nooka lab: semi precious weapons

first, a huge shout-out to todd owyoung, the handsome and multi-talented designer/photographer/blogger/networker based in st. louis! he is always hooking nooka up with cool new music acts just by wearing his nooka watch all the time. check out his web site here.

thanks to todd's intro, i got to hang out a bit with the sexy justin tranter of the NYC based glam-rock band, semi-precious weapons and his friend jimmy knehans, über handsome model/actor. justin is someone to watch, upcoming reality show, his own line of jewelry at barneys, and album produced by tony visconti!!! TONY VISCONTI yo! to quote one of his songs, [justin] has been magnetic since he was a baby. learn more about justin and all of his projects here. and here is a direct link to buy the album on itunes. really energized my day so i wanted to share.

the zircs shown in these fotos are available here. join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nookaNOW on twitter.

subcarism tokyo at stitch daikanyama

last month i posted some process photos for a piece i did for a group show in tokyo that opens at stitch in daikanyama on the 29th of this month [may].the show is titled SUBCARISM TOKYO and runs through june 14th. the opening i on the 29th from 6-9pm. subcarism = subculture (サブカルチャーsabucaruchah in japanese) + -ism

the goal of the show is to show the global influence of japanese subculture as seen through the international expressions of the urban vinyl scene and features an impressive line-up of talent. i am truly flattered to be included in such a line-up! the show will feature customized versions of each artist/company's signature vinyl and mine will of course be the nookanooka! the foto here is the 3 pieces i customized for the exhibition.

more info on the show here but it is in japanese only.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

ART DENKA http://www.artdenka.com
BEN MORI http://www.benmori.com
BLObPUS http://www.blobpus.jp
Brian Flynn http://super7store.com
Buff Monster http://www.buffmonster.com
Bwana Spoons http://grasshutcorp.com/blog
CHINO http://www.bus-works.com
David Horvath http://www.uglydolls.com
DEVILROBOTS http://www.dvrb.jp/w/
gargamel http://www.gargamel.jp
HARIKEN http://hariken.net
Itokin Park http://www.itokin-park.com
Joe Ledbetter http://www.joeledbetter.com
JUN WATANABE http://www.junwatanabe.jp/
KAIJIN http://www.kaijin-toy.jp
Katope
Koji Harmon www.cometdebris.com
Le Merde http://www.lemerde.com
MAD BARBARIANS
Martin Ontiveros http://www.martinhead.com
Matthew Waldman http://www.nooka.com
MOGraphixx http://www.mographixx.com
sunguts http://www.sunguts.com
T9G http://www.muse-um.com
Takeshi Togo/hgs http://www.thiyea.com
The Wonderful! design works http://w-d-w.com
Tiger Jet Michiko http://blog.livedoor.jp/vinyl_junkies/
Tim Biskup http://www.timbiskup.com
UNIVERSAL POOYAN http://www.universalpooyan.jp
Yukinori Dehara http://www.dehara.com

nooka is available in many shops in japan including stitch in daikanyama as well as here. join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nookaNOW on twitter.

nooka X supreme being

we met the guys behind supreme being at a trade show in barcelona 4 years ago! we've kept in touch ever since, and i am excited to announce a collab! i have watched them grow from t-shirts to a full-fledged fashion company – congratulations guys!

from the official press release: Supremebeing first began as a small, hand-printed graphic t-shirt venture in the UK, and today has grown to a full street-wear clothing line for both men and women. The fully-formed line features everything from clothing to trainers and accessories, along with their staple t-shirt collection. Many of the t-shirts are still printed by hand, keeping the personal touch of the line alive and well. Their ethos, ‘Created First Amongst Equals,’ encourages consumers to not simply wear their clothing for the brand name, but because they love the clothes. This attitude is expressed in the brand’s own designs and is also apparent in the collaborative design with Nooka.

supreme being website here.

nooka featured is available for pre-order here and will ship end-may. join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nookaNOW on twitter.

studio visit: charlie villanueva

let's talk about how to make oneself look very short: stand next to the milwaukee bucks charlie villanueva! he is the sweetest guy and a native of queens NYC [just like me]. thanks to stephanie solomon, my well-connected friend from los angeles for stopping by the nooka lab with him.

nooka featured is available at fine stores and here. join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nookaNOW on twitter.

studio visit: jimmy jane / ethan imboden

i am falling behind with my blogging and i will blame the ICFF for being in town this past weekend [up til today].

on friday, san francisco based ethan imboden came by the nooka lab to talk shop [design entrepreneur stuff] which was really great as i never meet enough people doing ventures similar to mine. ethan is the creative mind behind jimmy jane [website here], a company repositioning sex play products. so though the line couldn't be any more different from nooka, their approach to marketing and placement is similar and we always have a lot to talk about. i also love their tagline: where naughty is nice, sexy is smart, and the pleasure's in the details.

he walked away with a mirror finished zen-h nooka watch which i think matches his style pretty well.

nooka featured is available at fine stores and here. join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nookaNOW on twitter.

nooka sightings: the method man

whether you know him old-school from the wu-tang clan or new-school from the wire on hbo, method man is the shizzle.

seen here in a crooks and castle T and a spring zub zoo 38 in fire engine red.

big shout-out to LaToya McLean for taking the time to send us the photos!


nooka featured is available at fine stores and here. join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nookaNOW on twitter.

Nooka is an official sponsor of The Juan Maclean US Tour this Spring.

nooka X spongebob squarepants

i usually wait to blog about stuff until it's actually in stores or at least a few weeks prior to that date, but as this news is already out on the PR wires, i feel it should also be on my blog.

it's no secret that personally, i'm a huge fan of spongebob [i like square butts and just can't lie...what a great tv commercial!], but was a bit reticent at first to agreeing to a collab when we were approached by nickelodeon. my fears about the collaboration were quickly dispelled when i was shown the great stuff BAPE produced last year and were told that we would have liberty to manipulate and create our own design vocabulary for the project.

i must say, the creative teams at nickelodeon are amazing! they are enthusiastic about their properties and about working with us.

2009 is the 10th anniversary of spongebob squarepants and we are more than stoked to be a part of the year long celebration. our pieces will be available in-stores this summer but look for pre-order status in june on our online store. i'll blog about it again when closer to the drop-date. in the meantime, read this cool article in, of all places, marketwatch.com! and also on hypebeast!

nooka featured is available at fine stores and here. join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nookaNOW on twitter.

Nooka is an official sponsor of The Juan Maclean US Tour this Spring.