STREETWEAR TODAY MAGAZINE

Mr. Hiroki Nakamura, the creative director and conceptual brain behind the Japanese shoe and clothing brand, Visvim, is the protagonist of streetwear today magazine no. 28.
'Product Fundamentalism' confirms as the title claim of our brand new issue and encapsulates Hiroki's exceptionally strong work ethic; a fundamentalist approach that holds neither religious nor fanatic connotations, but is radicalism based on a love for the product. Hiroki's work bears testimony to the fact that producing apparel items with the utmost meticulousness really adds up in numerous ways. It is a worship of the materials and the processing; something 'genuine' that all producers should share. There's no doubt about it!

Neither is there any doubt that lots of extraordinary cultural accomplishments in history have not been the result of the brainstorms of marketing agents, but have happened organically. In the majority of cases, these manifestations have been the result of a crew of like-minded people who came together to create something fresh and original for no other intention than a mutual love of doing it.
This principle undoubtedly adheres to the domain of DIY arts. The Irieginators from Iriedaily, based in Kreuzberg, Berlin, are prime embodiments of this independent spirit and lifestyle. Like many of us they've been through lives' ups and downs but are kept alive by their curiosity and stay nonconformist and different. This year the brand commemorates its 15th anniversary and we took the chance to portray its history and evolution.

DIY, chapter 2: Aaron Rose. Rose's fresh, new DVD, 'Beautiful Losers,' tells the tale of a loose-knit group of American DIY artists and designers who learned their crafts through practice, trial and error, and good old-fashioned innovation. Influenced by the popular underground youth subcultures of the day, such as skateboarding, graffiti, street fashion and independent music, artists like Shepard Fairey, Mark Gonzales, Spike Jonze, Margaret Kilgallen, Mike Mills, Barry McGee, Phil Frost, Chris Johanson, Harmony Korine, and Ed Templeton began to create art that reflected the lifestyles they led, most of 'em without any formal training whatsoever. But eventually their movement inadvertently affected the 'established' art world, as well as the worlds of fashion, music, literature and film….

Ed Templeton, chapter 2. Skateboarding veteran Templeton's not only a protagonist of Aaron Rose's aforementioned DVD, but also of streetwear today issue 28. Editor Laurenzo Taurino talked to the artist, Ed Templeton, about skateboarding, painting, photography and his views on life.

Focus on media: After all those years in the game, hip-hop icon and turntable innovator, Joseph Saddler aka Grandmaster Flash, is still driven by an unstoppable love for music and strikes back with his brand new studio album in 20 years, entitled 'The Bridge: Concept Of A Culture.' For his mature offering, Flash managed to find a balance between fun and seriousness and delivers danceable as well as thought-provoking tracks, composed without the use of any samples. Legendary and up-and coming MCs drop verses over tracks that are balanced between now and vintage sound. There's a lot to gain from our interview with the original 'cut creator.'

Form & fashion: Zaha Hadid, adored for both her academic and practical skills as an architect and professor, internationally acclaimed for pushing the boundaries of design and the first woman to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004, just released a new collection of futuristic shoe silhouettes in collaboration with Lacoste; limited edition of course.

But of course there are a lot more interesting topics, people and styles in issue 28. As per normal, we have been very open-minded over the past three months; geared up to broaden your horizons with lots of needed and useful information and clues on upcoming freshness. So, get yourself some copies of streetwear today, a.s.a.p.