Black Hawk Clothing blog

SPACER AND GRANGER

Thu, 8 Dec 2011 11:3:00 +0200

Spacer Jacket and Granger cord are perfect lightweight summer garments that will keep you covered through the next few weeks of night life. Available at YDE stores countrywide. Black Hawk is a locally designed and manufactured South African fashion label.

New Sheriff in Town

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:33:00 +0200

http://www.facebook.com/notes/the-black-hawk/new-sheriff-in-town/10150438709965190

WOKS FIVETOBEALIVE

Wed, 9 Nov 2011 14:34:00 +0200

Check out Wok's 5 reasons to be proud and inspired in South Africa.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Black-Hawk/126197661995?sk=notes#!/note.php?note_id=10150436997280190

SEPTEMBER SALE

Tue, 6 Sep 2011 10:55:00 +0200

R.A.W Jimmy Reynolds

Thu, 5 May 2011 11:44:00 +0200

Jimmy is a genius. He walks around, pant hanging half off his butt, ciggy barely hanging on to the corner of his mouth, super relaxed, kinds looks like he is just cruising, then … BAM, he delivers you a viral vid that you feel should be winning Oscars.

He really has an incredible feel for his subject matter and manager to draw the soul out and expose the truth of it, whether it’s a rotary ink printer or a hand stitched jacket. Pure genius.

He tells us how and why…

Q. Give us some background on how you reached this point in your career, what work have you been involved in over the past few years.

A. I grew up in the film industry, so i didn't put up too much of a fight to end up where i am today. I started working on the bottom rung of camera department on a few feature films, then left to ride BMX full time. While riding Tyrone Bradley and I made Unleash The Fury 1 and 2, films about all our riding adventures. . From there the guys who did Boardriders TV started using me to shoot BMX, skate and surfing. After that work picked up and I started shooting more and more other stuff and learning how to create the visuals I have floating around in my head.

Q. When did you get hooked on shooting film etc, was there a moment where you knew this was you future?

A. Yes, on the first feature i worked on, I found myself doing some BMX stunts. I had an old Arri 2C 35mm film camera attached to my bike and did all sorts of jumps and other stuff for an onboard angle. (The sort of stuff that’s so easy to get with a GoPro these days...) then when the director saw the rushes from thats days shooting the look on his face was so rad that I just decided that thats what I want to do, shoot stuff that people like.

Q. You are an eccentric little freak, tell us what inspires you on a daily basis, what gets the creative juices flowing?

A. Zombie and Horror films are my biggest influence, I think its so rad to shoot stuff that you don't want to happen to you. I guess its the polar opposite to all the Reality TV crap that’s around these days. They are generally low budget so it's also about doing as much as possible with as little as possible in the simplest way possible just like we did when we started shooting BMX films. Now days I also get amped on how people are shooting things like snowboarding and Downhill MTB because they have big budgets and can create the most amazing visuals of a guy doing the most normal stuff. I guess these are opposites but I don't really get anything from all the stuff inbetween...

Q. explain your process, how do you go about shooting a subject?

A. Well with the Black Hawk Project I walked in to the office and it felt like we were 100% on the same page from the word go. So I just set it up to look pretty dark and edgy, its not white budgie after all. I had such fun lighting it, it was a super simple setup but it worked out great! then when we shot the other stuff and we didn't have as much control I just tried to make it match as much as possible. Sometimes I don't have such a clear idea of what I’m aiming for so I shoot it a bit safer and have more options to play with in the edit. This one was special and I loved every second of the production.

Q. what are your plans for the future of jimbaloosh?

A. I try to plan as little as possible and let life take all its twists and turns. I want to shoot Zombie films for the enjoyment and all the grittiness and fake blood, and I want to shoot super clean commercial stuff too and they are both challenging creatively and enjoyable. I've also been involved in a few music videos lately which I enjoy because of all the creative freedom and how it can look as rad as you want it!

Thank you Jim.

Rad, thanks boys!

For more of jim’s awesomeness:

www.vimeo.com/jimmyreynolds

website coming soon at www.jimmyreynolds.co.za

Black Hawk Winter vid http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/video/video.php?v=10150105888329111

R.A.W Craig Parsons

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:57:00 +0200

R.A.W interview with Craig Parsons, Black Hawk's brand strategy guru :

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Black-Hawk/126197661995#!/notes/the-black-hawk/raw-craig-parsons/10150164630960190

APRIL DROPS

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:48:00 +0200

Some of our April stock was sent out to stores this week.

check what is in it for you here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Black-Hawk/126197661995#!/notes/the-black-hawk/april-drops/10150165436870190

R.A.W Craig Parsons

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 9:52:00 +0200

This is one cool cat, he surfs good, makes a mean cuppa joe, he’s an apple die hard, and has a sharp eye for a trend…

Craig Parson’s designed our Black Hawk logo a few years ago, put together a document that outlined our label, which created a belief in our work that has grown ever since. I still use that document every week , even now, 5 years down the line.

The genius behind many a company’s brand strategy and visual appearence…

Craig Parson’s takes our questions…

Q. Give us some background on how you reached this point in your career, what work have you been involved in over the past few years.

A. I started off my working career, 10 years ago, as a graphic designer at Espresso advertising. Ant (Ellis) & Nat (French) gave me an opportunity to intern at Espresso when I was fresh out of Tech. I loved design, it was (is) my passion and I put so much energy into my work at Espresso that I kind of forced my way into the door with the promise of making the team great coffee. I worked there for 3 and a half years and really grew as a designer, working with great team of people working around me. After a couple of years designing T-shirt prints for & managing A-Store in Cape Town, I decided that Durbs is where my heart is and I returned home and took up a position at ITI (the International Trend Institute). At ITI I was able to develop and hone my design skills further, whilst learning more about the importance of Branding & having a strategic foundation set as a design platform for your brand. I love working there, with such incredible people and it was hard to leave but it was time to spread my wings and start my own company, Parsons Branding which has been running for 2 and half years. We're growing quickly and have incredible clients so I feel like I have definitely chosen to follow the right path in life - I wake up everyday to do something I love!

Q. When did you get hooked on design, branding etc, was there a moment where you knew this was your future?

A. Design was something I took to from an early age. My mom is an amazing artist and I was always fascinated by the idea of making a living doing something that is creative & fun. I remember being at Tech thinking that this is cheating, surely the real world is supposed to be boring? But my first introduction to branding came from my friend Rui Esteves, who was a relentless perfectionist and my teacher, boss & friend. He taught me the incredible importance of attention to detail and this is a principle that I have carried through to every aspect of my life.

Q. Explain your process, what is it that you offer to brands over and above design?

A. We first need to spend time with each of our clients and audit their current brand architecture in order to understand their brand from the inside out. Getting to know the people behind each brand is key to this process and identifying each unique attribute of the brand is part of this initial stage. Only once we have gathered enough insight into the BrandScape & Architecture can we start with the branding process - designing their logo & other brand collateral. Everything emanates from a Brand's core positioning - so it's up to us to define that with our client before we can create an exceptional and unique design identity.

Q. You have a side hobby making t-shirts, what’s that all about?

A.I love having my own creative outlet and whilst I currently don't have the time to work on my KOOBINK brand and T-Shirt range I will come back to it when the time is right. Fashion has always been an interest of mine and because of the trend research we do each day & the work we do for so many fashion brands, designing my own range of T-shirts comes naturally. Fashion is a great way to to explore design in another medium but for now KOOBINK is on the back burner!

Q. What inspires you on a daily basis, what gets the creative juices flowing?

A.Everything inspires me! I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to research, read and take in all the trends, innovations and leading brands out there. The world is moving at such a fast pace and trends feel like they are changing daily. Nature is a huge inspirational force in my life - landscapes, wildlife and more importantly the ocean - being in the sea is a spiritual experience for me and I always finish a surf feeling invigorated and energised. When my wife & I were on honeymoon in Mauritius I started to notice that the coral that was along the shoreline started to form letters, so I started to walk along the shoreline collecting coral that formed a complete alphabet. On that note my wife inspires me. Kimi is such a driving force in my life and she is amazing when it comes to supporting my every-changing 'fads' and 'fixations' that I get hooked on almost daily - as I said there is just so much out there!

Q. You and your wife are a powerful team, really well balanced, what are your plans for the future of Parson’s Branding?

A. Well basically we just want to attract clients that really appreciate the branding process. Working with businesses that want to build & streamline a consistent brand experience for their customers and internal people is what we thrive off. We want to work with people who desire a brand that offers a well organised, differentiated offering, which is communicated in a unique way. We need to work with people who understand that a brand is not just about a logo - it needs to live within every facet of your business. Being able to represent one's brand consistently whilst staying abreast of and moving with ever changing trends and consumer expectations is fundamental to the success of any brand. At the heart of all of this is our desire to work with businesses that seek to communicate what they stand for in a super creative way.

Thanks CP. To see more of craigs work click here

www.parsonsbranding.com

www.twitter.com/parsonsbranding

FRESH DROP

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 9:26:00 +0200

These bad boys just landed in stores. Details as follows:

Complex Jacket
Grey pleather jacket, 4 functional pockets, with studs and zips, soft grey rib in the neck, cuffs and waistband. pongi lining for extra comfort.

Developed Two Pullover hood
Its back in a new fabric, gunmetal cotton lycra, which gives it a unique feel and extra stretch, charcoal drawcord, raw edge armhole and lined hood.

Raw V Neck 3
Our third version of this ultrabasic, in a seafoam, raw edges on neck, arms and waist

Quant Two Buttonhood
Charcoal and grey cut&sew, black rib on the cuffs,waistand around the hood, open v neck, bound neck with Black Hawk branded twill tape.

R.A.W Tyrone Bradley

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 9:7:00 +0200

RAW is a series of interview’s that look behind the scenes at the people involved with Black Hawk, people that we collaborate with and inspire us.

Rise. Above. With. Tyrone Bradley

Tyrone is the genius photographer behind our last 2 season’s shoots. One of the best things about Tyrone is that he see’s our label the same way we do, you can see it in the way he shoots our stuff, we are on the same wavelength, and that really makes a huge difference when you are trying to communicate your label's message to the world through an image.

He is passionate, committed to getting the shot, no matter how long it takes and he is just a really cool guy that we are honoured to work with.

Tyrone takes our questions:

1. Give us some background on how you reached this point in your career, what have you been involved in over the past few years.

Well I started shooting full time around three and a half years ago. Before that I was doing graphic design stuff. I started off shooting BMXing and then skateboarding and music etc. My first photography contract was with Cars In Action Magazine where I would shoot cars full time. It was such a great experience but I was based in Johannesburg and needed a change. I decided to move back down to Durban though and that's what has lead me to this point. Networking and meeting people who like my work and who get on with me has been a major part. So now I shoot for Red Bull monthly and have a steady list of clients who are letting me pursue the line of work I can't actually call work. In Black Hawk's case I get my fashion kicks. You guys rock.

2. Pro bmx to fashion photography is a huge change of direction, where did your photog inspiration come from ?

They're both creative and interpretive. Fashion lets you get creative with lighting and scenarios. It's a place where fantasy meets marketing and has a theme or tone that needs to be communicated. I got into and was constantly kept inspired in BMX as it was a form of physical creative expressive. Seeing spots and figuring out how you want to ride them is interpretative and thus becomes a form of expression. No two riders will see an object in the same way. I guess it's similar with photography. There's a story that

needs to be told and it's my job to set the tone through lighting etc. A major plus in photography is that I am yet to need to surgery from it. haha

3. You are a eccentric little fuzzy man peach, tell us about the tat on the inside of your lip?

Haha.. you forgot the slightly ginger aspect ;) Well for starters it used to say "BARTROLL" but after losing my front tooth and bashing the others in from BMX crash it now reads something like "BARTKOLL". The "R" got all split up from my tooth as it came out I think. I asked the surgeon to approach the repair as if he putting a puzzle together but he wasn't amused.

4. What's a bartroll?

Well it's what happens to two adolescents after a full evening at the Winston drinking too many quarts. First you battle to walk then it becomes unsafe to sit on elevated bar stools. So, naturally, you end up sitting on the footstep under the counter and steal drinks above as if you were a troll. However when that friend becomes a tattoo artist you humour your relationship.

5. What inspires you on a daily basis, what gets the creative juices flowing?

Coffee! And having a wife that gives me the confidence to explore a side of me I think others would find strange or weird. She's been a major part in me believing in myself. There is so much to be inspired by daily though. You just need to absorb everything that's going on around you right now because today is life.

6. What were you shooting with on the BH shoot. Give us some technical shit...

A NIKON camera with a NIKON lens and two NIKON flashes.

Fine keep your secrets you freakshow…

If you want to see more of Tyrone’s work, go here:

www.tyronebradley.co.za

www.tyronebradley.co.za/blog
http://twitter.com/tyronebradley