Brklss releases latest collection The Brklxx Life

Since the brand's inception in 2014, Brklss has always lived up to their "never hold back" mentality. Most of their shirt designs manifested this ethos, with graphics that sometimes spread up to the sleeves and at the back. These past moves give a certain distinction to their latest drop, The Brklss Life. For this release, they focused more on a solid front design, ranging from 3D letters to a flip on a famous American toy brand's logo. They still came up with a couple of tees that feature front and back prints, and printed sleeves for two long-sleeved shirts and a black pullover hoodie. For accessories, they have a black camper hat and three colorways of two stripe crew socks. Available at www.dailygrindstore.com and at Brklss retailers. Lookbook photos shot by Lance Manuel, styling by Yukari Galindez.

Sundae Cruz on being a Freelance Photographer in the Philippines vs. in New York

They say if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. Now I’m not 100% sure this is true, but I do know this is a line from the Frank Sinatra song, “New York, New York.” He does make a fine point, though, seeing as New York is the city that never sleeps – and so the hustle just keeps on going 24/7. New York is also known as the land of opportunity, housing the world’s major commercial, financial and cultural centers. With that, the city attracts the best of the best from all over the world – And this is what Sundae Cruz strives for.

We invited Sundae one afternoon to talk about what drew him into photography, his life as a freelancer, and his plans of moving to New York.

Sundae Cruz is a freelance photographer from Manila, whose interest in the field kicked in pretty late. He started out as a photographer for his brother’s band back in 2010; touring with them, and candidly taking photos as they played in gigs, and his growing fondness led him to go back to school and study photography. This was in 2011, and since then, he has been hard at work just learning the craft and honing his newly developed skill. He used to be a managed talent of an agency until he decided to go the freelance route, when he started feeling overworked and looking at photography as just a means of sustenance rather than it being a creative endeavor. Now if you think freelancing is a walk in the park, where you can chill and relax, book projects left and right, and just take photos when needed, think again – Sundae tells us how challenging it is to be a freelance photographer.

“When I went freelance, I thought it’s gonna be better, but it’s actually a lot tougher. In the industry, you have to be someone to get noticed, and I don’t do very good PR. I don’t go out that much, I only hang out with people that I already know. Generally I’m very shy, and it’s very difficult if you’re that kind of person. You have to be really outgoing, you have to be cool, and if you’re not, it’s so hard to get published and get work.” and he goes on about the struggles of being a photographer in the Philippines, “If one person doesn’t like you, it’s so easy to poison other people’s minds. And you know how big chismis (gossip) is here. Some don’t bother to confirm anything, so if they hear it from someone who they think is credible, they immediately believe it and take their word for it.”

We continued to talk about his life as a freelance photographer until we moved to discussing his recent trip to New York. Sundae Cruz went to the Big Apple to further his knowledge on photography at the International Center of Photography. “There are a lot of fundamentals that you have to consider. Before I learned all the technical things, I thought I knew enough. But I guess the advantage of having formal training is from the get-go, you know where you are in,” Sundae tells us the importance of formal education in a field where barrier of entry is fairly easy. We go on asking him about New York, and how different it is from his state in the Philippines. “In New York, there’s a higher ladder to climb but it’s easier to climb. It’s because they don’t look at the person doing the work, they look at the actual work. They don’t care if you’re nobody as long as you can produce good stuff. During my first month, I already got to work with models from IMG and different agencies. Here in the Philippines, it’s harder to get noticed and get yourself out there. You have to have a name before you get jobs, and those jobs won’t even pay for your bills.”

As a freelancer, Sundae feels there is a lack of opportunity in the Philippines because the big guys look at big names, but he is hopeful that the freelancer industry will improve and newcomers will finally be given a chance to showcase their talent. As for Sundae, New York is where he feels most alive and inspired, so we're excited to see how he does in a bigger, more global stage.

View some of Sundae Cruz's work below, and to see more you can visit his Instagram account, @sundaecruzphotos.

WIP Caps unveils the W Herringbone Snapback Cap

At it since 2008, WIP Caps is one of the more visible independent apparel brands in the local scene. Their hats have been worn by hip hop artists, rock musicians, and their legion of collectors. This time, they took cues from the colder months ahead for the latest iteration of one of their classic hat designs. The W Herringbone snapback cap sports the brand's "W" logo, this time rendered via a white 3D embroidery, They used a herringbone fabric for the dome and bill, providing a somewhat luxurios feel to this headwear piece. To see the hat in action, check out the video below.

Enimal's Dream Catcher Collection Lookbook takes us to the streets of the Metro

Los Banos based clothing Enimal encourages you to unleash your wild side yet again with their newest collection, Dream Catcher. In it, the stars of the show are vivid colors and quirky racy prints that seek to put a smile on your face for the daily hustle up ahead. The pieces are given a burst of life in the collection's lookbook where we are taken to the streets of the Metro and the various scenes that happen in the busy cityscape. To check out more of the lookbook photographed by Lance Manuel (and eventually place your order), head on over to Enimal's Facebook page.

Understand the Art of Japanese Denim through the Weaving Shibusa Film

The culture around denim may seem very odd to most, primarily due to the intense passion for something that is regarded mundane by the majority. But what fascinates me the most about denim heads is their extreme passion to the pairs from start to finish. Every part of its make and tear, are stories that are waiting to be shared and explored. It's probably one of the few fashion items that could transcend trends and embody its wearer's character entirely. But I could only speak from opinion as I'm not a big part of the culture. However, if you are as interested as I am to know more about this inspiring culture and community, you should not miss this coming showing of Weaving Shibusa. It is a film about Japanese craftsmanship, dedication and passion for denim. It features the "Osaka 5", the highly regarded people responsible for Japan's denim revival, plus several more innovators who paved the way for Japanese Denim to be at its highest quality to date. You can see the list of individuals featured in the film below;

Mikiharu Tsujita of Fullcount, Hisao Manabe of Japan Blue, Atsusuke tagaya of Stevenson Overall Co., Atsushi Matsushima of Clutch & Lightning Magazines, Yutaka Fujihara of BerBerJin, Fake Alpha, Kazuhiko Hanzawa of Marvin's Vintage, Masayoshi Kobayashi of The Flat Head, Hajime Inoue of TCB, Shinichi Haraki of Iron Heart, and Etsuko Satou of Shinya Mills.

Weaving Shibusa will be shown at Central Square Cinema on November 19, 2016 at 8pm. Tickets are sold at the Signet store in Shangri-la at the Fort, or get them for free when you purchase Japanese denim jeans from their store as well. Signet carries Fullcount, The Flat Head, TCB and Iron Heart jeans. To further prime you of what to expect from the Weaving Shibusa Film, please watch the trailer below.

This is where you can Feed your Inner Wanderlust

Traveling is so much easier nowadays — with seat sales popping up for every holiday and long weekend, domestic and international data plan promos, and online travel itineraries for whatever adventure one is in for. Valerie and Anthony certainly took advantage of that, when they embarked on a trip back in 2013, and hopped from one European city to the other to experience the rich culture every place had to offer. Valerie, being a travel bug, was in it for the beautiful scenery, art and architecture, while Anthony, admittedly a gourmand, went to search for unique gastronomic delights — put two and two together, and three years later, you have Vanderlust.

Being in corporate for the longest time, Valerie and Anthony finally decided to leave their desk jobs behind, and traverse a different route with Vanderlust. This passion project was birthed from their immense love for adventure, and their desire of sharing it with others through good food and delectable dishes. Vanderlust features homegrown pastries from three European countries: Cannoli from Italy, Schneeballe from Germany, and Churros from Spain. They also serve hot menu items that hail from the different cities they visited. One bite of their delicious food, and you're instantly transported to the lively streets of Europe.

Oh, and if you must know, Vanderlust is how the Germans pronounce Wanderlust, which means a strong desire to travel — this place will surely give you that and more.

Vanderlust
Sct. De Guia cor. Tomas Morato, Quezon City

A Discussion With. Mai Mailan about Calle Skate Shop

Tucked away in a small corner in Pasig is one of the critical hubs of today's local skate scene. A rail sits in front of the store. The shop's left wall is filled with shoes while the right side is adorned with apparel goods and skateboard decks. Then they have the customary skate magazines and photos around the space as well. In addition, the people manning the shop are skaters themselves, they have the skaters attitude with welcoming guests, like how they would treat fellow skateboarders who traveled from farther places just to skate at their spot. Welcome to Calle Skate Shop.

Last October 15, Calle celebrated their 7th year anniversary. They started with their yearly tradition of selling brand new decks for only P1,000 each. And then skate contests and an alleycat race followed suit. As always, the ensuing celebration is where they stayed true to their name. The street was adorned with the people that call Calle home: skaters, fixed gear riders, musicians, and the like. A true street party took place, with beer as refreshment while burgers and fishballs were consumed. A DJ spins some music before the live performances from local bands – Typecast and Pinkcow brought the show to its apex, which made people dance and mosh to embody the punk vibe that skateboarding is almost synonymous with.

As cliché as it sounds, the party was definitely better than the last one. But what led to this constant growth from an underdog, a do-it-yourself outfit? Skateboarding is a youth movement, which makes trends fast-paced and volatile. Kids switch brands and styles in a blink of an eye. Only time can tell if skateboarding is indeed a passion for an individual. And from the looks of it, Calle has a formidable number of people housed under the same vibe. They paid their dues, with an online shop that first laid the foundation before a physical store took place. Skate videos were also a viable ingredient, with a full-length one back in 2011 as a hallmark achievement. They also always introduce a new rider with his own introduction video. To know more about their story, we now hand the mic to shop owner and founder Mai Mailan.

Interview by David Villania III. Photos by Earvin Perias.

When and how did you start skating?

I started skateboarding around 1996 with a couple of friends who got hooked after watching Gleaming the Cube. (laughs)

What is Flipskates? 

Flipskates is an online shop I started in 2007. We started selling from the trunk of my car after office hours.

How did your clientele with Flipskates start to grow as the months went on?

Well during that time only a few online shops sell the products that cater to skateboarders here in Manila. So as soon as they found out that we have this certain item and the price is way cheaper, it started to blow up. We got orders everyday and sent shipments nationwide, it was crazy.

What swayed you from having the online shop to forming the physical store, Calle?

Too many meet-ups and too many shipments in a day that cost us some orders not being met, it made me realize that we needed to do something about it. So after a couple of years Calle was born.

What can you say is Calle known for among skaters?

We really sell affordable but good quality skateboards back then until now, and we have a kick ass team, so I guess this is what we are known for.

Why did you come up of the anniversary tradition of selling the decks P1,000 each? What made you continue it every year? Has it been growing year after year?

Just so you know, back then we used to buy secondhand boards and some hand me down boards from relatives from the States. One of the reasons why I started this shop is to help young skateboarders get quality boards for a very good price, and so eventually a local talent gets recognized worldwide. So this yearly tradition is a way of helping us achieve that goal. It is getting crazier every year and as long as we are here we'll keep on doing this until we get our first gold from the Olympics. (laughs)

What can you cite as manifestations of this yearly tradition's impact in the skate scene?

Only few will sell overpriced secondhand boards.

Who is on the current roster of the Calle skate team? What do you look for when sponsoring a skater?
We still have the OG team line up: Don Ramon, Nog-Nog, Neil John Natividad, Iking, Nonong Sanoy, Chocks Mangaspar, Kris Nicolas and we got some new recruits: Dwight Trinidad, Lornel Bihasa, Sheperd and JD. When sponsoring, style matters but we take attitude more seriously.

What are your future plans for your skate team? Do you guys have another full-length video in the works?
Travel and skate with the team and, as they say, stack 'em clips. We have something for you guys soon.

What would be your dream project for Calle? Dream collaboration?
A collaboration with a foreign brand is on the top of our list, perhaps a Filipino-owned brand based in the United States.

Got a message for the people who supported you since day one?
Thank You.

Building a business venture out of your passion is a tricky business. Especially for those who have to balance their time, prioritizing between being an entrepreneur, having a day job, and taking care of one's family. Sometimes your vision might not manifest. Sacrifices are meant to be made, with moves meant more for the people and for the scene than for monetary gains. The stories of people like Mailan prove that this can be achieved. With a team of friends to help him out, and a genuine friendly attitude towards his customers, Calle has definitely grown, with branches in Tanauan and Baguio to boot. But still, there are more goals to be achieved. More skate contests to support and more skate prodigies to discover and nurture. As they constantly achieve their purpose of helping the scene, it's safe to say that Calle is on its way to reaching the decade mark. Bet on them nailing a couple of decades more, or maybe well beyond.

Beautiful Destinations presents the Philippines through a stunning video

This is just a casual reminder that we live in such a breathtaking country. And Beautiful Destinations is here to prove it.

The award-winning creative technology agency, renowned for building the largest travel and lifestyle portfolio on Instagram and Snapchat, recently dropped a stunning video of our shores. The video serves as the culmination of the Department of Tourism's partnership with five of the biggest travel influencers from the agency's team who captured the gorgeous unfiltered moments during their stay. Sam Kolder's cinematography is a feast for the eyes as we are taken to a three minute round trip to our country's top destinations in Cebu, Palawan, Pangasinan, Bohol, and Manila. Alternating scenes from the heart of the Metro, the country's most iconic spots, and the lush islands come into play in a heartwarming montage.

Take in one marvelous sight after the other. The crystal clear beaches with its pristine waters in different shades of blue, punctuated by islands in sharp shades of brown and green. A vibrant distinct animal life that lives under our seas and on our lands. The warmth of the smiles and laughters that emanates from just about every Filipino you meet. Snapshots and time lapses of the beautiful chaos that abounds in the city. Sunsets like no other. Just like that and we're sold. We can't help but fall inlove with our 7,107 islands all over again!