The Hundreds

It appears that saying you're going to New York makes you seem both extremely popular and also appropriately cultured - both of which are checklist necessities for an 18 year old fashion student!

Whilst many people (albeit family members!) just want me to check out the 'must sees' and bring back memories and photographs, a certain individual has suggested that I visit a certain new flagship store and bring him back 'must-haves'.

Having never actually heard of The Hundreds (let this information go no further than my blog!), I thought it would be a good idea to have a little snoop around to gather the dirt on the 'apparently' popular streetwear brand - that and also the fact that I wanted to find out some relevant information so that I would have a valid reason for not wanting to spend my money on shopping there! (I'm sure Century21 would much prefer my dollars...)

Created by Bobby and and Ben Hundreds and inspired by LA lifestyle/Californian culture, the brand reflects the dominant streetwear styles from the past two decades and thus can afford to limit its stock to exclusive street and skate boutiques.

It is important however, to understand that The Hundreds is not just a clothing label, but a "2-part lifestyle project", incorporating the clothing line and an online magazine.

Something which I think is personally very interesting, is the obviousness that the brand really is the embodiment of 'paying attention to detail'. Despite the laid back attitude which the clothes symbolise, The Hundreds really do make every little thing count.

After spending over a year finding the perfect location for their new flagship store in New York (opened in September 2010) the company hired award-winning architect firm Johnston Marklee, and together created "a modern boutique imagined 70 years into the future" and here is an example of the outcome:

Looks like streetwears version of 'shabby chic', mixing the urban with the prestigious and I love it.

Now, if you like me, are just learning about this annoyingly-interesting brand, then I'm sure you'd actually like to know a little bit about the clothes they supply too.

I was hoping that I would be disinterested from the word 'T-Shirt' and thus would end any opportunity for temptation to arise, but it appears that instead, I'm now adding 'dresses like a 'The Hundreds' model' to my "dream boyfriend" checklist!

I had a rummage through their Winter Collection 2010 and have chosen my three favourite looks (image below), which I think best capture the essence of 'cool' and 'casual'; the 'I am super stylish, but in a way which looks like it's natural':

Having just entered it's 8th successful year in the industry, the two B's must be doing something right! And with an impressive archive of international collaborations (Disney, H20 and BMX to name but a few!) it really is no wonder!

Even their opening hours reflect the brand's attitude and who their target market are - as who with the 'right' lifestyle would make it out of bed before 11am...?

Following this, a look onto their online magazine suggests an even bigger world for the brand, with projects such as the photography based blog "ynoT?" and the video project "Video Daze", it is definitely worth your time having a look.

With all this in mind, it sadly seems that, despite my uneducated hesitance, I will in fact be seeking out the real life version of all this in just a matter of days (eek!). My sheer awe of the motives and outlook the brand has is incentive enough for me to part with some precious dollars, even if it's just on the taxi journey there to simply say that I've been - and possibly to provide my own sneeky photographic evidence!

I also appear to be in love not only with the NY store, but also the one in San Francisco, where the visual merchandising and general store layout seems to be something not short of retail magic.

I wonder how much the pilot will accept to de-tour...?