Friday, November 12, 2010

UNIONMADE Gems

UNIONMADE is one of those stores that keeps me coming back thanks to their ever evolving and ever growing stock of impressive collaborations and must-haves.  A recent browse yielded two specific items that most definitely warranted a little Sart Inc face time.  First up is a really interesting take on their already popular varsity jacket collaboration with San Francisco's own Golden Bear.  The varsity vest is not for everyone, but is a great example of multiple styles coming together to create a "new classic", so to speak.  It's something you don't see as often as varsity jackets or vests and is a bold entry into the Americana canon.  While I'm not sure I could pull it off, I can appreciate people putting their own unique twist on beloved items and I can for sure appreciate that tartan lining.  Next up is a shoe that is as surprisingly hard to find as it is not so surprisingly perfect.  Alden's beefroll penny loafer speaks for itself - it does not need any clown on the internet singing its praises.  But, like I said earlier, it is surprisingly hard to find for whatever reason so a shout out was necessary.  It seems that Alden accounts are so focused on exclusive makeups these days that they neglect to stock up on the essential to end all essentials.  Whether you want black or brown, you're covered.  UNIONMADE - don't sleep on 'em.


-L.A.S

8 comments:

  1. That vest is terrible. Only dudes who wear Dunks and BAPE will buy garbage like that.

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  2. Damn, just bought some Bass Weejun beefrolls. I should have waited and bought these instead. The leather looks way better.

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  3. Wonder how this beefroll compares to the Oakstreet Bootmakers?

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  4. Growing Up In Jersey: Part I

    People often ask me what it was like growing up in Mahwah, NJ, and honestly my answer remains the same: it was the shit.

    As former "Thunderbirds" from Mahwah High, Lawrence and I were no strangers to the b-ball / hip-hop scene, though our primary interest laid in nu-metal. And really no band exemplified this better than nu-metal heavy weights, Korn. Or KoЯn for you fucking purists. Anyway, when Untouchables was released in 2002, we couldn't have been anymore ecstatic. See, you have to realize that Issues was our soundtrack of '99, and it had been over three years since we got our last fix from the band.

    Enter June 11, 2002. I remember the day like it was yesterday. Lawrence and I had just finished a track meet, and we had both parted ways heading home. When I got back to my parents' place, my mother was busy prepping dinner, and she had asked me to pick up a couple things at the grocery store for one of the dishes she was making. Minutes later, I received a text from Lawrence telling me to meet him at his place so the two of us could head over to Sam Goody to grab the new KoЯn record. Fuck is all I could think. I totally forgot that the record had dropped, and that the two of us had plans to drink slurpies and head bang to the record that night. I was obviously in a bit of a dilemma, though I figured if I rode my Haro bike quickly over to L's pad, we'd head over to Sam Goody, then I could swing by A & P, grab the groceries, then head home for dinner. However, once we got the record, there was just no way I was going to be able to head home immediately. KoЯn does just that: makes you loose your shit. So, we popped our copies of Untouchables in our Sony discman's and headed over to 7/11 for Big Gulps.

    Now, I'm not sure if it was the screeching of Jonathan Davis's ethereal vocal pipes or our insulin levels after downing Super Big Gulps, but the last thing I remember was waking up on my front lawn with nothing but my Haro, a copy of Untouchables in a plastic bag and my discman shattered to bits on the driveway.

    After regaining my composure, I headed inside to the pleasant greetings of my Mother cursing my name in vain for being so late. She then proceeded to grill me for not picking up the groceries. Then, she yanked the plastic bag from my hands, and asked me "What the hell this is?" I took a deep breath, smiled and said "It's what you asked me to pick up: KoЯn."

    Oh, the irony.

    PP

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  5. Paul- Incredible (no sarcasm). Thank you for taking the time to write that. I can't wait for Pt. II.

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  6. having grown up in the same time, that story is making me misty eyed. Incredible. Bravo

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  7. Thanks, gents.

    Perhaps your readers over at HTTTGAP might be interested in learning about our past.

    PP

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  8. You can find similar varsity vests by the Brooklyn Circus/BKc. It's the one that one of the Black Ivy guys is sporting. Definitely not for everyone but it's a great twist on a classic.

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