Rohby backs up the MSG2 series with the Elite Russian Soldiers otherwise known as Spetznaz. Limited to 10 pieces, the figures include assault rifles and night-vision goggles. It is said the series will be available on pre-order, via Tiny Imports, as of tomorrow, July 21st 2009.

Info.Image: Vinyl Pulse

Photos by Clayton Hauck. Buddha, Chicago. May 12, 2009.

Photos by TONE. Electric Punanny, New York City. May 25, 2009.

Old English law decreed that the eldest son inherited everything, so younger siblings Will Kemp and Rufus Exton founded Second Son in 2005. Kemp and Exton met as lone skateboarders in a small English town and have since gone on to carving out a unique niche in the midst of an already heavily saturated European streetwear scene by focusing on original graphics, Brit humor, and the ubiquitous “Weather Pattern” design.

“In the UK we have a long and fruity history of fashion and tailoring, so I’d rather refer to our particular heritage instead.”

Format: Please state who you are and your role with Second Son.
Will Kemp: My name’s Will Kemp and I co-own Second Son. I’m the creative director for the brand—I do all the designs and the visual side of things.

Format: How did you come up with your brand name, Second Son?
Will Kemp: My business partner and I are both second sons and we started the company with my older brother, so it seemed like a good choice.

Format: Describe your relationship with your partner Rufus Exton. How did you meet?
Will Kemp: Rufus and I met in maths class where we were our teacher’s two least favorite pupils. We went to a very old school in a small town with the largest geriatric population in England, and we were the only two skateboarders there. I remember us being shot at by an old man with an air rifle while skating at a car park. Now we run the label together: Rufus does the business side of things while I do the design, and we work together on the direction of the brand and developing the products.

Format: You continue to work as a freelance designer for brands such as Carhartt, Etnies Plus, and Slam X Hype. Does your work with these brands inspire your Second Son creations and vice versa?
Will Kemp: I’ve been designing for Carhartt for several seasons as a guest artist, which I love because they’ve got a strong brand so you can have a lot of fun playing around with the name and the logo. With Second Son, on the other hand, I get to indulge myself a little more by just doing designs based around whatever I happen to be obsessed with at the time. At the moment: triangles, dinosaurs, and outer space.

Format: Your ‘Weather Pattern’ design features a cloud with a lightening bolt. How does this image epitomize your brand?
Will Kemp: Everyone always takes the piss out of the British weather—that and our bad teeth. We thought we’d flip it and use it almost as a point of pride (the weather, not the teeth). Streetwear comes from California, the Golden State, but over here we’re stuck with grey skies and rain so we wanted to embrace that with the ‘Weather Pattern’ print. It’s become synonymous with the brand, almost like a monogram.

Format: You began in 2005. What are the biggest challenges you have faced coming into the streetwear industry in London specifically?
Will Kemp: We were lucky because I was working at Bond International (London’s original streetwear shop) when we started, so we had already had a platform for the label. We got some good stockists on board, such as ryöüki and Supra; [we] were able to develop close relationships with them. More recently we’ve started to expand and are selling in shops like The Reed Space in NYC, Rumors and Black Markers in Canada, and BKRW in Paris.

“I hate it when people say that they’ve got a load of amazing projects in the works but they can’t tell anyone about it yet, so I’ll just shut up instead.”

Format: “Bristishness is integral to Second Son.” You’re very proud of your British heritage and it being the foundation for the brand. Do you think there is a lack in patriotism in the UK as it relates to streetwear fashion?
Will Kemp: Just being true to yourself. I could try to design more thugged-out American-style prints or weird futuristic Harajuku steez, but those are already being made in the US and Japan so I don’t see the point. In the UK we have a long and fruity history of fashion and tailoring, so I’d rather refer to our particular heritage instead. Plus, I’m a middle class white boy so I’d look stupid if I dressed like a thug.

Format: You’ve grown the line into selvedge denim and flannel button-downs very recently. What other cut and sew pieces are on the radar?
Will Kemp: We’re perfectionists, so we’re taking our time to expand the cut and sew range as we learn more about fabrics, patterns, and production. Sometimes when brands grow into producing smarter cut and sew pieces, they seem to ditch the stuff that made them popular in the first place. We’re working on ideas for everything from polo shirts to knitwear at the moment, but ultimately I’d like to have a full range of clothing with smarter stuff at one end and basics like the graphic tees at the other.

Format: Tell us about the challenges you faced when you made the transition from tees into cut and sew.
Will Kemp: The deal with manufacturing clothes seems to be that anything that can possibly go wrong will go wrong. We started by making selvedge denim jeans and spent about 9 million years getting that right before moving on to the button-down shirts. It has been a steep learning curve but it’s worth putting in the time and effort to get it right.

Format: What about your relationship with Nash Money? How did you meet and what role does he play in Second Son?
Will Kemp: We’re working on a collaboration range with Nash Money right now which I’m really excited about as he has a very similar attitude towards clothing, production, and details. Apart from that, well, I hate it when people say that they’ve got a load of amazing projects in the works but they can’t tell anyone about it yet, so I’ll just shut up instead. Oh and if there are any sunglasses brands reading, please get in touch…In terms of Second Son, we forced him to model for one of our lookbooks wearing a fake horse’s head and since then we’ve dragged him into it every time. Now we’re working with him to develop some new products as well.

Format: What are you looking forward to for Fall/Winter 2009?
Will Kemp: Looking forward to having a holiday, launching our new website and online store, trying to go snowboarding for the first time in years, designing more cut and sew products, working with more bands and musicians, and finally getting round to launching my portfolio website. And I need a girlfriend.

Merely a baby on the block in the booming streetwear scene, Acropolis Apparel is trying to set itself in a class of its own. With an innovative concept and unique designs, Acropolis has managed to break the mold that was once the standard among streetwear brands. Each design tells a story by combining ancient historical figures with modern culture. Although the word ‘acropolis’ is defined as the ‘city at the top,’ this brand has only just begun its journey to reach their highest point.

“As Confucius said, ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ We hope to not only put Acropolis on the map, but to leave our mark in the game.”

Format: Who are you and what is your role with Acropolis Apparel?
Michael Pino: My name is Michael. I am the owner but I am also very involved in the concept, design, and production of everything that goes on.

Format: Tell us about the brand and how it began.
Michael Pino: I created Acropolis in late ‘07 with the concept of Ancient Remains… Modern Beginnings. The idea was a street inspired clothing line with an underlying theme of history, progression, and achievement that had style. Our logo is the world-recognizable pyramid, a symbol of human achievement. The pyramid also comes to a precise point at its pinnacle. The name Acropolis represents the pinnacle of society and the highest level of achievement.
Looking back I had no idea what I was getting into. I found a graphic designer through a mutual friend. I explained the concept to him and he was onboard instantly so we worked on some designs. I thought they were dope and had some screen-printed at a local printer here in LA. I gave them to my boys, hit up some stores, and started AcropolisApparel.com. Everything we did was well received which just drove me to really go after it. It’s been a steady growth ever since and Season III is unquestionably our illest drop to date.

Format: Who makes up the Acropolis team?
Michael Pino: Dennis O’Neil does the majority of the design work for Acropolis. He impresses on the regular. He comes up with things independent of my input and also does the ideas that I would like to see since I don’t deal with Illustrator or Photoshop. My homie, Katie Painter hooked up the site. She has done a great job. KT’s on it daily, updating, adding to it, and making sure that’s all taken care of. I also like to show upcoming and unfinished designs to those close to me and see what they’re feeling. Other than that I do the rest: everything from accounting, design, and overseeing production to sales, making connections, and keeping everything moving.

Format: On your website, it’s mentioned that the word Acropolis means “city at the top”. Do you feel that you have reached the top of your success? If not, what else do you anticipate to accomplish with your brand?
Michael Pino: Definitely not. I mean, Kobe’s just now reaching his peak and it’s his thirteenth season, know what I’m saying? We’re a new, independent company and I understand we have a long road ahead of us. But as Confucius once said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” We hope to not only put Acropolis on the map, but to leave our mark in the game.

Format: Acropolis is inspired by street fashion from L.A. and Southern Cali. How have you seen streetwear change over the years?
Michael Pino: With color combos representing local teams that we’ll use from time to time, or images of landmarks unique to our underlying theme. Streetwear seems to be very stagnant at the moment. There are obviously companies out there that are the exception, but for the most part I see a lot of recycled ideas going on. We take pride in our designs and use many ideas, concepts, and messages that we haven’t seen elsewhere. We like to use symbolism, eye catching images, and everything from Aristotle quotes to Lil Wayne lyrics to complete the design and set it apart.

Format: Acropolis’ designs fuse ancient historical ideology with contemporary society. The Julius t-shirt, for example, brings together an NBA basketball star of the 1970’s and a Roman military and political leader. How was this concept conceived?
Michael Pino: The idea of Ancient Remains… Modern Beginnings is that we take old, broken down, eroding elements and breathe new life into them by incorporating modern concepts. The results are pieces like Julius. For this we fused Julius Caesar with Julius Erving to create something new and fresh. Although they were men of entirely different civilizations, Caesar & Erving were both respected, influential, and had a flare for the dramatic.

“There’s a grip of streetwear companies out there that are all dope in their own right. So to separate yourself, you need to have a solid foundation to stand on. Ours is knowledge.”

Format: You recently released a third collection consisting of five graphic t-shirts. Why only five?
Michael Pino: There are actually eight. We have done eight designs per season for the men’s line in the past and scaled it back some for the women’s. The Season III release will follow that same format with eight men’s designs in a variety of colors and the same in four women’s designs. We are also adding exclusive releases to our site that are only available in select locations and are limited to 100 pieces total. As well as a few other surprises we have in the works…

Format: How does this line differ from the earlier two?
Michael Pino: The upcoming line is more of the direction that we’re moving in. The designs are more advanced in many cases and we’re making sure that small details aren’t overlooked in the process. I feel that the new season is a dramatic upgrade in terms of design and quality from our previous releases, but the concept hasn’t changed one bit. We’ve just evolved as we continue to grow. The Season III line up is more of what I had initially envisioned when I started Acropolis.

Format: Being a relatively new brand, founded in 2007, you have come into an already established market with numerous streetwear brands already at the forefront. How does Acropolis set itself apart from some of these competitors?
Michael Pino: I think our concept and message separate us. There’s a grip of streetwear companies out there that are all dope in their own right. So to separate yourself, you need to have a solid foundation to stand on. Ours is knowledge. The more you learn and understand, the more you can progress and achieve. We feel that telling the story behind each design not only enhances it but also gives it substance.

Format: With the growing concern for the planet, many fashion brands are launching eco-friendly lines. What are your thoughts on this growing niche market and does Acropolis have any plans to develop an organic line in the future?
Michael Pino: It’s definitely gaining steam in the clothing industry across the board and I heard somewhere recently that “green is the new black”. At the moment we don’t have an eco-friendly line but we’re not opposed to it by any means.

Format: Who is Acropolis’ biggest competitor?
Michael Pino: I would say the economy. Meaning that there’s enough demand for ill clothing that people feel represents them, but in this economic downturn it is increasingly hard to break into the game, or even survive for that matter.

Format: What does the future hold of Acropolis?
Michael Pino: The future holds what we make of it. We have goals that we’d like to reach and we’re making moves behind the scenes to add to the brand and diversify the collection. We’re confident in our concept and we’ll continue striving to create the best possible products that have substance and style.

More Info: www.acropolisapparel.com.

Street shots by TONE. Sexwax, New York City. May 6, 2009.

Street shots by TONE. Ninja Punanny, New York City. April 29, 2009.