As UK streetwear labels go King Apparel is pretty much at the top of the pile, having established themselves firmly on the world stage and cultivated a substantial following. They have several lines that each have their own core graphics that is re-worked with every season and also come up with fresh ideas with each drop.

We've just recieved a big King drop from their Spring/Summer line and they seem to have outdone themselves once again. There's a whole load of tees in here along with some wicked crews and new hats, hoodies and polos are on their way very soon.

Let's start with the tees...
First up is the new SS 11 version of the 'Defy' tee that features the extremely popular graphic of a rain cloud with multi-coloured drips falling from it and the phrase 'Reign Supreme' printed within it in smal type. It is these multi-coloured stripes that define the Defy range. We recently had this same image on a snapback hat and it was sold out in a matter of days. A really strong design.

This next 'Authentic' tee sports the well established King crest that has appeared in several past lines. The crest theme with it's modern take on a classic look is an idea that has been played with by nearly all the leading streetwear brands, with varying degrees of success, but I think King have hit the nail on the head with their take on it...which is why it keeps on coming back I suppose.

Moving away from tees for a minute now for a quick word on how sick King denim is nowadays. They seem to have got the fit just right with a few small adjustments. They're not too baggy and not too tight and sit on your shoes just right. These ones are from the same 'Authentic' range as the tee and features King's 'Lions Mane' graphic on both back pockets.

This next tee is the 'RS' and features the tagline "Reign Supreme" in the same scripted typeface
as featured within the cloud on the 'Defy' tee, but this time taking main stage. Simple and strong.

The boldness and simplicity of this tee is reminiscent of the clean-cut graphics of several of the top end American brands like Supreme and Crooks and Castles. Next up is a shirt that is also from the 'RS' line. With it's slighly distressed plaid pattern and rounded button down colour this a comfortable well tailored piece to have you looking right through the summer.

 

I really like the subtleness of this next graphic on the 'Signature' tee. It's just a line going for a walk across the front of a t shirt and ending up in a scripted 'K'. No messing. We've also got the same print on the front of a soft cotton crewneck.

Also from this line is the 'Signature' shirt which like the 'RS' shirt has a rounded button down collar. The contrasting blue top button is a nice touch which stands out from the grey, along with the 'King Apparel' tag which is sewn to the left chest pocket.

Last but not least is this 'Duster' tee which is only one in this drop to feature a graphic that isn't part of King's usual arsenal. The two pixelated fists feature KING tattooed on one and a four finger gold ring on the other. Rocking the bling motherfucker...
 

That's all for now good people. Check out the rest of our selection of King Apparel gear in our King section now.

 

 

 Oh snap! Big fat juicy news for all you heads out there. The wheels are in motion for us to be recieving our first drop of snapbacks from the infamous American heritage brand 'Mitchell and Ness' by the middle of July...and I really mean heritage. These dudes have been producing premium quality, authentic sports apparel since 19 0h-fucking-4! Here's a brief history of the company:

Founded by wrestling champ Frank P. Mitchell and Scottish golfer Charles M.Ness (you can't make this shit up,eh?) in Philadelphia, they specialized in handmade tennis racquets and other equipment for the first twenty or so. By 1925 they had started producing team uniforms for high school and semi-pro teams around the Philly area. In 1933 they got there first pro gig with the recently formed Philadelphia Eagles as their official outfitter.

Mitchell and Ness's reputation start to grow as they pick up contracts with two local major league baseball teams, The Athletics and The Phillies. At the same time the Eagles begin wearing their apparel off field as well as on in the form of sweaters and jackets.

As the 1950's began the company was taken over by Italian immigrant and former apprentice at the company, Sisto Capolino, who employs his son Peter to help him run things. Fast forward to 1983 and Peter, while looking to repair an old baseball jersey, discovers thousands of yards of wool flannel in their warehouse. This gave him the idea to start recreating vintage jerseys for a new market.

After a great success with these jerseys Mitchell and Ness soon recieved licenses from the NBA, NFL and NHL to produce vintage versions of their team uniforms and accessories. Since then the range has continued to expand but the vintage ethos has remained the same.

Although we may be recieving a wider range of their products in later seasons at the monemt we are focusing purely on the pro-sports snapback caps. Here's a sneak preview of a couple of the hats we're getting in.
 

The quality in the construction of these hats is obvious as soon as you get your hands on one. Hopefully we're getting several versions of these designs with the varsity lettering and logo. A classic look.
 

 

Here's the LA Lakers hat from a simpler range that feature just the logo. Just as strong.

 

 

Looking on the inside of these hats you can see the attention to detail put into their design, and the quality is blatantly obvious...

Watch this space for more pics of the selection we'll be recieving in July from teams like the Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and the San Antonio Spurs.

 

 

Along with Mitchell and Ness coming next month and a few other banging brands (details to be announced) coming in the Autumn we are soon to be recieving our first drop from Only NY. Coming in a few weeks time, this drop is going to be packed with hats, tees and crews, all sporting that clean, clear graphics that have put Only NY on the streetwear map.

Since 1997 they have been heavily involved with NYC's underground street culture. From years of skateboarding & writing graffiti, to sporting old school Polo and North Face, ONLY NY Embodies the roots of this culture and has been 10 years in the making.

Unfortunately we haven't got any pics to show you as no previews have been released, as of yet and we don't want to tread on any New York toes, so watch this space for more news...

King Apparel were the first streetwear brand in the UK to have the genius idea of hooking up with New Era and displaying their graphics on a Fifty Nine Fifty fitted hat. That was back in 2002 and they are still churning out winners every season and now have the Starter Black Label snapback range to add to the selection.

We've just got a fresh drop of these KING head pieces in and they are definitely up to the usual standard. The new Starter snapbacks especially have been killing it this season. The 'East London' hat from earlier this year, with it's homage to the early nineties LA Kings graphics, sold out in a matter of days. Let's start with another hat that has taken it's inspiration from the city of angels. This time it's all about the Compton gangster rap thing with the 'Independent' snapback. The strong military style typeface and monotone design are definitely reminiscent of this era of Easy E, chucks and braids. Check out the matching 'Independent' tee which we also have in stock.
 

 

Going more for the classic college letterman trend now with the 'Graduate' snapback. Nice and simple this one with a peak in 'Miami Dolphins' -esque Jade that mathes the ouline of the heavily embroidered 'KA' on the front panel and the top button. It matches a crew that sports the same lettering and colouring, which we have coming very soon.
 

As you can see King are big fans of the hat/tee/crew hook up and this next 'Defy' fitted cap is perhaps the strongest example of this as the lines of colour are so striking. The intricately embroidered deck needle and arm reaching down onto the multi-coloured vinyl is a sharp peice of design that work on the hat and tee.
 

 

I like that scripted Reign Supreme graphic, and it appears on alot of King pieces as one of their core graphics. This next 'RS' cap relies entirely on the strength of this logo and it works nicely reaching around the right hand side of the hat onto the front...

Another core graphic that King has used since they started is the slick curved 'K'. With the Authentic line the graphics around the K has been reworked over the years and is now in the form of a regal crest (or Krest as they call it). This artwork appears on tees, crews and this nice single colour design on the latest 'Authentic' hat. The kelly green embroidery really makes it jump off the front panel.
 

A simpler, smaller version of this Krest is the solo graphic on this 'Prep' hat. No messing with this design, just simple well considered branding.

That's all for now. There's different colour-ways of most of these hats which you can check out on our King Apparel page.

 

I know King has been hogging the blog recently and I swear this is the last one for a while but I just had to highlight these top quality dope ass hoodys. I was looking at some old images of some King wears we had in stock a few years ago and you can see how the brand has matured and become more focused on a well defined style. These hoodys are a perfect example of this refining.

First up is the hoody to go with the 'Independent' capsule collection that is new for this season. The inspiration for this line comes from the LA hip hop scene of the late eighties and early nineties when NWA was inventing a genre and if your car didn't bounce up and down you might as well ride the bus. The white design on black fabric using a strong military font has summed up this period perfectly. On this hoody the text is embroidered around the edge of the hood, but the real draw of this piece is the attention to detail in the constuction. Quality material with thorough stitching. The contrasting white drawstring and genuine leather trims brings the 'Independent' right up to date and finishes of the smart look.

This next 'Marine' hoody follows the same rules of well considered construction with quality materials and simple graphics, sporting a small woven crest badge on the left chest. The main difference with this one is the positioning of the hand pockets and the fact that they have zips that also have embossed leather pulls. These beauties are pure premium streetwear.

Coming at the hoody from a totally different angle now with the 'Prep'. It shares a classic, heritage feel with the other two but the lack of zips and the four button collar with vintage wooden buttons puts this one out on it's own. The strips of ribbed fabric running down from the collar to the under-arm on the front and back finishes off the unique look.

That's all for now people. Check out the rest of our selection of King Apparel products by following the link. The brand new 'Prep' polos are dope and perfect for the Summer...if it ever arrives.

It's always gonna be a subject of contention and everyone is going to have their favourite's and their hated brands. The debate is by it's nature never ending and new contenders are going to be jumping into the ring all the time. Despite this though Bobby from The Hundreds has put his balls on the line and stated his top 50 streetwear brands of all time. It's definitely worth a look. If you've been into the game for a good while then you'll have your memory jogged and if you've just got hooked then you'll definitely learn something. Take a look right here.

 

Next up is the 'Squares' vest that we have in two other colourways and the design is also on a tee that we've got three versions off. We've got plenty of 'Squares' basically. The grid patterns of Box Adam's make a satisfying print that fills the front of the vest as it does the tee.

Now to an offering from those leftfield New Yorkers Mishka. Yep, it's a 'Death Adder' and yep he looks annoyed. Luckily this graphic is arguably one of the strongest core graphics of any Streetwear brands (Just my opinion. Everyone's got one.)

 

Now more New York tings with 10 Deep's 'Go Hard' jersey vest. Typically strong one tone graphics here. Gets the message across...
 

Some simpler designs now from LRG. This 'Bummin It' vest has a really nice speckled effect throughout the fabric in all the colourways which contrasts slightly with the trim around the collar and sleeves. The subtle logo on the left chest finishes it off nicely.

A bigger logo on this 'Core Collection' piece and no tonal trim, but still a summer winner.

That's all for now folks. Check out our Mishka, The Hundreds, 10 Deep and LRG sections for lots more summer winners.