The World of Bovgie Bob
February 28th, 2010
Rob Garcia has been working with us a little over a year now heading our production and designing our cut and sew program that is set to release this coming fall and winter. Creative Contraband invites Rob Garcia to their family of bloggers. You can check out their talented line up at Creative Contraband and see what each member showcases through personal inspirations and everyday grind. This influential diverse group offers nothing but the best and you can see it for yourself.
Source: Creative Contraband
SFstation.com Write Up
February 26th, 2010
Started by three San Franciscans, Black Scale has quickly risen in the ranks of streetwear since its birth two years ago. The flossy flagship is a quick elevator ride up to a second floor on Grant Street, among stores like Camper, Miss Sixty, Energie and Sisley. Unarguably required visiting for the discerning fancier of streetwear with a stylish yet sophisticated edge.
Former Huf General Manager Mega (Michael Yabut) founded the Black Scale brand with Alfred De Tagle (a former manager at Huf whose been DJing as DJ Dé in the Bay since ’93) and Alex Aquino (International Turntable Federation president with longstanding ties to the Rock Steady b-boy crew and director of marketing at Ankh Marketing) two years ago with a line of t-shirts. Since then, the Black Scale Flagship Store opened on Black Friday of last year and the collections now include denim, hats, woven shirts, jackets, shoes and accessories.
Everything in the boutique is of the Black Label brand and the spring collection just dropped. Dubbed “Intuition Experiment,” this collection is about being inspired and moving forward without excessive thought and analysis. Standout pieces include the purple wax waterproof canvas anorak, hooded varsity coat, waxed black long sleeve button-up, waxed black 14-ounce denim and 15-ounce Japanese raw selvedge denim ($150). The Black Label team tries to keep things affordable; their basic jeans (14 ounce minimum) start at $98. Admirable, considering everything in the store seems of supreme quality.
While Black Scale is known for and focuses on menswear primarily, summertime sees tees for tots and the ladies, and a women’s line is in the works. While the wares are distributed internationally, some pieces are only available at the flagship and select brick and mortar stores — another compelling reason to visit. Black Scale rereleases are very rare so if you see something you like don’t sleep on it.
The store setup itself is slick with a definite boutique feel but unpretentious, echoing the minimalistic design ethic of the brand. Mega describes Black Scale as “a darker brand — not too poppy.” It’s a breath of fresh air for the more sophisticated shopper tired of the all-over print and obnoxiously loud colors synonymous with other streetwear labels.
That’s not to say that everything is black, white or grey. In fact one of my favorite pieces from the winter collection was a lavender woven button-up shirt: classy but definitely not geeky.
Rotating art installations and frequent merchandise shuffles add a never-stale constantly evolving gallery flavor to the space. What looks like nails on steroids floating in space is the current installation by Alfred. Props may be added or shifted but full installation changes happen four times a year.
Black Scale is the brainchild of a trio with rich and true histories in the underground hip-hop and street cultures, and it shows. There’s no posing, cheese or corniness here; no attempts to capitalize on the next big fad. It’s refreshing!
The designs are versatile and can be combined to achieve completely different looks. Take the same pieces and the storeowners rock them in completely different ways, which is actually where the “Scale” portion of the Black Scale name comes from: the brand spans opposites.
Every third Thursday Black Scale hosts The Beginning at Otis — a dress-code-free evening with resident DJs Dé and Ruby Red I. What’s in the future for Black Scale? In addition to a standing women’s line, a New York store is in the works. Also keep an eye out for future collaborations. To date, collabs have included Android Homme sneakers in patent leather with zipper details, a Woolrich jacket and Mosley Tribes for Black Scale sunglasses.
Words By: Jialin Luh for SFstation.com
The Retrospective
February 23rd, 2010
RetroTV: Black Scale Balance of Opposites
Black Scale is quickly becoming the unsung hero of street wear culture. Commanding absolute respect on both the ground level and throughout the international fashion market, it’s gone from good idea to San Francisco flagship in only a little over a year. But unconditional admiration and global acclaim is never a simple coincidence: behind every great empire is a leader with vision, and in the case of Black Scale, there’s MEGA.
In a world where balance is everything, MEGA effortlessly walks the edge as if it were the norm, striking the balance of opposites with every stride. This first-hand story takes you beyond the label to hear MEGA’s brilliant perspective, inducting you into the society of secrets known as Black Scale.
Executive Producer: Theretrospective.com
Director: Matt Carvalho
Producer: Gitamba Saila-Ngita
Camera: Brian & Austin Chu
Editing: Brian Chu
Photographer: Steven Simonetti
Original Music: Michael Musumeci
Post Production: thewerehaus.com
Source: The Retrospective
Black Scale Spring 2010 Collection
February 21st, 2010
Mishka Los Angeles
February 18th, 2010
Congrats to the Mishka crew for opening up Los Angeles. It’s time to rage. Ease da Man where you at?
Sarah McColgan x Metro Pop
February 16th, 2010
A few weeks back Sarah McColgan invited some of her Los Angeles friends to shoot for a future issue of Metro Pop magazine. Sarah is a super ill photographer that lives in New York and has worked on some amazing projects. It was great to see everyone that came out and shot that day. It’s always nice to see everyone have fun especially when it’s not in a club. We wanted to say Thank You to Sarah for inviting us out and to everybody that helped that day to make it a successful event. Make sure to check her out and see how talented this young lady is. Pictures above are behind the scene shots for Metro Pop magazine.
S.L.A.T.E
February 14th, 2010
To make an a appointment or for information regarding Black Scale at Slate please email TeronS@Black-Scale.com or Sales@Black-Scale.com