The Brooklyn Nets’ history is one marked by calling a few different places in the tri-state area home, but from 1977 until their move to New York City in 2012, the franchise resided in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On Wednesday, the team confirmed a bit of news that had been going around the internet for a minute about one way that they plan on paying homage to those Garden State Nets teams during the upcoming season.
During the 2020-21 NBA season, the Nets will wear a crisp red, white, and light blue uniform that the team famously wore during their days in New Jersey, specifically during the 1990-91 campaign. The team announced the news with a pair of tweets: A video that connected the current Nets back to those old teams by superimposing them in these unis, and another that highlighted images of the threads, which will serve as their Classic Edition uniforms for the upcoming season.
Raised in Jersey. Rooted in Brooklyn. Recognized Everywhere.
The 90-91 Nets struggled on the court, going 26-56, but included a few of players like Derrick Coleman and the late Drazen Petrovic who helped them become a playoff team the following year. The 20-21 Nets will, of course, hope to not follow in that team’s footsteps, and with the return of Kyrie Irving from injury and the debut of Kevin Durant, it seems likely that Brooklyn will be a dangerous team.
The future of streetwear labels in the era of COVID-19 is in flux as much now as it was in the first few months of the pandemic. Some retail giants and upstart labels have folded completely. Others seem to be adapting to the challenges of a market that is now largely direct-to-consumer. One label that’s managed to stay afloat — thrive even — in these tough times is Teddy Fresh, a brand that’s been a favorite of ours for some time, appearing fairly often in our weekly sneaker and apparel roundup. Chances are you’ve seen the brand on the backs of your most stylish friends, and some of their early pieces, like their pastel color-block hoodies, have inspired a range of copycats.
Teddy Fresh operates under a deceptively simple slogan, “Making clothes that you can wear.” While that mantra sounds almost head-slappingly obvious, the three-year-old label focuses on the subject of the sentence — “you.” Since its inception, the brand has been producing unisex streetwear staples like sweaters, hoodies, jackets, and t-shirts in sizes running from XS to 3XL in their signature playful, pastel-heavy aesthetic. Their collections truly feel built for everyone, no matter who they are or how they’re shaped — a stark contrast to how many streetwear labels operate.
But it’s not just the sizing that makes Teddy Fresh cool. Like the slogan, their clothes may appear simple, but there’s a hidden depth. Fast fashion shortcuts are eschewed for embroidered detailing and a commitment to sourcing quality fabrics. In a world where the fashion industry accounts for a considerable amount of waste, that approach — which obviously increases production costs — is bold for such a young brand.
This week, we linked up with the label’s head designer, founder, and CEO Hila Klein — who filled us in on where she’d like to take Teddy Fresh, what inspires her designs, and what needs changing in the streetwear scene.
One of the things I really love about Teddy Fresh is the label’s early commitment towards unisex clothing. Now that the brand is expanding and Teddy Fresh is able to do things like have a female department in the works, in a perfect world with unlimited resources — what clothing pieces would you love to design under the Teddy Fresh name?
NASA’s next-generation spacesuit? Maybe that’s out of our technical capabilities for now, but who knows in the next five years? On a serious note, we have been singularly focused on our production capabilities and feel like we can match any streetwear brand out there on quality and polish. We’d love to make furniture in our color blocking style — a couch or a coffee table — that’s something we’ve always dreamed about. We definitely have some really exciting things coming in 2021!
I know you have a background as an artist, but where does your initial interest in the fashion world come from and what led you to want to start the brand?
I’ve always felt there is a lack of really fun clothes that I would want to wear. The only thing that I ever find is either vintage or kids clothing. Why do kids get to have all the fun? Some of the kid’s clothes I see absolutely blows my mind in terms of color and creativity. The only place you see that kind of clothing for adults is in brands like Gucci, but our goal is not to be high fashion or inaccessible to most people because of the price.
As a fairly new label working in modern times, I imagine sustainability is something that is constantly weighing on your mind. What are some of the challenges of becoming more eco-friendly and what would help make it easier for labels to transition to more sustainable practices?
Small steps. For example, we just switched to fully recycled plastic shipping bags, and we are looking into recycled fabrics. The clothing industry is extremely wasteful though, and to be completely honest, I have a problem with the majority of the “eco-friendly” messaging you see from other brands. I feel like it’s just trendy to say but doesn’t really mean anything. The truth is that low quality and quickly discarded clothing is what is causing the majority of the waste.
The best thing a brand can do is make high-quality clothes that last. It’s an uphill battle though, as many consumers expect extremely low prices set by fast fashion companies, and when they see a hoodie for $85 they think they’re being ripped off. The difference is that our hoodie could last 30 years.
All that being said, we continue to explore this topic and educate ourselves so we can do our part as much as possible.
Teddy Fresh as a whole has a very light-hearted and colorful aesthetic. What are some of the inspirations behind your designs and approach to color?
I just want it to be fun. I want people to feel happy wearing our clothes. It’s clothing, it’s really not that serious. Being fashionable doesn’t need to mean looking like you are cruising through The Matrix, not that there’s anything wrong with that, either. I love The Matrix.
Can you walk us through your general process when it comes to working on a new design? Where does the inspiration come from, how do designs start out, and how do you know when a piece is finished?
I love color, I’ll usually have a color combo in mind and I’ll start by sketching in my sketchbook, and then take it to the design team where we workshop in many different ways, styles, colors until we think it’s as close to right as possible. It is a very collaborative environment and so I really gotta give a lot of credit to our design team.
I imagine it’s hard to pick, but what Teddy Fresh piece are you most proud of and why?
Colorblock hoodie. One of our first pieces, the colorblocking fad really hadn’t come back in fashion yet. It has remained our strongest piece for three years and people just can’t get enough of it. There is something magical about the color combination I really can’t explain. After that, I would say the Grandpa Jacket aka “My grandpa passed and all I got was this jacket” — which is a new item of ours.
I feel it represents our evolution of production capabilities. It’s beautifully constructed and classic but still has the Teddy Fresh spirit. Perfect, timeless, buy it, and love it or your money back. That is my Grandpa’s guarantee right now to you the reader.
The pandemic threw a lot of small labels’ futures in the air, but Teddy Fresh was able to persevere. What challenges did you face with COVID-19, and what has it taught you as the CEO of a brand?
Direct to consumer is king, and we are just lucky to have that be the vast majority of our business. We had an enormous partnership with Zumiez right when COVID was looming and we decided to part ways amicably with them because we wanted to bring everything in-house — simply because we did not know what the fate of in-person retail would be. It was extremely risky because we had to absorb all of the clothing that they had ordered into our inventory, but we are happy with the decision. Our fear was that they would have a ton of unsold clothing that would be going on clearance and we felt it was necessary to protect our brand.
In-house, it has been extremely difficult. We take COVID very seriously and don’t allow anyone in our office, except for an essential few, while wearing masks. But for the most part, we are all working remotely. It makes reviewing samples and creative workshopping so much more difficult. I miss everyone. I love our people so much, I want them to be safe, but we all just can’t wait for things to return to normal.
What would you like to see begin to change in the world of fashion and streetwear moving forward?
I’ve been seeing more independent artists and small brands rise through social media and selling online, and I love to see it and support it. People are making one-offs and selling them directly to their followers and it’s all really exciting to me. I want more of that!
What can Teddy Fresh fans look forward to in 2021?
The best clothing we’ve ever made. Female collections, instead of just unisex. Incredible collaborations. And of course NASA’s next-generation spacesuit.
Anderson .Paak joined Zane Lowe on his Apple Music show today to break down his Apple Music At Home With playlist and in the course of the conversation, shared a tidbit that will be truly exciting to hardcore .Paak fans. Apparently, like 21 Savage and Metro Boomin did earlier this month, Andy’s reconnected with one of his most revered production partners Knxwledge for a follow-up to their fan-favorite 2016 mixtape Yes Lawd! as NxWorries.
When speaking on the original NxWorries project, Anderson remarked, “It was fun taking Knxwledge out of his cocoon, because he’s very much introverted and just was making beats at the crib and hadn’t really done too [many] shows.” He compared the tour for that show with his most recent one, noting the contrast between touring with a full band as opposed to just a DJ. Then, he shared the info that NxWorries fans have been waiting on for nearly four years now.
“We’re working on a new [project],” he revealed. “I was just over there the other day. We’ve been getting it in. We’ve got a bunch of stuff that we’re really happy about. Just stay tuned y’all. This is going to be real nice. Shout out to Knxwledge, shout out to Stones Throw. We’re coming back.”
Elsewhere in the interview, .Paak discusses his love for J Dilla, working with Rick Ross on their “Cut Em In” collaboration, and how the pandemic renewed his appreciation for performing and inspired “Lockdown.”
While Rostam only has one solo album out to date, the dreamy 2017 effort Half-Light, he’s worked with some of the biggest names in indie music. Most notably, the ex-Vampire Weekend member was Clairo’s producer on her debut Immunity, and also worked with Haim for their recent effort Women In Music Pt. III. Returning to expand his personal catalog, Rostam shares the misty single “Unfold You” alongside a serene video.
Under a lulling beat, mesmerizing saxophone licks, and shimmering keys, “Unfold You” speaks to Rostam’s willingness to be open to a new love. The accompanying visual, directed by Rostam himself, offers dazzling landscapes set to the single.
In a statement about “Unfold You,” Rostam described how it took him many years to finish the song. Speaking about how he was inspired by Nick Hakim’s music, Rostam wrote:
“In November 2017 I played a show with Nick Hakim at Cafe De La Danse in Paris. This was the first Rostam show outside of America. I wasn’t familiar with Nick’s music but I was immediately drawn to it. Later that night in my hotel room I was winding down after the show and listening to some of Nick’s records. The song ‘Papas Fritas’ came on, it’s an instrumental track, and I suddenly found myself singing a melody over it and recorded that in my voice memos. Anyone writing songs probably has a few hundred voice memos on their phone. I kept coming back to this one though, and when I returned from a North American tour in February 2018 I booked some days at my favorite Vox Studios in Hollywood.
That’s where I first met Henry Solomon, who came in to play sax on ‘Unfold You.’ I had written out some sax lines for a few sections of the song, but others we arranged together in the studio. I wasn’t exactly sure where “Unfold You” would land. I hadn’t finished writing the song, but I continued building out the track with Nick’s ‘Papas Fritas’ as its backbone. I decided I’d let the recording process take me where it would. […] In the summer of 2016, I was sitting on a park bench on Commercial street in Provincetown, Massachusetts. I found myself in conversation with a stranger who left me with a piece of advice that has stuck with me. ‘Change is good,’ he said, ‘Go with it.’”
Throughout the NBA season, the Western Conference seemed primed for a showdown between the Los Angeles squads with the right to play for a championship on the line. The Lakers held up their end of the bargain, dispatching of the Houston Rockets in the conference semis, and following Game 4 of their series against the Denver Nuggets, the Clippers boasted a 3-1 lead and every reason to believe they’d punch their ticket in due time.
And then, the meltdown happened. Denver ripped off three wins in a row, oftentimes in come from behind fashion, to beat the Clippers in seven games. It was shocking to watch and led to a major change in the organization, as the team parted ways with longtime coach Doc Rivers. But to their fellow Staples Center residents, the whole thing was extremely funny to watch.
Lakers veteran Jared Dudley appeared on Bill Simmons’ podcast and, among other things, discussed watching the Clippers bow out of the postseason. As he explained it, the whole ordeal was met with laughter in the team’s locker room.
“We were laughing. We were laughing, in the sense like, ‘I can’t believe it,” Dudley said, per The Score. “I picked them to win Game 7. There was no way I thought they were going to lose. Our whole mind was, we gotta beat the Clippers. We want the Clippers. They wanted us. It was the trash-talking that happened.
“Pat Bev ‘check ball’ during the pandemic, ‘Playoff P’ talking about he the best — him and Kawhi,” he continued. “Kawhi with the commercials, the crown, we’re seeing all these billboards up here. So when we go to practice every day, there’s a Kawhi billboard.”
Dudley did go on to say that he viewed it as “unfortunate” that we didn’t get the matchup “the world needed to see,” but posited that the Clippers didn’t really want to be in the Bubble. He is right that a Clippers-Lakers series would have been a blast to watch, we just might have to wait a year until it happens. And if it does, the Lakers will proudly stroll into that matchup as the defending champs.
Billie Eilish went viral today, but it was for an unfortunate reason: A Twitter user shared a body-shaming post about her, so her fans swooped in the stand up for the singer and tell that detractor off. Now Eilish herself has offered a reaction to the tweet, and although it’s an indirect response, it seems clear that Eilish is either addressing this specific situation or the general types of comments she sees about this sort of thing.
On her Instagram Story last night, Eilish shared a video from content creator and social media personality Chizi Duru, in which she calls for people to start “normalizing real bodies.” In the video that Duru shared to her 170k Instagram followers on October 7, she says, “Y’all gotta start normalizing real bodies, OK? Not everybody has a wagon behind them, OK? Guts are normal, they’re normal. Boobs sag, especially after breastfeeding. Instagram isn’t real.” Duru also captioned the post, “In case someone needed a reminder…. Instagram has warped a lot of y’all into thinking NORMAL bodies are abnormal. NO. Not every black girl has a shelf behind them. Stomach pudge is completely normal. Most boobs SAGGGG. And to all my mamas out there, it’s ok! You brought LIFE into this world sis.”
Billie Eilish encourages people to ‘normalize real bodies’ after she was body-shamed in viral tweets. pic.twitter.com/SS0clRaeHo
The tweet in question featured a paparazzi photo of Eilish and declared that she “has developed a mid-30’s wine mom body.” The backlash against that Twitter user was severe, with one person summing up the tone of the responses with their tweets: “Body-shaming Billie Eilish is the main reason she wears baggy clothes. This sh*t is just weird and objectively wrong. She looks beautiful and most importantly, healthy. Let people develop confidence… on God most people wish they looked like her, like damn y’all see a lil tummy and people think you obese… this MAN is pushing 30 as well. Embarrassing.”
Eilish responded to a similar situation in April, after she had shared videos of herself in a swimsuit. She was frustrated, saying in an interview, “It was trending. There were comments like, ‘I don’t like her anymore because as soon as she turns 18, she’s a whore.’ Like, dude: I can’t win. I can not win.”
David Crosby turned heads this week during an AMA session on Twitter. As fans and artists were still reeling over the death of Eddie Van Halen, one user asked Crosby his opinion on the musician. The veteran singer answered the question with a “meh,” and his unexpectedly cold response instantly prompted backlash. On Wednesday, a few days following the incident, Crosby backtracked on his statements and admitted that he had been insensitive.
Addressing the backlash, Crosby conceded that his statement was “not cool,” writing, “yes you Van Halen fans I did just toss off an answer that was not cool …the even more embarrassing truth is ..I didn’t even remember he had just died or I would have kept my mouth shut….I do make mistakes …no offense intended.”
yes you Van Halen fans I did just toss off an answer that was not cool …the even more embarrassing truth is ..I didn’t even remember he had just died or I would have kept my mouth shut….I do make mistakes …no offense intended
Shortly after Crosby’s original “meh” tweet, the singer doubled-down on his statement, saying Van Halen’s music just wasn’t for him. “many of you loved Van Halen ….and the one time I met he was nice ….and he was talented,” he wrote. “meh to me means I don’t care that much ….and I don’t …doesn’t mean he wasn’t good, he was but not for me.”
Seeing as Van Halen passed away just a few weeks ago, people were not happy with Crosby’s statements. One fan replied and said the tweet was “rude, unkind and totally lacking empathy.”
Hendrix changed the world of guitar. Nobody else really …look I get it ..many of you loved Van Halen ….and the one time I met he was nice ….and he was talented …meh to me means I don’t care that much ….and I don’t …doesn’t mean he wasn’t good ,he was but not for me https://t.co/onttfvowU8
Lindsey Graham’s days as a U.S. Senator from South Carolina could very well be numbered, as hard as that would have been to believe a few years ago. He seems to know he’s out and recently pleaded with Fox News viewers to send him campaign donations. That spectacle was followed by his Democratic opponent, Jamie Harrison, raising $57 million (and in the process, breaking a congressional fundraising record) in an effort to unseat Graham, who’s been under fire for his (arguably hypocritical) tactics to fill Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s Supreme Court seat so swiftly and before the election.
Graham’s only made it worse for himself over the past week. First, he made the bizarre comment that Black people “can go anywhere in [South Carolina. You just need to be conservative, not liberal.” Then he refused to take a COVID test ahead of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing, where he posed this question on Wednesday:
“One of the reasons you can say with confidence that you think Brown vs. Board of Education is ‘super precedent’ is you’re not aware of any effort to go back to the good old days of segregation by a legislative body, is that correct?”
Graham to Barrett: “One of the reasons you can say with confidence that you think Brown vs. Board of Education is ‘super precedent’ is you’re not aware of any effort to go back to the good old days of segregation by a legislative body, is that correct?” https://t.co/CryBVMyqaYpic.twitter.com/MthqQzqrRd
Did Graham realize that it’s never a good look to say “the good old days of segregation,” and that sets him up for people believing that he, in fact, yearns for those days? No one knows the answer to that question, but Graham later told reporters (via Vox’s Aaron Rupar that he was speaking with “deep sarcasm.” Perhaps he’s actually trying to get voted out of office, and a lot of people on Twitter wouldn’t be sad to see him go, from the sound of their reactions.
On their debut album Moveys, Chicago’s Slow Pulp shines through with the confidence of a veteran band. A lot happened to the members during the writing and production process of the album, and the strife is explored fully through the intensity of the band’s fuzzy pop-rock tracks. At just ten tracks, Moveys is one of the most exciting debuts of 2020, and a very promising taste of what’s to come from the quartet.
To celebrate the new album, the band sat down to talk Coldplay, Carole King’s net worth, and very small motel beds in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Emotional North-American slow pop.
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
We hope that our music continues to resonate with people outside of the context it was made in.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?
Madison, WI, our hometown.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
We all have slightly different taste in music, so it’s hard to find one specific person that has inspired all of us, but we all are definitely inspired by Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
The Loring pasta bar in Minneapolis after the very last show of tour. It wasn’t the best meal ever but we had a really nice time together. Best bathroom in America.
What album do you know every word to?
Parachutes by Coldplay!
What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?
Beach House at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee in 2019.
What is the best outfit for performing and why?
Well you don’t want to have too heavy of clothes on or it will get so hot. So something breezy and comfortable.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
NOW That’s What I Call Music #3, with classics including “All Star” by Smash Mouth, “What’s My Age Again” by Blink-182 and “Special” by Garbage.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
We stayed at this very strange motel in Detroit with these really small beds!! They were pretty hard to sleep in.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
Henry has a tattoo of an anchor on his right butt cheek that he got on his 18th birthday. He hid it from his mom for like 3 years, and she found out one day while they were waiting for the bus and she made him show it to her at the bus stop!
What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?
DaBaby.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Someone gave Emily a shirt in Portland with an embroidered butterfly on it. Also, shout out to all of our friends and family who let us stay with them while we are on tour.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Invest in bitcoin.
What’s the last show you went to?
Andy Shauf.
What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?
13 Going On 30.
What would you cook if Kanye were coming to your house for dinner?
Well normally we’ll do a bit of spaghetti for dinner with sauce, so hopefully we could make a bit of that plus some ham for appetizers? Not sure tho!
Chance The Rapper and MadeInTYO reunite on TYO’s new single “BET Uncut,” this time bringing along St. Louis rapper Smino — who Chance also worked with on his album The Big Day — to pay homage to the 2000s-era cultural institution. While the video isn’t quite as racy as you might expect from the song’s title, the three rappers do trade some flirtatious, tongue-in-cheek bars for the ladies over the hard-hitting K Swisha beat.
“BET Uncut” is the second high-profile single to feature MadeInTYO after his post-“Uber Everywhere” hiatus. In July, he popped up on ASAP Ferg’s “Move Ya Hips” alongside Nicki Minaj, contributing a catchy hook. Prior to that, he and DaBaby laid some verses for Chance’s Big Day single “Hot Shower.” TYO’s new release is the first from Never Forgotten, the follow-up to his 2018 album Sincerely, Tokyo, which arrives October 30.
Meanwhile, Chance has been riding out the pandemic with a string of innovative digital performances, including one for Ralph Lauren and one for Triller, while contributing verses to Justin Bieber’s “Holy,” Spillage Village’s Spilligion, and Baha Banks’ “Shake Dat Ass.”
Watch MadeInTYO, Chance The Rapper, and Smino’s “BET Uncut” video above.
Never Forgotten is due 10/30 via Private Club Records / Commission Music. See the tracklist below.
1. “Movie”
2. “All I Need (feat. J. Balvin)”
3. “Freaky Girl (feat. Young Nudy)”
4. “Sports Center (feat. Ty Dolla $ign & 24hrs)”
5. “Throw It Back”
6. “Money Up (feat. Toro y Moi)”
7. “Ice Cream Swag (feat. Cam’ron)”
8. “BET Uncut (feat. Chance the Rapper & Smino)”
9. “Level Up”
10. “To the Moon”
11. “Coogi Shorts for the Summer (feat. BJ the Chicago Kid)
12. “Boss Up (feat. Na-Kel Smith)”
13. “Talkin to Me (feat. Chynna)”
14. “Aww Man (feat. Wiz Khalifa)”
15. “Jerry $tackhouse (feat. LUCKI)”
16. “Paris Fashion Week”
17. “Human-Made Racing”
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