Fucked Up Blind Kids handboard reissues by Blind

Did you know that there's a whole legion of nostalgic old dudes out there feverishly collecting and trading old skateboard decks with whatever disposable income they possess? They hold real memories of good times, these old glued and pressed plies with paint on them, and some of us feel like we can buy a little piece of these times back if we can only get ahold of some tangible relics. I had to force myself to stop hoarding boards when the count reached over 200 and I realized that they were mostly just sitting around collecting dust and taking up space that I didn't have, so here's what I propose: I propose that every skateboard company that was around in the 90's (or maybe just World Industries brands) release each and every one of their classic graphics in these 13 inch long handboards so that I (and others) can dump my (their) old collection(s) and reduce hundreds of pounds of excess shit down to a couple of boxes of cute little memory planks like these.

UNDFTD Be@rbrick by Medicom

Since it's introduction in 2001, Medicom Toy Inc's Be@rbrick has been released in thousands of different designs. This year sneaker shop UNDFTD has teamed up with the Japanese toy manufacturer to create this multi-coloured 400% Be@rbrick. Featuring the strike logo synonymous with UNDFTD products, this Be@rbrick is quite different from most designs, being that over 8 different colours were used. The 400% format has been worked with by many well known designers, brands and artists: Kostas Seremetis, STASH, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Bape, Comme des Garcons and my absolute favorite KAWS, to name a handful. If you're into this one scoop it quick because, as with all Be@rbricks, this one will never release again!
Keep collecting! - Cyrus

Ramos by Keep

Keep is a semi-new women's shoe brand out of Southern California that puts out simple, low profile, comfortable kicks available in awesome colorways, all produced in cruelty free factories. But what really sets them apart is that a lot of dudes wear these women's shoes. Not like "Hi, I'm getting the operation done when I can afford it", more like "Hi, these are dope I wish they came in men's sizes but they don't so I guess I'll have to do the math [add 1.5 sizes to a men's size and that's your size in women's] and run it like that".

Mark Gonzales board, t-shirt and paint pen by Krooked

Have you seen the Krooked video that they filmed on and released only on VHS? Gnar Gnar? You have to. Here's a trailer that doesn't really do it justice, you've gotta find a friend who has it (and who also has a VCR) so you can check it out:

LIVESTOCK MONTHLY PICK:
Air Jordan 1 Retro Low

Every month we bring you our favorite thing - a pair of shoes, a jacket, a t-shirt, whatever - that's for sale at Canada's finest sneaker store, Livestock.

This version of the Jordan 1 is our favorite 'new' shoe out right now. Much like a dunk low, it's simple, classic, comfy and goes with pretty much anything you want to rock it with. You could even skate in it if you wanted to.

Visit the Livestock site to see what else they've got.

The Eden Express by Mark Vonnegut

Last Buyers Blitz we put Kurt Vonnegut on blast. Do people still use that term? "On blast"? Anyway, his son wrote a book back in 1975 and, unlike the majority of his late father's work, it's a true story... of his personal journey to crazyland and back. It's about schizophrenia and Mark's dealing with the disease, from his first minor delusions to full-on madness to getting help and staying better. All of that is laced into a tale of how he went hippie and moved north to Canada during the Vietnam war to start a commune with a group of his friends. Super interesting story all around, I think it was out of print up until a few years ago but the new edition (not pictured) has two new forewords - one my Mark and one by his dad - so you're stoked.

Wheels and bearings by Momentum

Rick McCrank, Brandon Biebel, Chris Haslam, Corey Sheppard, Jereme Rogers and Ted Degros all ride for this wheel company called Momentum. Did you know that? Did you also know that Andrew Pommier (Toy Machine, Girl, TWS) does most of their graphics and that Lori D (Girl, Villa Villa Cola) has also been known to add to their collective pool of rounded radness? Below is their new video in it's entirety and to the left are all of their new wheels (and bearings and wax) with our three favorites shown large on the bottom. Totally awesome.

Ricky Powell's Pumpernickular Blend by Arkitip

You know Ricky Powell, right? He's the dude who you were first introduced to by the Beastie Boys (the dude who dicked your girl) and who has continued to pump out NYC street photography for magazines and books since the 80's. That dude. Well, he's the cover artist for the current issue of Arkitip magazine and was thoughtful enough to include a sample pack of some signature blend coffee for you in it. He was also thoughtful enough to start a public access TV show called Rappin' With The Rickster that you can preview below:

Sweden and USA 574's by New Balance

Okay, try to put aside any association that you have with the American flag and think of how dope the colorway of the shoes on the bottom actually looks. Maybe look at the ones on the top (which look like a Swedish flag, in case you didn't know) and try to think of them objectively and as if you were looking at that combination of stars and stripes and red and white and blue for the very first time and it meant nothing to you. That's what I tried to do when I got these, and God Bless Me I still didn't want to wear them. But now that they've been sitting here for a couple of weeks they've somehow grown on me in a weird way. Like a THESE COLORS DON'T RUN decal on the rear window of my truck, maybe it's irony, or maybe it's my casual interest in international soccer competitions that these were released to coincide with that gets me. I don't know exactly what it is but I do know that I ain't gonna run from it.

Mints by Miller Lite

"Ted, what's this I hear about us licensing the Miller Lite brand out to a candy company? Is this your doing?"

"Er, yeah boss, I lined it up last month. They're selling candies in miniature replica beer cans next to Harry Potter jelly beans in candy stores around the world."

"My boy, that's genius!"

ProPack camera by Polaroid

When I was first handed down this camera from a friend I thought I had been blessed with a piece of Polaroid history that had, for some reason, been tucked away in somebody's closet since the 70's and had never been used. Luckily for you, that wasn't the case; they were making these cameras up until a couple of years ago and you can find them on ebay for $50. Like the old Land Cameras, they use that film that you can't buy at department stores, and you actually have to replace their batteries every once in a while. They're like the Leica M7s of Polaroids... but if you're somebody who gets that comparison you probably already know all of this and you think I'm a retard.

Jacket, sweater and pin by Princess Tina

Beci Orpin heads up this ladies' clothing brand from Australia. It's got a down to earth folk art feel and the collections consist of new and classic pieces, all with flattering cuts. Unlike the name might suggest, it's feminine but not too girly, you know?

Milk Blazer by Nike SB

In a nutshell: there's this dude in China who has played a crucial role in developing a domestic skateboarding market in the People's Republic. His name is Jeff and he used to work as a milkman in Shanghai, so these Blazers were designed specifically for him and the shop, Fly, that he started in the same city. They were designed by Matt Irving, the man behind that recent Element series that we showed you last Buyers Blitz and the Hunter Dunks from a couple of years back. The actual milk carton pictured here was released in a limited edition of 150 at the release event at Fly but you can get the shoes at any decent shop that carries SB. Click below to look at a recent feature on the shoe taken from Urban Focus magazine. It's got some more photos and info and a whole bunch of Cantonese (or is it Mandarin?) language words that look cool but that you probably won't be able to read:

Junya Watanabe Comme des Garcons X Kangol

Over the past couple of years, Kangol has been teaming up with different artists and companies to produce some extra special custom headwear. Recent collaborators include Delphi, Stereo, Crownfarmer and SSUR, and they've stepped it up with this Japan-only Junya Watanabe design of a classic Kangol fit. Not sure if it's out yet because it didn't come with much information and nothing comes up when you Google it or do an ebay search for it.
Anyway, we'll be bringing you more Kangol stuff next time, maybe some America-only stuff: stuff you can actually get your hands on.

FREE Public Skatepark Development Guide by
Skaters For Public Skateparks, the International Association of Skateboard Companies and The Tony Hawk Skatepark Foundation

In case you hadn't noticed, we don't provide links in any of these reviews that we do. The reason that we do that is because links are the one commodity that we have. It's weird, but the only way that this thing is going to be able to stay around so that you can continue to read it for free is if we covet those links and try our best to get people to pay for them in the form of banner ads. The Tony Hawk Foundation is an exception to this rule, as they're a not-for-profit organization that does stuff like give money to municipalities that need skateparks built and assist in publishing books like the one here that they send out for free to anybody who needs one.

Do you want a free skatepark development bible that will lead you through every single step of getting a public skatepark built in your town? Click here.

The Three Bags
by Nixon, Nike SB and Volcom

Once upon a time in the forest there lived... uh, never mind.
Here are three custom bags: a small one, a medium one and a large one.

First we have a small Nixon travel bag, equipped with a ton of pockets, compartments and fancy lil' details. You can tell that a lot of time was taken in not only the design, but the construction of it. The shot below shows the two little mini bags/compartments that velcro off that you can keep your phone/camera in. Handy.

Next we have a medium Nike SB skate bag. It's also equipped with bells and whistles including a laptop compartment, skate carrier, sleeping bag holder thing and a plush pocket for storing your spectacles in. The detail below shows the back behind the shoulder strap. It's got that puffy mesh stuff that you sometimes see on the tongues of shoes. Comfy.

Finally, a large Volcom roller bag. Not as many pockets, bells or whistles but not many are needed on this type of bag. It's big. Like it's actual luggage luggage. Sturdy, fancy wheels, made out of wool herringbone and it's got some nice embossing work on it. Dandy.