This thread is a tough one for me to write now, because being a broke college student limits your ability to make new dope purchases. But that won’t stop me from delivering to you a few handpicked goodies from around Chitown. Saint Alfred, Jugrnaut, RSVP Gallery, and Leaders 1354 all have new gear that deserves a look. If you’re an up and coming shop or brand based in Chicago please shoot me an email or hit me on Twitter.
Last weekend Jugrnaut started off the fall season right with “The Release”, the night jumped off at Reggie’s Rock Club as DJs Stefan Ponce, MattBoyWhite, Manny Muscles, and White Owl took the stage. Not one to shy away from events, the store will be hosting an collaboration event with the Bears Earl Bennet tonight, with limited edition tees on sale benefiting Bennet’s BUILD Charity. Further down the road on October 5th, the Blue Scholars will perform at Schuba’s.
The brand also continued its series of releases with Starter, adding two more caps to their growing repertoire. Coming in the same two designs as before, a simple Gray and Black colorway adorns the “Can’t Stop • Won’t Stop” and the “Shield” cap features a neon green logo. Jugrnaut also unveiled a one of a kind snakeskin custom Starter, following in the footsteps of the masterful Don C. If you’re looking for more gear along the lines of clothing, a new colorway of the Shield tee is also coming out. Both hats are available at midnight on the webstore and tomorrow in-store. Sunday there will be a sale on their vintage sports gear as well.
I have about one t-shirt from every Saint Alfred‘s collection from the past two years. Their designs are uniquely theirs and in my mind standout in whatever city you’re in. Now they drop arguably my favorite three t-shirts yet. The “Beer, Wine & Whiskey” collection draws its features from the bottles and cans of some of America’s foremost liquor manufacturers. Original Fake collaborated with artist Erik Parker for two t-shirts which are now in stock along with an OF dog leash.
STA will also be stocking two new runs of limited edition sneakers. Undefeated teamed up with Puma for 4 different models of the Clyde. Constructed using ripstop for the upper, the shoes come in black, blue, olive, and white. The other release is a collaboration between Horween Leather and Converse. The Dr. Jay silhouette comes in two versions. One in brown, handmade by footwear designer Ryusaku Hiruma, they are limited to 64 pairs and went on sale today at noon. The other is in black, also featuring top-quality leather, but is less limited. Hurry in to the store to grab them.
RSVP Gallery deals with the finest of gear. In a recent interview co-owner and Kanye West’s creative director Virgil Abloh stated that the shop “is a selfish store, we (Marc Moran and Abloh) carry the stuff that we like”. Well if you’re looking for something that Ye or any of his crew might rock you’re in luck. This week sees the restock of Don C’s snakeskin caps and the fall arrival of Comme des Garcons. The caps are limited to one piece for every model and stopping in is the only way to purchase one. You can pick up the latest collection from Comme des Garcons online; comprised of sweaters, tees and long sleeve shirts, every design is simple but the details are impeccable.
For your coffee table or any space in your home that you’d like to add some spice too, the store just received books from both Supreme and KAWS. Not necessarily everyone’s favorite read, but if you’re shopping at RSVP it’s likely they will pique your interest.
After stocking up with loads of new fall collections from various brands, Leaders 1354 dropped their own clothing and hats for the fall. A few of the designs draw on military logos and insignias, printed in clean black, white, and yellow. These come on top of either camo or solid white/black shirts. Their is the typical Chicago influenced printings and a wide range of hats available as well. In my opinion the hats are the best part, for instance how often can you find a snap-back pillbox cap? That along with the regular fitteds, 5-panels, and snapbacks round out the collection, and all are New Era.
