J.W Anderson Comes Up With A Sequel To Its Popular Collaboration With Uniqlo

Posted by & filed under Fashion.

Written by Sean Ho

As summer is well on its way, it wouldn’t be right if JW Anderson skipped out on a summer collection, hence the brand is back. Now with a sequel to its first collaboration with Uniqlo. Known for his witty and visionary interpretation of designs, JW Anderson’s collaboration with the Japanese retailer brings his signature touch of British style to LifeWear.

For those who don’t know, Jonathan Anderson is a Northern Irish designer who established his namesake label, known for his collection of accessories which gained attraction during the 2008 London Fashion Week. The success of this debut collection has earned him commercial success on many levels, whose label is now regarded as one of London’s most innovative and forward thinking brands.

The collaboration features a capsule collection for both men and women, providing everything from outerwear to accessories that are quips from British fashion. A few key pieces to keep an eye out from the mens collection are the reversal hooded coat, the packable parka, the all over unicorn print for the t-shirts, stripe shorts, and for the accessories, the reversible bucket hat with floral print and the recognisable striped socks with the JW Anderson branding on the side.

Over at the women collection, this seasons trend stripes have been incorporated in a number of pieces, like tank tops and dresses. Scarves make an appearance too in the form of a linen variant to complement the outfit, whereas the paisley patterns on the JW Anderson runway show has also been tweaked for this collaboration. But the highlight of the collection I think, is the womens reversal trench coat.

The entire collection will be available on the 8th of March at selected Uniqlo stores and online at Uniqlo.com.

This Restaurant Serves One Of The Most Authentic Hokkaido Soup Curry In KL I Merayau: Curee

Posted by & filed under Food, Lifestyle.

Sam (the owner) doesn’t have a cooking background, but during his trip to Hokkaido, he was so enamoured by the intense, rich flavours of the soup curry, he decided to open up shop and sell what we think is one of the most authentic soup curries available here in Kuala Lumpur. Watch the video to see Sam explain about his love for the cuisine, why this niche needs to be kept as authentic as possible, and future plans for the restaurant.

Soundcloud Just Made It Easier For Up And Coming Artists To Distribute Their Music

Posted by & filed under Music.

Written by Zim Ahmadi

No more making separate accounts for your Spotify, Apple Music  and SoundCloud. The life of SoundCloud artists just became significantly easier with the new integrated Premier feature.

With at least 175 million users as of 2018 (5 million more than Spotify), SoundCloud has always been a force to be reckoned with. There’s even a whole generation of hip hop artists that have changed the tide of mainstream music around the world whose career would not have been possible without SoundCloud such as Chance the Rapper, Travis Scott, and Lil Yachty, just to name a few.

Now with their new distribution feature in open beta, SoundCloud has become even more accessible. If you’re a subscriber to SoundCloud Pro and Pro Unlimited, you can now distribute your music, without any extra cost, to the likes of Amazon Music, Apple Music, Instagram, Spotify, Tencent, YouTube Music and more – without ever leaving your SoundCloud account. 

Besides that, SoundCloud doesn’t take any additional cuts from the artists’ earnings on other platforms. The Berlin-based company has promised that they would “streamline payments from everywhere – directly from SoundCloud.”

This move by SoundCloud is a strategic one, as Spotify is also increasingly becoming a multi-platform distributor. Last October, Spotify bought a small share in the firm Distrokid which allows people to upload to other services from the  Spotify for Artists dashboard.

SoundCloud already has an advantage by being home to 200 million tracks from 20 million creators heard in 190 countries.

There are requirements of course. The creators’ music must not contain the copyrighted work of other artists, and the artist must be above 18 years old.

Left to right: Sasha Ningkan and Airliftz

In spite of all the requirements, SoundCloud remains to be one of the most accessible platforms with instant upload options that aren’t available elsewhere. Local independent artistes would benefit greatly from this,especially those who are predominantly on SoundCloud, like singer-songwriter Sasha Ningkan, Miri math rock band South China Sea, or even Airliftz earlier productions from when he was in high school!

This move is good news not just for creators but for listeners too. The probability of your favourite SoundCloud artist also being on other platforms like Spotify and Apple Music are now higher than ever. Those frustrating days when you find awesome music on SoundCloud but can’t add it to your Spotify playlist might now be gone forever.

Add A Slice Of Vintage With Nike’s Air Max Light 2

Posted by & filed under Sneakers.

Written by Sean Ho

Nike isn’t nearly done with bringing back their gems from the archives. This sneaker takes us all back 25 years ago, when the Nike Air Max 2 Light first came to stores in 1994. The silhouette was widely a favourite for Air Max heads over the globe for its unique, sporty look and loud colours, and the lightweight materials made it easier to live with on a day to day while the air bubble reduces impact when running and for everyday comfort.

This pair features a combination of white synthetic leather and blue mesh patterns along with a contrasting red Swoosh on the side. A dark blue Air Max bubble is featured in the midsole, With the Air Max Light 2 logo stamped on the tongue. To finish off the silhouette, reflective Nike branding panels on the heel tab are added.

To add some vintage spice to your wardrobe, this pair is available on nike.com and retailing at a very reasonable price of RM574 on the 28th February, 2019.

 

Stussy Spruces Up ‘Sleazy Athletics’ For Their SS19 Collection

Posted by & filed under Fashion.

Stussy’s latest Spring 19’ is now available in StussyKuala Lumpur Chapter Store! The Spring 19’ collection is inspired by the essence of spring with some playful interpretation of the US’s West Coast’s ‘sleazy aesthetics’. This collection bears some resemblance from the past collection with tapestries of psychedelia, sportswear & workwear with the addition of more adventurous & vibrant color palettes.

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Through the last few years Stussy have redefined a new standards for their garment & style, playing carefully between the contemporary & the timeless classics. This season, they’ve chosen to honour the past while reinterpreting the future with cuts & fabrics of fan favorites like Garage Jacket & Zip-up Shirts. Arguably however, the must have for this season is the cocktail shirt which is too ‘fire’ not to have.

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Majority of the collection is available now at Stussy Kuala Lumpur Chapter Store while stocks last.

 

More Running Goodness as Gyakusou Releases The Nike Vaporfly 4% and Pegasus Turbo Collab

Posted by & filed under Sneakers.

The running subculture is gaining back in popularity as Nike pushes forward more Gyakusou goodness in the form of 2 shoes, the Vaporfly 4%, and the Pegasus Turbo. Both of which look very appealing in the urban setting. We’ll get to those in a bit.

For those who aren’t in the know, Gyakusou is Nike’s subdivision comprised of runners lead by Undercover designer, Jun Takahashi. While previously an outlet to maintain a healthy lifestyle and keep himself fit, running now has become a lifestyle for Jun, completing at least 10Ks at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo where he stays. The term Gyakusou means reversed running in Japanese, as Jun often found himself running in the opposite direction as the other runners.

Choosing these two silhouettes then, is the perfect step up from Gyakusou’s previous collection, the standalone Nike Zoom Fly SPs which featured a crossbones motif on the lateral side and Gyakusous labelling on the midsole. According to Nike’s running hierarchy, the Pegasus Turbo is your training shoe, to help you in the days leading up to your race day, which then you will lace the Vaporfly 4% for maximum performance with no compromises, whatsoever.

Technical specifications remain the same, with the exception of the Pegasus Turbo having been upgraded to include lace-locks for easy entry and exit with additional smatterings of 3M on the upper for extra visibility during night time sessions.

 

The colour palette however, differentiates the Gyakusou collab from the normal line of shoes. As Nike continues to pushes very energetic, bright colourways, Jun takes a different approach to that philosophy. “Since the very beginning, I’ve made the Gyakusou color palette to blend well with both the urban and natural landscape using neutral colors. I intentionally include earthy colors and the traditional colors of Japan,” said Jun.

The Vaporfly 4% and Pegasus Turbo retail for RM 1020 and RM 739 respectively, on 28th Feb at Nike.com. Serious performance commands a serious price, but what you get is what you pay for. Ready to lace up and run?

Tyler, The Creator’s Next Line Of Converse Golf Le Fleurs Drops Soon

Posted by & filed under Sneakers.

Written by Sean Ho

The third wave of Converse x Golf Le Fleurs is well on its way! Converse has officially unveiled the Golf Le Fleur “Industrial” pack, featuring two toned leather colourways for the One Star. 

Coming in two different colours. the sneaker takes a DIY, deconstructed look with a little indutrial twist to it. One features a dark blue leather base with a lighter blue around the top cap to its tongue area, with the very recognizable Golf logo on the side dipped in the same colour as well, while the laces comes in white to give the sneaker a perfect contrast. The Golf Le Fleur wording is printed on the lateral side with the Golf flower overlapping it. To complete the whole industrial look the off white outsole is feature on the midsole.

The second one comes in a green colour scheme, very similar to the blue colour way. The leather on the toe cap to the tongue is dipped in a white paint, where the black works as a base. Adding to that, the white Golf Le Fleur flower overlaps the black leather to create contrast. Again with the white laces which you could never go wrong with. To finish the look, the Golf Le Fleur branding is stamped on the side of the sneaker as well as the off white midsole giving it a more vintage look.

Unfortunately however, the accompanying boiler suits won’t be coming in together with the shoes.

This pair is set to release on the 23rd of February at selected Converse stores as well and Crossover Sunway Pyramid, with a retail price tag of USD110 (approximately RM449). If you haven’t had a pair of Le Fleurs, now’s a good time to add one to your collection.

Why Uniqlo Is The Most Successful Retailer In The World, And Not Zara

Posted by & filed under Fashion, Featured.

Written by Isaac Yeap

A brand that implements a very unique business proposition and couples that with traditional Japanese values, definitely needs no introduction. Uniqlo has definitely carved its niche and nestled inside comfortably, showing everyone else how good, evergreen clothes can be an additonal style factor, but also as essential as water itself in your wardrobe.

But Uniqlo’s story isn’t as clean a success story as it seems.

Uniqlo, Oxford Street

In fact, it was muddled with plenty of hardships & obstacles. The brand had to temporarily halt their plan for world domination in the early 2000s as Uniqlo’s position in the European markets absolutely tanked expectations. Uniqlo’s touchpoint in the UK was an aggressive expansion plan to open up 21 stores in London and basically become king of the retail hill on the little island up north. Sales were so bad, they had to close 16 of them within a year. But that didn’t stop them from marching on with it.

Uniqlo founder, Tadashi Yanai

When we think of Uniqlo a couple of things come to mind: affordable, and high quality garments for the everyday man & woman. You name it, they’ve got it. From office-wear to daily casual wear even down to your undergarments. Uniqlo’s got you covered for a good price. That was Uniqlo’s goal from day one, starting from their CEO, Tadashi Yanai, a retail genius of his kind believing that good quality & fashionable designs should be made for everyone. This idea/philosophy however, was heavily criticised back in the early 1980’s when cut & sewn products were deemed higher quality. However, Tadashi-san saw a silver lining as brands like GAP and Giordano are offering fashionable clothing but with affordable pricing elsewhere around the world.

Uniqlo’s collaboration with Malaysian designer, Joe Chia

So is Uniqlo fast fashion? Nope, it is not. Many of you out there might compare the likes of Uniqlo to big fast fashion retail empires such as Zara, however both these brands albeit somewhat similar, have distinctively huge differences. Tadashi-san has described Uniqlo as ‘a technology company, not a fast fashion company’. While Zara excels in churning what is latest on the runways to stores within weeks, Uniqlo takes a whole different approach by carefully planning its wardrobe essentials up to a year in advance. As to why Tadashi-san proudly calls Uniqlo a technological company? Have a look at their extensive profile collaborating with various tech garment companies to produce their highly celebrated Heat-Tech & AIRism lines. It is in its own right, quite a CV.

Uniqlo takes the word ‘essentials’ very carefully, focusing on the way a garment fits & looks, without forgetting variety in the picture as well. A good example of this was in the 1998 when Uniqlo opened its first store in Harajuku, Tokyo, which again needs no introduction to the masses as probably one of the largest mecca of Fashion in the world. And guess how Uniqlo came in with a bang? They released their ‘Fleece Campaign’, which came in various colors became an instant hit amongst the fashionista’s. That same business strategy can be seen applicable up till this day. The same fit of tees you now see and wear, came in various colors for everyone & anyone from more than 30 years back.

+J, Jill Sander’s collaborative effort with Uniqlo

But to say that Uniqlo is entirely not a fashion company is probably a wrong premise. Fast fashion it is not, but fashionable? It has in spades. While they have consistently provided the public with various choices of fits & colors for their products, Uniqlo also has had a hand in fashion especially in the recent years. It’s clearly demonstrated with their notable collaborations every year with KAWS, Christophe Lemaire, JW Anderson, Undercover, Tomas Maier & many more. Here is where brands (not dissing) should learn a thing or two from Uniqlo about collaborations: that is nigh on essential for you to carefully analyse the brands that you are about to get involved with & not just go with it blindly. Again, it is shown in Uniqlo’s collaboration choices, all of it clearly reflects the similarity of brand synergy that is evidently portrait in their products. You always get a good sense of what Uniqlo believes in & the collaborator’s unique design proposition, balancing out both to create perfect harmony.  

Hana Tajima, who created headscarves for the brand

Besides producing fashionable clothing, Uniqlo also pays attention to what are their audience looking for, depending on the geographical locations their stores are at. A good example of this is the introduction of culturally-sensitive wear in Malaysia which is a huge market itself within the country. At the same time, they are not just offering optional designs to the Malay/Muslim consumers but also technological aspect into their religious wear designs such as incorporating AIRism to deal with the harsh, hot & humid weather while altogether respecting the community/culture within Malaysia.

Uniqlo may not be the biggest retailer right now in the world. However, looking at their growth, world domination is almost inevitable. As we can see that now the world largest retailer Zara reporting slowdown in sales & weaker profitability, Uniqlo still manages to sustain & sticking to their roots in believing that affordable essentials are the way moving forward. Uniqlo’s business model has made it a formidable opponent, and one that can easily become the basis of your wardrobe without you consciously knowing.

Lunadira Invites You On The Outcome Of Self-Discovery With New Single, Ur Cute But Boring

Posted by & filed under Music.

Written by Aida Rashid

People love narratives, especially those that they can relate to. It’s not exactly the bizarre experiences of their 20s, nor is it the discoveries they stumbled upon in their adolescent years; it’s in the little things that they never realised have made an impact in their lives, and Lunadira’s brand new single ‘ur cute but boring’ captures that very feeling. Something about the song gives off a strong millennial scent, which I think has something to do with the artwork, and lower case title.

The song feels like a manifestation of Lunadira transitioning to a more mature approach to her music. Looking back at Forever’s Not Our Thing and Stuck With You, ‘ur cute but boring’ is less of a sadgirl anthem in comparison to the former. “I wrote those songs in different phases of my life, mainly during my relationships with significant others and the people I’ve had the pleasure to get to know. ‘Forever’s Not Our Thing’ was I guess my “debut” as a singer/songwriter after stacking up on a bunch journals that were filled with unspoken thoughts. Over time, and over countless studio sessions, meeting people who were doing the same thing as I was, kind of shaped the way I wanted to write. I’m not saying UCBB is the end terminal of how I want to use my narrative in songwriting, but it definitely has the least sadgirl elements in it, in my opinion (haha). I’ve learnt to kind of recognise my own worth and check my place in the world (which is ever-changing) and it influenced the way I wrote as well. UCBB isn’t really a commentary on the people I’ve met along in this journey of self-discovery but more of a “self-drag” before I realised that I needed to step my game up, as a human being and as an artist, if you will,” laments Nadira.

The song features producer Anuar Roslan, who also produced Bear Scouts’ brand new single R T O T. The chemistry between the two is nothing short of seamless, incorporating articulated & memorable basslines with a catchy melody. “I actually came up with the title before anything else, grammatical error and all. I thought I could experiment a little with my narrative and my sound, so the title is pretty self-explanatory and reflects the process of the song’s writing. I went into the studio with Anuar Roslan after meeting him a couple of times and him, Julian Loh (Anuar’s manager) and I just jammed to a bunch of tracks Anuar had. When we came to the track that eventually became UCBB, we changed the structure of it — mainly the bassline and the melodies. But the skeleton was there.” Transitioning from her bedroom-pop bops, ‘ur cute but boring’ is fuller & less DIY in a sense. “I remember being so excited to write because I loved how groovy it was. Even Anuar was surprised that I was interested in that track, but I don’t blame him, I barely had a discography out at the time.”

‘ur cute but boring’ received a wave of celebration on social media after its release especially Twitter, as people quote retweeted the song with their own experiences. A lot of them shared experiences of not being able to intellectually and emotionally connect with their dates or potential partners. “The title kind of came to me after months of holing myself up and reflecting on the experiences I’ve had when I was single, and how that took a toll on my moral compass. So I started having a conversation in my head about how frustrating it was that I couldn’t connect with certain people even when I tried. That’s essentially a human experience I think most of us go through so I guess yes, it is relatable. It’s unfortunate that it is though, but you can’t get along with everyone you meet, right?”

When asked about the guys who thought the song was written for them, Lunadira said “um, I’m sorry the song’s not about them I guess? I haven’t talked to them in ages so to have them claim that is pretty rich….. and….. why would you want to admit that the song is about you…..”

There’s always some sort of pressure behind being Malaysian lyricist that millennials look up to for relatable bops. Especially in this day and age where tinder & hook-up culture is at its peak, we are bound to encounter interesting experiences, and it’s fun when an artist puts those experiences into a song. “Omg no one should ever look up to me. I would rather they learn from me. So no pressure (well, there might be a little pressure but I’m not an idol. I’m a friend.”

And the MV itself is a cinematographical joy to look at. So get on it, and let Lunadira take you on a feels trip down the past of your love lives.

The UPDATED Truth Behind The “Unauthorised Authentic” Term

Posted by & filed under Featured, Sneakers.

The last time we actually talked about this topic was back in 2015, when the term “Unauthorised Authentic” was hotly used by almost every Malaysian fake shoe seller on the internet trying to paddle off their fake goods to some newbie in the sneaker scene, and mind you, back in 2015, sneakers were just starting to blow up in Malaysia. With the resurgence of hype for Jordans, and the Adidas Boost starting to get more traction not just within the sneaker community, but beyond that, the scene started to see an influx of interest. It was a time where the sneaker scene was truly growing. Hence, with this emergence, there is bound to be a lot of newcomers who do not really have the knowledge in all things sneakers, what more something like a term such as, “Unauthorised Authentic” (UA), which is the focal point of our discussion.

Back in 2015, it was very common to hear cases of people saying they got conned into buying a pair of fake shoes, and most of the time the way the fake sellers pitched to them is always the same, “Ini kasut Unauthorised Authentic bro“.

For those of you who are new to the sneaker scene, and you do not really know what the term means, or maybe you’ve read about it before but kinda forgot what it really is, head to this link here for a quick recap before continuing.

So fast forward 4 years later to 2019, and we still see fake shoe sellers trying to paddle fake shoes to newbies using the same term. Nothing much has changed, except for one thing, the fake shoe sellers (specifically University of Kicks) are using OUR ARTICLE TO HELP THEM SELL! Yes, you heard it right. The same one we wrote back in 2015, they have delightfully cherrypicked the few paragraphs and quoted it to support the whole ‘Unauthorised Authentic’ drama. Hence forth, I’m writing this updated article to clarify, and hopefully educate the community a little bit.

 

If you’ve read the article we previously wrote, the whole concept of UA is that a single factory would produce a few thousand pairs of shoe (depends on the order) and the factory is in charge of the entire process,  A-Z of producing the shoe. For example if Nike were to place an order of 10,000 pairs, majority of the time the factory would overproduce and come out with something like 15,000 pairs. The extra numbers are there because some pairs may not make it pass the Quality Control process. Once Nike has QC’ed and approved 10,000 pairs, the factories are then required to burn the rest. Of course, in this capitalist environment, the factory would sometimes decide to sell it out to the secondary market instead.

From a retail price of approximately RM 3200, UOK sells one for RM299.

Essentially then, the truth about “Unauthorised Authentic” all boils down to this:

“THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS UNAUTHORISED AUTHENTIC!”

If we were back in 2015, yes it would still exist. But as of now, there is no such thing, and anyone who says otherwise and is trying to sell you shoes saying it is a legit base on that reason, high possibility that he/she is selling you a fake pair.

Why does the term no longer exist? Here are some of the reasons why:

  • Previously major shoe companies do not own their own production factories, and outsource the production to third party factories around the world to produce the shoes. That was the case then. Now, almost all the major shoe brands have their own manufacturing plants, and production is entirely in their control. This helps reduce the number of wastage in terms of materials or number of pairs produce. This would mean that the number of UA pairs would be almost none.
  • Another thing to take note is that previously the factories producing the shoes are not owned by the brands themselves, hence they have no qualms selling off the leftover pairs. But now, the factories are own by the brand themselves, which means if they do have any leftover pairs, and they do sell it off to the open market. It would only hurt the brand in the long run because UA pairs are usually sold cheaper in comparison to the official retail price.
  • Shoe companies still produce with outsourced manufacturers, but only for special cases (example Adidas 4D or BOOST) where by they need a specialist to do it. And all this manufacturers have signed NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreement) and if the agreement is broken, it would cost the specialist company a lot of legal damage. In the hundreds of millions in damages. There are a lot of fake BOOST pairs floating around the market now, but one thing to note is that BASF is the only official maker of BOOST, and Adidas will purchase the BOOST soles from them to be assembled into Ultraboost or other BOOST products in their own factories.
  • This is a fact that is specific to the Vapormax silhouette. The only place that the Vapormax soles are produced from is in Beaverton, Oregon or St. Louis, Missouri. Both this factories are known as the Air Manufacturing Innovation Plants. The air units are then sent to their own factories around the world to be assembled into a pair of Vapormax.
  • Majority of the shoe companies produce various parts of the shoes in various different factories. The parts are then sent to one factory to be assembled. This style of doing it is called “specialisation”. Which means each factory specialises in making only that one part of that shoe. This helps increase efficiency and reduces wastage.
  • There are factories that do produce shoes using the A-Z style, which means everything about the shoe is produced within that factory, but most of this factories are owedn by the brand themselves.
*Do note that all this facts were sourced from various credible sources who are in charge of manufacturing for some of these brands, be it in the company or outsourced specialist.*

To wrap up this updated version of what is the true meaning of “Unauthorised Authentic”, it is safe to say that it no longer exists. What makes matters worst is that the fake pairs that are coming out these days have almost little to no difference with the original ones. So unless your source is a fully trusted one, do make your purchase from the brand stores itself, or from a legit sneaker store.

If you want to buy something from an online seller, and don’t know what are the kinda things you should be looking out for, head on over to our article HERE on how to avoid being scammed.