As we were eating dinner in Las Vegas Tuesday night, the Mortar crew got wind that Jeremy Lin was at it again as the Houston Rockets castoff delivered the most dramatic finish of his improbable run. With the clock ticking down, Lin waved off teammates, stared down defenders, and put 20,000 plus in Toronto and millions around the world into a frenzy. See the play unfold below.
We’re having another Hamilton 1883 sample sale this weekend, so make sure you come by and check out the great deals on some amazing shirts.
But even before that, come by tomorrow night from 6-9pm to shop the sale early, have some gourmet hors d’oeuvres and drinks on us, and take hilarious photos in the Smilebooth.
On top of that, we’ll have some great deals on remaining Fall/Winter merchandise and you can preview some of our Spring collections. So to sum it up, there’s no reason for you not to come. See you there!
We just received our spring delivery from a new line we are super happy to have at the store: Creative Growth for Everybody. The line of basic and graphic tee shirts and sweatshirts is a collaboration between Joel Knoerschild, the former creative director of KZO, Creative Growth Art Center and The NEWS showroom.
Creative Growth Art Center, located in Oakland, California is the oldest and largest non-profit visual arts center in the world, providing arts programs to adults with physical and mental disabilities. Creative Growth For Everybody utilizes artwork created by these adults on super-soft basics, and money immediatley goes back to the organization and the artists. In addition, each and every product is produced in the Los Angeles area. Creative Growth for Everybody is on the racks at some of the world’s greatest stores, including Barneys, Colette and Dover Street Market, and we’re honored to have the line at MORTAR.
We talked with Joel for a bit on the phone to get a better idea of his vision for the company. Check it out.
First of all, tell us a bit about how Creative Growth works.
Well I guess it all starts when I go up to Oakland with my scanner and hang out with the artists. There’s about 100 people there every day who have been around since the 70s, so I just start talking to them and pulling work that I like. Then I sit down with my team and discuss fabrics and designs and such. Everything about the line – from the art to the fabrics to the sewing and dyeing – is based in L.A. Supporting the local community is a big part of the line for us, especially with so many things moving offshore now. It’s really fun in comparison to the way KZO was, with everything taking place in Japan. I had to get on the plane and fly for 11 hours to address things like manufacturing issues – it’s much more hands on which I like.
What is Creative Growth all about for you personally?
For me, Creative Growth is essentially philanthropic fashion. There’s three ways that we give back to the Creative Growth Art Center. Once we pick an artwork money goes right to the artist, and then they get royalties on each item that we sell with that particular work on it. We also have products that we donate to the center that they then sell for 100% of the proceeds.
The story is so crucial, this is all about the people that it represents, people that are in need of something like this. They don’t create the art for the commerce aspect, they do it because they love it and it’s therapeutic. It’s so pure.
The Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, Cali.
How did you get involved in the fashion industry?
Well, my parents have worked in the industry for a long time (they were founding partners at Billabong and Hurley) so I grew up going to factories in L.A. As a kid working for the family business, I got kind of pushed into it at a really young age. It sort of evolved into a brand called KZO that I did from 2006-2010. And then a few years into that I started Creative Growth.
So besides working on Creative Growth, what else are you working on right now?
I write for Slamxhype, which is a bit of a creative outlet. I just directed a movie in August which should be finished in the next couple of months. I’m shooting a pilot for a cooking show that’s very Bear Grylls esque – we do things like cut heads off chickens and dive for mussels, but we also show people how to actually cook with this stuff. I also play in a band called Barnacle with my friend Brett Westfall who does a bunch of stuff with Comme des Garcons.
What are you looking at for inspiration right now?
I’ve been trying to watch as many old movies as I can.
Joel eating Mongolian hot pot circa the KZO days...
So you have a long history with our own Luke Cosby. You guys worked together at KZO and still remain close friends. Any funny stories our customers should know about?
Luke’s first trip to Japan was awesome. I think he was more excited than his body could handle. The first day we got there he was fine. But the second day – I don’t know what he got – but for the rest of the trip he was completely sick and couldn’t get out of bed. And they were giving him all of these weird Japanese medicines and we had no idea what they were. It was very early in the line’s development, so it was a very budget trip. Not only was he sick, but he had to sleep on the ground a bunch. Our hotel room had only one room key which also operated the lights and the power, and someone took it so he was stuck with no lights and power while he was sick. Poor guy. But it was pretty funny…
I also did karaoke with Luke, Cecilia and Rob Lo (our man at wings+horns) last week in New York. Luke can sing, he has that whole Filipino / Manny Pacquiao thing working for him. Rob also stuck me with the bill, which sucked because he was drinking a lot…
Writer’s note: after finishing the interview, Joel and I chatted about the KZO x Master-Piece backpack which is simply the greatest backpack that has ever been created. Joel has one and I’m super jealous.
Writer’s note #2: I asked Luke to send me some pictures of Joel, but he said they were all too inappropriate.
The final post in our series covering the F/W12 buy includes two of our favorite brands that were new MORTAR this fall: wings+horns and Saturdays. Both did extremely well last season and will be sending us our spring orders shortly. In the mean time, you can get stoked about some standout pieces that will be coming in next fall.
wings+horns is a Vancouver based line most well known for their core items like hoodies, chinos and tees. However, under the direction of designer Davidson Manaloto the aesthetic is continuing to develop and become increasingly sophisticated. We were able to check out the fall collection at the Ace Hotel, and it’s definitely one of the brand’s strongest ones yet.
Take note, camo isn’t going anywhere:
Outerwear pieces are always a standout in wings+horns fall collections, this season was no exception:
More than one staff member will be purchasing this blazer and rocking it every day next fall…
Two-button double breasted cardigan blazer amazingness:
More camo, this time in blue:
After our wings+horns appointment, we went with our friend Rob Lo (right) to visit Battery SR. Rob is one of the owners and the primary buyer at Roden Gray, an amazing store in Vancouver, as well as the North American sales representative for wings+horns. Battery SR is a ridiculous showroom run by our good friend John (left), who used to be one of the main sales representatives at The NEWS. He sells three amazing Japanese lines: Post O’alls, ts(s) and Kapital. Rob is buying Kapital for F/W12, so we thought we would head over with him to check out some truly one-of-a-kind clothing and catch up with old friends.
John’s version of a logo tee, hand embellished and distressed and made of beautiful fabric…
Kapital specializes in constructing detail-oriented pieces using rugged materials, all stitched and dyed by hand…
John has the coolest stuff all over his showroom…
Next up came a visit to the brand new Saturdays HQ. These guys just moved into a new office that has a terrace and some amazing views.
Checking out the Fall collection, its nice that we can wear tees and tanks ten months out of the year. Well, last year it was more like twelve months out of the year.
Our next round of the market journal begins at MAN, a new trade show that started last summer. Our first appointment was with the Hill-Side, a brand that some of you may not even know we stock since our fall order sold out almost immediately.
The accessory line started a few years ago when Emil Corsillo was looking for a casual tie to wear with his favorite vintage work shirt, and created a squared off one using some deadstock fabric.
Now, Emil and his brother Sandy have expanded to a full line of scarves, pocket squares and ties that are all made in their Brooklyn store/warehouse and stocked by some of the best stores in the world.
Emil himself showing us an awesome massive scarf:
We also checked out by CREEP by Hiroshi Awai at MAN, a new line that we’ll be introducing this spring. It’s an amazing Americana/Japanese inspired collection with excellent construction and unique detailing. The price points are great as well.
Button down shirt with a parka style pocket? Yes please.
After that we headed to the NEWS to check out Common Projects, White Mountaineering and some other awesome stuff. This season was a particularly strong one for Common Projects…these new boots are so good.
These new tweed Achilles are awesome.
Amusing t-shirts by Drug/Money Art…
Folk is another new line that we’ll be introducing this season. This crocheted pocket shirt for next fall is one of our favorites.
We’ll also be introducing White Mountaineering accessories to the store next Fall. Label founder and designer Yosuke Aizawa previously worked for both Junya Watanabe and Rei Kawakubo at Comme des Garcons, and started his own collection in 2006. He combines avant-garde design with technical fabrics like Gore-Tex to create a truly unique collection.
Over the next few days we’ll be posting a ton of photos from our recent buying trip to New York. Check out some of the amazing merchandise you’ll be seeing in the store next Fall.
We started the week off by visiting our friends Jockum, Christopher and Richardos at Our Legacy. The line has quickly became one of our favorites, and we can’t wait to present their Fall collection, entitled Carmine Tonic. They were showing at Capsule, so we were able to catch up with some of our favorite sales reps, store owners and designers before heading off to our many showroom appointments.
We can’t wait to wear this shirt:
Accessories are always important…
Miansai’s classic fish hook bracelet in new colors and materials.
Next up we headed to the Ace Hotel where our own Creative Director, Luke Cosby, was showing a few lines as part of his new wholesale company, SHDWBX SR.
The steps in the Ace lobby are always a refreshing reminder during the insanity of market week…
United is one of our favorite new collections. It’s designed by Sydney Mamane, a former stylist and formally trained tailor who owns an amazing store in Toronto called – you guessed it – Sydney’s. We’ll have the inaugural collection in store very soon, so look forward to stocking up on some amazing raw denim and button down shirts at a great price point.
Sydney has another line called KIN, where he really shows off his tailoring abilities. The color palate is very neutral, as he chooses instead to focus on the silhouettes and cuts of the garments. Like United, everything is made in Canada. We’re huge fans of his suits, outerwear and shirts. Here’s the man himself trying on a KIN blazer…
Sydney showing the collections to the buyers from SHIPS Japan…
We just returned from men’s market week in NYC and GQ did a nice write up about some of the highlights from the (capsule) show. Check it out here
Featured are Mortar favorites such as Miansai and Our Legacy, who actually had to step away from our appointment to do this shoot.
Jockum and Cristopher of Our Legacy
JZ_KW_WTT_D from So Klassik on Vimeo.
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