BeiBang

BeiBang and WZL after the show. These two look alike, don't they?!

BeiBang is one of the premier "Flash-programmers" in China. Watch out!



Eddi on 06.30.06 @ 09:04 AM CST [link]

Chris' B-Day

After the whole thing winded down, we went to another celebration of our own. And it was also Chris' birthday. Happy birthday, Chris. Yes, I know, the article will be done soon.... wait.


Eddi on 06.30.06 @ 09:01 AM CST [link]

Art Workshop Studio

Before the exhibition started, Art Workshop Studio came in to film a few interviews for a Chinese channel. Here's them filming WZL and asking his take on the whole figure design thing and about the exhibition itself. The whole interview was in Mandarin, so I knew I screwed up my part, because for me speaking Mandarin in front of a camera ain't exactly my thing...

We also got a few other artists interviewed for the same channel, including PEN, Perk, MAMAX, and Candy Kitty.

Thanks to the filming crew, they stayed from start to end, and it was a long day for everybody. Look forward to working with you guys again soon.
Eddi on 06.30.06 @ 08:58 AM CST [link]

I, CHINA - Chinese Book

Detailed work on the head of this piece, but the main attraction is the drawings in the Chinese-styled booklet that comes with this installation. This piece quite represent "I, CHINA" in good taste. There are a few other pieces that falls into this category.


DSC04371




Eddi on 06.29.06 @ 04:14 AM CST [link]

I, CHINA - Russian Doll Set

One of the showcased customs in tonight's exhibition. The artist didn't make much use of the I, but he did put the basic elements of it into good use.
Eddi on 06.29.06 @ 04:09 AM CST [link]

BANG!

The boys are pulling out all the stops to make sure their pieces stands out from the rest. This guy got some sort of chemical liquid shit in his installation. There's another piece that gives out heat... I'm serious, real "heat". I was told it was to due with the chemical inside that other one. Damn, they might get our gallery blown up tomorrow if they keep bringing these chemical-filled "customized toys"....

Watch out!
Eddi on 06.28.06 @ 02:16 PM CST [link]

SIMIC Mesh Cap

SIMIC of Pro Wolf Master from Hong Kong came to participate our event. These guys from PWM are rocking it in HK. Good to have them represent in I, CHINA, shedding some light from the HK front. SIMIC dropped me this mesh cap, made painted, sweet stuff. Mad detail, I'm serious. I might even rock this tomorrow night for the opening.... But that's if I can find a tee to match this baby up to do it justice. We'll see.
Eddi on 06.28.06 @ 02:08 PM CST [link]

The night before the show

Is official, over 100 pieces will be exhibited in tomorrow's I, CHINA exhibition. Alot of the participating artists have arrived Shanghai from other cities today, and most of them came through da>space this evening. Madness. We met most of them for the first time, and I found it interesting in talking to all of them.


I, WZL Tee



DA>LIFE will drop the special I, WZL t-shirt during the I, CHINA exhibition this Thrusday. Classic red and I, WZL icon. I look towards to rocking this on Thrusday.


Preparations
The last two days were mainly be focused on exhibition setup. I, CHINA has recieved much support over the past few weeks, even before its opening. I do believe there's a strong hype built up for this event, not just responsible by DA>SPACE but also by the participating artists themselves. "Hype" might not be the best thing, but in this new environment, we'll take whatever help we can get to get more eyeballs on these art pieces and the artists behind them. This will eventually help the public understand more about what we are doing and what can be done.




I've been talking to WZL alot about the partnership and what we can do together. We are talking about some interesting ideas, and we are eager to start.






Eddi on 06.28.06 @ 08:19 AM CST [link]

WZL at H+

Went visit Richard at his H+ this evening, discussing some collaborations. Richard is cooking some good stuff in Shanghai, and this would be our first collabo in years.




Eddi on 06.26.06 @ 02:49 PM CST [link]

I, WZL Black Variant

A new version of "I, WZL" is set to be released on June 29th. Special arrangement has also been made with DKE Toys to make them available during San Diego Comic Con early July in the US.

Black ninja. No special name for this, didn't feel like calling it I, Ninja or stuff like that.

The blank white I will also be distributed next week, so expect those in London, HK, and the US. And of course, of all places; China.

Eddi on 06.26.06 @ 05:30 AM CST [link]

Shopping = Relaxation

Did a bit of shopping this afternoon with the rest of the gang.

Thanks to J for hooking us up.



DSC04330


Eddi on 06.26.06 @ 05:24 AM CST [link]

AIR STAB Premium

Scored this pair today. This is my first pair of Air Stab. The color-combo and the material chosen attracted me to this pair. The hemp material would make it easy to match with my daily wear.

Definitley glad to see more and more special stuff are dropping in Shanghai.



Eddi on 06.26.06 @ 05:19 AM CST [link]

SBTG x Nike

Got this off SneakerFreaker's site. SBTG deserved this collabo with Nike. Belonging to the SB Series, this will come out in July in Asia. Congrats to you, Mark. I still wear the Dunk Hi you made for us before. Tight design as always.
Eddi on 06.25.06 @ 11:22 AM CST [link]

Japanese Lunch

Took WZL and Julia to this Japanese restaurant this afternoon. This is a chain-restaurant as the same one upstairs from our Hong Kong office. I used to go to the HK branch alot due to the fact that I can simply walk 2 flights up for lunch and saved us alot of time. So, I figured let's give this new Shanghai branch a try. Why not?



After the meal, I found out "why not". Not "bad", but the differences were quite noticable. Let's stick with the original source.




Eddi on 06.24.06 @ 04:39 AM CST [link]

DA>DINNER

For WZL's first dinner in Shanghai this time around, we have decided to go to PAULO's. A well-known Shanghaiese restaurant. We opted out one of our favorites TianFu mainly because we had it a night before...

Has big dinners became a tradition at DA>STUDIO? Tonight we had a party of 12, including the talented Spoony and Haiz. The two artists are also participating in the upcoming exhibition next week.


Spoony


Haiz

After the dinner, we went back to the studio to chat til 3:30am. Hmm.. that has also became an unhealthy tradition....
Eddi on 06.24.06 @ 04:30 AM CST [link]

WZL, YOHO, Weds, Nike, Urban; ALL IN ONE DAY

Started the day going to the airport to pick up WZL, who is coming to Shanghai from Beijing for his upcoming I, CHINA at DA>SPACE. We talk on the phone a few times per week, but being able to talk face to face is always much better.

The big guy brought tons of goodies from Beijing, boxes and boxes. One of the pieces he brought over is this skate deck that he painted up.




The day continued with meetings with the boss of YOHO Magazine, followed by an interview with Wednesday Paper, and then a visit by Himm from Urban Magazine and Sherry from Nike. Today went by sooo quickly..... I felt so much work was left undone..





In the evening, we got to examining the pieces we have collected for the exhibition. Some interesting stuff there. We have over 70 pieces at this point.





I, KAWS?



Was this piece "inspired" somehow by KAWS??

Full photo will be revealed in a few days.

Eddi on 06.23.06 @ 07:42 AM CST [link]

Faile on Wooster

Check out what FAILE did recently on Wooster Collective.


Eddi on 06.22.06 @ 10:04 AM CST [link]

Barefoot

Working out with details with Suzzy about BareFootChina this afternoon. We are about to launch this site. Barefoot is a project I'm working on with Jellymon. Sammy was responsible for the site's layout and all the graphics. I like it very much. I hope you guys will like it too when it goes live.



Eddi on 06.22.06 @ 05:49 AM CST [link]

I, CHINA submissions

As we are counting down the days from the official opening of the I, CHINA exhibition at da>space, more and more submission pieces are arriving everyday.

This ill little number made its presences felt this afternoon.



Eddi on 06.22.06 @ 05:45 AM CST [link]

If you thought China and its designers are still very closed minded, some of these pieces might change your views. This custom was on my table when I walked in this afternoon, I just knew I have to post it. This person definitely know what "adFunture style" is.....

I've seen over 30 customs today, I must say, these are looking nuts.
Eddi on 06.22.06 @ 05:43 AM CST [link]

This was from the old blog. One of my favorite paintings I've seen this year! haha Deserves another post!

Yeah yeah yeah, I know....



Eddi on 06.21.06 @ 09:51 AM CST [link]

Nike x World Cup Fever

On my ride to Red Dot today, I spotted this big ass ad on one of the buildings. China is a big soccer country, and all the sports brands are going all out to grab attentions during this World Cup fever. Well, this one definitely caught my attention. (yes, is just another big poster,.. but in Shanghai, you don't see alot of these around).


Eddi on 06.21.06 @ 09:42 AM CST [link]

Eddi on 06.21.06 @ 09:37 AM CST [link]

RED DOT

Spent another afternoon at Red Dot ironing out a few issues with the rennovations and talked closely with a few key staff members. We definitely want to make the destination place more attractive for clients.

Want to give a few shout outs to Jan, Apple, Nancy and Peter for their strong efforts in the past months.


Eddi on 06.21.06 @ 09:36 AM CST [link]

TTF

I've been putting this back and back, but I have to deal with it now; Our Taipei trip arrangements. Yup, adFunture will be present at Taipei Toy Festival next month. I hate dealing with dates, because I can feel it everytime that we won't be ready in time. Although this time, we don't really have much to prepare, I still feel not at ease. We'll be releasing the new I, WZL there for sure. The recent 10" Teddy Troop and ..... maybe the 3.5"?? I'm not sure.

But thanks to Brigitte for taking care of all that flight tix shit for me. Only she can handle this sort of things for me because I change my mind all the time. I know you hate, Brig, but.. you know how it is!

So what else can we bring there for kicks? Let me think...




Eddi on 06.20.06 @ 10:27 AM CST [link]

Iconic Shop

Had a long phone conversation with Patrick about Iconic Shop this morning. Patrick is "the man" of our retail business in Toronto, and doing a great job. Thanks dude. We are working on a few new ideas. Is about time we give it a boost, a basic retail shop seems a bit boring.


Eddi on 06.20.06 @ 02:37 AM CST [link]

They're back....

The London creative duo, Jellymon, has came back to Shanghai today.

This would be a good time to announce that Jellymon is now officially a part of DA>STUDIO, and a lot of projects will roll out soon.

Great to you guys here. Now go get some rest from your long flight.



Eddi on 06.19.06 @ 11:32 AM CST [link]

Father's Day

Tonight, I had dinner with Paul for Father's Day. Instead of just the two of us, I brought along Julia, Jukai, Eden, and PEN. I decided to go to one of Paul's favorite restaurants for lamb hot-pot. I rather not risk bringing him to have something that he might not like. You know, playing it safe.

Paul is the person I look up to, for his sincerity and passion towards anything that he does. Father's Day is for you, dad. Thanks for Everything, including my life itself.

Eddi on 06.19.06 @ 07:47 AM CST [link]

Lamb hot pot. Beijing-styled.
Eddi on 06.19.06 @ 07:41 AM CST [link]

Eddi on 06.19.06 @ 07:39 AM CST [link]

Eddi on 06.19.06 @ 07:37 AM CST [link]

W+K London

John Jay and his creative team from the W+K London.
Eddi on 06.18.06 @ 05:24 AM CST [link]

P.E.N. Crew

The young graffiti crew from ChangSa, P.E.N. Crew, is a team of 4 motivated creative minds. I met them only earlier this year, but have attracted deeply by their ideas, work ethics, and passion towards street art. Here they are patroling the night streets of Shanghai. This is their playground.

Expect to see a whole range of collabos to come later this Summer. It has been very interesting working with them.
Eddi on 06.18.06 @ 05:20 AM CST [link]

TLP on M-Style

A Chinese magazine, M-Style, did a feature on DA-SPACE and The London Police. The crew visited us last month to gather materials for this. A very nice interview with Chaz (TLP) is also in there.

Thanks to the crew of M-Style. Very nicely done. Cheers.


Eddi on 06.18.06 @ 05:14 AM CST [link]

Crayfish

Besides the good old tea eggs, this is another local dish that people like here in Shanghai; Crayfish. When my bro Gabriel visited me last year, we went out to have this, and he went "yo man, we use these to fish in Canada! Why da fuck you feedin' me this??"

Well.... different countries, different cultures.

We went out with PEN Crew for these last night. We chucked down about 6 lbs of them over a few beers. Don't miss it when you visit Shanghai.
Eddi on 06.17.06 @ 02:31 PM CST [link]

Pudong from New Heights

A shot taken of Pudong from the top floor of Three on the Bund's New Height Bar on Pudxi. Pudong has developed quite a bit in the past 4 years that I've been here.
Eddi on 06.17.06 @ 02:25 PM CST [link]

Red Dot Day

Spend the afternoon at Red Dot with Paul, discussing over the new rennovations and future projects for the restaurant. It seems to have became a habbit that we rennovate the 4yrs old restaurant every Summer! It is not the best of time to do these type of stuff, but this has been the fact so far. Hope we can, if needed, do this again next year in the winter times...
Eddi on 06.17.06 @ 02:23 PM CST [link]

EBLIS HUNGI - Shanghai Jeans Phenom

Who said China streetwears are only good with knock-offs? Yes, there are tons or BAPE, Supreme and Undercover tees in the countries wore by people who has no idea what these brands represents, but there are also people who are trying to operate quality original brands.



A few weeks ago, we paid a visit to Shanghai’s premier streetwear denim brand Eblis Hungi’s flagship store and met up with the main-man behind it all; Homin. Their jeans first caught my attention with their high quality and wash effects. After examining the cut, the sews and the minor details that were carefully installed, I must say this perhaps is the best local street denim brand in Shanghai, if not China. The prices range from 280rmb to 680rmb. That’s what, $35usd to $85usd per pair. That’s simply amazing and a bargain, if you are buying apparel for quality and don’t mind supporting a young developing brand.

The interior of the store was decorated in a very low key style. 2 floors, the second floor being a guests area for now. It will be an extension of retail space later.





All of the products are produced in limited runs ranging from 100 to 200 pieces. Once they are sold out, then they are done, no re-runs. We can all agree that this is pretty important to today’s urban culture, the nature of fashion collectibles. The product selection is not that wide as yet, but that’s because they are only 3 months old. But a lot of stuff are in the works as we speak. If we think Neighborhood is the denim king, then what Homin has in store for you this summer will definitely blow your socks off.




Here’s the collaboration t-shirt that I mentioned about a few days ago. A co-branded item by Eblis Hungi and Cherry Ash. Limited to only 88 pieces, and packaged in a special wooden box. Looks pretty hot.

I believe that if we give local creative brands enough props, kids wouldn’t need to wear a cool foreign brand’s KNOCK-OFF. That was the same mentality that help nurtured Japan’s urban streetwear culture back in the day. Show some support, folks.


Eddi on 06.17.06 @ 02:10 PM CST [link]

TEDDY TROOPS ARTISTS SERIES

So here they are, the upcoming variants from the Teddy Troops Artists Series. We have dying to release these guys out there, because we have been working on this series for so long. Release these 4 as individuals is just a small step forward. Well, is better than keeping everybody waiting for any longer.

Special thanks for Alexone, D*Face, Dave the Chimp, and of course, the man himself; Flying Fortress for the designs.

Eddi on 06.17.06 @ 02:05 PM CST [link]