Eugene Kan; Hypebeast

As the Editor of Hypebeast, Eugene Kan is at the forefront of one of the most influential urban style sites around.  Hypebeast commands huge traffic and huge respect with a voice, vision and style that's respected and replicated globally.
Eugene spoke at length in one of the Carbon forums and shared some of the secrets of his/Hypebeasts's success, and for those of you keen to get the down low, he suggested that having a unique voice is key to making a success online, how the most important commodities you can have are a solic product that oozes quality, and most importantly you need passion to drive you on.
I like many am a big Hypebeast fan, and was excited to hear news of a possible Hypebeast mag being released in the future, definitely something to look out for.
More Carbon content coming soon...

We Are All Carbon; Melbourne

This weekend saw the Carbon Festival bring together some of the world's leading urban style creatives in a unique collection of forums and events in Melbourne, Australia.

I was lucky enough to be invited and I'll be sharing some of my favourite findings and shots with you starting with the above montage featuring shots from the main auditorium where crowds gathered to hear from some truly inspirational figures.

I'll be posting as quickly as I can get through all the images and video I shot and I know you'll love my next post about a truly key figure in the urban style world...don't miss it!

Sarah-Jayne; London

Sarah-Jayne is a passionate sneaker lover from London.  She is all about fusing bold street style with hot sneakers, something that she illustrates in her own blog.

She's always on the hunt for sneaker gems, with some '92 Air Huarache's plucked from their unsuspecting owner for 25 quid as her prize possession.

These Air Flows are the newest addition to her collection, she picked up 2 pairs, these in Black and another in Cherry Blue and will go a long way to making sure she at the forefront of girls representing the strong UK sneaker scene.

Bathing Ape Pirate Store Pop Up; London

Rockport AW '12 Menswear

As a name synonymous with supreme comfort and functionality, Rockport is a brand constantly striving to make the perfect shoe.  Now a subsidiary of adidas, Rockport is looking to fuse their industry leading function with some contemporary form, and with it's new Australian AW 12 collection the brand have product that is sure to turn heads from those looking to find style and support in equal measure.
I was able to put these exclusive shots together showcasing the brands new collection, and as you can see, when teamed up with great new denim from Riders by Lee, the Rockport styles ranging from brogues to desert boots, and moccasins to boat shoes make this a brand to look out for this season.

Circle Park Launch; Sydney

It's always great to see new brands emerging in Australia, and Sydney's most stylish were out in force for the launch of new brand Circle Park's first collection.
Fronted by thoroughly lovely and likeable Timothy Turner-Sutton (see top image), the brand's 'Sons of Leisure' collection combines easy to wear smart-casual wear with an edgy feel.
The night was great fun and a fantastic time was had by all, and keep an eye out for the brand's emergence through 2012.

A big thanks to Yen at Mecho for setting up the shoot, and make sure you add Mecho to your bookmarks so you can keep up to date with the Style Black Book.

Reebok x Avengers

With the imminent release of the new Avengers movie Reebok are about to drop some great kids sneakers inspired by key superheroes from the movie.

The Avengers may be used to saving the world, but I wanted to put the Hulk (well, the Hulk inspired Reebok Versa Marvel Hulk shoes) to the toughest mission possible; keeping up with a Toddler.
I was lucky enough to be given a pair of the colourful kicks by Reebok and this is my take on the shoe, and it's Avenger like speed, strength and toughness. Grrrr!
To check out the shoes and the other great product in the range check out Foot Locker Australia.

Movie vision courtesy of Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Pictures/Paramount Pictures, and music 'Judy Was A Punk' courtesy of The Ramones.

Puma After Hours Pt 2; Sydney

 

Following on from Tuesday's post highlighting some new product from the PUMA After Hours 2012 here's another lookbook styling I put together and shot with some more great items from the brand's Australian drop.

The campaign is designed to fuse contemporary design with items that can cater for anyone so check it out, there should be something just for you in the range!

DISCO TEE WHITE ANIMAL PRINT FRONT $50

LIFESTYLE PANTS $90 MODERN LIFESTYLE SWEAT $100 RUCKHOLZ SEUDE BLUE $220 Prices in Australian dollars, and for Australian stockists please call 1800 811 511.

Going Underground; London

Puma After Hours Pt 1; Sydney

 

  

PUMA Social 2012 continues the concept of the brand's After Hours Athlete Campaign.  The idea is that we're all athlete's (even if our only physical exertion is limited to running for the bus), but that hasn't stopped the good folks at Puma from putting together some great product to cater for your needs.

I shot some lookbook shots for the new PUMA Social collection with some of the hottest pieces to hit Australia, details on the pieces are below!

SEGLER RIPSTOP BROWN MENS KICKS $160

HUSSEIN MOTORCROSS PANTS $160

SAIL PRINT WIND JACKET BLACK $160

EDITION CREW SWEAT DARK GREY $90 STRIPED GRAPHIC TEE $40

Prices in Australian dollars, and for Australian stockists please call 1800 811 511.

Pedestrian Power Pt 3; London

 

 

New Arrival With A Fresh Look; London

Matthieu is a colourful and outgoing character, and his flamboyant style is a clear reflection of his personality.
He has a taste for the finer things in life and wears premium, designer labels wherever possible.  This even filters down to his footwear choices, and these Kris Van Assche shoes make a striking statement with a design that typifies the Paris-based designers chic and elegant work.
Matthieu is an Acting Teacher and is constantly looking for ideas and inspiration so another key item he packs when taking to the street is his notebook, and when he opened it up I loved the neat and meticulous attention to detail that mirrors his look.

Nike Mercurial Vapor VIII

As a huge football (or Soccer as you Americans and Aussies call it) fan, I'm always interested to see new product and design related to the sport.  Perhaps unsurprisingly I've always been interested in football boots and the last few years have seen some incredible innovations and developments that have helped change the landscape of sports footwear.
At the forefront of these innovations have been Nike, with their Mercurial range of boots setting the standard for Elite Lightweight Footwear since the late 90's.
Since then the Mercurial range has constantly evolved with newer, lighter and more dynamic designs, and with the current launch of the Mercurial Vapor VIII, the brand have produced their lightest boot yet.
Nike gifted me with a pair of the new Mercurial Vapor VIII – and as a result, have created my vision on some fantastic product that I was more than happy to roadtest.
Enjoy!

Jonny; London

Jonny is a keen follower of fashion.  He likes to stay up to date with trends, and when something hot and new comes along you can be sure that Jonny will interested.  Dr Martens are undergoing something of a popularity surge around the world at the moment, so it's no surprise that Jonny has jumped in with both feet!

He has an eclectic look that borders on the flamboyant, and while a flashier shoe might get lost in such an array of colour and texture, his Doc Martens do a great job of holding everything together.

By the time you read this Jonny may have binned these shoes after commiting to another look, so here is some photographic proof of Jonny's Dr Martens phase, if you blinked you may have missed it!

East London Candids

Puma x UNDFTD Snakeskin Collection

  

Iconic culture brand UNDFTD's collab with Puma is celebrating it's first drop of 2012 with the special limited edition UNDFTD x PUMA Clyde Snakeskin pack.

Focused around the classic Clyde and RS silhouettes, the collab see's snakeskin detailing given to each shoe (on the form stripe on the Clyde's and around the cuffs on the RS), with the Clyde available in red, white or black, and the RS in black, or red (as shown above) on a shoot I did last weekend to show off the great product.

For more info check out Puma's Australian site here and some exclusive Australian stockists; Espionage, Highs & Lows and Laced.

Valentina From Venice; London

Valentina is from Venice and has only just moved to the London.  She finds the style scene in the her new home strange, but has found comfort in the fact that while Cons are hugely popular back in Italy, they are also popular in the UK too.

She's only just moved to London and while a lot about her new location may feel odd, she can take comfort in her shoes as these simple, easy and highly practical kicks help her pound the pavement looking for work.

Prescribed to the Dr; London

Originally from Ireland, Lynsey is a make-up artist now working in East London.  

She was taking a break outside her studio when we met, and I was instantly interested in her bold style with punk/mod/ska influences that echo some of London's defining style eras, and it's possibly no surprise that her footwear of choice mirrors these era's; Dr Martens.

Lynsey has worn the brand all day, every day, for as long as she can remember.  Initially she was a purist only wearing black, she then tried white, and has now added the most colourful shoe to her collection yet in this Cherry Red pair.

Striking, committed, and individual, Lynsey embodies so much about what is great about London's diverse range of styles.