After a rampage at the Bread & Butter Tradeshow in Barcelona, the Bright Tradeshow in Frankfurt Germany, and a swarm of other shows across Europe, we presented a themed installation at the Agenda Tradeshow in San Diego last weekend. The idea was to unveil the inspirations behind past releases and communicate the substance and conceptual focus within each style.

It took us 11 hours to get there. It should only be a 7-8 hour trip but the Grapevine, an hour or two before LA was closed due to snow. We tried to barge through but some unwilling CalTrans dudes weren’t having it. The detour was ridiculous. We had to go through the Mojave desert and kept getting the worst directions. We ended up taking a picture of these directions and did ghetto GPS with the digi camera.

Set against a sophisticated living room atmosphere, the hats were displayed in a black bookshelf with each space filled with a style and it’s conceptual origin. For example the Buff Monster style was shown for the first time and was complemented with a can of Montana paint and Buff Monster vinyl toys.

Futura Book X Krink Pens X 80’s Video Game Inspired Art = Houndstooth Wars

Invading Ape

We walked to the car at the end of day one and someone drew this massive dick on my back windshield. It was so funny, dude took some time, it was a little too detailed. We added an eyeball and kept it up for a keepsake. We would walk to the car from the hotel or something and people would be taking pictures or we get the cool-guy honks. It became a collaboration. Every time I went to the car someone had added something. One dude just wrote “Penis”, someone wrote “I Love Official!”. Ridickulous.

So after Bread & Butter we got on a Click Air flight and headed to cold and rainy Frankfurt, Germany for the Bright Tradeshow. This is a skate focused tradeshow with increasing exhibitors from streetwear now getting in on the action. The show takes place in an old police station that actually looks pretty surreal when you first walk through. It’s coverd in stickers, mops, sprayed tags and even some outlines. It’s a four story building and your booth is one of the rooms in the police station. Below are some photos from our wicked-nice stay in Frankie…

We stayed right in the middle of the red light district. Saddest thing… None of us even stepped inside one of the many strippies to choose from. Way too busy and focused I guess.

View from our Hotel window…

This is our booth at Bright. The 3Ms were bright as well.

Censorship is Weak As Fuck exhibit at Bright. I was actually super stoked this was here, I never got a chance to see it in the states.

This was the scene outside of our booth. Matty C getting swervy with the Jåger apparently.

You heard it first here. Paco Ellis now on Official flow. The kid is nice, check back for some impressive clips.

Ok, so we went to the Vice party mainly because Kavinsky was playing. Getting in was a joke, everybody getting nowhere fast, so this mob of kids start chanting the German equivilant of “Let us the Fuck in Now!” They built up courage and made a push towards the door. The doormen got shook and just started letting everybody in. The really didn’t have a choice. Once we got in I took a bunch of drunk photos…

Dave Highsnob gettin’ his drank on.

Andreas killing her softly.

My man Karsten from the Magnificent Seven.

The French Don Johnson, Kavinsky.

Door to men’s bathroom. Tight…

Inside the men’s bathroom. tighter…

Euro Wigga Please…

Ontour homies.

My man Mehmet with I think Colin Mclean. Which I just noticed and bums me out. A couple years ago I spent a few days shooting him and Mac in Barcelona so I would have liked to catch up with him.

And on the front line, the king himself, Lars!

And that’s it from Frankfurtersteinburg! We’re definetly coming back to the summer show.

Bread & Butter has been real good to Official and this latest show was no exception. Our booth was handled by our European distributor Magseven and the other lines inside the booth were Foreign Family, Akomplice, JB Classics, Homeroom, Cleptomanicx, Triumvir and introducing Dream Team. The booth was well concepted and we had some benches out front that attracted some interesting characters to come kick it in front of our temporary “business making” location.

Got there late the night before the show started and handled my set-up until 1am or so…

“Untitled” set-up… Note the 1000 percent KAWS.

I took Alex from Homeroom and Chris and Tom from Invisible Stripes out to my favorite little build your own falaffel chain (Maos) off La Rambla in the wee hours in the morning. The band of gutter punks literally used one falaffel to feed like 4 of them. For like 45 minutes they’d just keep creeping back in the buffet line and re-upping on peppers and Talini sauce.

Matt and the Invisible Stripes guys holding down the bench out in front of the Magseven booth.

Me and Huy (Dream Team) at the Untitled/Magseven party.

Same photo, just some extra exposures in there that capitalize on the Worldwide T and Dream Team all-over print.

Speaking of Worldwide, you know the Don of Barcie (Ivan SB, Worldwide) couldn’t get away without being posted on this site.

This “euro-Bro” had light-up glasses and once I took a photo of him he followed me around for like 20 minutes trying to bro it up. I literally had to leave the room for a bit just to get away.

Chris from Invisible Stripes and Foxy Brown from who knows where…

Monika Lewinsky, Huy (Dream Team) and Coskun (Carhartt).

Joey the neu raver from Holland, Isn’t that Vierd.

Matt pounding 1 Euro street Estrellas at six in the morning with Frank from Qubic (New Zealand).

Alex distracting the Jager girl while I jacked a bottle to distribute freely on the dancefloor.

Martin the big boss man.

Roland and Mehmet my Magseven homies.

James from Addict and the Thizzinators.

Pat from Akomplice showing us all how Mountain time gets down.

Patta Soundsystem and 2007 DMC World Champion DJ Rafik (on Official flow btw…).

2007 DMC World Champion DJ Rafik.

Our beloved UK Distributor Ross, Tom from Donuts UK and Allen from Orisue.

Huy (DRMTM), Richard (Triumvir), Kazuma (DRMTM) and Matty C from the Official Barcie MACBA murderers.

And I have to end this post with the “suck my dick” bedazzled T I found in the Denim hall.

We are headed to Barcelona today for the Bread & Butter tradeshow. We were honored last year to be included in the show and in the Brand Bible they put out every year. It’s like 3 inches thick with gold leafed pages and covers all the best brands. Unless you go, you can’t get it anywhere else, but what they did this year is you can check it out online and PDF the brands you are feeling. Check us out here and PDF for a keepsake. We will definitely get photos of the show and the trip and update as best we can.

Congratulations to Robert Moyer from Willits, CA who won the “Official X Ben G X DC” drawing for a roundtrip flight to pick up the collection at the world renowned skate shop Ben G in Amsterdam. The hat is limited to Europe and the Official online store. Reservations are still being accepted. It will be released on the Official online store later this month in limited supply and pre-ordering it now ensures you will get your hands on one. You can reserve it here only.

During the month of December Official Crown of Laurel ran the contest “Official X Ben G X DC Sends You To Amsterdam.” By reserving the Official X Ben G X DC hat on the Official Online Store individuals were automatically entered to win a roundtrip flight and two days stay in Amsterdam where they could pick up the collection in person at the world-renowned skate shop Ben G. The hat matches the DC Gatsby shoe designed by the Dutch artist Parra for Ben G.

We threw in the towel and made a myspace page. Get at us!

We just launched a new running feature to showcase our premier stockists. To start it off we are showcasing House of Commons, a new boutique in Las Vegas. Their concept and direction is very strong and the interview is definitely worth checking out. Click on the flyer below to see photos and read the brief interview.

Or visit http://shop.theofficialbrand.com/pages/top-shop

Got in some riding over the holiday with my girl V. Also met up with Alex from Homeroom for a few runs. Cell phone reception at ski resorts is a heaven send. Oh, if Alex ever hollers at you about going snowboarding plan on just pointing your nose straight down and being in the lift line in like 30 seconds. Dude likes to go fast.

New Year’s eve is always a time of reflection and we want to know what your top 10 of 2007 is, top 10 anything, events, issues, brands, shops, anything relevant, the 10 things of 2007 that got you hyphy. E-mail them to info@theofficialbrand.com and we will post the good ones as they roll in. The art and marketing departments are pre-meditating murder for the new year and thank everyone for their enthusiasm and support for Official during 07. KEEP IT OFFICIAL IN 08!

Black Rainbow is an amazing shop in Paris, an online magazine, and a creative agency. In the online magazine co-founder Jay Smith voted us as the top hat brand of the year. Thanks Jay. You can check it out and other things BKRW, including Official fits, at www.bkrw.com.

This short video from the Underskatement film festival is so hilarious. Fixed gear and skateboard cultures both have so many similarities and are becoming somewhat intertwined but this video makes such a rad statement about the differences.

Via Benny Gold / Hypebeast Blog

As a special holiday gift all domestic orders will ship for free and with no sales tax applied. This has been an exciting month and year for the Official camp. Our first seasonal line, the Holiday / Winter collection is blazing shelves now and the art department is pre-meditating murder for next season as well with hat designs that will surely be regarded as absolute brilliance. Looking forward to 08 you will witness the Official brand and product range grow organically. Product extension and well concepted collaborations will continue as a constant effort to release fresh and innovative crowns and collections. Keep it Official in ‘08. Thanks for all your support.

This is a rare clip of Gino’s infamous backside 180 heel over the Gonz/EMB gap and some Gonz magic. It’s crazy to see because I have only seen photos or just know of it never seen the actual video though. Get eduskated if you don’t know. The clip is from Thrashers ‘Go for Broke’.

Jeff Lenoce of Baker and Lakai fame is wearing the WaySouth LDN hat while popping a massive switch heel over a set. Jeff Landi took the photo and it is published in the latest issue of The Skateboard Mag in a feature about the new Lakai video. I was checking out the magazine and it’s funny because you can barely see the hat but I was pysched on the spotting regardless. Landi has some amazing shots in the new mag including Guy Mariano’s switch tre lipslide on a handrail amongst others.

Nima from Digital Gravel hosts this hilarious look into the world of “on a whole other level, not higher or lower” brand Foreign Family. Nima and the Foreign Family camp are good friends so we had to post, also because Nima is beaming in an Anarchy Series Official fitted.

http://current.com/items/87483111_digital_gravel_presents

Finally some more complete Agenda coverage, you’ll see the Official part towards the end.

Brian Anderson is wearing an Official fit at Lakai’s Fully Flared premier. Man some amazing skate videos have dropped just in time as we have been in a skate video drought. Nike SB just dropped Nothing but the Truth, Lakai dropped Fully Flared, and Habitat dropped Inhabitants. I am pysched to check these out.

Image via Crailtap / Vital Skate

These are two shirts that Ben G is releasing with the Official X Ben G X DC hat and Ben G X DC Gatsby shoes. If we are lucky we will get our hands on some and I am sure the winner of the Official X Ben G X DC Send you to Amsterdam drawing will be fitted. The odds are extremely good still, so don’t miss out. Reserve your hat now and you are automatically entered for the trip to Amsterdam and all the goodies.

Images via Ben G’s blog on High Snobiety

From WAD Magazine’s latest issue:

“In only a few months, Official hats have got themselves onto streetwear’s trendiest heads. Inspired by San Francisco and released as limited editions, their perfect design and original graphic design have made them an immediate smash and seen them taken up by US urban culture’s finest…”

Wad Magazine wrote some very nice words about us in the latest issue. For those of you that aren’t familiar with the magazine it is a high end urban and culture magazine with a strong emphasis on design and amazing fashion photography. The magazine is written in both French and English which gives it a very haute context.

Check out the video we put together for the Houndstooth Wars drop…

Official X Ben G Send you to Amsterdam!


Reserve your “very special” limited production Ben G x DC x Official hat on
Official’s store site and you’re automatically entered into a chance to pick
up your hat and a free pair of the Ben G x DC Gatsby shoes personally from
the world famous Ben G skate shop in the heart of Amsterdam. That’s right,
Official is going to flip the bill (or Euro in this case) for your flights
and two nights hotel at the Winston in central Amsterdam, Netherlands just
to go pick up your hat and shoes straight from the source. The odds are
way way better than the lottery and you’re getting a limited run hat in the
process.If you skate, dudes at the shop will be happy to take you on a spot
tour and of course there are “other” things to do in Amsterdam if you didn’t
already know that…

Official x Ben G x DC – Rain Camo fitted
Limited production fitted hat to coincide with the Ben G x DC Gatsby shoe.
Exclusive release for Europe only and Official’s online store.

About Ben G
Ben G is a world renown skateboard boutique in Amsterdam, Netherlands
situated in the same building as Patta (Ben G is on the ground floor and
Patta is upstairs).

The collection will be released early-mid December.

OUT NOW and GOING FAST

My daughter’s growin’ up. Here she is learning about background props with Ian and I on the way to Hegenberger Rd for the sideshow of course.

World famous DJ Craze filling in some A-Trak spots for Kanye and an even bigger move… Official Way South LDN. May we say… A very appropriate look for this floridian.
Photo via: Cobrasnake

Vapors Magazine included seasonal heat in the Fiends section of the new Holiday issue. It’s fun to see as I used to intern for the magazine back in the day with Jason (founder of Official) and Chris Hull (Freshjive) whom co-found Vapors. Both hats pictured are part of our 07 Holiday / Winter collection. Pictured are the “According to Hounds” (large houndstooth pattern on corduroy fabric) and the “Westhampton” (Italian marino wool houndstooth). Italian marino wool is the finest as it’s the first shave the sheep.

A-Trak killing them not softly and rocking the glowing (even on video) perforated 3M LA Official.

We showed you a glimpse into the photoshoot DJ A-Trak had with Complex Magazine. The feature is in the new OCT/NOV issue along with a separate feature of the perforated 3M and black Victor Cholo LA hat that will be in stores November 5th. A-Trak is wearing the yet to be released Houndstooth wars one-time drop in haute pink and pop-off blue.

Streetwear Today is a magazine for streetculture and everything related – from fashion to streetart and music.
It gives a preview of international trends in streetwear and encompasses its whole cultural and lifestyle. It is an honor to be featured in the latest issue along side industry movers like Stevie Williams, HUF, Mishka, SVSV & SAVANT, MHI, and more. The issue is themed “Pushing Buttons”, i.e. to set an impulse, to make something run, to work on it and test it – like startin’ something and tryin’ something new. It’s best if this process is intrinsically motivated. We feel like we fit that concept nicely.

Official is pleased to announce the release of it’s Ballistic/3M fitteds set
for a street date of November 9th, 2007. Striving to constantly set
precedence and apply atypical materials to our fitted silhouette we feel
Official has really broken new ground with this drop by utilizing 9oz
Ballistic Nylon for the crown and visor and 3M Reflective Fabric (8905) as a
detail feature for the sandwich bill and top button. Symbolically these
fitteds make your head bulletproof.

Neu Trojan:
The Neu Trojan features the UNI-AKorn logo. The horn is the nozzle of an
AK-47 with the horse’s mane and tail composed of automatic weapon
silhouettes as well.

Go Ballistic:
Go ballistic is the minimal approach to ballistic fitted headwear. The plain
black fitted is a classic and by adding 3M, contrast red stitch and
ballistic nylon we feel we’ve created a “neu classic.”

The exclusive retail partner for this hat is Fatlace (www.fatlace.com) in
San Francisco, CA. Fatlace is the sole brick and mortar outlet for this
limited release. Online the hats will be available here only at our online store

Ballistic Nylon:
Ballistic nylon is a thick, tough, synthetic nylon fabric used for a variety
of applications. Ballistic nylon was originally developed by the DuPont
corporation as a material for flak jackets to be worn by World War II
airmen. The term ballistic nylon takes its name from the fact that it was
intended to protect its wearers from flying debris and shrapnel caused by
bullet or artillery shell impacts.

Brick and mortar: Fatlace 1630 Post Street San Francisco, CA
415.409.3281
Online: HERE ONLY

Just got back from some meetings with our distributor Magseven (Streetwear Today fame…) in Bochum, Germany. I stayed in Dusseldorf with my main man Roland and have to give big, big shouts to Huy and all his homies that hold Dussie down. We made are way up to Utrecht, Netherlands for some meetings as well as swinging by for a quick chat with Ben G in Amsterdam.


The infamous Official sample case. Note: it’s been to Iceland, who the hell wears fitteds in Iceland?



One of the first stops in Dusseldorf was Roland’s favorite Curry Wurst stands. Berlin and Hamburg both claim to be the creators of Curry Wurst and Roland claims that this stand has better Curry Wurst than both those cities. Honestly, this spot had the best I’ve had for whatever that’s worth. Oh, for any entrepaneurs out there, open a Curry Wurst spot in Cali. You’ll kill it.



Frank Gehry even got up in Dusseldorf.



Gehry x TV Tower.



Dusseldorf Harbor and Rhine river.



The Magseven showroom featuring Official! in Bochum, Germany- come through and check out the hats in what the boys at Magseven have built as an amazing showroom space.



Toy Giants show in Dusseldorf and shortly to a German town near you. Thanks Huy for the poster!

I’ll post more of the trip moving into the Netherlands tomorow.

Official had the pleasure of showing the Holiday / Winter 07 collection at Agenda in San Diego the 7th and 8th of this month. So on our way there and at the show Ian and I were taking mad pictures, but somehow didn’t get one dope shot of the booth. It doesn’t help that the 3M hats ruin the shots and make everything blurry.

This brah was on his way to ASR.

Ian was determined to meet a dime piece in San Diego.

More photos will be up soon of the not so traditional coverage of Agenda.

Here is a preview of some fine fitted headwear from our Holiday and Winter 0708 line. These will hit shelves in November.

Here are some photos of A-Trak rocking the as yet unreleased “Thizz Face” one-time drop coming out in a few weeks. This was for some MTV TRL thing…

Back with the second installment of United tradeshow at Las Vegas. More than anything, this is a good “official lifestyle” preview (other than the fact that we don’t live in LV or cheese-out in dress code clubs and strip bars, that often) on some of our iller fits coming your way.



Masa from Osaka rockin the Le Danse Macabre properly.



Ian and Yadi get the big pay back. Know when to hold ‘em.



The limo ride to Yadi’s first strip club ever. Note: Ian in the Magenta/Black Shemagh and Chris from Freshjive hardly able to contain himself.



I hate posting pictures of myself but Checkmate was on point in the limo.



This is dumb, but yes the limo ride was RAD.



No photoshop here, P-Sol came out for the night to ruin all photos he was in with the 3M Perforated LA joint AKA the “picture ruiner.”



More ruinage.



He only half-way ruined this one.

Here is another inside look at the tradeshows in Vegas. Jason from Official gives a shout out from the Official booth. I think he just gets nervous in front of the camera and forgot to show me any love, it’s cool though, I see how he gets down.

Our covergage of Jonas, owner of the sophisticated streetwear establishment Boutique Sportif in Stockholm Sweden continues. This time around we decided to show him in a more refined manner. Here he is at the Kingsize Magazine release party in Sweden showing off the British SAS Shemagh fitted in the sand and black colorway.

Ok, this kicks off a series of posts we’ll be doing from the tradeshow this week. This will probably be the most professional. Expect the rest to just be party photos.



Getting down and dirty to make the booth Official.



Yadi getting her top shelf on.



Tah Dahhh! Voted best booth in United Las Vegas (or so we were told…)



Yadi holding it down.



And finally the whole “United Hold It Down Crew.”


More Las Vegas photos coming…

A-Trak reppin a drop nobody’s even seen yet in the new Complex. The style name is Houndstooth Wars and it will be real familiar here in a minute. This photoshoot was for the October/November issue of Complex. Image via Vashtie.

I went to Iceland and riottt.com posted this article I wrote on the trip. When we get our first order from Iceland, that fool is getting a fat, fat box of extra hats.

Last night P-sol (Officially on Official) came into town to tear up the club and provide the sound catalyst to a perfect storm of getting blitzed, running into friends you haven’t seen for years, beligerent jocks, hipsters, out of work mortgage brokers and of course skateboarders.


Here are some photographs to prove the mayhem:









P-Sol representing the V.A. Fogg hat while subliminally convincing all dem galls to wind it up.



So yeah, this is Ian. I don’t know how much of this night he’ll actually remember but recollection of public sexual acts might better be left forgotten.



More Ian…



Oh, this is Ian in his socks on the dance floor. “Ay Bay Bay” came on and in the first verse dude says “It’s So Hot Up In Da Club, Dat I Ain’t Got No Shoes On…” So Ian was inspired to take his own sneakers off.



“Watch out for the Big Girls” came on and Billy had to do some watching.



Classic material.

Here’s a teaser image pulled from some editorial features we have coming up. This is a throw-away for WAD Magazine shoot. WAD is from France (www.wadmag.com) and I’ve been a big fan for years so it’s an honor to be featured in their upcoming issue.

For someone as close to Harold Hunter as acclaimed skate photographer Giovanni Reda it must have been quite a task to create a photo album in honor of his friend; to create such an honest compilation of photos of such an amazing person. This is something you have to check out. The book/album is available online to view at www.haroldhunterbook.com

Jonas Wiehager runs the sophisticated streetwear establishment Boutique Sportif in Stockholm, Sweden. Jonas has been supporting and stocking Official since the day we launched. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Jonas yet, but just based on our e-mail exchanges alone I have a good idea of just how interesting and different this guy is. Like the time he signed off by dropping a YouTube link of a Norwegian boy band where the singers were all in wheelchairs or how he always signs off with “Löve Jonas”. Jason from Official is good friends with him and supplied these pictures from Bread & Butter in Barcie and then the last photo is Jonas enjoying his vacation in Paris. I can’t wait to meet him and don’t get it twisted, this guy is a fine connoisseur of street luxury.

We wanted to give you all a preview of our next One-Time drop. Your favorite local shop will have these hats on thier hot likkle shelves in no time. But back to this photo, these are the silkscreened panels on our production floor just before they get put on the gang cut for the panel dies. So you’re getting one of the first looks at a hat coming together piece by piece.

The Houndtooth Wars series is all about transforming the iconic traditional houndstooth pattern into these waring space invaders (which is what they’ve always looked like to us anyways). So watch out for these buggers, they’ll be all-over an Official Crown of Laurel at a finer retailer near you.

Fatlace continues to grow as a credible and honest interpretation of our culture with the grand opening of their new brick and mortar retail location in San Francisco. The store is a tangible extension to the online magazine and you can find the same level of quality, design, and thought that you have come to expect from the Fatlace camp. It is also the exclusive introduction of the Official X Fatlace co:lab fitteds which are now available at the new store. These crowns are of limited supply so hustle down to 1630 Post St. in San Fran Frisco and take part in this inaugural event. The flagship crown features black perforated unisuede with white contrast stitching.

More info and photos at:
www.fatlace.com

Sinden rockin’ the really, really WaySouth LDN. He took the hat title seriously.


Our main man Sinden recently paid a visit to the flip side(you know where the toilet water spins in the wrong direction). Played a few shows, killed a few dancehalls and this site Fuzzy recorded some of the action. Party photos can get old right, but these have Australian birds in them so it’s a bit of fresh air.

Chek the site for more photos. www.fuzzy.com.au/tours