From Los Angeles
Best Coast "The Only Place" Exclusive
We've got an exclusive white vinyl edition of Best Coast's The Only Place, which is out today. The album sleeve also features a rad illustration from the very talented Jess Rotter. We're happy to know them both!!
From Philadelphia
Tumblr Tuesdays: May 15
From New York
Surf Daze Interviews: Tin Ojeda
Tin Ojeda is the Argentinian-born founder of Drug Money Art. Here we discuss his love of surfing, what inspires him, and his favorite quotes.
Introduce yourself! My name is Tin Ojeda. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina and I have been living in New York for the last 13 years, in NYC and Montauk.
What do you do for a living? I surf as much as I can. I also own a clothing company called D/M Art ("Drug Money Art”). I do everything myself: dye tees, screen print and make all the art. I love shooting film—35mm and large format are my favorite.
Where did the name “Drug Money Art” come from?
The name Drug Money came out in 2008 after I spray-painted it on a surfboard.
When did you get started making art?I’ve always done art since I was a little kid. I started doing big 10ft oil paintings back in 2000. I did that for a couple of years then I moved to screen printing in 2008 and I’ve been exploring that ever since. I started with the T-shirts and now I’m taking large format photos and hand screen printing them on paper.
What inspires you? I get inspiration from street graffiti and late '50s surf style. NYC is a great place for inspiration.
Tell us about one of your favorite prints.
“Death to Hipsters” is a 4x5 photo of my friend's grandma wearing a T-shirt with that saying on it. We made the tee just for the shoot. She is very funny and always talking about "those hipsters."
How long have you been surfing for?
I’ve been surfing for 16 years. I do it as much as possible and I love it to death. When there are waves, it’s all I do. I ride mostly mid-lengths, hulls and ‘50s long boards—only single fin nothing else. I don't like modern surfboards or tri-fins.
What is your favorite quote?
My favorite new quote is "Just another asshole." I found that very funny and real. “Beauty is boring” is on of my favorites too. It’s hard to pick just one!
From Philadelphia
Music: "Bummer Summer" by PO PO. Find on
iTunes.
UO Summer Dresses 2012
If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen and into our 2012 summer dress collection—these dresses will keep you cool even on the hottest of nights.
From Philadelphia
Music Mondays: May 14th, 2012
From New York
Night of a Thousand Stevies Dreams Unwind
The 22nd Annual Night of a Thousand Stevies is happening tonight. Prep yourself by watching this video 22 times, then put on your Bethany Cosentino for Urban Renewal Stevie Cape, and prepare to have the witchiest night of your life!
From Philadelphia
Flickr Favorites: May 11
"We turn not older with years, but newer every day." -Emily Dickinson
Submit your photos to the
UO Flickr pool!
From New York
The Tourist x Burkman Bros Launch Event
Join us tonight at our 5th Ave Urban Outfitters store (521 5th Ave & 43rd St.) to celebrate the launch of The Tourist X Burkman Bros collection! There will be food, drinks, free Lonely Planet Travel Books, and music by DJ Luis Angel Cancel. Learn more about the collection by reading our interview with the Burkman Bros and then RSVP here!
From Los Angeles
Surf Board Auction
From Philadelphia
Tumblr Tuesdays: May 8
From Vancouver
New Store Opening in Vancouver
We're opening a second store in Vancouver this Thursday. To say we're excited about it is an understatement.
From Los Angeles
Surf Daze Interviews: Stone Cold Fox
Stone Cold Fox are one of the latest labels to be picked up at Urban Outfitters for the Surf Daze Collection. We spoke to them about a few of their favorite things, the life of being a Stone Cold Fox and much more.
How did Stone Cold Fox begin? What were you doing before?
D: It began after Cydney graduated for fashion design in San Francisco, and I graduated for merchandise marketing and business in L.A. We both had to move back home, and we started a blog with Cyd’s senior collection, which we added on a few more styles. We did it all in her parents extra room and we were cutting all the orders out on a kitchen table and Cyd was sewing in a little room. From there we worked side jobs and did SCF at night, and it slowly grew from there. We got picked up in a few stores, got an official work space and website, and we just take it day by day and have so much fun with it.
I imagine Penny Lane from Almost Famous would have stocked her suitcase before Morocco with everything from your label. Do your inspirations change each season or are there certain things always fueling what you want to do with your latest collection?
Cydney: She would definitely pack lots of SCF and beautiful vintage pieces! The inspirations do change for every collection, but we always stick with the SCF aesthetic. Very '70s, lingerie inspired, delicate pieces that feel vintage.
What's the normal routine over at SCF headquarters? C: It's quite hectic here; we answer a ton of emails every day, we cut out personal orders. I try to set aside some time to make a new item every day, pattern work and sketching. Dallas is working with our production team getting all the items ready for stores. We sometimes have fittings in the office with brides, or just people who want to come in. And sometimes we go to LA and get prints, and fabrics for orders.
Where would your go-to surfing destination be and why?Dallas: I have always wanted to go to Brazil and check out the beautiful beaches and the culture over there. I heard there are great jewelry and accessories stands right on the beach and that sounds like heaven to me! I would also love to go back to Bali. We went there about two years ago, and it seriously changed our lives. That place is magical.
What are you listening to, in and out of the office?
C: Right now I’m really into Alabama Shakes, Fleet Foxes, Tennis, and Brian Jonestown Massacre.
What kind of things do you collect?D: Yes, we do love to collect. We might have a bit of a shopping problem. We love our carved out skull heads from Bali, antique embroidered Turkish throws and pillows, coffee table books, Moroccan rugs, cow hyde rugs, and beaded crystal glasses.
Getting inside your closet, what are you grabbing first in case of a fire?C: My leather Friend of Mine shorts, this amazing crochet vintage slip, and my fur jackets. Luckily almost all of the SCF items are at the office so they are safe.
D: Oh that’s a hard one. I would try to save all my shoes, these amazingly soft leather pants from The Row, and my antique turquoise cuff and matching earrings.
Who would be your dream person, alive or dead, to dress?D: I would say Jane Birkin and Kate Bosworth.
Do you plan on expanding SCFHome, your bedding collection?C: Yes! We love home décor so much. We are coming out with our newest home collection in May 2012, and we will probably do one a year. We have redone our entire work space, and decked out our new home in Venice Beach. The home wears are so amazing, with the most beautiful linens and silks mixed with laces. This time we are graduating into more kitchen wear, and some new bedding.
What would be your dream to do next? Footwear? Shades? A store?C: I think a store would be really cool, and bringing in one or two accessories. We did a cow-hyde clutch in our second collection that was so amazing, so I would love to start doing travel bags or small clutches again.
D: Definitely footwear—that would be my dream! I have so many ideas already and I have always loved shoes. Whenever we go to flea markets or antique shops, Cyd is always the one who finds the amazing clothes and I find the amazing accessories. I would love to do it all and open a shop. That’s what I originally went to school for, so one day we will have our own shop filled with SCF and amazing accessories!
X - Jen
From Los Angeles
Stream Best Coast's "The Only Place"
If you need a soundtrack for shopping the new Bethany Cosentino for Urban Renewal collection, NPR is streaming Best Coast's new album, The Only Place, which comes out on May 15.
From Philadelphia
Music Mondays: May 7th, 2012
From Philadelphia
Tie-Dye DIY: Techniques
Now that we've covered the basics, try out these fun tie-dye techniques that will have you mastering the craft in no time! Here, Stevie and Allegra from our women's design team explain how to do the spiral, the bunch, the accordion, and dip-dyeing.
The Spiral
"Spirals are easiest to create on anything that has a large surface area like T-shirts or pillow cases or sheets! Start by pinching the middle of the shirt, or at the side (wherever you want the center of the spiral to be) and continue twisting until it’s a big swirl.
Wrap around the rubber bands tight—tight enough so that the fabric is in a good tight bunch. Try not to loose the swirl/spiral shape when adding the bands. Add as many rubber bands as you wish. The tighter the bands the more white will show and the looser the bands the more dye will saturate the fabric.
The Bunch
This design really has no rules! Just start bunching up the fabric in any which way, and add the rubber bands. We chose a two pairs of BDG denim cut offs for this one! Remember: the more rubber bands the more the dye will resist. For the white pair we added a lot so that the white of the denim will show up more in the final product.
The Accordion
This design can either make horizontal or vertical stripes. We chose a cute pair of white jeans to start for a horizontal line effect. Start by pleating the fabric from the base of the pant to the top. You can either do both legs at the same time or each separately to have a different design on each side!
Dip-Dyeing
Something like dip dyeing is a cool base coat for your garments, and super easy. Just dip a portion of your chosen item in dye and let it dry.
If you want an ombre affect, try dipping the garment really quick as a whole, then pinning with clothes pins to your bucket or bin and let the bottoms soaking for a good 20-30 minutes to really saturate the ends.
If you make some mistakes, don't worry. Tie-dye is very forgiving—although you cannot undo any mistakes, you can always keep adding! Happy tie-dyeing everyone!"
From Philadelphia
Flickr Favorites: May 4
"Life I love you, all is groovy."-Simon and Garfunkel
Submit your photos to the
UO Flickr pool!
From Philadelphia
Surf Daze Mix
Want some tunes to go with that tan? Download ten free songs from our Surf Daze Mix featuring DIVE, Real Estate, White Fence and more. Or stream it on UO Radio while you're checking out the rest of our Surf Daze goodness!
From New York
The Tourist by Burkman Bros
We met up with the Burkman Bros at their new office in Midtown West to get the details on their latest collection, The Tourist. Here we talk about their inspiration, their travels, and what it's like working with your family.
Hey guys, can you introduce yourselves?
We’re Doug and Ben Burkman of Burkman Bros.
Where did you grow up?
Doug: We grew up in Canada but we’ve lived in New York for about 15 years now.
Ben: Our mother’s American so we have dual-citizenship.
How did you get started in design?
Doug: I went to a design school in Canada and when I was done college I moved to New York and started working as a designer at Gap.
Ben: I started working at the age of 23 at Gap as an assistant designer; I kind of came in through the back door. I put together a creative project and they offered me the position.
Why did you want to start your own brand?
Doug: You know, you work in a big company for so long and you see your designs on the streets and on the subway, you get to a point where you’re like, “Maybe I can do this by myself.”
What made you decide to work together? Doug: Ben and I have always worked together. Even when we were little kids we had jobs together and it was on our path to continue to work together, I suppose.
How many people are on your team? Doug: There’s the two of us and another brother who handles e-commerce and shipping, and the day to day. Then we have a whole slew of assistants, interns, and people who come and go on a project basis.
Is it harder or easier to work with family? Ben: It makes it easier. We have such a long history and a deep understanding of how each other operate. Working with family probably has a lot more benefits compared to a relationship that could sour and fall apart. Your brother is a lifelong friend.
Do you ever disagree over designs? Ben: All the time!
How do you get passed that? Doug: Someone goes storming out of the office! (laughs)
Ben: I feel like with everything in life, it’s a compromise. So, if someone feels very strongly about something then we let them pursue it.
Can you tell us about The Tourist collection that we are currently selling? Doug: We’re really excited because a typical Burkman Bros collection can be a little on the expensive side sometimes, and we wanted to be able to offer our point of view to everybody. The price points are amazing. You can get a whole outfit for under $100 dollars.
What was your inspiration behind it? Doug: The Tourist collection in particular was inspired by a summertime trip to Greece that we took last year. We’re largely inspired by travel. We go to different places around the world that help us form our collections on a seasonal basis. The Tourist is kind of the younger brother to that. The clothes are definitely geared towards a slightly younger guy but it has the same spirit. There are some really cool pieces with patterns and there’s a blue, white, and red color palette.
What is your favorite item in the collection? Doug: A shirt with printed fish on it. I think prints are super cool now in men’s fashion and this is a geek-chic way of wearing a print.
Ben: My favorite is the white short. The white short in summer is such a great staple and ours is really amazing engineered jacquard-stripe across the front.
Doug: Also the accessories we did were pretty cool. We did bracelets which we are kind of known for. Additionally, there is a rope sandal by Gurkee’s, that is pretty cool. We’re selling a couple of colors exclusive to Urban Outfitters.
Where are some of the other places you’ve traveled together? Ben: We go to India together on a regular basis. This year we went to Hawaii with some of our friends. It can be super tacky and super touristy but at the same time it’s beautiful and there’s tons of stuff to do. You can go surfing, you can go hiking—everything’s there.
What’s the best tourist spot in New York?
Doug: Whenever I have someone in from out of town I bring them to the top of the Rockfeller Center. It has an amazing view of the whole city. You can see the Empire State Building, which is really great. A lot of people go to the top of the Empire State, but it’s nice to be in another building to look at it.
Any final thoughts?
Ben: Look for more amazing things to come from The Tourist by Burkman Brothers!
From Philadelphia
Tie-Dye DIY: Indigo Dye
We asked Ashley and Cathleen from our women's design team to teach us how to tie-dye denim using indigo dyes. Follow along with this simple DIY how-to guide to give your jeans a trippy new look!
From Philadelphia
Tumblr Tuesdays: May 1
