Yohji Going Broke?

* image is trademarked (TM) & copyrighted (c) by its respective owner(s)

Now that titles a little misleading-I'm sure personally he'll never go broke,lol. But his self titled company, the powerful & respected Fashion House-Yohji Yamamoto Inc.; has filed for Bankruptcy in Japanese courts. The worldwide economic downturn has drastically affected the Fashion industry, and Japan is no exception. The Japanese are well known for their affinity of luxury brands-Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Versace, but it seems even these global giants are no match for simply being broker than you have been in years past.

The designer whose Adidas collaborative Y-3 brand is well known to Streetwear aficionados has sad that his company's debts outweigh their assets ($67 million USD); but through Japan's Corporate rehab law he will continue to work and operate the company both in Japan and overseas. It's crazy when you see these corporate giants that you would never imagine going broke filing Chapter 11 (or the French/German/Can-American equivalent). Kinda brings you into the real world, eh? It's like even the "Good Life" has to face real life sooner or later. Sad, i know :(

-S.DeBose via cnbc

American Fashion Menswear

The CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) has come out with a new book titled "American Fashion Menswear" which chronicles the history of American (men's) Fashion since it was first settled. Its supposed to be the most complete and authoritative book on the subject to date.

The book covers the various cultural identities and styles that encompass and represent the varied generations of American men. Filled with renderings, sketches, magazine ads, and photographs, it has many recognisable faces including Ralph Lauren, Aaron Eckhart, JFK, and Brando. It goes for around $31.50 on Amazon.

-S.DeBose via Luxist.com

Grooming

So I found this really great hand lotion that is thick enough to last through a couple hand washes, but also thin enough to not really feel greasy. It's Dr.Teal's Therapeutic Bath & Body Line-Chapped Hands Creme in Eucalyptus & Spearmint flavor ( i know, longest name in the world).
Every modern man needs to make sure he stays classy not ashy, & this is an affordable solution that will work great as a daily moisturizer.
The best part is, EVERY SINGLE TIME i put this on around the office, practically every female i encounter asks what cologne I'm wearing. NO joke. I've even had a couple tell me they could smell me after I've passed down the hall. Not in the "7th grader just discovering cologne so i spray on half the bottle" sort of way, but in the "just enough to leave a great impression" sort of way. And with the price below $6 when i picked it up at HEB Grocery, this is Steven's must have product for the month.
-Steven
(the sites grossly under-updated, so just check your local grocer, Walgreen's, or Beauty Supply Store)

Secret Sales

We got a WHOOOLE lotta dope stuff coming out of the pipes for ya'll REAL SOON! Actually have an order coming in Friday, and have been "refinishing" the upcoming designs as well.


PLUS we have started a new program where we will clear out inventory that we likely wont place in the regular line by having "secret sales" on our expeimental and first print tees. These tees will be ones that we have had laying around, overstock, or ones that have random mashups containing elements from multiple tees within current or old lines.


Since these tees will not go in the regular lines, they will be "super" limited by nature because we only had a few laying around/left over to begin with. We will announce them for sale on Twitter (@KirinClothingCo) and on the blog here, and they will be a pretty good (read: cheap) price so be sure to check back often!
-Steven

The Sartorialist

...Where the fly get inspiration.


So if you read GQ Magazine, then you've probably seen Scott Schuman's work. He's been covering (street) fashion photography for 5 years on his blog, thesartorialist.com; as well as for GQ. With 15 years of experienve in the fashion industry, he closed the doors to his showroom and decided to grab his camera & shoot everyday people on the streets of New York that he noticed had a flare for indivualised fashion.

Schuman shoots from a designer's perspective; looking for colors, pattern mixing, proportions, and genre variations. He doesnt judge the entire outfit as good or bad, but rather at its potential for inspiration. In the 5 years he's been posting to his blog, he has parlayed that into a monthly column for GQ, recurring spots on style.com, and even a guest speaker on international fashion industry panels.

I personally know that whenever i see his photos in GQ, i always do double takes. Its as if im seeing the people on the street firsthand. Everyday folks that dont really look like celebritites at all, but simply stand out because they look incredibly well put together. You;ll be surprised how inspiring it is. Even from a non-fashion perspective they are just intriguing to look at.
And i cant spend too much time on the website because it makes me want to dig through my closet and start mixing wild new outfits from the old stale crap sitting around, haha which wouldnt be a bad thing if i had some new ish up in there, but I DONT. So then i go out shopping which leads to trouble, ya feel me? LOL anyway, Scott just finished a book that is being released this month compiled of his favorite pictures from the site archives titled (surprise!!):" The Sartorialist". Its definately going on my list of (usually) random books to pic up next time I'm at B&N. On a related note, im also getting the itch to head back to NY, lol
-Steven

edit: I was unsure about the legalities of posting his picks directly on here, but the post feels so naked without something, so i took a couple screen shots. You may recognize the guy in the first pic. The story behind it is completely random too! lol small world..

Whats REALLY Good?!?

YOYOYOOOOOO!!
It's been a looong while since i've posted something on "Whats Good?". I've been neglectful, i know :( but forgive me. I have been staying busy though, authoring two other blogs, making music, and of courese, new designs! But I'm back, and i brought a few friends.
Since Kirin has always been about creating big things from the little things life gives you, I'm proud to announce our new line: Creation and Destruction. We will soon have a revamped website, complete with new designs, a new lookbook, and new lifestlye section.
Now on to those new friends: Darren Griffin is the new Operations Manager, who will handle the day to day business that keeps Kirin running,as well as being one of the names you may see onsigned onto the tag of the Limited Edition Prints.
And Danni Mitchell is the newest member of the promotions and marketing team whom you may see out on the streets hustling swag, or in your favorite boutique hustling wares. Their bios will be up soon.
In the meantime, they will also be contributing to the new "Whats Good?" where we continue to bring you the latest that we find in fashion, art, and culture from all over this big blue ball of freshness we inhabit. Stay tuned.
-Steven.

BTW if your on Twitter, get at us! @KirinClothingCo.

(MORE) Electric Vehicles

OK, so the Prius may be he number one selling electric/hybrid car in the US, but if other automakers want to compete, they know they have to do it where Toyota failed. By offering sexier, bigger hybrids with faster speed and more interior room. Enter GM...after getting panned for supposedly "killing the electric car" the EV-1, they decided to get off their butts and make up for it by building this concept: the VOLT. Although still labeled a concept, the Volt apparently will be the first hybrid car thats completley plug n go ( although the Tesla is completley electric w/faster speeds and longer carges), and it will be branded under the Chevy moniker. Its designed to run 40 miles on a full charge, but it does have a combustible engine im guessing so you dont get stranded out of town. Since it's still a concept GM hasn't given specs yet but it touts smaller batteries, faster charging times, more passenger room, and faster speed. Apparently production will start when the battery technology is ready which will be 2-3 years. IMHO, this could really put GM back on the map if the production model dropped and looked and operated exactly like the concept. Hell, I'd happily trade in whatever I am driving at the time for a beauty like that. Unfortunately, production models rarely look like the concepts (do they think we're not ready for future ish yet,or what?), and GM is not known for it's reliability.
And while we're on the (rare)subject of Chevy's and sexiness, if you havent seen the 08 Camaro concept thats most definately going into production, go here.