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V.1 The Basement began online just over a year ago now and within that year we have amassed a following of over 10,000 members of which we are grateful for, without all you guys there wouldn’t be a Basement. With the constant feed of conversation on the group we have decided to go into print form to cement the projects we work on, imagery we put out to you guys and even get the chance to get out there and interview and document some of the artists and designers that we enjoy and feel that you the reader would enjoy. Expect to see interviews, lookbooks, event and campout recaps, a #BASEMENTAPPROVED section and free gifts that come with the magazine. We’re lucky to have such a diverse group of members that are interested in all areas of fashion, music and design, which allows us to really explore different platforms in the creation of our first printed magazine. In some way this magazine is a celebration of the past year and the things to come. Thank you. Basement Fam instagram/basementapproved | thebasementpirates.bigcartel.com Editor in Chief - Peter Mitchell | Director - Sam Hodgkinson | Photographer - Sam Hodgkinson
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Basement Classic Logo Pins Available Now Free Gift With ‘The Basement Vol.1’ 3
WORDS FROM THE ADMINS Peter Mitchell & Jake Hartwell words and photography by Sam Hodgkinson
‘The Basement’ is an online Facebook group that began little over a year ago and has amast a strong following of over 10,000 loyal followers. Followers from all over the world come together to talk about all topics. Heavy focus is on streetwear, fashion, music and lifestyle. Anyday at anytime there is always a constant feed of activity wether being members of the community talking, a raffle taking place or the release of the latest basement colaboaritve t-shirt. We recently spoke to two of the groups several admins to get there opinion on how the group has progressed and where it is heading in the future. Could you introduce yourselves and your role at the basement? PM: I’m SP. we don’t really have set roles, we’re just a group of friends collectively running the group. JH: Im Jake, I am a 20 year old Uni Student living in London. I co-run the Basement along with the rest of the team. My main role is to maintain order within the community and contribute to the output of products from the Basement. How did the basement come about and what were your intentions? PM: The Basement grew from Supreme Talk UK/EU a group I started we a friend Adam Bethell. As the community grew it was evident that we needed something else for non-supreme related topics so the basement was born. JH: The Basement was produced as a sister group to Supreme Talk UK/EU, used as an overflow to combat the frequent non-Supreme items being posted within the group. Did you ever expect the group to grow as big as it has in such a short amount of time? PM: I never expected the group to grow so fast, its amazing really.
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JH: I was not part of the creation process that created The Basement, I came around a little later. I never expected it to be as big as it is today. In just over a year we have reached 10,000+ members with a waiting list of around 2000. I get about 15 messages a day asking if I can accept them to the page so I guess we out here. How did the clothing collaborations come about? PM: We wanted Basement clothing and the collabs helped members of the group benefit too. JH: Collaborations started when we saw more and more brand owners and designers join the group and show love. We have been approached and approached different brands and solo artists and I can hand on heart say everything we have created so far has been fantastic. Thanks to Dedicated’s constant hard work we have produced some great pieces. Who are some of the brands you have worked with and how do you choice who to work with? PM: Just to name a few Kwills Dutty Streetwear Cult Gloria TMD ( soon come shhhh ) We normally get a lot of people approaching us and if it feels right then we do something. JH: Brands we have collaborated with currently are Cult Gloria, Alcatraz Beach Club, Kwills. In terms of solo designers we have worked with Dutty Streetwear, Mr Phomer and Rikki James. We work with people who share the same passion as all of us.
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With the group having a cult like following, do you feel it’s began to influence people? PM: Of course. As silly as it may sound people share a lot within the group ‘knowledge’ and you see peoples styles change as they discover new icons and brands. Its crazy. JH: The Basement 100% influences everyone to some extent. It’s a platform like no other. Every day we have multiple WDYWTD (What did you wear today?) posts and everyone gives advice and recommendations which is great to see. The Basement has so my members with different styles that all contribute and influence how we dress on a daily basis. Is the community on a whole fairly mixed or are the majority have the same interests? PM: The community is very diverse which makes it appealing to so many. JH: The community is very mixed. The one thing we all have in common is fashion but we all branch off into different interests. We have lots of DJ’s, Artists, Graphic Designers, Photographers and Producers etc. It’s great to see such a mix. How did the Crepe City event come about for you guys? PM: They’ve watched us grow from strength to strength online so why not see how it goes, plus the basement brings a whole new circle of people to Crepe City. JH: We have a healthy relationship with Morgan from Crepe City and they run the Sneaker community, we run the streetwear community, it was just going to happen. Crepe City is going to be a solid day, were bringing the best brands and a fair few tables from solo sellers. Our first large scale meetup. Do you think this could lead on to more basement events? PM: There’s already plans for Basement events. Watch this space!
JH: Crepe City is our first event. The beginning of something huge to come. We have ideas and will be planning something real soon. Would you ever like to have a physical space just for basement product? PM: That’s the goal. JH: All I have ever wanted is to run a store since early teens, it is something that I hope will happen. The way we are going at the moment I feel in a few years it is a huge possibility. We will be holding a pop up store during the summer. Imagine the fun we can have with a store right! What’s next for the group? PM: I think we’ve got our hands full for now. JH: The group is only going to grow from here, we will be maintaining the community vibes whilst allowing it to expand. The Basement Family always has space for more... Where do you see the basement within the next five years? PM: I’ll be posted on a stoop outside our store twirling one up. JH: I want a store for us within five years and I want to stock brands that have meaning. I want a store full of products that have been produced from passion and not for the money, to create a platform for talented people to showcase and sell their work and ideas. With a store we can also showcase other talent, art exhibitions, photo exhibitions, those types of things. We want to start holding nights and events too for the music orientated sides of the group. Just want to thank all of the Members on behalf of myself and the team, without you lot we wouldn’t be where we are today. Big shout out to my Brothers and team members who make all this enjoyable.
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#BASEMENTAPPROVED Mr Sneaker | Bethnal Green Rd | E2 0DJ Buy Rare and Exclusive Sneakers
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words by Sam Hodgkinson
Something out of nothing (S.O.O.N) is a small brand hailing from Hackney, East London. Quickly approaching his second year in the game S.O.O.N has been travelling the country doing events such as Crepe City and Sneaks & Peaks taking the brand on the road gaining a following across the country as well as world wide with photoshoots out in Budapest and even China.
I wanted to talk to you about the name Something Out Of Nothing, How did you come up with that for the brand?
Sticking to a classic streetwear approach of t-shirts, long sleeve t shirts, hoodies and caps all of his products are screen printed by himself in house at his studio in Hackney. With the name of the brand coming from his own experiences and attitude towards having a career in the creative industry where something literally comes from nothing and you have to stay on your grind to achieve what you want to achieve. Running the whole thing himself from design, screen printing, finance and social media its more about getting a stronger concept and quality products made rather than striving to have something out for every season so we can expect to see several capsule collections from S.O.O.N in the upcoming months, with new products from himself and a few collaborations in the pipeline to drop soon. I recently went and caught up with Jonny at his Studio whilst he was printing some t-shirts from his upcoming collaboration with Rebelyuth. The two designs of both Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons both go hand in hand with the ethos of the brand where both people built up successful business from nothing. We also got a sneak peak of what happened in China and the new collection that will be releasing in the upcoming months and its safe to say we are very looking forward to what’s coming! We also managed to catch a few words from Jonny himeself, heres what he had to say.
Did you always know that you wanted to design clothing?
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It’s a common phase that people use to describe their come-up, it’s a pride thing that people making independent money from their own talents and creativity understand. I just realised that could be a cool name for brand when compressed down into S.O.O.N
No not a tall, i fell more in love with the screen printing process and having the ability to create something, becoming a designer was more of a necessity to keep the brand consistent. Knowing that you work mostly alone on all aspects of the brand how do you find this? Tough, it’s a lot of work - i find it hard leaving things for other people to do. But i still enjoy every aspect of making it happen so it’s kool. Saying that you work alone, i know you’ve recently undergone some collaboration t-shirts with different artists how was it getting your brand ethos across through someone else’s design? The people i work with, they get it - they’re already doing it, they understand the struggle and hustle of making a living out of something that you love to do and find the story relatable, so i just trust them to produce good work inline with the vision.
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What was the main influence behind the Rebel Yuth collaboration? What was the importance of using Def Jam? I’ve always wanted to do a series of illustrations of people that have inspired me or embody the ethos of the brand in what they do. John was killing it with the portraits at the time and has a very recognisable style. I spoke to him about Russell Simmons, he mentioned Rick Rubin and it just kind of all fell into place from there. Def Jam started out in Rick’s NYU dorm room and became the largest hiphop label ever, it’s an inspirational story - an example of a real something out of nothing come up. I know your on the road a lot with the brand we’ve saw you at events in London and Birmingham selling at events such as Crepe City, how do you find doing these events and getting to meet the customer? 11
Nothing but love for S&P and the Mids, always a really fun day, brilliant event, wicked people - done it a few times now, it’s just a good vibe all around. It’s as much about the clothes as it is about the trainers. To date whats been the highlight of S.O.O.N? Always a highlight to see a SOON tee popup randomly somewhere, lets me know I’m doing an alrite job :) Are you a member of “The Basement”? and how do you find groups alike help to develop the scene that we are all heavily indulged in? It’s always good to have strong communities of like minded people to help push things forward and champion certain movements. The Basement is hidden scene unto itself really that provides an open forum for discussion, gives you some laughs and is interesting to see what members are rating and what their not -
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whether it be trainers, clothes or just general lifestyle shit. Will be interesting to see how it evolves and develops.
delivery. But, if you’ve checked off all the boxes and done your due diligence before hand you’ll be all good.
Knowing that you do all your printing in house with such attention to detail, does it become frightening sending of cut-n-sew designs to manufactures?
Finally is there any big plans for S.O.O.N this year that we can expect?
The cut/sew process can be a lengthy and expensive one and requires constant attention if you want to produce a quality product. Putting all the pieces into place - fabric sourcing, pattern cutters, the right factory etc. can be a bit of a tall task in the beginning, but once they’re all in place the process becomes more streamlined. The most nerveracking part is the wait, from when you ok the samples and put down all your money and are waiting till you take
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Couple more collaborations, more mainline S.O.O.N print and cut/sew pieces. As well as dipping into hosting some parties in the coming months and over the summer.
#BASEMENTAPPROVED A$AP YAMS Tribute T-Shirt words by Rikki James
I’m Rikki James, a 27-year-old Graphic designer, illustrator, hip-hop enthusiast and Norse Projects Junkie from London whose currently residing in Norwich. I’ve always enjoyed and followed hip-hop and its surrounding cultures and was lucky enough to hold a deputy editor/art director role at Wordplay Magazine for several years which further spawned my passion. After the mag and I parted I ways I found myself with a lot of spare time and creativity on my hands, which I channeled into creating illustrations inspired by Hip-Hop artists.
Without a doubt working on the Yam$ memorial piece has been both the most rewarding and humbling at the same time. As soon as I had heard he passed I wanted immortalize his influence on our generation in art form, what was even more fortunate was that the guys over in the Basement shared the same vision and wanted to get behind the movement in spreading the love and paying respect to a brilliant minded individual. R.I .P Yams Cozyboyz.
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The Basement x Alcatraz Beach Club Hoody
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The Basement x Jamzeeze ‘Sinners’ T-Shirt
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(From Left) The Basement x Jamzeeze ‘Sinners’ T-Shirt | The Basement x Alcatraz Beach Club Hoody | The Basement x Kwills L/S T-Shirt | Eclipse T-Shirt |
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#BASEMENTAPPROVED Footpatrol x ASICS Tiger Gel Kayano Trainer ‘Storm’ words by Foot Patrol
Footpatrol is London’s best-known destination sneaker store, with a history in supplying the most exclusive footwear. Originally opened in 2002, and relocated to its new store in 2010, it has been at the heart of supplying the sneaker fraternity with the most desirable footwear, apparel and accessories as well as providing a hub for the sneaker community to come and chat about what they love most. Specialising in new & classic sneakers, limited editions, Japanese exclusives and rare deadstock, Foot Patrol is based in the heart of quirky Soho on Berwick Street, the stores understated facade is simply a prelude to what has been achieved architecturally within. A ‘second’ shop, complete with pitched roof, has been constructed to float 25
within the store shell, assembled from an urban palette of recycled scaffold board for the floors, walls and ceiling, teamed with satin black steel for the fixtures. Designed by the famous Wilson Brothers, with inspiration taken from the hidden and tiny boutiques of Japan, the store is as much a one-off as the products within. Footpatrol is stocked with top level product from the well known brands including Nike Tier Zero, adidas Consortium, Puma List, Converse 1st String and Asics Family & Friends to name but a few, as well as the niche labels. Also stocking a few select apparel and accessory brands and own branded products, as well as hosting launches for the most sought after new releases.
The April Showers is in full effect and now the ‘Storm’ is here! Following the success of our first Gel Kayano Trainer collaboration with ASICS Tiger in 2014, we’re back again for Spring ‘15 with another rendition of the Gel Kayano Trainer entitled the ‘Storm’. Released in 1993 the ASICS Tiger Gel Kayano Trainer was born, named for its designer, who is still a vital part of the ASICS Tiger design team. The Gel Kayano was seen as a shoe that started one of the most successful lines in the history of running shoes. It utilized the tech of the day - skeletal logo stripes for support, visible THETA GEL in the heel
and porous P-GEL in the forefoot, the upper was mesh with Coolmax reinforced by synthetic suede. We wanted to take this specialized model and bring it up to date, while still echoing it’s original features. Unlike our first Gel Kayano Trainer we wanted to make the Storm stand out, taking our inspiration from vintage outdoor rain jackets which were seen in bright and bold colour schemes. Keeping the same aesthetics as our first Gel Kayano Trainer with using premium & luxurious materials, we wanted to keep the technical features of the sneaker and use the durable water resistant suede as the underlays.
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The Footpatrol x ASICS Tiger Gel Kayano Trainer ‘Storm’ is available now in-store & online. Sizes range from UK3 - UK13 (including half sizes) priced at £120. www.footpatrol.co.uk 31
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51.512921, -0.133896 26..03.15 - 00:00 Hours Supreme London 33 Supreme x Undercover Campout
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Light Work Clothing x The Basement Available Now 35
www.lightworkclothing.co.uk 36
X We will be hosting a room at the UKs biggest sneaker convention on the 25th April. Full of clothing, sneakers and exclusives items as well as a chance to all meet up together. 25.04.15 Old Truman Brewery 91 Brick Lane E1 6QL 37
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