Norse Projects S/S '11 Lookbook

You may have noticed we've been hyping Norse Projects a lot on our blog. I think the Scandinavians are coming up on the Japanese in terms of fashion. Their looks are simple, clean, and fresh, much like their furniture. Norse Projects entire Spring look book after the break.

via Hypebeast

Norse Projects Interview by Crooked Tongues

via Crooked Tongues

Over the last couple of years, many practitioners of screen-printed sweats and tees have made a switch into the loftier realm of denim, shirting and pieces that bridge a gap between all-out casual looks and quasi-formality. Most have failed, because it takes more than mere entrepreneurial spirit and gift-of-the-gab to make that leap. Plus their product is mostly corny. 

Denmark seems to hold the majority of the talent for simplicity, quality and design, and Norse Projects are key players in the wave of great Danes who use collective backgrounds misspent in graffiti and skating for the forces of good, giving us exactly what we want in our wardrobes. Scandinavia’s interpretation of streetwear is serious. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen the Norse Projects patch as the signoff on a substantial amount of hats, shirts, knitwear, jackets and the t-shirts we’ve owned in a long, long time. 

There’s collaborations too—our favourites are the Elka coats and gloves, but their appreciation for the sneaker side of things is deep. We’re assuming that Norse get approaches to join half-baked collaborative “programs” on the regular, but their footwear output at time-of-writing has been fairly frugal—an excellent New Balance 670 and a very good Kopenhagen for adidas. We suspect that there’s more on the way in the not-too-distant future. Our man in Denmark, Mads Therkildsen spoke to Norse’s Mikkel Grønnebæk to get some extra insight on the brand. 

Norse Projects S/S 2011

It's Scary Cold

Department Seventeen will be in New York for the Capsule men's trade show. Be back in a few...

_Daniel

Crescent Down Works for Department Seventeen

Italian Vest

Crescent Down Works has spent nearly 30 years in the industry perfecting it's signature down outerwear using the highest quality fabrics and goose down. We at Department Seventeen are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work collaboratively with them this Spring. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for their signature Italian Vests and Down Shirts both in store and online. For more information on Crescent Down Works, please visit their homepage at www.crescentdownworks.com.

_Daniel

Shopping Activism

Apolis Global Citizen - Indigo Wool Chore Jacket

The holiday season is a time when our values are put into practice. The activities that we most cherish during these winter months are more or less a direct reflection of our values. For some, the highlight of this season is spending time with loved ones, for others, it's shopping for friends and families and yet for some, its winter sports. These three activities may seem different on the surface, but they are similar on a deeper level because these activities involve some form of bonding and community building which could result in more empathy, understanding and compassion for our fellow man.

Why is this seasonal zeitgeist of compassion for humanity so short lived? How can we hold on to this special form of compassion indefinitely? It's shame that this feeling of kindness happens only once a year. Temporary compassion can't result in any positive far-reaching global changes because there isn't enough time to nurture it. We have to be compassionate and empathetic year round and we must understand it and hone it into something tangible and constructive so that it effects the community globally not just locally.

It is clear that our fundamental values are for building a better community worldwide and for the making the world a better place for future generations, but more often or not, our values are either squandered, misdirected or not fully realized. I don't have an answer to combat our apathy towards our values and our apathy towards our fellow man. I do believe that I have a few good tips that we can all put into practice starting this holiday season.

You can start by supporting your local businesses if you must shop and do research on the origin of your purchases. I am not going to demonize foreign made goods and praise American made products because it is more complicated than that. For example, companies such as Tom's Shoes and Apolis Global Citizen use foreign supply chains and manufacturing but are actually philanthropic in nature. Other companies that pride themselves as being made domestically such as the automakers of Detroit have their priorities in profit. I will not squander my time in talking about the pros and cons of for profit companies at this time.

Shopping smart this holiday season just the start. Active thinking about your purchases will eventually lead to the purging of passive activism.

_Nelson

Penfield Fall/Winter 2010 Collection

Penfield Fall/Winter 2010 from Shot by JFK on Vimeo.

Department Seventeen will be carrying Penfield this coming Spring. While cruising the Internet, I found this video of their Fall/Winter 2010 collection, which got me pretty excited for their 2011 line. We love our outerwear over here and Penfield's got the ish.

_Daniel