to comfy WFH piece from Battenwear?

Until recently when we started having a heat wave, I was wearing Active lazy Pants and a Reach-Up Sweatshirt every day. Recently, for the heat, I’ve been getting really into my new Weekend Shorts. This is the first season we made them and I’m very pleased with how they have turned out. I usually pair them with a Pocket Tee or our Topanga Pullover (the pullover has really good pockets for chores/gardening).

Sofa, desk or garden office? 

Garden office. The sun is getting stronger, so we set up a camping tarp over our deck for additional shade. Ever since we pulled out the camping gear, my son wants to cook outside every day, so we set him up with a way to make ramen on the camping stove while we work. I have to say, I could get used to doing work from this garden office!

Current media diet?

Books: I have had a couple of books on my shelf that I’ve been wanting to read for ages but hadn’t gotten to. Now I finally have time! I just started reading “1984”

Music: Recently, I find I’m most interested in listening to 90’s music which I used to enjoy when I was college student in Japan. Old electric music such as older Daft Punk, Stereolab, etc. Also I like a new psychedelic band called “Kikagakumoyo”

TV: I finished watching “Tiger King” along with everyone else.  

Movie: I watched “Fight Club” again recently and enjoyed it. It’s amazing how long ago it came out now.  

Which objects at home are keeping you sane?

All of our gardening stuff. When the kids are starting to go crazy from being inside, we always go out to check on our vegetable beds and fruit trees and flowers. My son has a tree that he’s trying to chop down. I think it’s therapeutic for him to hit a tree over and over. I do a lot of raking and weeding and digging to deal with stress.

What things in life have you come to appreciate more during these times?

Definitely spending time with my family. It’s been great to go on walks together every day and practice the kids’ bike riding and sports. We also have been doing lots of art projects together like making short movies. Of course, we also fight a lot. Home school is a challenge and the kids somehow always end up in our bed in the middle of the night.  Kids for sure feel stress time during these unusual times, just like us, but as a family, we get together and try to solve each member’s problems. We are bonding together in interesting ways.  

If the world went back to normal tomorrow what is the first thing you’d do?

Go surfing.

There’s usually a silver lining with all tricky situations, what’s yours?

I think of this time as an opportunity to reset my mind. I’ve been thinking a lot about what’s important to me and how to focus on those important things when I consider the future of my family, the business, etc.

Stay up to to date with Shinya and Battenwear here view the latest arrivals from Battenwear here and keep an eye out for more in this series over the next few weeks. 

As we are all encouraged to stay working at home during these difficult times, we connected with brands and friends of Hip to get an insight into their worlds. This week, we caught up with Seapunch – a local up and coming multimedia artist based in Leeds. Please introduce yourself and your work, what mediums […]

As we are all encouraged to stay working at home during these difficult times, we connected with brands and friends of Hip to get an insight into their worlds. This week, we caught up with Seapunch – a local up and coming multimedia artist based in Leeds.

Please introduce yourself and your work, what mediums do you create your work in?

My name is Antoine, also known as Seapunch. I would consider myself a multimedia artist, but I have a particular interest in zine-making and screenprinting. 

Where are you currently in the world?

I am currently living in Leeds, northern England – where I work and study.

How are you coping creatively right now, any new projects in the works?

Although I can do a lot of work from my computer, I find it particularly difficult to get in a proactive mindset while at home. However, I’m slowly adapting to the changes going on in the world and have made my desk more “work-friendly”. I am currently working on a large-format, newsprint zine which will be available in the next month or so. The zine aims to explore the themes of ephemerality and eternity through personal experiences. I am also continuing my submission-based project Atomic, which allows makers from around the world to submit work to be featured in a non-profit zine.

Current media diet?

I’m currently reading a book called: How to Get Great Ideas: A system for smart, extraordinary thinking. 

Music-wise I’m listening to a lot of: Burial, Deb Never, Shlohmo, Ratking, Mayhem, Bon Iver, 03 Greedo.

Movies I’ve recently watched: Jarhead, Wild, Parasite.

TV shows: Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Sopranos, Master of None.

What things in life have you come to appreciate more during these times?

I miss having a workplace that is separate from my house. I am always more productive when I go into studio to work, or when I sit down at a coffeeshop or library. I also really miss having access to a screenprinting workshop, as I’ve realised that this is where I do a lot of thinking.

Having been in self-isolation for three weeks has also made me realise how nice it is to be able to enjoy being outside with your friends, whether it’s sunbathing in the park or going out for a nice meal. 

If the world went back to normal tomorrow what is the first thing you’d do?

I’m going straight to Temple to get some coffee and donuts.

Outside of creating artwork, what else is keeping you sane?

These past few months I’ve developed a very spontaneous and unexpected interest in video games, so I’ve been playing a whole lot of PlayStation 4, hahaha. I would have liked to get more into cooking, but unfortunately it’s been quite a struggle to acquire many ingredients lately.

How would you describe the creative scene in Leeds?

I think Leeds has an excellent creative scene – and I think this is firstly thanks to the art and music universities, but also because of places that keep creative scenes alive such as Village Books, Brudenell Social Club, Temple of Boom, Aire Street Studios and East Street Arts (to name a few). To me it seems like Leeds is very community driven rather than competitive, which is the vibe I sometimes get from some other cities. I feel very lucky to live in a place with such a wide range of thriving creative circles that are able to inspire and uplift each other.

Are there any other upcoming Artists you suggest people checking out for?

Of course! Some artists I’m digging at the moment are: Victor Morales (@badluck777), Carole Gautier (rankochan__), Flosskees (@flosskees), Sob Story (@sobstoryy), Rob Engvall (@rob.engvall) and Yulissa Benitez (yu.lez).

Stay up to to date with Seapunch here and  keep an eye out for more in this series over the next few weeks.