The Facing Page

Design, Culture and Style from Vancouver

Converse x size? All-Star Ox

by Connor Keller

Not to praise Converse too much – they clearly don’t need it – but following on the heels of successful collaborations with Inventory and Nigel Cabourn, the classic sneaker maker has teamed up with British retailer size? to produce a new series featuring the All-Star Ox. The resulting collaboration is a set of four sneakers, all with minimalist lines, a clean off-white rubber sole, and tasteful details on the tongue and heel. The most important feature here though is the richly textured nappy suede that covers the upper portion of the sneaker. There are four colours of the nappy suede to choose from, including the Phaeton Grey, which looks a little like the Converse x Reigning Champ sneaker, as well as Warm Sand, Fig and Bijou Blue. I’m personally a bit particular to the Fig option, as it really stands out amongst most sneakers on the market and would go equally well with a pair of denim as a navy, khaki, or moss chino. Head over to your size? retail location or their webshop to grab a pair.

We Hear: 15 May

by Connor Keller

It’s time for May’s We Hear, which means five songs hand picked for sunny weather enjoyment. First off is a nice upbeat offering from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., followed up by a slightly more off-kilter song from Blue Hawaii. No spring playlist, no matter how short, is complete without an R&B number, so Miguel and Kendrick Lamar fill that void with How Many Drinks, a song (and video) they clearly had a bit of fun making. Daft Punk’s latest offering adds a bit of tempo and shows that they’ve still got it. Pharrell’s voice lends itself nicely to the peppy sonic backdrop the French outfit provide. Finally, one from last year, Lana del Rey’s National Anthem may have a slightly gratuitous video but, it’s a great song and perfect for hot nights.

If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t On The Dancefloor) – Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

Try to Be – Blue Hawaii

How Many Drinks? – Miguel feat Kendrick Lamar

Get Lucky – Daft Punk feat Pharrell Williams

National Anthem – Lana del Rey

Braun Calculator Re-Release

by Connor Keller

Braun Calculator

Exciting news for anyone who either (a) loves Braun and Dieter Rams designs or (b) loves their iPhone calculator so much they’d like the physical version of it as well – Braun have recently signalled their intention to re-release the BNE0001 calculator. While the calculator may be a slightly outdated piece of desktop stationary, this particular version is worth picking up purely for its design value as well as sentimental enjoyment for those who grew up using Braun products. The original was released in 1987 when Braun was more directly involved in production of electronics and homewares. It’s also the calculator which, as many Braun products have done before it, inspired a piece of Apple design: the calculator app on the iPhone. More news on the release when dates and costs come in.

I Love Ugly Bison Watch

by Connor Keller

For those into minimalist designed accessories, New Zealand brand I Love Ugly may have hit the nail on the head when it comes to the watch. Putting their own special and often eccentric take on classic pieces, this watch features an exceptionally clean dial design, accented nicely with a single ‘plus’ logo. The underlying mechanism of the watch is a quartz movement, the casing is stainless steel, and the watch is water resistant. This bison leather strap makes a particularly nice finish on the watch, it would go nicely peeking out from under oxford shirt cuffs as well as on its own with a t-shirt or similar. With an excellent price point, this is definitely a watch worth investigating. They’re in stock now in the Hypebeast online shop.

Kuumba at Haven

by Connor Keller

Haven, one of Canada’s highest profile menswear shops (see their recent interview on Hypebeast) have recently done all of us a massive favor and brought Japan’s Kuumba to the North American market. For almost twenty years now, Kuumba have been crafting aromatic incense from various natural and artificial scents to produce some of the best smelling incenses I’ve come across. Haven now carries the whole gamut of Kuumba scents, including interesting options like Jamaican Night, Lick Me All Over, Hollaback and Obama, alongside more traditional choices like Fig and French Vanilla. Each option comes in packs of 15, and can be burnt in either the home or the workplace to keep your space smelling amazing. They’re available now via Haven’s online store or through any of Haven’s brick and mortar locations.

The Shirt Factory

by Connor Keller

A well fitted shirt is a essential in the wardrobe of any man, but with so many options saturating the market it can be a tough task to pick and choose the one that works best for you. Sure, there’s cheaper options from H&M and the like, and there’s classic staples like Gitman Vintage, but one name that doesn’t get mentioned as much as it should is Swedish brand The Shirt Factory. With a name like The Shirt Factory, it would be a disappointment if the shirts were going to be anything less than amazing, which happily they aren’t.

Their collection of shirts covers everything from an excellent slim chambray button down to the staple white and light blue workshirts with the occasional gingham thrown into the mix. The Shirt Factory was founded in 1988 by Swedish designer Linnéa Braun who wanted to create a shirt for those “who prefer a well-balanced, individualistic style with implicit quality and pleasing fit.

The full spectrum of their men’s shirts is available to peruse and order from their online site or from one of their Stockholm, Malmo or Gotenberg locations. With free shipping anywhere in the EU, it might be time to take a break from hassling your Japanese proxy and make new European connections.

Inventory x Converse One Star Academy

by Connor Keller

Recently, Vancouver’s Inventory were presented the chance to produce a sneaker with the much-loved brand Converse. Rather than produce their take on one of the more ubiquitous models like the Chuck Taylor or Jack Purcell, Inventory chose to work with the One Star Academy – the modern update of the Jack Star, a classic 1970′s shoe. Inventory have made the most of this opportunity. The result is a cleaner sneaker in a number of ways compared to its more famous cousins, particularly the absence of any stripe on the midsole, which fits in nicely with Inventory’s clean aesthetic. This version is a leather lined, tonal sneaker coming in two colorways, either antique white or navy blue suede. It also fits a little large, so size down by a half size if you’re looking to buy online. The shoe is now available in either physical Inventory Stockroom as well as on their site in antique white or in blue suede.

Sun Buddies Eyewear

by Connor Keller

Tres Bien, in addition to having become one of the world’s most successful menswear retailers, have recently launched their own line of sunglasses to combat the bright – and long! – Scandinavian summer days. Named Sun Buddies, these are an elegantly designed option to keep from squinting too much come the summer days. Shaped somewhat reminiscently of the Ray Ban Wayfarer with a round and smooth top. They do differ more around the bottom of the frames where a slightly sharper edge gives the glasses a bit of an aggressive finish. In Tres Bien’s own words, they’re “sporty yet smart.” As an added bonus, they also feature high quality lenses from German optical manufacturers Carl Zeiss Vision, the same lens makers who make some of the most well-reagrded scientific lenses available today. To learn a little more about the glasses, as well as where they can be bought (other than Tres Bien), it’s well worth heading over to the Sun Buddies website, featuring the campaign for the Type 01 shot and directed by Stockholm based Tony Cederteg.

wings+horns Westpoint Short

by Connor Keller

While some people naturally feel comfortable in shorts, I often find myself quite hesitant to pull on a pair for anything that doesn’t involve exercise or swimming, a hangup that in the peaks of summer this can be something of a curse. However, I believe I’ve found myself a cure this spring in the form of wings+horns’ Westpoint short. Design-wise, this is a version of the Westpoint twill pant with a considerable portion of the leg cut off. This suits me fine as the only thing previously keeping me from wearing the Westpoint chino was that the legs were too short. Armed with an excellent slim fitting cut, the wings+horns designers put together a quality pair of shorts with some visually appealing details like slanted and convenient front pockets with the signature “+” bartack reinforcement, branded w+h brogue buttons and a handy coin pocket. The short is made in seven different colors, ensuring there’s an option for everyone. I’ve found myself in the rust option, but there’s also a really nice union blue as well as navy, black, olive, sand and tan alternatives. While they’re not exactly cheap, they’re an excellent option for the days and nights of spring and summer, and are well worth having a think about. It’s worth noting that they are made in Vancouver and we always advocate supporting local business. If you’re able to try a pair in person you can get a better sense of the quality you’re getting, but if not, they’re also available on wings+horns online shop.

We Hear: April 29

by Connor Keller

We’ve got four songs, a pleasant mix of the old and the new, for your listening pleasure in today’s edition of We Hear. Firstly, from Phosphorescent’s recent release Muchacho, “Song for Zula”. Secondly, “The City” is a track from Canadian singer/producer Milosh’s 2006 album Meme. This track leads nicely into the third song, “3 Days” from Rhye, a group which is 50% Milosh and 50% Robin Hannibal. Both are lush ambient pieces with elegant vocals laid over well produced backbeats. Finally, one from an upcoming album I’m incredibly excited for, The National’s latest single Demons from Trouble Will Find Me. Their album is out on May 20th.

Song for Zula – Phosphorescent

The City – Milosh

3 Days – Rhye

Demons – The National

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