Vans Patches Up Two Models With New Patchwork Pack

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Probably The Brand’s Best 2019 Release Yet

It seems like Vans is off to a strong start for 2019, and it enters the Year Of The Pig with this collection, aptly named the ‘Patchwork Pack.’ Concept wise, is somewhat similar to the ‘Cut n Paste’ pack that appeared some time last year, but the patchwork differentiates itself with different materials such as canvas, suede, and leather patches, cut and sown onto the silhouette.

This however, is not to be confused with Size?’s own patchwork themed collab with Vans, as the retailer’s version mixes up different colour panels and putting all those into one, whereas this is a mix of different materials and irregular patches coming together to remake the Era and Slip-On. The Sk8-Hi however, won’t be coming down to our shores.

 

Overall, it makes for a very blocky and bright representation that is recognizable anywhere, and best part of all, it’s General Release. The Vans ‘Patchwork Pack’ is available at selected Vans outlets in Malaysia.

The Nike Adapt BB Represents Nike’s Putting Its Foot Forward To Technologically Advanced Footwear

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Written by Sean Ho

The technology found in footwear has only been on the upward trend, and this year marks a new era in revolutionising footwear for the masses. From where the HyperAdapt 1.0 left off, the Adapt BB takes the power-lacing concept to the basketball court with updated technology and a retail price that’s less than half of the HyperAdapt 1.0. From this point onwards, sneakers will never just be a sneaker, but emphasises more as a tool to help enhance your life. 

But the brand is not alone in their endeavour to research and extend the definition of what is known as a shoe. Ever since Nike introduced the self lacing sneaker in the form of Nike Air Mags, Under Armour too has hopped on board albeit targeted at a different aspect, a ‘smart sneaker’ with the release of their Under Armour Speedfoam collection, which include sensors that pair with an app, alerting the user with information such as the distance traveled, calories burned, and level of wear and tear on the sneakers.

Followed by Adidas, who borrowed an innovative process of Digital Light Synthesis technology. Created by a tech company Carbon, Adidas’ goal was to create a sneaker that is aesthetically pleasing at the same time built for performance. The 4D printing method of Digital Light Synthesis creates midsoles for the Adidas shoes that have garnered  almost 20 years of athletic data, allowing the shoe to be precisely tuned for accurate energy return and long-lasting cushioning. However, such advanced methods of manufacturing has its drawbacks. Futurecraft productions were horribly low because it takes about an hour and a half to make one midsole, and isn’t just cost effective enough to warrant mass production. Adidas is looking to speed this up, and targets a production time of 20 minutes per pair to release at least a 100,000 pairs of the shoe.

3D printed uppers are also crawling out of its baby steps. In 2016, Hewlett-Packard (tech company) unveiled the HP Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solution, which HP now uses to help Nike produce 3D-printed sneakers. The result of this? The Vaporfly Elite Flyprint, a no-holds barred performance marathon shoe that scopes in on details like repelling moisture absorption by the upper to decrease the weight of the shoe as well as making it as lightweight as possible. HP promises its new 3D printing machines can print shoe parts up to 10 times faster, and at half the price than traditional 3D printing methods.

Speaking to Equinox, former design director at Jordan brand, D’Wayne Edwards mentioned “In the future, sneaker materials will absorb human DNA, which will enable them to not only change colour based on the wearer’s mood, heart rate, or body temperature, but also detect dehydration, high blood pressure, muscle strains, and much more.” This chart obviously speaks to some very alien territory for shoes, but at the rate that technology is progressing, it will be sooner rather than later that we’ll see more model like these.

It’s crazy to think decades ago when the internet was introduced by DARPA, everyone doubted the existence of it, even questioned its functionality, but now everything revolves around it.  These advances will eventually trickle down to more mainstream footwear with a better price point that is affordable. Like flat-screen TVs and smartphones, someday we’ll all be able to afford ‘smart shoes’ that most of us can only dream about today. The future is a bright one, and I’m looking forward to it. 

Doughnut Collaborates With WeBeThirsty To Make A Waist Bag For Runners

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You would have probably known or have heard of We Be Thirsty, a KL based running crew that tries to cultivate a healthy lifestyle as well as amplify it into a modern culture of togetherness, as running has now evolved from just being a singular sport to a group activity. With that, comes a collaboration that packs essentials for running regardless of time.

Hence, Doughnut was called upon to create such a product, specifically a waist bag to carry along during running excursions. The ‘Camus Black,’ as its otherwise known is sized big enough to fit a water bottle, phone, keys, wallet, and any other small items that you can carry with you during exercise. The external panelings are highlighted with outlines of 3M to enhance personal visibility when running in low-light conditions.

The Doughnut X WeBeThirsty ‘Camus Black’ retails for RM 229 and can be purchased at Bagstreet.com. Time to put your New Year’s Resolution to good use.

 

 

Watch The New John Wick – Chapter 3: Parabellum Here

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Wick Against The World Evens Out The Odds

It’s finally here. After following the trail of blood and gore left by Keanu Reeves in the first 2 movies, John Wick continues with probably the last movie in the trilogy.

Following the events of John Wick: Chapter 2, John has been ex-communicated by his organisation after breaking a cardinal rule, which is not to kill anyone on Continental grounds. In this sequel then, follows John’s attempt to escape New York as the organisation’s best assassins hunt for his $14 million bounty.

Looking back at the trailer, we’re promised with what the first two movies have delivered in spades, intense, fast-paced gunfights with smatterings of gore here and there, and much is to be the same in the new one. We honestly can’t complain about any semblance of storyline when John Wick delivers multikills deftly with just a pistol before switching to something else and completely maims whoever gets in his way.

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is set to hit theaters worldwide on the 17th of May

What Does Spiderman: Far From Home Mean For Avengers: Endgame

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After the rollercoaster highs and dives that we all took either willingly or unwillingly in Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel teases us with a new Spiderman movie title, “Far From Home.” As the first chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe draws to a close, theories run rampant as to how Earth’s Mightiest Heroes might save their friends and allies.

Speaking with Comicbook.com, Kevin Feige, Head of Marvel Studios said ,”Well, I mean, sure, let the speculation begin. That’s always fun. We like [the title] of course because it ties into Homecoming, not just keeping that word going, which we like and we liked it more than Homecoming 2, but that notion of ‘home’ is a word that has dual meanings we’d like to continue with this [Marvel Cinematic Universe] version of Spider-Man. So, Far From Home has multiple meanings.”

Coming to this, several theories have been laid out with one eagle eyed Redditor spotting a few details that are easy to miss.

SPOILERS FROM HERE ON

Spiderman/endgame trailers reveals potential mcu storyline from r/FanTheories

This theory takes shape after Feige commented that Far From Home starts almost immediately after Avengers: Endgame. Recall back that previously, Spiderman was on Titan trying to remove Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet before teleporting to Earth and subsequently snapping half of the galaxy’s lifeforms into dust. But as Far From Home starts mere minutes after Endgame, one possible avenue is that the snap has been undone, and Spidey returns home while the rest of The Avengers wrap up the fight, but the other more plausible one, is that there exists an alternate reality after the snap, and in this reality, Thanos’ attack never happened.

Recall back also that in Infinity War, Thanos tells Tony, ‘I hope they remember you,’ speculating that it could be Tony’s sacrifice that resets back reality. Feige is probably sniggering at us right now.

Regardless of what is the correct timeline, no doubt that Far From Home adds another clue to the MCU series, one that’ll keep fans entertained enough till the actual release of Endgame

 

 

Here Are The Top 10 Best Selling Sneakers Of 2018 In Malaysia

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Surprisingly Yeezys Never Made It In The Top 10

Written By Sean Ho

Now that 2018 is under wraps and 2019 is well on its way, the best selling sneakers would have probably presented itself as either something from the Off-White collection, or more realistically, Yeezys, as Kanye West promised his fans that everyone who wants to purchase a Yeezy can get one with relative ease, but that’s not always the case, as proven with Omnilytics, a marketing intelligence company.

The analytics company has come up with a complete rundown of the top 10 best selling sneakers of 2018 here in Malaysia, and to surprising results, gathering their data from 4 different criteria:

  1. Number of retailers that carry a specific sneaker
  2. Time taken for a sneaker to sell out
  3. Amount of restocks one retailer orders for that pair
  4. Time taken for the sneaker to go from release to being on sale

Nike dominates the charts, taking up 7 spots with the remaining 3 being held by Adidas. Quite to our surprise however, the Nike Vapormax is Malaysia’s best selling silhouette, followed by classic models from the likes of the Air Force One, Air Max 97, Air Max 90, and the Cortez.

The Adidas NMD still manages to hold its value even after the end of its twilight years going to ubiquity, as well as easy to pair shoes like the Stan Smith reign as fan favourites to this day.

Silhouettes Air Force One, and Air Maxs presumably gained popularity with the rise of the Off-White ‘The Ten’ Collection; as prices for the shoe are way beyond the normal person’s reach, this hype and want drip feeds down to the GR models, hence explaining its sudden meteoric rise. Models like the Ultraboost however takes its stance on comfort and ease of wear even in its 4th iteration, mostly because of the ability to pair the shoe with almost anything while still remaining as comfortable as ever due to the Boost midsole.

Running shoes seem to rise back up in popularity, as Nike’s workhorse, the Zoom Pegasus 35 comes in at number 7, while the Epic React Flyknit rounds of the Top Ten list. Presumably, this is partly in due to Nike’s running heavy marketing plan, featuring campaigns such as Breaking2 which consequently led to the creation of the Vaporfly series. Though the collection is very much out of reach from most consumers, the technology and design inspiration does take several cues from its flagship and drip-fed down to the Pegasus, which is always a good thing.

Given the above criteria however, it isn’t possible for Yeezys or any of the limited edition models to come at the top as they are limited in their nature, hence these silhouettes cannot compete with the level of production and availability that these GR models have.

Do you agree or disagree with the list? Let us know in the comments below!

 

An Introduction Guide To The Types Of Watches, And Which One To Buy

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Written by Sean Ho

With so many types watches in the world, ranging from military styles to your everyday watches, diver’s watch, to full fledge smart watches, discovering one that you’re going to want to invest in and wear for years can be hard. But, like any piece of clothing in your wardrobe, fit is a major factor. A watch complements your look, and ties in the whole outfit together, synonymous with your taste and level of thought that you’ve put into your look.

With that, here’s a list of watches that you can get started with for under RM 10,000.

Dress Watch

When it comes to dress watches, classy is key. Getting a leather strap watch to spice your outfit will be a good idea. For starters, looking into one of Tag Heuer’s Carrera collection of watches is a good place to begin. It features an off white dial with an hour, minute and second hand, it has a Swiss-made TAG Heuer Calibre 5 automatic movement with 38-hour power reserve. Price is slightly affordable, retailing at £1,708.33 Approx RM9,022.00.

Daily Watch

 

Not every watch in your collection necessarily has to be a showpiece with a heavy price tag. In fact, you would be well advised to add a relatively ordinary watch to your collection, that you can beat and endure the wear and tear. Timex would be the perfect watch brand for this job, given its military roots of durability and legibility.

The Acadia Resin has that tough aesthetic. It features a Quartz movement, with black resin case and an army green grosgrain strap and retailing at £62.50 / Approx. RM330.23, it’s a pretty damn good deal for an everyday watch. Alternatively, you can look at G-Shock’s DW5600B for around RM 440 that comes with G-Shock’s tried and tested all-weather timepiece.

Sports Watch

When it comes to a sports watches, searching for one that has a good battery life should be a top priority, and this Garmin Fenix5 Plus delivers in spades! With multiple features and up to 42 hours of battery life, this watch will allow you to track everything from your heart rate to your running pace. With the built GPS getting lost becomes a worry no more. Cleaning the watch is easy with the changeable wrist strap and its rugged look isn’t just for show, with it sapphire glass lens it can practically tank through anything. Retailing at RM4,000, this is definitely ‘your ultimate workout partner’.

Smartwatch

As much as we’d hate to admit it, Apple does make a damn fine smartwatch. It comes in two versions, the Series 3 & 4, and both comes with an option to choose between a 44mm and a 40mm size display. Retailing from RM1,749 for the Series 4, and RM1,229 for the Series 3, it’s certainly a watch for everyone.

Diving

Diving watches are some of the most robust watches on the market, due to the conditions that they have to go through to be certified as one. Much is the same as this Oris Divers Heritage. Designed with an automatic movement inside, its curved surface is made from sapphire glass for legibility, while the non-reflective dial reduces glare, even when submerged. Retailing at £1,083.33 (Approx RM5,731.46), there is a reason why diver’s watch are so popular, and such an affordable entry point shouldn’t discourage you from getting one yourself.

Aviation

While diver’s watch are mechanically resistant to underwater pressure levels, aviation watches or flight watches go through a somewhat similar, but critically different test to ensure its functionality maintains at low atmospheric pressure environments as well as the G-forces acting on its mechanism. Legibility is a high priority, and as such, carry a unique aesthetic that is bold, but yet remains understated.  As such, they make a worthwhile addition to any men’s collection, and Bell and Ross is no doubt up there amongst the top aviation watches. This ‘BR S’ model has a 39mm satin-finish steel case that houses a calibre BR-CAL.102 quartz movement under a black dial. The large numerals are clear and neat, and the sporty rubber strap will hold up to daily wear and tear. Retailing at (£1,485.51 Approx RM7,856.62), this model is a solid add-on to your wrist.

What Are Your Favourite Artists Listening To Right Now

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Some songs are merely white noise and just something to accompany your drive home. But some songs bring meaning to the stages of life we’re in. We caught up with the local favourites to ask them what they’re currently listening to and why it’s their favourite at the moment.

Youth Portal

The dream pop outfit does not have a preference to a genre as a collective, and it’s reflected on their current favourite jams. “We mostly listen to the stuff we listen because we simply enjoy it, good melody, cool and simple arrangement or just something relatable” says Ikram. A variety of music makes itself through the band members’ list.

The drummer, Tazky is currently delving to Inner Wave’s dreamy, uniquely unstructured record ‘Underwater Pipe Dreams’, whereas the bassist, Aimaan is listening to Kero Kero Bonito’s Only Acting, a track from her latest record. Aimaan appreciates the fact that it’s a “great indie pop tune with an experimental noise break”.

The vocalist, Ikram, is listening to American duo, The Egg’s ‘Garden’ — laced with noise-infused rock element, he likes it for the melody.

The lead guitarist, Zaki, is currently listening My Bloody Valentines’ 2013 record ‘MBV’. “For me this album is like no other, the dimension is very wide and endless, lushful, dreamy and striking I don’t even know how to even describe it with words but it hits right through my heart”.

The keyboardist & rhythm guitarist, Ash is listening to Canadian electro-pop ensemble Men I Trust’s Tailwhip. The song feels like an intersection of the past and the present, as it’s feels very nostalgic to him and it fits his taste of music at the moment.

Spooky Wet Dreams

Spooky Wet Dreams’ conceptual, nu-patriotic album is currently getting a lot of attention.

The vocalist, Ze, is currently hooked to Mitski’s brand new record, ‘Be The Cowboy’. “I like how fresh it sounds man, especially ‘Nobody’, that was written based on her experience living in Kuala Lumpur.” He sees Mitski as the amalgamation of The Voidz going disco with Lana Del Rey as their frontwoman.

Another one of his current favourite is the ultimate Malay indie-folk record Bersendirian Berhad by Bayangan. “I loved it the first time I heard it, and I love it now. The honesty in Fikri’s voice and lyrics gets me like the broken adult that I am, just observing and feeling things you know.”

Insomniacks

Iqie, the vocalist of one of the most talked about pop units in Malaysia, Insomniacks, shares with us a peek of his playlist. First on the list is one of the tracks from Peach Pit’s debut LP “Being So Normal”, ‘Tommy’s Party’. “It’s got that laid back vibe you can just zone out to”, followed by ‘Autumn’s Song’ by Stephen Day. According to Iqie, it’s the “type of shit I wish I wrote.” Orang Malaya’s ‘Smile’ and Midnight Fusic’s ‘Off My Mind’ also make the cut. 

Jetcetera

Jetcetera is an indie-rock cum synth pop ensemble that’s new to the scene, having released a single back in October called ‘Hear Me Out’.

The vocalist, Aida is currently hooked on ‘Pristine’ by Snail Mail. “I can’t stop listening to it especially after watching this interview where Lindsey Jordan explained the structure of the song and how the song became what it is. It’s the only thing I play on the guitar for the past week.” Snail Mail is the moniker used by Lindsey Jordan, a 17 year-old who has gotten immense success in such a short period of time especially when her debut album ‘Lush’ peaked in 2018.

The guitarist, Nani Zul, has Salt In a Wound by Boygenius on repeat for the past few weeks. “I love how the vocals carry itself in this song and how it started off with minimal instruments and it slowly escalates to heavy guitars and intense vocals. I feel like it’s in line with what their singing at the end, ‘they say the hearts & minds are on your side, they say the finish line is in your sights, what they don’t say is what’s on the other side’. It’s one of the songs that I wish I had thought of. It’s so wholesome, musically & lyrically.”

A Cold Wall* X Nike Air Force 1 I WDHANFTSY

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Samuel Ross’s creative effort with Nike gets the eye of judgement from Bryan ‘Botak’ Chin and Julian ‘Sunflower’ Leong, as details are nitpicked, and cuttings are questioned. Watch the video above to know their thoughts on the A Cold Wall* X Nike Air Force 1.