I’ve been dreaming fixie for years now.  Finally, wifey gave me the go-ahead to get my bike, I chose the GT Gutterball.  I know I’m way late to the fixed-gear scene, but I swear… I’m a bike rider at heart, not JUST a trend-hopper.  I mean, I’m a little bit of a trend-hopper, but I’m also a bike enthusiast.

This fixie is sick, but it needs a little customizing to get it to my taste.  The frame is thankfully, basically graphic/decal free in a glossy black finish, but any biker knows the signature GT triple triangle frame design.  It comes stock with decent components, ready for some pretty comfortable city riding.  Ritchey seatpost, WTB saddle, Truvativ cranks, deep-v rims (though they have a silver brake wall, so it kind of messes up the deep-v look), Wellgo pedals and a flip-flop hub are all standard.  It also comes with a 31.8 mm Syncros mountain stem and riser bar that are, imo, way overkill.  I mean these pieces are suitable for some serious all-mountain biking (but they do make the bike more comfortable and easier to control for a newbie to fixed-gear riding), plus they’ve got ugly graphics on them.  A front and rear brake are also standard, I removed the rear and eventually I’ll go nuts and take off the front, too.

The awesome guys at Echo Park Cycles hooked me up by switching the stem out to a more subtle FSA piece, cutting down the handlebars to a more fixed-gear acceptable length and switching out the GT grips for some blue Ourys.  Aaahhh… it’s starting to look like a real, Silverlake fixie.

Soon, I’ll be switching the bars out to some flat shorties, or standard, track drop-bars.  I also want to get black spokes.  And once I’m fully comfortable with no brakes, some Velocitys or other proper deep-v.

Riding fixed is really a different experience and requires new strength and concentration, even to an avid mountain biker like me.  Heading down a steep hill and essentially trying to walk the cranks backwards against the pull of gravity is a new skill.

I got my skids down in just a few minutes, though ;)  

You can buy one here.  But if you live in LA, buy it here.

This coming weekend, December 13th and 4th, CHILDREN will be downtown at the California Market Center selling limited numbers of our new stock.  Click here for samples of what we’ll have.

Unique LA is a going to be an awesome show!  A definite one-stop spot to get all your Christmas shopping done and plus some hot goods for yourself.  Some of the standout brands that will be there (besides CHILDREN) are Johnny Cupcakes, Rock Scissor Paper, Fresh Pressed, kids brand Kingsley and our home girls at Shang-a-Lang.

And once again, CHILDREN’s own DJ Bryan Davidson will be keeping the energy high, spinning tunes aaaaallll weekend long.

The California Market Center is at:

110 East 9th Street, Los Angeles, CA (map)

We’ll see you there!

Tags: los angeles events fashion unique la streetwear tee

CHILDREN’s newest vendor is Fifty50 Grind.  A dope streetwear boutique in the LA suburb of Eagle Rock.

Fifty50 carries brands like Jeepney, Free Gold Watch, Ames Bros., and 7th Letter.  They also carry skate decks from Rhyders and they have a surprisingly stacked selection of shoes with New balance, Nike, Adidas and more. 

Check the pics below and definitely make a point to stop by this unique spot.  Say wassup to the owner Robert and his wife.

Tags: eagle rock stores fashion streetwear los angeles sneakers tee shirt

I went down to Venice Beach Boardwalk (There’s really no boards on the boardwalk, it’s just cement) the other day.  It was the first time I’d been there in a while.  Besides the local loons, bad hippie artists, tourists and crap-selling vendors, I met some real cool, uber-hip skaters.

These dudes were pimpin the no-brand name streetwear look.  Not only that, but they could skate.  Big ups for keepin Venice Beach fresh, fellas.

And on a food note… next time your at Venice Boardwalk, stop at Big Daddy’s right by the skatepark for some chili cheese fries.  They were bomb.  Sliced like potato chips, crispy on the edges, loaded with chili and cheese.

Tags: skateboard streetwear los angeles venice beach

A few nights ago we rep’d another night at Hybrid Culture at Dragonfly on Santa Monica.  The homegirl Arianna Basco throws this night, getting together bands and visual artists for a night of creativity and general good times.

The CHILDREN section:

Arianna runs an art and poetry zine called Tard and Feathered.  They had merch and zines for sale:

Some bands played that I was actually really impressed with.  I’m not the kind of guy that goes to watch local bands, I usually get bored at concerts.  But these 2 bands really rocked their sets and played some good music.

Forcefield ON was on some happy, indie tip with 3 trombonists (yes 3 trombonists) and a frontman/keyboardist/guitarist jumping into the crowd to play his solo.  Good show.

When Vajra came on I was automatically turned off by the thought of a rock band with an MC, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear a unique style and some seriously talented musicians.  The guitarist (who bought a CHILDREN shirt) ripped an insane solo and the bassist and trumpet player both killed it.

I also met Ugandan rapper Saba Saba.  He was real cool dude and you’ll see him rockin his headphone tee he bought from me.  Good lookin out Saba!

All in all a good night.  I’ll post notices next time.

PEACE!

Tags: hybrid culture hip hop fashion los angeles

Happy New Year everyone!

‘08 is here.  Seriously, WTF happened to ‘07?  I mean I know there were record temperatures this year, but there had to have also been record speeds.  I mean this was, without a doubt, the fastest year to date, right?  At least that’s what it felt like to me.

And btw, I had a seriously rock ‘n roll NYE.  My wife, my daughter and I all got the flu.  We watched half of I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and were in bed by 9.  I mean really, it doesn’t get more hardcore than that.

Anyway… 2007 was a big year for the fashion world and especially for streetwear.  Every kid I see now from about age 10 and up has got on a cool pair of skinny jeans and a pair of Vans or Dunks.  All-over prints and graphic tees (that actually don’t look bad) are sold at Target and Walmart.  There’s a skateshop at every mall (sometimes 3) and that exclusive Japan-only thing you couldn’t get before, it’s not so exclusive now.

If you walk down Melrose there are now at least 6 sneaker boutiques in about 8 blocks.  I mean that’s crazy!  Kicks Los Angeles, Capsole, 2 Sportie LAs, Kendo and the one across the street from Barracuda that I forgot the name of.  Not to mention Brooklyn Projects and Workmens which also sell kicks, plus Supreme, Flight Club LA.  Streetwear has gone bananas in 2007!

What else happened in ‘07?  Well, The Hundreds exploded.  There were 13,458 collabos (half of which Rogue Status were a part of).   9,672 new lines were launched.  Of the top 5 shoes from the top 3 shoe makers, there were 6,189 new colorways.  (These figures were researched rigidly and you can most definitely trust them.)

So what do we do?  How can we still be cool if cool has become so mainstream?  Because I’ll tell you something, the crowd on La Brea outside of Union and Undefeated these days is looking pretty unique-less if you know what I mean.  (You like that word? I made it up myself.)

We stay the course, I guess.  Pretty soon the lines that are dedicated will stick around and the ones that aren’t won’t.  Companies that thrived on producing what was hot at the moment will either have to move on or move out.  Ultra-hip clothes that go out of style in a matter of months will do just that.  And companies that make stuff that is cool and contemporary, but still classic and timeless will keep making those clothes.  I mean that’s the way it’s always worked, right?

So, I guess if you want to keep being cool just listen to the homie Napolean Dynamite: “Just follow your heart.  That’s what I do.”

On the CHILDREN front, we’ve got new designs in the works and we’ll be showing at Agenda and possibly other shows this year.  We’ll keep expanding and growing, because that’s what CHILDREN do. 

And I’ll leave you with this:  The new female mc Kid Sister featuring Kanye with Pro Nails.  There hasn’t been a good female rapper for a long time and leave it up to my favorite pop star, Kanye West, to break one.  I’m not sure if Kanye did the production on this track, but the beat is tight and it’s a fun song.  Don’t hate.

Have a great ‘08 y’all!

Tags: Streetwear fashion los angeles new year kid sister kanye west

Merry Christmas everyone. 

The season of giving and receiving has wound down and with just 1 hour and 41 minutes left until December 26th, my wallet is empty and my stomach is full.  It’s back to the grind tomorrow and my little 4 day slice of heaven is coming to a close.  I shopped, saw The Golden Compass at The Grove, ate espresso-chocolate-chips pancakes from The Griddle, hung with the fam and got not-enough sleep.  It was good times.

Next weekend will double as a UFC fight night and a second mini-Christmas party for the homies who didn’t get their gifts today.  And I’ll for sure have something written about George St. Pierre’s slaughter of Matt Hughes and Wanderlei’s utter annihilation of Chuck Liddell at UFC 79… but that’s another blog. 

Statistically speaking, it was a good holiday season for the retail industry.  People were shopping and thank God I got some of what was bought.  If you read my blog you probably know I like my streetwear clean and simple and that I like FUCT, Upper Playground and New Balance (amongst many other things, of course).  Looks like wifey was reading my blog because she got me all three.

I got this shirt from Upper Playground:

This one from FUCT:

And the pimpy velcro New Balances from Undefeated which I KNOW I saw on Freshnessmag or Highsnobiety, but for some reason I can’t find the image now.

I got my wife the Made Me tights from Karmaloop:

and also some things I picked up a the Insight sample sale here in LA.

What’d you get?

Merry Christmas everyone.  Back to the grind.

Holla!

www.wearchildren.com

Tags: streetwear christmas fashion los angeles tee shirt sneakers

This Tuesday, December 18, CHILDREN will be downtown at Soled Out Tuesdays at the Crash Mansion, 9pm-2am.

1024 S. Grand Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90015

Beat Junkies legends, DJ Rhettmatic and the ever-dope Mr. Choc will be mixing live.  Streetwear brands reppin like Temel, Honor the Brand and of course CHILDREN will be there selling their goods.

Contact me about guest list.

Hip hop and streetwear… isn’t that why we’re here?

Tags: streetwear fashion los angeles hip hop

With so many streetwear boutiques popping up all over Los Angeles it’s hard to be cool anymore. I mean it’s no secret where you got that hoodie from anymore. You can get that tee shirt anywhere and they sell your dunks at Urban Outfitters. However, I still love clothes and the stores that sell them. So this will be the first in my series of reviews of streetwear stores in the Los Angeles area. Exciting, huh?

Barracuda… Melrose’s finest vendor of upper-end streetwear. Great tee-shirt selection you don’t see everywhere else, interesting kicks and an eclectic mix of brands make this store a must-see stop when out shopping. (I’m always forgetting to take pictures of the outside of the store)

You walk in to the girls’ section on the bottom floor where brands like Insight, Stussy, Gentle Fawn, and many more grace the racks. They’ve got a nice collection of denim and tees for girls and probably the best selection of tops, sweaters and jackets I’ve ever seen. Every time, I go in there there’s something awesome I want to buy for my wife. Barracuda does a really good job buying clothes that are unique and hip without being too weird and unwearable. They’ve got uber-hip, over-sized, 80s style girls sweatshirts, fitted jackets and more.

Head upstairs to the men’s section and there’s more clothing hotness for yo ass. Barracuda always has a big selection of Stussy tees and caps… always. They’ve also got tees from RVCA, Insight, 2K, and a bunch of other brands I can’t remember. Whether you’re looking for some soft, slim-cut tees, or some standard, stiff streetwear type stuff, Barracuda gotcha covered.

Barracuda also has a kick-ass shoe selection of not only Nikes and Adidas in rare colorways, but higher end Varvatos Converse, and other shoes like that.

Like the women’s section downstairs, the men’s selection of jackets and hoodies is dope. They’ve always got nice numbers from Stussy, FreshJive and others. They recently were carrying a dope black on black camo-ish jacket from Quiksilver, not a brand you see in most boutiques like this.

While I was there they were having some crazy dope sale. Like 50% off AND buy 2 get 1 free on shoes and tees or something like that. I’m not sure if that sale is still going on, but you should definitely check it out.

Lastly, Barracuda has a whole special section dedicated to LA-based line Kazuo. Kazuo is a cut ‘n sew line with simple graphic tees and clean, bohemian-modern shirts, jackets and more. I didn’t like this line too much when I first saw it, I thought it was kind of boring, but after a while it’s definitely grown on me. The pieces are classic with a just a touch of strange.

So that’s Barracuda in a nutshell. Definitely stop by if you never have. While it’s not strictly a streetwear store, I’d say it’s the most unique store of it’s kind in LA and there are always great finds there. The best store on Melrose for sure and arguably the best boutique in LA.

Barracuda

7600B Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046

(323) 852-7179

www.wearchildren.com

Tags: streetwear los angeles fashion barracuda boutique kazuo stussy

Since my last post on FUCT, they’ve added a few new items that I really like.  Some old school FUCT flavor, graphic tees.  The first release they put out on their new site was little “Nordstrom” feeling for my taste, if you know what I mean; sort of Affliction-y  The new stuff on there, however is reminiscent of the FUCT I grew up loving.  So reminiscent, actually that it’s some of the same designs from yesteryear with a little ‘07 makeover; like the ape logo, the FUCT “LOVE” logo, etc.

Check it:

Simian since ‘91 raglan:

FUCT follies tee:

And my favorite, paying homage to the classic bike movement with the Wild in the Streets tee:

I don’t know what these tees are like.  Whether they’re slim-cut, soft cotton or regular old-school Hanes-style.  I hope they’re Hanes-style.

I’m also very jealous of the Japan-only, manly looking, slim-cut flannels.  these shirts are manufactured and sold only in the JP.  They look like they belong in SLB (which, by the way, has a rad website).  I especially dig the black one:

Holla!

www.wearchildren.com

Tags: streetwear fashion japan fuct tee shirt