Jacks...

I'm seldomed impressed by sneakers anymore. Except for a pair of Vans here & there, there hasn't been much to put a smile on my face that just won't go away. But when the UPS man dropped these babies off to me last week...impressed I was. Damn this shit is piff!!! The sneaker in question...some Jack Purcells. Yes, I said that right...Jack Purcells in the black/patent leather colorway. These things are beautiful!












Peep the classic Jack Purcell grin, that's how I look when I pull these out the box. Unds-ing these will be fun. Understand that this will be the first of many more to come.

We Want Krusty...

Recently K.I.I.T.C. Crew member Jonny Stacks aquired a pair of Vans that I wanted for myself. I had to actually talk him into getting these joints...and boy, is he happy now! The Vans in question was a collaborative sneaker created by Tony Munoz, self-taught artist from the Vans' group of talented designers. This sneaker was part of the Vans x Simpsons pack in which 14 different models was released in an extremely low run of only 100 pairs per style (total of 1,400 pairs) at some of the most popular stores in the US. Munoz chose Krusty the Clown as the basis of his theme, and did a helluva job with his rendition. His visions were realized on the Vans SK8-Hi as well as a Slip-on models.

In my opinion, this is one of the sickest Vans Sk8 Hi models to date. The drop date for the Vans x Simpsons pack was July 14, 07, so your best bet to get a pair now would be Ebay or such. Happy huntings...

NIKE BLAZER SUNBURST...

A few days ago I posted a pic on Niketalk of myself wearing a pair of Nike Blazers. I picked them up at a local spot...and thought nothing of it. Since then, my message folder has been blowing up with NTers wanting info..."Mr. Piff, Where did you cop?"

In case you did not know, the Nike Blazer is taking over 2008, as we have already seen enough colorways to last for years to come. Anyways...the sneaker in question is the Nike Blazer High - Navy/Sunburst. They feature a combination of leather & canvas upper but the canvas clearly dominates this particular shoe. They were an easy buy for me at first sight, str8 piff!





Pics courtesy of The Shoe Game

They are now available at select Nike accounts, so be on the lookout.

NIKE SB DIGS BEER...

Yet another unofficial partnership with Nike SB and a alcohol company, this time with Newcastle Brown Ale. I am sure one of the riders for Nike SB have a fond taste for Beer, it only makes us wonder if one day the Newcastle SB will be as popular as the Heineken Dunk SB.

Featuring colors from the Newcastle logo, Nike SB took time to make sure color placement was correct. I haven't been into SB dunks for awhile...too much overkill, but these are ill. The golden shade of brown just does it for me!



Pics courtesy of Palace 5ive

Damn...and I told myself after the Fragment Fuji-rod set, that I was done with Nike SB. SMH....

GOOD WEATHER...GOOD NEWS...

Act like you know!!!

Nike P-Rod High...

Take a look at the upcoming Nike SB P-Rod High. Unlike the usual P-Rod model, this will be one of the first P-Rod sneakers coming in a high top version. The P-Rod High also features Nike's signature cement print and a Michael Jordan inspired colorway. The cement print is subtle, but the overall look of the shoe is classic nevertheless. I'ma have to call my spot & tell em' to hold me down.

The Nike P-Rod High should be available in stores in August.

Pics courtesy of Niketalk & Made For Skate

In the early 2000’s, Nike release two Blazer Highs featuring denim uppers in men and women’s models. Here’s a look at the latest women’s Blazer High with a similar concept. However, this time around Nike uses corduroy upper accompanied by navy, beige, university blue and white.
A great combination of simple materials and colors to make for one stylish Blazer. It is a nice change of pace from all the leather based Blazers. And I'm a sucker for a Blazer in a tight colorway. Size 12 womens anybody?!

Available now at Nike retailers.




Pics courtesy of Hangtime.

New Fuji-Rod...

Although this latest version of the Fragment Design x Nike P-Rod has been known for quite some time, the Hiroshi Fujiwara designed Fuji Rod has finally been given a full view as well as labeled with a solid release date. The off white leather upper features rainbow references on the heel and tongue chosen by Hiroshi himself.

Pics courtesy of Honeyee

Having already succeeded in obtaining the black/3m pair...I have to complete the set. And these babies are real sweet, too!

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN...

Like we never left...Y'Hurd me?!?!

KICKIN' IT IN THE CITY! 08' EPISODE 2...



With Brad Piff & Arcieri Keness

Coming Real Soon.

Get Ya Sneaker IQ Up...

W-TAPS...

In recent years one of the hottest coloborators with Vans have been W-TAPS...the japanese lifestyle brand. Featuring designs by founder Tet, some of their past offerings (series 1 skull & bones) are today still highly sought after. Now just when you thought you've figured the brand out...they flip the script and come with something entirely new.

For this latest installment of the WTAPS x Vans Syndicate series, the Japanese brand has created three distinct styles each reflective of various cultures and time periods. The Rudeez was inspired by vintage dress shoes, the Greaserz looks at 70s blue collar culture and the Bash is inspired by hip-hop culture as well as Spike Lee movies. For releases, it will begin in June with the Bash and end in August with the Rudeez.





Those Chuck Taylor inspired Greaserz are a must cop for me...in both black & blue colorways. I'm also feeling the Rudeez in the black/white mix. It's a game time decision on the rest.

(Pics courtesy of Honeyee)

STR8 PIFF...

It comes a time in every man's life, when he is forced to deal with a revelation. Mine's came when I realized that...I just have toooo much SHIT!



Well, you know what that means. SELL,SELL, SELL!!!

Check out Str8piff.blogspot.com

All sneakers for sale are vnds to vvvnds. Most have only been worn once. And all are 100% authentic & store bought. My reputation speaks for itself. (Sneakermane/Brad Piff on NIKETALK & Wade1450 on EBAY)

So what are you waiting for?! Check the site...asap! And make sure you add it to your link list.

Once again...that's str8piff.blogspot.com

Perforated...

About a month ago...Vans Vault dropped a release that caught my attention. The release I'm referring to is the "Perf" Pack..."Perf" meaning perforated leather. This pack consist of the Vans Sk8 Hi, Chukka, & Half Cab, all sharing a black colorway with vivid blue laces and sole. I was so impressed that I immediately started searching for the Half Cabs to no avail. West coast spots like Huf received the perf pack, but no news on a east coast drop. I even called my local skareboard spot to inquiring about a possible release. But no new imformation was gathered, not even a online spot was found. My patience was beginning to wear thin.
Just when I was about to give up, my big homie Greg (Palace 5ive) gave me much needed good news...perf pack on sale!!! The Half Cabs were purchased immediately.






The materials are subtle, but still amazing. Perforated leather adorns almost the entire shoe...with just a touch of that perfect blue. Piff! Several cats on Niketalk messaged me about this shoe inquiring info on how to cop. For some reason, only a minimal amount of skate shops with Vans Vaults accounts have received this pack. I guess I can consider myself fortunate.

Fragment Design x P-Rod = Fuji Rod...

Late last year, Hiroshi Fujiwara posted up his design work on Nike SB's marquee athlete Paul Rodriguez's signature weapon of choice the P-Rod II. The Fragment Design "Fuji-Rod" first dropped as a quickstrike in Singapore and appeared to be an oversees release only. This immediately pissed me off...thoughts of the Sbtg Dunk SB immediately came to mind.

But now some 6 months, Nike SB accounts in the states have received the Nike Fuji-Rod, and boy am I happy. The finished product reveals a black 3M upper. The Fragment Design logo can also be seen alongside Hiroshi Fujiwara's signature on the tongue. I'm diggin' the simplicity of the shoe...this being a trademark of what Hiroshi Fujiwara is all about. And the 3M just comliments the shoe perfectly.








Previous information saw a white/multi-color laced version as well, so stay tuned. I'll need to get those to complete the set.

While surfing everybody's favorite world wide web...I recently came across a pair of sneakers that made me go "DAMN", on Ebay no less.

Japanese lifestyle brands Undercover & Sillything did a colloboration on a pair of Converse Jack Purcells a while back. The result was the UNDERCOVER X SILLYTHING 07 S/S DOT JACK PURCELL Black/Dot Colorway. This rare Jack Purcell is long gone in stores & extremily rare. In my opinion, the overall design of the shoe is superb...featuring not only an off white base, but a white on black dot fabric. Finally, the element that blew me away is the patented Jack Purcell smile on the toe box. The smile is significantly larger than regular Purcells, and features the quote..."WE MAKE NOISE - NOT CLOTHES", along with the trademarked Undercover logo. This logo is also on the sneaker's insole.







I'm luvin' this shoe. The auction ended at $320.00...so these particular Jack Purcells aren't cheap. But did you honestly believe a sneaker this sick would be? From my understanding, a white based pair was also released. So get your Ebay hunting on.....

Question?

Somebody told me these two were siamese twins...What do you think?



Vans are dope, thou!

Edison Chen...

Being an admirer of asain fashion & lifestyle, I figured I'd do a piece on a cat that has influenced a lot of what's going on over there. Edison Chen or EDC. Some would say he embodies "the cool". Edison Chen has sold over a million CD’s. He’s starred in countless Hong Kong films and he’s appeared in ad campaigns for Levi’s and Samsung. In 2006, he launched perhaps the most coveted pair of sneakers that year with his Nike Air Max Clot Ones, and he runs Clot Inc., his own lifestyle company.

Oh yeah, and dude is 27.



Edison Chen is a Chinese Canadian movie actor, singer and pop icon based in Hong Kong. Chen is also the founder of CLOT Inc., and the CEO of Clot Media Division Limited. He is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, and speaks Japanese, allowing him to be a part of multiple entertainment industries around the world.

In 1999, a talent scout approached Chen while he was clubbing with friends in Hong Kong and asked him to film a commercial at the age of 19. From then on, his career began with the Japanese film Dead or Alive 2: Birds. By 2001 Chen was already winning the hearts of many teenage girls. He made his Hong Kong film debut in the film Gen-Y Cops (the sequel to Gen-X Cops) in 2000. (I am actually a fan of Gen-X Cops...Nicholas Tse kicks ass!!!) He has starred in many popular films including Infernal Affairs, Infernal Affairs II, Initial D, Dog Bite Dog and Trivial Matters. Determined on expanding his horizons beyond Hong Kong, he also starred as the male lead in the Japanese drama Under the Same Moon. In 2006, the US market got a good dose of Edison in the japanese import horror film The Grudge 2, in which he played a major role.

In 2000, at the age of 20, Chen landed a record deal with Emperor Entertainment Group. It took him a number of album releases before he got the chance to produce a hip hop album. His first hip-hop release was in February 2004, Please Steal This Album backed by MC Yan and Singaporean musician Hanjin Chen. Several singles from the album topped local pop charts. Chen has mentioned the difficulty of fitting the material in Hong Kong where it has been dominated by cantopop, but said the potential of hip hop is great. He is featured on M-flo's album, Cosmicolor, on the track "LOVE ME, HATE THE GAME" with Chan, Thaitanium and Ryohei Yamamoto.

Edison's foray into the fashion industry accompanied his rising success as a young pop icon. Edison, along with partners Kevin Poon and Billy Ip, became the founders of CLOT Inc., a clothing company described as a "lifestyle company" that is geared toward youth culture, and bringing street fashion to China and Hong Kong. The company has collaborated with many big clothing companies, such as Nike and A Bathing Ape. Below is EDC sporting the Nike x Clot Air Max IDs that he designed as part of a collaboration with artist Kanye West, only 24 pairs were made.






In collaboration with Clot and Hong Kong sub-culture icon MC Yan, Nike has created the Air Max 1 NL Premium. The first footwear project developed out of Hong Kong, Air Max 1 NL Premium pays homage to Chinese culture, the spirit of modern Hong Kong and the Air Max evolution. Only 300 pair were released worldwide.






In February, 2007, Edison invested $10 million HKD to open his own multi-media company, Clot Media Division, which plans to produce movies, commercials and music albums. In June, 2007, he released a Mandarin album, (Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself) with tracks produced by Kanye West, Just Blaze and Clinton Sparks.



On February 21, 2008 he publicly announced that he intended to step away indefinitely from the Hong Kong entertainment industry due to a photo scandal, devoting his time instead to public causes.

(Pics courtesy of LAMJC.com, Kookies.net & Sole Redemption)