Designed by Lanie Alabanza-Barcena, the young Ilocana Filipino who comes at us by way of New Orleans and San Diego, Hellz Bellz is already known for its edgy approach to female youth fashion.

With its latest summer “Heat Wave” collection, the line is emphasizing a woman’s independence and non-conformity within a male dominated society, bringing light to its tradition of “crime for every season”. This summer collection is composed mainly of 80s rock-inspired pieces with flashy designs, acid washed denim, double waist shorts and vibrant colors.

With each new release, the young style star further solidifies her brand and its aim to set itself a part from other women’s collections. For a personal look at this seasons collection click here, to find your local retailer click here.

Last night at New York’s own 205 Club in the Lower East Side, Heatherette celebrated the launch of their new footwear line, showcasing a sampling from the collection. The sneakers were very casual, but as funky and chic like as we’ve come to expect from Heatherette designs.

The label on each shoe read “Rox and Riley” which was supposed to be the name of Rich’s new clothing line when rumors were circulating that the two were going their separate ways back in April. Fortunately, they haven’t called it quits just yet and continue to make enormous strides in the industry. This time while wearing some fresh kicks!

More info here.

According to Greek Mythology, the king of Pessinus, King Midas, came across a Satyr named Silenus in his rose garden. King Midas treated him hospitably and kept him entertained with food and wine while Silenus told him stories and sung songs for ten days. On the eleventh day, King Midas brought Silenus back to his son Dionysus, who promised King Midas a reward of whatever he wanted. His choice was the ability to turn whatever he touched into gold…

In recent weeks, Barcelona has been experiencing its own taste of the Midas touch. Throughout the city, an unknown street artist has been painting ordinary everyday objects such as water fountains, public telephones and garbage cans gold.

So far, no developments have been made in regards to who the artist could be, but it’s been causing quite buzz. The press has referred to the unknown visionary as a guerilla or rebel artist because of his gutsy approach to a new take on visual art.

Yet, it comes off as something more than typical rebellion, and more like an attempt to open the eyes of the people to the beauty and value of their everyday surroundings.

The art of Graffiti is no longer done solely as a hobby. Its popularity has stretched across a vast number of locations, gracing the unsuspecting walls and rooftops of the world. From South Africa to Italy, Australia, Germany and back to the U.S., graffiti artists have been leaving their mark.

In 2003 these daredevil artists were rewarded for their efforts in what has become the largest graffiti battle in the world, Write4Gold. Originating in Europe, Write4Gold brings together graffiti artists who compete for money and fame. It became global in 2006, and since then has marked its territory as one of the most highly anticipated events in the street art culture.

Events take place in the Baltics, Austria, Russia, Denmark and several other locations where they choose finalists for the World Finals, which is held in Germany.

The competition is split up into four categories: concept painting, freestyle throw ups, freestyle tagging and freestyle sketching. The entire event is free to the public and takes place all day, with live band performances and graffiti showcases.

The Budapest competition has found itself a new venue, Mokka Cuka, and takes place this Saturday at 10 am. The competition will feature DJ Swamp, the Vinyl Warriors, and DJ Rocksteady along with other performances and popular Hungarian break dance teams.

Click here for more info and here for some dope videos from previous years here.

Other Upcoming Events Include:

Date: 06.14.2008

Loc: Skaters Palace, Dahlweg 12648153, Münster, Germany

Details: for all crews from Germany, Belgium. Netherlands, Luxemburg, UK, Switzerland

Date: 06.21.2008

Loc: Skatepark Adrenalin, Moscow, Russia

Details: for all crews from Commonwealth of Independent States

Date: 06.29.2008

Loc: Roskilde Festival, Roskilde, Denmark

Details: for all crews from Denmark,Sweden, Finalnd and Norway.

‘Malibu cruising music’ is one of the best descriptions of Cali’s latest Hip Hop sensation Shwayze. Shwayze brings a new feel to West Coast Rap, with his indie/alternative vibe and laid back lyrics. Accompanied by the vocals and acoustic guitar of Whitestarr front man Cisco Adler, Shwayze brings a chill “summertime in the life of a stoner” edge to a sound that could be reminiscent of Gym Class Heroes.

The self-proclaimed “only Black kid in Malibu” uses his self-titled debut album to discuss the good life in his hometown, which proves to be a nonstop party. Filled with hot girls, dope lyrics and an acoustic guitar, Shwayze gets the point across that he’s in it to have fun.

Shwayze first met up with Cisco during a Whitestarr performance in ’05 at Malibu Inn. He jumped on stage and started freestyling while Alex Orbison played drums in the background, and since then he and Cisco have been working together to produce something fresh for the Hip Hop scene. Shwayze gained much attention with his live performances and will be appearing in this summer’s Warped Tour, which kicks off on June 20th in Pomona, California.

In the meantime, catch Shwayze tonight at Crash Mansion in L.A.

For more information check him out here.

Today marks the kick off of Washington D.C.’s Artomatic. Located in Northeast Washington D.C., Artomatic brings together visual artists, performers and musicians for a month-long multimedia arts event. Created in 1999 as a tool for bridging the gap between the arts and the public it has grown tremendously, and provides a place for artists to come together collectively and spread their talents amongst the D.C. community and those traveling from abroad.

What exactly happens at Artomatic? Well, the creators get an empty building and set up artists all over to perform and display their different art. Meanwhile, musicians and other performers are situated in the middle to set the mood. Artomatic showcases 2-D Visual and 3-D Stand Alone artists, poets, dancers, film, theater and much more. The biggest perk — besides experiencing amazing art and live performances, is that the entire event is completely free to the public!

This evening’s events will begin with a live performance by Avalon Parade and Stephaniesid at 6 p.m. It’s certainly an affair you wouldn’t want to miss. Artomatic lasts through to June 15th. For more information on how you can attend Artomatic click here.

10Deep has released a second installment of its spring collection, Rise of the 1oth Brigade. Named after the thought that “strength lies in the hands of the individual (10 fingers),” 10 Deep is notoriously known for its flashy colors and designs when it comes to men’s New York wear.

Unlike Delivery One of the spring collection, The Champion Life, which had a more prepster-high society approach, Rise of The 10th Brigade takes us back to its urban roots with a more casual touch. With bright colors, bold statements, and 80s-inspired designs, the collection brings an edge back to the line that it was lacking.

Honestly, I love both collections but Rise of the 10th Brigade follows more in the direction of today’s fashion. With the amount of 80s pieces and offset colors in the latest trends it’s only expected that they’d re-launch.

For those who can’t find the line in a local retailer, it’s also available on the 10.Spot Webshop here. It’s the only spring ’08 update to the website, and the pieces will be carried in a limited amount.