Nakata.net X Bape Soccer Ball

The FIFA World Cup fever is contagious. Everyone's down with it. Even designers like Nigo have been affected. This is probably a bit outdated but Nigo has collaborated with Japan’s renowned Nakata and produced these limited edition NAKATA.NETxBAPE soccer balls in three colours. I reckon there is nothing special about these balls other than the fact that they are printed with Bape camo heads. The design is a copy of their original camo prints. But I guess if you're a super Bape fanatic, then these are for you.

They were released on June 12th and can only be found on nakata.net.

The Endless Struggle

Okay, it hasn’t been the best weekend for me. Items are going slow. The exam week ended with a dramatic and unjustifiable test. To top it off, a close and important friend back home just checked into the hospital. Can it get any worse? I sure as hell hope not. But I guess there is always a better tomorrow to look forward to. So just move along with life and pray for the best.

Well, it seems that the weeks to come will pick up as my lil' bro will be joining me in Welly for the holidays and I am looking forward to brainstorm fresh ideas on improving the Brilliant Establishment blog. Oh, speaking of which, we have a new addition to our crew: Leesha! My girl Lesh, who is an awesome editor, writer, colleague and friend from Vic, will be editing and tweaking the blog. She is probably editing this entry as we speak. Hahaha. She is my microsoft spell/grammar check. You rock big time girl!

Coming Soon: Interview with Michael Thorsby (PMKFA Clothing)

We are privileged to announce that we will be running a virtual interview with Michael Thorsby from PMKFA. Michael, who is currently occupied with a project for his clothing label, has been generous enough to squeeze in time in his busy schedule for an exclusive interview for Brilliant Establishment. The interview will either be posted next week or the week after depending on Michael's availability and how soon he gets back to us.

CLOTxNIKE AIR MAX vs INVISIBLE WOMAN NIKE AF1

Nike has always collaborated with amazing artists and designers for their collection of limited edition kicks. I thought the Nike Air Max X Clot "Kiss of Death" was just one of the most exclusive and uniquely crafted shoes ever released.

Then out came INVISIBLE WOMAN AF1. It is amazing for “Kiss of Death” to be see-through, but another see-through with no further design is just not creative. Nevertheless, I will give it to Nike that, after the sky rocketing demands of Clot “Kiss of Death”, releasing another pair of see-throughs might satisfy the market and shoe collectors yearning for something of the likes of ClotXNike. I will let you be the judge of INVISIBLE WOMAN. Personally, they just don’t cut it for me.

PS: Although, if Jessica Alba wore them, I'd still love her. Haha

EIN THE HAUS - Limited Edition

When it comes to art, I must admit that pop has been a genre I have a fondness for. If it's not the bubble-gum colours then it's the bubble-gum drawings. Here are a few of my favourite pieces drawn by EIN THE HAUS. As you can see Ein has his own insignia of merging graffiti and simplicity, and using only two color schemes. These are limited editions and are definitely must haves for graffiti art collectors and those alike.

Pictures are taken from http://blitzarmy.blogspot.com/

Gabriel Urist - Custom Bling

Previously, I posted some really killer blings crafted by Gabriel. Here is his updated site with his contacts if you ever need a bling or two(www.gabrieluristjewelry.com/). Alternatively, check out eBay for any listings cause you might get them for cheaper. Standard retail for a slice of this fly fly bling is around 500US$ for gold and silver, 400US$ for gunmetal.

Tsubi "The Grille" Light Blue

This is the latest piece up for grabs. Price starts at 230US$. Otherwise, e-mail me an offer and I'll say yay or nay.

POOL PARTY for KAWS x MOB "Hands" bikini

Argh!! Only after I posted the Kaws x Mob bikini did I receive an e-mail from MOB for a party invite. Don't they know I'm living in the other side of the world!?! Why, thank you sooooooo much for the tease!! Aaargh!!

MOB x KAWS

Kaws has always been one of my favourite artists and I'd buy anything that Kaws collabs with. But these... Hehe... I don't think I'd have much use for these.

Kaws x Married to the Mob Bikini will be available 20th June, at Alife NYC, Colette and Original Fake. Only 100 pieces available. Alife will be taking phone orders and will be shipping out after the 20th if you can’t get to one of the 3 stores carrying the bikini.

Coming Soon...

Hmmm... It was only a few weeks ago when Aaron told me he was gonna send me some of his art works, but I guess he's busy with exams. Hopefully we'll be getting some fresh stuff from him or James in the upcoming week so I can post 'em up. Fingers crossed.

Hiroshi Fujiwara's AF1's

Now now, here's one elusive pair of AF1s. It goes without saying because they're the only pair in the world. It was designed and crafted by Nike for the one and only, Hiroshi Fujiwara. For those of you who’ve never heard of him, Hiroshi is like the founding father of fashion in Japan. The DJ-turned-designer pioneered the limited-edition craze in collaborations with Nike (HTM), Burton (iDiom), and Levi’s (Fenom), while developing fly brands of his own like GoodEnough and Head Porter at the same time. Along the way, he’s made music with Eric Clapton, mentored a kid named Nigo (A Bathing Ape/BAPE), and even popped up next to Scarlett Johansson in Lost In Translation.

Back to the shoe. It comes with gold lacelocks and a bracelet, and incase you start thinking anything less of it, it's 18k gold. A bling with a punch if I might add. Whoop-ass!

PEG LEG NYC

Having only seen pictures of friends who've lived in New York, it is obvious that one cannot undermine the influence of its culture, lifestyle and fashion on the rest of the world. It probably has the most retro art life unrivalled by no other country(Tokyo, however, is a different story). And speaking of fashion, I only recently found out about this clothing line: PEG LEG NYC. It fully represents NYC in the most eloquent way. They have articulated this through their colour scheme and their own “zing” touch. Though one might notice that their collection does bring back the 70’s look or was it the 60’s? One word: WICKED!

For more information on their collection visit www.peglegnyc.com

Michael Thorsby from PMKFA

PMKFA's Michael Thorsby is a man gifted with detailed and unique design. He studied and worked in Europe(Sweden, Denmark, UK) for a couple of years before finally settling down in good ol' Tokyo, Japan. It is in Tokyo that he is starting his new t-shirt label together with Sweatshop Union, who has done numerous tees for MTV, Marks & Spencer, Pete Fowler and countless music bands. Together, they will form an unstoppable force! Muahahaha. Like I've previously mentioned, big things coming from PMKFA.

Truly, he is a genius in his own field.

Here are some pics of walldesigns done by Mic. Awesome is awesome. (Mic if you're reading, please do my walls if you ever come down to NZ) Holla!

More Customs

Been kinda busy with exams and assignments lately. Bah-hum-bug! Anyways, I can't wait to get it all over and done with so I can welcome the holidays with open arms. *Yawn*

There will be more pics of custom dunks on their way, I promise. I've been hunting around sites for 'em. Oh and by the way all customs are priced at 500US$.

TRIUMVIR Custom Nike Dunks!!!

Bape x Kaws Camo Sweatshirt

Size: M
Price: 230US$

Jacob & Co.: A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

These pics are for Aaron. Either love 'em or hate 'em. Hahaha. I think the pics speak for themselves.

(Did someone say BLING!?!)