MONKEY BUSINESS

After spending a few weeks in Philippines, I came across some old companions and a few new ones. My new homies Marlon Dajac, Edward Pascua, and Reyson run a shop called Monkeyman in the heart of Cartimar in Recto. One glance at the shop and I was sucked in simply by the underground skate shop feel. That's what Monkeyman is, an underground skateshop built for the love of skateboarding + there's a music studio for you mods and punks just on the second floor. Our stay extended to almost 2 hours of just chillin and sharing old stories and new ideas. I was also very impressed with their collection of original denim from Paul Smith's, Fred Perry, Evis, Levis, and so fourth. Not only did they hustle denim, but they also had knowledge of "the selvedge" which kind of sets these guys apart from the rest. Marlon and Edward are original Pinoy skaters from the early 90's who won a few Asian X games trophies and could be linked through many Pinoy skate vids and also the Daggers original skate crew in Manila. These guys are so OG that they refuse to have facebooks and such so you're going to have to literally walk into their shop for a friend request. So go visit them and Come follow.

Daggers then

Daggers now



-SOMEGIANT

RED

Another teaser brought to you by us from the photo shoot in Pampanga. This one is with Jamie rockin our soon to be iconic "RED" shirt. This shirt derives from a photo Eya took of Ron Jamuel "RED" Edquilang 3 years ago in San Francisco. I then ran away with it manually and painstakingly vectoring it into the strong design that it is today. The name "RED" then derives from the name RJ is known as in SUPERFUTURE (superdenim forum) where he is the most feared. Okay maybe not feared but they liked him there like a lot. I also painted the photo and it hung in a gallery at one point, but that's for another post I might do when I'm in desperate need for a filler post. Check it out and remember, more is to come so Come follow.

PS and just to fan the flames a little, here is a list of things RJ was really wearing on that image:
Supreme fitted NY hat (black and grey speckles), Kim Jones hoody (black), bullet pendent, a V-neck, Junya Watanabe Leather biker jacket, Pure Blue Japan raw selvedge denim, and some Jordan I's. Yes, he's been OG and people have been trying to keep up forever.



-SOMEGIANT

ABOVE vol. II

Sorry for the skippage on the posts but we've gotten super busy with everything back in Philippines. Accomplished what we needed to accomplish and will have a few dope dope dope pieces for all of you, we promise. We will uncover the fruits of our labor here on the blog so stay tuned. In the meantime, we are in Taiwan and I tapped into the free WIFI here while waiting for our connecting flight to LAX. And speaking of fights, here is a video I made months back. It's another Kid Cudi x Radiohead mash up video.

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Click play, sit back, enjoy, and Come follow.

-SOMEGIANT

Influential

Music is a medium of art that allows the composer to mold and shape their creation to portray their life in to song. What makes music so appealing is our relation to the content which in turn allowed us to correlate our feelings/emotions through listening. Every artist has their own distinct style that separates them from the crowd. Much like street wear the music industry has been overwhelmed with an abundance of new comers which watered down the effectiveness of what hip-hop use to be. The only way to survive these days is to create your own category/style that set you apart from the masses. Doing things that have not been done and actually using creativity in your work. Over the next month or so I will go over artists that we believe have helped shaped what Bottom Shelf is today and give some insight on the future and why we believe hip-hop is in good hands. Stay tuned.



(Disclaimer: This is not a top 10 or best artist in history list. This is basically a group of artist we feel have shaped us to be who we are today.)

ABOVE

A shot from the plane window on our way to Palawan. Come follow.

Tomorrow, Island hopping.

-SOMEGIANT

VIKTOR x BOTTOM SHELF

We just got back from Pampanga to knock out the photoshoot and finally got a decent wifi connection to do a post. A couple of days ago, we went to Viktor to purchase my very own custom selvedge five pocket denim and also to meet with Ino (Victorino Caluza) for a little meeting of the minds. We had the pleasure of interviewing him so keep an eye open for that video in the near future. Ino (who obviously has a great taste in architecture judging from his shops) is a selfmade success story if you ever heard of one. He started his business literally from the ground up with only 2k pesos (about $40) capital. Two stores and a heap of superstar clienteles later, Viktor is now the denim capital of the Philippines (in my own humble opinion) and truly the cream of the crop. I say this not because elites flock his boutiques on the daily, but because of his attention to detail and quality of his product. Aside from denim, Viktor also produces cut and sew  pieces that are a cross between DR. Romanelli and Rick Owens, not too shabby. The new addition to their line ups is a line called Vik which deserves more than a gander so check it out here. We also discussed a future project between Viktor and Bottom Shelf and the only thing I can say is "anticipate this one because it will be a banger". It will obviously have something to do with the word DENIM. You can follow posts from their website here, but for now, enjoy the short strand of images we've captured from that day. Come follow.

Viktor's 1st "Vik" line and the 2010 lookbook.

We are off to Palawan and they have more underground rivers than wifi so, you know the drill.

-SOMEGIANT

SBTG x DC

If there was a nike dunk sb that I would still personally rock today, it would be the red cement Supreme low (sept 2002), the Futura shark (march 2003), or the Sabotage (aug 2006). I will put SBTG along with the best of them any day because of not only his track record (super huge collaborations with Nike, New Balance, and now DC shoes) but because of his humble beginnings and the path he took to get there. Mark "SBTG" Ong has been professionally customizing shoes and designing for almost a decade now (since 2003) but the first time I saw his work was back in 2004 reading an issue of sneaker freaker. He opened a new world of possibilities in shoe customization and his branding was just undeniable. You just cannot hold this dude down I thought to myself. He' still banging it out today with his "Royalefam" design company. I stumbled on his collaboration project with DC called "Circus of Mutants" while strollin' through the Trinoma mall (Ayala) and I was impressed with the culmination of it all. The five panel and the board shorts I gotta copp. You can also check it out online or at your nearest DC retailer

Time for us to meet with Victorino “Ino” Caluza, owner of the first and only premium denim shop in Philippines called "Viktor". Come follow.

-SOMEGIANT

GREYONE SOCIAL

Remember those days in Pasadena? Nowadays, Greyone continues it's legacy, bringing the street to the upscales consumers of Makati. Probably the only boutique good enough to get your sneaker or t-shirt fix from in the Philippines. We came and visited a couple of days ago and got the pleasure of choppin' it up with Brian (a bay area native who is now a Manila transplant) and Joseph (Greyone Social Makati). Make sure you visit them on the 2nd floor in Green Belt 5 when you're in town. note that they also have a shop in Taipei so Come follow.

This piece was made by the one and only Graver. This dude is King along side with EGG and gets up everywhere in P.I. CORRECTION: The art below is actually a MDVL x GRAVER piece. Thanks for the heads up and peace to both those artist for keeping it true across the globe!

-SOMEGIANT

WE'LL SHOOT YOU

Photography is an integral part of many if not all businesses that subsists today. This rings true with us here at Bottom Shelf, so while visiting my family here in Pampanga, I did a mini photography session. The following images are just a teaser and a future post upgraded with our shirts will come after. Come follow.

-SOMEGIANT

FUTURA x Jeff Staple

This is a great interview of the man himself Leonard McGurr aka FUTURA. This is a part of Jeff Staple 1-2-1 series where he picks the brain of arguably one of the most creative/innovative beings in the world today. What really makes this genius tick? See his perspective on the culture and industry itself. It is important to be an individual these days in a world full of iROBOTS. We need to learn from the ones before us and blaze a new trail to keep this culture and art going. Make your own mark in this world before you get thrown in the wash with the others.

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Click play, sit back and enjoy.

1-2-1 w/jeffstaple feat. Futura from jeffstaple on Vimeo.

-CMBDCTN

PHILI

AND WE AIN'T TALKIN' BOUT CHEESESTEAK.

Eya and I took our yearly trip to the Philippines and this time we're here to do some business on the side. Though wifi seems a little scarce here, we will try our best to highlight some of the daily occurrences we experience as Stephen holds Bottom Shelf down abroad. Come follow.

-SOMEGIANT

Little Brother x LA Stereo

Little Brother may have gone on their own separate ways but they have blessed us with countless classics that they will never be forgotten. Straight from the streets of NC to being known worldwide is quite an accomplishment for at the time three young and broke college kids. Their music will always have a special place in our hearts and from the Bottom Shelf family just wish the best of luck in all of their careers. Check this interview of LB and LA Stereo TV as Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh explain what's next.

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Click play, sit back and enjoy.

www.BTMxSHLF.com

The time has finally come to unveil the new website. Thanks to the development group (team NAKO) for pushing this through and making it happen! In anything it is important to lay a solid foundation and build upon that. We will continuously update the website with new information and product so please check back often!!! We are still working on our “unfiltered” section where you will find raw and uncut interviews from the latest and greatest. Thanks again for all your support and patience!!! Now go get it!!!!!! http://www.btmxshlf.com/

-Bottom Shelf Staff