Deep freeze winter is almost here for ducksworth and aaron!!

Big Ups to Jack and Wreck and the whole Full Service/Knifeshow Sound. Its unfortunate I didn’t get to attend our Halloween Party…but according to THESE PICTURES the shit was off the hook.

YAY

I have

Hey is that??Jovan?

This is typical style of my friend Christian. Wear my shirt in a Heron Preston shoot, and not even mention it. LOL…loves it.

Healthy Families is a nationwide program which began in Hawaii. It’s focus is to help reduce stress on families who are expecting (or just welcomed a newborn into the household) in order to prevent abuse and neglect. Healthy Families operates in all five boroughs and our city’s own devoted ladies trek out into risky neighborhoods in order to offer moms-to-be information regarding the pregnancy and new parenting concerns. They also help families better access: health care, government programs, and other opportunities in their neighborhoods. To learn more about Healthy Families New York, visit their website

Big up to Donia, Roxanne and errrbody over at Brookdale Hospital, and the entire Healthy Families program.

Loves it all day…

well thats nice….

http://www.ducksworthny.com

WHOLE-MEAL BREAD/RAW CARROTS/FRUIT/NUTS/INNER COGNITION

first three styles….

first 20 people to email me get a free one before they go on sale

Lemme know kiadd

youngsirs@ducksworthny.com

COME TO CLUB LOVE TONIGHT!

My friends at KNIFESHOW MUSIC were friendly enough to get me involved with their FULL SERVICE party, so I designed the graphics we got so gassed up that we had to make a tshirt and a mixtape…so fuckin a…I hope you like dub step/trip out. Listen to it HERE

Time doesn’t exist for me…

But I still want to keep bringing in new product for you guys on a normal shedual

Make sure you keep checking for updates at DUCKSWORTH

I love you booboo

Thank you Mister Kaos for showing love to The Dover Chester AND The King Stampede

I never usually see good pictures of me, so when one comes along I get super excited

Check it

ALSO PLEASE log on to the Kid Kaos blog to read the whole story! Atlanta really knows how to take a vacation! Thanks for the visit and the rep from your ‘not so secret society’

Aar Bear

So my best friend Diamond was on the Boundless Blog today

Check it out…notice the perfect heart shape she is making with her paws and chest!!!!! amazing

Good enough for me!

KEEP IT GREEN GUYS, VOTE TO RAISE THE DUCK STAMP FEE, SAVE THE WETLANDS

SPECIAL THANKS TO SCOTT

Holler Quack for our friends nation wide.

Special thanks to Kid Kaos from Vintage Imperial, and ALEX from Saber Seven!

Hope all is well where you are at my dudes see you soon

Aar

Ya know…Its stuff like this, that really makes me wanna go back in time. Who cares about education, I learn more sitting at a table in Jersey than I Ever learned from school or the ’streets’. So don’t let anyone tell you that knowledge comes from experience. Because I’m telling you right now, the only thing you need to get knowledge fast is a laptop, a dictionary, and a fresh steaming apple dumpling.

Jordan and Matt, I know you are out there. And if you read this, I hope it puts a smile across your face.

Very special thanks to Jaclyn Friedlander for blasting me to the past yet again. She has a blog as well which can be accessed by clicking http://www.jaclynfriedlander.com/

Just so you know, as of now you can order some of my tank tops HERE

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR AMAZING SUPPORT!

Who wants to romp through the drylands wit me?

Im fully here in your mind.

Please enjoy my baggy tank tops.

AARON and DUCKSWORTH

Starting in May. I will be releasing a new story every month. This required reading is your gateway to the corresponding peice of art. You can purchase them in print form as they are released at www.gordonbombay.com . Originals available upon request.

I love you…

Can someone please write a fucking story…

Jesse is back! This time I decided to take the liberty of interviewing his ass.

Its not everyday you get a chance to sit down and pick the brain of an official bi-coastal visionary and taste maker. So when that chance comes, squeeze as much info out of that dude as you can.

And here we go…

DC:Last time we spoke, you seemed to really be concerned about the fact that
we had TWO eclipses in one month. What are your concerns? And how do you
think this will affect everyones hustle in 2008?

JN:I’m not saying that I believe 100% in astrology, but I definitely think
there is a little something too it. I read my horoscope everyday, and I
check out my month long horoscope at the beginning of every month. I use
AstrologyZone.com which is run by Susan Miller. I have to say that I have
found her forecasts to be informative and very predictive. For example, when
I was in the process of transitioning jobs over the summer, before I even
had anything lined up, she basically said that things would fall into place,
and not to stress out, and that these changes would come after Mercury came
out of retrograde. And that is exactly what happened. As a Gemini you are
ruled by Mercury, and that planet effects communication. Whenever it goes
into retrograde, communication becomes muddled. Understanding that makes it
easier not to get stressed out. I know that when Mercury goes into
retrograde things aren’t going to run as smoothly, and that once it comes
out of retrograde things will fall into place. I have found this to be true.
Also when Mercury goes into retrograde, it is a bad time to make deals, sign
contracts, or buy new electronics / communication tools. I kept this in
mind, and held off on buying my last computer until the stars were in a more
auspicious position. So far my computer has been fine. I believe in luck,
and good luck charms, and I think you have to take the effort to believe in
these things to have them work. If you don’t believe in them, then they
aren’t going to work for you, but if you do then it can help. I think there
is actually a scientific basis for this when you combine new age thinking
with quantum mechanics. We really have an effect on our environment. You
have to use your mind and your thoughts to put out positive vibes. Our
thoughts are electrical impulses that travel at the speed of light, if we
think something, it is out there in the world, affecting us. It doesn’t just
stay in your head. Our bodies also release light via biophotons, some
scientist believe that biophotons are important in regulating biological
processes at a cellular level - consciousness at the cellular level. Your
body is radiating energy all the time, and you can control whether that is
good energy or bad energy.

I think that astrology is an ancient tool, that can be used to better
understand our environment. All the energy from around the universe, it is
affecting us, if you don’t think it is affecting us you are crazy, because
look a meteor killed the dinosaurs, and a giant solar flare could knock out
all our communication satellites. To think that the positions of the planet
doesn’t have a some effect on us would be foolhardy. As far as the two
eclipses, basically that’s something special and rare. So when nature
reveals itself in rare patterns we should appreciate it. The lunar eclipse
was amazing, the moon affects us so much. We wouldn’t have life on this
planet if it wasn’t for the moon, and the moon controls the tides, and our
bodies are more than 2/3 water. Susan Miller says that “Eclipses are
dramatic “wild cards” in our horoscopes. They shake us up so that we can
move from one level of evolution and maturity to another, higher phase,
fairly rapidly.” Here is a more detailed breakdown
http://www.astrologyzone.com/forecasts/eclipse.html

DC:Since we are talking about hustle…Who are some people you can think of,
that are REALLY hustling hard right now? And why?

JN:My friends and allies at Permanent Marks (www.permanentmarks.com). They just
released the The Upsetter: the Music and Genius of Lee Scratch Perry
(www.theupsettermovie.com)

These are people I am always building with creatively, and my friends are a
continual source of inspiration.

Frenel from Still Life. This guy can be completely irrational and
unconventional, and he doesn’t care if you think that. He has a vision for
what he wants to do, and nothing is going to stop him.

Bill Rosen - My grandfather, and the best salesman I know. He came up from
poverty in the Jewish slums of Chicago and has gone on to live an incredible
life. He helped to instill a strong work ethic in me, and has put me on to
so much game when it comes to understanding business. He just retired last
year at 83, and now he is taking classes at the community college to stay
busy.

Harley from Substance. I don’t know him well, but from what I see, I just
respect his grind, and I think Substance is going to do big things in the
years to come.

Jules Kim from BiJules - If you live, work, or inhabit downtown NYC then you
probably know this woman. She is a savvy business person, and a good self
promoter. Every time I see her she is working hard to elevate, plus she
looks damn good doing it.

Estevan Oriol - I had the privilege of working with Estevan on two Frank
Books, the SA Studios chapter, and the Tuff Gong chapter. Estevan is just a
hard worker and super talented visual artist. I had the treat of going
through his archives, and I don’t think people know just how much work he
has amassed. He stays clean, doesn’t even drink, always professional, and
you could put him in any situation and he will get the shot. I can’t wait to
work with him again in the future. He just dropped that book for Adidas,
1979. They had snipes for it all over NYC, that was his work.

DC:What’s wrong with New York City Jesse? You took off so fast for LA, I
hardly got a chance to really ask you about it.

JN:I wouldn’t say that I took off “so fast". I lived in New York City for 10
years, I didn’t feel it was going to help me evolve any further, and
personal evolution is something I care greatly about it, that’s why I carry
it on my back. I think that NYC has a lot of amazingly talented and creative
people, and that is the best thing about it.

What’s wrong with NYC is that it’s become an over priced shit hole, that’s a
playground for multi-millionaires and trust fund kids, if you don’t fall
into those categories it is very hard to live decently. You will be
sacrificing some quality of life to play a game that you can’t really afford
to play. There is no affordable housing, there is just too many people out
there. I think all those people living poorly creates a lot of tension and
that’s why people are miserable. You see it on there faces on the subway
trains. And people just indulge in drugs to deal with there stress. In a
matter of a year I saw several very talented people die of drug overdoses.
And everyone just keeps going, like it’s nothing. Like that’s part of the
game, and it’s all good. I didn’t think it was a healthy environment there
anymore. I had a good run, I didn’t want to stick around another 10 years
and wake up one day and be 40 years old living with a room mate, still not
making enough money to survive, or just live decently. I just think the
city’s best days are behind it, and as evidence of that you just see a bunch
of kids trying to emulate a time past, to relive the 80s and 90s, most of
them not even creating anything new and interesting, just re-hashing the
same shit. Grown men obsessed with sneakers and fitteds, that’s because a
toxic environment will stunt peoples growth. That’s just my opinion. Great
city though.

And I’m not saying LA is better than NYC. I’m in LA because my family is
here, and my grandparents are here. Family is the most important thing.
There are many other cities in the world that I hope to have the chance to
experience.

DC: Now that you are deep the in the editorial world do you see it taking
you further or is the next step going to be something totally new?

JN:I’m always trying to move things further forward. I love the written word,
and I hope to write a few books before things are all said and done. But I’m
just trying to create across multiple mediums. I don’t consider myself an
editor, I like to consider myself a Multimedia Producer. I deal with ideas,
so whoever is down to pay for my ideas can hire me.

DC: How do you feel about re-heating sliced cold cuts?

JN: Good question. Okay here is the thing, sometimes you go into a deli and the
menu will say something like “sandwich with warm turkey breast on a roll".
Which sounds good. But then these guys, they go and they throw sliced
turkey, like a pack of Louis Rich turkey, and put it on the grill. And
that’s just disgusting. It’s misleading and it’s wrong. A turkey breast to
me is something that you have at Thanksgiving, it’s thick and it has
substance.

DC: How do you feel about being subject to an interview on “some blog” now
that everyone has one?

JN: I got an ego just like everyone else. Give me my 15 minutes! I think its
good that everyone has a blog. Some people complain that its saturated, but
I think that is a simplified perspective. No one says that the cell phone is
saturated and it’s not cool to have one. What’s saturated is certain people
re-cycling the same information. Don’t start another blog about sneakers,
t-shirts, and vinyl toys. I mean Slamxhype and Hypebeast should probably
just merge, because they are pretty much reporting on the same things, and
they do a great job of covering everything you would want to know about
these subjects. People just need to remember the most important thing about
what’s awesome about blogs, and that is they are empowering. This is your
own platform so take advantage of it, bring some original content to the
table. I think the Dover Chester is doing a good job of that in your own
weirdo way. Now you just have to start posting more consistently. But it’s a
cool angle to talk about all the Polo your mom owns, and how that shaped
your aesthetic. That’s honest. I think that blogs can really empower the
masses, and be a channel to broadcast important info. Now these kids just
have to stop being lazy and start thinking for themselves. That might be the
next trend in blogs, people start getting super creative and original.
Wouldn’t that be something? It’s either going to be that, or the
un-originality will get even worse. But I don’t think that will be case.
Despite all my pessimism I try to balance it out with some optimism.

DC: Everytime I see you your hairstyle is different. Would you say this is
connected to mood and ever changing mental condition?

JN: It’s really just cycle. I let it grow out, then I cut it and the process
starts all over again. Hopefully it all stays in! I think I got a 50/50
chance as some of my older relatives have hair and some are bald. If I go
bald, it won’t be pretty, because I got a really bumpy head, and it’s kinda
pointy at the top. I think that’s because I was delivered by a mid-wife, and
not a doctor. A doctor supposedly shapes your soft noggin when you’re born.

DC: Damn man…What should I do with my house? Its so empty.

JN: Keep it empty. Don’t feel so compelled to consume. Post modernist industrial
minimalism. I got rid of tons of stuff when I moved. Actually every time I
moved, because in 10 years in New York, I lived in 14 different spots. By
the end I had just some boxes of books, music, and clothes. What else do you
really need? But if you do get a little extra dough, I would get a couch,
and then put a flat screen on the other wall, and surround sound. Then you
can bring girls back and watch movies. Top it all off with a nice glass
bong, or a vaporizer.

DC: What t shirt should we make this summer? And since we are talking about
it, why don’t you wrap up by talking about t-shirts a little bit.

JN:Our T-Shirt is going to say “My Other T-Shirt is a T-Shirt Company".

T-shirts are just an amazing democratic medium. Everyone should make at
least one t-shirt, once you’ve done that, then you can say you started a
t-shirt company…

Another phase of my life comes to a close, and new one begins, not a moment too soon. As of today I will be stepping out of my position at Frank151/Franks ChopShop. Next week I begin a brand new job at Boundless New York

My instincts say that this is a positive move. However, I can’t help but shed a small tear while turning my back on the office/store that I helped to build and bring to life. I have alot of love for you all you guys at Frank151 and Franks ChopShop.

Mike- You may not realize this, but you are like an older brother to me. That doesn’t mean I approve of all the shit you do.

Domingo- When no one else was there, you were. Even though you yell and call me mother fucker all the time, you’re my main dude.

Synapse- You are my partner, and I know I will be working with you soon!

Todd- You and me see eye to eye on shit. You inspire me to dress well, and continuously elevate my style.

Mista B/Chris/Fritz-You guys are also like brothers to me. It’s going to suck not seeing you dudes every day. Still free cuts right??

Jesse- You already know what I’m going to say.

Steve- No call or nothing…Damn man, I thought we was fam…

Adam- I’ll see you later in the week guy! Holler Quack for Ducksworth!

Here is one last memory for you guys. Try not to get too teary eyed over there.

I’ll be back , ya heard!!

As for everyone else, come see me at Boundless/King Stampede starting next week. Off the Lorimer stop on the L train!!!!

BK ALL DAY

Hey! What the!? How did she get that t-shirt?? I don’t even have one of those!

Thanks Azel and Viki

photos: Dwyonia Belmonte

Jeepers where do I start? I spent a lot of time at Bloomingdales and Saks in my younger years. They usually have chairs because women wanna drag their kids and spouses into those spots for hours at a time. That shit isn’t easy to deal with, but I really did learn alot actually. There are just certain aesthetics that these mediocre department are known for. Especially in the early 90’s, vendors like Macy’s and and Lord & Taylor were holding it down visually. The mannequins and spatial design was inspiring and huge for a child like myself. I wish to hell that I had pictures from back then, but I guess this is the next best thing. Now-a-days those places are stupid and half assed. They feature little creativity and are usually a mess with hangars and clothes laying all over the place. Yuck! I generally don’t go to those places anymore, except like once a year I go to the Rockaway mall in Jersey because Nieman Marcus has good Polos that you cant find over here in New York. People are already on to the early 90’s polo craze in the city, people in the suburbs are idiots. So its easy to get good clothes and kicks.

Those Chairs were comfortable, and I was generally located in the chair closest to the Ralph Lauren section of whatever store we were in. I used hide under the out of season racks and fuck with people. Bitches came and yelled at me and I get real discouraged for some reason, and I had to run over to DKNY for a second to get my thoughts together, or maybe it was Calvin. But it was all good because at the end of the day I generally walked out in a new pair of Polo pleated Chinos, or at least a sweat, and that made me smile.

I didn’t realize this at the time. But over the years, spending hundreds of hours in shopping malls, my mother had compiled a ridiculous RL collection. One of the biggest I have ever seen. Hundreds of shirts, coats, hats, shoes, and more. Not only that but home decor, bed spreads covered in vintage RL duvet covers, fine china, even all her couches are covered in custom cut Ralph Lauren Fabric. Pants and skirts from Ralph Lauren Dry Goods, a long expired brand by Ralph. Even a vintage Riding Jacket that may be worth a couple thousand…not baaad. My mother doesnt buy pillow cases or sheets that aren’t Ralph, I don’t know why, shes just into it. Piles of t-shirts and balled up ankle socks with ‘POLO’ stitched on the side in black. I even used to have a stuffed ‘polo bear’ and I with to hell i knew where it was today.

These pictures are two closets worth of pieces. She wouldn’t let me go into the closets of the basement, and also there is at least this much or more at my parents beach house on Long Island.

Looking back on this really makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. I love you Mom and Dad, and thank you for giving me the gift of retail early on. My personal polo collection is steadily growing and always exclusive.

LATERS

Little Kelly Welly loves the early 90’s

In fact she would like to demonstrate her little roger rabbit dance. Hope you had fun in paris Kookoo!

DO NOT BUY THE BLACK APPLE MACBOOK! That shit is soft. Damn thing crashed after like 6 months. “The machine doesn’t see the hard drive". Thats what they say…at the store

I get the computer fixed for free but all my data is basically irretrievable . The only way I can get it back MAYBE is through data recovery. That shit costs like 2 Gs and up. FUCK! They gotta take it in a sterile room with masks and gloves and q-tips and shit.

I am lucky to have most of the important stuff backed up. And of course my comics and polos and other collectibles are kept fresh for later imaging and digitizing.

So here is the only thing left. Amazing Spider-Man number 8, King Sized edition, featuring ‘the deadly Shocker!’. I was in 3rd grade when I bought this, so I guess like 94 or something. It was 9 dollars in the “rare” section at HERO TOWN in Ledgewood New Jersey. Who knows what its worth now. What’s another decade or so for this thing anyway? Ok shape, cant read the year..70 something.

The Fader Japan came by the Frank office this past fall. I remember that day really clearly now that I’m seeing this picture again. If you look you see Me in the green Polo Jacket, second from the left, followed by Mike(Chop Shop owner) and Todd (Chop Shop General Manger). On the right in the green sweater thats Nemo from aNYthing. The rest of these guys are from DMS (New York Hard Core). Also some of them are from the band MAD BALL. I wish I knew your guy’s names so I could shout you out My bad guys! I love yas anyway!

If you can read Japanese, click here to view full size.

YAY! I love the Chop Shop, and I spend most my time there

Special thanks to MIKE and TODD!

Have you ever heard what an air horn sounds like? Alot of models are basically just novelty items, although there are more official ‘grown up’ versions. But if you ever get your hands on one, make sure that you enter a grocery store and buck that shit off behind some bitch who buyin rice or granola or some shit.

In the meantime please understand that Azel, Doug, and Duncan are all blood thirsty killers. It’s actually unbelievable that I was able to get these kids in and out of my studio without any blood shed or destruction. Keep your eyes peeled on 2nd street this winter. If you see anyone in a DUCKSWORTH shirt creepin around all shady, its probably one of these guys, and you are in great danger so run.

Thanks to K.I.D for the visit, we will be doing some video/art/written projects together coming up soon so keep checking in…Next time please bring some bitches…18 and older please.

Major cities are so fucked up when it comes to thrift shops. First of all, who wants to pay 40 dollars for a polo 92 with vomit stains on it? I mean if its in mint condition, and its real nice piece, than of course I’ll pay whatever the price. But it doesn’t even matter because all the good shit gets taken, because people in cities are onto that fad already. You have to go to random towns in the midwest; Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, whatever. There is this place in Boston that is called dollar a pound or something. However there is no getting around going to thrift shops while in the major cities. So regardless you gotta hit up everyone you see. In the case of Miami or New York or even LA you have to look through every single piece because as we know the gems are few and far between. Seasoned vintage shoppers have real noses for this type of shit

Last month when I went to Miami, I got this one, 16 dollars. Wow. A little pricey if you ask me, but I couldn’t NOT buy it…obviously.

ADAM took a nice picture of it for me, and dropped it in my email with a little note: “make sure you mention what an awful season they had.”

See you in like 12 hours! I’ll be at the office…sleeping.

It isnt often you get this kid to sit still for long enough to do anything like this. But LOOK! I’m so happy! He drank a bunch and started making fun of New Jersey for like an hour. Then I think he felt bad or something because he started acting all nice and gave me this cigar with green and orange crystallized tobacco bursting out each end. After things calmed down, we sat around and joked while he leisurely solved the hardest puzzle on the face of the earth…the name of which has escaped me at this time….the cube thing, whatever. THANKS HARLEY!

Go see Harley’s website, he has a very serious skateboard company called SUBSTANCE SKATEBOARDS. Additionally, I would like to note that I designed some of the new boards for Harley’s Line. In case you werent around for our little holiday announcement please tune in now directly below…

We are super happy and proud to present this special limited edition series for SUBSTANCE SKATEBOARDS. These four designs by Aaron, were specifically painted for the Substance Spring line. The deck sizes are, in order from left to right: 7.75, 7.623, 7.5, 8. Each design is printed and factory produced from 100% North American/Canadian Rock Maple wood and guaranteed against defects. Look for these to hit stores at the top of 2008!

Just so you are prepared, the boards will also be available online in the New Year by way of GORDON BOMBAY which is of course powered by our friends at DUCKSWORTH

Skaters can check SUBSTANCE SKATEBOARDS for a list of physical stores that carry the brand.

Much Love and Thanks to Harley and everyone at Substance. This is only the beginning of a wonderful collaborative relationship.

YAY

One more thing…

This is Harley’s little doggy, her name is Mandy. She is so cute!