Started a new category titled “Pic of the Week”. Look out for this section to get real interesting in the coming weeks. This first installment is the Ludwig crew from a Warp magazine photo shoot at the Kim Sing Theater.

(L-R Chris, Kengo, Mark, Mike, Bear and Willard)

Strolling thru my itunes list and came across one of my old files titled “One half of Daft Punk”, it’s the guy Thomas’ group called “Stardust”. Drum and Bass heads know it well. It has been used on many dance tracks and sampled on many more…if you don’t start tapping your fingers and stomping your feet to this track, you can’t dance!.
PS - check the cool take-off from SM airport in this video, Enjoy.

Collegue Matt W. Moore (designer behind the “Mazing” tee for LUDWIG’s Spring 2009 collection) has a new show that is opening at Chorus gallery. It is a play off of the fixed gear bike and hangs quite nicely in a gallery setting. It would seem to be difficult to apply Matt’s style of vector graphic onto the canvas of a bike frame, but Matt pulls this off nicely, and it hangs well in the gallery. Excellent job Matt - enjoy.

Stan just sent over these photos of some new press in the FHM Taiwan. Nice cover right? All the people at NEU Store Taichung are tops when it comes to promoting the LUDWIG brand and building the following, this is just another example of how it’s done. Other distributors, and shops take note! - thanks Stan! you are the man.

I just received my latest issue of LODOWN Magazine. I can’t tell you how much I look forward to this magazine when I get it. It reminds me of when I used to get Grand Royal mag, you had to really make time to sit and read everything because the editorial was so in-depth and well covered. The editorial in Lodown runs the gammut, with skate, fashion, art, literature, music, politics, sociology, graphic design, film, etc. etc….(I’m missing alot more). Kids take note: read this magazine, it’s far more enlightening and relevant than your playstation. There aren’t too many mags that do it like Lodown. I take my hat off to them and their staff. If you are lucky enough to snag one at the newsstand, lucky you! - they usually sell out quickly. Here are some snaps of the recent issue…check the captions.

This tyvek envelope looks really cool, and the little green sticker adds a nice detail.

The covers are always well designed, and fresh looking.

This is a great article / interview with Gaspar Noe, ( "Irreversible")

Great typo-graphical usage, right?

Great interview with skate/artist Stefan Janoski

BS Smith never looked so cool.

Book reviews. Hey! they even covered the book I did for Matix, "This Is Progress"...get your copy!

This JUST IN!..You get all 15 Sitckers for only 5 bucks! Send a S.A.S.E (that’s self addressed stamped envelope) include 5 dollars cash or check, to: 718 N. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA. 90012. OR/ make any purchase in the LUDWIG Shop, and we will throw one in FREE!. Below is the great Rumina Sato, posting up with one on his cell-phone from the new LUDWIG Sticker Pack! - Everybody loves stickers! you can use them on your cell, ipod, Blackberry, Walkman, Headphones, Record case, Skate, Bike, Car Window, etc. etc…..whatever.

Big ups to HIGHSNOBIETY, HUNDREDS, FRESHNGOOD, and SELECTOR (aka Typo-graphical) for being the first 4 blogs to support, help and get word out about the LUDWIG x INSPIRIT collaboration t-shirt, “Enjoy Choke”. We sincerely try to bring something new to the “double-name” game, and the “collabo” tip since we know there are so many items out there to keep track of, it’s hard to find something unique. Well, we feel that this co-branded t-shirt between two brands from unique, but parallel universe’s does the trick!..and appreciate the help from you people! Thanks!

Some of you may be familiar with the MMA brand INSPIRIT from Japan. Ludwig proudly presents this Limited Edition T-shirt in collaboration with INSPIRIT Japan called “Enjoy Choke”. This t-shirt celebrates the fun and fanaticism all of us behind both companies share for grappling, jiu-jitsu, and MMA, but first, a little background: While attending the first PSL (Professional Submission League) event a couple years back I had the honor of taking a couple pictures with world renown bear grappler “Judo” Gene Lebell. Gene was giving away his famous “when in doubt, choke ‘em out” patches to those who would let him apply a rear naked choke to them and get ‘put to sleep’ as they say…well, needless to say it was a great experience and was the inspiration for the “Enjoy Choke” tee, since I enjoyed it very much. Fast forward a year later, and we team up with INSPIRIT and Shooto legend Rumina Sato to release the “Enjoy Choke” tee. Both INSPIRIT and Rumina are legendary in Japan MMA circles and will soon be coming stateside for some super VIP seminars and events at the KimSing Theater MMA Dojo (more on that after the jump). - for now, you can get your “Enjoy Choke” t-shirt in the LUDWIG shop. GO NOW! THESE WILL SELL OUT FAST! PS. All orders will come with an autographed postcard from Rumina Sato!

Rumina Sato

UFC Fan Expo

All orders come with an autographed post card from Rumina!

Me getting choked out by "Judo" Gene Lebell -photo by Moe Drasin.

So with that sentiment, we re-broadcast to you a t-shirt from our Fall-08 season. There are only a couple left in the LUDWIG SHOP. Go there now.

So we’ve decided to honor all of the wonderful stores that are dedicated to Ludwig by starting a store of the month spotlight here on the blog. First up, is Sureel in Washington. Sureel has been open for 5 years and carries Ludwig, Huffer, Copy, KZO, Nudie, Ksubi, Naked and Famous, and other brands.  I sent over a few questions for Robert, the storeowner, to answer. One of which was, “How do you think the industry itself has changed in the last year?” To this he answered, “I’m glad that designers are starting to listen to the customers more which is something in am very happy to see, I also love the fact that it is going back to the small guy and now we have a running chance again.”  Thanks so much for your support and for the rest of you, check them out! Their address and website are listed below.

Sureel
15 Lake St #201
Kirkland, WA 98033
Ph: 425-576-1213
www.shopsureel.com