Unequal Balance

 

 

Unequal Balance recently dropped a monster of a t-shirt collection. Reasonably priced around the £25 mark, each t-shirt is hand screen printed on a custom pre shrunk tee with a loop back neck label and boasting high quality. Let's not ignore the fact that the designs themselves are a great play on existing logos and brand references mixed with unique fresh designs. All in all a worthy addition to any streatwearing individual.

For more info click here.

Farah Vintage SS11

Farah Vintage is a brand we frequent on the likes of ASOS and the latest drop is something to seriously consider adding to your wardrobe. It looks as though, amidst all the rain and the thunder that the humidity and clear skies associated with a more tropical climate are finally gracing us here on the Isles and so a staple wardrobe addition has to the be a short sleeve. T-shirt, or shirt, you decide. But if a shirt if more your thing, you'd be a fool to not consider the following chambrays, checks, ginghams and pinstripes. They've been doing it well since the 70's so why would they stop now?

For more info click here.

Interview with Jerry from Lazy Oaf

At yesterday’s Lazy Oaf SS11 launch, Deerbrains was privileged enough to catch the lovely Jerry from Lazy Oaf to talk about crazy promo video ideas, pet hates and the influence of music on this season’s collection. You can check out their new SS11 collection which is launching online Tuesday 26th and available in store till August 2011.

Name: Jerry O' Sullivan
Age: early 20s
Location: London
Website: http://www.lazyoaf.co.uk/

To those who haven’t heard much about Lazy Oaf, where did it all begin?

It started off with our designer Gemma Shiel, who finished uni doing textile design, and then she started hand screen printing t shirts in her spare time and selling them on a market stall in Spitalfields. It just developed from there really. This year we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary as a brand, so that’s in October, so there’ll be a big party for that.

What about other graphic designers, do you have any favourites at the moment or particular pet hates about different designs?

There’s some good graphic design stuff happening at the moment, I don’t think there’s a huge amount in the UK of graphic design focused fashion labels for girls. It’s a lot of men’s t-shirts and there are some really good ones, but its more from freelance illustrators who turn designs into t shirts ... I guess we used to do a lot of cartoony and more pun driven designs. There are too many t shirts with logos slapped all over them and clichéd phrases, and we’re over that – there’s just too much of it.

Yeah, especially when Topshop and H&M tapped into it... There’s a lot of cross prints in your SS 11 collection, do you think this witch-house electro ‘explosion’ has merged into today’s trends?

Yeah, I can’t pinpoint the exact stem of that trend, it’s suddenly like everyone’s going a bit Goth. I think it was a bit of a reference from 90s grunge; sort of like going back to 90’s films like ‘The Craft’. I think our designer was looking a lot at the films she used to watch from when she was a teenager for her inspiration... music probably has had an impact, but I’m not sure of the exact reference of it. Our designer just literally goes home, draws loads of stuff and designs, so I guess you get influenced by a lot of different things. I think being in East London, surrounded by lots of different trends, you pick up different concepts.

You also stock sellotape adorned in various prints and diaries etc, how did this all come about?

We’ve always stocked other brands stationary and we stocked this really good Japanese tape that had cakes and stuff on it. Everyone went mad for it, so we thought why don’t we turn our own designs into tape, and so we just did 3 designs and they’ve gone really well.

 It must’ve been especially snapped up by the younger customer. Since you did used to have cartoon inspired prints, do you think you’ve attracted the younger audience and are struggling to tap into the older market?

Yeah, but I think our younger audience have kind of grown up with us now and been with us for 5 years. So when we started off, it was around 13-18 years, and slightly older guys. Now they’re 16-20, so they want to look a bit more fashion forward and they’re looking at lookbook and all those kind of things. So we’ve tried to grow up with them and also get an older market because we’re all in our 20s, and want to design clothes we want to wear. I think we’ve just reached a point where we don’t want to wear fitted t shirts and cartoon prints. So we were like let’s be selfish and design collections we really want to wear... as well as hopefully what our customer wants to wear.

And with the new SS11 collection, have you got any promo videos coming up?

Yeah but it’s not launched until May. We went to Spain to shoot our SS11 look book and our photographer Victor Voltaire filmed bits of the shoot like running into the sea and hanging out in the park and stuff like that.

Nice, if you were to come out with a crazy idea for promo video that would completely take Lazy Oaf out of its comfort zone, what kind of stuff would it include?

I reckon it would involve food. I can imagine a giant keg and someone jumping out of it or some kind of giant burger food fight because a lot of our stuff’s fast food orientated. But because we do have quite the young customer we have to keep it slightly tame just so their mums are kept happy too.

And obviously we’re at your launch party. How do you think it’s all going? Was it really stressful to organise?

It’s turned out pretty good, wasn’t too stressful. The main thing was waiting for the collection to arrive. We have all the ideas and all the designs but it’s always the manufacturing which is sometimes unreliable. It’s been nice working with Kopparberg and the girl who does our cakes, Lucy Vanilla. WAH nails have also been amazing. It’s so nice to bring other people in and brings a new element to this event where rather than us all come along to the shop, our customers are getting something out of it as well. It has been very girl orientated – I think that’s because of the nails.... and probably because our new collection’s more fashion forward.

CLAE SS11 at Street Casuals

Here's another personal favourite of ours, Clae footwear. The lovely peeps over at Street Casuals have done the honourable thing and supplied their shelves with a lovely selection from the SS11 collection said to be a modern take on some traditional footwear. We love it!

Clae are good at keeping things simple yet retaining appeal to the more eccletic man.
Take a gander over at Street Causals and grap yourself a pair.

God's Prey X Daniel Palillo FW11 Collaboration

We LOVE this! God's Prey's  Fall/Winter 2011, Never Never is Forever collection is a huge collaboration between God's Prey and Finnish designer Daniel Palillo. The Collection is set to arrive in stores in August and is a fresh approach to Palillo's oversized signature t-shirt and hand-drawn artwork using a God's Prey t-shirt body and leaf print. All in all a fantastic combination all made and printed in Los Angeles.

If you know DEERBRAINS you'll know we're really in God's Prey and quite rightly so when there's really nothing on the high street like it.

For more info on the brand click here.



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BRIXTON Drop

New seasons means new drops and brands taking things into a new direction. Brixton are no exception.
For the first time we're going to see two new snapbacks and a 'fiddler' cap alongside the expected appearances of summer straw hats.

If there's any brand you'll be seeing dominating the headwear accessory over the summer it's indefinitely going to be Brixton, we're stocked up already, are you?



For prices, more pictures and more information on the hats please click here

Alpinestars Mechanics SS'11

This morning I was thinking about investing in some new sweats...then I saw this.



Alpinestars 'grease monkey' SS'11 collection.

With over 40 years of industry excellence, Alpinestars knows a thing or two about motorsports and this season sees the brand's fashion label go back to the mechanics shop with their range of stylishly worn and oil slicked pieces alongside classic streetwear basics.

Collection highlights include wardrobe staples like the worn-in ‘Deep Six Crew’ Sweater with it's vintage engine print and subtle grease worked edges available in steal blue or rust and the ‘Remixx Shirt’ which offers a new season shift on everyone's favourite plaid, with an all over oil stain effect across 4 colours. The brand stays true to it's roots with the Alpinestars Vintage label featuring across chino smart walkshorts and key accessories pieces like the ‘Supply Trucker Cap’, with plenty of subtle detailing throughout the line including worn steel buttons and chevron striped linings.

The SS'11 collection will be available online from January at www.alpinestars.com and for details on Alpinestars exclusive Apex collaborations including Fatlace and Parc Fermé see www.apexinitiative.com