I took an opportunity to visit some relatives in Tokyo for the New Year’s holiday (more info coming soon) which brought me into the streetwear Mecca of Shibuya/Harajuku. In Japan most places shut down for New Year’s, NY eve, and apparently the 2nd of January as well. This resulted in a smaller heat update than the originally anticipated epic clothing post. Also on the 2nd of January, when I had some time to go shopping before leaving for Kansai, there were crazy sales everywhere. This meant there were long lines just to get into certain stores giving discounts. I stopped at a few select locations, but if I had more time I would have browsed more, it is insane shopping there, a truly unique experience.

First stop was ATMOS, legendary shoe and clothing retailer. Small boutique store, no sales offered, and straight-forward stocking system (i.e. you can tell by looking at a tag whether or not they have your size, no asking like a fool). Just how it should be. Sales really are a tool for retailers to rid themselves of unwanted items that didn’t sell as expected in the first place at their price point. I have grown to despise sales in general, I never feel like I am getting what I want, always like I am settling. I would rather buy one item at regular price that I want than buying three of a similar item that I am always going to know that there was something better. You can usually only wear one type of clothing at a time, why not make it special? There is my justification, here are the results. I have had the same light water-resistant jackets since high school. Weak. To update this area of the wardrobe I found the last remaining ATMOS Ruster jacket in Olive color. My wide shoulders proved useful and the XL fit well and after a short deliberation I was sold.

The jacket looks even better in person than when I saw it on the internetz, the olive outer weave has a black base that makes the fabric respond like a TVR paint job in certain lighting conditions. But not in an ostentatious sort of way. Everything on it feels like quality and solid when I wear it.

The next stop was UNDFTD, or Undefeated if you like vowels. I have been to the store on La Brea, the one in Harajuku didn’t have a waterfall, so LA wins that round. The reason I went there was to pick up some sneakers. Normally I don’t look to hard at New Balances, but these 574Js have been given the moniker of Man vs. Wild, taking inspiration from  the Bear Grylls life experience show. I would be surprised if he ever wore these but nonetheless they are a celebration of his beastly-ness and struggle through adversity. Designed by UNDFTD’s Eddie Cruz and they are a hybrid of NB’s M574 and H710 shoes.

The shoes are a little loud color-wise, but I like the contrasting off-whites on the sides, and honestly I don’t mind the bright blue and orange. Safety is #1 kids. On that note, the ‘N’ on the sides contains the same 3M reflective material as all NBs, but with the orange plastic covering it sends light back with a sick reddish color. The UNDFTD lace cover is a really nice accent as well as the tagged insoles with the wilderness pattern shared with the midsoles. These shoes are only sold at UNDFTD Japan locations, so you stateside suckas are outta luck.