Born at the turn of the twentieth century, Emilio De Marchi was a friend of cycling pros such as Ottavio Bottecchia, Fausto Coppi, Giordano Cottur and a list of others including later legends like Basso and Moser. De Marchi’s career began as a bike and motorcycle mechanic, where he eventually became actively involved in some of the first cycling teams ever created. “At that time, quality cycling apparel was hard to come by, so Emilio [through his wife Emma] solicited by many fellow cyclists, started a small homemade production of cycling clothes and actively contributed to the definition of a cycling-specific [garment] standard as opposed to more generic ‘sports’ clothes that were more easily available back in the day.”

To commemorate this legacy, the De Marchi Company has recently assembled Dawn of The Pros, The Evolution of Style in Cycling (1940-1955). This beautiful hardcover book (printed in Italy!) is overflowing with images from this exciting era. De Marchi was there during the early years of cycling and is responsible for the design of some iconic garments such as the Italia track suit and the current jersey design that allows cyclists to breathe freely without the restraints of the rigid collars that were common in sportswear at the time.

I’m sure most readers of this blog could agree that for the past few decades, road cycling has eluded the concept of good style, and we generally equate functional cycling kits with sun-faded spandex covered in excessive logos like some kind of Nascar skin-suit, adorned with mostly unreadable pseudo-sponsorships from banks, car companies, and for some reason, chili peppers. However, this is not always the case. Brands like De Marchi have been quietly producing thoughtful and classic apparel designs that keep cyclists looking sharp as a tack. This is what their heritage is all about. Check out the book at demarchi.com

Approximately 4 years ago, skateboarding in Japan received a proper depiction in the cult video aptly titled LENZ. Since that time, the world has continued to get smaller – and Tight Booth Productions, Shinpei Ueno & Evisen Skateboards teamed up to produce one of the most unique & culturally rich skateboard films to date. Featuring over 180 skateboarders, LENZ II travels throughout Japan, France, and New York City to show that skateboarding flourishes best when allowed to mutate and adapt to the diversity of global terrain. This video proves that although styles may differ internationally, creativity and expression are fundamental to skateboarding.

PERMANENT Distribution is proud to host the Public U.S. Premiere of this special film, held at the Cha Cha Lounge at 2375 Glendale Boulevard in Los Angeles, California on the evening of Thursday December 12, 2013. While RSVPing isn’t required, arriving early with an RSVP is the only way to guarantee entry if the venue fills. You can do so at: http://lenz.eventbrite.com

This 1-night event is sponsored by Permanent, Evisen Skateboards, Broadcast Wheels, and Modus Bearings.

I’ll be putting on a quaint video premiere for the release of the latest skate flick from Bronze (56k) titled Solo Jazz this Saturday. If you’re located in the Westerly regions of the North American continent, you’re invited to come and enjoy a brief visual presentation of East Coast skateboarding and redolent spectacle being projected onto a white wall in Los Angeles.

The video premiere starts at 10:00pm on Saturday August 17th at The Vex, located at 5240 Alhambra Avenue in L.A.

If you have no idea what Bronze or Solo Jazz is, then welcome to class. All ages are welcome, no entry fee. Visit permanentdist.com for more information.

Geoff McFetridge is one of the many artists who have recently teamed up with Rapha Cycling to release a limited series of prints in conjunction with the 100th edition of the Tour de France. As it turns out, they sold out almost immediately.

One of the most exciting new brands to appear recently is Evisen Skateboards from Japan. Amazing graphics, talented team, and soon to be available in the United States.

Katsumi has this to say about Evisen’s latest collaboration with Sadam for Maru’s homie, Shota Kikuchi: “Evisen Skateboards will be releasing a first ever guest model for a skateboarder from Sendai Japan, Shota Kikuchi.  The art work is done by SADAM an artist also from Sendai who has offered to design for the previous collaboration board.  The graphic is not just a Bouquet but there is a Gimmick in the graphics. Kotobuki means felicitation.

“The reason why we made a guest board for Shota is that we have huge respect to him but its not only about that.  Our team rider MARU has been skating with Shota from a young age up till now. MARU strongly wanted to give back to his lifetime brother so that is why we have decided to give a Bouquet designed in the board. Thank you skateboarding.”

In 1993 Kurt Cobain and William S. Burroughs released a rarely-discussed spoken word record entitled “The Priest, They Called Him.” Since I was a fan of both contributors, I eagerly purchased the album so I could complete a collection I was working towards. Bad idea; the album sucked. Live and learn.

Around 6 years after this, and long before the concept of collaboration became commonplace [nearly to the point of obnoxiousness] Mo’Wax and Mark Gonzales released an edition of 1000 Priest statues made of reconstituted stone (porcelain?). The figure was actually sculpted by Ben Drury, not Gonz- but each one was customised by Mark with a paintbrush, sharpie, pencil, or a combination of these. If you’re a weathered skate nerd, you’ve likely seen images of them floating around the internet. I think Mo Wax distributed around 500 of them directly within the UK, and the remainder went to retail in Tokyo, friends & family, various skate shops, and Alleged Gallery in New York.

I have been searching for some of those remaining ceramic figures for years; so needless to say, I was elated when toy connoisseur Super7 said that they were releasing a brand new Priest figure in conjunction with Gonz and Krooked Skateboards. I’m definitely a fan of both contributors- and buying one of these is a great idea.

The Priest stands at approximately ten inches tall and is draped with a red robe, adorned with gold. You can even change the facial expression with a twist of his head. I’m especially glad that this thing is made of Japanese vinyl, because if I had acted upon my impulse and began the hunt to collect a range of the original stone versions from a decade ago, my children would have positively destroyed each and every one of them by now… But for anyone reading this, let me know if you’ve got any of the original reconstituted stone figurines, I will pay in gold bouillons or grocery money.

To purchase Mark Gonzales’ The Priest, visit Super7store.com … and I suggest you hurry as it’s rumored they are nearly sold out already.

Special thanks go out to Josh and everyone at Super7.

Thank goodness for brands like Makia. They recently sent me a bundle of their latest Finnish-designed product including this permanent fixture on my coat rack: the Button Up Hooded Sweatshirt. Apparently it’s also a favorite of musician, actor, and Viking Vesa-Matti Loiri. If you’re still trying to catch up with Makia, check the documentary below or visit MakiaClothing.com

Something frightening lurks in a dark attic of Seattle in the form of a newsprint zine known by the name Hazmat. It’s pages will leave your fingers black and your heart blacker. A homie [who we'll call Harrison] is the appalling proprietor of this punkrock propaganda, and I suggest you do yourself a favor and buy a shirt, find a copy of the zine, and ominously laugh at anyone who insists print media is dead. They even have a blog in case you agree.

Something frightening lurks in a dark attic of Seattle in the form of a newsprint zine known by the name Hazmat. It’s pages will leave your fingers black and your heart blacker. A homie [who we'll call Harrison] is the appalling proprietor of this punkrock propaganda, and I suggest you do yourself a favor and buy a shirt, find a copy of the zine, and ominously laugh at anyone who insists print media is dead. They even have a blog in case you agree.

Makia has beaten everyone to the Finnish line by announcing their endorsement of car racing prodigy Kimi Räikkönen. I must say this is brilliant, isn’t it?

The Stussy-sponsored solo exhibit at Bleach London featuring new works by Mark Ward has been such a success that the show has extended until September 9th. Mark’s been a busy lad, releasing a recent collaboration with Broadcast and now this amazing group of work. Click here for the documentary.