Bright Magazine Issue 06 / Spring 12 english by paale

Michael Leon — Dylan Rieder — Berlinopoly — The Art Of Sponsoring — Kelly Bird — Independent Art Book Stores — Jacket Required

Issue 06 / Spring 12

MEN’S COLLECTION (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT CORNER) Moss Mountain Vest, True Believers Shirt & The Maxwell Sweater IRA Jacket & the Mr. Angelo Ties & Snake Eyes Belt The Beckett Boot, Standard Beanie & the Practical Magic Cord

PHOTOGRAPHY: KALE J FRIESEN STYLED: MILA FRANOVIC

WWW.BENCH.CO.UK

WOMEN’S COLLECTION (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT CORNER) Varsity Sweater & Sally Skirt Lyric Sunglasses & Rossland Mitts Striped Sammy Top & Plaid Sammy Top Ashley Watson x Lifetime Collborative Leather Bag & Gray Pack

visit us at booth 116 / Bright Tradeshow

www.lifetimecollective.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: KALE J FRIESEN STYLED: MILA FRANOVIC

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Bright XIV – Bright Magazine VI Create your own uncool

Screenshot taken from “The Bruce Movie“ DVD, Volcom inc., 2005

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Welcome to Bright XIV! There are many ways to react to what’s happening in the world right now: you can become an activist or a dreamer, shed a tear or join a party, create some ruckus or do things alley-oop, start your own rating agency or go all hedonistic like it was the nineties, drink and forget or sit back and think about how you want to push things forward in 2012. It’s up to you, to all of us. It might not look that way, but let’s say the future is Bright. Let’s make this our self-fulfilling prophecy for the new year. In fact, Aaron Rose recently reminded us of the fact that Sol LeWitt (1928-2007), artist and maker of “structures”, said it best, almost 50 years ago:

Learn to say “Fuck You” to the world once in a while. You have every right to. Just stop thinking, worrying, looking over your shoulder wondering, doubting, fearing, hurting, hoping for some easy way out, struggling, grasping, confusing, itchin’, scratching, mumbling, bumbling, grumbling, humbling, stumbling, numbling, rumbling, gambling, tumbling, scumbling, scrambling, hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning, horse-shitting, hairsplitting, nit-picking, piss-trickling, nose sticking, ass-gouging, eyeball-poking, finger-pointing, alleyway sneaking, long waiting, small stepping, evil-eyeing, back-scratching, searching, perching, besmirching, grinding, grinding, grinding away at yourself. Stop it and just DO! Don’t worry about cool, make your own uncool. Make your own, your own world. Excerpt from a letter by artist Sol LeWitt to Eva Hesse, 1964

5 – Bright Magazine www.iriedaily.de • info@iriedaily.de • IRIEDAILY is a trademark of W.A.R.D. GmbH. Styled in Berlin

BRIGHT TRADESHOW BERLIN 19.01.-21.01.12 • ROOM 253/1 2ND FLOOR

Imprint

Publisher Bright GmbH & Co KG Hohenstaufenstraße 13 – 27 60327 Frankfurt +49 (0)69 66962158 hello@brighttradeshow.com

www.brighttradeshow.com

Art direction Tobias Friedberg, Paale Lüdcke

www.aokimatsumoto.com Photography Megan Cullen, Maxime Ballesteros, Thomas Wolfzettel, Vera Albers, Yasmin Martinelli, Sven Fortmann, Paale Lüdcke

Creative direction Marco Aslim, Thomas Martini

Proofreading Yasmin Martinelli, Renko Heuer

Editor in chief / Production Sven Fortmann

Translation (english–german) Katja Vaders

Editors

katja@vaders.de

Yasmin Martinelli, Renko Heuer

Print Contributing editor Nada Carls

Additional texts & helping hands

BluePrint AG Lindberghstraße 17 80939 München

www.blueprint.de

Lisa Schmidt, Marchell Salgado, Stefan Batsch

www.brightmagazine.de

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News & Brands “We are shaped and fashioned by what we love“

08—38

RVCA The color and the shape.

Text: Y.Martinelli Inextricably connected to the arts and street graffiti subculture scene through its Artist Network Program, Costa Mesa-based RVCA keeps the spirit of carefree, beachy California alive in their clothing line whilst carefully following the trusted recipe of ANP, having proved a fruitful enterprise since its founding in 2001. Perhaps quite fitting for such an established brand, the vintage aspect continues to be a central theme at RVCA with "wide bands of colour, coloured stitching and a generally softened tone palette present," men's designer, Emmanuel Mouazan describes. RVCA also suggests that a SS 12 influence for men would be a “clean black style, reminiscent of the powerful personality of Ian Curtis of Joy Division, with darker colourways in cotton, twill and denim fabrics.” If clothing with a few nods in that New Wave direction can carry half the bellowing darkness and potency of an aforementioned Mr. Curtis, save some of that swag for me. Reeling from a sparkling glam rock fantasy or even high tea sitting, pansies posies, and poppies romantically surface on RVCA’s SS 12 shiny biker jacket as well as floral printed babydoll dresses. In this collection, the brand really sees a rise of 70s / 80s “rock'n flower inspiration.” Crybaby meets Heathers meets Valley Girl meets Vampire’s Kiss. For men and women,

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RVCA pushes “Basquiat style” in their line, really getting rocked in a combination of different silhouettes such as the oversize top with a very tight bottom. The strategy of RVCA boardshorts will be to maintain the current theme as it has already been approved on the knits with their ANP and its particular vintage T H to E their B A L A combining N C E O F O P P O S dye touch. For SS 12 RVCA sticks roots; boardshorts with artists (Barry McGee, Danny Fuller, DMOTE) and keeping a certain vintage aspect such as large stripes, dyed colour palettes and colour stitching. They also focus on two directions: research and development on stretches, with for example the 4-way mechanical stretch combined with rayon to improve comfort and reduce stitching. The modern retro trend is bringing back the use of 100% cotton fabrics such as chambray or oxford, especially on RVCA Walkies (the boardshort and walkshort in one). The integration of RVCA within the GSM group Europe sees the brand growing in the European market and will get RVCA closer to European customers while they continue to do their thing - bringing street art and beach culture together in their products, diversifying themselves from the mass, and sailing valiantly into the future.

www.rvca.com

Lifetime Collective

Bleu de Paname Excuse my French.

Text: Forty Nine reasons why we love Parisian brand-du-jour Bleu de Paname: 1. Within a mere three years they’ve established themselves as a clothing label and tastemaker, which proudly embodies the rich heritage of their country. 2. The Japanese Denim they use for their – well - denims, is the only material that’s not manufactured in France. 3. This will soon change as the creators of BdP are currently developing a French Denim that might see the light of day as early as this year. 4. The uniform they made for English tastemakers DSM for their

Bullet the grey sky.

Text: Forty An oversized formatted mag that delivers an almost perfect balance between content and style? Check! A heavily impressive artist roster from the fields of music, design, skateboarding and whatnot under their collective belt that combines outstanding talent from both sides of the Atlantic? Check! Promotional videos, which trick you into believing you’ve just watched a teaser for a movie that’s going to premier at Sundance next year? Check! And last but not least, a collection that paradoxically gets bolder and more laidback with every season? Check! Vancouver-based brand Lifetime sure has come a long way from their humble beginnings in 2002 to the ever-changing tastemaker of now, even though their family-spirited operation always remained true to its very core: being receptive to ideas that are shifting and paths that are twisting. For their forthcoming spring/summer collection Lifetime brings in the goods in the form of Italian knits, teecollaborations with artists like Hunter Longe and Jay Howell, and a whole range of new accessories like sunglasses, bags, shoes and even blankets. The most outstanding collaboration though probably is with leatherwork mastermind extraordinaire Ken Diamond that blossomed into a series consisting of a leather wallet with matching lan-yard and belt as well as moccasins for both men and women.

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effective fall/winter collection simply killed it. 5. BdP’s latest garment doesn’t only cite the heydays of workwear, but takes references from the great expeditions of the 20th century as well. 6. They are single-handedly responsible for the rebirth of the great “French Moleskin“ fabric. 7. In 2012 they’ll continue to showcase the vast expertise of continental production through contemporary design and hand-picked collaborations. 8. They already added a women’s collection to their repertoire in 2011, a kids collection will follow anytime soon. 9. Keeping in mind that you have to spend a solid €8 for a coffee and a croissant on the streets of Paris, BdP’s price range suddenly feels almost like a bargain.

www.bleudepaname.com

RVCA The color and the shape.

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www.rvca.com

Ezekiel

It has to be Metal-Rap.

Text: Nada Carls Long-time buddy, ex-és rider and exceptionally gifted skate-pro Mark Frölich teamed up with Ezekiel again for their SS 2012 collection. The German rider has lived in Barcelona for some years now but he’s got his roots in Wuppertal and to put it straight: the Wuppertaler Wicked Woods hall is the place where he started skateboarding. Getting to know some of his habits and listening to some of his quotes, well, it seems to be okay to call him the epitome of a German skateboarder. On a daily basis he eats a proper package of cornflakes and for dinner he pigs out over three plates of Spaghetti Bolognese. Whenever you meet him, whenever he’s leaving, whenever there is something to comment on he’ll probably say: “Atat.” He may have thought the film’s correct title was ‘Marks Attacks’. And for his 25th birthday in 2011 the biggest birthdaypresent was self-manufactured with some of his friends: the independent skate video “Mosh it down." So what can we expect from this extra-ordinary gourmet and extraterrestrial prig? “He’s one of the most hard-working skaters I know. There’s no day without skating and it seems as if his mood rises and falls with every trick he rolled away with." Oli Tielsch of Ezekiel comments. In terms of the signature designs for Ezekiel, Mark has a clear vision and an authentic concept: ”It has to be Metal-Rap – tight pants, big shirt.” For those expecting crazy designs and colourful prints it might be surprising getting introduced to a plain black woven shirt and solid black army cap. These pieces, appearing with the SS 2012 range, just reflect his opinion in keeping it simple and staying authentic. With the small tiger logo detail he chose for the patches he emphasises once more his attitude as a skate-a-holic: "A tiger is just a steezy animal, it‘s wild, fast, and good looking… and not as lazy as a lion!“ So we say to Mark-The-Tiger-Frölich: thanks for going wild and keep moshing the next 25.

www.ezekieleurope.com

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CTRL Animal instinct.

Text: Y. Martinelli

505 Confidently now.

Text: Y. Martinelli Home-brewed ingenuity stemming from the trappings of peaceful countryside scenery. Not everyone’s cup of tea or ideal setting for enterprising but then again, overcrowded, traffic-ridden cities aren’t always a candy-coloured cakewalk either. Born out of Casera, Italy in 2009, 505 keeps it simple and strong with quality Italian fabrics, produced 100% in Italy. The collection peeps minimal geometric colourblocking pieces and a pallete of aptly-favoured colours on the greyscale. Timeless tees and knits with hints of fiery red make up this season’s offerings. "Imagine a mix of platoons that form a single army, or a blender full of ideas, innovations, confirmations and bets; it’s like taking a case and putting in something good every day, enough as it takes to grow. Cunning, power, and inner serenity are the key points for the success of a brand such as 505, that is always ready to surf the higher waves with an eye to the future and another one on the past." - Nico Di Lella of 505

www.505fiveofive.it

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Jungle life has an enthusiastic tarzan boy living in the open, listening to the native beat that carries on. It’s not only the Italian New Wave dance outfit Baltimora that knows just how to get down on a sunny afternoon. CTRL Clothing launches its SS12 “The Animal Chin” Collection in hot step with extravagant prints and oversized, billowy freshness. On the girls’ side, the look wavers between a boyishly grungy vibe to a playful punk or even gangsta aesthetic with long-sleeve calf length dresses, voluminous tops and shirt dresses, cutoff shorts, and variations on a camo and cheetah print on different pieces. For men, the Finnish fashion label boasts quirky t-shirts with motifs like Flying Teapot, King Tut, and an apparently fictitious DJ Herb. Classic button downs, jackets, knits, and the recurring cheetah print are also in fine representation. Sold in more than 20 countries, CTRL has a new online store in the making, which will be broadened to selling posters, sculptures, and ceramics. They also have an additional lookbook and short film coming out for the SS12 collection, starring Dan and Alex of Handsome Furs. Oh-a, oh-a, oh-a, oh-a, oh-a, etc.!

www.ctrlclothing.com

G–Shock When the going gets tough…

Text: Forty It’s no secret that often the most significant ideas are rather simple. And it’s actually no different with ToughArtivists. com, a new digital platform for aspiring artists brought into being by G-Shock. This website basically is accessible for each and everyone, a playground to present your artistic vision and skills, and - maybe most importantly – a playground to elaborately introduce projects of yours while exposing and discussing possibilities of advancement and promotion. The driving forces behind this project then decide about the best way to implement these advancements, which can happen in the form of consulting, intercession, and even financial matter. Too much dubious artwork is pushed into the spotlight these days, just because people mingle in an assumingly hip environment. Luckily it’s a bit different with ToughArtivists.com: it doesn’t matter if you have an academic background or are completely self-educated, it doesn’t matter if your creative weapon of choice is a spraycan or a brush, it doesn’t matter if your closest 500 friends “like“ what you do on your facebook, or if you’ve felt too insecure to show your true colours to the world before… it’s finally back to basics, where all that really counts is quality and an original and fresh view on urban arts.

www.toughartivists.com www.g-shock.eu/de

Iuter Last exit Milano.

Text: Y. Martinelli A few things are clear about the guys over at Iuter and they’re first to admit themselves, they like to party and they don’t give a fuck. “Surfing the web on a Friday night is for losers,” says they.... better go out and ride a double overhead wave of debauchery instead. You’ve got to be one happy employee if company policy runs like this and yet clearly doesn’t get in the way of producing quality products with genuine ingredients, season after season. Whether it’s been crazy adventures in the Dolomite Mountains of Northern Italy, famous for skiing in the winter months and mountain climbing, hiking, climbing, and base jumping in summer and late spring, or a series of other random expeditions that’s influenced them, Iuter commands a fearless, driven approach to design. They know their materials and it shows - with jackets and knits that help weather the storm in the coldest of months to bright tees and crisp, but not nerdy button down shirts for warmer times, the brand has got it spot-on. Buzzing off some of Milano’s finest espresso, where the brand is based, Iuter harnesses a buckwild take on graphic tee designs with this humourous edge extending most recently to their beheading and staged scalping of a giant teddybear for their ultracosy FW 11 fleece collection and psychedelic safari-infused SS 12. The MA-1 bomber jacket, vivid patterned crew necks (roses, leopard, Aztec-inspired) of varied textures, and etched leather goods are just a few pinnacles to look out for in this collection. Allora!

www.iuter.com

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Element

Tales from the other side of the periodic table.

Text: M. Salgado

What are the building blocks of matter? Elements - and without these we would be floating around in an empty space of grey, bumping into each other like bouncing balls in a lottery machine. Fortunately, in 1992, a new creative type of matter was discovered and given the name Element. It started as Underworld Element but lacked some key components to become lucrative and most importantly, self-standing. A network left in ruins, resurrected by the vision of one Johnny Schillereff. Being a skater and directly involved, Mr. Schillereff embraced what he knew and excelled in it. The first step was to drop the Underworld bit keeping hold of the positive Element. Now, 20 years later, when the cool, interesting common man thinks of Element it's synonymous with a positive skateboarding brand. Their team is not only made up of skaters but also artists, designers, photographers, musicians, and poets. Every striving human that has a voice. These advocates of Element possess the no fear gene to show their talent and to follow their dream. To have a company take pride in individuals that have individuality and self worth, found by looking inward and connecting with nature is an admirable feat that nourishes us to grow. Element has a good eye when it comes to representing themselves through works of muses. A vast kaleidoscope of diversity, Dallas Oberholzer is one of them, a humanitarian native of South Africa who has helped tribal children in rural Zululand to skate and to respect nature. There's also Kendra Jones, a documentarist that brings light to murky matters. Element is aiding a new generation to follow in exploring the great within themselves with worthy role models. 14 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bright Magazine

All this is done from where the company has grown. From the boards to the clothing and it's many sub-brands. Three, that definitely stand out today are the Eden, Wolfeboro, and Emerald. Eden has undertaken a fresh, comfortable, confident femininity feel. Live, Learn, Grow (LLG); is the slogan for the sub-brand. Three words that represent the latest collection brought through the eyes of one of the most inspiring advocates, Amy Purdy. Amy has been through more than many of us could fathom but she found her inner strength to become a role model. She lost her legs at the age of 19 due to Meningitis. She is a title holding snowboarder and also fancies skating and wake-boarding. Amy sits down with team Eden and they bring a line that relates to that lively girl. And to cover up, Eden features the coat collection, whose solid garments endure time and weather. It showcases an understanding of how women like to feel in clothing; comfortable, pretty, and attractive.

Wolfeboro is the line that is needed when days become shorter but enable you to stay out longer. These mens jackets withstand the impenetrable winter climate like cosy intensive incubators. Element brought us the Omaha High not so many moons ago. They continue to impress with the Emerald Collection with the likes of the Hampton Boot, the Prescott, not to mention their V Series, all in their unique design. Hampton is featured in a rugged deck boot which also comes in the Elite and V-series. V standing for Vibram; durable composition of rubber soles. The DNA to really good gripping power whether hiking mountains or jumping on a trampoline. You'll be secure in every step down the yellow brick road towards the Emerald Collection.

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A key factor of Element is to be socially conscious for the world we live in. Even though this is a statement many companies seem to brush under the rug, Element stays true. They respect the 4 elements of life; earth, wind, water, and fire. They make sure to produce minimal backlash to our world... which translates directly to us. They have been able to combine special compounds and methods to keep each piece durable as well as being eco-friendly. Needless to say, the chemistry your body has with Element is organically awesome.

www.elementeurope.com

Gravis/Analog

It runs in the family.

Text: Y. Martinelli Headed up by skate industry veteran Mark Oblow as creative director at Gravis headquarters in Irvine and past master boarder Greg Poissonnier as European marketing manager in Hossegor, France, the brand’s number one rule is that they listen to their riders and incorporate their input on what they like. Gravis tends to be a bit more stylish and fashionable than your traditional skate brand, as their riders Dylan Rieder, Arto Saari and Sammy Winter so demonstrate. The shoes may cost a bit more than your average pair, but that’s no surprise considering the finer materials they use, like grain leather and waxed canvas, in a slim outline with hidden innovation that you can’t always see like their Cloud 9 footbed for impact absorption... they’re also such that you can also wear a pair of Gravis anywhere and look sharp. At the time of launching Gravis in 2008, the design team looked at the market and it seemed all these people who didn’t skate wanted to look like skaters with their big-logo shoes, with a logo on every side. “We could’ve also just copied other shoes and added a logo with Arto’s or Dylan’s name. Most people just take a Half-Cab or Dunk and tell their riders “pick a logo” or “pick a colourway.” Instead, when we did the Dylan shoe, he took a blank piece of paper himself and started drawing.” Not many brands can say that. The Dylan shoe placed Gravis on the market in terms of who they are and what they’re about in skateboarding. At first they received substantial criticism, and a lot of it went against Dylan because of his shoe and the way he dresses. “But then he put this video part out and now you see kids at skate parks rolling their pants up and trying to look a certain 16 – Bright Magazine

way – and that’s great,” says Mark. With their unique approach to design, pro-inspired aesthetic, and staying true to what their riders like, in a mere three or so years, Gravis has grew into a fully respected brand with a fully respected team, happily, showing no signs of slowing down. Analog started with creating a real program based on the foundations of style, function and utility in skate, surf and snowboard culture. The brand is dedicated to those who go against the grain and create their own path; Analog continually pushes creative boundaries to deliver apparel and outerwear that remain one giant leap ahead of the status quo. Analog originality is top-notch, with such unique facets to the company including a Lodown Magazine t-shirt collaboration and their one-of-a-kind signature Wheel Wash process. In their SS12 collection, Analog comes at us with a full range of blues along with dusted purples and khaki shades. Less prints are represented and more solids are set forth. As for influences, Analog are using macro-photos of their skateboards to create their prints' stripes and have increased their collaborations with talented photographers, which are evident on their shorts. At this pace, who knows what to expect next but one thing is clear, the brand will go on living by its mantra: “Design Unlikely Futures.”

www.gravisfootwear.com www.analogclothing.com

An interview with Dylan Rieder

Hey Dylan how’re you today? I'm doing good. How did designing for Analog and Gravis come about? I guess they trusted me enough to be like, “hey you want to design some shoes and clothes?“. And I said sure. Why not! And now here we are. Did it feel like a natural transition from pro skating to designing skate stuff? Everyone wants to make their own things, you know. For me I've always wanted to create a shoe that suits me, that I feel comfortable in. I would imagine most skaters do. So given the opportunity to do so was a blessing. I can't say designing comes naturally,

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but I know what I like and what I expect out of a shoe or a pant etc. etc. So all you can hope for is a solid end result. What's motivated you to take on the role of designer? Motivation? When a company asks you to make a product for them you want to make something that you like first and foremost, and also a product that others will enjoy. I guess the motivation is knowing that a company is putting their trust in you and your direction and also your creative beliefs into the brand. So ya, the motivation is trying not to look like you don't know what you’re doing..... not to blow it maybe.

I guess from your experiences skating, you know what's comfortable and good to skate in; shoes for example are super important. Very nice work on the Dylan shoes by the way. How did you come up with this design direction and what were the difficulties in producing it? Cheers! Well my friend Mark Oblow and I came up with the idea to try and come up with a nicer, dress shoe that you could skate in. You know because I've always been into boots and loafers, stuff like that. So when Gravis offered me a shoe I wanted to do something different than your run of the mill vulk skate shoe. Something you can skate in or wear about on your daily excursions or out on the town. Anyways that was the concept. But you know when you create something. New like that. Especially in the skate world,

people aren't going to take too kindly to that. Skaters for the most part stick to what they're used to. You know? I know I was the same way growing up. But I love the shoe. I skate in it. Others can't. But the beautiful thing about the shoe. If you can't skate the shoe then wear it when you hit the town and want to cut up some rugs... From the beginning, did you have a clear idea of the direction you wanted to go? No... I'm a procrastinator. With Analog, were there certain items you knew you wanted in the collection? Yeah, of course. I mean I wear the same t-shirt for years and years so I wanted to make the clothes that I have in my closet. Things I'm comfortable with. I'll base a piece off something I've worn for ages and try and create a newer version of it in my own way. What were some elements you kept in mind while designing? Stick to what you like. What did you learn about Gravis/Analog and its design aesthetic along the way? That I have a lot to learn. How much of your personal style is present in the collection? I suppose most of it. I wouldn't imagine anyone designing clothes that they wouldn't wear. I know sometimes you'll create something that turns out different than you envisioned. But for the most part, what I believe is, create things for yourself. Not other people. You're often admired and noted upon for your style. What’s the secret behind it? All I can say is wear what you like, do what you want.

Interview: Y. Martinelli

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Know1edge Comfortably against the trend.

Diamond Supply Co. Footwear Tiffany’s legacy.

Text: Nada Carls It’s a fact: Chris Brown, Puffy, PRod, and Eric Koston share a common ground. It might be the girls, it might be the bling but this one’s for sure: they all support Diamond Supply Co. Founder Nick “Diamond” Tershay started his business in 1998 with skate hardgoods. Being a pro at the time, working for Girl Skateboard, hanging around with P-Rod & co. made it easy to build up a high-class skate team and to promote his upcoming label. During his time at Girl in 2005 he got the chance to design a Nike Dunk Low Pro SB which became one of the most-hyped dunks: “Tiffany”, aqua blue, silver swoosh, alligatorlike upper. Today Diamond has it all: full apparel line, complete hardgood Text: M. Salgado Nietzsche, ages ago mentioned "There is one thing one has to have: either a soul that is cheerful by nature, or a soul made cheerful by work, love, art and knowledge." It seems that the creative minds behind Know1edge believe and embody this statement to a T. You must believe in the vibe and Know1edge certainly mastered the transition from getting this particular vibe into their collection. For the most recent Know1edge I was able to ask them directly: "We always focus on fitting, especially for our pants. Our Donny pants are a staple and once people wear them, they end up buying them in each color-way season after season. Our Reed backpack gets more enquiries and we've had to keep producing it because of its popularity. We hope to continue to bring items that are both comfortable and wearable for everyone. "Timeless staple pieces that aren't trend driven."

www.know1edge.com

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range, and in FW 2011 they presented the first footwear collection: high-quality materials, clean silhouettes and nice colorways. The shoes are not explicitly designed for skating but nonetheless, skateable. The Diamond Miner mid top in black is one of the upcoming releases for SS 2012 and seems to be a sophisticated reminiscence of the Tiffany. For more bling check Diamond at the DVS/Lakai booth at BRIGHT!

www.diamondsupplyco.com

X–Bron Malaysia meets Bronx.

Text: Nada Carls Intercultural apparel arising from American and Asian urban culture on the foundation of hiphop is the source of X-BRON, better known as BRONX. From the B to the X, from the X to the N – that little name-disorder came up when the Malaysian brand entered the European market and they were forced to administer legal formality. But no need for confusion - the logo stays the same. Established in 2006 in Singapore X-BRON dignifies the 70s US-hiphop roots and revives that former vibe with the spirit of today’s Asian urban youth. Quite an intense and oppositional approach! One highlight is the upcoming launch of the signature sneaker by US-Artist Jeremyville in a classy chucks silhouette for SS 2012. The early Bronx means poverty, rebellion, drugs and crime. Up until today in Singapore, a citystate with one of the lowest crime rates, you’d better be prepared to face the death penalty for smoking a blunt! Luckily, there are no laws against wearing X-BRON apparel, accessories and sneakers. Light it up!

www.bronxculture.com

UCON

FRISURclothing

I con you, you con me in harmony.

Text: M. Salgado Their name - UCON - also known as Urban Conquest - and the story goes like this: Intense eagerness, innovative thinking, and the credence in themselves to keep achieving. Many would say these are the key ingredients to a perfect bowl of a hearty successful soup. This German-based clothing line maintains true to what they believed in with eyes wide open for the future. This year yet again the conquest has been fulfilled. This time around they have the artistic hands of Pablo Abad, Mario Hugo and Chris Gray, check out his consistency with colorful geometry. UCON brings back "Silhouette" the menswear collection that is composed of cohesive structure. It carries a certain simplicity with heaps of interest. The pieces speak precise tailoring and understanding of the modern urbanite man. This is a line that shows a guy that is interested in looking in the mirror and actually liking his reflection. We have seen that UCON-acrobatics thinks outside the box. Although the unveiling of their latest collaboration is actually in the box. They have joined with Rainer Spehl, a skilled craftsmanship, resulting in a designed laptop box that’s hand-made from precious Czech Oak wood. Only 20 exclusive cases will be manufactured. The lining of the case is leather giving your Macbook that sure snug glove fit. The sharp details are as praiseworthy as they are desirable.

www.ucon-acrobatics.com

Take your time and enjoy.

Text: Nada Carls Think back to your school days. Remember grown-ups trying to tell you what it takes to make a living out there in the real world - experience, wisdom, patience and all that. It seems that Thies and Stephan of FRISURclothing have missed that educational chapter and instead took the "actually-wedon’t-care" option and just kicked off. Way up in northern Germany, cursed with boredom at the age of 15 in a small village close to the Danish border they started playing around with screen prints, graphics, and designs. Sounds like a classic story of mates telling you that they like the stuff you make… you produce more and start selling it. But if you are 19 years old and about to finish school? Today the 23 and 24-year-old stagers are based in Berlin, way more experienced since they established the brand in 2001 and still none the wiser. Just like their general brand philosophy “Wear the shape you enjoy” they share the idea of not following style-dogmata by staying true to their boys and girls basic lines and all-season items of jersey tops, shirts, jackets, and knits. At the last BRIGHT they introduced their SS 2012 range named “Take your Time” and that’s what the visitors literally did while they enjoyed a ride in the FRISURclothing rickshaw from the train station to the entry of BRIGHT. For August 2012 they plan their first pop-up store in Hamburg-Schanzenviertel that will also include a space for exhibitions and events and will last for several weeks.

www.frisurclothing.com

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Altamont

A short Q&A with Andrew Reynolds

A method to that madness.

Remember last summer when Andrew Reynolds did that huge gap kickflip at the Emerica demo during Bright XIII? Mr. Reynolds recently said, “I honestly wear Altamont head-to-toe”, and, seriously, how could you not love a brand that has O’Dell shoot bicycles and that sponsors a fine L.A. band such as No Age?! While Altamont’s mission statement – a line of which goes: “Our business is to inspire youth to think even bigger, to offer a glimpse of the universal infinity of possibilities within their grasp, to assist them, even if only in some small way along their path, to unlock their truest self and unleash their own unique and individual powers into the world. We do this because human potential is unlimited in scope.” – sounds almost a little bombastic and grandiloquent, we reached out to both Andrew and Danny Reyes, one of Altamont’s designers, to give us some crisp, clean, unpretentious answers about this dope brand.

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You’ve been a pro for more than 15 years now. How does that feel? It feels great, I love skateboarding.

Do you consider yourself “a proper business-man” when it comes to Altamont? I’m not a business-man, no, just a skater.

In which way has your relationship towards skateboarding changed over those years? Not much, it’s about just being out, getting some peace of mind.

Speaking of skating: What is on your mind when you approach an obstacle? Nothing, it’s just blank.

What was the worst point you ever experienced as a sponsored pro? There was none. You’ve been clean for many years now - can you even imagine to live the kind of life you used to live? Hell no, no, I don’t have time for that shit.

Is “Madness” ultimately a good thing because it helps you to be focused? Yep, I’d say so. What about your band The Goat and the Occasional Others? We luh dat shit! What’s next for Altamont? Parachute pants. And what’s next for you? Skate more.

Interview with Danny Reyes, Designer at Altamont How long have you been with Altamont? I’ve been a part of the Altamont family for about nine months. How did you hook up with Andrew and the rest in the first place? I came into Altamont by way of Sole Technology. My previous two years at Sole have been with other brands. How would you describe your approach in terms of design? I feel like my approach changes constantly from season to season. Overall I prefer to keep things pretty simple— less is more. But every now and again I like to step out of my comfort zone, and to try things that I usually wouldn’t, especially with a brand like Altamont. I

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feel like I need to be a little uncomfortable when designing this brand. Please describe an average day at Altamont headquarters… Come in early—I like some quiet time before the madness begins. Then it could be a number of different things. Today it’s just about everything at once. Catalog work, designing the next season, fabric approvals, sales meeting preparations. It’s a mess sometimes, but the energy is good and the people are rad. What can you announce for 2012? What’s on the horizon for Altamont? More of what you love from Altamont. A great mix of personalities, influence and style that always finds

a way to come together for us each season. We are growing and it’s given us the opportunity to try more, have a little more fun as designers. Whether it’s in certain categories or a separate capsule all together, there is definitely going to be a lot to look out for.

www.altamontapparel.com

words: Renko Heuer, who loves to wear those Davis slims and Reynolds Alameda cuts.

Public Label / The Hundreds

Witchcraft

Norse Projects

The darker they come.

Glove Department.

Centennial footwork: the hundreds gone red label. Text: Forty Text: Renko Heuer A lot of things happening over at The Hundreds in L.A., “the world’s first social merchandising company”, as they call themselves: Going stronger than ever in its eighth year, the brand founded by Ben and Bobby Hundreds is still branching out, still keeping an emphasis on people over product, but for now let’s just focus on two things: First of all, their unique subdivision known as Public Label – a great design menswear line that’s been going beyond traditional Streetwear with its beautiful minimalism and references to military looks – is still one of our absolute favorites, hands down. The second recent development is a stronger focus on footwear, with a full calendar of limited releases for 2012 both in the U.S. and internationally. In fact, many of these shoe releases are limited to no more than 100 pairs – which makes a lot of sense given the name of the brand. The Hundreds’ footwear specialist David Cooper, former Sole Technology man and Sales Manager with Girl Distribution, gave us the lowdown: “The Hundreds brand heritage has ‘old school’ roots, and continues to celebrate said roots with its own unique twist: One of the first steps in the evolution of the sneaker division at The Hundreds was the development of the Red Box special release, specifically the Mint ‘n’ Chip Scully shoe. The following release, the Bobby versus Ben Hoya shoe, is incredibly limited and debuts the new Hoya model to the line-up. This shoe will be at the front line of future releases; featuring the special Red Label box, interior shoe bag, and Red Label sock liner. What is to be expected in 2012? The Hundreds design pipeline is stocked with countless Red Label box limited runs. Don’t sleep on these.” We certainly won’t.

publiclabel.thehundreds.com

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“When I was a kid, I wanted to have some graphics on my board that fucking rocked: Ghouls, gore and general mayhem… not some artsy-fartsy imagery.“ London-based illustrator French – Richard Sayer to his parents – continues the legacy of (bloody) good artwork for album sleeves from the slightly darker genres of music not only through his personal work, but through the up and coming Witchcraft empire. The latest collaborations feature the talent and sinister visions of Paul Parker, Gareth Jones and Andre Coelho e.g., which soon will not only grace your new favourite decks, but a handful of accompanying apparel – such as tees, caps, beanies and a few accessories - as well. Anything else? “Welcome to Witchcraft, join the coven and come to the Sabbat where shredding is the only truth, the only way.“ Time to say your final prayer and join the cult.

www.witchcrafthardware.com

Text: Renko Heuer Norse Projects hardly needs an introduction on these pages: you probably just took off those fine gloves before picking up this issue, and now your hands are still warm, thanks to Swedish glove manufacturer Hestra, a company they’ve been working with for a few seasons already. Apart from delivering those decent accessories, jackets, and more, Norse Projects have some of the best collaborations going on: current season’s “Kirk Knit” for example, a Norse Projects x Oi Polloi collab, is a thick crew neck knit made from 100% pure new Scottish wool, and the knit is based on a turtle neck jumper worn by Kirk Douglas in the 1965 war film “The Heroes of Telemark.” Whereas the black highlights in the pattern actually come from black sheep, the movie, fittingly, was based on the true story of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage during WWII. In other words: you had Scandinavian guys fighting for a better world, dressed in dope knitwear. And that’s pretty much what the name Norse Projects still stands for to this very day.

www.norseprojects.com

Nike x Pushead The return of the underground renaissance man.

Fall 2012 will see the first cross action sport artist collaboration with legendary skateboard artist, musician and record label owner Pushead. His art and influence has inspired three decades of skateboard culture, his complex and vividly hardcore art has been seen on skateboard brands such as Zorlac and Thrasher Magazine, as well as cover art and tee graphics for the likes of Metallica, The Misfits and Dr. Octagon. Nike worked with Pushead to create original artwork for fall & Holiday 2012. The artwork is a mix of prints and illustrations that are applied across the surf, skate and snow product lines. Pushead also is anniversaring his Nike SB Bruised Dunk footwear design by spawning another Nike SB Dunk design: the Bleached Dunk Low Pro, which pays tribute to the custom garments Pushead himself made and wore on stage performing in his band Septic Death. In addition to the product offering he took the opportunity to be the featured artist for the 2011-12 skatepark of Tampa Pro & AM contests.

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DC The DC Embassy.

Text: Nada Carls For the last few months Barcelona holds title to the first DC residence representing the finest in skateboarding since DC opened the gates of The DC Embassy. As usual for DC and the visions of DC boss Ken Block, it had to be superlative. The progress of establishing the massive skate park in the European epicenter of high-class skateboarding took all in all three years – from the idea to final build-up. Ruben Garcia, one of the European DC Ambassadors, calls it a “project made by skateboarders for skateboarders” - with the support of DC Shoes, some of the best EU riders such as international skate park builders (CSP), plus a lot of sweat and blood this elevated place was erected. Creative director, artist and skateboard rat Ruben Sanchez a.k.a. Zoonchez attended the work in progress since day one and videotaped the construction every day. A lovely, arty film and teaser came out and by the way, proofed his video directing skills in a rather convincing way. Since it hasn't gotten any easier skating in public in Barcelona and the government tries hard to keep most places skate-free, a big high 5 goes to the DC Embassy's effort and execution of building a major symbol repping the best in 26 – Bright Magazine

European skateboarding. Video premieres from Sk8mafia, sessions with the teams of Sweet, DC, and the Ambassadors like Josef Scott, Wes Kremer, and Marquise Henry or the visit of Mr. DC Ken Block himself just show the prominence this place radiates. Poor skate kids dream about entering these holy halls to skate this even once. And of course the DC Embassy, like every other governmental building one cannot enter without special permission but (!) there is a way to get an exclusive pass or wild card so that little skate rats might be invited. With an “Apply for a Visa” (which means uploading skate sequences on youtube and sending the link) kids get the chance to skate The DC Embassy. One future highlight is the upcoming release of the European DC Skate Team Video planned for March 2012, exclusively shown in The DC Embassy. A premiere in more ways than one: this is going to be the very first European skate video that will be launched in the US, planned for early April. For details, visa app, and nice skate sequences make sure to check The Embassy’s official website.

www.thedcembassy.com

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Converse Skateboarding

A smooth operator’s manual.

Kenny Anderson is probably the nicest human being cruising the face of this earth. He’s incredibly humble, seems to be always in touch with himself and his surroundings. In fact, Anderson knows so much about keeping things well balanced, he’d easily do a nose-manual around the world and back at some point, if it wasn’t for those damn oceans. Having released his first pro model shoe, the KA-ONE, last summer, we caught up with the friendly family man (he’s a father of three) to talk about the pros of not being a pro for Cons but an “ambassador” and his love for Berlin.

It’s been about two years for you, being back on the Converse skate team – how does it feel? Man, it feels amazing. That’s what I wanted. That’s where I felt I belong, that’s where I wanted to be. Does it feel any different to be an “ambassador,” rather than a classic “pro” on a team? Yeah, there is a difference. It’s not just a term, there’s actually meaning behind it, because “ambassador” means that these guys represent everything that Converse stands for, I mean everything about their person, their personality, their lifestyle, their skateboarding, things they represent. And I feel like Converse and the whole brand is supporting people for who they are and what they do – and that, of course, with skateboarders as well. So “ambassador” is a great term for that. How has your relationship to skateboarding changed: is it still comparable to the kind of feeling you got out of doing it when you were, say, 15 or so? Yep, it’s exactly the same. Otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it. That’s the reason why I even do it. If it changed… It could change to something different, yet worth continuing… Yeah, then that’s natural evolution, but I still feel like I’m thirteen: Same energy. Of course I got a little bit more pain, but that’s the reason why I keep going. What’s on your mind when you approach an obstacle? Is it a blank or a visualization of the trick? I get mental sometimes. But for the most part it’s feeling. What’s going on in my mind is how I’m feeling, feeling my feet, feeling my board, feeling the ground, feeling the carving and looking at what you’re going to do, but it’s more about how you feel that moment. At

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certain times you get into that zone of just complete mental breakdown, trying a trick, and in general it’s that feeling I’m talking about, it’s why I do what I do. Is there anything else in the world that gives you a comparable feeling? Of course there are many things that I’m passionate about, but I don’t think anything can relate to skateboarding. You can say, of course, music and art and other things I do, family, you know, but skateboarding is a different feeling; that’s why it’s hard for anyone else to relate – if you have never skated. You can relate to everything else, how much you love music, since two guys can listen to the same thing, but how much love the feeling of an ollie? Or a kickflip, or a shove-it, or something harder than that? If you can’t do it, it’s hard. Like I said, there’s a lot of passions, but I don’t think anything even compares. Looking back at your career as a pro so far, is there anything you regret, anything you’d have done differently in retrospect? No, I don’t hold regrets. Of course you can look back and be like, “Ah, I could’ve done that.” You “could’ve.” But that’s what life is: it’s options. You make decisions, and that’s what you live with. And, to be where I’m at right now, it’s hard to regret anything when you have a family and you’re skateboarding, still doing what I love to do, and you have the support, you have friends, and you just travel the world… how can you have any regrets? It does sound pretty good indeed. If I were homeless, I probably still wouldn’t have any regrets – though maybe a few, who knows.

Let’s talk about Berlin: You’ve been here a few times, right? Yeah, three times already, and the first time was in 2010. I immediately fell in love with it. For some reason I just never came here before, and then I came with Girl and Chocolate, and then came back for Converse, and now it’s the third time. I remember being sick on the Girl and Chocolate trip, so we went to all these spots and experienced the city, but I didn’t really have that feeling that I was talking about. So when I had the chance to come back, 29 – Bright Magazine

I jumped at it; it’s just so amazing out here, the skateboarding for one thing, but also everything else about it – the food, the culture, I love it. What else are you working on right these days, now that your shoe, the KAONE, just came out? Well, we’re doing a lot of traveling for the shoe launch, and then while I’m traveling I’m filming for the Chocolate video as well. I think a lot of it is just based on ideas of where we want to go, you know: awesome trips, at the same

time getting to new places and filming and skating and having fun, and then I’m working on new stuff with Converse. Some short films, different versions of shoes; it’s all amazing.

converseskateboarding.com Words: Renko Heuer

Etnies / Makia Coming in from the cold.

We were honored when Etnies approached us with an idea of partnering up and producing a quality line of shoes and clothing together. Since Etnies has a long history in skateboarding and Makia is appealing to the slightly older demographic, it was a no brainer to bring that old school feel to the products and get the office boys back on their skateboards. As Makia is from the northern part of this globe, we wanted to show what the local skaters have to go through each time they drag

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themselves to the underground skatepark. Snow, sleet and rain are everyday factors during the harsh dark winters up here. Still, kids and older guys, too, manage to keep their passion alive by enduring the elements, over and over again. We added a couple of twists into the mix, like the kick-sled, which is a traditional way of transportation up here in the north (mostly used by old women on their way to pick up groceries during the winter). For us the sled ended up as a pop display, just something to get a little feel of the Nordic culture and where we are coming from. As far as what goes into the collection itself, the product range is a full setup of what you need on your journey. From water repellent high-top shoes to the Raglan Parka jacket. The line is based on a subtle grayscale color range that draws inspiration from

old black and white pictures, as well as the harsh Nordic winters. We wanted the tones to reflect the "life-after-skate" feeling that the whole collaboration is based on. Classic timeless items with details, cuts and patterns that work equally well with both brands and products, and bring that slightly more mature and exclusive feel to the customer. The comradery is topped of by the handshake logo.

www.etnies.com www.makiaclothing.com

g r a v i s f o o t w e a r. c o m

A r t o31Sâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;aBright a r i | Magazine Quarters

Lakai Bird’s eye view.

Words: Renko Heuer

A pro for Real in the late Big Pants Small Wheels era, and certainly not shy to party just as hard as he skated, Kelly Bird partied his way out of the pro ranks and vanished from the scene in the mid-nineties, only to reappear on the business side of skateboarding immediately afterwards: Bird initially worked for DC and then joined Carroll and Howard in 1999 as they started Lakai Footwear. A successful brand manager for more than a decade, it was high time for Bright Magazine to talk shop with the man who apparently still knows how to FS 180 heelflip.

extremes. It’s funny to look back at that though. I guess there was supposed to be a little bit of functionality involved, bigger clothes are supposedly better for movement, but it just got too big at some point – so I’m torn between “bigger is better than tighter”, but I guess: whatever. Two different looks, and neither one is for me at this point. However, towards the end I had an opportunity to do some stuff for Slap Magazine, so I did that for a little bit, and then I knew the guy at Droors and DC. At the time, DC really started to take off, and they needed somebody to do some team stuff for them, so Ken Block hit me up. So in 1995, I started working at DC, and that’s how I got into this whole side of the world: I did DC for almost four years, and when Lakai started I was a part of that, and then I’ve been doing Lakai ever since. For more than ten years now… Yeah, it all happened at a point for me when skating was becoming a lot of work. It didn’t feel the same way, and I was like, “I can still try to skate for another couple of years”, and back then, too, I was like 25 and that seemed really old to me for still trying to skate – which is really ironic now because you got dudes that are skating into their late thirties. However, I was like, “I have this opportunity to do this thing with DC, so I could either struggle along to get onto some other company or use this opportunity to just start the next phase of my life”. What were the main lessons you learned in the last ten years at Lakai? With skaters? I learned how to be patient, that’s for sure!

Kelly, I always wondered how your career as a pro ended. All I remember is that your name wasn’t around anymore at some point. How did it end? Too much partying? Well, there was probably a little bit of that involved, but I think Real was in a sort of a transitional phase. I think they were trying to figure out the next core group that was going to drive their brand. And I guess they thought I wasn’t a part of that group, so they actually came to me and offered to make me a retirement board, and I was like, “That’s fine, I don’t really want to do that.” So there was never any big fanfare about it. I just didn’t want this big retirement thing. We’re still talking Big Pants here, aren’t we? Yup, there was still a little bit of Big Pants going on. Being guilty of this myself, I have to ask you: How are your feelings about those pants? Shit, I mean, I look at what people are wearing now, and I’m just like: this is ridiculous in a different way, so I guess we’re all guilty of it to some degree. It’s just two different 32 – Bright Magazine

And in terms of just running a business? Well, from a management standpoint, I learned what the expectations are, of skateboarders, from an outside perspective – whereas before I didn’t fully appreciate or understand that it is a business and people have a lot invested in your brand, so when you show up to represent your brand, you actually need to fulfill your obligations to them, to support the brands. So I learned how to do that, and I learned how to instill that – and not just me, Rick and Mike at the same time – we all learned that when we go somewhere to represent the brands, we have to put on a show, basically. We can’t just be late, two people skating out of ten, none of that stuff, you know? That’s a lot of what I learned. I just learned how to be responsible, I guess. I learned how to manage my time really well. I think that’s one of the things that I actually really excelled at, which is how I’m in the position that I am in now: I can micromanage my time really well, and I can get a lot done in an 8-hour time frame. And also, too, for me: I love what I do, so I’m always on the clock, I guess. If you love what you do like that,

you get so much more out of your job, obviously, and life in general. Everybody says that if you can find something to do that you’re passionate about, then your life is going to be so much more enjoyable, and I guess, yeah, I learned that I love skateboarding regardless, no matter if I’m on the board doing it or if I’m on the backside of it, trying to bring other people along. Which is your favorite part of the job? I always like to see the finished package at the end of a season because it represents a quarter of your year, so I like to see how that comes out. And I also like to see just dudes get the most out of skateboarding. It’s rewarding to see dudes that you just started giving stuff to, like, five, six, seven years ago, and now they have their own house, they have their own skate park, they’re self-sufficient, like they have actually accomplished a lot in life. A lot of these dudes, they don’t come from very much, so to see them find something that they like to do and to achieve some success from it, especially when, maybe, in their parents’ eyes, they did never believe that these guys would amount to what they amounted to – that’s cool. To see parents go, “Oh, shit, now I do understand that you can do this.” Also, I like to see people transition from that to being able to support themselves outside of skateboarding, to take the next step, and to understand that you can still contribute to skateboarding off the board as well. Finding new talent, is it still those three things you need to see: Bs tailslide, BS flip and a 360 flip? Plus the way someone pushes… Yeah, the way someone pushes and those three tricks, I think for the most part that’s a good basis. Maybe you can see all those same tricks switch now, but you can get a pretty good vibe off those four things, just how people do those. You know what’s really funny: Nate Jones actually made a career out of basically doing those things and doing them really well. If you can do those things well, you have a good foundation for… … everything else. You just said you enjoy seeing the results of three months’ work at the end, so I wondered about “Fully Flared” – probably more than 48 months or so – and what it did to Lakai. Oh, that was more like 60 months or so. And it turned out a key turning point for the brand. Yeah, that was a huge turning point. The easiest way to explain it is that up to that point, what we would always hear from retailers was that Lakai was “the old man brand”, because only older skaters got it – and it did cater to a very particular group. And that was at a time when everybody had

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a surf team, a snow team, selling anything, so people were like “you need to sponsor motocross guys and surfers”, but we were like, “no, we want to do it this way.” So when the video came out, the amount of kids that started wearing Lakai after that, it was just amazing. You know how every kid sort of has that video in their life, where it was sort of a turning point for them?

Sure. Yeah, so you could see a generation of kids that sort of started to begin to understand skateboarding based on “Fully Flared”. I think there is a whole generation of kids that will always have “Fully Flared” as their “Video Days” or Plan B’s “Questionable” or their “Virtual Reality”. Which one is it for you? Well, there was “Rubbish Heap”, “Video Days” obviously, and then both Plan B videos, though “Rubbish Heap” was one of the first videos where I was really like, “Okay, wow, there’s a whole world out there that I don’t know about.” And also the first H-Street video. “Shackle Me Not”. Yeah, “Shackle Me Not”. So I think there’s a whole generation now where “Fully Flared” will be that video for them. It definitely increased our brand awareness for a whole group, a whole demographic of kids that up to that point had no idea what it was – so that’s great. We’ll always have that to our advantage. And yet you would never even consider doing a follow-up? I don’t think so. It’s just one of those videos that comes along once a decade, so there’s no way – I wouldn’t even want to try. There were just so many circumstances that so perfectly coalesced at the same time: the whole Guy thing, that’s a whole storyline in itself. That will rarely if ever happen again: a guy that’s been outside of skateboarding for that long, his name is still out there, though the kids on message boards, prior to the release, were like, “Why is everyone talking about Guy Mariano? What is it about him? I don’t get it.” So that whole chatter and then to see him come through the way he did, that was incredible, and there’s so much other

stuff, the Marc Johnson stuff, Mike Mo, a kid who nobody had ever heard of until that point – there’s just so many different things going on. I think there were 21 people in that video. So it would be really hard to make another video of that caliber. It was hell, the last two years were crazy, but in retrospect you don’t ever get anything that good without there being some kind of hell involved.

Last question: what’s the illest trick you’ve done in the last few years? Ah, that’s a bad question. The last thing I actually did on a skateboard was when I did an editorial piece for The Skateboard Mag, and I had to give them a photo to go along with it, so I did a FS 180 heelflip over a trash can at the Girl park.

What are you working on right now, especially after the whole changes, Lakai being part of Girl now? Well, we’re just getting the pieces in place now that Girl is fully owning and operating Lakai, which brings a whole new set of challenges. We had to move everything to a new warehouse, set up new inventory software for all the product, recode everything, hire new employees, set up some new distribution – there will be years of that type of work involved. We’re not going to be able to plug it right in over at Girl, but at least we know now that we fully control our destiny. That’s where we’re at right now. Plus, we’re looking at setting up the team, sort of the next generation – with Riley and Raven and Vincent even, Daniel, those guys.

Your standard move. Yep, that’s kind of, I guess, what I’m known for.

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The trash can: standing up? Yeah, standing up; and it was funny because Mike Mo couldn’t believe it when he saw me do it. He was shocked. So that was cool.

www.lakai.com

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Iriedaily

Barely legal.

Text: Forty So what did you do when you turned 18-years-old? For me it was closing the curtains on a hot summer day and watching four videos in a row (The Hitcher, The Evil Dead 2, Raising Arizona and a skin flick) while having too many beers with some close friends. What admittedly sounds like a rather sad affair actually felt as sophisticated as the stuff the kids of today are doing when they’re celebrating their majority age. Iriedaily on the other hand is planning a handful of premium events – some subtle, others fairly prominent – while simultaneously delivering their most elaborate collection to date. It really feels like one of these very rare occasions where the driving forces – that go by the name of Walter Molt, Daniel

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Luger and Jaybo in this particular case - behind a brand allow their garment to not simply change but actually grow with them. “It could not have been done any other way with Iriedaily,” Luger explains, “because there never was anything like a masterplan. We never artificially tried to create an image, Iriedaily always reflects who we are and what we like in the first place“. “We were simply too blunt and naïve to actually think about a masterplan“, his partner Molt adds with a smile, “and to be honest back then it was a rather dislikable thought to have to deal with concepts and whatnot. We all have this punkrock background and we strongly believed – well, as a matter of fact we still do - in DIY-ethics, so having to deal with concepts and a bigger picture almost automatically felt inauthentic and fake. Obviously things have changed over the years… the best thing about getting older is that you don’t see yourself as the center of the world anymore and therefore re-adjusting your point of view doesn’t feel aggravating but like a very logical and sometimes even necessary step, like something you’d rather embrace and look forward to.” Originally founded in 1994, the Berlin-Kreuzberg-based brand has come a long way from simply producing t-shirts to blossoming into a brand that confidently attempted the balancing act of creating fashion that’s reconfiguring street culture as its source element to create something blissfully unique. Or in other words: Iriedaily perfectly transfers the vibrant vibe of Berlin into each and every piece of their latest collections for 2012. “Let’s stay with the adolescent comparison for a moment“, Molt continues, “Iriedaily is this ADD-kid with

four different fathers. This kid started to have a life of his own sooner than we could have predicted and at a certain point it even stopped listening to its legal guardians. Puberty was really balky, but it eventually grew up and became a very opinionated individual with a strong personality. Luckily it is smart enough to know about the necessity of staying open-minded. It’s also capable of moving forward while reflecting the past“. “Authenticity definitely implies a certain age, it’s as simple as that,” Luger states, “and our brand grew together with our city. The key of the success – if you want to call it like that – of Iriedaily is that we don’t have any fantasies about conquering the world with what we’re doing. It’s much more important to let things organically grow instead of rushing one’s fences. Consistency and working together on the same ideas – and I’m talking about us and our staff – is essential for me… I don’t believe in a system of steady fluctuation, I don’t believe that the people you’re working with need to get younger with every season. Iriedaily is now at a point where we’re able to impart a general feeling of planning dependability and we’re able to allow our co-workers to try things without sending them back to zero when things don’t work out the way they were planned. (smiles) With a little luck, soon we’re not only the fathers of Iriedaily but the grandfathers. So make no mistake: the story of this Berlin-based brand is a story about friendship first and foremost. The slightly overwhelming feelings of dedication and playfulness kick in a second later. Guess even after 18 years their days to shine and ability to pleasantly surprise have only just begun. Cheers to that. Happy birthday Iriedaily.

www.iriedaily.de

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HUB

LRG

Zummer breeze. How ya livin’? Text: Renko Heuer Text: M. Salgado Having kicked off the new “IZmystore” campaign last fall, the fine people over at HUB Footwear are all about keeping it literal for the upcoming season: they still focus on the actual meaning of the name HUB, and indeed care a lot about those actual places (or “focal points”) where people meet and creativity flows, where things are happening. Keeping it casual and clean as ever, the visual connector on the shoes has always been that orange Z-stitch, their trademark since they started out in 2004, and next summer you’ll be able to see it on a separate sneaker collection, and combined with other new styles and color ways. Speaking of colors: Obviously, summer has a slightly different color for everyone. For some it might be those light blue skies, for others orange sunsets, the color of hot asphalt, or the thick green of a forest early on a summer day. For the upcoming collection, HUB added three colors to the existing palette, to guarantee some fresh looks when the winter’s finally over: aqua, citron, and “pinkish” –, and as if that wasn’t enough, they also came up with a bunch of lighter models, crepe soles, and even flip-flops for you to don nonchalantly with a smoothie in each hand. Seriously: When we heard the shoe models had names like “Ibiza” or “Biarritz”, we immediately felt this urge to book a flight and leave the city and come back in May or June…

www.hubfootwear.com

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The LRG mission statement is to "always represent the youth culture and its complex tastes, relentless passion and undying energy." Every generation is ready to construe who they are and what they represent. The organization resembles a force of nature. A force that has been carrying on now through different spectrums of artistic grooves. There is not one terrain they haven't touched. Whether it be concrete, powder, or music stages they have been representing and shining since 1999. I remember the first time I saw LRG I thought it stood for living LARGE; instead the acronym stands for Lifted Research Group. They outgunned themselves by planting that seed that has made solid roots and successfully branched out. As has Hip-Hop - the music that influences the collection and skateboarding - the sport that fuels the veins. The clothing line has a large selection of characteristic head-to-toe gear. An array of clothing essentials and even belts to hold up y'alls pants. They express with motifs all from our motherland, to the nautical seas, to that vintage skin feel. Their slogan should apply to all of us "underground inventive, overground effective." As if inside we feel it, through the outside we show it.

www.l-r-g.com

The Usual Suspects Bright Brigade We know what you wore last summer

40—45

Bright Ambassador Etienne Pinon is making new friends via drop-ins

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46/47

Sandro Piras T-Shirt – Vintage Military, Shoes – Clarks, Sunglasses – Linda Farrow, Dog – Pan

Tradeshow Special The excellent Jacket Required puts London back on the tradeshow map

Chris Guettgemanns T-Shirt – Weekday, Sunglasses – Linda Ferrow, Pants – Levi‘s, Shoes – Vintage

48/49

My Bright Uniform Everything must go: we caught up with salesreps and PR-heads beyond the market booth

50—54

“Every heart that has beat strongly and cheerfully has left a hopeful impulse behind it in the world, and bettered the tradition of mankind.“

Bright Brigade

Julia Klemm T-Shirt – COS, Pants – COS, Shoes – Vagabond

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Photos: Thomas Wolfzettel

Etienne Balli Shirt – Kulte, Shoes – Sebago x LAMJC, Pants – Levi‘s, Cap – Mishka NYC

Chris Guettgemanns T-Shirt – Weekday, Sunglasses – Linda Ferrow, Pants – Levi‘s, Shoes – Vintage Sandro Piras T-Shirt – Vintage Military, Shoes – Clarks, Sunglasses – Linda Farrow, Dog – Pan

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Hejer Denguir Pants – Pepe, TankTop – Lala Berlin, Top – Uniqlo

Jayass T-Shirt – Buried Alive, Pants – Buried Alive

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Melanie Fischer Shoes – Globe, Pants – H&M, T-Shirt – Krew

Josua Ehlers T-Shirt – H&M, Pants – H&M, Shoes – Adidas

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Lugli Giulia Necklace – Marc Jacobs, Top – True Objects, Boots – Sax, Bag – Moma Boma

Damion Osu Pants – Edwin, T-Shirt – Edwin, Watch – Nixon, Shoes – Clae, Belt – Edwin

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Charmie Pfeffer Shoes – Zara Shoes

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Bright Ambassador: An interview with Etienne Pinon

Bonjour Etienne! Hey Bright! You’ve basically spent your whole life in France, right? Where else can you find mountains, beaches, beautiful cities and so many skate spots within 2 hrs drive? Ironically I don’t spend much time at home in Marseille. There’s a lot of travelling in my job.

“As soon as you drop in you make new friends.”

He isn‘t only a heartfelt skater and one of the toughest cookies in the European skateboarding business, but actually the EU-sales manager of DVS, Matix and Diamnond as well. Plus being one of the most ingratiating sales people around makes a good reason to introduce him as our French BRIGHT Ambassador.

Sounds like skating sunny places worldwide! I’ve been doing this EU sales manager thing for 15 years and I visit the countries as much as I can. As I’m also in charge of DVS, Matix and Diamond Footwear I need to attend all headquarter meetings in LA, so I go there every month. Not too bad, but believe me I don’t see the sun that much. The French boarding industry people have their offices max. 500m away from the beach. Cliché? Well, I’m not going to help in changing that cliché, my office is 100m from the sea. 25 years of riding … please explain. Oh yeah, I’m still skating for fun, at least when my old body allows me to do so. I’m only riding transitions, that’s the safest option. Wherever you go in the world - as soon as you drop in, you make new friends. Especially in this bowl-pooltransitions-scene where you have to share the same spot. That’s what I like most and I’m glad I can still do it at almost 40.

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And where is the industry today? It’s an interesting period right now. 25 years ago there was no market, 10 years later, tons of independent labels and today a handful of public companies that control almost everything. At least that’s the case for footwear. I’m glad to see true skateboarders being involved in this whole thing though. Skateboarding creates trends in fashion, art, video, photo and skateboarders are needed to keep that thing alive! This year, the famous label “ès” crashed. Did that make you think? I guess it all comes down to the size of the market and the market you’re targeting. És was 100% skate and private owned. Its only revenue was made in skate shops where you fight today with brands owned by huge public companies. Not an easy fight. Smartly enough they didn’t have all their eggs in one basket. With Diamond footwear e.g. we’re targeting something different. High-end sneakers made from top quality materials that can be sold not only in the best skate shops but also in sneakers stores and in nice boutiques. Tell us about the shop structure in France. We have the whole spectrum: small independents shops, mid-size multi-brands retailers, department stores and online shops. We miss multi-doors chain stores like in Germany or UK- for some reason this structure is hard to build here. Online business is a big part of our industry but mainly done by non-skate structures. The best skate shops make good extra revenue with their e-shops but no one really took the pan-European direction yet. Maybe it’s the difference of culture and language that slow things down.

What about the situation of independent skate shops? The small ones are still doing ok, they don’t take big risks and are always animated by passion. But as soon as you hit the mid size stores you face the dilemma: being core or open to a wider audience? Which non-skate brand to attract the non-skate public without burning the original target group? How to control my cash flow with these bigger budgets? Hardgoods sales seem to be stable, but the margin is way smaller than what you make on shoes or apparel. Everyone buys shoes and apparel but as soon as you hit the non-skating population you compete with thousands of other brands. Any up-coming trends in France? Looks like the market is going more mature and uses cleaner silhouettes. All those blacks, greys, indigos, chambrays definitely bring some wisdom. Also our skate shoe and apparel market is being invaded by non-skate brands. That’s not typical to France though, but seeing Nike, Adidas, or Converse opening doors to people like Levi’s makes me think the market is changing faster than ever. It’s good that they bring new things and push smaller labels to be more creative. France still has to create its Cleptomanicx, Pointer or Makia. Any winterly must-haves you recommend? I couldn’t live without my Matix MJ Mizer Pea coat. Famous last words to the industry - they are listening to you right now … Friends, family, enjoy the show, have a great working day and see you tonight at the bar!

Text: Nada Carls 47 – Bright Magazine

It appears to be confirmed, an internationally known but unwritten rule that the UK (especially London) is synonymous for trendsetting and pioneering when it comes to football, music or fashion. Always being a bit harder, faster, better is pressurizing, isn’t it? “The world has always looked to London for new and innovative products and our way of doing things,“ the makers of Jacket Required explain quite confidently. Without pressure, but highly inspired by international tradeshows in New York and Tokyo or London Preview and TBC, and with a huge need of exchange for brands, buyers and press, Mark Batista, Andrew Parfitt and Craig Ford started thinking about establishing Jacket Required. „We all had a common belief that London was lacking and greatly deserved a credible and relevant men‘s trade show to reflect the strength of what is happening in the UK market right now.“

Jacket Required

London, August 2011 – all eyes of the British fashion scene were on Rochelle School & Club Row in Shoreditch, one of London‘s premier exhibition spaces, when a new UK tradeshow for menswear opened its doors for the very first time. High demands, elected visitors and selected exhibitors: let’s have a closer a look at Jacket Required.

the owner of UK sales agency, Brand Progression and store, Number Six. Andrew heads up European sales for some of the most directional and exciting menswear brands like Heritage Research, Wings & Horns, Reigning Champ, and Gitman Bros. And Craig is the European brand manager for A Bathing Ape and Billionaires Boys Club/Ice Cream and has expanded prestigious brands such as Duffer, 6876, and BBC. For the first edition of Jacket Required, a.k.a. a sophisticated members club, a mix of 35 upcoming and established brands like YMC, Gourmet,

Fortunately these three guys from London and Scotland know exactly what they are talking about since they teamed up their years of experience, knowledge, and passion to provide the new business platform in the heart of London. Mark is the founder of London’s infamous and innovative trade show To Be Confirmed (TBC) and

Tradeshow Special

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12th & 13th February 2012 Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square,  London, WC1B 4DA.

Text: Nada Carls

Suit, Shades Of Grey, Seil Marschall, Sandqvist, La Panoplie, Denim Demon, MC‘s By Ben Sherman, Velour, Chevignon Togs and Universal Works showed their SS 2012 ranges for the first time in the UK. Concerning the brands assumed criteria to become part of the tradeshow’s exhibitor list Craig says: “It must be relevant to the current exhibitors at Jacket Required as well as having the correct retail presence in the market.” Some underdogs and newcomers like Fracap, Raleigh Denim, Human Made, aNYthing, Bedwin And The Heartbreakers, Carhartt Heritage, Porter, or Orlebar Brown haven’t once shown

at a European tradeshow before. For the visitors, buyers, bloggers, and press people who were lucky enough to get an invitation, it was a relaxed meeting in a private, cosy atmosphere.

Cro’Jack, Edwin, Libertine-Libertine, Pointer, Porter and Veras will be found. To check out the current exhibition list make sure to visit Jacket Required‘s website, Facebook, and Twitter.

“The goodwill and positivity has been really overwhelming!” Craig summarizes the last show and emphasizes their point of staying exclusive: “We are more interested in quality of buyers rather then hordes of irrelevant people. And the fact we keep it like this has proved to be a successful formula for the exhibitors at Jacket Required.”

And in case you end up with an official invitation - London calling - you better check yourself, show up well-dressed, and leave your goddam’ jacket on.

Following their motto “Slowly, Slowly Catchy Monkey” Craig, Mark and Andrew have a clear vision of where they want to go with Jacket Required – consistently and successfully growing. For the second edition of Jacket Required in February 2012, the makers plan to double the amount of exhibitors but to keep the idea of a combination of cutting edge and exclusive yet proven brands. In the new location, the noble Victoria House in Bloomsbury, new entries like Antenne Books, Beats by Dre, Calabrese, Capman Bags,

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www.jacket-required.com

My Bright Uniform You look nice today! Please meet this season’s distributors and sales people presenting their favourite trade show outfits, also known as: My BRIGHT Uniform.

”Live the life you love and love the life you live!” Stephie ter Hürne Nikita Clothing – Hossegor, France

”Following your deep sense of inner knowing while fulfilling your imagination and creativity.“ Heiko Quicker Boardwalk – Berlin, Germany

Uniform: Scarf – Vintage, Necklace – Nikita, Cardigan – Nikita, Top – Nikita Selekzion, Sunglasses – Zadig & Voltaire, Denim – Nikita, Shoes – Minnetonka

Brands: Ergo Clothing U.S., CTRL Clothing Finland, Icon Snowboards Finland, Vulk Eyewear Argentina, Peter Grimm Headwear U.S.

Next season watch out for: Nikita Snowboards, for girls who ride!

Uniform: Hat – Peter Grimm Cardiff, Sunglasses – Vulk Deep End, Jacket – Ergo Mr. Clean, Flannel – CTRL Winner Hooded, T-Shirt – Ergo Basic Tee Zookeeper, Pants – Ergo Model C, Shoes – Etnies Production Sample

www.nikitaclothing.com

Next season watch out for: Content and not only appearance.

www.boardwalk-berlin.com

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”Live, learn, grow!“ Kiki McGowan Element – Hossegor, France Brands: Element, Element Eden Uniform: Shirt – Element Eden, Tie – Urban Outfitters, Shirt – Element Eden Salander, Shoes – Creepers, Ring – Urban Outfitters Next season watch out for: It’s all about details. So watch out for pecial lining features, trims, key fabrics and color vibes. Special tip: slimmed down chinos for both men and women.

www.elementskateboards.com www.elementeden.com

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”Melodica Buddies!“ Janne Hautaaho Melodica – Tampere/Helsinki, Finland Uniform: Jacket – Melodica Wellington Winter Jacket, Sweater – Melodica Wellington Wool Pullover, Cap – Melodica Hunter Next season watch out for: Finnish wool sweaters, that’s what’s up!

”Sales follows service.“ Simon Stiegler LRG / Lifted Research Group – Irvine, California Uniform: Sweater – Hoody Black Heather, Jeans – LRG Classic Indigo Wash Next season watch out for: LRG Chino Pants.

www.l-r-g.com www.mldca.com

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”Don´t wash, buy a new one!“ Maneli Bawandi & Mouctar Barry Primitive Distribution – Los Angeles/Encino, California Uniform Maneli (right): Scarf – Melodica, T-Shirt – Nike SB Dry Fit Pocket Tee, Jacket – Burberry, Jeans – Nike SB PROD Denim, Underwear – Clepto, Shoes – Nike SB Janoski Mid Uniform Mouctar (left): Hat – Primitive Vultures Snapback, Jacket – Primitive Classic P Zip Hoodie, T-Shirt – Primitive x Desiree Elyda Caked Tee, Jeans – Primitive x The Hundreds, Shoes – Cleptomanicx Nike Dunk Low Premium SB Purple Safari Next season watch out for: Primitive x Vans Half Cab, Primitive x Casio G-Shock, Primitive x Good Wood and def look out for Binky …

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”The sense of life is life itself!“ Steffi Wolter Vans – Cypress, California Uniform: Denim – Cheap Monday, T-Shirt – Vans, Longsleeve – Vans, Jacke – Vintage, Shoes – Vans Authentic, Bag – Mulberry Next season watch out for: Wax jackets, slip-on comeback, distressed denim und washed acid colours.

www.vans.com www.facebook.com/vanseurope

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ART BRIGHT

Winter 2012

Generation golf: we turned our exhibition space into an indoor crazy golf court for the latest edition of the tradeshow. Find out more about the artists that ruined your handicap. Curated by Brand New History for Bright.

Marok

“I don’t want to break rules for the sake of doing it, I’d rather take a look at rules in order to understand them and their lack of flux. Rules are static, and sure they work perfectly for a static system – just think of Newton’s gravity rules. Nevertheless they don’t apply for the evolution of consciousness.” – Marok “Fight the power in 2011! The first decade was wack!”, Marok proclaimed about a year ago in an editorial for Lodown, the pop culture/skate/art magazine he founded back in 1995 and has been running ever since (www. lodownmagazine.com). Always interested in creating “a present that is both absurd and real”, always up for a race, “I like that classic quote by Steve McQueen, ‘Racing is life! Anything that happens before or after is just waiting,’” Thomas “Marok” Marecki was born in 1972 in Berlin and loves cars as much as he loves early Mo’Wax, bicycles, wakeboarding, actual golf, and high-flying philosophical ideas. Prior to starting Lodown, Marok studied Graphics and Philosophy and has always had a strong affiliation to skateboarding and graffiti. In addition to his work as publisher and creative director of the magazine, he has realized various art and design projects worldwide. One of his latest projects was called “TRAPHIC”, connecting visuals and text based around the headline “Traffic” + “Graphic” = “TRAPHIC”. He refers to his works as an “interpretation of various networks, time frames, experiences and the general surroundings of modern-day existence. I think we are an interstellar ant hill. Personally, I am a high plains drifter. To me, it is all evolution or illusion, like the artist Ian Monroe said: All possibilities are visible but unknown.” (Rnk)

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Dennis

Chow

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“The greatest dresser of all time? Definitely Snidely Whiplash. He dresses like a real menacing aristocrat. As many bad deeds as he schemes up, he still looks classy while doing them. Very admirable in my opinion.“ Words of wisdom from someone who doesn’t only know a thing or two about street art and its related fashion industry, but clearly is Brooklyn’s sharpest dressed man by far. Dennis Chow is a graphic designer, illustrator, and creative consultant that mainly delivers the goods under his Glamnation moniker. Originally from Toronto - where he and his friends Allister Lee and Robin Nishio put Toronto on the map as one of today’s most innovative (yet underrated) hotspots - but now happily residing in New York City, Chow is a heavily unique visual maverick that takes inspiration from obscure B-movies, pop art, vintage comic books, and the filthier side of rock’n roll and garage rock. His work was shown in prestigious publications like Bad Day Magazine or Lodown while his twisted graphics graced garments from companies like Nike, Mishka, Lifetime or Krudmart. (Forty)

James

Jarvis/AMOS

“We got into toys with a vision: we wanted to become like Playmobil, to make toys which were cool but for a mass market.” Illustrator James Jarvis (b. 1970, London) was raised on a diet of skateboarding, Richard Scarry, Hergé, Judge Dredd and Albert Camus. He created the first potato-headed masterpiece back in 1998 for the fashion label Silas, and after basically starting the whole “designer toy” phenomenon with that little PVC pal called Martin (after his dad), he just kept getting better and better: Following on the heels of Tattoo-Me Keith, The Bearded Prophet and Lars, he dropped a bunch of timeless wrestlers (among them none other than the mighty Lord Humungous, friendly beast in yellow and blue), had solo shows, and soon established Amos with Russell Waterman and Sofia Prantera, in order to take his work out of this fashion context. More recent highlights were the comic-book adventure story “Vortigern’s Machine and the Great Sage of Wisdom”, co-written with Waterman, and his 2007 creation YOD, a “high concept art toy” based on mathematical formulae such as The Golden Rule and things your average math teacher probably wouldn’t even understand. In 2009 he directed his first film, “Onwards”, in collaboration with Richard Kenworthy, and launched “The Wisdom of Caleb”, a daily comic strip, in 2010. (Rnk)

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A entire microcosm from outer space or deep undersea sprawling on a defenseless sneaker; an island around a beer-bottle-volcano full of psychedelic model railway details served on a tray – welcome to the fantastic world of Jethro Haynes. The London-based illustrator, sculptor, graphic designer, and member of the legendary Ice Palace – a former creative underground place in London’s East - went to art college, studied fashion, general art, design and animation but despite all this arty background he calls skateboarding a far bigger influence. “You learn about yourself and look at your immediate environment in new ways, which is far more important than passing some course. So I suppose my background is one of wondering what could be, and how it could be.“ These words of wisdom from Mr. Haynes explain much about his approach to art. His work with different creative media - like drawing, sculpting, film and art direction merges in his playful approach ending up with a nice psychedelic and supernatural touch. Clients like Pointer Footwear, Carhartt, Dazed and Confused, Estrella Damm, Nickelodeon and Vans already followed his white rabbit down the hole… and you’ll sure follow soon. (LS)

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Jethro

Haynes

Andy

Jenkins

I remember roaming the streets of San Francisco back in the summer of 1996, walking up and down Haight St. to find this one CD – back then still a fresh medium – by this band MILK, the one that had contributed “The Knife Song” to Blind’s classic 1991 “Video Days” (it’s that one song in Jason’s part). In the end, I didn’t find it, but now, 20 years after Jason picked it for his part, as I’m checking some facts about creative misfit and skateboard art mastermind Andy Jenkins I just found this: Jenkins played the bass in that band, which also featured Jackass-creator Jeff Tremaine as a vocalist. I must have been blind back then. As you can imagine, Jenkins, who was born in Spain, has done a lot in those 15 years it took me to figure this one out (and the song has been released by a major label in the meantime): Having worked with Spike Jonze on a BMX magazine in the eighties, he became a serious skate journalist/all-round wizard and soon started his own Bend Press, before moving on to work for Girl in 1994 – where he still resides as art director. A member of the Art Dump – essentially The Girl Skateboard Company’s art department – he has collaborated with everyone from Thomas Campbell to Evan Hecox and has come up with so much awesomeness, it’s impossible to get into details here. Also, his artistic endeavors are widely known through his gallery shows across the globe, published works, or through his artwork for Hollywood movies. Although MILK is long-defunct, Bend Press had an official comeback this year, 25 years after Andy released his first zine under the name, with Bend issue 20 having recently hit the shelves after a 10-year-hiatus; other than that, the self-described “tinkerer” still manages to squeeze out writings, drawings, and paintings when he’s not filming his son Emmet on a skateboard. (Rnk)

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“For me, my icon characters represent the mortality in the human and through that the concept of living. We’re part of the universe around us and in us. We’re infinite and mortal at the same time.“

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Skull-faced icons coated in cyan blue capes enlightened by a golden ground - these symbolic figures from SuperBlast already work like a trademark. They refer to the ancient pictures of saints in their formal presentation, combined with symbols from different cultures and religions, like the third eye from shiva or the mexican skull. In this postmodern manner of quotation the artist is creating a new kind of mythology, one which also has its roots in skateboarding culture and street art. Replacing the eyes by spray can nozzles turns these icons into modern apostles of graff. Starting his career as a graffiti writer in the late 80s, the Berlin-based artist and graphic designer is known for his collaborations with international players such as WeSc, Ecko Unltd, Sony Playstation Portable, Nokia Nseries, Völkl Snowboards and Montana Cans. Besides designing graphics, clothes, and decks SuperBlast published his first monograph Neo Utopia – The Art and Work of SuperBlast. (LS)

SuperBlast

“One of the main things about my work is the fight against prejudices and pre-made ideas, about first looks and wrong consequences, about giving a second chance and about trying to be open to the unknown.” Jaybo left a significant mark in Berlin’s history of pop culture as soon as he settled down in Kreuzberg in the mid 80s. He co-founded the streetwear label Iriedaily and was the driving visual force behind the influential Style & The Family Tunes magazine while putting his artistic vision after dark on both, canvas and concrete. Nowadays it seems almost impossible to nail his work down to a specific artistic genre thanks to his creative impulsiveness and eager experimentation. Maybe his complex body of work is described best as an instinctive travel between street art, pop art, installation art, neo-dadaism, urban 21st century eclecticism and graffiti culture that he takes with the sureness of a sleep-walker. But maybe it would make much more sense to simply describe it as Jaybo. (Forty)

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Jaybo

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“I entered graphic design via the formal study route, but I feel this only gave me the environment and foundation in which to teach myself. I worked as a freelancer whilst studying and that certainly introduced me to the real world aspects of the design industry. I must say though that I had some truly amazing teachers, in particular Harry Williamson, who designed the Australian $100 “Mawson“ note, and Ian McArthur, who got us involved in areas of cross-cultural design with students from Chinese institutions… it was a huge benefit to have their knowledge and expertise whilst forming my own approach to things.“ Welcome to the world of Leif Podhajsky, where geometric backdrops, cosmic longings and historic imagery are connected through a carefully crafted cut-and-paste technique. Podhajsky is an artist, graphic designer and Creative Director who co-ran a studio by the name of “And.“ back in Melbourne. He’s now residing in Berlin and continues his mission to bring the aesthetics of print, sleeve-designs, ad-campaigns and fashion to a new level. (Forty)

Leif

Podhajsky

Shake

Yo u r

Tre e

Regardless if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re diving head-first into installation art, publications, conceptual design, graphics, music, or any other kind of printed matter, the credo of international globetrotters Shake Your Tree is a very basic one: Sebastian Haslauer, Manuel Buerger and Florian Bayer are simply doing things. Or to be precise: they are simply doing things their very own way. All that matters to the collective is unconventional ideas, the love of experimentation, subtle humour, and intellectual depth. As a result, Shake Your Tree not only stands for artful design and a twisted sense of fun, but also for a critical view on our present times by reflecting current events and trends from a self-confident and autarkic perspective. In a deliberate decision, they hold their network open for other artists, always up for exchanging new ideas. (Forty)

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Berlin

French

Greetings from Berlin screw sms, analog salutations still rule okay: we asked a handful of befriended artists to send us their impression of Germany’s capital

s g n i t e Gre from ! n i l r Be “I liked Germany… I’m not much into Berlin though, it’s too huge and empty and imposing. But Munich was good.“ – Graham Coxon

66/67 Berlinopoly the emperors new clothes have been ripped off at Hermannplatz

68—71 Berlin by night a selection of hotspots to visit after the tradeshow-radness described by people in the know: cleaners and bartenders

72—74

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Endangered species read a book while they’re still around

76—79

Pontus Alv

Kenny Anderson

Kim Hiorthøy

Amos

Aaron Rose 66 – Bright Magazine

Chris Colonna

French

Pontus Alv

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“When I come in here, it’s… just awful. A knock out. It takes me up to seven hours to clean the place up, but when I’m finished you won’t even find a shard of broken glass on the floor.“

Watergate Falckensteinstrasse 49 10997 Berlin www.water-gate.de 68 – Bright Magazine

"A good ol' sporthall ballroom locale rescued from the throes of dead ratdom that we turned into a heavyweight houseparty type affair, day-after cleanup responsibilities and all."

Loftus Hall Maybachufer 48 12045 Berlin

Berlin by night

"Are you guys that hungry? You can order some peanuts from the barâ&#x20AC;Ś" (bartender to an inebriated couple playing tonsil hockey, 5.45am)

August II Auguststrasse 2 10117 Berlin

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"You'd never think our main crowd is a bunch of well-dressed Mitte hipsters. This place looks something like a circus or a zoo by the time the night is through."

Neue Odessa Torstrasse 89 10119 Berlin www.neueodessabar.de

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“Between you and me? I thought this is just a bar… how is it possible that it looks as if they hosted a street festival in here?“

Fuchsbau Planufer 95 10967 Berlin

“Dude, why so serious?“ (dropped by a guy completely wrapped in toilet paper at 7.30am to a passing stranger)

Kater Holzig Michaelkirchstrasse 23 10179 Berlin www.katerholzig.de

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Warschauer Strasse

It’s a tarp!

Simon-DachStrasse

The Berlin-buzz has been on constant repeat since quite a while already and paradoxically it still feels intriguing and enjoyable on an almost ceaseless basis. The city has drastically changed over the last ten years in particular, and it’s in the nature of things that these changes aren’t all good. Germany’s captital now is on eye-level with cities like New York, London or Tokyo… gentrification and superficiality included. However, one thing sure is for granted: regardless of its hype, Berlin is as skint as it ever was. So let’s lean back and enjoy a game of Berlinopoly, shall we? Simply add up all your expenses… the one who is knee-deep in the red after ten rounds wins.

EREIGNIS FELD Berghain endlose Schlange =

1x aussetzen

created by Skism & Forty

Boxi

PS. We consciously avoided to translate the chance cards. You’ve been living in this city long enough, so it’s finally time to come out of the closet with your German skills.

Savignyplatz Meinigenalle Vattenfall

1. Mahnung (nichts passiert)

Wilmersdorfer Strasse Fr ei pa rk en !

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Zi m m e (f i m r- E ü r H rd i m a i n ge sc m er ho ) s

Berlinopoly

Pallasstrasse

Bergmannstrasse TÜ V

Oranienstrasse

EREIGNIS FELD

Bezirksamt

Osloer Strasse

Karl-MarxStrasse

Friedelstrasse

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Danziger Stra EREIGNIS FELD Helmholtzplatz Castingallee

EREIGNIS FELD 3. Mahnung (nichts passiert)

Britzer Damm

- €2 50 0

Torstrasse

1x aussetzen Watergate endlose Schlange =

BE ge kla ut

Friedrichstrasse

73 – Bright Magazine

Horst lange Schlange =

Auguststrasse

EREIGNIS FELD

GASAG

Martin-LutherStrasse Kater Holzig endlose Schlange =

Motzstrasse 2. Mahnung (nichts passiert)

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EREIGNIS KARTEN

Dein Window s 98 PC geht ins Pfandha us =

Die Flamme n der angezün deten S-Klasse schlagen auf Deinen Fiat Lupo über =

Paul’s Boutique hat Deine Promofu mmel und Sneaks verkauft =

- €700

+ €150

Gästelis te war wohl nix =

Taxifahr t: die Kurzstre cke war keine =

Du kennst niemand hinter der Bar und lädst die Trulla trotzdem ein =

- €15

- €16

- €90

Das Finanzam t kommt Dir auf die Spur =

In der U-Bahn eingepe nnt - Endstation Wartenb erg inkl. nach Hause laufen =

Dein Mietnom adentum bringt Dich souverä n durch die ersten zwei Quartale =

2x aussetz en

+ €7200

Deine Modelag entur kickt Dich =

Pimkie will auf Deinem Blog ein Banner schalten =

nichts passier t

+ €150 und 1x aussetz en

Dein neuer Vermiete r ist Skandin avier - Sprachk urs =

Du lernst im Alexa eine aus Hellersd orf kennen =

+ €16

+ €75

- €18000 (Yeah! Sahne! Sofortb ankrott )

Dreck! Koks verloren ! =

Clubma rke beim Bierpull e öffnen in die Spree gefallen =

- €200

2x aussetz en

Vernissa ge Fingerfo od hilft Dir über den nächsten Tag =

Du wirst am Herman nplatz abgezoc kt (Sneaks , Jacke, iPhone, iPod, iPad, G-Shock & Kohle) =

+ €25

solide - €2.500

Du machst einen Faxserv ice auf =

Das private Inkassou nternehm en “Minsk“ klingelt bei Dir und Du bist nicht kranken versiche rt =

- €280

Ein strafvers etzter Cop aus Münche n erwisch t Dich beim pullern = - €40

2x aussetz en

Dein Pop-Up Store poppt nicht = - € 15000

- €1.200

- €5128,8 5 + 2x aussetz en

Ein Spanier verkauft Dir im Club Abführta bletten =

Du findest den Ausgang im Kater Holzig nicht =

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Du fragst am Bahnhof Lichtenb erg mit verräter ischem Akzent nach einem Traumfä ngerlade n - Brille und Schneid ezahn futsch =

- €160 für neue Hose + 1x aussetz en

- €40 + 1x aussetz en

- €15000

€2200

Der Prinz von Rhodesi en schickt Dir eine Mail und Du kaufst zwei Aktienpa kete =

Du wirst heute bereits zum dritten Mal beim Schwarz fahren erwisch t =

Wilde Renate ist kein Puff, Bachstel zen kein Hobby-O rnitholog enverein und die Gegenk ultur keine Demo =

Du bekomm st selbst beim Späti nebenan Hausver bot =

- €120

3x aussetz en

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- €2600

- € 6000

- €12000

Du legst Dich mit Sven vom Berghain an, weil Du mit Deinem Kölner Spielmannsan zug nicht rein kommst = 1x aussetz en

74 – Bright Magazine

1x aussetz en

Du fragst in der Graefes trasse nach dem Weg aber niemand versteht Deutsch = 1x aussetz en

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75 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bright Magazine

Endangered species a guide to Berlin’s independent (art)book stores

On any given day, it is astounding how easily and even incurably prone to distraction one is. Namely, with more than a million different directions with which to shoot of into and onto any particular avenue of the internet... buckling down and uninterruptedly focusing on work always seems like a faroff cry that struggles to heed its call. Whether it’s the wayward ways of our generation’s tumblrheads slash forumnamefaker facebookers or simply the nature of how work and life flows these days, few and far between are those cut off from this dizzying maze of information and communication. It’s the internet’s fault for providing endless options, mixing work with play, jolting us from concentrating on that which must be done to that which can be naïvely, jovially indulged in with the click of a mouse... and for giving us self-manifested ADD. Momentarily, forget Kindles, iPads, Macbooks, and smartphones. Regardless of the technological bounds we’ve made, nothing else comes close to the look, the feel, or the smell of the real deal. And despite whatever it may be that prevents people from picking up a good read: not finding the time or the urge, the peace, or the ability to walk away from the glowing machine - as with anything that’s vital and worthwhile, it will be engaged. REAL books should never fade away. So with that, here’s to the survival and success of independent bookshops in Berlin (and beyond).

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Opened in 1999 and nicely nestled on the quiet Almstadtstraße in Mitte, the 12 year old stalwart bookshop, Pro qm, boasts thematic titles in relation to the city, politics, pop, economics criticism, architecture, design, art, and theory. The bookshop hosts various seminars, workshops, and discourses on topics ranging from the expanded fields of art and design to architecture and symbolic capitalism. Booky nerdy goody. Do You Read Me? specializes more so in magazines than it does in books, but it’s a very stocked assortment at that. Otherwise hard-to-find fashion glossies show up here as well as ones on photography, art, architecture, interior design, and culture. DYRM? is lesser known for its Reading Room & Shop but should get more cred as it regularly houses lectures, exhibitions, discussions, and “all those still slumbering ideas and projects.” In addition to its great selection of international mag and book titles, Issue on Kastanienallee also draws special attention to small run, personal artist publications. The layout of the shop lends plenty of breathing room to its carefully chosen publications and makes it quite manageable to pop in and grab a few titles rather than get lost in a barrage of bookage.

Motto, a Kreuzberg kingpin is dedicated to the finest in printed matter: magazines, books, and self published curiosities in the form of zines and beyond. Various presentations and publication launches take place every month. Motto also works with more than 150 publishers and supplies selected bookstores, galleries, museums and concept stores worldwide. On a trip there, prepare to spend a good while diving into its bounty of words and images.

DO YOU READ ME?!

Who are you? Mark Kiessling, Designer and Jessica Reitz, Bookseller Year the shop was established? do you read me?! was established in 2008, and in 2011 we opened the Reading Room & Shop on Potsdamer Strasse. Number of beers consumed at the opening event? Beers? Number of employees? 1 1/2 Mission statement: If we do not like it, we might not have it.

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Approx. number of titles (books + zines) in stock? 1.500

Most famous person seen shopping at your place? You wish…!

Best-selling title in 2011? Apartamento

Best place to grab a bite around the corner from your place? Transit in Mitte and Roth Diele on Potsdamer Strasse.

Worst-selling title of all times? Definitely Traffic, because it’s for free. Personal favorite in 2011? The Idler Best event that went down at your shop? Launch of the 80*81 Series and the Kaffeeklatsch with Marco Velardi of Apartamento Magazine.

Why deal with printed matter in 2011 and beyond? Because it’s the latest - today, yesterday and tomorrow…

ISSUE

Who are you? AJ Menexes (Restaurateur) and Andreas Salgo (Architect). Year the shop was established? 2010 Number of beers consumed at the opening event? Zero – there was no opening event. Number of employees? 2 Mission statement: Share amazing books with interested clients.

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Approx. number of titles (books + zines) in stock? 500 Best-selling title in 2011? Magazines: mono.kultur Books: Art & Agenda (Die Gestalten) Worst-selling title of all times? Unfortunately Agma, a quarterly publication dedicated to exhibition making, communicates with images, rather than words. Personal favorite in 2011? Magazines: The Travel Almanac Books: Mark Borthwick, The Heart Land, Powershovel Books

Best event that went down at your shop? No events in the past – no events in the future. Most famous person seen shopping at your place? Hugo Weaving. Best place to grab a bite around the corner from your place? W Imbiss on Kastanienallee, friendly and healthy. Why deal with printed matter in 2011 and beyond? It’s our passion and print will never die.

MOTTO

Who are you? Alexis Zavialoff, photographer, working in publishing since 1994. Year the shop was established? Early 2009. Number of beers consumed at the opening event? Not sure. Number of employees? 20 collaborators approximately. Mission statement: Books, magazines, artists’ publications and editions Approx. number of titles (books + zines) in stock? 8.000+

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Best-selling title in 2011? Title. Published by Ramaya Tegegne, 1st edition of 200, 2nd edition of 200.

Most famous person seen shopping at your place? Urs Lehni, and I think Michael Stipe got lost in our courtyard once.

Worst-selling title of all times? -

Best place to grab a bite around the corner from your place? NIL in Oppelnerstr.

Personal favorite in 2011? Sunday. Paul Kooiker. Published by van Zoetendaal / Book. Published by Eastside Projects Best event that went down at your shop? April 2, 2011: True True True launch with Paul Haworth, Sam de Groot, Kasia Fudakowski, matching with “That Which Doesn’t Kill Us Is Often Made Of Foam” at Chert, Berlin. Also, the two “Unter Dem Motto” Bookfairs in 2009 and 2010.

Why deal with printed matter in 2011 and beyond? The book is an artwork in itself.

PRO QM

Who are you? Pro qm, “thematische Buchhandlung in Berlin”. We are based on Almstadtstrasse 48-50 in Berlin-Mitte, close to Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. Year the shop was established? 1999. So right now, we are celebrating our 12th anniversary. On this occasion we publish a set of twelve monthly released tote bags designed by friends such as Åbäke, Bernadette Corporation, Gui Bonsiepe und Matthias Görlich, Laurenz Brunner, Zak Kyes, Metahaven, Dexter Sinister, HIT (with Egija Inzule and Tobias Kaspar), Judith Hopf, Project Projects, Manuel Raeder, Bless and Vier5. Number of beers consumed at the opening event? For our opening, we served Champagne and “Spritz.” In 2007, we moved to our current location, and opened with a street barbeque party. The fog machine in the shop made it impossible to count the number of beers – many hundreds.

Number of employees? Currently 10 people are part of Pro qm, many of them working only one or two days per week. Mission statement: Pro qm is a thematic bookshop for research and social interaction. Approx. number of titles (books + zines) in stock? 25.000 Best-selling title in 2011? Enzo Mari: Autoprogettazione – a reprint from 1974. Edizioni Corraini. Worst-selling title of all times? Nothing. Everything nice sells sooner or later. Personal favorite in 2011? Julian Göthe. You are living in a world of magic. Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König 2011.

Best event that went down at your shop? An early best event was a collaborative performance by Mark E. Smith (The Fall) and dancer Michael Clark, leaving a hole in the ceiling on an evening in December 2000. A recent favorite was a discussion with philosophers Alain Badiou, John Rajchman and others. Most famous person seen shopping at your place? Probably Karl Lagerfeld and Brad Pitt. Best place to grab a bite around the corner from your place? Long-time favorite restaurants around the corner: Mädchenitaliener and Cantamaggio. Recent new addition, low-key meeting place: Marketta, Austrian sausages, coffee and beer. Why deal with printed matter in 2011 and beyond? The social life of the book is strongly connected to the printed object.

Interviews: Renko Heuer 80 – Bright Magazine

Michael Leon what’s at stacks? - an interview with the creative genius and passionate skateboarder

82—85

Bitchslap the Danish magazine is taking over. behold the cold wave.

86/87

Scandinavian wood affordable solutions for better skating

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Decks 88—90

Very much like sneakers or even guitars, skateboards have long found a second calling as a platform for art and self-expression in general: some board graphics have iconic status, are wall-mounted at home, some end up in galleries or expensive collections, and the majority, of course, is also adored yet ultimately destroyed by kids who love to skate. And it’s true: some of them are simply too amazing. Here’s the latest in board-as-canvas design, this time introducing the one and only Michael Leon and bringing you some of those good things happening in Scandinavia.

An interview with: Michael Leon an interview with Michael Leon

“You gotta love your board. You gotta feel good about how it looks and how it feels.” – Michael Leon in Slap Magazine A few years ago, Commonwealth Stacks was one of those tiny bedroom operations, a company that put out some great t-shirts, some beautiful printed matter, maybe a new – and usually limited edition – run of decks every other year. Most of these boards weren’t actually skated but ended up hanging on walls in beautiful apartments instead of flying down huge sets of stairs. These pieces of wood were simply too beautiful. Stacks was the brainchild of a certain Michael Leon, a man with little time on his hands, a lot of Art Dump experience, a designer and artist and skateboarder with a bunch of fine works for Girl, Fourstar etc. and various solo and group shows (from Berlin to Tokyo) under his busy belt. If you want to hear a comparison, Leon’s little company felt somewhat like Andy Mueller’s The Quiet Life – “a platform for simple, thoughtful design” or a DIY “outlet to create tees, prints, records, boards, zines, whatever”. And then, about two, three years ago, Stacks was gone all of a sudden, no more website, nothing, only a note saying they’d be back sooner or later. Well, back they came, and big time: Having just released their first promo video “TEAM”, Stacks in early 2012 is a proper skateboard company with a full roster of heavy hitters including team manager and longtime rider Reese Forbes plus Dani Lebron, Adrian Adrid, Barry Mansfield, Mikey Burton, Cameo Wilson, Ben Fisher, and Sebo Walker. Now, guess who edited the video…

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Stacks founder Michael Leon is indeed a jack of all trades: Born in 1974 in Tampa, and educated at CalArts in Valencia, CA, he grew up amidst the skateboard culture of the late eighties and nineties and landed a job for New Deal before he even knew what he was doing: they just picked a piece of art he had created and that was it (it was a slick bottom!). After starting Stacks in 2000, he launched Rasa Libre with Matt Field and Deluxe and worked as Art

a short team video for Stacks with all kinds of random and different quality footage, which was kind of tough. Sounds like a lot of things on your plate, as usual. Since you’re so much into flags, let’s say if you had to create a flag for yourself, for your life in 2011, so to speak, what would it look like? I think it would be a black clock face on a white background. Time is something I have been struggling with; there’s not enough of it. Let’s talk about a time in your life when you had more time on your hands: How was growing up in Florida and North Carolina? How rural was it? Was that why you left so soon? I split time between my mom in NC and my dad in Florida. NC was great, it’s a great place for a kid. Lots to explore. It was pretty interesting trying to skateboard there. We had some questionable spots. We skated wooden railroad ties for years. It was rural but close enough to Winston-Salem, where I ended up living for a few months before I moved out here.

Director for Nike for a few years (he collaborated on the SB, Tech Pack, and 6.0 lines). With dope new decks and a HD full length video coming up in Spring 2012, we had to steal Mr. Leon some of his valuable time and have a chat. Michael, what are you working on these days? I’m in Portland now working on some retail stores at Nike and enjoying the fall weather. I just finished editing

What is your earliest memory related to skateboarding? When did you first stand on a board anyway? My dad had a fiberglass board that I found. I used to set up rocks in the driveway like a slalom course and try to tic-tac around them. I think I was around seven. Was it through skateboarding that you got into art in the first place? No it wasn’t. I was always into that and skating, but I skated before

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I even knew about the subculture of skateboarding. I didn’t have access to magazines as a kid so it was just something I was into. Art as well. It’s just how my brain works I guess. My two brothers are a scientist and a corporate accountant. Total opposite. And how exactly did you get into design? I wasn’t really into design until I started working at Girl. Before that I was just doing art. I did a New Deal board for Neal Hendrix that was from a painting. I didn’t really design it in the way I design now. So early design stuff for me that I’m super proud of is the early days of Fourstar Clothing that was designed by Kevin Lyons and myself.

We’re talking nineties here, and you’ve been skating for more than a quarter of a century. How does that sentence make you feel? Makes me feel like I need to go skate more. I haven’t really in like two months. Like I said, I’m getting to

84 – Bright Magazine

where I have very little free time these days. The board I have put together is from two seasons ago and it has just a couple scratches on it. I think it will be easier to skate in the winter. Too much work to do in the summer for me. Speaking of work: It took a while to come back with Stacks, but now you are doing more than ever. What made you decide to take this route? It was just good timing for Reese and myself to do something together. We thought Stacks was the right vehicle as opposed to starting something entirely new. Stacks had a history and a small following already. And before Stacks you used to work with Reese as Art Director over at Rasa Libre. What exactly happened to Rasa Libre? Like all things, time passes, changes take place, and at one point it’s time for everyone to move on to the next chapter. I kind of like that it was short-lived. It was a short period but very intense and creative, which is why I think people remember it fondly. Sometimes it’s better to burn really bright for a short period than to drag on. How has the process of designing skateboards changed for you since you started out? Both in terms of techniques and what you feel a graphic should be like? More than ever we do what we like and it’s not really about a certain look, although some of the really bold and simple stuff is very Stacks. It’s pretty open. There’s no rules for us on what can be a graphic. Are you still bigger in Europe and Japan? Ha! You mean my work compared to in the U.S.? Yeah, I think I sell

more work to people in Europe and Japan, yes. I don’t know why that is. I have more shows over there, so that’s maybe it. Having pushed the boundaries for about 15 years now – is it hard to keep things fresh for yourself? Yes, it is tough sometimes. I’m very quick to get off something if it starts to feel temporary or fashionable. I’ll kind of ramp up and do a lot of work for a few months, then not do any for a couple months. I’m not a doodler or doing it just to pass the time. I have to really focus and kind of “live it” so I can’t stay in that mode all the time. Where do you see yourself and Stacks in five years? I don’t know really. It’s not a company that’s designed to grow in its present state so if we decide to grow I think it will have to branch out a little and enter some other categories. I could see us partnering with another brand to do something bigger. What can you announce in terms of upcoming collaborations? What’s planned for the future? Next up for board graphics is Cody Hudson, Justin Krietemeyer, and Gillian Schwartz who is one of my favorite Art Directors.

Words: Renko Heuer

85 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bright Magazine

Bitchslap scandiskates: behold the cold wave Bitchslap Magazine www.bitchslapmag.com Bitchslap is a street-level lifestyle magazine. We spot, showcase and elevate fresh talent, while paying homage to the veterans who shaped our subcultures; providing insight into stuff we like including photography, fashion, skate and snow, design, music and everyday nonsense. This is all packaged in a high quality print publication that is easy on the eye and light on the heart. Bitchslap Magazine is distributed throughout Denmark and at select spots in Europe.

Streetmachine www.streetmachine.com Streetmachine is Denmark's oldest skateshop and was actually born in Paris, spread to San Diego and finally settled in Copenhagen; the Danish capital's store being the sole surviver of the chain. Besides constantly producing their own decks, STM have delved headlong into numerous colabs with massive brands such as Chocolate, Enjoi and Obey. The size series, shown here, was designed in-house and shows the size written out in Danish. Believe me when I say it looks better than it sounds.

Here we've thrown together a short list of 5 Scandinavian skateboard brands who are tweaking our laces right now. There's a bit of glory, some guts, a dash of elbow grease and of course, something old and something new. Not like you.

Polar www.insearchofthemiraculous.se Anyone with their ear anywhere near the ground has heard of Pontus Alv's skate project, Polar. The first time I saw Pontus skate I thought "Who is this animal?". Upon first meeting him I thought "What a bloody nice guy". One of the most enthusiastic cats out there, Pontus absolutely rules at everything he does - proven by his skateboarding and recent win at the International Skate Film Festival. I'm sure things will go in the same direction for Polar.

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Harmoni Sweet www.sweetskateboards.com With one of the sickest teams in Scandinavia and a happy-go-lucky, let's-get-pissed-and-party attitude, Sweet Skateboards are keeping it about as Scando as it gets. In what I'd describe as a moment of weakness they put a backwards question mark on their logo, but hey let's allow the skating and solid selection of hardwoods and apparel speak for itself. I chose this board graphic for its owner Jonas Skrøder, who destroys everything he skates, whether it's curbs, stairs or trannies.

www.harmoniskateboards.dk Born of Tobias Bak's dream of an independent skateboard company, Harmoni is a well respected curbdog from Copenhagen. With a grip on some of Copenhagen's best riders, Harmoni reeks of local pride and bears the rough edges of any small, do-it-yourself outfit. The terribly designed website and roughly cut films only strengthen the credibility of this brand in my eyes and proves that Tobias and his team would rather be out skating, than waste their time worrying about what you think.

Oh Dawn www.ohdawn.com Copenhagen based lifestyle brand Oh Dawn's story began through simply bringing a camera along on their surf missions; these trips were of questionable surfing success but as they started sharing their lives on a blog, the interest grew. Having always had a passion for hand crafted goods, the gang began to shape surf- and eventually skateboards. These one-off gems became a quick hit and drove the—what's now a—company to build on that foundation and branch out to apparel.

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Melodica: Butchered at birch

Words: Renko Heuer

Scandinavian wood

The awesome people at Melodica are so DIY-minded, they got some educational anecdotes about Norwegian Wood Finnish birch and will always have a fine warm beer for you, even in summer. Visit them at Bright XIV, ask about those beers, and check out their upcoming board designs! Here’s a quick Q&A with Janne Hauta-aho about what’s in the pipes over at Melodica. www.mldca.com

Who is responsible for those dope board graphics over at Melodica? I do most of the designs myself. Once in a while we have a few guest artists. This fall we have a sick design made by famous tattoo artist Erik von Bartholomaus. Are there any rules for Melodica designs? Nope, I guess that the approach to the Melodica designs is that we have no limits. Any idea that comes to mind may be in a catalog next season. How did you hook up with Crime LR for the awesome cruiser? Francois from Crime LR contacted me and we came up with this idea to do a collaboration. I made the design we put it into production. The graphic worked out pretty well and we decided to make a beanie and a t-shirt as well. The whole collection is now available from the Crime La Rochelle store in France.

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Is Canadian maple the ultimate canvas? Honestly, in the early days of Melodica, let’s say in 2001, we used to press decks by ourselves, and we used Finnish birch. The Finnish birch is strong but it still caused too much of a headache so we eventually decided to make them out of Canadian maple. Why try Finnish birch in the first place? Well, it was really easy to get in Finland, obviously, and it also seemed very suitable to make decks from because it’s very stiff and bendy, but it just didn’t work out. The decks just didn’t crack, but most of them split in half the wrong direction. But at least we tried! What’s so good about warm beers? And what’s planned for the future? Behold, next year everybody will drink their beers warm! As for the future: the year 2011 has been a good year for Melodica, and things seem to be even BRIGHTer in 2012.

Newsoul: Börk Börk Börk!

“We are especially picky when we select the wood we are using for our boards. When customers buy a Newsoul skateboard they should know that they buy a really good quality deck, we would never allow anything else.” If you follow what’s happening over at The Berrics, you probably know all about Newsoul: this Swedish brand was started by Jean-Marc Soulet and Albert Nyberg back in 2009, and since then they’ve come up with a lot colorful goodies, ranging from decks to wheels and apparel. Ever since Mr. Nyberg’s “ass was invited over after being discovered on YouTube”, as Steve Berra recently stated, he’s been rocking some serious underflips (over a scared Steve even) at the Berrics, and he sort of nailed what Newsoul is all about when he introduced No Comply Bigspin Heelflips to the Trickipedia mix, beautifully set to the main theme of the movie True Romance. The look, the unlikely choice of trick, combined with the song, and all of it going down in that semi-darkness at the Berrics, really made for the best of all worlds: old-school and new school and Scandinavian flavors and some fine Hans Zimmer melodies on top, all cooked up like only those Swedish Chefs could do it. Apart from more team decks and more sizes to come in 2012 – and a board that is wider than 8” for the first time – here’s some gibberish from the two Newsoul Chefs about their upcoming designs: Albert: “Since I was a child I have always been interested in dinosaurs, especially the T-Rex. I’m also a big fan of the first Jurassic Park movie. When we first started Newsoul, I put a T-Rex on one of our t-shirts, and since we are now about to release our fourth line of decks, I felt that it was time to make it happen on one of my new pro models too. We are also launching a new t-shirt, inspired from the graphic on the dinosaur deck.” Jean-Marc: “My dad is from Paris, France. So I wanted to honor my French roots and did a graphic that was inspired by the city. All my previous graphics have been inspired by hip-hop, so when we started to design the 2012 spring collection, I wanted to show another side of my personality too.” C’est magnifique! Words: Renko Heuer

89 – Bright Magazine

Sweet Skateboards x Alex Castañeda: Hang Ten

Now that our buddies from Bitchslap Magazine decided to include Sweet Skateboards in their Scandinavian wooden toys top-5 roundup (see page xy), there’s still another special project these snus consuming Swedes have got in the pipes: they hooked up with Spanish artist Alex Castañeda (b. 1975) to give new meaning to the term “hang ten”. Here’s what Björn “Bjerten” Holmenäs told us about this unique collaboration – and don’t miss this the chance to win one of these beauties at BRIGHT XIV! “The idea of working with long time friend, skater, artist and Barcelona neighbor Alex Castañeda had been there for ages but it wasn’t until last spring with the help of some red wine at his place that the idea came up to do a painting that covers various

boards. Alex liked the idea a lot and we decided that he would start painting the boards in our studio in Stockholm, whilst shooting and filming every step of the process. Since his girlfriend, who is Swedish, was pregnant at the time, they where both staying in Sweden until the birth of their daughter anyway. That gave Alex time to come in and work on his project in-between skate sessions and other “becoming a dad” preparations. Little by little you could see how the painting grew on the boards; and with his use of colors and surrealistic animals it didn’t take long to realize that the outcome would look amazing. After finishing the painting and the final photo was taken he added his signature parrot on the top of each board and numbered them 1-10. The original boards are to be spread out and each owner of a board will get a full-scale, signed photo of the painting and a letter explaining that they own a part of a unique project. The ten boards will be given to friends and distributors; others will be up for grabs

through competitions with magazines, websites and other partners. Two boards and a signature Alex Castañeda parrot t-shirt will be printed and produced in limited numbers for retail with a poster of the whole painting to come with them, and 10% of the profit will be donated for a good cause. After the release of the boards we will have our customers decide how and where the money should be used. The release of the boards is scheduled for May, in a mid season drop, and the boards will be exposed to the public at an art exhibition and party in Stockholm before being shipped off to various corners of the planet. We hope to continue this project as an annual series by inviting different artists to participate and create new amazing art on boards for a good cause. The only chance to see the entire painting outside of Sweden will be at BRIGHT, so don’t forget to check it out and make sure to participate in our competition where a lucky BRIGHT visitor will be the proud owner of one of the ten boards!” Words: Renko Heuer

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and the nominees are:

Best Photographer

Kingpin European Skater of the Year Eniz Fazliov Tim Zom Youness Amrani Pontus Alv Sylvain Tognelli

Stories

Lucas Puig Nassim Guammaz Steve Forstner Pontus Alv Chris Pfanner Madars Apse Youness Amrani Eniz Fazliov Danny Brady Jarne Verbruggen Albert Nyberg Dallas Rockvam

Sw ee A t nt i Po z la C r Bl lich ue é p M r in ag t en Pa ta C C lac le ar e pt ha om r Lo an tt ve ic ns x ka te

Bright European Skateboard Awards 2012 the glorious 1st edition… oh, the excitement!

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94/95

96—98

Kingpin European Rookie of the Year

All Tomorrows get ready for the troops of tomorrow

Top Brands

The art of sponsoring why does the stash goes to those with the cash?

Lucas Puig Steve Forstner Chris Pfanner Madars Apse Sam Partaix

Sem Rubio Sam Ashley Deeli Eric Antoinne Marcel Veldman Adam Sello Jean Feil Daniel Loren Herzman DVL

Jarne Verbruggen Nassim Guammaz Michal Juras Axel Cruysberghs Albert Nyberg Flo Mirtain Barney Page Harry Lintell Tom Knox Josef Scott Jatta

Reader’s Choice

“Some stories are true that never happened“

Random Award Facts

Don’t forget: Since 1989 the fine people at the Academy Awards replaced the trademark phrase “And the winner is...” with the phrase “And the Oscar goes to...” Did you notice?

91 – Bright Magazine

präsentiert von Kingpin & Mpora.com

20. Januar 2012 – Berlin Skateboarding always had its own stars, masters, heroes, villains, and hotly tipped newcomers. That part hasn’t changed a bit since day one. There were always individuals everybody was raving about, stunts and slams just as epic and memorable as they were painful, photographs or video parts people would talk about for years and years. In short: there were countless reasons to celebrate – celebrate skateboarding and celebrate the people who stand out. The Bright European Skateboard Awards is the firstever event in Europe created to do this: We established it to celebrate the people who have been blowing the minds of the European community in their respective fields – whether it’s skating, filming, photography, or running a brand that drives the scene. Initiated by Bright Tradeshow, and presented together with Kingpin and Mpora.com, the inaugural event will go down in Berlin on January 20, 2011. And make no mistake: shit will be official. The Bright European Skateboard Awards honor Europe’s top riders, presenting nine awards in the following categories: Kingpin Skater of the Year, Kingpin Rookie of the Year, Best Photographer, Kingpin Video Part of the Year, Best Cover, Best Brand, Best Trick, Best Slam, and Reader’s Choice, the latter being the only award not determined by the official BESA jury but by an online poll instead. Here’s a list of nominees for five of the these categories… so you better start placing your bets.

Unwritten Award Rules – Top-5

Awards, red carpets, photographers, all the glitz and glam – you know the deal, don’t you? You were there when The Baha Men got a Grammy for “Who Let The Dogs Out?”, weren’t you? Here’s five things you might want to do during the Awards Ceremony: 1: Pull a Sandra Bullock – that’s to win both best and worst (in her case actress) in immediate succession.

4: Pull a Sinead O’Connor – refuse a Grammy (for an album called „I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got“).

2: Or pull a Marlon Brando: send a Native American on stage to refuse your award.

5: Or pull an Ol’ Dirty Bastard in case you don’t win: Simply yell „Wu-Tang is for the children“ during the winner’s acceptance speech.

3: Or pull a Milli Vanilli – get found out that you didn’t earn the price in the first place. 92 – Bright Magazine

and the nominees are:

Best Photographer

Kingpin European Skater of the Year Lucas Puig Steve Forstner Chris Pfanner Madars Apse Sam Partaix

Sem Rubio Sam Ashley Deeli Eric Antoinne Marcel Veldman Adam Sello Jean Feil Daniel Loren Herzman DVL

Eniz Fazliov Tim Zom Youness Amrani Pontus Alv Sylvain Tognelli

European Rookie of the Year

Lucas Puig Nassim Guammaz Steve Forstner Pontus Alv Chris Pfanner Madars Apse Youness Amrani Eniz Fazliov Danny Brady Jarne Verbruggen Albert Nyberg Dallas Rockvam

Sw ee A t nt i Po z la C r Bl lich ue é p M r in ag t en Pa ta C C lac le ar e pt ha om r Lo an tt ve ic ns x ka te

Top Brands

Jarne Verbruggen Nassim Guammaz Michal Juras Axel Cruysberghs Albert Nyberg Flo Mirtain Barney Page Harry Lintell Tom Knox Josef Scott Jatta

Reader’s Choice

Random Award Facts

Don’t forget: Since 1989 the fine people at the Academy Awards replaced the trademark phrase “And the winner is...” with the phrase “And the Oscar goes to...” Did you notice?

93 – Bright Magazine

All Tomorrows

Text: Sven Fortmann

Bright proudly presents All Tomorrows, the platform for established tastemakers, emerging designers, upcoming artists and labels of tomorrow alike. Spanning around 800 square meters on the third floor within the Bright walls, All Tomorrows is presenting once again an amalgamation of newcomers and hand-picked labels that will soon have a strong impact on upcoming trends and collections – if they haven’t already. Located in the congress room of the former Ministry of Inland Security, the dedicated space will provide all the necessities to make sure that it’ll stand out as the perfect spot for both business and creative exchange. 94 – Bright Magazine

One of the exhibitions that will take place within this edition of All Tomorrows is hosted by our Australian friends from the prestigious Monster Children magazine – a pitch perfect mélange of boarding sports, urban art and leftfield pop culture that just recently opened a new office in Los Angeles - and will showcase the latest talent from Down Under.

Stay tuned for more under

www.alltomorrows.de

INTRO

Monster Children Magazine Photography Annual 2011

Thugs against drugs.

Photography: Gelndyn Ivin

Thugs against drugs.

Photography: Gelndyn Ivin

Our Friend Margaret Text and compilation of words - Michele Lockwood

Margaret Kilgallen

95 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bright Magazine

The art of sponsoring “Everyone is hawking products.“

“That's like the highest thing you can achieve now isn't it? Become some barker..... Sinatra hawks beer; he doesn't have enough money does he? Nothing’s sacred to these fucks, I’m waiting to see: It’s Jesus for Miller! I was crucified. Dead for three days, resurrected, and waited 2000 years to return to Earth... It’s Miller Time! You don't see the eminent danger do you? ‘Well, they are just musicians you know... and they are just doing their thing... and...’ NO!! They are demons set loose on the earth to lower the standards,” jests Bill Hicks, sprinkling these words with a grain of salt. Or maybe not. Regardless of a subjective standards scale, the tried and true formula of combining name, image, and likeness of an artist with a brand is more often than not, a symbiotic relationship that has been in practice for as long as business itself has existed. What companies vs. what its crowned spokesperson gains from this harmonious joining of forces is a multi-layered cake of consequences, worth exploring. First and foremost, by hooking themselves up with a musician or band, the brand gets cool by association. Or at least that’s the idea - to use said famous person’s notoriety and popularity to add extra ink to the public’s stamp of approval. With so many brands and myriad products to choose from, brands need to sponsor the right people to distinguish their stuff from the next Joe’s and to really reel in consumers. By sponsoring artists brands generate buzz, further spread the word, possibly open up a new market by lending a re-vamped image to the brand, and potentially create controversy (& more sales?) based on how the campaign or collaboration is done.

96 – Bright Magazine

What’s in it for the artists? Money. There’s also swag and increased fame. Musicians justify pimping themselves out to brands by maintaining that the pair-up exposes them to a bigger audience, increasing the fan base, concert ticket and record sales. That’s the idea anyway. Aeons old and still counting, the art of sponsoring has had to evolve and get more creative. Again, musicians say more power to do more creatively (but is it just that more $ = more power?) Another vantage point is that with a big company ‘backing’ them, the musician(s) become more credible or relevant, having been given a stronger platform upon which to stand and a bigger, fluffier bed upon which to caress themselves all over. Cappadonna of the Wu-Tang Clan gave away what material possessions he had amassed and walked the streets of Baltimore for 8 months, before returning to the rap game. He knows about milking the cow and making it work for best intended purposes: “Let us milk this cow the best way we know how / I milk for all my childhood, make me feel good / So I keep on writin’ meditatin’ in the ghetto / Makin’ love waitin’ for lost minds to settle then I speak out, because we all need the guidance / Deep down inside us where you could define science / My mother told me, when I was so stressed out: "All you gotta do is just put your best out" and I did it, milky / Milk this cow, the best way we know how / Park Hill projects, chicka-POW!” Other noteworthy artists, Dead Prez assume a mistrustful, critical stance on corporate control of media, namely record labels: “I sick of that fake thug, R&B rap scenario all day on the radio / Same scenes in the video,

monotonous material / Y'all don't hear me though / These record labels slang our tapes like dope / You can be next in line, and signed / And still be writing rhymes and broke / You would rather have a Lexus or justice / A dream or some substance / A Beamer, a necklace or freedom?” But schucks, who heard much of them after songs like “They Schools,” “Police State” and “Hip Hop”? Too radical and confrontational to be easily swallowed by the mass populace... and who can blame us? There is a time and place for everything. Whether it’s lending their music to commercials or participating in specially-sponsored collaborations (music videos, ad campaigns, world tours), artists like Katy Perry, Karen O., and Justice get more high fives in their direction, with tunes that are a lot easier on mainstream ears, enticing brands like Adidas who included the artists in their “All In” campaign. Carhartt big time sponsors musicians supporting full-on tours for artists like WhoMadeWho, Modeselektor, Aloe Blacc, and the Rhymesayers crew. They also cooperate with artists by guiding cashflow in their direction for tour merchandise and Carhartt Radio episodes. Converse, another heavyweight brand, has its own music studio called Rubber Tracks where artists check out the equipment, twiddle the knobs, record sessions, and maybe even get some throwbacks by giving some shoutouts to Cons in their tracks as well. The brand also brings different artists together on projects, more widely known for their quirky mashups in Converse funded music videos and live performances. Converse-sponsored collaborations include: Santigold, Pharrell, and Julian Casablancas of the Strokes; Andrew W.K., Matt and Kim, and Soulja Boy; and even Bernard Sumner of Joy Division and New Order fame with Hot Chip and Hot City.

97 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bright Magazine

On a smaller, more street artbased chill music level, RVCA’s Artist Network Program aims to showcase the talent of accomplished as well as unknown artists who inspire and push the boundaries of creativity; providing something of substance and culture. Sounds promising. RVCA and the ANP were developed to shake the very foundations of business, by giving back to the artists and providing a voice for their creative growth. From what one can see, the brand sponsors a little more than a dozen artists, among them Mars Volta, Modest Mouse, and Steve Aoki. Supreme pairs up with artists that are a little more gangsta: Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Lady Gaga, and Ghostface Killah. The guys rep Supreme t-shirts on the streets with city skylines as the backdrops in their photographs while Gaga gets naked with Terry Richardson in the studio. Vans is a standout company responsible for a massive music launchpad, even if they were more so known for that in past years. They came up with the Warped Tour in 1995 wherein a hefty number of bands were asked to play consecutively on an extensive multi-city North American tour (as of the mid-2000s, the Warped Tour has featured as many as 100 bands per show). It started out as a showcase for punk rock, skate punk, and third wave ska but has gone on to include different genres like post-hardcore, pop punk, and metalcore acts. Over its more than decade long history, the Warped Tour bill has included peeps from the likes of Bad Religion to NOFX to Dropkick Murphys and Rise Against. Well-established headliners draw in crowds by the thousands and a handful of lesser known bands are given crowds and

98 – Bright Magazine

loot like they’ve never seen before, all in the name of music, brought to you by Vans. Keith Morris has stated "These kids that are on the Warped Tour, they should have no choice but to go into the military, and go off to some desert somewhere and spend some time in the desert, rather than having some big, ultra mega record company giving them lots of money and paying for their hotels and buses, making sure their hair is trendy, and that they are wearing the proper clothes that all the kids like and wear, and all that fun shit." Morris' band the Circle Jerks would later appear on the 2007 edition of the tour. Volcom has its own music label with around 20 or so artists signed to its docket. They’re pretty underground, and by that one could say pretty unheard of, but again valiant efforts set forth by a big brand to play a hand, one way or another in the bubbling realm of music. While fairly notorious for their headphones, WESC actually became known through sponsoring many underground Swedish artists and musicians with connections to the skating world with clothes, and little to no other marketing. Swedish hip hop acts Looptroop and Timbuktu were among the first to support the brand and this helped WESC gain an underground, "alternative" image which turned out to be very persuasive with young Swedish consumers. Their WeActivist club swears in members who are extremely good at what they do that choose their paths with a humble persona. A WeActivist has street-smart sensibilities and is, in one way or another, an informal ambassador that flies the flag of the Superlative Conspiracy! WESC still sponsors many famous personalities, among them Lady Tigra, Pase Rock, Bloody Beetroots, Jason Lee, Millencolin, Kaskade, and Teddybears.

Curiosity beckons, to find out just what these brand x band contracts look like but for now it’s left to speculation. Despite what appears to be blatant swag mongering left and right, another view is that this whole art of sponsoring is a form of philanthropy. Money from the people who have it shot in the direction of those who want it, people in the creative world being thrown a bone to proliferate and spread their art, further benefitting humanity at large. In that case, fair enough. Since when was doing something creatively from the heart, that one can truly stand by (with or without the support of others, monetary or otherwise) ever such a bad thing? As long as both sides have a clear vision of their influence and the consequences of their deals, it can’t all be half bad. It comes down to how brands and artists mesh their marriage. As clear as the sky is blue, one can be sure this tale will stretch on and on in times to come. It’s just that hopefully the future brings more campaigns that favour subtlety and less logo lacquer slapped in the face and thrust down the throat. It’s high times for the art of sponsoring, more matches made in marketing heaven everyday. That said... vive l’euro, la mode, et la musique... so long as you do it stylishly, graciously, and interestingly. After all, it is an art. Words: Yasmin Martinelli

Open Studio Please introduce yourself... We Are Open Studio – Julia and Kai. What was the first commissioned work you did? In terms of fashion design we only did some selfinitiated projects in the past before 667 asked us to do all shirt and label designs for their S/S 2011 collection. As we really like to work quite conceptually, we ended up presenting an overall concept: BON VOYAGE! Our basic idea was that the whole visual style should be a modern interpretation of a time when traveling still was much more special or even thrilling in a way – an idealized era between the 1920s and the 1950s.

And they want to go further: Right now we’re working on a complete re-design of the whole brand to take it to the next level. What’s the oldest tee in your wardrobe? A grey Nike Air Jordan Shirt that used to be black in the mid 90s. What kind of music did you listen to while answering these questions? DJ Kicks by Apparat.

The pixel pushers Anything else?

Creative weapon(s) of choice? Sharp pencil, blank sheet of paper and a cup of coffee. Self-educated or academic background? We both studied “communication design” at a private school – which turned out to be a great set-up to learn the basics and try things out in a playful way.

“Can’t you hear the music’s pumpin’ hard like I wish you would? / Now push it” You might have worn their designs on your chest already, or maybe even destroyed them on a rail somewhere: This time around, we had a closer look at what’s going down in the country of potatoes, beer and sausages, and we got four graphic design heavyweights to tell us something about how they roll. Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s time for the shapers of looks, the pushers of pixels…

Do you prefer to work analog or digital? It really depends on the job. We simply try to always find the best way to communicate the idea. For the 667 job we had everything from very clean vector graphics up to a motive that was photocopied over and over again until we had exactly the look we wanted.

www.weareopenstudio.de www.team667.de

100—104

Would you agree that these days it’s almost more important to have the right contacts, rather than the right set of skills? Right contacts are always good – no question about that. They might help you to open some doors and maybe get a first job. But we really believe that you have to guarantee a certain level of quality when you want to build up a longterm relationship with your clients and partners. Who are the clients you mainly work for? words: Renko Heuer & Forty There’s no specific field of clients. And that’s the most beautiful part on our job – we really enjoy this kind of diversity that keeps us from doing the same things over and over again: We love making an image movie for a huge company as well as creating some charming low-budget-identity for a small start-up or designing some motives for a “fancy” fashion brand. Who are the clients you’d love to work for? Again 667 is a great example for the kind of clients we really like to work WITH. They came to us with a vague idea of what they wanted and were really interested in our ideas which lead to a really open and therefore inspiring dialogue. 99 – Bright Magazine

Brand New History Please introduce yourself... Sascha Minde, creative director of Brand New History. Self-educated or academic background? Both, just academic is not enough for the real world. What was the first commissioned work of yours? Wow, that was a long time ago… I think a really bad poster for John Lee Hooker. What did you think when you first saw someone wearing your design on a tee? Unreal. And it created a kind of shyness in me, don’t ask me why.

100 – Bright Magazine

Do you prefer to work analog or digital? Nowadays even rough layouts happen digital, but my heart is still analog.

What are the clients you mainly would love to work for? Basically companies with a nice attitude and too much money.

Creative weapon(s) of choice? Rock, scissor, paper.

What’s the oldest tee in your wardrobe? Probably the Santa Cruz “screaming hand“. I have a hard time getting rid of it.

Would you agree that these days it’s almost more important to have the right contacts than skills? It’s a sad thing to say, but yes, definitely. It’s just wrong! What are the clients you mainly work for? Generally clients that are closely connected to fashion, sports, music and - sorry - lifestyle.

What music did you listen to when you answered these questions? James Gang. Anything else? Stop complaining… create instead!

How did you feel when you first saw someone wearing your design on a tee? It was kind of weird: You really recognize it in a very subliminal way at first. And then you ask yourself why you’re staring at this guy right now – until you realize that it’s because he is wearing one of your pieces. Do you prefer to work analog or digital? It really depends on the job. We simply try to always find the best way to communicate the idea. For the 667 job we had everything from very clean vector graphics up to a motive that was photocopied over and over again until we had exactly the look we wanted. Creative weapon(s) of choice? Sharp pencil, blank sheet of paper and a cup of coffee. Self-educated or academic background? We both studied “communication design” at a private school – which turned out to be a great set-up to learn the basics and try things out in a playful way. Would you agree that these days it’s almost more important to have the right contacts, rather than the right set of skills? Right contacts are always good – no question about that. They might help you to open some doors and maybe get a first job. But we really believe that you have to guarantee a certain level of quality when you want to build up a longterm relationship with your clients and partners. Who are the clients you mainly work for? There’s no specific field of clients. And that’s the most beautiful part on our job – we really enjoy this kind of diversity that keeps us from doing the same things over and over again: We love making an image movie for a huge company as well as creating some charming low-budget-identity for a small start-up or designing some motives for a “fancy” fashion brand. Who are the clients you’d love to work for? Again 667 is a great example for the kind of clients we really like to work WITH. They came to us with a vague idea of what they wanted and were really interested in our ideas which lead to a really open and therefore inspiring dialogue. 101 – Bright Magazine

www.weareopenstudio.de www.team667.de

Trap Please introduce yourself... Hi there, my name is Christoph and I am a 26-year-old child, born and raised in the woods, following the primal scream of pan. After I left the darkness of the woods I started to create little things, monsters, worlds and became interested in design. That’s when the journey started… What I do nowadays? Something with media, I guess. What was the first commissioned work you did? A cover illustration for an Italian fantasy novel called “La Minaccia di Taytos”. It was fun to work on this cover, because it was also my first “international” illustration. How did you feel when you first saw someone wearing your design on a tee? To be honest, I did not recognize it at first sight. But when I did, I thought I’d go nuts. I think “proud” is the right word to describe the feeling. Do you prefer to work analog or digital? It’s all in the mix! Sometimes it’s purely analog or purely digital work, and the next day I’m sketching and inking analog style, but finishing it up digitally. Creative weapon(s) of choice? Markers, paper, wacom, wood, ink. My environment, friends, music, the forest and the little voice behind my forehead – it says “hello”! Self-educated or academic background? Self-educated illustrator with a “media-designer-school-background”. Would you agree that these days it’s almost more important to have the right contacts, rather than the right set of skills? I don’t think you get the right contacts if you don’t have any kind of skills. Yet, both things are really important to me. There can be huge opportunities with the right contacts. Yet, you still need the right skills to satisfy yourself, your contacts and your new client with the work you do. 102 – Bright Magazine

Who are the clients you mainly work for? TRAP Skateboards, some smaller ad agencies, private persons and myself. I like to work in different fields of graphic design. You can always learn new techniques and ways of creating. What’s also very important to me is to work from time to time with other creative persons and develop a kind of a network of artists. Who are the clients you’d love to work for? Creature, Mystery, Thrasher and some record labels. What’s the oldest tee in your wardrobe? Let’s say it’s the C1rca “Skate or Die” shirt that I got about eight years ago. We had a very nice time; good things and bad things happened, but it was always on my side! What kind of music did you listen to while answering these questions? Right now it’s Cult of Luna, some sludge metal/post rock, well, that is at least what iTunes says. Anything else? Take your time, a beer, some music, good friends and enjoy your work. Oh yes, and every now and then there should be a nice piece of “Blutwurstpastete” on the menu. Cheers!

monostration.de

VISIT US AT CAPSULE TRADESHOW BERLIN AND NEW YORK

103 – Bright Magazine

ICC DISTRIBUTION : T 0032(0)93244616 : WWW.ICCDISTRIBUTION.EU : WWW.SUPREMEBEING.COM : WWW.GETSTOCK.EU

Wemoto Please introduce yourself... My name is Stefan Golz and I take care of the creative things at Wemoto Clothing. What was the first commissioned work of yours? I really can’t remember. It was probably a picture that I drew for a friend as a birthday present. I think the first real paid job was creating a website back in 1998. What did you think when you first saw someone wearing your design on a tee? I was simply psyched and I still am. Do you prefer to work analog or digital? I love both. Right at the start of every work I do a sketch or something like that. After making an idea concrete I start working on the computer.

What are the clients you mainly work for? I only work on Wemoto with my friends Gregor and Patrick.

Creative weapon(s) of choice? Faber Castell “PITT artist pen” and Wacom “Intuos” pen tablet. Self-educated or academic background? First self-educated, then art school, then self-education again. Would you agree that these days it’s almost more important to have the right contacts than skills? I can’t really judge this and must leave the answer to people who are good in making contacts.

104 – Bright Magazine

What are the clients you mainly would love to work for? We (Wemoto) have a few brands we would love to collaborate with. What’s the oldest tee in your wardrobe? I think the oldest one I have is an early 90s “Death Box” tee. What music did you listen to when you answered these questions? EL-P, Koudlam, Shabazz Palaces. Anything else? Nothing extraordinary.

After Show We’ve spent an afternoon with American garage rockers Nuclear Sushi in Berlin

106—112

Sneakers Golden leaves and rubber soles… new trainers for 2012

114—119

“I didn’t bring any masks to wear on the street“ Cabin Fever You gonna get yours… the latest gear for this years hot season.

120—124

Tom: Cap – Carhartt, Shirt – CTRL, Sweater – Iriedaily, Jeans – Analog, Watch – G-Shock

Bjoern: Jumper – 667, Jacket – Iriedaily, Trousers – Iriedaily, Shoes – Hub; Tom: T-Shirt – Analog, Shirt – Carhartt, Jacket – Carhartt, Jeans – Analog, Watch – G-Shock; Marie: Top – NSW Nike tank, Jacket – NSW Nike motorcyle, Shorts – NSW Nike leather; Jacob: Shirt – Carhartt, Jacket – NSW Nike varsity, Trousers – NSW Nike khaki

Shooting & Products

106 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bright Magazine Nuclear Sushi: Marie (bass, vox), Bjoern (drums), Daniel (vox, guitar), Jacob (guitar), Tom (organ, guitar, vox); their self-titled debut will be out on Repent Records in summer 2012.

Thanks: Ezekiel, 667, Hub Footwear, Iriedaily, Nike, Carhartt, Gravis, Analog, G-Shock, Pointer Footwear

Production/Styling: Yasmin Martinelli

Photos: Maxime Ballesteros

The noise, the beautiful noise. We go bro-ing with Long Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest garage rock sensation Nuclear Sushi in Berlin during their sold out European club tour, wherein jaws drop, stages crash, and speakers blow.

After Show

Tom: Cap – Carhartt, Shirt – CTRL, Sweater – Iriedaily, Jeans – Analog, Watch – G-Shock

Bjoern: Jumper – 667, Jacket – Iriedaily, Trousers – Iriedaily, Shoes – Hub

Marie: Shirt – Carhartt

109 – Bright Magazine

Tom: Hat – Carhartt, T-Shirt – Analog, Jacket – Carhartt, Jeans – Analog , Shoes – Pointer Crago; Marie: Top – NSW Nike tank, Jacket – NSW Nike motorcyle, Shorts – NSW Nike leather; Jacob: Shirt – Carhartt, Jacket – NSW Nike varsity, Trousers – NSW Nike khaki, Shoes – Hub

Bjoern: Beanie – Ezekiel, Cardigan – 667, Hoodie – Ezekiel, Belt – Carhartt, Trousers – 667; Daniel: T-Shirt – Nike NSW, Shirt – 667, Shoes – Gravis; Marie: Jumper – Iriedaily

Tom: Jeans – Analog

111 – Bright Magazine

Jacob: Hat – Carhartt, Shirt – 667, Shoes – Hub

Marie: Top – NSW Nike tank, Jacket – NSW Nike motorcyle, Shorts – NSW Nike leather; Daniel: Hat – Carhartt, Shirt – Analog, Jacket – Ezekiel, Jeans – Analog; Jacob: Shirt – Carhartt, Jacket – NSW Nike varsity, Trousers – NSW Nike khaki; Tom: Hat – Carhartt, T-Shirt – Analog, Shirt – Carhartt, Jacket – Carhartt, Jeans – Analog, Shoes – Pointer Crago; Bjoern: Jumper – 667, Jacket – Iriedaily, Trousers – Iriedaily, Shoes – Hub

WORKS FOR ME!

Come visit us at Bright: 1st floor - 118/3

Photos: Megan Cullen (www.megancullenphoto.com) Models: Jonna, Nada, Freddie, Simon Selection: Nada Carls, Forty

Gravis Quarters

Sneakers golden leaves and rubber soles

Skipper

Lakai Carlo

Nike SB Stefan Janoski MD

Lifetime The Lund

Cons CTS OX

115 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Bright Magazine

New Balance 420

Etnies Bledsoe Low Diamond VVS

Adidas Azurine

Emerica Hopi Mid

Adidas Campus 80

Puma Blaze Of Glory

Ă&#x2030;s Edward

DVS Cadence

Vans OTW Bedford Native American

Cons Pappalardo Pro

Hub Ibiza

Element Hampton Boot Vibram

Nike SB Dunk High Pro

Kangaroos WeMoto

Vans Syndicate Authentic Pro “S“ Dill

WeSc Ada

Element Davenport

X-Bron Brooklyn

119 – Bright Magazine

Photos: Vera Albers Production: Yasmin Martinelli

Cabin Fever

Page 120 01 – Melodica / 02 – Lifetime / 03 – Element / 04 – Ezekiel backpack / 05 – Ezekiel cap / 06 – WeSC headphones / 07 – Analog / 08 – Analog / 09 – Melodica tote bag / 10 – Element / 11 – RVCA bag / 12 – Zimtstern / 13 – RVCA hat / 14 – Adidas / 15 – Atticus / 16 – Iriedaily / 17 – Makia / 18 – Hurley / 19 – RVCA / 20 – The Hundreds cap / 21 – Makia bag / 22 – DC / 23 – Volcom / 24 – Acrylick / 25 – Volcom / 26 – WeSc / 27 – Sweet / 28 – Volcom bag / 29 – Hurley backpack Page 121 30 – LRG hoodie / 31 – Dickies jacket / 32 – CTRL Playsuit / 33 – LRG cap / 34 – Element jacket / 35 – In4matix shirt / 36 – WeSC shorts / 37 – Iriedaily jacket / 38 – Nike jacket Page 122 40 – Lifetime sweater / 41 – 667 flannel / 42 – 667 shirt / 43 – Nike flannel / 44 – Gravis backpack / 45 – 667 sweater / 46 – WeMoto Varsity jacket / 47 – Carhartt jacket / 48 – RVCA sailor hat / 49 – Element backpack / 50 – G-Shock watches / 51 – Evan sunglasses Page 123 52 – Matix striped jacket / 53 – Hurley hoodie / 54 – Makia flannel / 55 – Vans buttondown shirts / 56 – Hurley hoodie / 57 – Ctrl shirt / 58 – Adidas Varsity jacket Page 124 59 – Clepto hoodie / 60 – Ergo jacket and shirt / 61 – RVCA buttondown shirt / 62 – RVCA floral jacket / 63 – Melodica hoodie / 64 – Clepto crew sweatshirt / 65 – Flat City baseball cap / 66 – Analog buttondown shirt / 67 – RVCA fedora / 68 – The Hundreds flannel / 69 – Sweet hoodie / 70 – Zimtstern dress / 71 – Iriedaily bag / 72 – DC sweater

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# 5boro www.5boro.com

Bones Bearings www.bonesbearings.com Bones Wheels www.boneswheels.com Bonfire www.bonfiresnowboarding.com

A ABEC 11 www.abec11.com ACE www.acetruckmfg.com adidas Skateboarding www.adidas.com/skateboarding Adio www.adiofootwear.com Aeme www.aeme-clothing.com AERA Trucks www.aeratrucks.com

Boobies www.boobiesco.com Brack Kustom Graphics www.brackgraphics.com Brewer www.247dist.com Brixton www.brixton.com Buddy Carr Skateboards www.buddycarrskateboards.com Bustin boards www.bustinboards.com

Alien Workshop www.alienworkshop.com Alliance www.allianceskateboarding.com Almost www.almostawebsite.com Alpinestars www.alpinestars.com Altamont Apparel www.altamontapparel.com Ambition Snow Skates www.ambitionsnowskates.com American Skateboard Stickers www.247dist.com Analog www.analogclothing.com Angelboy www.247dist.com Anti Hero www.antiheroskateboards.com

ASK bearings www.longboardstock.eu Atobe www.atobelongboards.com Autobahn www.autobahnwheelco.com

Cargo www.247dist.com CELL DVSN www.celldvsn.com Chocolate www.chocolateskateboards.com Cleptomanicx www.cleptomanicx.de Close up www.mdcn.de COMET www.cometskateboards.com Confusion www.247dist.com Consolidated www.consolidatedskateboard.com Converse www.converse.de Creation www.creationskateboards.com Creature www.creatureskateboards.com

D Daggers www.daggerskates.com DC SHOES www.dcshoes.com Deathwish www.bakerboysdist.com decay skateboards www.decayskateboards.com

B b-low Fingerboards www.b-lowfingerboards.com B-REAL www.b-real.eu Baby-G www.baby-g.eu baker www.bakerskateboards.com Bench Sport www.bench.co.uk Berrics www.theberrics.com Black Label www.blacklabelskates.com Black Magic www.247dist.com Black Panthers www.247dist.com Blast www.blastsurfnskate.com Blind. www.blindskateboards.com Blueprint www.blueprintskateboards.com Blvd www.blvdskateboards.com

128 – Bright Magazine

Earthwing www.earthwingskates.com Element www.elementskateboards.com Element Eden Apparel www.elementeden.com

Dekline www.dekline.com Destructo www.destructotrucks.com DGK www.dgk-skateboards.com Diamond Footwear www.diamondsupplyco.com Dickies www.dickies.eu Die Straﬂe trägt St. Pauli www.fcstpauli-shop.com DISSIZIT www.dissizit.com

www.holeytruck.com Hoopla www.hooplaskateboards.com Hubba www.hubbawheels.com Hurley www.hurley.com

emerica www.emerica.com Enjoi www.enjoico.com Estevan oriol www.estevanoriol.com Etcetera www.247dist.com Expedition www.expedition-one.com

I-Path www.ipath.com Icaro www.longboardstock.eu IGSA www.longboardstock.eu IM KING www.imking.com Imaginary Foundation iwww.maginaryfoundation.com

Anton Kiteboards www.anton-kiteboards.de Armourdillo www.armourdillobrand.com

EandMo. www.eandmo.com

Airflow Skateboards www. airflow-skateboards.com Alias One www.alias-one.com

Fallen www.fallenfootwear.com Five mile www.fivemilelongboards.com Flik Griptape www.sheep-distribution.de Flip www.flipskateboards.com

Imagine Skateboards www.imagineskateboards.com Independent www.independenttrucks.com Indiana www.indiana.ch Iriedaily www.iriedaily.de

Flud Watches www.fludwatches.com Foundation www.foskco.com Four Star www.fourstarclothing.com Frisur Clothing www.frisurclothing.com Fullbag www.fullbag.com

Jessup www.griptape.com JET www.jetskateboards.com Joker brand www.jokerbrand.net JSLV www.jslvcorp.com

Fury www.furytruckcompany.com

K G G-SHOCK www.g-shock.eu Girl www.girlskateboards.com Given www.givenskateboards.com GLOBE www.globe.tv Gravis Footwear www.gravisfootwear.com

Kahuna Creations www.kahunacreations.com Kebbek www.kebbek.com Khiro khiroskateboardproducts.com Kingpin www.247dist.com Krooked www.krook3d.com Krux www.kruxtrucks.com

Gravity Skateboards www.Gravityboard.com Gremmie www.gremmieskateboards.com Grind King www.grindking.com Gumball 3000 www.gumball3000.com Gun Metal www.gunmetaltrucks.com

L Lakai www.lakai.com Lamono www.lamonomagazine.com Layback www.247dist.com Limited Skateboard Magazine www.limitedmag.de

Divine www.divinesurfboards.com

Habitat Footwear www.habitatfootwear.com

Djinns www.djinns.eu

Habitat Skateboards www.habitatskateboards.com

Dogtown www.dogtownskateboards.com

happy hour www.happyhourshades.com

Doh-Doh www.247dist.com

Heimplanet www.heimplanet.com

Dooks www.247dist.com

heroin www.heroinskateboarding.com

Duffs www.duffs.com

HEX Apparel www.hexapparel.com

DVS Shoes www.dvsshoes.com

Hi-Fi www.247dist.com Holey Trucks

LIRA www.liraclothing.com Loaded www.loadedboards.com LongBoardLarry www.longboardlarry.com Loser Machine www.losermachine.com Lowcard www.lowcardmag.com Lrg www.l-r-g.com Lucky www.luckybearingsco.com

Bright Berlin Terminal 2 Kopenhagen www.Ucon-Acrobatics.com

M Madrid skateboards www.madridskateboards.com Magenta www.magentaskateboards.com MAKIA Clothing www.makiaclothing.com Malita www.malita.com.pl

Powell-Golden-Dragon www.powellgoldendragon.com

SITKA Clothing www.sitkasurfboards.com

TRAINERSPOTTER www.trainerspotter.com

Powell-Peralta www.powell-peralta.com

Sk8 Dice www.sk8dice.com

Transworld www.transworld.net

PREDATOR www.predatorhelmets.com

SK8MAFIA www.sk8mafia4life.com

Trap Apparel www.trap.eu

Preloved www.preloved.de

Sk8ology www.sk8ology.com

Trap Skateboards www.trapskateboards.de

Project www.projectskateboards.co.za

Skate Aid www.skate-aid.org

Treches www.treches.com

Skate Mental www.skatemental.com

Triad www.247dist.com

Skateboard Mag www.theskateboardmag.com

Triple Eight www.triple8.com

SKF www.skf.com

Trucks www.mdcn.de

SLAVE www.worldwideslave.com

TSG www.ridetsg.com

Slipstream Longboards www.slipstreamlongboards.com

Tunnel Wheels www.tunnelskateboards.com

Sneakers www.sneakers-magazine.com

Turbokolor www.turbokolor.com

Sneaktip www.thesneaktip.com

Type-S www.type-s.com

Matix www.matixclothing.com Melodica www.mldca.com

Mini-Logo www.minilogoskateboards.com

Radii footwear www.radiifootwear.com

MISHKA www.mishkanyc.com

Radioskateboards www.radioskateboards.com

MOB Grip www.mobgrip.com

Randal www.randal.com

Monster Skateboard Magazine www.skateboardmsm.mpora.de

Rasa-Libre www.rasalibre.com

Muckefuck www.muckefuckskateboards.com

Rayne Longboards www.raynelongboards.com Real www.realskateboards.com

N Navigator www.mdcn.de Neff Headwear www.neffheadwear.com New Balance www.newbalance.de NewSoul Skateboards www.newsoulskateboards.com Nike www.nike.com Nike SB www.nikeskateboarding.com NINETYSIXTY www.longboardstock.eu Nolliewood Skateboard www.nolliewoodskateboards.com

O OLOW www.olow.fr Orangatang www.orangatangwheels.com Original www.originalskateboards.com Osiris www.osirisshoes.com

Rebel Rockers www.rebelrockers.com Record www.recordclothing.net Red Dragon www.reddragonapparel.com Ricta www.ricta.com Riviera www.skateriviera.com Rocksmith www.rocksmithtokyo.com rohHOLZ www.rohholz-clothing.com Rollerbones www.rollerbones.com Royal www.royalskateboardtruck.com Ruckus www.247dist.com RVCA www.rvca.com

Source www.boardsportsource.com Speed Demons www.speeddemonsskateboards.com Speed Rats www.speed-rats.de Spitfire www.spitfireskate.com Sportswear International www.sportswearnet.com

Santa Cruz www.santacruzskateboards.com Sanuk www.sanuk.com Satori www.satoriwheels.org SAYSHUN www.sayshun.com Scare Skate www.okeydokey.eu

Part Hardware www.mdcn.de

SDS Skateboards www.sdsskateboards.com

Paull www.thisispaull.com

Seismic www.seismicskate.com

Phantom www.phantomtrucks.com

Selfish www.selfishskateboards.com

Picture Wheel Company www.picturewheelco.com

Servant www.mdcn.de

Pig www.pigwheels.com

Shake Junt www.shakejunt.com

Pimp Grip www.pimpgriptape.com

SHISHA www.shishabrand.com

Place www.placeskateboarding.de

Shoe goo www.shoegooskate.com

Plan B www.planbskateboards.com

Shortys www.shortysinc.com

Pocket Pistols www.pocketpistolskates.com

Shortys-Lil‘ www.shortysinc.com

Pogo www.pogo.biz

Shortys-Silverado www.shortysinc.com

Polar www.mdcn.de

Silver www.silvertruckco.com

Polster trucks www.polster-trucks.com

SIMON&ME www.simonandme.com

Positiv www.positivskateboards.com

SIMON&ME x C L U S I V E www.simonandme.com

U U-Lace www.u-lace.com Ucon www.ucon-acrobatics.com Unit www.unitskateboardtool.com

Steadfast Urethane www.sheep-distribution.de

Stella Longboards www.sheep-distribution.de Stereo www.stereosoundagency.com

Vans www.vans.com

Sticky Fingers www.mdcn.de

Venom www.longboardstock.eu

Sunrise www.sunriseskateboards.com

Venture www.venturetrucks.net

Surf-One www.surf-one.com

Via Skateboards www.via-skateboards.com

Sutsu www.sutsu.com

Volcom www.volcomeurope.com

sweet skateboards www.sweetskateboards.com Syrus Productions www.syrus-productions.com

Salomon Snowboards www.salomonsnowboard.com

Paris www.paristruckco.com

130 – Bright Magazine

Solid www.mdcn.de

W Wefunk Skateboards www.wefunk.de wemoto www.wemotoclothing.com

Tech-Deck www.techdeck.com

WeSC www.wesc.com

Tensor www.tensortrucks.com

Woodcamp www.woodcamp.pl

TH GALLERY www.thgallery.fr

World Industries www.worldindustries.com

The Hundreds www.thehundreds.com

WOW! Products www.wow-products.de

The Keep A Breast Foundation Europe www.keep-a-breast.org/europe The-Skateboard-Mag www.theskateboardmag.com Theeve www.theevetrucks.com Think www.thinkskateboards.com Thrasher www.thrashermagazine.com Thunder www.thundertrucks.com Timeship racing www.timeshipracing.com

YARD www.yard-gear.com Young & Reckless www.youngandreckless.com

Toodot www.toodot.net

Z-Flex www.zflex.com

Toy Machine Apparel www.toymachine.com

Zero www.zeroskateboards.com

Toy Machine www.toymachine.com

Zukie www.zukieclothing.com

Tracker www.trackertrucks.com Traffic www.trafficskateboards.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: KALE J FRIESEN STYLED: MILA FRANOVIC

WWW.BENCH.CO.UK

visit us at booth 116 / Bright Tradeshow

www.lifetimecollective.com

Michael Leon — Dylan Rieder — Berlinopoly — The Art Of Sponsoring — Kelly Bird — Independent Art Book Stores — Jacket Required

Issue 06 / Spring 12