Bespoke Attire: Why Me?

Beenie £18, Hoody £40 Red Sweat £35

Grey Sweat £30, Black Sweat £35, T-shirt £20

Beenie £18, Shirt £45, T-shirt £20

Bobble Hat £20, Hoody £40, T-shirt £20 , Snap £25

'Why Me?' is not just a ridiculously fresh street brand, it's a lifestyle. This is the view of up and coming label 'Why Me?' and can we just say that we more than agree with them. Based in London the brand's ethos is that everything around us, our entire being and our life is a question. Rightly so we might add, have you ever had a stroke of bad luck or been asked to do something and literally thought 'Why Me?' Well this is the brand that plays on that mentality that yes it is you, it can only be you because you are unique. with this such raw basis the brand have derived a street line that that would not only make you stand out, but also makes sure that you have a motive behind your dress sense. After all i mean who wants to just to follow in the footsteps of the masses?

Looking at the store online we could instantly tell what our favourite garms were. The first thing that immediately caught my eye was their Green Corduroy shirt. Priced at £45 pounds this is one of their more expensive items, however it is sublime quality and just oozes originality. 

The next item in question is the 'keep all secrets' hoody in burgundy and let me tell you it makes you look stylish with ease. This jacket can be thrown with almost any items of clothing to give your outfit that extra bit of definition needed to make you stand out. For only £40 it is a great deal.

This piece of head wear has its own vintage feel to it yet could still be worn with almost anything. its loud pin stripes and bold lettering really draws attention to it making it a vital part of any collection and for £25 how can you say no? 

Last but not least is the classic 'Why Me?' Tag T-shirt. At £20 this simple T-shirt is the brands unsung hero, with a little tag on the front and a medium sized one on the back it doesn't seem too overbearing in anyway at all and so adds to its minimalist approach. It is definitely a case of less is more, as the lack of patterns or shapes speaks for itself in volume.

If you have fallen in love with this clothing range and want to see more head over to Why Me? now and grab yourself some luxury street wear.

Up Close + Personal: Leicester's Fashion Prospects

Vintage Watch Stall

Vintage Female Accessory Stall

Vintage Cases

Vintage Green Velvet Jacket

Vintage Converse Logo T-Shirt

Vintage Shoes

On the 11th Sunday Only Bespoke went to Judy's Vintage fair, it was something that i (Lewis) enjoyed more than i should especially when i usually buy everything i see. There were some very reasonable priced goods at the fair ranging from pittance to plenty and all good quality too. One of my favourite stalls was the time keeping one, as lot of people are now are obsessed with G-shock and other newer models, an older Casio would be a really quaint accessory to have. Although the Fair was enjoyable a lot of it was biased towards females, We like to see a bit more equality at such events.

Starter Snaps & Supra Creps @ Foot Asylum

Pointer Creps @ Foot Asylum

Kenny Scharf x Zara

Snap-back to reality, we also had to go and check out the freshest items we could find without falling into too much of a mainstream trap. Although there is a fair amount of variety in Leicester you are limited when it comes down to high end street wear. we found these above items at Zara and Foot Asylum. Go and check them out...

Extension: Misha World x Other Criteria

Other Criteria are incredibly conspicuous,
but instrumentally important within the art world

The 'Other Criteria' franchise was initially formed as a publishing company by Damien Hirst, Hugh Allan and Frank Dunphy in 2005. With Jason Beard steering the creative outfit, the company has blossomed into art curating organisation we have today. The company now works with up-and-coming artist as well as Mr Hirst himself. Damien Hirst is currently regarded as one of Britain's most prolific contemporary artists and you may well be aware of his diamond encrusted skull, shark-in-a-box and pharmaceutical inspired artwork and architectural ventures. This worldwide phenomenon employs all sorts of artist to produce; Sculptures, Prints, Photographs, Jewellery and Clothing. The fact that the company is so diverse and eccentric means that they can have a wide range of good quality items that appeal to different Niche's within the artisan market.

Other Criteria's New Bond St building

Exhibition of Hirst's most prominent work

Hirst's famous butterfly exhibition

'Other Criteria' has won many prestigious awards throughout its 7-year span of life. This simple idea has gone from strength to strength and is now part of a vast team that sells quality merchandise either online or via one of their two shops in London 36 New Bond Street and 14 Hinde Street. Other Criteria are set to host the S/S launch of the stunning set of Mischa World scarves and prints for this upcoming season. If you take a look below, you will find some images of artist Misha Milovanovic's collection. It is also interesting to gain an insight into the artist's thought process, and to help you do this we've provided a video which is quite a lot to take in, but very interesting and engaging nonetheless (see below).

'Hooligan' (Red Star) – Misha Milovanovich [950GBP]

'London Life scarf' – Misha Milovanovich [325GBP]

'Good Times Are Coming scarf' –
 Misha Milovanovich [325GBP]

Picasso scarf – Misha Milovanovic [325GBP]

Additional information on the upcoming Misha World exhibition and other artists can be sought out on the official Other Criteria website.

The Misha World exhibition preview begins Thursday 15 March 2012, 1700-1900(GMT) @ 14 Hinde Street, London, W1U 3BG

Causes: ART AGAINST KNIVES

Art Against Knives from Nev Brook on Vimeo.

The other day I (Tendai) was reading through my daily copy of the i newspaper as you do, and I came across an advertisement for an art exhibition in Shoreditch, London called 'ART AGAINST KNIVES'. The advertisement pictured a captivating image of a knife on a cliff edge with half of it hanging off in a Salvador Dali style (below). Art Against Knives is exactly what it says on the tin. It is an exhibition which aims to enlighten the public of the adverse rates of violent crimes associated with knives in London's worst areas. This follows the callous stabbing of young art student, Oliver Hemsley who attends the Central Saint Martins's College of Art & Design, which left him wheelchairbound. It is this that is the driving motive of this moving, but visually stimulating campaign - please watch the video above. It is important that art is studied in relation to fashion as it is a feature which plays a massive role in a lot of clothing design. Here are some of the pieces of art featured in the exhibition...

Art Against Knives have a collection of tees in various colours which have been inspired by art and Oliver Hemsley with all proceeds going to the Art Against Knives charity. The design is a colourful, but groovy tribute to the young man at the heart of this cause with a careful consideration to current fashion tastes and were created by the young artists heading the show. We love them here at OBWD and love the cause even more. Check out the design...

The Art Against Knives exhibition is ongoing at the BoxPark mall in Shoreditch, London.
The t-shirts are available on the official Art Against Knives website in various colours for the price of 31GBP. All proceeds go to the Art Against Knives charity. 

Events: London Fashion Week 2012 [Fall / Winter]

For those of you that are 'fashion week virgins', London Fashion Week is one of the four 'fashion grand slams' held annually in the months of February and September annually. The big four fashion weeks held annually across the globe consist primarily of  New York, Paris and Milan - the major players in the world of fine attire. February's fashion week represents the styles which are set to be available for the Fall/Winter fashion season of this year (yes already!). OBWD will be bringing you all the snaps of the styles and trends set to be sported throughout the week, with an insight into the happenings on and off the catwalk. London Fashion Week is held at the Somerset House venue, which is situated within the south side of Strand in central London. The Prime Minister David Cameron has recently come out in public to say 'keep it trendy not spendy' at this year's event what with the ongoing 'austerity cuts', we couldn't agree more with him here! London Fashion Week is a part tax-payer event which is subsidised by the Greater London Authority, showcasing 150+ budding designers running to a cut throat schedule. Here's a glimpse of what London in 2012 has to offer. See how it unfolds here at your blog - OBWD.

London Fashion Week begins tomorrow (17 February 2012) at 0900 (GMT) and concludes for the week at 1800 (GMT) on Wednesday 22 February 2012.

The event's schedule is available here.

Focus: The Rizzle Kicks Look

As many of you already know, Rizzle Kicks consist of two young lads Jordan 'Rizzle' Stevens and Harley 'Sylvester' Alexander-Sule hailing from Brighton (UK). The duo made their breakthrough in late 2011 and are raring for whatever 2012 has to offer. The two fresh faced youngsters have an oh so edgy streetesque dress sense which is often intertwined with the formalities associated with the urban scene. You can often find Sylvester (right, above) sporting several urban brands such as The Hundreds, alife and Stussy. Rizzle (left, above) can usually be found wearing similar brands, but quite often inclusive of a hoody or two with a flat cap to top it all off. They've been slowly, but surely, making their mark on the mainstream charts with a Top 10 album, 'Stereo Typical', and three Top 10 singles respectively including 'Down With The Trumpets' and the massive hit single 'Mama Do The Hump'. They also featured on Olly Murs Number 1 single 'Heart Skips A Beat'.  From the general consensus it seems you either love them or hate them, they have a pumped-up presence about them which radiates energy and joviality and this reflects in their very current dress sense.  

You can get this look at several online retailers including end clothing, size?, Urban Industry, Urban Outfitters and wellgosh. Get involved!

The debut album 'Stereo Typical' is out now and the duo are touring now. Check out Ticketmaster for dates and details.

Prospects: Mishka S/S Collection Lookbook Teaser

Мишка Spring 2012 Lookbook [Teaser] from Мишка Bloglin on Vimeo.

We're loving the concept of this visual montage of a preview of the latest collection of Mishka garms, which are set to be made available this Spring. With a gritty soundtrack and a visually stimulating mood, the video portrays the edgy style of Mishka within the urban environment of New York in its native Brooklyn. There are definitely some exciting prospects emanating from the Brooklyn based street brand's preview video. We'll be bringing you the snaps of the latest threads as soon as they're available boys and girls, don't you worry! See what you guys think anwyay...

Director: Matthew Coren
Producer: Michael Cohn