I’ve only been to Cali once, and that was to San Fran waaaay back in the day (though me and my brother got to skate at Union Square in the middle of the night, which was nice). So, I don’t know much about Fresno, but from the looks of Tony Stamolis’s new book, Frezno, it’s alright: growers, gangsters, and skateboarders, what more could you ask for?

(Cool Hunting)

Though the French can be really annoying, and continue to rub that whole “we invented democracy” thing in our faces, you just can’t help but love a little Lacoste…Am I right? Of course.

Lacoste hooked up with Shoes-Up and dropped this nice shoe with a wool upper, which just looks smooth. If you hurry and go to Colette you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the stylish hat box that shoes come in, along with a beret for you to wear to your favorite night club.

(SneakerFreaker)

Neighborhood makes really nice pieces, though they are definitely on the pricey end. Their Fall/Winter offering includes a purple and black windbreaker and a sick flannel coat. Get ‘em at Cliff Edge.

(Hypebeast)

Alife dropped some kicks for those who like wearing fake chicken nuggets on their feet. Not really, but those nuggets are actually pretty good. So are the fake burgers. I ate those almost everyday when I was in school, to avoid the gastrointestinal distress of the pizza in the “regular” people’s cafeteria.

Anyways, the Alife Everybody Hi Seitan is made completely from non-animal particles and comes in what looks like a dusty tan, or a mysterious espresso…check ‘em out.

(Courtesy O’ High Snobiety)

If you like Damien Hirst, but can’t quite afford to part with a hundred million, maybe just kick down 75K or so and pick up one of 50 skulls painted using his scientifically-proven spin painting technique…this amazing technique can also be applied to denim. Just messing with you, Damien, cheer up, I think the skulls look nice.

(Slam X Hype)

Architects Triptyque created the art installation Pipe Light on an abandoned house in Sao Paolo. Using metal tubes and lamps, they completely wrapped the inside and the outside of the building. Really cool design using minimal materials.

(Deseen)

This is a sweet concept, Paper Magazine invited a number of retailers to sell products in a store set-up for 24 hours. You know I love the use of scarcity to get those evolutionary triggers clicked. Brands involved include Supreme, Undefeated, Jeremy Scott, etc.

(High Snobiety)

If you happen to be in NYC from now until January 11th, are interested in Japanese Art, and like Bamboo, well then just stop by the Japan Society’s New Bamboo: Contemporary Japanese Masters exhibit. Bamboo is extraordinary in its versatility, beauty and sustainability - we should use more of it. Anyways, it makes for great art, too, and the pieces below (Harmony II & III, by Morigami Jin) reminded of the Henry Moore on the campus at Purchase where I went to school. I liked that sculpture a lot…until I found out there was another one up in Canada somewhere. Then I just felt betrayed and lost.

(Thanks, Inhabitat)

This past year Adidas released 24 re-made versions of the classic ZX line in collaboration with 24 of the top Consortium stores. I loved watching this project unfold, and though I don’t own a single damned pair on the list, this type of co-branding and customization has definitely elevated Adidas in a game largely run by Nike.

Collaborators include: ACU, Bodega, Colette, D-Mop, LimitEDitions, Foot Patrol, GoodFoot, Huf, Adidas Icon Stores, Just Be, Kendo, Livestock, Major DC, Neighborhood, Adidas Originals, Patta, Dave’s Quality Meats, Alife Rivington Club, SNS, Crooked Tongues, Undefeated, VA, Wood Wood, and You. Since they just recently wrapped up with the ridiculous Thaler X Chassaing shoe representing X and Z, I felt like putting all the pics up in a row, even if that means slow ass page loads on this post. Crazy nice.

ACU ZX 800

Bodega ZX 8000

Colette ZX 300

D-Mop ZX 500

LimitEDitions ZX 450

FootPatrol ZX 800

GoodFoot ZX 8000

Huf ZX 500

Icon Stores Adidas ZX 700

Just Be ZX 500

Kendo ZX 800

Livestock ZX 450

Major DC ZX 600

Neighborhood ZX 700 Boat

Adidas Originals Store ZX 700

Patta ZX 7000

Dave's Quality Meats ZX 90

Alife Rivington Club ZX 7000

SNS ZX 800

Crooked Tongues ZX 9000

Undefeated ZX 8000

VA ZX 9000

Wood Wood ZX 9000

Y is for Design Your Own, and last but not least…X and Z:

Thaler and Chassaing ZX 8000

Thaler and Chassaing ZX 8000

(Huge thanks to Nice Kicks)

Nice limited edition shirt from Alphanumeric celebrating learning…good group over there. Check it out come December 1 at Robust Flavor. You can wear it around town and sign kids up for college.

(Smell the Freshness)