I know that girls pants have been popular amongst BMXers for quite some time, and it doesn't appear that they're going away any time soon.
I know that they make more sense than JNCOs and Wu-Wears.
I know that companies have to make things that people want to buy in order to stay in business.
Still, that doesn't mean I thought Animal, of all companies, would ever sell slim-fit stretch denim:
(Although I suppose they complement the kitten t-shirt.)
It just seems really weird to me. Would Ralph Sinisi wear stretchy pants? Scerbo? Vinnie? Tyrone? Edwin? Wormz? (OK, maybe Wormz.) The New Eras, I understood those. I even get the bigger pants, the 718s. Those make sense to me as an Animal product. But slim-fit jeans? Animal? What's next? Sunglasses? Baseball cleats? An all-skatepark video? What in the name of Will Taubin is going on here?
Anyway, we here at SPRFLS did a little digging and discovered Animal's upcoming Spring '09 line. Enjoy:
1) Checkered suspenders:
2) Tennis visor, as modeled by designer Whiteboy:
3) Regimental tie with hidden stash pocket:
4) Wolf shirt (as required by BMX law):
5) And, of course, Lederhosen:
59 comments:
First! Seriously, given the current atmosphere and cross-pollination from other trends in BMX, all of that stuff is totally plausible.
How about a Ralph Sinisi "YOU FEMUR MEEEEEEEE?" all over print tee?
Maybe?
cross-pollination from other trends? so, bmx should only contain things that pertain directly to the riding of the bicycle or perhaps MX uniforms?
this should've been a top-10 list.
i think with as trendy as street riding is these days, Animal could probably make whatever they wanted and kids would buy it. its the trends in bmx. street riding is cool, i.e. any street riding brand will more than likely be successful right now with whatever they make product wise. i just cant wait till its cool to ride skateparks again...
that tie is perfect for shane to wear to his next big real estate deal!
that fuckin' lederhosen picture is the funniest thing currently on the internet. that intense look in Ralph's eyes isn't just saying "hey, check out my sweet lederhosen" it is demanding that you not only look but also purchase them. and i would honestly give up the use of my right arm for a week to see him in the outfit for real.
Todd advocates the use of the "stranger" technique! Sweet!
best sinisi pic EVAR
leave trends out of street please
leave street out of trends please.
i'm no stranger to "the stranger"
those jeans hardly look slim fit.
todd from albe's and stephen should blow each other already.
If it gets me some forks, I'll do it.
I want that wolf shirt
someone having a peanut butter & jealousy sammich for lunch today? everyone is so used to constant bickering between BMXers on message boards that when a few get along they're instantly placed under homo suspicion. that's sad.
I agree with TFA.Ehm..Todd,are you sure you dont wanna take action against that "EVAR" you see above?I got a red uniposca if you want....
my god that was the funniest shit i've seen in a while. good job ner.
I have that actual wolf shirt. I got it in a gift shop at the beach haha
and animal sponsors (or more like 'flows') enough skinny kids to warrant the slim fit jeans in their line.
Hahahaha, I'd totally wear that tie once in a while if I had it.
i miss the days when bike companies were just bike companies and only offered a small selection of logo t-shirts, hats &, in the cooloer months, sweatshirts and clothing compaies had nothing in their line that was heat treated. back in 1988 Haro tried to introduce a clothing line but it was ill fitting and poorly received so everyone continued to wear the wacky patterns of Vision Street Wear and the neon madness that was Bad Boy Club/Life’s A Beach. now it seems as though no one’s happy doing what they do best and sticking to it. i remember when FBM said they were going to start making frames and i asked “what’s next, UGP seats?!” these days i can put on my Fit Bike Company socks, Animal jeans and Shadow Conspriacy blazer then pedal my Shitluck frame all over Hell’s half acre. maybe i’m too much of a purist but i like to see companies focus their attention on what they know and not start slapping a logo on a bunch of half-assed brik-a-brak seemingly only to score a few more dollars from a captive audience. being down to support your favorite company is cool, nothing wrong with brand loyalty at all but when it seems like that company is virtually holding you upside down and shaking the money out of your pockets is when it’s gotten a bit silly. yeah, i know...it’s just the new school of thought, be all things to everyone, give the kids what they want and assume if they didn’t want it then they wouldn’t buy it, but where’s the integrity? and before someone calls me on it: sure, we’ve branded a few odd things in the past twenty years but more often then not it was because we couldn’t get the part from someone else or simply because it was an inside joke, as is the case currently with our Bestwick cable straps. now please commence calling me an idiot because my opinion is different than your:
Animal has already agreed to sponsor Octobersesh...little did I know that Ralph could be my Official Spokesmodel. I'm calling New Jersey tomorrow morning!
Quick plug: come ride Octobersesh at the Factory in Georgia, everyone. Flyer out soon. 3rd place in Beginner Park may be the suspenders.
good point todd, bmx brands, fuck, all brands should specialize in one specific thing. take nike, they should have never made anything after their original running shoe made with a waffle iron sole, it's been down hill for them since then.
why did bob haro bother doing anything besides draw cartoons? i guess that's not exactly a consumer product, so we'll give him the numberplate, but after that, why bother expanding beyond that?
haven't you earned your living selling this "bullshit" for 20 years? it's not any different now than it was 20 years ago hypocrite.
if you think it sucks so bad, put your money where your mouth is and do something "respectable" for a living.
yeah, like crack dealing
save yourself cash, go to old navy and buy their boot cut jeans.. like 30 bucks and exactly the same jeans minus the stretch denim part.
thank you mr. anon for setting me straight. Nike should never have branched out from making one kind of shoe into making another kind of shoe. good point. and Bob Haro never should have started making other bike parts after making those first bike parts. i was just talking about clothing companies making bikes and bike companies making clothes. very sorry if i didn't make my point clear enough. and if by offering up an opinion can help the industry that i not only enjoy being part of but can maybe help it then i'll open myself up to possibly pissing off some potential customers (such as you) and maybe help trim some of the fat off of the ever expanding BMX hog.
and by the way, you used quotes around the word "bullshit" as if to quote me when i hadn't used that word, nor would i...and the sport is very different than it was twenty years ago not only in product but in the mentallity of the riders. i have no idea who you are or if you were involved in the industry then but through my eyes it's changed quite a bit. unless someone has the nerve to step up, open themselves up to critisism and say something out loud things may never get changed. and if the majority don't want change then the rest have to accept it, deal with it, conform to it or move aside, and over the years there have many instances where i have accepted, dealt with and conformed but i have also seen and (believe it or not)possibly made changes. i'm not closed off to alternate views but i'm also not one to sit passively on the sidelines and let others make the calls for me.
as for doing something "respectful", making a living out of the same hobbies i had when i was fifteen years old and never settling for a corporate job has earned me the respect of everyone i know that hates their jobs and can't wait for the weekend to come. i haven't had a non-working vacation or even a sick day in over twenty years...yep, who would respect a guy for that?
i don't like the term, but i did "LOL" at this. Funny shit russ, glad to see youre back on top of your game.
Yes, it appears you took those few days off to step it up a couple notches. Brilliant post.
you guys are a bunch of nit-pickers. who cares what people wear? grow up and ride a little kids bike.
Those jeans aren’t even really tight. They’re not JNCO’s or anything, but compared to what the average 15 year old that comes into the shop is buying (Kr3w Super Slims), those are actually normal. Shit, i rock the relaxed fit Old Navy sale jeans, and the Animal slims don’t even seem out of my purchasing ballpark
Maybe I’m blinded by the fear of having to find room to stock both styles in every size, which we certainly will do, but these jeans don’t seem like a big deal. Let’s consider some things, hmmmm?
To varying degrees, individuals need to evolve. A lot of the problem back in the day with companies was stagnation. So many of them were afraid to try new things, they ended up becoming wet dreams of the vintage BMX messageboard dude. What companies are killing it today? S&M, Odyssey, Animal. Why? They’re not afraid to do new things, even when a lot of people scoff at the ideas. How many riders puked (metaphorically) when they saw the first Elementary stem? This is no shot at the product or the company, simply an observation. Now, it’s one of the most used stems on the market. Did we need a completely different stem design? Not really. My Animal stem holds fucking amazingly for me, I won’t toss it until it dies. When I do, it’ll be with another Animal. George got a creative hunger pang one night, and started the ball rolling for a product that isn’t really necessary, but is pretty sweet. Similarly, custom softgoods are a challenge. We’re six or seven grand deep in the hole to some lady in Shanghai who is making custom shirts for us, all of which will most likely sink en route to Cali, but it’s honestly fun and challenging to do shit like that. I’ve learned a few things, and I’m not involved much more than going to the bank to wire Joyce in China the funds. Do we, or any of our customers, truly require a custom-dyed cut-n-sew pocket t-shirt? Absolutely not. Is it the ultimate in self-masturbatory one-upmanship to make them? Fuck’n A right dude! The guys at Animal are probably the same way, and looking for challenging and interesting ways to keep shit fresh AND expand Animal. Also, the company’s evolution will be influenced not only by the imaginations of the people involved, and by market factors. If Animal was focusing on heavy-ass pegs and 44t sprockets, they’d be dead. The customers’ wants have changed, so all of us involved in providing products to these customers have to change with them. We shouldn’t feel like we’re being dragged along for the ride, we should see it as an opportunity to make our mark on the change. Face it; a lot of customers want slimmer stretch denim jeans. It’s neither good nor bad, just a fact. When Kr3w approached us to carry their stuff, we were skeptical. Aside from them being a skate company, which really doesn’t mean shit to us since we like skating, we wondered if bmx kids would lay out for $60 jeans. Guess what, the product is excellent, and the customer eats it up. If Animal can make a comparable product at a reasonable price, I am more than happy to sell the fuck out of it. I would rather see a bunch of 15 year old riders in Animal jeans than Gap jeans or Lee Pipes. Does Ralph need to wear them to give them credibility? Nope
To be sure, there is a lot more crap out there than genuinely interesting, well designed, and useful products. When Animal starts collab’n with Curtis Jackson III on jewelry pieces, I’ll be pissed, but we’ll sell them. When I was 14, Schwinn flatlander and painter-cap-wearing badass, Jason Parkes, was my hero and personal Jesus Christ. Had Schwinn made a Jason Parkes signature leotard, I would have purchased four. That is definitely ghey. Semi-tight jeans, not so much.
On the subject of skateboarding, it has definitely changed the way BMX companies operate. A lot of those involved in these companies will never admit it, but their 5 year plans are pretty much stolen from successful skate brands. The Three Step Plan:
1. Make/Sell everything: skate brands usually make decks, bearings, wheels, grip tape, fitted hats, 20 shirt designs, bandanas, jeans, socks, nose rings, rosin bags, anything and everything. Just to spice things up, definitely make all of those items in 20 colors. BMX companies no longer just make frames and bars, they make frames, bars, grips, stems, re-packaged integrated headsets and bb’s, tires, sprockets, pedals, seats, dildos, bongs, etc. 20 colors? Of course, are you stupid? How many products did S&M have 10 years ago? 6 or 7? Have a look at their product spreadsheet now, there are seriously like 1500 items between S&M, Fit, and Revenge. It’s amazing, Moeller is the best, and I’m happy for him, but it’s fucking nuts. There are 420 handlebar SKU’s!
2. If you are extra sassy, start a new company for your clothing line or secondary parts line. The same color rule as above applies to Company B
3. Market your product, team, and company as much as possible in every outlet imaginable, and retire to Maui at age 42
Be happy that BMX can apparently sustain all of this stuff, and get those jean schematics over to Joyce before we do. Animal beat us to the punch this time, but Empire BMX mesh basketball shorts are gonna light the night on fire. Bitches
Power to the people.
dude i would rock the fuck out of that wolf shirt...
BMX should stick to being a sport, not a fashion statement (Like most skating companies and their clothes and hairstyles)
FUCK, skating is more of a fashion statement now than a sport, for that i can't take it seriously anymore
I don't know, bmx has always had sort of the pseudo-artform thing going on. I mean, we're all out there trying to tricks that feel cool, but also look good. So wearing clothes we like/riding bike parts that are fashionable is part of that.
BLACK METAL, HEIL SATAN!!!!
Slim fit girls jeans are best worn by slim fit girls
A big part of BMX is photography, fashion is going to get involved whether you like it or not.
I have a few nice BMX tees (like an animal one with gas masks on) but I don't wear them to ride as I'm paranoid I'll fall and rip them. Same with the jeans, I buy mine from primark for £6 no way I am gonna ride and get oil, dirt and holes in £50 pair of jeans.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2388/2039376167_a551969604.jpg?v=0
Don't a lot of companies use the soft goods (t-shirts, hats, thongs, etc) as a source of cash flow? in that it's cheaper and quicker to get a 1000 t-shirts knocked up, distributed and sold than it is to do the same with a 1000 frames.
Sure, you'll make more money back in the long run on the frames, but the money from the soft goods keeps the company ticking over with income.
I've decided that I would TOTALLY buy an Animal tie. They can even use my, uh, "design".
more softgoods = higher margins
gotta eat, kids.
Congratulations Tom, very well said, you're not a bitch, and I'm very thankful there's at least one of you out there. I can't understand why people don't get that there's satisfaction in bringing a project, whatever the fuck it is, to fruition. To limit what you can do is silly.
I myself am pretty psyched that FBM branched out from the t-shirt only thing. I'm guessing there's at least a couple others as well.
I thought I clicked the right one...
Those jeans are not nearly tight enough to warrant this article. If anything I would consider them a normal cut jean. This blog is a good read when your point are valid, but now it seems like you are looking for stuff to moan about.
Thanks Tom, now i dont have to type so much. agreed.
awesome. todd, how does it feel to have your ass handed to you by the King, Tom!
Awesome. Mail order wars via a blog!
Already feels like the old days...
ass handed to me? all he did was say that he was drunk and and didn't mind having BMX logos on anything and everything. whatever, i can take it.
anyway, after getting publicly Here) and privately (my personal e-mail) told i am 1) an idiot who should keep my opinions to myself and accept whatever the industry around me wants to do and 2) that whatever Empire does is always going to be better than whetever we do, i need to point out that what i wrote yesterday in this post was meant to be a sort of light hearted look back at the BMX industry and how things have changed. my opinion is not nor will it ever be meant as the law in this industry. i also don't think Porsche should be making SUVs but that's an opinion...opinions can't be wrong, just different. do i mind if FBM makes frames? why the hell would i? and if it bothered me that much we wouldn't sell them. will we stock the Animal jeans that prompted this post? of course, they're just pants. i was very simply pointing out that things are different now than they were and apparently all Hell broke loose because of it. i never said one way of thought was better or worse...just different than it used to be. i know that the new world of BMX is to surround yourself with BMX branded everything just as skateboarding has done for a long time so even when you're not actually at the park everyone at the KOA campground can tell by your Spitfire Zippo, Krooked paint marker, Anti-Hero thermos, Alien Workshop pillow and Consolidated sleeping bag that you're "into it". again, it was meant to be a good natured look back at days gone by but sometimes it seems as the good nature of the sport has been long abandoned and those that still get it are the ones that don't have time to fire off anonomys posts full of keyboard courage because they're off at the dry cleaner picking up their Vision Street Wear Alpha-barb pants. at this rate i'll be lucky if i have any customers at all by the end of the week...at least any under thirty years old. things i have learned: Tom's opinions are always the right opinions (not mad at you Tom, we're still friends) and whatever i type seems to make everyone under twenty years old angry. sorry.
i pretty much agree with what Todd said, i just don't think that every company that makes a lot of stuff is doing it to shake down anyone. simply putting a logo on a generic item is lame. researching, tweaking, and bringing something cool to the table isn't. that's all i'm saying
if you listen to any of my co-workers, my opinion is never correct :)
^ they have a custom print, at least
todd, you should get a freecoaster for all that back pedaling you're doing
i love freecoasters, the industry needs more of them
I agree with both Todd from Albe's and Tom from Empire, but that's because I'm a musty old fart who still rides children's bikes. This quote from Tom got me, though: "Animal are probably the same way, and looking for challenging and interesting ways to keep shit fresh AND expand Animal." I have to say that the kitten T-shirt is neither fresh, nor interesting, but truly heinous. I'm sure to see it on some track bike riding hipster sipping cappucino here in SF and using a shoelace for a belt. It doesn't bother me that animal makes jeans or shirts, but what about having some kind of brand image? Look at S&M or FBMs shirts...they all seem to rep what the companies are about. The kitten thing is a company that's all about a company whose image is four pegs, NYC street hardcore trying to sell weak shit to impressionable kids. Or, perhaps, they're working on a "kinder, gentler" Animal, now with kittens in every box!
Oops...sorry for the garbled syntax. I'm spacing at work...
the kitten shirt is the worst design i've seen all year. 2nd is the aitken can-can.
i'll buy anything cheaper
i'm in no way a 'hipster' but i've worn a shoelace as a belt. but that was because i was skint and had just broken the buckle on the only belt i owned...
Hey Tom, this is Jeff from Canada. I got my copy of Tomorrow We Work a few days ago. Thanks a ton!
Hey, Tom, it's bike shops and distributors in Canada, stop sending bike parts to our country as "gifts" and undercutting us, thanks!
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