Tattoos and coffee? Not your regular combo, but we made it work. As baristas battled it out during this weel’s annual Aeropress competition, held here at our very own Honeycomb offices, Pale Rose hosted a tattoo pop up in our media room. Situated in the back of the dimmed main room and its party vibe, the glass box of our recording studio shined bright like a fishbowl as guests submitted themselves to the needle for all to see. Although the majority of customers opted for the special coffee-themed flash tattoos available for one night only, Pale Rose is known for their traditional Western-styled Sailor Jerry tattoos. The shop aims to make their name by inking the classic hearts and sparrows and panthers onto a new generation of fans. And a few brave soles went for their specialty, with one customer getting his very first tattoo on the sensitive inner bicep, much to the approval of all the spectators.
The Corporate World According To Tekla Tamoria
Corporate life is not what immediately comes to mind when viewing Grace Period, Tekla Tamoria‘s current solo exhibit at Vinyl on Vinyl. But upon closer inspection, the clues and hints referencing work life in the concrete jungle slowly reveal themselves. Hanging structures made of paper strips resemble tall city buildings. Concrete legs firmly set beneath each lend an authoritative character. The pieces also bring to mind tiny office cubicles and their claustrophobic, trapped feel.
Even the materials Tekla uses are regular office supplies, such as fluorescent sticky labels and filing folders. She skillfully folds, rolls, and weaves these all together to create some truly quirky sculptures.
Read MoreGhetto Style Killaz Shows Out in New Koolworkz Dance Video
There’s a lot of appeal in spontaneity, and that’s part of what makes this dance video so appealing. Koolworkz shot it recently on a rainy day in Las Pinas with Ghetto Style Killaz dance crew. It’s a mix of off the dome, individual freestyle moves and choreographed group dance. The opportunity to shoot the video presented itself when most of the team was together judging a competition along with Kurt Reyes, otherwise known as Koolworkz, who was filming the event. After about an hour figuring out some quick choreography and rehearsing a bit, they went looking for a nearby location, but as luck would have it, the sky opened up and the rain presented a new hurdle. So they settled on a skyway overpass and rearranged their choreo to fit.
Read MoreTHE’s Block Party at Cubao Expo Was All About Community
Local independent streetwear vendors converged on Cubao Expo this past weekend for THE Block Party. The rain was torrential earlier in the day, but by nightfall, it had lightened to a cool drizzle. And the leftover chilly air and wet streets deterred no one; this was hoodie weather after all. Expo is the very location where many of these young artists found their creative roots, and it was all organized by none other than THE, the brand regularly cited as pioneering this thriving Metro Manila subculture.
Read MoreRaise Hell Shreds with Daily Grind
Streetwear is supposed to be about community, so what better way to strengthen those bonds than collaborating with local artists killing it just down the street? A great example of this is Daily Grind‘s new collab with Raise Hell, which drops today. The line of fanny packs, bucket hats, and five-panel caps feature Hell’s Sailor Jerry-type illustrations in all-over patterns.
Raise Hell, also known as Raizel Go, is no stranger to the skateboarding world. She’s been painting on decks from Calle Skate Shop for a while now. She’s also designed boards for both Calle and Daily Grind. And you can find Raizel herself rolling around the streets of Manila on a longboard or a fixie. She’s even got her own fixed gear clothing brand called BRKLXX.
Read MoreThe Psychedelic Boyz New Video is Blowing Up
It can be difficult to tell what’s going to blow up these days, but anyone who’s been paying attention to Filipino rap knew it was only a matter of time for Psychedelic Boyz. Their latest video “Rawstarr Til I Die” dropped back in April but just started to go viral this month. Earlier this week it broke a million views, according to director J. Estacio, and it’s already nearing two million. “I get tagged in a lot of videos from fans posting this song online, hanging out with their friends doing wild shit. Even babies and young kids be bumping to it. And there’s a parody video now too!”
Read MoreFreedom Print Lab: A Filipino Streetwear Foundation
Sometimes, you need to take fate into your own hands and cut out the middlemen. That’s the case with Freedom Print Lab, which is run by a few Filipino streetwear heads who were finished waiting for other people to get anything done. “We got tired of relying on outside printing suppliers and their schedules,” says co-owner Zei Tacasa. “So we were basically just like, fuck this, and started our own thing.” Now they run a busy silkscreen shop supplying a host of local brands.
Read MoreArchie Oclos and the Tallest Mural in the Philippines
Twenty-two stories tall. Eighty gallons of house paint. One hundred cans of spray paint. One artist, no assistants. Twenty-four days. That’s quite a feat alone, but throw in an earthquake and now you’ve really got yourself a story. “Every day felt like a near death experience,” Archie Oclos laughs, recalling his time painting the country’s tallest mural last month. “But when the earthquake hit, I was on the scaffolding 12 stories up. The gondola was swinging and banging me against the wall. But once it was over I just kept painting, I had to finish it!”
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