Schmatta

Last night, I saw the HBO documentary Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags giving an interesting look at the history and fate of the famed Garment district in New York. The documentary shows the way the outsourcing of manufacturing in the fashion industry has been killing an industry that was a major part in the construction of New York's economy. Working at an American manufacturing company, this documentary really showed the importance of American manufacturing that has been lost and seemed like a call to arms for more American companies to produce domestically.

Limited Edition Cydwoqs for Charity

Cydwoq has produced a line of Specials at bargain prices of which $20 from each shoe sold will be donated to a charity based in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania called the Women's Education and Economic Centre. In their own words:

The mission of WEECE is to support the marginalized women in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania to achieve economic stability and gender equality through micro-loans, education, and counseling/advocacy. It is the only community-based organization in the region using an integrated approach at a grass roots level to address the problems of poverty and discrimination. .

In addition to the styles shown here, we will be releasing some exclusive new styles as well as re-releases of Cydwoqs from the early years of the company in specific color and size runs. Check back to the Specials section of the website and the blog for updates on new Specials coming and for project news.

Stage: $165

Ride: $275

CS Boot: $225

LA Weekly article

Check out an article on Rafi and the company in this week's LA Weekly or on the online version of the magazine here.

Epoch Times Coverage

Check out the profile on Cydwoq in The Epoch Times

New Specials Added

Styles Osmosis, Extract, Heli, Key, and Cure in selected colors are currently on sale at great prices. Find them in the "Specials" section on our website.

An Original

Tim Roth is a true original and also, from what we hear from Paris, a Cydwoq customer

"The Americans"

Metropolitan Museum of Art is holding an exhibition of photography by Robert Frank. Frank drove around the US in the 50's and early 60's taking pictures of whatever caught his eye publishing his findings in a book called "The Americans." The book really captures a vision of what America as a whole looked and felt like at the time with views of countryside that one would likely see on a roadtrip across the country to people of a variety of social standings and backgrounds.

Timeless

Nicknamed the "Batmobile," the BMW 3.2 Csi is a beautiful example of streamlined, yet quirky design. While the use of boxy shapes and jagged edges is prominent, the car's profile shows an efficient aerodynamic shape almost as though a regular less sporty BMW from the time period was stepped on and squished into a shorter height but longer wheelbase. With the car, BMW won 5 European Touring Car championships and the look of the car prompted BMW to manufacture a few of them for the public. There were 176 "Batmobile" cars built for the public, and the radical design and BMW's art world connections prompted interesting "art-car" collaborations like the one of above with Frank Stella.

Love Awareness

Check out the FUCT blog, a t-shirt company based in Southern California by Italian designer/artist/musician/filmmaker Erik Brunetti. The blog is filled with beautiful imagery from the past and present that makes up the look of the brand. Looking at photos from the blog and of his design desk show a wide array of influences from customized motorcycle culture, 60's free living, and old military aesthetics.

Timeless

The Porsche 356

In our design and manufacturing process, one of the key elements is to create a unique product that can maintain relevance throughout the years. The Porsche 356, one of the first cars designed by Ferdinand Porsche after creating his own company apart from Volkswagon, epitomizes this concept of timeless design.