The Retrospective

Vashtie Kola. Not ringing a bell? Well it’s time to get familiar. New York’s “Downtown Sweetheart” has been hustling the mean streets of NYC for some time now. She’s been seen directing music videos for Kid Cudi (“Heaven at Nite“), creating her own fashion line, Violette, and organizing the wildly successful “1992” and “Open” parties. Vashtie has a gift for bridging the gap between underground trend movements and mass appeal, a talent that has garnered her no little amount of praise and a highly enviable client list. Earlier this year we sat down for a Q+A with this multi-talented maven. We discussed her life in the city, creativity, and being in the public eye, and we learned that she’s far more than just New York’s “it girl”.

Countinue Reading…

Tags: New York · RetroTalk6 Comments

There’s no denying that times are tough, kids.  Lucky for you,  The Retrospective is here to help you look like your wallet’s not all skinny and cringing in some lightless corner! Our good friends over at JackThreads have given us some invite codes you can use toward scoring some amazing fashions on their site. If you’re not familiar with JackThreads, they are an exclusive, invite-only shopping community that offers INSANE discounts on apparel from brands like CLAE, 3sixteen, Crooks & Castles, and much more. All you have to do is follow this link and sign up. Go on already! Don’t say we never gave you nothin’ 😉

Tags: Fashion · street wearNo Comments.

If you have visited or stopped by in the last couple of months you’ve certainly noticed that we have been very mute. We’ve used the last few months to evaluate how we do what we do and even if we were the right people to do it. Hell, our absence even prompted bids to buy the property from us, which was flattering but a real wake up call.

We’d like to formally announce that the wheels are turning again and we are working to get back to our “A” game. We’d very much like to apologize to persons we were supposed to cover for the blog but haven’t, and the creatives who were in line to be featured in our “we are each other” series but put on hold. We have some great new ideas and exciting developments underway. We really want to say thank you to our fabulous contributors(past and present), you the readers, and everyone we’ve worked with over the years.

Thank You: Jeff Staple (stpl design), Rickey Kim (Evil Monito/Epiphany Media), Mimi Tamaoki (Swagger), The Brooklyn Circus, Chris Piascik, Kid Cudi, Vashtie Kola (Violette), Larry Ossei-Mensah (My Global Hustle), Mega (HUF/Blackscale), Chion Wolf, Nike/Spark PR, Vaughn Fender, Duncan Jones (Moon), Cut Off Your Hands, John Maeda (RISD), Paul Octavious, Kareem Black, Jon Phenom (Hay Fam), Johanna Beyenbach (undercurrent) Christopher Dang (Love Brigade), Heron Preston, Chiara Bautista, Theophilus London & The Lovers, The Galaxy Riders, Hollywood Holt, Million Dollar Mano, Mo Billionaire (We Do Not Follow), Thursday, DJ Skeet Skeet (Eat Skeet), Magdi Fernandes (We Are HQ), Chris Devlin (spankrock / BBC), Francis Farewell Starlight (Francis and the Lights), 160over90, V V Brown, LEGO, Leo Kesting Gallery, Mother NY, Melody Ehsani, 3sixteen. Alan the Gallant, The Fizix, Dee & Ricky, Dolan Group, Eugene Whang (Public Release), Glam Media, Daniel Beckerman (Retrosuperfuture), Bianca Benitez (Dear Creatures), Fred Flare.
If we’ve missed anyone please know we are blessed and thankful for your support

That being said we’re back, but please don’t call it a comeback.

– Sincerely Yours The Retrospective.

Tags: site news · The Retrospective1 Comment

Our good friend Chris Piascik who was kind enough to participate in our We Are Each Other series, has a solo show coming up that we think you should go check out.

Tags: UncategorizedNo Comments.

Photo Credit: JAY ELEGANCE

The internet has changed everything. When you look at contemporary culture—youth culture especially—people are tapping blogs, social networks, and other online resources to scout trends and entertainment from places that fascinate them but may be just out of reach. This type of innocuous transmission isn’t new and we’ve seen it before. MTV did it when they introduced suburban kids to things like grunge, hip-hop, & punk rock for example in the 80’s and 90’s.

Thanks to the internet, today’s youth culture is influenced from every corner of the globe. That kid in Iowa just copped the latest jeans to drop from Hiroshi Fujiwara in Japan because he’s glued to Hypebeast, while another kid in Kansas is all about the new Foals record because he lives and breathes websites like Stereogum. With brands being so visible on the internet how do they connect with audiences they have yet to meet? We had the pleasure to catch up with Mimi Tamaoki who is the PR/Branding/Marketing director for Japanese brand Swagger, in the US. Mimi has also worked with brands such as TI$A(Taz Arnold), Phenomenon, Trilly & Truly(Lupe Fiasco)  and Dee & Rickey. She herself faces this and many other challenges in her day-to-day. Read on for Mimi’s insights on streetwear, Japanese culture, and how global brands make a big splash in the US.

Countinue Reading…

Tags: Fashion · Interview · New York · street wear3 Comments

It’s been a red letter week for The Retrospective. Pieces on Fred Flare and fashion firm Dolan Group broke through to the cool-o-sphere known as Notcot while Picocool picked up our first ever bilingual feature on Barcelona, Spain designers Alan The Gallant. We’re excited to be spreading the gospel of new, hip and happening to an even greater number of eyes. For returning readers, thank you for being a friend, and to our new readers, welcome home. We like you already.

Countinue Reading…

Tags: site news · The RetrospectiveNo Comments.