Urbanian Exclusive: Greg Selkoe
“There are three reasons why I believe we got so successful; one is we get lucky, two is we knew the market and were very excited about it, and three is we had the tenacity,” said Selkoe.
From his parent’s basement to a Boston-based empire, CEO and owner of Karmaloop.com, Greg Selkoe has built a home for street-wear brands worldwide. Prior to Karmaloop’s inception, niche shops had found themselves pocketed within their respective brick and mortar outlets. Now, brands like Crooks & Castles, 10 Deep, and Obey have made their way across the world – handedly – with Karmaloop serving as their globe-trotting intermediary.
“If you went to Ohio University or University of Minnesota, you had no access to this stuff. Even if you lived in big cities there weren’t a lot of boutiques and most of the time they wouldn’t have your size. During the time when Triple 5 Soul was a big brand and you would see it on DJ’s but no one could buy it anywhere,” said Selkoe.
Then, in 2008, a new project was born – Karmaloop TV. Aiming to transcend the growing divide between under-the-radar and a mishandled mainstream by MTV, Karmaloop TV has progressed as a showcase for both artists, retailers, and “Verge Culture” news.
“The Verge Culture is a cut and paste culture tapping a convergence of tastes and styles gleaned globally through the web, mashing them up and making them their own. They communicate digitally, are socially progressive, and are the most tech savvy people on the planet, their musical tastes and interests are as broad as they wish them to be,” piped Selkoe.
After having set a successful precedent with Karmaloop TV shows ‘The Daily Loop’ and ‘Global Loop’, the giant has recently enveloped Skee TV; a premier content platform hosted by none other than DJ Skee, that boasts 100 million+ views, a KIIS-FM presence, and a Top 50 YouTube channel of all time. A recipe for success would be an underplay.
The two have catalyzed a tentative December 2010 launch for an on-demand cable debut, with a network launch in tow for February of 2011.
Cross-spectrum, cross-culture, and multi-generational, the network will delve into the underserved growing niche of educated, tech-savvy, alpha consumers whom make up ever-changing verge culture contingent.
“We will have the Chip tha Rippers and the Chiddy Bangs of the world on it” hinted Selkoe.
So here’s to a heads up to MTV, and a nod to Complex, Karmaloop has pulled out the stops.
What started in a basement, grew into a gleaming Boston hotspot, and has transgressed into a worldwide brand proselytized by 50,000+ brand evangelists. Selkoe and his brand are truly a personification of Urbanian ideal, and serves as a testament and reminder that verge culture is converging – not with the mainstream – but with those whom live the lives, breath the brands, and embrace the culture.
To see more of Karmaloop & Karmaloop TV check out:
Carissa Rossi
New Balance 420 – Fall 2010
Not managing to throw me on the same plane of sneaker-glee as last week, New Balance has still managed to start my Monday off right. Enter NB’s refreshed 420. Slated to be available in both suede and nylon, the 420 makes for a classic look while sneaking in some vibrant colorways to set it off from the status quo.
Originally designed to protect the athlete in the 1970s, the 420 incorporates a three layer outsole and technologically superior patented Extended Saddle. Today, the 420 remains a New Balance classic heritage silhouette providing a low profile sneaker offering for both men and women alike.
Grab them over at the shoe store powers that be, Zappos.com, this August in five colorways: navy/yellow, yellow/blue, green/yellow, grey/red, and blue.
Matrimoney Clothing Co. Exclusive
“I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.” -J.D. Rockefeller
MatrimonEy Clothing Co. was started in 2005 by Geoff Garber and Will Bolt when they were sophomores in high school.
The name MatrimonEy means “Married to the Money.”
They have worked with artists such as Curren$y, Grits (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an288I3LcXo), Big Red Rooster, Travie McCoy, and J. Cole (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o9dXLNuXic).
Garber is the Creative Director and Bolt is in charge of operations and brand growth management. MatrimonEy owns 16 storefronts in areas such as Dallas, Austin, Miami, Louisiana, Switzerland, and Germany.
“We don’t have a sales team, investors, or web designers, everything is done by us,” said Garber.
Their newest collection “Black Summer” has 10 new styles of tees, three new hat styles, two old hat styles, and four styles of “Kennedy Glasses.”
Their most popular tee is their “Free Weezy” tee, it sold out in just two weeks.
“We have been waiting for over 6 months for these samples due to a devastating fire in Bangladesh which slowed production, so the hype and build-up behind this collection is unexplainable,” said Bolt.
“We named this collection “Black Summer” not just because the theme of our collection is black, but also because of the manufacturer in Bangladesh and the time it took to make sure everything came to fruition. Therefore, it’s almost as if the “storm” has been brewing for quite some time and now the “black clouds” are finally rolling in as we prepare to take over the south and sweep the rest of the nation with our summer collection,” said Garber.
Currently MatrimonEy is continuing to grow and make partnerships, branching out to more domestic and international retailers, and working with more athletes and skateboarders.
Also keep a look out for their upcoming cut-and-sew pieces (hoodies, knits, crewnecks, cardigans, and scarves), women’s line, and jewelry.
For more on MatrimonEy check out :
http://www.matrimoneyclothing.com/Streetwear_shirts_Blog.html
http://twitter.com/matrimoneyDTX
Carissa Rossi
PF Flyer’s Drake
I promise you we’re not PF Flyer’s reps, but it appears the Posture Foundation is just keen to churning out great shoe after great shoe as of late. Enter, PF Flyer’s Drake.
The Drake is modern version of the classic oxford—the traditionally tailored, full grain leather shoe features clean, classic lines and a streamlined silhouette. This unique oxford is available in tan and black, with contrasting blue and green laces that add a modern flair—perfect for the guy that wants to rock his shoes with style throughout the fall.
On a more personal note, the green on tan pair has me here throwing my credit card at the screen; the green laces simply make it. That and the leather just exudes class and comfort. To grab a pair and spruce up your collection, head on over to PFflyers.com or Zappos.com on September 1st.
PF Flyers Double Tongue Sneaker – Fall 2010
I imagine PF Flyer’s design offices to be filled with an eclectic melting pot of shoe curators; classic gents of vintage austere and young designers on the up-and-up and all of whom bicker over preserving the authenticity of the brand. Well bicker no more, because two of them got together and have crafted the Double Tongue.
Full grain leather, check. Heritage chevron detailing on the outsole, check. Double tongued, tongue, che-what? The Double Tongue is a great take on a classic, as well as something you shouldn’t Google unless you’re fitting to be clearing your history soon thereafter. The Double Tongue is a member of the PF Flyers Fall 2010 Flow Collection and is available now @ ShopPFFlyers.com for $89.99 in 1 of 2 color-ways: blue steel on black, with manilla on a muted blue to soon follow.
From the press release:
The Double Tongue Hi is a part of PF Flyers Fall 2010 Flow Collection of accelerated classics. The sneakers in this collection are rich with the latest saturated tones and racing provocative counter-color. This collections is a glimpse of tomorrow’s sneaker hall-of-fame.
New Balance 320 Revival
Lesser known fact about the writers here at the Urbanian. Two of us, myself, and Brad; both ran track collegiately which ultimately led to us becoming roommates and collab’ing on the very site you’re reading. But I digress, in lieu of running-love and after recieving the word from our fam that is Annie Pham at HypeCircle – that New Balance is reviving perhaps their most iconic model, the 320, I was ecstatic.
While Nike has inadvertently won over the hearts of a style icon or two, namely, Pharrell with their Lunar Racer running flat; New Balance will enter the ring with due vintage flare. The retired classic rolls in on a nylon upper, atop a new Astrocrepe outsole (sounds cool, right?), and a clean minimal upper that’ll be available in 3 colorways: black, grey, and blue.
For the longest time, I wrote New Balance off as a shoe for dumpy old men in tube socks powerwalking on Sunday mornings, today, I stand corrected. The New Balance 320 collection is slated to drop this August for an easy $65 and powerwalks no more. For more info head on over to www.newbalance.com/lifestyle
The “Queen Bee” of Karmaloop TV
The Urbanian calls Chelsea Mascari the “Queen Bee” of Karmaloop TV keep reading and you’ll know why…
Chelsea Mascari is one of the few individuals that helped start Karmaloop TV. Her role in Karmaloop TV is very versatile; she does a little bit of everything from producing, hosting, to marketing.
Chelsea got her foot in the door when she won the MTV 2 VJ contest in Boston. This got the attention of Greg Selkoe, CEO and owner of street wear retailer of Karmaloop.com. Chelsea was asked to jump on board and help launch Karmaloop TV. To this day, she is very grateful for this opportunity.
“I always yearned for something bigger growing up which drove me to keep trying and trying until it happened,” said Chelsea.
By surprise Karmaloop TV is run by only four people, Chelsea being the only female. Chelsea said she has an awesome relationship with her fellow co- workers; Gabe Freedman (camera man), Jack Cearnal (editor), and Julian Wadsworth (director/host). They are pioneers of stimulating pop culture, fashion, and music among today’s youth.
The combination of these four people, some good production chops, and drive are all Karmaloop TV needed to get going.
Karmaloop TV is 100% homegrown and from these modest roots, they’ve established a firm foothold in the hip hop world. They have cultivated strong relationships with many of the celebrities that influence verge culture such as Clinton Sparks, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, M.I.A, Danny Boyle, and Keri Hilson.
“The fact that we produce all of our own content in-house and land all our interviews on our own is something we take pride in,” said Chelsea.
Currently Karmaloop TV is in the works of launching a multi-platform cable channel that will bring back the interest of 18-24 year olds to TV. It will be the first network that will target the “verge culture.”
“We want our viewers to reclaim TV, our demographic has been ignored and it’s time to change that,” said Chelsea.
Karmaloop TV’s cable channel will feature cutting edge music, fashion, design, and other forms of lifestyle and entertainment. It will veer away from the current reality show trends like “Teen Mom” and “Sweet 16.”
The Urbanian believes this new network can change the standards for TV. A channel that focuses on underground music, fashion, multicultural lifestyles, and daily news is the perfect mix to capture the attention of the twenty-something market.
To see more of Karmaloop TV check out:
Carissa Rossi
Zach Beebe & N.E.X: An Urbanian Style Exclusive
N.E.X Clothing Co. is not only a fashion boutique it’s a lifestyle……….
At only the age of 24, Zach Beebe has managed to turn his dreams into a reality. Beebe is an owner and partner with N.E.X Clothing Co.
N.E.X is a premium street wear boutique that satisfies each customer’s fashion forward needs at affordable prices.
“People who shop at N.E.X understand that it’s not just about what you wear; it’s about the opportunity to express yourself as a unique individual while you wear it,” said Beebe.
Not only are they a clothing boutique, they also have an in store barber shop, with cuts provided by “Lyss Zoro Kuttz,” in house stylist “KnarlyStyle”, styling by ”DB” and art gallery, paintings by “Josh Byers.”
“We love to look outside of the box, we are a multi media facility,” said Beebe.
The N.E.X Dream was born in Toledo, Ohio where three individuals saw the need for change in the fashion-forward sense of style in their area. Matt Rasor and Ernie Schaefer shared the same focus of introducing Toledo and its surrounding area to street wear.
This opportunity has allowed them to work with artist such as, Wiz Khalifa, Big Sean, Machine Gun Kelly, Curren$y, Mike Posner, Chip Tha Ripper, professional athletes, and more.
“But when it’s all said and done there’s only one thing we want everyone to remember, Greedy people will never make money because you can never put a price on passion,” said Beebe.
N.E.X is currently in the works of expansion, back to school concerts, and creating their own line of clothing. An exciting future lies ahead for Beebe and his partners!
For more on N.E.X. check out:
www.nexclothingco.blogspot.com
zach@nexclothingco.com
Carissa Rossi
PF Flyers Archival Reissues
Nothing like beating a dead horse, and round these parts, our dead horses are frequent posts reminding you that a pair of PF Flyers best damn well end up in your closet at some point. There’s nothing like canvas lightweight shoes to set off your SS apparel collection. The only problem is, that at $40-60 bucks a pop it’s easy to grab a pair; then want another pair, and another pair. However, some wouldn’t consider that much of a problem.
On a more stylistic note, PF’s throwback promotions exemplify a good clean look that I’d love to see make it’s way back into the 21st century – canvas kicks accompanied by some argyle or patterned socks. Step your sneaker and sock game up.
Vaunted classics from the PF archive set the bar by which new PF designs are measured. PF Archival Reissues pay homage to these quintessential models, reissued with utmost fidelity to the originals in material, build, color, and markings.
SUMFUN:
Originally released in 1947, this espadrille tennis classic features refined vintage foxing details and the PF Flyers diamond outsole.CENTER LO:
Originally released in 1953, this enduring basketball classic features a vertically ribbed toe guard and diamond-patterned outsole.VANTAGE:
This is a revision of the 40′s era PF Flyers Vantage but still with the original chevron accented tennis style.ALBIN:
The Albin features modern court contours and has the last shape and construction of a dress shoe but with a classic sport outsole.NUMBER 5:
The PF Flyers Number 5 is a deconstructed low profile original featuring the chevron detail, soft, leather foxing, and embroidered toe stripe.
