BELATED QUEENS DAY PHOTOS

For those of you who haven't experienced this annual insanity...I have to tell you it's NOT just about getting pissed...there's also the fashion parade that goes along with it...

Amsterdam Love/Hate

The kicks the kicks the kicks, it's the kids that give me the kicks.



Yesterday, after a long flight from NYC, I went straight into a LOVE/HATE project.
My Amsterdam kid-connect Chakra, hooked me up with 4 girls & 5 boys 15-17 years old, from Amsterdam, to talk about what they love & hate about Amsterdam...here are some of what they had to say...
Menno [16 years old]
"I love...Riding my scooter fast...Amsterdam coffee shops & the red light district...Weed is cool to, I do that as well!
I hate...There's too many cops always telling us we can't hang out & always breaking us up"
Lorenzo [17 yo]
"I Love...Amsterdam's multi-culturalism. There's always something to do, everything's open til late. I hate the canals & old houses, other people love 'em, but they're boring!"
Adam [16 yo]
"I love being on the scooter, it's so free...In Amsterdam, everyone's different. It's the perfect place for me, it's where I'm from. It's cool when I'm on holiday somewhere, & someone asks where I'm from. When I tell them Amsterdam they say, 'Oh!! where there's weed you can smoke legally?!'. That's cool, I'm proud of that...I think it's the only country in the world where you can do that. How cool is that!?
I tried it a couple of months ago when I turned 16. I HAD to, you have to at least try it!"
Naomi [17 yo]
"I love the city because it's so busy & people are so cool & fashionable. You can do anything here.
Amsterdam is my city, there's nothing I don't like!"
Cas [16 yo]
"I do a lot in Amsterdam. I love tuning up my scooter & going fast. My scooter can now do 80! when I go that fast, I just feel free. I don't really get up to much apart from the scooter & playing classical music. I play love sometimes with my teacher & a DJ.
I love that in Amsterdam, you can do what you want. I love that! It's being FREE!
But I really hate the traffic police..They don't like young kids & are always stopping us on our scooters."
Chenna [15 yo]
"Well, I'm half Dutch & half Brasilian so what I love about Amsterdam are the different cultures. You can be so open to show what you like or don't like."

MAF Battle II

Sometimes you just gotta DO something!
Tonight's MAF Battle drew some locals from the South East side of AMS to witness some of the new fashion talent, from that part of town...

The competitors were Elsewerk [a super-talent but her show was somewhat unco-ordinated] Chanelva Maclean, Cynthia Jhinnoe, Lisa Knonno [we voted her 2nd place, but at 17 years old, she her 'Beauty & Brains' collection was so creative, & a beautiful storyline, for someone so young..freakin 'ell!]...& the winner was Wi-am Designs. She's of Morrocan descent, never studied fashion design, & just created her collection from fusing her traditional culture with her Amsterdam one. Not necessarily original, but just the fact that she designed from intuition & forming things naturally was great, & how the pieces were finished were EXCELLENT.

When she was announced as a winner, her fans just rushed the stage...

MAF's about giving people a chance..I hope she can take it.

MAF Battle

Tonight in Amsterdam is the Music & Fashion Battle. It's kind of like Project Runway. It's the chance of new designers in the less fortunate areas of AMS, to win prizes from the jury, to learn more about the fashion industry...I'm one of the judges tonight, but as a little preview, here's an example of what MAF's all about...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDoEi8sXxMA

Saturday 6 June, doors open at 7pm. Catwalk show 8-11pm
NoLIMIT Geldershoofd 80, 1103 BG
Amsterdam Zuidoost

DJ's Samrtasz D

Sweet Site & Sneaker Swaps

Nice...Cali Roots in Sweden rocking the recession with Sneaker Swap Meets...just need to get this stuff going in the Dam.
Cool website for the Swedish sneaker-heads & studious purveyors of street culture up North!

The 10 Step Flyer Drop Test

Just got back in from a Meth & Red night at the Melkweg in Amsterdam. & as I listen to the BlackOut2, I have to tell you about the 10 Step Flyer Drop [whilst the CD plays in the backgrnd!]
When I left with the friends I went with, a Lil' Wayne flyer was pushed [key word btw] into my chest...a 'take it or leave it' gesture...I took it from the promoter and was JUST about to drop it when I looked around me....there were HUNDREDS of discarded flyers littering the floor, as I watched what was happening, EVERYONE who was leaving the Melkweg was dropping the flyer within 10 steps of leaving the door.


When I asked the promoter if he cared that people were slipping on his glossy flyer, his translated, drunken response was "I don't care!!!! I don't care if they take 'em home or drop 'em! I only need 'em to look at 'em once, & I'm still getting paid" as he thumped his chest.

It made me think about marketing. This is the WORST way to for a brand, event, ad or product to behave. Pushing [I told you the word would be back!] the brand, event, ad or product AT someone doesn't mean that it will make ANY impression. The people, including me didn't even LOOK at the flyer before dropping it.

So how would your brand, event, ad or product make itself memorable to your crowd?


Would your brand survive the 10 Step Flyer Drop Test, be accepted talked about or slipped upon, disregarded & piss people off?

PS I'm NOT giving the event ANY publicity by this post BTW
PPS There's also GOT to be a better way of flying these days & reducing the carpet of rubbish flyers!! Street Teams & promoters, fix uP!

Nu Looks

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