On the second day I woke up late, slightly jetlagged (like I usually woke up earlier). Catch up with Gary, get to the restaurant of the standard hotel, exchange a few text messages with Estevan Oriol, wait for him to arrive to order our lunch. Estevan arrives, gives me a copy of his stunning “LA women” book, we exchange friendly introductory words on business, life, Hip Hop, Art and fashion while having our hamburgers. Then Estevan offers to take us on a trip to his shop “Last Laugh”. We accept, get to a pick up of a size probably violates any european limitation, drive through downtown as we discover Estevan’s taste for british urban music. Last Laugh is an impressively tastefully set up local where Mr Cartoon sells a selection of classic LA urban items such as pendelton shirts and customized baby buggies. A second room is dedicated to Estevan’s “Joker” brand and a backroom hosts a tattoo studio. We are introduced to Estevan’s exquisitely serviceable assistant Flaco and Estevan offers to take us to the infamous S.A. studio. Like degenerated Alices, Gary and myself fall through a delirious rabbit hole as Estevan drives through LA’s very own Skid Row, zigzagging among crackheads while Jamma’s sub-basses tickle our sinuses. As we park in front of the SA studios, I start to realize what SA studios are. Estevan and Mr cartoon’s office, but I am still very far from imagining what is coming next. As we enter, and roam the ground floor, Estevan introduces us to his own and Mr Cartoon’s collection of low riders. If anyone had asked me before that day if I had already seen a real Low Rider, I would have certainly negligently given the answer “yes”, but the truth would have been “no”. What the two european kids discovered there would probably a Dan Graham’s delirium tremens, but it most certainly was for the a dozen years of hip hop- and americano-mania’s (read: “obsession”) once-in-a-lifetime pinnacle. Then i notice that I didn’t take my newly acquired Mark II and that my old G10 is about to run out of battery. Shit

I must stop writing now, it is 100degrees Fahrenheit in NY, my computer is burning. The journey goes on, more soon.

I am in the middle of a pretty massive editing work on all the images I shot in LA. Just another preview to keep you waiting! (Shot at the AS studios, one of Mr Cartoon’s Customized vans and Estevan Oriol’s 64 Impala.)

Last day of Ed Templeton’s photography show in association with Slam City Skates at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms in London today, 12-6pm.

This weekend, SB contributor Estevan Oriol was in Rome in order to launch his new book, L-A WOMAN, published by Drago.

Below, during our visit of in the Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola a Campo Marzio, which is a Roman Catholic titular church dedicated to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order.

photography by Jean L’Olivier

I am fascinated with popular or generally functional clothing much more than the fancy, elite one. It is the Uniform vs Couture. Probably one of the reasons for my appeal to the “british fashion”, much more popular, style-orientated, as opposed to the “french fashion”, full of codes and a history few people have access to.

Among others, i have always had a love/hate relation to bombers. Around here, they are very generally perceived as linked to extreme right-wing subcultures, while in america, they are simply a widespread popular garment. No need to say that the stylistic projections I abstractly make on such an item while watching The Wire find themselves severely jeopardized when confronted to an environment that’s in a general style-denial like the little swiss town i find myself in these days.

I dream about a blog that would explore the history and repertory the uses and codes linked to popular clothes, and daring to also explore their occurrences in black-american cultures, french “banlieue” styles and so on. If such a thing exists, please let me know.

But until someone does it for me or I find some time to start it myself, here are two links to blogs already taking it slightly to that direction:

http://eworkers.blogspot.com/

This one I found a link to on Thomas Hooper’s website. It is pretty serious and well done. Let the images speak for themselves, because unless you’re japanese speaking, not even google-language tools can save you!

The other one is:

http://www.drygoodsandassortedsundries.com/
Much more fashion orientated, but I appreciate the angle it is taking on clothing-blogging.

And just for the hell of it: a very non extreme right-wing use of a bomber.

how could a a bad american graphic design just become good by adding some japanese signs on it? well it just… does.
the music is classic nonetheless. Pretty happy I found this one!

Recently I have the fun to tattoo Wonka and Dave Marshall in Bern upon invitation from my dear friend Patrick Fraefel who happens to be PR for Gorilla Bicycles. A few days later (or was it before? Who cares?) Wonka, Patrick, RENAUD SKYRONKA and Corinne Stoll shot a series of pictures to be featured in the upcoming issue of sang bleu. I was also given (ok, my chronology is messed up, cause THAT was 4 months prior) a beautiful fixed gear bike that have since been upgraded up to that:

And here is a little behind the scenes video of the shoot. As much as I am impressed by the stuff Wonka does, I am not even remotely interested in using my bike to jump over stuff, but I must say, nor am I interested in riding normal bikes anymore since I discovered fixed gear cycling!

(you might wanna turn the volume off before playing the video ;) )

GOrilla – Playing with Fire from Gorilla Bicycles on Vimeo.