Neishon

Hypebeast scored a nice interview with Dj A-Trak talking about his success, how he got there, and where he thinks the future of electronic music in America is going.

Dj A-Trak’s interview with Hypebeast:

A Conversation with A-Trak from EIKNARF on Vimeo.

Let me introduce you to Kent Yoshimura. He’s been a long time friend and Neishon supporter and has traveled to and from Japan with me. Here is a video he made with his sister in respect for the 100,000 Japanese-Americans who were affected by the Japanese internment camps during WWII.

In accordance with Kent’s recommendation, please watch it in full screen and HD mode:

A Thousand Cranes from Kent Yoshimura on Vimeo.

Also The Neishon contest is still accepting designs! Send them over to info@ninjaneishon.com and enter for your chance to win $50 and more! More info here: on Facebook.

Peace,

-Travis NN

Located in downtown Sacramento, just blocks away from the politics of California’s capitol, resides a gem in the streetwear scene: Lucky Lefty’s.

And within Lucky Lefty’s resides a very good friend of mine and The Neishon, Brennan Williams.

Brennan has seen The Neishon grow from before the concept even had a name, to where it is today. We originally met in Tokyo, Japan two years ago where we discussed our ideas and goals when they were just forming. At that time it was a month or two before he and his friends opened the doors to Lucky Lefty’s, and so I’ve been able to see his endeavor take off as well.
Last week Satoshi and I got to sit down with Brennan to talk about the shop, and also about the streetwear industry as a whole and where we think it is headed.

It’s no secret that independent boutiques are struggling ever since the economy burst wide open spilling out the brands and shops that had grown comfortable within the bubble. It hasn’t gotten much easier since then and it has been forcing boutiques and labels to rethink their marketing strategies and their brand management.
What it comes down to is making sure you have control over your brand’s image; because at the end of the day that is the most important asset you can hope to have.
Some of the most successful brands out there don’t accept wholesale accounts, and if they do, there are very few of them. You’ll definitely start seeing this more and more as independent boutiques start narrowing their product line in order to promote their own labels.

Brennan is by far one of the most knowledgeable people I have met in regards to this industry. He was actually the first person to really introduce me to the brands that I now deal with on a regular basis. This is good news for anyone shopping at Lucky Lefty’s because it ensures that only the finest clothing, accessories, bags and toys will be presented to you there.
And they will be presented in an elegant and very Japanesey way:

And don’t worry ladies, they’ve got you covered as well.

Expect to find hard to come by Porter’s bags and other products imported abroad.

If you remember from one of our previous posts we talked about store layout and design. Brennan and his crew have got this figured out from the inside out. So much so that they constantly have to deal with imitators from all around. It’s a danger you have to put up with when everyone knows you’ve got the best offerings and design; but at the same time it means they’re doing something right.

Sacramento was lacking a focal point for streetwear until Lucky Lefty’s came around. Now it is the premiere shop for any informed and fashionable supporters of the scene. Stop in and say hello to the Ninjas at Lucky Lefty’s , grab a beer, buy a shirt and spread the word. They’re open daily.
NN x Lucky Lefty’s:

-Travis NN

Amongst our adventures in San Francisco we had to mix in some Chinatown for good measure.

What makes this place exciting is the complete contrast it gives to the streets around it. One minute you’re walking along Broadway lined with tourist shops and Italian food, and the next you’re in the middle of a bustling bazar full of people, lanterns and color.
Voices call to you as you walk by selling various goods, you can hear savy customers “bargaining” next to you, and when you’re lucky Chinese music meets your ears courtesy of old timers who truly understand and bring traditional tunes to the present.

Street art can be found in the nook and crannies if you look hard enough past the “Authentic Chinese Goods” signs. I liked this poster.

However every block there are reminders of where you are:
Notice the church and corporate building in the background.

Most places you can expect to see a couch or a bed delivered to a furniture store, but here you get to see a marble lion meet the shelf. I had always wondered how they got them in the stores.

Whatever angle you look at it, Chinatown can capture your attention and time.

After getting chased out of the area (no need to go into that) we arrived to a familiar group of street breakers.
These guys can be found out by Fisherman’s Wharf almost every night, so if you’re in the area make sure to check them out and give them some support.




Here is why they made me go out in front of everyone. They asked for a tall white guy and everyone in the crowd instantly looked at me. Fair enough. I kept hoping they would call me out to do a little breaking.

Last time I was up here some lady in a trash can popped out and tried to scare me on Haight street, but luckily I’m a Ninja and it had no effect me. I saw this technique repeated again while at the Wharf. Maybe I should invite them to join The Neishon.

Karl Keefer, the ninja responsible for the sweetness of this website, has been traveling all over the place lately. He met up with us in SD and last night checked in with us in SF for an hour.

I explained a lot of the Neishon’s plans to him and we were in agreement about how cool everything has been lately. Thanks to this trip Ninja Neishon has a clear mission on where we want to be and when. You will come to understand how important this is in whatever endeavor you pursue. From all the people we’ve talked to this week, and are continuing to talk with, it all comes back to the mission: what are you doing? why are you doing it? how are you going to accomplish it?

Answer those questions and you will be successful in any project you work on.

We’ve answered those questions.

Talk with you soon Ninjas,

-Travis NN

What’s up Neishon.

Still up here in SF on our NN road trip and things are getting crazy. The interviews we held this week are insightful in many ways and we’ll be working on them this week. One of the main players in the game we wanted to check out while up here was The Hundreds.

Most of the people who read this blog probably already read Bobby’s (one of the founders of The Hundreds). It has been one of the sites out there in the vastness of the internet that I actually spend a substantial amount of time on. Definitely a good supplement to The Neishon.

They are located in LA but they have a flagship store up here in SF, so it was only natural to stop by.

Most people would pass right by this shop unless they either knew about The Hundreds or accidently walked up to the automatic door. When I got there with Satoshi we thought it was closed- blacked out windows, hard to see inside and no ‘Open’ sign. But when we walked up to the door it shot open and revealed a dangerous playground for my wallet.

Inside the cave that is The Hundreds store is lit by the products along the wall and the accessories lined up in the middle of the store. The contrast between the light and dark of the store was appealing and made me want to buy everything there. At the counter was the newest issue of The Hundred’s fashion magazine which might be worth a read considering they have a ‘life in the week of: Lupe Fiasco’ feature to name just one Ninja reason.

What I like about The Hundreds is that they really have their market figured out. The proof of this is in their substantial success over the past few years; appearing in countless magazines, newspapers, blogs, music videos, boutiques, and closets around the world. You can put a Hundreds logo on just about anything and it will sell.

Met up with the founders, Ben and Bobby while I was here and got in on a conversation about store layout and design.

It was interesting to hear about how important seemingly little things are when it comes to retail: the lighting, the layout, where the mirrors are located etc. This same concept was reflected in my conversation with Brennan from Lucky Lefty’s (I’ll be posting this interview soon). Store design and layout says a lot about a store; do they follow the Japanese boutique layout of one item of each design lined up along the walls, do they have a more US layout of circle racks with all your sizes on display etc. Just little things to pay attention to and appreciate next time you’re in your favorite shop.

While I was there I had to buy a Hundreds hat since I appreciated Ben and Bobby taking the time for The Neishon, and I rocked it the rest of the day. Including when a bboy made me hold hands with a stranger in front of a crowd of 150 people while he did a flip over me…

I’ll explain in a post later.

-Travis NN

The Neishon has begun it’s road trip to the North. The mission was to have fun, meet some knowledgeable people, get some good content for you (our visitors), and to really get a grasp on what is going on in the streetwear industry these days. As you know the world is becoming more connected everyday and the possibility of starting your own company has become easier and easier. Manufacturing products is only a few clicks away, and email has made it possible for anyone to talk to anybody.

Ninja Neishon is at a crossroads in terms of brand development; we can take many paths on our way to our vision, but the question is which path is the best suited to our cause?

We’ll be exploring that throughout this trip along with updating and introducing you to some interesting and intriguing stores/people and events.

Let’s get started. On the way out of LA.

Satoshi took a little time to have a skate session at the gas station.

On the road to SF from LA you have a lot of time to think and explore California’s countryside.

We stayed at a fellow Neishon Ninja’s house and then met up with our friends at Lucky Lefty’s. San Jose to Sacramento to Berkeley to Francisco, blasting Daft Punk as the city came into view.

Cruisin from the back alleys of the hostel, we made our way into the city.

Juan C. must have been feelin guilty still. He spent a whole night talking up a Vietnamese cafe he had been to a few years ago. We thought we were going to be served iced coffee by attractive women in lingerie, but when we got there we were greeted by terrified faces and awkward stares; we had walked into a gambling ring. Nice work Juan C., nice work.

Decided since I had on some of the new Neishon flannel, that we could do a mini photoshoot.

But we quickly got distracted.

After getting our bearings we hit up a diner and called it a night.

We’ve got some great interviews lined up for all of you. This city is full of creativity and excitement. Over the next week and a half expect to get some insights into the streetwear industry, and in a broader sense the culture of our generation.

In the meantime take a step outside and do something.

-Travis NN

I came across the Normrex label after finding out about Theopilus London. In accord with their mission to “cultivate and romance future trends” Normax is composed of avant garde artists and producers in New York.

You can subscribe to their podcast here. Here you can stay up to date on all the artists they promote as well as score exclusive downloads and interviews. Stay on top of this podcast to make sure you get the hottest mixtape downloads as soon as they’re available.

I can hardly say enough good things about this label, just do yourself a favor and go check them out.

In other news we started our NN road trip up to the Bay! Right now we’re chillin out in a fellow Neishon member’s house in San Jose. Gonna check out a Vietnamese cafe which is supposed to be crazy. Tomorrow gonna visit our friends at Lucky Lefty’s in Sacramento. Expect updates on Twitter and on this blog throughout the week.

Flannel is in! It is really nice and fits exactly the way we wanted it to. After the boutiques pick up their orders we can put it up on our Online Shop.

Hope everyone is having a fun week. Send us an email with any suggestions of things to do up here, or Twitter it to us, or Facebook. Use the social networks to their potential!

Peace out.

-Travis NN

Sad news Neishon. About 10 minutes ago I found out that the single most influential producer in my life, Nujabes, has died. His family buried him privately after he was killed in a car crash last month. They announced his death to the world today.

I will choose to remember his life.

R.I.P. Ninja

-Travis NN

I’ve always had an liking for bboy videos that are shot in front of landmarks around the world. There’s something about watching it that connects you to the international community; everyone is just there to dance and have a good time.

Here is one such video coming out of Russia.

Enjoy:

Top Nine Crew – Dance from Urbanistan City

Click here to watch more videos from this bboy crew.

The other day while shamelessly watching MTV-U and plotting world Ninjazation, I came across a rare hit. I was about to turn off the tv and a tune caught my ear. I was entranced and watched the whole video then immediately rearranged my entire day to find out more about the artist who I’d just heard.

If you weren’t already acquainted, let me introduce you to Theophilus London:

Theophilus London has led me to learn more about Normrex record label and about an amazing producer Machinedrum, both of whom I’ll be posting about this week also.
I’ll be emailing Theophilus this week and hopefully we can get some more inside information about how he started, what his goals are and what inspires him. What I have come to understand is the record label’s mission to redefine pop culture, and I agree that Theophilus London has the ability and potential to help do that.

I was trying to describe the Theophilus song “Humdrum town” to a Ninja the other day and I wasn’t able to put it into words. It applies to a few songs that have been intriguing to me lately; it’s a ‘subtle rock out.’ That’s the best way I can put it. The song builds up to something that could turn into a Daft Punk club moment, but instead it seems the bass and kick become subdued and what results is a trendy dance session. That’s a weird description of it, but it’s the best I can give you; instead, just go listen to the song that started my commitment to Theophilus London-
“Humdrum Town:”

All of us here at the Neishon have been listening to the ‘muxtape’ available of his site, and watching his videos on Youtube. One of the Ninjas described him as the next Lupe Fiasco: Maybe it’s the delivery of his lyrics, the sincerity behind what he says and the track “Fatality” that tackles the tragedy of child soldiers in Africa. Another said he reminded him of the next Kid Cudi: Maybe it’s the progressive and trendy electro-inspired soundtrack (thank you Machinedrum) with the calm collected flow overlaid on top. Maybe he’s pop culture’s next big star or perhaps he’s undergrounds next best kept secret.

In my opinion I think he’s the next Theophilus London.

-Travis NN