An Interview With: MADEBYHADEN

Source: @madebyhaden 

11 months later..

So guys, how you all been?

Today I have another little interview for you only this time its with a 7ft native Yorkshire giant called Haden.. well I thought he was called Haden until he added me on facebook under the name Freddy. Anyway I digress, this interview isn't totally professional but that's the whole point and its a bit of fun so don't get your knickers in a twist.

Q1: Whats with the Instagram name?

MadebyHaden, i'd love a great story behind the name, truth be told I took it from the clothes labels 'Made in China' but 'Made in Haden' doesn't sound right so then I thought of MadebyHaden.. because everything on my account is made by me, (fits, most shots, edits etc.) so that made sense.

Yeah, 'Made in Haden' really doesn't sound right.. onto the next question.

Q2: You say your a hypebeast, does wearing a few Off-White tees count? What makes you identify as a hypebeast?

I didn't know I identified as a hypebeast? Ive had more than two Off-White tees if that counts though. Honestly 'hypebeast' is well overplayed now, I feel like its only appealing to 12 year olds to wear Off-White/Yeezy fits, even the word is just cringe now to be honest..

Fair response, about your bio then.. 

Q3: Okay I'll ask some serious questions, what made you start shooting and a fashion based Instagram account?

It started with shoes way back, always had an interest in shoes, then started taking pictures of those shoes and then from there the pictures went from my feet to my legs and then just full fits. Started shooting alone in a car park or wherever I could find, got my first feature then got hooked.

When can we see these leg pictures man I'm interested.

Q4: Whose content do you rate on social media at the moment and why?

@sangiev, where I started in fashion from his videos, but his account!.. @miakhalifa, @blvckmvnivc's account has been mad in quality lately. @hosseinpaker is one of the best examples of what NOT to do unless you're trying to be a tosser.

Hmm, I'm sure John and Sangiev are honoured to be up there with Mia..

Q5: Do you like Bradley Wiggins?

Whose that? Is he a hypebeast?

Im just trying to be funny, didn't work did it..

Q6: What makes your Instagram different from any other 'hypebeast' Instagram?

Nothing.. there is nothing different about hypebeasts anyway. It's all the same shit always, I don't feel I'm a part of that anymore especially with where I'm going in the future with my content!

Sounds good man, keep an eye out people!

Q7: Would you ever try a different designer to what you currently wear, eg. Rick Owens, Raf Simons, Dries Van Noten etc?

All of the above and more, Vetements, Acne Studios, Amiri, Fendi (all the way) and Haider Ackerman all make some HARD pieces. It's all sub branches of the same thing, I appreciate individual pieces from brands not just the brand itself.

All of the above do indeed make sweet pieces! Time to hang your Off-White up and put the Yeezy's away or is too soon?

Q8: And finally, what are your honest thoughts on @mvisoli's love for Taylor Swift?

No comment, it ain't for me.. but all love.

Agreed.

So hope you enjoyed that guys, something different to your usual, slightly boring interview with answers you can usually guess. Big thanks to Haden for answering the questions, make sure you give him a follow! 

Should I make this more of a regular thing? Finding out peoples honest thoughts and answers to some not so typically structured questions?

Let me know!

Source: @madebyhaden 

JORD Wooden Watches Part. 2

Photography: @grvgtaylor & @aaron.haigh 

Yup its me. Been a while huh?

 Anyhow, a couple of weeks ago I was contacted by non other than past collaborative brand JORD Watches. Instantly reminded of their amazing craftsmanship and attention to detail I was more than excited to continue on another campaign with them. This blog post was supposed to be made a lot earlier but due to shipping times over from the states where JORD are based it has been postponed sadly. However despite being very busy recently with college I'm pushing to get this post out asap!

The beautiful timepiece sent to me by JORD is from their HYDE series and features a stunningly simple face in black with red accents supported by a deep brown wooden strap. The level of detail continues into the packaging, which has significantly improved over the last watch I received (even then it was great!). The box's lid now features four magnetic points securing it to the body but ensuring easy access I found this a lot cleaner and quieter, yes quieter! than the old sliding wooden lid which did squeak a little. JORD branding is found engraved onto the front, placed above the convenient sliding tray in which you can store the NEW microfibre cleaning cloth and wood preserve pen (both now available with all watches). One of my personal favourite elements of the packaging is a geometric and JORD branding cut out at the bottom of the main compartment allowing a look into the sliding tray below. Finally to make sure your new watch is nice and comfortable its wrapped around a soft, padded JORD cushion, now hows that for detail! 

The best part I find for JORD is the price, you get all the quality, practicality and extras for half the price you'd pay on a metal or plastic watch. Personally I would say wooden watches are on par if not even better than most metal watches! They're incredibly comfortable and when it gets into the colder months like it is now they don't freeze your wrist off.

Fancy your own JORD watch before Christmas? Follow this link (Click Here!) to get yourself one with a 25% discount! I'd recommend the HYDE series just like mine.

- Click Here For The Mens Shop
- Click Here For The Women's Shop
- Click Here For The Link To My Watch


Thanks for reading and supporting me.

see you on the next one.

Greg.

Purchasing Your First 'Yeezy'

Source: grvgtaylor

Hi.. Yeah its me. You've seen me before, I think. Well not in a long time. But now, now I'm back and I'm here for good don't worry about that. I understand that my hiatus from my blog may have been prolonged just a little bit too much and with me recently quitting my job at a cafe I figured this would be perfect to really focus and get back into the page.

Now, enough of that. Here is my first returning post!

 In the world of streetwear and fashion in general the name Kanye West isn't exactly un-heard of. With his music being easily accessible but much can be said for his infamous collaboration sneakers with Adidas. They aren't exactly the easiest to obtain without having to pay resell especially if your a first time buyer with little or no experience with what to look for and this is where I hope this post will give a little or maybe a lot of help!

I myself have been scammed several times before finally getting my first real pair which happened to be the 'Beluga V2' so don't think i've never been in the position.

Now this post is mainly revolved around purchasing pairs on the resell market, if you can pick up retail pairs from Adidas or supplied stores then great there is a segment at the bottom of the post just for that!

I'd also like to point out that this is regarding the Adidas Yeezy partnership not the mainline Yeezy Season as most of their products are readily available from retailers.

Know Your Pricing

One of the biggest things to know about buying a pair of Yeezys is to know the current market value and resell price. For example if someone is selling a pair of brand new Moonrock 350s for £250 its most probably not going to be real.. where as if they were selling for £1000 its a bit more understandable. Don't let a low price draw you in and entice you into a sale as this is one of the easy ways sellers of fake products target first time buyers. However make sure you do your research and don't pay over the odds. Make sure to look at places such as Depop, eBay, Instagram and Facebook groups such as SneakerMyth and Yeezy Talk WorldWide for information and to give you an idea.

Get Involved With The Communities

If you have been looking around for pairs and are unsure on anything make sure to get involved with the online sneaker and fashion communities for answers. Facebook groups are great for posting: legit checks, want to buys, want to sells, price checks etc. 9 times out of 10 whenever I have posted a query or question I have gotten the answer I was looking for. Purchasing from reputable places and people within the communities are also vital as it stops you from being scammed or ripped off. People within groups ask for legit checks on other people to see reviews and references so don't be afraid to do that either.

Know Your Product

As well as asking others to legit check for you it really does help if you have prior knowledge to what a fake and an authentic look like. Make sure to watch youtube videos, look at pictures and really gain information on what to look out for on your specific model your wanting to buy. Main things to look out for usually involve: tags, the box, the boost, the insole, the stripe (V2 model), stitching, lace tips and just the overall shape of the shoe. Just make sure you get the opinion of several people first rather than spends hundreds of pounds solely based on your own knowledge and view as there are always things you may miss out or not see that make the shoe a fake.

Also make sure to check the condition and see if it adds up to the asking price!

Purchasing Direct From Adidas Or Participating Retailers

Now just like everyone else before we go paying resell we generally attempt at paying the retail price and getting lucky. If you are unsure of how to do this websites such as Sole Supplier and pages like Yeezy Mafia tend to leak out release dates and store lists a few weeks in advance. This will let you know how limited they are and usually how many pairs are being released (e.g. 34,000 for Europe) and this will reflect in resell price. Stores stopped doing camp outs a while back due to the colossal demand for the shoes and now the only real way is to enter as many online raffles as possible. Finally go on Adidas.com at 8:30am the day of release and patiently wait to see if you get through to the check out page!

Extra: Know The Terminology

Now this doesn't just apply to Yeezy's what so ever but it always helps to be up to date with the terminology used by people buying, selling and trading pairs so you know exactly what is meant. To a lot of you, you already know all of this as I said this post is aimed at people with little or no experience in purchasing.

OG - Original
DS - Dead Stock
VNDS - Very Near Dead Stock
BIN - Buy It Now
ONO - Or Nearest Offer
LTD - Limited Edition
WTB - Want To Buy
WTS - Want To Sell
WTT - Want to Trade
TD - Turtle Dove
MR - MoonRock
OT - Oxford Tan
PB - Pirate Black

I know this was short and I haven't covered everything by any means! But theres loads more information out there on the internet to answer anything you ned to know!

Tell me what you think about this post.

Thanks guys!

Greg

JORD Wood Watches Part 1.

Yes, yes, yes, I know, I know i haven't written in months now but I can't be bothered to write a huge apology because I can't wait to share with you this new post!

About a month ago I received an email from an American based watch brand looking for me to review and show off one of their new products. Now I know that my page and blog is only small compared to many but I was amazed to find that a brand would try with one of the less known bloggers out there. 

The brand I have here today to showcase to you all is JORD Luxury Wood Watches.

The brand is based in St. Louis, Missouri and this is what intrigued me more as they aren't a british based brand which usually go for the British bloggers. They sell premium hand made, all natural wooden watches that are beautifully crafted and presented.

I am personally big on presentation and I was very pleased to find the watch came in an engraved wooden sliding box that had been sanded down to be smooth as anything.

In side the box there was a booklet, cleaning cloth and obviously the watch. Sat there on an etched mini cushion. It was all executed very professionally.

The actual watch I got sent is to be exact the 'Dark Sandalwood & Blue Carbon' watch from the 'Delmar Series'. Its a bigger and chunkier statement watch from their amazing collection with an iris blue deep carbon fibre back face. Their watches all feature engraved logos on and very detailed faces and backs with details of the brand.

Bellow are a selection of images to see how the watch looks in more detail and on hand, also if you follow my social medias you'll see various other outfits of me wearing it with outfits. I also have a giveaway for a $75 e-gift card up for grabs! you get a $20 card just for entering (excluding the winner) Here is the link to go and sign up. (https://www.woodwatches.com/g/originxlgrvg) The contest ends on 24/8/2016, $75 card expires 30/9/2016 and the $20 expires 31/12/2016. Good Luck!

Anyway I would highly recommend this watch to anyone looking for a solid, luxury and different watch! all of JORD's social accounts will be down bellow.

               JORD social accounts.

                  -----------------------------------

Instagram: @woodwatches_com

Pinterest: @jordwoodwatches

Facebook: JordWoodWatches

Twitter: @woodwatches_com

Vine: Wood-Watches

Snapchat: jordwatches

Affordable Substitutes

Hi guys, welcome back! I hope you like the new layout of the blog, If your on a mobile device this may look slightly similar but if your on a desktop you can really see how I've changed the blog into a lighter, more modern and minimalistic page.

Today's post is regarding affordable versions of more expensive products. I have 3 in todays post but if you enjoy this post and want more then I may do that in the future!

- Fear Of God

- H&M

1.) Fear Of God Zipper Pants (RRP £475) vs H&M Twill Zipper Pants (RRP £20)

In the street wear community I'm sure we are all a-customed to the 'pants with the zipper at the bottom'. Originally from street wear icon brand Fear Of God and retailing at nearly £500 the pants still managed to very quickly sell out. With Kanye spotted wearing them fans and street wear devotees a like wanted a cheaper alternate. In comes H&M.. Creating a very similar version to the Fear Of God zipper pants, the H&M version costs £20 making it highly attractive. Also coming in tan and olive with all the features of the expensive big brother, the H&M versions have YKK Zippers at the bottom as well as a stacked leg and long white draw strings (not as long as the FOG version). The quality is also very good on the H&M pants being a very comfortable stretchy twill. They aren't as skinny as the Fear Of Gods but still give an a amazing stacked effect) For a lot less you can get a very similar look. If you really want that FOG look even more you can buy longer draw strings for around £5 from eBay.

- Common Projects

- Asos

2.) Common Projects Chelsea Boots (RRP £310) vs Asos Chelsea Boots (£40)

If your looking for an affordable chelsea boot then I can guarantee you've looked at Asos, they have plenty of colours, styles and materials to choose from and generally range from £40-£50. The CP Chelsea boot is a high end luxurious chelsea boot with super soft suede and well built sole but not everyone can afford them with a hefty price point of just over £300. Both chelsea boots feature pull tabs, soft suede uppers and stretchy side panelling which makes them very similar. Even though the Asos ones are a lot cheaper than the CPs and the suede is not as soft they are still well made and good quality. You won't notice much of a difference between the two if you walk past someone with them on which is what makes shopping for chelsea boots so easy as from all brands they are extremely similar. However if you can afford the Common Projects I would definitely recommend taking a look at them.

- Favela Clothing

- Represent Clothing

3.) Represent Clothing Longsleeve T-shirt (£50) vs Favela Clothing Longsleeve T-shirt (£15)

Two very big brands in the street wear game, two of the most similar products here. Represent's striped long sleeves with dumb holes and scooped hem's are well known around the world with celebrities such as Chris Brown wearing them. Even though the £50 price mark isn't that expensive for the amazing quality you can still find a cheaper alternative if your on a very small budget. German streetwear brand Favela are currently having a ridiculous 70-80% off sale to clear all their old seasons stock and there are some amazing pieces to be found in there. One being the striped long sleeve. Both brands use the same stretchy, luxurious viscose, elastane blend for their tees and both have the thumb holes and scooped hems. Both are almost identical in feel apart from the pattern. If you have the extra cash then Represent really do make some amazing garments but I would advise anyone in checking out Favela as you might find something for a lot less than you think.

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I hope you enjoyed todays blog post and just as a small disclaimer I am not trying to divert you away from any of the expensive brands at all, I am just giving a more affordable alternative to anyone reading. Both brands from the 3 different products are very good and I would recommend either.

Give me some feedback on the new interface and this new type of post!

C'ya

Greg.

Outfit Of The Day - Distress Day

Photography: Farhan Zackaria

Blue Light Wash Denim Jacket (Self Distressed) - Topman / £45

Camo Green Hoodie - Topman / £32

Olive Longline Under T-shirt - Asos / £18

Ripped Black Skinny Jeans (Discontinued) - Maniere De Voir / £50

Black Corduroy Hat (Discontinued) - Supreme / £44

Geobasket Sneakers - Rick Owens / £730

www.topman.com

www.asos.com

www.manieredevoir.com

www.supremenewyork.com

www.rickowens.eu

-----------------------------------

Hi everyone and welcome back to another post. Unfortunately I have my exams coming up in a few weeks so blog posts will be becoming less frequent (as is the case with this one). However I will try my best to get posts out regardless!

The shoot took place at The Manchester Library which is great minimalist location with modern takes on more traditional architecture which was great! Exploring the city opens up amazing new spots to shoot at which I enjoy every time I go out to the city (almost every weekend haha)

The outfit I went for on the day once again had some colour to it! On top we have an olive longline tee from Asos (the usual), then I had on a new camo hoodie from Topman. id been tracking a camo over piece for a while and this hoodie was exactly what i was looking for, I wanted a hoodie with no draw strings and to have the overlapped from section of the hood (You'll understand when you see the pictures haha) and this fit the agenda perfectly, as well as being very affordable!. Another piece id been hunting for ages but never actually pulled the trigger on was a denim jacket. I found this one again in Topman for a reasonable price, BUT, I didn't want to keep it plain and 'ordinary' so the second I got home I took scissors to it (very hastily) and it turned out great! 

On the bottom half I decided to use some different jeans for a change opposed to my biker jeans you've been seeing for the past I don't know how many posts and I came across some brand new MDV (very) distressed jeans in my wardrobe. So well.. why not try them with this outfit! The combination of distressing on top of the outfit works simultaneously well with the bottom half. Although the jeans do have lots of small horizontal rips going across the front of the jeans they still work very well instead of say a traditional knee rip. Finally two standard pieces to finish off the look, my trusty Supreme hat and Rick Owens sneakers which are still destroying my feet...If you have any insole recommendations please let me know as I can't find any that fit the odd shape of the shoes sole!

Thank you for dropping by on this one, it meant a lot to me did this shoot as i finally got to do a proper non-rushed shoot with John as well as meet his incredibly talented photographer Farhan. So give them a follow on Instagram (link down bellow) and myself if you haven't already!

Once again thanks for the support and following, see you again soon.

Greg.

Farhan's IG : @xyprokaira
Johns IG : @blvckmvnivc

An Interview with: BLVCKMVNIVC

Source: Instagram

Hello guys and welcome to another post on this Sunday night. Tonight I have something rather special to show you, an interview with the infamous street wear god, John Melchico aka Blvckmvnivc. John took to Instagram a little over a year ago and within that space has built up an empire of social media accounts and followings. So sit back, relax and read on!

Name?

John Melchico-Bronx

City? 

Manchester

Occupation/Work?

Currently working full time in Selfridges contemporary menswear as a sales associate and stylist. While running my Instagram account as a global brand ambassador, so fashion is a full time job for me.

What started your love for fashion?

Ive always had a love for fashion at a young age, but within the last year its become my life. Instagram gave me the opportunity to share my love on a global scale and to engage with people around the world who share the same passion that I do.

Whats the most enjoyable aspect you find in your blogging?

Theres no one specific aspect that I can highlight that I find most enjoyable, every process thats involved I put work into. My blog is enjoyable from putting pieces brands have sent to me and going to a location to shoot it, all to editing and finally posting. Every single aspect of my process is enjoyable to me.

How would you describe your style to someone?

URBAN LAYERED NINJA lol! nah it's a mixture of high end to street wear brands and putting together an assembly that essentially is ready to wear and I feel comfortable in.

How do you create your outfits and what you are going to wear to keep variety?

Thats where I have Instagram to thank right there, theres never a time I'm not on social media finding inspiration and lately its an abundance from designers to brands to specific pages dedicated to re-blogging amazing talented people from around the world, showcasing their styles. It keeps you on your toes to piece an outfit together from what you have. My style focuses on staple, ready to wear pieces, basic layering put together with a show case piece, like an outerwear jacket or a pair of kicks, usually Yeezys lol. But it's about mixing colour tones, I use to only wear black but I've found being more open minded when it comes to colours so my wardrobe is made up of Black, Khaki/Olive, Beige/Brown and Off White/Creams.

Who do you retract the most inspiration and influences you in the fashion world?

Again I can't pin point to one source. Its a variety of people that all cumulate into my mentality, from designers to rappers to fashion personalities to my friends around the world everything and everyone inspires me to do what I do everyday.

What current Instagram accounts/blogs do you reckoned and think have the most potential?

Right now, my designer friends Val Christopher (@valkristopher) and Luke Taylor (@blackmoniker) mainly my closest guys have worked so hard on their accounts. The likes of Tom Jones (@tomjxnes) and Nnamdi Obioha (@nnxmdi_) also my partner and missus Toni Groves (@miss_toni_groves) all these pages not a case of potential but already showcasing their take and fashion vision which for me is amazing to see. Pages wise I could list a few I'm sure your already aware of, @simple.fits @povoutfit @outfittoss @outfitfromabove @pause_online @outfitsociety are all pages I use to reference for style inspiration.

Finally what valuable advice do you have for a new blogger?

Anyone reading this that wants to do it, my advice is go do it but be dedicated to it, I have no fashion background, no qualifications but blogging has opened up so many doors for myself and allowed me to meet some amazing people, it's a life experience like no other snd who knows where your journey could lead you in the future, but that can only happen if you all take the steps and stay dedicated to it, passion and love is one thing but to go out and do it, work at it everyday is another matter and thats where people loose their way. For me Instagram was a hobby that's now transformed my life into a career, isn't life about making dreams reality? Good luck to those out there, keep inspiring the world!

Thanks for reading todays post and this incredible interview from John! Give myself and John feed back on any of our social media accounts and I will see you all on the next post.

C'ya.

Greg

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John's social media accounts

Instagram - @blvckmvnivc

Twitter - @blvckmvnivc

Snapchat - @jblvckmvnivc

Depop - @johnmelchico

Tumblr - @blvckmvnivc