The next time you hear a thug talk about how hard he is or a rapper rhyme about how hood he is or a gangster talk about how he ain’t afraid of nothing… ask him if he’s ever been to Africa.

These Nigerian men catch and tame (well that’s a bit of an overstatement) wild Hyenas and keep them as pets. Warriors. Kinda makes your store bought Rottweiler look like a pink Poodle, or is it just me? Pieter Hugo is a South African based photographer that has captured some amazing things with his lens. Go take a look.

Don’t be skerd.

Fans of design and anyone else with eyes will find the beauty in this full length (1:21 -like in hours) film about the most celebrated, overused and stylish font Die Neue Haas Grotesk, aka Helvetica. You’ll be surprised when you look around… From Gap to Greyhound, Target to Toyota, Fendi to FIFA and every little crack between, this font speaks volumes. And everyones in this film, its like an all star game- the designers behind Verdana, Arial, Courier… Even Hermann Zapf of the Zapf Dingbat:

{ google video }

EDIT:
Apparently that film was not posted legally so it has been taken off Google. You can view the details here: 48 Hours on Google and see legal clips here: Helvetica Clips

I’ve always respected John Galliano’s work. He’s a visionary thinker. His shows for his own label as well as Dior are always over the top in the best sorta way. He like McQueen brings fantasy to fashion. He runway-shows you roles you can play when wearing his designs.

After looking thru his collection for Fall 2008 I’m even more impressed. Despite my respect for his craft I’ve never seen anything he’s made that I wanted to wear. All that changed today. His menswear line is filled with jackets, coat, bags and pants that have my cell number and just keep calling my name… Capisca?

Nuno Oliveira designed this concept watch for Gucci. Its a hella slick mix of glass and stainless steel. The display is LED which is a bit old school on the technology side for such a new school design. Nevertheless, I hope they end up making it. Haven’t seen a timepiece like that in a long while.

Food for thought:
“One decision decides this Democratic nomination. As soon as the planes hit the twin towers, a few of us foresaw a folly of war to swiftly follow. Barack voted against the first funding of the Iraq war. He made the right decision in an unprecedented time of emergency. Hillary agreed with a decision that has crippled our country. Barack didn’t fold under the enormous public pressure after 9/11. Rewind to the emotionally charged politics of late 2001. Recall the swift formation of a line behind Bush’s Iraq war march. I’m still shocked at how many people were swayed. When we were all stressed out and afraid, Barack kept his head and had some balls.

I love and support Hillary out of familiarity. There is no moral coloring to the fact that Hillary did not take the lead to speak against the two biggest Presidential blunders of both Bush and Bill. The rest of the country will question the support of her husband, I am only isolating her support of Presidential lies. Towing the safest line of least resistance is following, not leading. Watch very closely how Barack and Hillary respond to the pressure of the primary election. In the face of mounting stress, we’ve already seen her lose patience unprofessionally. Anger and emotion don’t directly translate to courage. The Iraq war is the biggest decision Hillary made as an elected official. She made her choice based on fear. Blood is on Hillary’s hands too.” ~Mike Leavitt

Nuff said:

12 in. x 6 in., acrylic on plywood, painted in 2006 by Mike Leavitt

This time of year is always exciting cause each day you get a new look at the future of fashion. Dior just came out with some really high, really sexy suede platform wedges for fall. The entire show was amazing as usual. But, we’re really digging that little knob on the front of these kicks ala steel toe boots (kwamé style). Nice touch of hard on an otherwise soft and feminine shoe. Hot as hell.

We love this… even if just for the sound FX alone. Try to watch this and not smile.
And then stop thru Not So Noisy, where Guillaume Reymond has human versions of Pole Position, Space Invaders & Pong waiting for you to relive.

The beautiful jazz dancer KAVI stopped thru this past week to take a look at the new collection and snap a few frames. She wears the ‘wings of love’ vneck short sleeve tunic in the image above. I’m pretty nice on the dance floor myself but she wowed us with her gracefulness and control in front of the cam. We look forward to her rise within the dance world and promise to show you more of her in Battalion soon.