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rethink the cool (blackspot thread)

 
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 3:38 am    Post subject: rethink the cool (blackspot thread) Reply with quote

so i own a pair of blackspot unswooshers now! they are a fucking awesome shoe: vegan, union-made, and the soles are recycled from tires.

my first pair i had to send back; it was too small, even though i ordered a size larger than i usually wear (though most of my shoe purchases for the past few years have been of the exact same shoe, which conceivably runs large). they replaced them for free with the next size bigger. the new pair fits fine, though i think they're going to need some breaking in. i drew space invaders on them.



friday i'm going to get a chance to really try out walking in them when i head down to the village. more as it comes! in the mean time, talk about: shoes, homegrown / diy clothing, doodling on sneakers, hip vegan attire, the blackspot anticorporation, space invaders.

lestrade i believe has a pair of these. he probably kicks a lot of corporate ass. ALSO: i want to refer to the general forum as "shapermc's quarterly concern".
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 7:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am unable to wear anything but plain t-shirts. For pants, I can alternate between jeans and khakis, the latter being leftover from my younger days that a bout with a liver problem, with its subsequent weight loss, has kept as a viable option. I can't stand spending money on clothes, so I wear whatever I have until it's fuzzy, faded, torn, and whatever else clothing can be before it's turned into a new dish rag.

I've often thought about making my own shirts. Not needing any designs, and the addition of a pocket at most, I don't imagine it is all that difficult. Well, I say that now, but that outfit I tried to make in home ec many moons ago came out looking like blue shit.

Independent Lens on LPB/BPS showed a Chinese factory making jeans. This has also fooled me into thinking that I could do the same for the longest time, until I realized that, repetitive emotions aside, they still have heavy machinery that I do not. One day!

Shoes are tricky due to my feet being wide. Despite their middle grade angst, vans is one of the few companies that offers a shoe comfortable enough for me to wear on a daily basis. I would go the Spartan route and build up rough skin, but I'm afraid that would lead to some sort of misunderstanding and a mental facility.
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dhex
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 7:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

adbusters is so good at branding it's nearly hilarious.
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 7:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dhex wrote:
adbusters is so good at branding it's nearly hilarious.


My girlfriend's roommate subscribes to this. I had to stop reading when my eyes nearly exploded from all the unintentional rolling.
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 7:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

no i'm totally fucking serious. they are masters at this, though their appeal is limited since it's catholic (i.e. guilt-based) marketing.
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 7:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

well they know this shit inside and out. they understand the media, and the image, and they know how to use it.
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

they know their audience, absolutely.

i recommend borrowing but not buying whatever the u.s. name for the book "rebel sell"

it does some good analysis of why anti-brand, anti-marketing, anti-mainstream products sell so well to certain population groups. then it falls apart into boring left-right political nonsense. (the real war, as virgina postrel laid out, is between stasis and dynamism).

edit: seitan - i've had some good seitan. i've had some really bad seitan. grilled seems to be the way to go. any ideas?
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like American Apparel because their t-shirts feel nice and they're fair trade.

Plus they're not irritatingly anti-establishment about it.

When it comes to Blackspots, if I want to buy a pair of fair trade shoes made by John Fluevog, I'll just buy a pair of John Fluevog shoes. They're only marginally more expensive and they're cooler. I think.
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 11:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dhex wrote:
no i'm totally fucking serious. they are masters at this, though their appeal is limited since it's catholic (i.e. guilt-based) marketing.
My mind consistently boggles at how they can produce something so overpriced that promotes an ethos which logicaly demands shoplifiting and still remain in business.
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Joe
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 11:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

you too can STRIKE BACK AGAINST NIKE with hipster snark. i was with them till the red spot.
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

American Apparel is, uh, kind of sleazy, though.

EDIT: Also, my favourite story about Adbusters comes from someone who worked in a bookstore where someone bought a copy of it on Buy Nothing Day. Unfortunately, she did not ask why they would do such a thing.
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 11:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Unfortunately, she did not ask why they would do such a thing.


art?

buy nothing day is not my thing (buy nothing day is several times a week for me) but i did know someone who was all into buy nothing day last year but forgot she had bought a bag of weed earlier that day. try to imagine a conversation with six potheads trying to suss out whether buy nothing day included black market drugs. (i was just there to pick up my repaired speak n' spell so i stayed out of the fray)
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 12:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dhex wrote:
(i was just there to pick up my repaired speak n' spell so i stayed out of the fray)
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

you people so cynical. not that i don't agree with you, but i'm wearing awesome shoes with space invaders drawn on them right now.
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 1:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

aerisdead wrote:
Plus they're not irritatingly anti-establishment about it.


Matt, come to Brooklyn. Actually, where dhex lives, where AA has "invaded". Their store sticks out in the worst way possible.
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 1:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

eh jailbait and lame is not my thing all the time but it's no more annoying than brooklyn industries. i can't even convince the wife to give the lame tops a try, which is too bad cause i think they'd be snazzy if you were drinking martinis or something out of place like that.

and i can't help being cynical, i grew up in a union household. it comes with the turkey.
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Intentionally Wrong
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As someone who has worn home-made sandals made from tires, I just wanted to mention that I've never heard of any of the companies or organizations listed in this thread. (Uh, except for Nike.)
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 1:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I buy all my clothes from second-hand thrift stores. Indie cred +15!
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ApM wrote:
American Apparel is, uh, kind of sleazy, though.


That is what is awesome about them.

(I'm mostly joking. But I'd rather have sleazy adverts than "LOL GUYS NIKE SUKS AMERIKKKA AM I RITE?")
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 4:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Koyetay wrote:
I buy all my clothes from second-hand thrift stores. Indie cred +15!


I guess I can see how my post might read as an "indier-than-thou" toss-off, but it was intended more in a spirit of backwoods cluelessness. I'm thrilled to hear that my dad's hobby of preparing for a post-civilization nuclear apocalypse has stumbled into fashionability!
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Intentionally Wrong wrote:
Koyetay wrote:
I buy all my clothes from second-hand thrift stores. Indie cred +15!


I guess I can see how my post might read as an "indier-than-thou" toss-off, but it was intended more in a spirit of backwoods cluelessness. I'm thrilled to hear that my dad's hobby of preparing for a post-civilization nuclear apocalypse has stumbled into fashionability!


Actually, I'm just too poor to buy clothes elsewhere.
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 6:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am not very particular about my clothes. I do really like cordeuroy pants, though, and I have a pair of brown shoes that are waterproof.
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 9:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I never used to care about shoes, but I just recently finished hiking 300 miles of the appalachian trail and that sort of thing makes you think about feet a lot.

I started hiking in a pair of Merrel Chameleon Ventilator II's. These had, at the time, seemed like the best fitting shoe I hae ever worn. They're still pretty nice, but I won't hike in them again. In under 50 miles, I started losing tread out of the bottom of the left arch.

When I was in Hot Springs, NC, I went to the outfitter to find a new pair as my Merrels were now leaking from the multiple holes in the sole. The shoe guy at Bluff Mountain Outfitter, Wayne, measured my feet and sat looking at them for a minute before looking up and saying, "I'm sorry. You have my feet."

See, I have flat feet, so flat that my feet roll inward slightly. Fortunately, Wayne was super knowledgeable and fitted me with a pair of Montrail Comp XCR's, which fit rather nicely and offer great support.

I need a new pair of town shows, but I'm having trouble finding anything with decent support. Now that I know what to look for, I'm kinda picky about my footwear. My knees definitely appreciate it.
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PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2007 5:57 am    Post subject: Re: rethink the cool (blackspot thread) Reply with quote

dessgeega wrote:

lestrade i believe has a pair of these. he probably kicks a lot of corporate ass.


Yes I do, and I certainly like to think so!

Blackspot Shoe

I've had Blackspots since January. You have to be careful when it's really wet out, but they are awesome, guilt-free shoes. So, so comfortable. They just look terrific; Lasn and Co. really know how to make a shoe that looks cool as well as being responsible (well, I guess that honour really belongs to John Fleuvog).

PROTIP: The owner of the store at which I purchased mine said there should be a v3 (a Doc Marten-like model) coming out, maybe even this year. Sweet!

I love trying to find responsible clothes whenever possible. Admittedly only a portion of what I wear is as such; I'm still on the hunt. Like switching over to compact-flourescent lightbulbs, it is my wish to have everything I wear of a similarly friendly nature. (Although yeah, I have a leather jacket that I love.)

(I'd really like to get the v1 sneakers too.)
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PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2007 8:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I only buy clothes when I happen to be in a store selling them (like, with my wife, or family, or something like Target) and I see a clearance wrack. I will then head over to the clearance wrack and get what ever looks good and fits. I'm always shocked at what's in clearance wracks.

Speaking of shoes, you know it's hard to find those Chuck Taylor Converse shoes anymore? I've been looking for them when I'm out but no one has'm anymore.
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PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2007 10:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

abbadabba's in atlanta always has plenty of them. that probably doesn't help you much.
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Fri May 18, 2007 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

shoe update! now that i have had a chance to really try these out.

i replaced the laces the shoes came with, which are pretty short. adequate, but longer laces are easier to tie.

the shoes were kind of stiff when i got them; after walking a bit (midtown manhattan to the village, then back) they got much more comfortable. my feet still hurt, but i was on them for most of the evening, and they are new shoes. overall analysis: i like 'em.
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PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2007 1:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i don't feel guilty when i wear my sweatshop shoes. i guess that makes me a bad person Sad
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2007 2:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

absolutely.
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PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2007 2:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

at least i look good Very Happy
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PostPosted: Sun May 20, 2007 9:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shapermc wrote:
Speaking of shoes, you know it's hard to find those Chuck Taylor Converse shoes anymore? I've been looking for them when I'm out but no one has'm anymore.


You can't be looking in the right stores, man. I could name practically 300 stores here in Toronto that stock a wide range of them. There must be a few stores in your area that have them. Try punk/alternative clothes shops?

I have three pairs. Black swuede high tops (classic) all black low tops (smart, work when you want to wear something that requires black shoes, and you want to wear something comfortable) and all white with black stitching low tops, which are my baseball/basketball shoes i.e. they look good with shorts.

Chuck Taylors are a design classic and when you wear them you instantly look 100 times better than you already did. I love them. If they were made by (and out of) raped African babies I'd still wear them!
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PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2007 8:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

hi matthew
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PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2007 9:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

sup James

What kind of shoes do you like to wear
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PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2007 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

right now I'm wearing a pair of checkerboard vanns slip ons in navy and powder blue

back at the flat I have a beat up pair of entnies I'm very fond of
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PostPosted: Tue May 22, 2007 11:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

aerisdead wrote:
Try punk/alternative clothes shops?

Ha! You must think I live somewhere better than St. Louis. (though, there probably are these stores. I'm relatively new to the area, but the city does not give off the vibe of having these stores)
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey Dess, how are you likin' your shoes these days?
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dessgeega
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i am liking my shoes these days.

my laces are way too long, though. i replaced the ones that came with the shoes, which were just barely long enough to knot. the new laces are like twice as long. i ought to cut them, but the ends would unravel. tape?
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 10:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

electrical tape.
not a lot though.

my first pair of docs lasted nearly a decade and by the end the soles were more electrical tape than rubber.
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 7:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Koyetay wrote:
I buy all my clothes from second-hand thrift stores. Indie cred +15!


Get this. I don't talk about my life much on here but since there's a points system: My two pairs of puma I got because someone who lived in my house was in Basement Jaxx's touring band, and they just straight up send him shoes all the time. My Reeboks I got when I got so drunk I couldn't remember where I lived and slept rough, and woke up in someone's hallway with a new hoodie, a new pair of trainers and 5 pounds in my pocket. My Bapestas I got from my Brother-In-Law who is a club promoter and buys himself japanese street wear off the internet that don't fit him. My Converse and my Nike Air Force Ones were bought for me from a car boot sale for £8, that's 16 of your earth dollars, by my sister who does costume design for the movies including independent short films. I haven't paid for a pair of shoes in years. Indie cred +5,682 LEVEL UP
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