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.

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

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 While the calculator may be a slightly outdated piece of desktop stationary, this particular version is worth picking up purely for its design value as well as sentimental enjoyment for those who grew up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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Song for Zula – Phosphorescent

The City – Milosh

3 Days – Rhye

Demons – The National

I came upon this blog a couple days ago while bouncing around the internet, and would have to say it’s one of the nicest and most interesting I’ve seen in ages. Windows of New York is the brainchild of Jose Guizar, a New York based graphic designer who came about this project as a weekly fix for an obsession of his, an obsession which has blossomed since his arrival in New York city. As a result of his daily journeys around the city streets, Guizar’s well-trained eye has come upon many a window, and he finally decided to produce his an ode to some of his favorites. What’s followed is a collection of images he put together himself documenting some of his favorite windows he’s come upon along New York’s streets alongside their locations so if you feel so inclined you can go see them in person for yourself. You can enjoy his entire blog here, as well as the rest of his design portfolio on his official site.

We’ve frequently praised the quality of menswear retailers in Vancouver, but have thus far failed to recognize one of the best: Roden Gray. While we’ve covered several items they carry, we would like to take a moment now to honour the shop itself. Roden Gray was set-up in 2007 and has grown in leaps and bounds over the past six years. Its minimal interior of exposed concrete, white glazing, stainless steel fixtures and original maple floors house brands including Vancouver’s Reigning Champ and wings+horns as well as international heavyweights like Comme des Garcons, Givenchy, Thom Brown, Moncler, Nigel Cabourn and Aspesi. Bridging the gap between high-street fashion and workwear inspired pieces with ease, Roden Gray’s buying team has done an excellent job filling a gap in the Vancouver market and maintaining the niche in the company of Haven, Neighbour and Inventory. Roden Gray has recently also built itself up an excellent selection of print publications and now carries titles including Hypebeast, Obscura, Monocle, the Gentlewoman, 10 Men, Collect, Champ, i-D and many more. Located at the head of Water Street in Gastown, Roden Gray is always worth a browse, but be careful, there are a number of very tempting items. If you visit, be sure to check out the basement where Roden Gray keeps the sales rack. Over the past year, I (AP) have found some excellent pieces at great prices down there.

8 Water Street | Vancouver, BC | 11-6 Monday to Saturday, 12-5 Sundays

Following up on the successes of their previous campaigns with actors Josh Brolin and Rupert Grint and artist Ed Ruscha, Band of Outsiders have managed to track down the incredibly busy and in-demand R&B artist Frank Ocean to serve as the model in their polaroid based lookbook for Spring and Summer 2013. This lookbook features Frank dressed in a number of pieces from the Band of Outsiders collection. Frank Ocean has history with Band of Outsiders. He wore their bright yellow tux at this year’s Grammy awards. The full collection of images – featuring Scott Sternberg’s candid photography – can be seen on the Band of Outsiders’ tumblr account. Of course, Ocean makes most of the collection look effortlessly great. This is clearly a wise marketing decision on Band of Outsider’s behalf.

- CK

I’m entering the stage in my life where owning a suit goes from a should to a must, and while I haven’t been actively hunting one, I have been keeping an eye out. While on the pricier side of things, this offering from Parisian brand Husbands is one of the best suits I’ve come upon in a very long time. Husbands is a relatively small brand who promise passion, integrity and honesty in each and every garment they produce. From what I have seen, this navy two-piece seems consistent with the goals of the brand. It is a two-button, fully canvased suit made in Italy with British wool (by a French brand), and features details such as horn buttons, notched lapels, two side vents, and high waisted trousers. Of course, the suit is customizable and made-to-order so you’re going to be getting what you pay for. As an added bonus, it’s apparently very difficult to wrinkle due to its 830 times twist construction (meaning the fibres are well twisted to make sure they retain their exact position.) If you’re in the market for a high-end suit, this may well be one worth taking a look at.

In addition to clothing, I’ve always had an interest in consumer culture in general. As a result, the press release for ibought magazine immediately caught my eye. A Japanese based magazine, the premiere issue presents the things the magazines 200 creators recently bought. Featured creators include Neighborhood’s Shinsuke Takizawa, nonnative head Takayuki Fujii, Poter’s Reo Yoshida, Kenichi Aono from Beams and Kazuki Kuraishi from Cash Ca. A further look into their list of features reveals articles like “Websites Creators Check Daily,” “What Magzines Models Bought After their Photoshoots,” “Styling by Six Top Stylists for Spring” and shopping maps of Tokyo drawn by those in the know. I’m also curious to see the top 5 best selling products from 2013 – I imagine it will be an interesting insight into the Japanese market. Of course, most of the text is in Japanese so this is a magazine to enjoy from an aesthetic point of view. Luckily for us, much of the magazine seems to be shown in image form, so there’ll be less written content to miss due to thelanguage barrier. ibought is available now from Haven shop. It should be a great pickup for anyone interested in the Japanese fashion market.