The next installment of Nike’s 1World project will feature a collaboration with the Legendary Roots Crew’s own, ?uestlove. The ‘Air Questo’ will be released in three stores in the United States.

First, on August 1st at the Alife Rivington Club in New York City with a performance by ?uestlove himself. Next, at UBIQ in Philadelphia on the 5th and then THE MONTALBÁN in Hollywood, California on the 6th. The Air Questo will be made of a mixture of materials, earthy tones like maroon, green and red, and the use of Elephant print.

Nike’s 1World Project Nike Air Force 1 Collection features limited edition Nike Air Force Ones designed in collaboration with the world’s most renowned music and visual artists, athletes and designers. The collection will be made up of a total of 18 designs, and so far Rasheed Wallace and KAWS from the USA, Busy P from France, and Gore-Texer from Japan have all contributed. The project will last through December 2008. For more information go to the Nike 1World website.

Adeleke Sijuwade, a Nigerian born designer and former model also known as Leke, knows that women’s bodies are a work of art. That’s why he is branching out from his already fabulous clothing line for men, ADELKE, to explore how his vibrant and unique designs can flatter women’s curves to make her feel gorgeous.

OLORI, which means Princess in Yoruba, is the name of his newest collection of forty unique pieces for women only. “I’m into the body expressing the clothes, not the clothes expressing the body”, Leke claims. If you want to rock Leke’s designs like Erykah Badu and Tyra Banks do, showcase your style with OLORI.

Tonight, from 7-10pm, catch the designer unveiling OLORI at Pieces Boutique in Brooklyn. You can also view his designs here.

“Primordial Punk,” reads their mission statement, “represents what’s been missing from the cultural dialogue of beauty. It calls upon the talents of professional artists to challenge, confront, rearrange, and revisualize the standard against which AFRICAN-AMERICAN beauty is measure.” What better way to celebrate a new aesthetic for beauty than with some funky pictures and a party?

The Pictures: The 1st-ever BLACK PUNK PIN-UP CALENDAR 2 Primo Pin-Ups, Tamar-kali, Imani Coppola, Sylvia Gordon, MilitiA, DJ Reborn, dj.shErOck, Ife Mora, Nneka Bennett, ninja.bot.body.rock, Josiane, Lesley J, and Bailey Davis. Each model was styled after song lyrics written by a Black rock artist or band. The Calendar ships out in October with proceeds benefiting the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls and the Black Rock Coalition. But until then, we can satiate our punk pin-up cravings by sinking our teeth into…

The Party: Primordial Punk’s 1st Annual Debutante Ball runs in conjunction with the 4th Annual Afro-Punk Fest in Brooklyn. The event will feature 4 hot numbers by our loves, Brown Girls Burlesque with live accompaniment by Mackie Riverside & the Street Pushers, live sets by Apollo Heights, Betty Black, Chewing Pics and Sweetie, DJ Tjade on decks, and live painting by Fly Lady Di. Information will be on-hand to pre-order the Black Punk Pin-Up Calendar for $10.

Debutante Ball Launch Party
Friday, July 11th
Galapagos @ 10PM
70 North 6th Street in Williamsburg
FREE and open to the public

Leaving an imprint on New York’s indie fashion circles for the past few years with experimental, expressive collections, young NYC-based designer Brian Wood sees his latest African Warlord line culminating with the drop of his upcoming Africa Vintage Logo limited edition tee.

Known for artistic pieces suited for the streets and runways alike, Brian Wood’s designs are a product of creative vision and the tutelage of visionaries like Marc Jacobs and Anna Sui. The African Warlord concept was an examination of the impact Western popular culture has had on continental African sensibilities. Ripe with color and content, each piece spoke to the collision of two world cultures.

With the Africa Vintage Logo tee, Brian Wood presents his most artfully crafted piece in the collection thus far. The cut and sew tee features 6 printed iconic vintage logos, with a 4 panel-pieced front, and raw edge sleeve finish. The back neck label is also stitched on an appliquéd square of authentic Khenti cloth. Limited to only 100 total pieces produced, the Africa Vintage Logo tee will surely be a rare delicacy among the boutique circuit.

Be on the lookout for a July 1st drop, and check here for a current listing of shops where you’ll be able to invest in this work of textile art.

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.

Evolving at fiberoptic lightspped, the Goth-Loli — or Goth-Lolita — movement in Japan is not longer just a ’style’, but an entire lifestyle, replete with outposts in other transcultural Japanese youth subcultures — punk, early American, cyber and even kimono.

Beyond even the best pages of Soichi Aoki’s Fruits — which introduced most of the world to the obsessively constructed, deeply theatrical costumes that pass for streetwear in Harajuku, Tokyo — the photographs of Masayuki Yoshinaga don’t just document the outerwear. They capture and communicate the the delicate balance of such Japanese youth subcultures — the frenzy of style, the studied poses for cameras and the surprising awkwardness when caught by Yoshinaga’s lens outside of those poses.

Partnering with TRACE magazine in celebration of our Erykah Badu and Q-Tip Art issue — free download here — the exhibition of Yoshinaga’s Goth-Loli series opens this evening in New York!

139 Norfolk Street
between Rivington and Stanton streets
New York

Laura Marie and Ashley Dimes over at DimePiece Designs have been busy since we last spoke up about their femme-power revolutionizing. Since then, their mission — to dress all the dimepiece women out there in looks to match their savvy sexiness and street n book-education — has taken off from New York to Tokyo, Queensland to Quebec and Zurich to D.F., Mexico.

Fresh from their fashion label’s Summer deployment, check out the unapologetically fierce Obsession tee and their graphic, D-I-M-E-P-I-E-C-E deconstructed leggings in their online lookbook here.

While you’re at it — since we’ve surely got a couple of DimePiece ladies out there in TRACER-land — e-mail us here and we’ll hook you up with an Obsession tee and those leggings!

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.

With seven consistently stunning collections behind her, I was surprised that Lina Österman’s Pudel label only launched a few years ago. Most designers take far longer to achieve the same coherence of elegance, edge, concept and practical wearability that she brings to her “Scandinavian yet London-based” style — if they ever achieve it, that is.

The Pudel Autumn/Winter 2008 line thrives on Österman’s expert crafting and imaginative deconstruction, perfectly suited to her experiments with “gender-free fashion”.

With cult status already spreading like wildfire in Scandinavia and Japan, New York boutiques have started boarding the Pudel train, too, stocking Österman’s equally addictive Spring/Summer line.

All aboard here.