A Journey Back To Innocence

"As the saying goes, ALL GOOD THINGS must come to an end and, after 10 amazing years, Very Nearly Almost Magazine is shutting up shop." Visiting StolenSpace Gallery is always a treat, yet Thursday night promises to be as exciting as it is sombre as we're invited to celebrate TEN YEARS OF VNA MAGAZINE whilst simultaneously saying goodbye to the publication. On the opening night, our VNA Newsstand will be bursting with back stock, including tees, stickers and other goodies – all at bargain prices. Hidden in amongst the stand, there will be a complete set of the VNA archive, from 1 to 35, available to buy from our private collection, including limited edition PP’s – strictly one archival item per person to keep things fair! As with anything VNA-related, there will of course be a drink or two. Our friends at Sailor Jerry have kindly furnished us with a choice of delicious bespoke spiced rum cocktails and a deuce of their finest mixologists. As if that wasn’t eno

Following the recent Expressionist Futura collection the hype is back for the release of KAWSXPEANUTS this Friday.  Being in my early forties I have fond memories of the original Peanuts books and cartoons.  Consisting of the usual items - t-shirts, tote bags and slippers but the surprise addition of a Snoopy plush toy that comes in two sizes.  I particularly like the pocket t-shirts and a plush would be completely unnecessary but ever so sweet.  It's a great collection and there is something for everybody, young and old.  I've read in a few interviews that as Creative Director of the UT collections  Nigo  didn't want to put too much of himself into what he's doing, and yet anyone familiar with his design and art influences will know this is what makes his appointment such a great move. His   relationship with artists like Kaws and Futura will boost the brand identity and grow the audience, yet it's worth remembering that even before Nigo the UT co

This post basically wrote itself, or to be more precise, my brother Lyle wrote it for me. This weekend saw the release of two very different albums by artists that I only just found out were the same person. I've listened to " Unless.. " a handful of times now and it's as good as anything commercially out. Many of the tracks would be right at home on BBC 6 Music . If I had to liken it to anything I'd go with Young Fathers with a sprinkle of Andre 3000 . Stand out track whether intentional or not is " America ". I imagine it was difficult not penning something as compelling and earnest in the austere climate we're currently living in. Lyrics to the song can be found at the end of this post. Coincidentally there's been much tweeted this weekend by artists on the act of rating albums on the day of their release. As I've only heard " bad Sunday " the once, and with it being pizza boy's final album, it would be fatuous of me

With so many quality online retailers in both the lifestyle and street-wear fields it's not easy to pick a favourite, but I have. Stylecreep have topped my list for some time now and whilst the appearance of the site isn't as ostentatious as some, it's usability, carefully refined brand list and customer service give it the edge over it's contemporaries. In addition to the above qualities, their social output through Instagram and newsletters is exceptional and often feels personally tailored to my interests. I'm also a big fan of their support of new brands such as the West London based design collective Standard Reference Materials . "SRM is a print shop specialising in high quality digital printing. We've worked with them to curate a selection of staple products that compliment our brand selection, but without the costs of garment re-branding and packaging. This does not affect quality. Majority of SRM tees are premium ringspun jerseys and hig