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Vans x Van Gogh Museum

Vans and the Van Gogh Museum proudly partner to present an artfully designed collection utilizing Van Gogh masterpieces across iconic Vans Classics and premium apparel silhouettes, available worldwide August 3. The Van Gogh Museum will dedicate a portion of its profits from this project to the preservation of Vincent van Gogh’s legacy and collection of art; keeping it accessible for future generations. 

Vincent van Gogh is arguably one of the most famous and influential post-impressionist painters in the history of western art. Van Gogh is most noted for his work that evokes beauty, emotion and color bringing his personal expression to life through his art. With over 2,100 pieces of artwork produced from his decade long career, Vans worked closely with the Van Gogh Museum team to select four main bodies of work that speaks to the creative ethos of Vans’ design as well as personal moments from the artist familial history. 

Skull, Almond Blossom, Sunflowers and Van Gogh’s self-portrait are celebrated through an extensive Vans collection, showcasing some of Van Gogh’s most revered artwork in a new way.

The collection showcases the evolution of Van Gogh’s painting style with his self-portrait where he captures himself using bright, unblended colors and a new technique of pairing complimentary colors to create depth and intensity. Van Gogh’s self-portrait can be found wrapped atop the Authentic and a complimenting Van Gogh Oversized Tee.

The final round-up of designs includes an ode to Van Gogh’s drawing titled Old Vineyard with Peasant Woman which isdelicately printed across the Old Skool and a special Classic Slip-On that features excerpts from handwritten letters from Vincent to his brother, Theo. Vans designers pulled excerpts and illustrations from some of the 700 letters that were sent to Theo and have wrapped them across the Classic Slip-On model.

The Vans x Van Gogh Museum Collection is available to shop at: Vans.eu/vangoghmuseum and Vans retail stores.

[theunisexmode]

Nike Launches New Tech Pack

This season Nike is releasing its latest futuristic Tech Pack collection. With new styles and materials, the pieces use innovative knit and woven fabrics that are engineered to provide full range of motion.

This new collection allows for more expressive connections to sport; through breathability, stretch and texture.

We love the styling, and are super excited to see the new collection in real life!

Available globally August 16.

[theunisexmode]

Cheap Monday Does Sustainable.

Cheap Monday launched their first sustainable capsule collection back in 2016. It started as a project up-cycling old unwanted goods and grew into the fully sustainable collection that it is today. 

“Sustainability is of paramount importance to us. In 2004 we disrupted the denim market with the original, unisex, skinny fit jeans `Tight´. Now, through our brand ambition - to be the most relevant and sustainable denim brand on the street, we are taking the next steps by increasing our focus on more sustainable denim finishing processes and eco-friendlier materials across our collections.” By Fall/Winter 2018 the entire men’s and women’s collections will be labelled Sustainable, alongside denim. 

The amount of eco-friendlier materials will be increased season by season - For their womenswear and menswear collections, they are increasing the use of recycled polyester, recycled wool and Tencel® and making more use of organic or recycled cotton as they have take into consideration the negative impact that conventionally grown cotton has on humans and on the environment. 

I recently chose some pieces from the collection and shot them with our good friend and photographer Meara Kallista. Being sustainable is such an important issue in this day and age, and it’s so good to see how seriously brands take it. I love how Cheap Monday have made it a main focus of theirs and it’s sick to see how far they’ve come in terms of making their entire collection sustainable.  

For more info: https://www.cheapmonday.com/gb/Sustainability

[theunisexmode]

Kala Festival - A Party In Paradise!

Just landed on the ever growing festival scene is Kala festival, which helped to put Albania on the map of “GO TO” travel destinations for young Brits.  

Compared to it’s neighbouring countries Greece and Croatia (of which I have visited countless times), Albania sees a lot less visitors per year. I have to admit when I first heard it was in Albania, my first thought was ‘Oh I’ve never even thought to go there, do I know anyone that’s been!?’ - but that could all be set to change!

So what exactly is Kala I hear you ask? It’s a week long music festival set along the coast of Albania at a popular beach resort town of Dhermi. It’s slap bang in the middle of June, so expect to catch some rays. The journey is by no means quick and easy, the route being a flight to Corfu followed by a ferry to Albania then a coach, bus or taxi to the resort, however the beautiful scenery en route more than makes up for it. 

The festival itself was spread across 5 areas comprising of beach bars and beach stages. Each area was emblazoned with multi coloured Kala signage and pretty bunting, and fairy lights lit up the site giving you those real festival feels. My favourite daytime hang was ‘The Cove’ area, it was always vibes - a tucked away spot, which was never too crowded, and although the beaches are stony, the crystal clear waters make you quickly forget!

As well as the various beach spots for you to pick from during the day there is also an abundance of restaurants to choose from, most of which have nice overlooking views. By far the most popular and most convenient (due to the wristband point being there) was Luciano’s. My top pick though, with the best menu hands down was Hotel Platinum, cheap and tasty eats for the win. (Truffle linguine & vegetable soup was mouth watering!)

The festival was well rounded and had something for everyone, amazing beaches, water sports and a great wellness program during the day as well as a good party, with music going on till the early hours of the morning. 

If all of this hasn’t made you start looking into tickets and accommodation for next year maybe some information about the music might sway you!

The music selection was predominantly electronic music but there were some live performances, garage and disco thrown in to the mix too. The presence of well established London labels: Feelings, Secretsundaze, Phonica and Stamp the Wax definitely helped to bump the party vibe. Moodymann and The Black Madonna presents night were up in my ‘Top 2′ of the week but Roy Ayers was the most magical, also because I got to meet the legend himself and get a signed copy of his CD (FANGIRL MOMENT).

Another perk of the festival was ‘the secret stage’ on Gjipe, just a boat ride away to another beautiful beach and eco-camp. What made it even more appealing aside from the fact everyone spent ages figuring out how to get there, was that it was only on for the weekend out of the 7 days you were there - an experience not to be missed. 

There was an array of DJ’s playing on a small stage tucked back amongst the trees and cliffs, playing till the sun set and then you had to get the boat back to ‘reality’ and dive straight back in to the main party. The festival kept surprising me everyday and with the help of the sun, the friendly locals, good food and great crowd it really grew on me and by the end I didn’t want to leave!

Having had the Prime Minister drop by at the beginning of the week, with his view on the festival being: “I have to admit, I don’t know anything about the festival but, in principle, it’s fantastic” he put the cherry on top with his act of kindness on the last day.

There was I minding my own business, winding down on the last day when suddenly everyone was running around like a mad man possessed. When I asked what was going on all I could hear was “The PM has just tweeted the festival saying he’s left a palette of beer at Luciano’s for everyone - free beers all round! WHAT A G, and what a way to end the festival. 

Dates for 2019 tbc. 

A three-night hotel + festival wristband deal costs from £162 and a seven-night deal from £235.

Check the website for more info HERE

[theunisexmode]

Highsnobiety x Diadora “West Berlin Collab”

Highsnobiety and Diadora announce the launch of their first ever product collaboration with a four-piece capsule made for summer 2018. The first of two collaborations between the brands to celebrate Diadora’s 70th anniversary.

The summer 2018 capsule is inspired by Berlin and contains a pair of N9002 sneakers, a two-piece tracksuit, a pair of sliders, and a beach towel. The capsule dropped on the 28th June and is exclusively at Highsnobiety.com.

The focal point of the collection is one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks—the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (Gedächtniskirche) in the West of the city. 

The collection was designed by Highsnobiety in close collaboration with Hikmet Sugoer who, next to being a globally known sneaker legend in his own right, is a proud born ‘n’ raised Berliner who spent his teens hanging out at the square in front of the former church. The square—between the bombed-out former church and the Europa Center's neon signs—was a central hangout place for Berlin's hip-hop, breakdancing, and skate scene before and after the Wall came down.

For the Highsnobiety x Diadora capsule, Highsnobiety and Sugoer reference this landmark church for a collection that pays homage to Berlin's 1990s scene played across iconic 90s streetwear pieces from Diadora. Sugoer uses the church for the capsules color palette, with gray and silver stone, reflective gold foil from the clock face, and distinct patina of the half-ruined copper roof for the capsule's core green colorway. 

The lookbook, featuring two Berlin hip-hop legends, Taktlos and Frauenarzt, was shot and directed on location in the square by Berlin-based photographer and close Highsnobiety collaborator Vitali Gelwich. 

We love the colours, and the whole feel of this collection. We nabbed ourselves the beach towel and slides and we can’t wait to rock them down at the beach.

[theunisexmode]

KALA - NEW FESTIVAL ON THE BLOCK

Everyone knows I love a festival, so when I hear that a new one has cropped up I’m all ears. If the line up isn’t something that grabs your attention maybe it’s location and wellness activities might. 

As well as a stand-out offering of sunshine-fuelled sounds, Kala Festival have unveiled a tantalising selection of entertainment and wellbeing activities for their debut event, taking place at Dhërmi, an intimate beach location on the Albanian Riviera from 20th - 27th June 2018.

Festival-goers will be able to take advantage of a selection of activities including exploring the coast's breathtaking marine life and undiscovered shipwrecks by snorkelling in its crystal-clear waters, trying the hiking trails and taking to the stunning open seas via pedalo, kayak or stand up paddle board to take in the idyllic surroundings at your own pace.

Tandem paragliding will also be on offer just 20 minutes from Kala, providing stunning views of the surrounding area and landing at beach nearby the festival site. There's also plenty on offer to escape the action, too. Blissful beach massages, sunset yoga, paddleboard yoga and kanga soundscape (an epic journey of sound, yoga, binaural beats, meditation and massage) will heal those aching limbs from a little too much dancing.

This is one I’m definitely excited about!

Packages are starting from 245pp - you can get more info HERE

[theunisexmode]

WEEKDAY X FILA SS18

When we saw teasers online we knew we had to know more. Being lovers of streetwear and sportswear this is right up our street, so if you haven’t already seen this IRL or know about this drop, we got you covered. 

For SS18 Weekday drops a new 20-piece collaboration with iconic sportswear brand FILA. Building on the strengths of each brand, the streetwear-inspired and functional sportswear aesthetics of FILA is united with the minimalistic fashion perspective of Weekday to create a unique co-branded collection.

Consisting of women’s and men’s joggers, leggings, shorts, windbreakers, sports tops, tees, and sweatshirts; each piece is designed and cut in a way that gives the wearer flexibility whether they are out running or walking. The collection comes in a muted colour palette of light grey, pure white and light pink, with a Weekday spin using plenty of black as well as intense blue pieces.

Designed with equal parts functionality and detailing in mind, outwear is wind and water repellent, as well as breathable with quick-dry comfort. Leggings offer stretch and quick dry comfort, while all jersey is breathable and women’s sport tops offer stretch and extra support with the 4-way round knit.

We love attention to detail and this collection oozes it. From draw cord pullers, zippers and graphical prints as well as 3M bands - in order to be seen in the dark while running or walking at night. 

The women’s pieces are strong and styled really well. This collection is the perfect balance of day to night, from the gym to a casual night out. The best kind of combo!

[theunisexmode]

HUF 420 'SMOKERS LOUNGE COLLECTION

Go bold or go home. Although we’re a little late for 420 this is still a capsule collection worth talking about! 

The HUF Smokers Lounge range is partly inspired by the famous Beverly Hills Hotel. The hotels iconic leafy walls and decor have influenced the pale pink and mint colour palette of the whole collection as well as the Foliage print design. 

The 420 collection has developed into something a little more refined this year and features a number of embroidered details, woven labels and a simple HUF Hotel cursive logo. The collection comprises of a variety of accessories including a ceramic rolling tray, pool float and canvas tote bag.

Available HERE

[theunisexmode]

Adidas Originals Watches /// 2

Adidas has released the second delivery of Adidas Originals watches for the season. Embracing the rich heritage of classic timepieces through a modern view and refined authenticity.

This time round Adidas have added the PROCESS SP1 and PROCESS W2 to the mix.

With a purpose of intent, PROCESS W2 is robust and rugged, delivering on the promise of execution and utilitarian in the details, whereas PROCESS SP1 utilizes unexpected materials to create an array of purified colors born from iconic Adidas DNA. 

We love the way the lookbook has been styled in a colour block fashion, it really makes the watches pop. Perfect for summer and festival season!

 All of the watches are available globally atwww.adidaswatches.com and in Adidas Originals locations in LA, Chicago, London and Paris.

[theunisexmode]

Vans Presents “Girls Skate India”

Vans, the original action sports brand and icon of creative expression, revealed the next chapter of its global brand campaign, This Is Off The Wall, with “Girls Skate India”. First launched in 2017, This Is Off The Wall showcased the essence of “Off The Wall” through a diverse set of stories, shining light on the various forms of creativity Vans has always supported. 

This year, Vans is taking a closer look at creative communities around the world through a comprehensive campaign of video content and activation platforms that uplift Vans’ pillars of action sports, art, music and street culture, inviting everyone to participate. “We wanted to tell stories about the communities that grow around creative endeavors, whether it’s skateboarding, art, or music, these activities connect people with one another,” said Jamie Reilly, Vans Vice President of Global Creative. 

“Vans has been engaging with creatives around the world for more than 50 years. Whether it’s making the first shoes for skateboarders, building skateparks, hosting concerts, or putting on art shows, we love how creativity brings individuals together where they can learn from and inspire each other.” The first installment of This Is Off The Wall is “Girls Skate India”, an emotional narrative that shows female skateboarders inspiring and empowering the next generation through skateboarding and D.I.Y. spot building, activities that are often considered unorthodox for girls. 

Featuring Vans athletes Lizzie Armanto and Atita Verghese, “Girls Skate India” shows Indian girls gain confidence through skateboarding and highlights how a nontraditional activity provides an outlet for them to express themselves. 

“Girls Skate India” captures the power that skate culture can have on a community. In living by its ethos of enabling creative expression and to share the philosophy of “Girls Skate India”, Vans will mobilize around the world to teach women and girls how to skateboard through a series of global skate clinics beginning March 8, 2018, International Women’s Day. 

Vans will host more than 100 skateboarding clinics in major cities such as Brooklyn, Chicago, London, St. Petersburg, Shanghai, Bangalore, São Paulo, and Mexico City, inviting women to learn something new alongside their peers and together inspire a new wave of women’s skateboarding progression. 

From experts to beginners, Vans welcomes everyone to these clinics and encourages the emerging women’s skate community to come together and celebrate creativity. Visit vans.eu/girlsskate to learn more about skate clinics near you.

[theunisexmode]

Dr Martens x Bape

This season sees Dr. Martens collaborate with legendary Japanese streetwear brand BAPE, whose iconic camo print transforms the classic Doc’s 1460 boot and 1461 shoe. 

Japanese clothing brand A Bathing Ape, affectionately known as BAPE, was founded by designer Nigo (our style icon) in Ura-Harajuku in 1993. Since then BAPE has garnered a cult following around the world and their playful designs have spawned a legion of die-hard fans. 

Did you know: The BAPE logo is inspired by the original Planet of the Apes movies. 

About the silhouettes:

The 1460, named after the date of its creation, 1st April, 1960, is synonymous with punk, ska and grunge music as well as being adopted as a symbol of rebellious self-expression by individuals from all walks of life. This incarnation features the famous BAPE camo embossed into Smooth leather. Finished with air-cushioned soles.

Originally sold as a durable working man’s shoe, today the 1460 is worn as a statement of self-expression by trendsetters from all walks of life. This incarnation of the 3-eye shoe, in collaboration with BAPE features the famous BAPE camo embossed into Smooth leather. Finished with our tough AirWair soles.

We are excited!

Two of the best brands in fashion coming together; it’s a good start to 2018 for non-sneaker related footwear. 

Does this mean we are coming away from sneakers and heading more into shoes this year? Lets see...

Available in-store and online from Saturday 27th January 2018.

www.drmartens.com

[theunisexmode]

Asics Jyuni Collection

ASICS REVEALS LATEST LIMITED-EDITION CAPSULE COLLECTION – JYUNI™ AIIRO

Third Release Under JYUNI™ Collective Series

JYUNI AIIRO adds new colour to the JYUNI™ Collective Series. Named after the Japanese word for indigo blue, Aiiro, JYUNI AIIRO brings depth to the first two JYUNI collections released in white and black earlier in 2017.

The limited addition release features a number of street-ready athleisure pieces. The ultimate balance of fashion and functionality, JYUNI™ AIIRO is progressive performance wear for the everyday modern lifestyle.

The design ethos of ASICS and the approach for the collection is strongly linked to Japanese craft and style. The JYUNI™ is a unique spelling of “twelve” in Japanese. It represents the structure of time and the restraints that come with it. Aiiro is a lucky colour in Japan and traditionally used in textiles and other arts and crafts. The colour was originally created using pigment from the Indigo plant. The Aiiro colour is developed by mixing indigo with a small amount of yellow dye.

We love this capsule collection, and we have been lucky to be given some bits.... watch this space to see how we style them up!

[theunisexmode]

Adwoa Aboah x Google Pixel 2

Google has just released this teaser on YouTube.

The act of questioning has led to some of the most radical breakthroughs in our world. Google has always challenged the status quo and asked more of the world around us, and this desire to question the ‘norm’ is shared by activist, founder of Gurls Talk and newly crowned, Fashion Awards Model of the Year, Adwoa Aboah.  

Captured on a Google Pixel 2, they have collaborated with inimitable film-maker Rollo Jackson and Adwoa to create a piece that puts activist and model Adwoa centre-stage, as she asks questions important to her, with Adwoa being the changemaker of today and Google’s collaborator for the new Pixel 2 project.

This will be the first in a series of short films from Pixel 2 with further shorts to be released in 2018.

Excited to see what else is in store!!! Are you???

[theunisexmode]

Soulland x Nike SB

Nike SB and Soulland have come together for a second time to create the FRI.day part 0.2 collaboration, which unveils deconstructed versions of the classic SB Dunk as well as a move across to apparel.

Part 0.1 was set in Soulland’s native Copenhagen and encapsulated the liberating Friday vibes for skateboarders cruising the streets straight after getting off work. This second instalment, however, takes us on a journey through the skate scene in California.The collection captures the easygoing chill vibes of the skaters over there. 

Are you as gassed about it as we are? I’m seriously into the short sleeve shirt, and I’d wear the dunks if they ran down to small sizes!! :(

The collection will be available on 8 December online at soulland.com

[theunisexmode]

Levi’s Tailor Shop Flagship Denim Tattoo Bar

I recently got asked to come into the Levi’s Tailor Shop flagship store to check out their new denim tattoo bar, which has been installed as part of the celebration of their 50th anniversary of the trucker jacket.   

The whole idea of the denim tattoo pop-up studio is for people to come and create something special using limited edition tattoo designs to be printed onto the back of a choice of Trucker jackets.

There are 5 different designs to choose from by renowned tattoo artists: Otto D’Ambra, Jean le roux, Deno, Dominique Holmes and Manuela Gray, each design has been specially commissioned by the brand as a limited-edition artwork, and there are only 50 being printed of each design!

I love mandalas and all things geometric so naturally I went for the mandala design by Dominique Holmes. It was really cool watching the design come to life on the jacket I’d chosen. As I'd picked black, I decided to go for a white print (which was actually the first time the store had tried doing it that way) which was pretty cool. I’m glad I chose that as well, because it came out sick. :)

I picked out a couple of other pieces from the store, and in the end went with a ‘Silver Tab’ long sleeve and the ‘90s baggy’ jeans, which I LOVE, and of course... I went with black. As well as the denim tattoo studio, at the back of the store there is a Tailor Shop service.

The Tailor Shop is basically your 1 stop shop for all this customisation. They can do repairs, rips, stiches, embroidery, stick on patches and pins and all sorts. I went with ‘Stay Cozy’ embroidered on the back of my jeans. I was actually really impressed with all the services they have to offer - it’s mad how many different ways you can play with denim!

The pop-up denim tattoo studio will be in Levi’s® Tailor Shop Flagship Store (176 Regent Street) from November 10th – December 18th.  

<3

Photos: Meara Kallista 

This post was sponsored by Levi’s through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about Levi’s, all opinions are my own" 

[theunisexmode]

Crepe City Nov 2017 Part 2

Here’s the second round of our snaps from Crepe City this time.

As you can see there’s A LOT of Off White... It’s that time, it’s everywhere and fair play to Virgil and Nike for smashing adidas out of the water for a minute.

Besides that there’s a huge Air Max 97 resurgence at the moment so we had to take a snap of the selection we saw at the event. Full of Silver and Gold bullets and other interesting colour-ways. 

The weather was crap outside so as you can see there was a lot of outerwear on show from Supreme, Stussy etc. There were less Yeezy’s than previous seasons and to be honest I was happy about that. it just became a Yeezy event for a while and that bored me. I don’t go to CC to spend £800 on one pair of kicks. Although it is the place to sell them it’s not just about hype collabs.’ CC is about finding hidden, lost or forgotten gems. it’s about the culture and history of trainers in the UK and I for one am happy to see older models floating about again. 

Images by http://www.mearakallista.com/ 

[theunisexmode]

Cheap Monday: Sustainable Fashion

In 2016 Cheap Monday started to proactively communicate their sustainability journey. They launched a C/O Cheap Monday Capsule Collection and installed textile collecting bins in  Cheap Monday Stores where consumers could leave old and unwanted garments and home textiles. These initiatives aim at encouraging consumers to join the journey towards a more sustainable future for all. Sustainability and related issues are of paramount importance to Cheap Monday. 

In the early 2000’s they disrupted the market with the original, unisex, skinny fit jeans `Tight´. Now, through their brand ambition - to “be the most relevant and sustainable jeanswear brand on the street, worn by those who create pop culture”- Cheap Monday are taking the next steps and increasing the focus on more sustainable denim finishing processes and eco-friendlier materials across all collections. 

All sustainable materials are produced according to a strict standard and certified by an independent certification body. For a Cheap Monday garment to be labelled Sustainable it must contain a minimum of 50% sustainable materials. However, the majority will contain almost up to 100%.

The other day we got a chance to style up some of the pieces from their sustainable collection. We were able to try on all the different men’s and women’s styles - and it was great to see how much of their collection is sustainable, as it’s such an important issue.

We were both shot by Katie Silvester - you can see the way we styled up the pieces at the bottom of this post!

https://www.cheapmonday.com/gb/Sustainability  - READ MORE!