Indie Clothing Blog

Orange County’s been on the map for a while now, but thankfully there’s a lot more to it than what’s seen on The O.C. Every day there’s a new company popping out from behind the Orange Curtain.

One of the better ones is RZST. It’s a line of hoodies, thermals tees with blatantly creative designs, all of which “tell a tale of social apocalypse and urges the public to be more aware of [their] surroundings.” That translates into images that are strong, loud and unabashed.
Too bad there’s only one retail store in existence right now, but they’re stocked in stores like Metro Park and Zumiez.

The second loads for spring are arriving, which means fresh new threads and ideas. Etnies has beefed their collection up with the addition of more shoes, including new Callicut colorways.

AS[ONE] Clothing just sent us news about their spring sale, which will clear out some space for new incoming spring and summer items. All of their limited-edition tees (which look really soft and comfortable, by the way) are on sale for a very affordable $16. These guys are great — they were donating 5% of the proceeds from the collection to SurfAid International, but what makes them cool in our book is that through the sale period, they’ll continue to give the same donation off the original price to the charity organization.

We support them all the way.

A great sale is still going on at Krudmart, where you can pick up some choice tees, hats and other apparel on discount up to $40 off. Orders over $65 get free shipping.

This is cool news, from Hypebeast: skateboard shoe company Lakai will be releasing in June “The Quiet Life Collab,” a line of shoes done in conjunction with design group the Quiet Life helmed by Andy Mueller. Mueller’s the talented art director at Lakai.

MoonblooD is comprised of Philly-based couple Amy Eldon and Leo Voloshin, and their love for each other also blossomed into a line that features tribal textile prints. You’ve got everything from ancient scrolls to Egyptian- and Native American-inspired looks here. They each hold sturdy backgrounds, from work at Urban Outfitters to time spent in Russia. Interesting mix, huh?

Their stuff is clearly not for everyone, but I’m featuring them because they’ve got their own identity going on, for sure. That’s a cool thing.

When I first saw Fourth World, I knew they’d be a success. Their prints are unparalleled, and they’ve got an attitude to match. I’ve got the Scraps shirt for myself, which has an all-over print on both sides that looks like it’s been ripped out of a tattoo artist’s doodle notebook. People who know Fourth World say they always getting compliments when they’re wearing stuff from this O.C.-based brand. The summer/fall collection is on-fire hot!

I’m thrilled with Freegum’s current collection, especially the reversible tees they have on their site. They don’t go cheap on the printing and the designs are refreshingly different.

How can you say no to two shirts in one? Reversible rules. Now the only problem is to decide which side to wear.

A huge congrats to Etnies for their new line of sustainable apparel and footwear, which just debuted under the name the Seed Project. For each item purchased, the company will give 1% of the proceeds to environmental groups.

The collection’s slip-ons, belts, shorts and tees currently run under muted tones and a polka dot theme. Items are made from organic hemp, cotton and bamboo.
It’s great to see companies slowly making the move to be more conscious of the environment, because it in turns influences the way customers shop and think. They’re showing it’s indeed possible to make a profit and still be aware.

Tomorrow marks the release date of shoes from Vans’ new 3 Feet High project, which allows special stores to develop their own version of a Vans Classics. The first set launching are the chukkas. You’ll only be able to get these kicks at the stores themselves (and probably eBay later on): Kicks/Hi in Makaloa, Dave’s Quality Meat in NYC, Huf in SF and Saint Alfred in Chicago.

The Kicks/Hi shoe is green with a perforated leather toe, green suede body and faux croc heel with a limited-edition “3″ shirt that you can buy separately; the Huf chukka is black snakeskin; and the DQM kicks are black-and-white gingham with a gum sole. I personally still prefer the offerings that come from Vans HQ, but I’m always a supporter of collabos between outside companies and artists.

See more pictures at HighSnobiety.