HIP 101 THINGS WE LIKE SS23 ZINE – PUBLISHED WITH FRIEND EDITIONS
101 THINGS WE LIKE for SS23 brings together all our tastes and interests here at HIP. Whether it’s a brand, style, fabric or trend, THIS ZINE presents a guide to all our favourite things currently at HIP HQ, as we continue to showcase our own take on modern living.
New York Based Friend Editions is the creative output of Oliver Shaw. Established in 2022 with the goal to build a community through art, publishing and products, aiming to champion a range of new and diverse talent. Visit HIP Leeds to browse our Friend Editions library display whilst picking up your copy of the HIP 101 THINGS WE LIKE SS23 ZINE.
Available for free at:
HIP Leeds – 49-51 Vicar Lane, LS1 6DS
Village Books Leeds – 10-12 Thornton’s Arcade LS1 6LQ
Village Books Manchester – 131 Oldham St, M4 1LN
Mag Culture London – 270 St John St, EC1V 4P
In USA via Friend Editions
Explore the collection of items in the zine here – featuring all our favourite things currently at HIP HQ, as we continue to showcase our own take on modern living.
Universal Works SS23 At HIP
A firm favourite at HIP – Universal Works is a brand that could only be born in Britain. Created in 2008 by David Keyte – an alumni of Paul Smith, Maharishi and Albam – this is a brand shaped and defined by working class upbringing, pride in appearance and a deep appreciation of the musical and sporting subcultures that underpin the everyday life of British men. Universal Works takes its cultural and contextual heritage and layers it underneath a nuanced understanding of the requirements of contemporary menswear. The label presents refined and intricate pieces that will enhance any modern men’s wardrobe.
Universal Works SS23 at HIP – Online now.
HIP Blueprints SS23 – Issue 2
HIP Blueprints SS23 presents a considered range of style profiles aligned to our taste here at HIP HQ. For May – we showcase new season clothing, footwear and accessories from Beams Plus, Carhartt WIP x Awake NY, adidas Originals, South2 West8, Needles, Adsum, New Balance & more.
Day In The Life – Mellow Luxury With KwolleM
Recently at HIP we caught up with KwolleM in his local area of Newham, East London, spending a day in the life with him as we showcase our latest Luxury Edit for SS23 – featuring selections from Andersson Bell, Visvim, Auralee, Martine Rose, A-COLD-WALL*, 4SDESIGNS, GR10K & Reese Cooper. KwolleM’s unique style blends all his different influences and experiences, experimenting with luxury silhouettes and fabrics whilst retaining elements from his London upbringing.
KwolleM is a multi-disciplinary creative immersed in the UK’s music and fashion scenes, having worked with British labels A-COLD-WALL* and PLACES+FACES and pioneered the ‘Mellow Grime’ movement which alters the genre’s gritty sound with soulful beats taken from hip-hop, soul, garage and R&B. KwolleM’s music began with the Mellow EP in 2015 – the first time we heard his unique juxtaposition of these different sounds. In 2020 KwolleM released the c2c EP alongside friend and fellow UK artist Joe James, generating mass attention as it developed the Mellow Grime sound, taking listeners on a musical journey through an Essex to East London train ride filled with nostalgia and personal memories from the pair.
We caught up with KwolleM to talk new music, growing up in London, what’s next and more.
Explore our Luxury Edit for SS23 at HIP – Online now.
Firstly, what have you been up to recently?
As always – balancing work & making music.
What does a usual day look like for you at the moment, do you have any non-negotiable routines or habits?
The only non-negotiable for me is gym 4 evenings a week, usually after work – that & opening up FL Studio once a day.
Growing up in Newham, what were you wearing and listening to?
Newham was where I spent my entire teens, so I kinda moved with the times. I did have the benefit of having a JD Outlet near my house though, so I always had Air Max on feet – whether it was a Windrunner, Air Max Lights (or whatever made it to the outlet). For clothes it went from Nike tracksuits to Ralph Lauren tracksuits to Hollister, before I actually had any sort of fashion education. I would’ve been listening to Grime (BBK, Meridian, Ghetts, P Money) & UK Rap (Blade Brown, Youngs Teflon, Krept & Konan, G FrSH).
How did you get into the fashion industry and connect with brands like A-COLD-WALL* and PLACES+FACES?
A friend of mine knew Samuel Ross (Founder of ACW*) & was going to help with their first runway show – I asked if I could come help him & I ended up opening the show for ACW* – a couple more moments assisting as an intern & we both ended up working there full time. Places+Faces happened through a throw ball from my wife who was working there, as they needed someone to handle their E-commerce which I did at ACW* – this was made easier by the fact I already knew everybody at the company.
What are your main style influences at the moment?
Honestly don’t have any. My style is & will always be an amalgamation of the all the significant people I know & meet – those encounters are few & fair between, so no real influences at the moment.
How has your style evolved from growing up in London to now after travelling and working in the industry?
With the widened world view came a widened sense of style – going to Asia made me more comfortable with baggier silhouettes. – working in luxury fashion made me more comfortable with different materials like mesh, etc.
You have been a major proponent of the Mellow Grime movement, what influenced you at the time to the make the Mellow EP and fuse together such different sounds?
I started making music around the same time as Soundcloud become super popular, which also happened to be when Grime was having a resurgence with the likes of AJ Tracey, Jammz & Novelist becoming popular – so the combination seemed like an obvious choice for someone who liked listening to both.
The c2c EP captures the nostalgia and feeling of East London/ Essex – can you talk about what the EP and train route means to you?
c2c leaned towards Joe & I’s upbringing in Essex – the idea being of having stories from each stops reflecting our constant journeys on the c2c & the significance it would’ve had.
It looks like you’ve done a fair bit of travelling, what’s your favourite destination (and why)?
Tokyo for sure, the culture, the food, the vintage clothes!
Any favourite books, music, brands or artists we should know about or keep an eye out for?
Without mentioning the obvious, I’d say – Bonne Huit, Clints, ADWYSD, Thug Club, & for artists, Dexterinthenewsagent, Jim legxacy.
HIP Nepenthes SS23 Editorial
Founded in 1988 in a small space in Tokyo, Nepenthes was founded by Keizo Shimizu and later joined by Daiki Suzuki. Nepenthes house a selection of innovative brands that present a range of styles that are all able to blend and be worn together in a unique way. Brands under the Nepenthes umbrella combine American culture, a love for Japanese craftsmanship and outdoor lifestyle.
With several locations worldwide, we visited Lucas and Issac who work in the Nepenthes London store on the historic Woburn Walk street to highlight Needles, South2 West8 and Engineered Garments latest collections for SS23.
Needles, South2 West8 and Engineered Garments SS23 Collections at HIP – Online now.
Community Culture: Bernie’s Grocery Store – New Balance 576 & 991 ‘Made In UK’
To highlight new seasonal styles of the New Balance 576 & 991 ‘Made In UK’ – we met up in Altrincham, Greater Manchester with Will and Beth – owners and founders of Bernie’s Grocery Store.
Influenced by local corner shops of days gone by, Bernie’s is focused on providing the local community with a wide range of fresh produce, bakery goods and coffee – alongside an exciting range of independent suppliers in emerging categories and more – with the store evolving further into a community hub with cooking classes, pop-up restaurants and even comedy shows taking over the space on evenings.
Produced at New Balance’s iconic Flimby factory in Cumbria, UK – the fan favourite New Balance 576 and 991 ‘Made In UK’ return for this SS23 in new seasonal tones – giving a contemporary feel to these staple silhouettes whilst uniquely celebrating the culture of ‘Made In UK’.
Follow Bernie’s Grocery Store here.
New Balance 576 & 991 ‘Made In UK’ at HIP – Online now.
