w)taps s/s '07 - "NO GUTS, NO GLORY"

[Aeros]

w)taps' new line entitled "No Guts, No Glory" will be released in Japan on March 24th. Here is the only picture I have so far of the new stuff. Judging from this one picture it looks as though w)taps might be trying new colors just like Visvim has already done with their G-Line.

Picture Source: http://blog.honeyee.com/tnishiyama/archives/2007/03/5424.html

[l3ootlegs]

haha, don't like the skull..~~...but still bump for wtaps

[MilSpex]

likin that color green on the parasmock..too bad about the goofy bones...they shoulda gone back to the OG straight bones only.

[CactusArmy]

Skulls and bright colors out, then it'll be sweet.

[seaskull]

Yeah... should have stuck with the more aggressive bones, but I guess TET just wanna stray off the track this time round... I am certain its all good for now.

[userloser]

The para-smock is a nice jacket but i'm not sure about having a back print on it.

[peteyross]

Although I hate to jump to any conclusions based on this one pic, it looks like they have fallen victim to the horrendous trends of streetwear. Bright colors and cartoony looking graphics just don't line up with the military streetwear aesthetic.

This spring, if NBHD and W)taps would just get rid of their stupid graphics/words ("Brigade"...what the hell is this?) their clothes might be alright. I took a look at NBHD stuff at Union the other day and most pieces were ruined by some ridiculously cheesy detail. I pray that Visvim doesn't go after this aesthetic too. Surprising to the say the least, since I've always enjoyed Fujiwara for his sense of cool & classic. These collections are neither.

Jeff Staple was right when he said that designers would look back on 2006 and be embarassed. It seems to have carried over into spring 2007.

[aitsuka]

this year, everyone seems to be doing wacking colors. its hit or miss i think. I'm liking the green color, the skulls - meh, don't care.

[MilSpex]

this isnt the first time tet`s done vivid colors tho. about 2 years back he did pink and green pastel hellweeks and tees. then in about `03 he did solid red pile hats, hoodies and shorts ..I`d say he`s pretty regular with his color changeups actually and def doesnt follow trends..although shit like this might work well for the hi-vis fixy trend.

But peteyross I agree with you on one point that the NBHD tees the last few year have been mostly REALLY cheesy.

[MilSpex]

The para-smock is a nice jacket but i'm not sure about having a back print on it.

first time for the parasmock to get the backprint treatment. just about every other taps staple jacket has got it recently tho.

btw if anyone is wondering what the backprint text is it says `too late to die`

[ktothe]

I think those look pretty good. Atleast the black or green. Im eagerly awaiting photos of the complete collection.

[Aeros]

An interview with TET by beinghunted featuring pics of the new season. It's a great read btw. http://www.beinghunted.com/v51/features/2007/wtaps_tetsu_nishiyama/wtaps_tetsu_nishiyama.html

[vahid]

a good read?

i thought it was maddeningly tautological and impossibly vague. is he intentionally trying to cultivate some sort of "inscrutable" japanese pose? or does he just have deep contempt for jorg's questions?

example:

"J: When you first started, who were the people supporting you and what kind of support did these people give you (ideas, help with manufacturing, etc.)?

T: A new culture in Harajuku was born when I first started up my line. We tried doing new things within our circle of friends through trial and error."

oh ... trial and error? you don't say. how novel! i've never heard of this "trial and error". maybe i will try it in my daily life.

[vahid]

here's another gem:

"J: How would you characterize the people who are buying WTAPS clothing? What are they looking for in your pieces?

T: WTAPS should always remain true to WTAPS. I think this is what people expect from us. "

haha, OK. can't argue with that!

i am SO tired of these streetwear cliches. you could imagine this dribble coming out of ANYBODY's mouth ... i am sure the designers at old navy could answer this question

"J: Many people who buy and wear your clothing don't know anything about the process of creating it. Could you briefly describe how a piece comes 'to life'?

T: It all starts from rough ideas and finishes as a necessity - adding color comes after. "

with an equally straight face

[aitsuka]

An interview with TET by beinghunted featuring pics of the new season. It's a great read btw. http://www.beinghunted.com/v51/features/2007/wtaps_tetsu_nishiyama/wtaps_tetsu_nishiyama.html

i liked the sketches in the interview, visual food for my eyes

but Tet sounded like some philosophy thinker in search for some perfection in life....while making big bucks which he doesn't care about...

[prima]

i guess none of you guys are phily fans

[MilSpex]

a good read?

i thought it was maddeningly tautological and impossibly vague. is he intentionally trying to cultivate some sort of "inscrutable" japanese pose? or does he just have deep contempt for jorg's questions?

example:

"J: When you first started, who were the people supporting you and what kind of support did these people give you (ideas, help with manufacturing, etc.)?

T: A new culture in Harajuku was born when I first started up my line. We tried doing new things within our circle of friends through trial and error."

oh ... trial and error? you don't say. how novel! i've never heard of this "trial and error". maybe i will try it in my daily life.

haha, yeh I know what you mean.

[vahid]

i mean ... it's OKAY ... but if tet's daily work is putting hickory stripe on a baseball cap and making it tonally match his jackets and shirts, what can he REALLY say about that process to fill up a 10 page interview?

"where do you get your inspiration for your streetwear"

"i get my inspiration for streetwear by ... looking at streetwear?"

part of the problem is that BGHD is asking the sort of high-flown-ass questions that you might ask a women's couture designer. but tet's not a couture designer, he reinterprets workwear and sportswear and that's a much more straightforward thing.

the only good streetwear interviews i've read in the last five years have either been a) unrelated to streetwear (dudes talk about skating or comics or LA for 30 minutes) or designers capping on other designers and brands

one thing you can critique about that BGHD interview is that they seem to be bringing traditional fashion-mag questions to an interview w/ a dude who's not a traditional fashion-world dude, and it doesn't work

also maybe it's better in japanese?

[rhythmandsound]

also maybe it's better in japanese?

to be honest i've not read it yet (plan to later this evening), but here you've got a german guy interviewing a japanese guy and the interview's in english...any way you slice it it's not going to be as straightforward as an english speaker interviewing another english speaker and publishing the interview in english. i'd give tet the benefit of the doubt if his answer's aren't as straightforward or clear as you might like

[rhythmandsound]

they probably both speak english, but in regards to how well, it's at least not their first language...

[MilSpex]

Tet doesn't speak English?

I heard he studied in California and speaks but I dont think Takizawa speaks any English. Most Japanese know a lot of English words but cant speak it at all.

[Felix]

hey mil did you see some of the new stuff in person yet? are you still stuck on hokkaido?

i'd love to buy black bdu's from the new collection so if anybody gets the chance to try some on please provide some info about new features, cut bla

thanks!

[MilSpex]

hey mil did you see some of the new stuff in person yet? are you still stuck on hokkaido?

i'd love to buy black bdu's from the new collection so if anybody gets the chance to try some on please provide some info about new features, cut bla

thanks!

I went to Aomori today but I found out the place there got their wtaps/nbhd account revoked.. : (

[M4TM]

that interview was pretty uninteresting.

[maxamillion]

Does anybody of you have more pics of the new collection? It dropped last weekend in Japan!

[maxamillion]

Dont want to judge the entire collection based on this one pic. But I agree, hopefully they do not fall for the colored stuff now. Visvim did a pretty good job, by simply creating the G-Line - that way you have the choice!

[nappyhead jenkins]

That interview was busted they need to make mil there pr person

[Olli Twist]

here's another gem:

"J: How would you characterize the people who are buying WTAPS clothing? What are they looking for in your pieces?

T: WTAPS should always remain true to WTAPS. I think this is what people expect from us. "

haha, OK. can't argue with that!

i am SO tired of these streetwear cliches. you could imagine this dribble coming out of ANYBODY's mouth ... i am sure the designers at old navy could answer this question

"J: Many people who buy and wear your clothing don't know anything about the process of creating it. Could you briefly describe how a piece comes 'to life'?

T: It all starts from rough ideas and finishes as a necessity - adding color comes after. "

with an equally straight face

If you were familiar with the Japanese language, you'd know that vagueness is omnipresent in dialogues. It would have been good to dig a little deeper, I agree, but then from what I heard about this guy TET, he doesn't speak that much to begin with. So I guess for what it is, the interview is quite informative.

In general, it seems that you have been approaching this whole subject of "streetwear" and related topics (I just finished the very long ACR thread) from a very high and demanding standpoint. Maybe you are looking for values that in this field you won't find? Maybe the fact that some of TET's answers appear to be shallow just shows that - well - there isn't much to WTAPS to begin with... other than a few guys doing what they love and producing the clothing that they'd like to wear. I think that a great many people interpret a little too much into some of these brands' philosophies. I guess that at a certain price (for a piece) one expects to find a great deal of thought. We should keep in mind, though, that within their regional market(s) the brands we all love to talk about so much aren't really that expensive. Neighborhood, Visvim, WTAPS, Bounty Hunter, all these brands in Japan cater to a customer between the ages of 18-25. Nobody beyond that age really cares much about these brands. In the US and Europe, however, it's manly people between 25-35 who are into these brands - as they have the income to buy the stuff (as the price doubles when leaving Japan and entering foreign markets). Surely, at 25 or 30 you have a different understanding for 'what's going on' - you are asking questions, you are trying to find answers. But maybe there aren't any. Or at least none that would satisfy the intellect of a grown-up. I guess WTAPS is one of the more charismatic of the brands, but as said, I get the feeling that most of these guys 'just' have fun doing what they love - NBHD riding their motorbikes, WTAPS playing soldiers, Visvim dressing up as Native Americans or Shakers... . The best thing I ever saw that really opened my eyes was a short interview with Takshin/NBHD about his adidas Superstars. They asked him about the idea for the design and he simply said: "Pirate Ship". So much for the depth and thought that went into that shoe...

Regarding the new WTAPS line - there are some (very) small pics on the BGHD homepage, too. Looks colorful. But they also have their standard muted tones, as well. Honestly, I'm glad they finally put some color into their collections - Visvim, WTAPS, and iDiom in the fall with that metallic red and the tartans. I'm extremely bored looking at my almost all-black wardrobe .

[MilSpex]

If you were familiar with the Japanese language, you'd know that vagueness is omnipresent in dialogues. It would have been good to dig a little deeper, I agree, but then from what I heard about this guy TET, he doesn't speak that much to begin with. So I guess for what it is, the interview is quite informative.

In general, it seems that you have been approaching this whole subject of "streetwear" and related topics (I just finished the very long ACR thread) from a very high and demanding standpoint. Maybe you are looking for values that in this field you won't find? Maybe the fact that some of TET's answers appear to be shallow just shows that - well - there isn't much to WTAPS to begin with... other than a few guys doing what they love and producing the clothing that they'd like to wear. I think that a great many people interpret a little too much into some of these brands' philosophies. I guess that at a certain price (for a piece) one expects to find a great deal of thought. We should keep in mind, though, that within their regional market(s) the brands we all love to talk about so much aren't really that expensive. Neighborhood, Visvim, WTAPS, Bounty Hunter, all these brands in Japan cater to a customer between the ages of 18-25. Nobody beyond that age really cares much about these brands. In the US and Europe, however, it's manly people between 25-35 who are into these brands - as they have the income to buy the stuff (as the price doubles when leaving Japan and entering foreign markets). Surely, at 25 or 30 you have a different understanding for 'what's going on' - you are asking questions, you are trying to find answers. But maybe there aren't any. Or at least none that would satisfy the intellect of a grown-up. I guess WTAPS is one of the more charismatic of the brands, but as said, I get the feeling that most of these guys 'just' have fun doing what they love - NBHD riding their motorbikes, WTAPS playing soldiers, Visvim dressing up as Native Americans or Shakers... . The best thing I ever saw that really opened my eyes was a short interview with Takshin/NBHD about his adidas Superstars. They asked him about the idea for the design and he simply said: "Pirate Ship". So much for the depth and thought that went into that shoe...

Regarding the new WTAPS line - there are some (very) small pics on the BGHD homepage, too. Looks colorful. But they also have their standard muted tones, as well. Honestly, I'm glad they finally put some color into their collections - Visvim, WTAPS, and iDiom in the fall with that metallic red and the tartans. I'm extremely bored looking at my almost all-black wardrobe .

This is ALL onpoint. Tet and Sk8thing were just American culture otaku who made their own world and lifestyle . Same as Nigo, same as HF same as Takeshin etc etc . Just one thing tho - stop acting like color and wtaps is a new thing. tet does color every couple of seasons.

[herpsky]

I did read somewhere that

the target readers of honeyee magazine are in the mid 20's to early 30's.

in fact, i have not seen many young shoppers at FIL or black flag.

labels / stores college kids like (at told by my jpn buddies):

mr. hoollywood, number nine, lad, and burberry black label