To commemorate Alexander McQueen's life (1969 - 2010) I chose to where my AMcQueen x Pumas today.

If shoes were candy I'd have a mouthful of cavities by now. Terrible analogy I know, but I wanted to somehow tie it in with Gems' themed store front.

Yes, Gems sells candy in the front to whet your appetites, and while you suck on your tasty treat you somehow realize that it's more than just a candy shop. You see three shoes hang as a window display, and your first thought is WTF?!

You then ask John, the owner, "What's up with the shoes?" He answers with a little smile, "Do you really wanna know?" And he opens the secret passage doorway into the back as if Willy Wonka himself was walking you into his candyland. With your mouth open you gawk at the real treats...rare shoes you'll only find in the finest boutiques in the world; Gems being one of them!

I was like a kid in a candy store (pun intended). Well, I continued to feed my shoe fetish with a pair of Claes and a couple pairs of Generic Man just in time for Spring. I was told the candy shop will soon be gone. So stop in at Gems and satisfy your sweet tooth and feed your shoe fetish at the same time. To add sprinkles on top, they're having a 40%-75% off sale right now!

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

You know where we stand. Team Pacquiao FTW ALWAYS!

The 2010 Winter Olympics is literally around the corner. Patrick Deneen is the hands-down favorite to win the gold for men's moguls (bumps). Patrick's been killin' the bump scene for the last couple of years adding a couple huge credits to his name; 2008 World Cup Freestyle Skier Rookie of the Year, AND more importantly, 2009 World Champion Freestyle Skier.

Well, Patrick's a homegrown, PNW local...and we definitely like supporting locals.A couple seasons ago we kicked him some gear. Low and behold, I saw a few pics posted on Facebook with Patrick in our Stereotype tee. Thanks for representin' Pat!

The following pics were taken by Sho Kashima, another bump skier, along with his editorial on what happened to Patrick.

"Some random guy yacked on Pat's jacket on a flight to Paris! All over the inside and neck collar...ewww. Pat's jacket + yack = yacket...ditched into the garbage...for now (get ready, this is an awesome sequence)."

"'Wait...I forgot my iPod in my coat pocket!!!'"

"Good thing you didn't ditch your iPod!! (He ended up finding a plastic bag and bringing the coat home)."

Russell is real! I wonder if Kevin is too?!

I'm finally back from the Philippines. What a great trip! I took a gang of pics but really aren't relevant for this blog. In fact, this one probably isn't either or the last few for that matter.

Anyway, one of my hot buttons have always been traveling; specifically, traveling through airports and airplanes. I'm amazed by the enormity of airports and its architecture. One of my favorites being Incheon Airport, Korea. It's absolutely gigantic with the best retail and food (this kimchee soup meal was less than $5.00). But of course we gotta keep it street a little so one sticker doesn't hurt, right? :)

It's the season of giving y'all. Last Saturday a gang of friends participated in the Winter Pineapple Classic. Since I didn't participate in the race I ended up being the group photographer. Which basically turned out to be me running half the race anyway and taking pics as the team overcame the obstacle course. Next year I'll participate and leave the camera duties to someone else.

This event is a 5k team run with obstacles followed by a Hawaiian luau to help The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society whose mission is to find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. Click on the link above if you're interested in donating to the cause.

More pics can be viewed at the King CrossFit site.

To give you a little insight on myself, outside of dreams to grow a successful clothing line, one of my personal passions has always been to impact the world in some way. Well, I'm excited to tell you that my journey has just begun.

I am headed to the Philippines helping rebuild, heal, love orphaned, abandoned and neglected kids! As a fundraiser I am selling some tees, obviously. Even better, 100% of the proceeds will be going to the kids.
 
"We stop searching for purpose, we become it..Passion is the desire to touch and be touched, the desire to reach, pass on to the world what you love, and through that opening, the world passes into you..."

I'm not really writing this entry to solicite any donations. I just wanted to let people know that there is life outside of streetwear and fashion. And, if I can in some way impact one of those lives in a positive way then I have done my job as a human being. But, if you are interested in donating please email me directly at jovi@soyclothing.com, and I'll send you details.

To greater significance!

Thanks to all that participated in the Typhoon Relief Benefit last Friday, which will benefit the victims of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng in the Philippines.

We opened up our vault and donated a lot of tees; I'm guessing it retailed at over $3,000 alone. Each person that donated received a SOY tee, and the remaining gear will be boxed up and shipped with the rest of the donations. The event itself was able to raise over $2,000! That's incredible! Again, much thanks to those who sponsored and attended the event. What a relief!