The weekend after the Agenda show was the perfect time to hit the 5 boro's and check out those stores leading the way in terms of carrying the most innovative and sought after brands in streetwear fashion.
Following a hearty breakfast of apple pancakes, bacon and eggs and a bucket of earl grey tea in the secluded and incredible Freemans restaurant off the Lower East Side i set off with my crampons and ski poles to negotiate my way through the snow filled streets and subway tunnels of the Big Apple.
First up was the locally based aNYthing. A yardstick brand in terms of streetwear credibility, the only problem was that they can't be bothered to open their shop on a Saturday (or Sunday for that matter). Unfortunate for them seeing as i had a bunch of dough to spend on their stuff…instead Staple got my cash. Having plastered their immediate vicinity with King stickers i scooted over to Supreme, negotiated the hordes of Asian tourists with more money than sense and then jumped on the subway and headed uptown to some of the stores we deal with. First stop Harlem.
Based on W 125th st are our good friends at Atmos. An iconic store when it comes to streetwear and sneaker culture these guys are paid a visit on every trip to NY. Heavy snow greeted me as i snuck out of the subway station into the surrounding chaos. As ever it was fun hanging with Chris and the crew over there. I nearly made a pit stop at White Castle burgers in homage to Harold and Kumar's Munchies but the recollection of soggy onions in the worlds smallest burgers from my previous trip saw me quickly heading east to get the train to the Bronx.
Let me make this clear, i grew up in East London in some pretty rough neighbourhoods, but the Bronx really is no joke. That place is hard arse and thoughts of Cyrus and the gangs from The Warriors that inspired our Warriors collection constantly popped up in my imagination as i rolled north on a graffiti laden carriage in the driving snow. Checking out a few of our regulars, it was getting pretty dark and i still had to get back down to Brooklyn!
Just over the Brooklyn bridge is the first of three stores that make up RIME. A pretty badass store run by the incredibly knowledegable Sue and Frankie. These guys have done some pretty sick collabs in the past, most notably their Puma Rime Gold Sky Wedge sneaker. Keep your eyes peeled for a super limited RIME x King Apparel collab line in the near future. Fist bumps to the RIME crew
The great thing about NY is how late the stores stay open and i still had time to get back to the LES and take in the newly opened Extra Butter. One of the sickest store fits i have seen, these guys originate from Long Island and opened their second store on Orchard street in mid 2013. The best sneakers, limited edition streetwear and some nice hats make this place well worth visiting. Fingers crossed these guys will be carrying some limited King pieces in the near future.
