Its Sideways for a Reason

On Brick Lane, Where I live, The creative soul clashes with stock market traders.

Raise It Up

When it comes to the delicious in between-meals-snacks that Off Tha Cuff has been serving up for your momentary auditory pleasure, Detroit City has been the narrative thread holding it all together. So what better way than to round off november with this classic joint of the week from S-to-the-V.


This had everybody geeked back in 2000, and still puts any dance on smash. R.I.P J-Dilla, keeping the eargasm alive from beyond the grave.

You Scratch My Back...And I'll Sell Your Kicks...

There may be a divide between those who seek to collect because trainers are their passion, and those to whom kicks are just another part of a multi-faceted hunger for materialism, and subsequent source of exhibiting their individualism. However, in the collaboration, there may be room for common ground. While some may cite the pairing of time-honored sneaker manufacturers with more underground urban labels as a misuse of traditional branding, its clear design collaborations such as the pictured Puma Clyde hi and ALIFE are mutually rewarding. This was highlighted by SneakerFreaker magazine, issue 10, on reviewing the cultural significance of the release of the Nike Supreme SB Dunk lo. "Nike seek to give their product cachet, but it was teaming up with Supreme that the SB Dunk hit the jackpot. Nike's power enables Supreme to produce high quality shoes. Supremes relatively underground/uber cool status gave the project the cultural cachet it needed." What this offers the consumer, is a kind of no strings attached affiliation with the product, an open relationship of sorts. The collaboration proposes to us the opportunity to feel comfortable with a brand we know, yet the borrowing of more cutting edge design allows us a brief flirting with exclusivity and individualism, without the 'commitment' required of a classic shoe. And it is the way in which these collaborations benefit both design parties that might seek to reconcile the hardcore collectors with the part time admirers. The afore mentioned can be geeked on every stitch of detail, while the latter can buy into a slice of sub-culture. Reflection on what design and any collaborations that may be birthed from it is no better summed up by Kosaka and Hommyo of UBIQ. "(collaboration)is one of the best ways to collect the diverse ideas of many different people, but I believe in collaboration when it is part of the creative process." Off Tha Cuff agrees.

I Know What I like, And I Like What I Know

We all love trainers, yet it seems the relationship we have with our kicks is not always enough in the eyes of true sneaker heads. Those that manifest a bond with their footwear seem to fall into two groups. There are those that truly collect, always on a mission to find the next rare edition kicks to tick off their list of personal desire, trawling through piles of deadstock, and who are willing to pay almost any price. Then there are those that recognize the importance of having a fresh pair of shoes in near constant rotation. This second type generally select their styles based on the movements of the industry, always ready to splash the cash on the latest re-issue or new colour way. There is a divide between these two groups, where passion and dedication is often replaced by the fickle nature of trends. Personally, I'm not sure I fall into either of the above categories. I feel I've been around long enough to know which models I like best, and more over, suit my style. I don't care how rare those lo Dunks are, only the hi's make it onto my footwear floor space. There are those that would surely wretch at the idea of my personal collection being made cheifly of Hi top Vandals and Air Max 1's, with a sprinkling of Jordan 1's and the occasional Blazer. The sneaker has become more than a shoe; it's unquestionably a culture. However, it's ascendancy to cult status is as much due to the boundaries of style and design being constantly pushed and prodded, as it is to do with our hunger for rarity and exlusivity. But thats just my opinion. And as Method Man once said, "Opinions are like assholes, everyboddy gotta have one".

The Issues

After coming within close proximity to so many potentially aggravating political topics this week, off the cuff believes it may be time to go back to considering the real issues, like "turning kids into slaves just to make cheaper sneakers, but whats the real cost, cos the sneakers dont seem that much cheaper. Why are we still paying so much for sneakers when you've got little kid slaves making them? what are your overheads?"

The Shemagh

People love wearing these, but do they know anything about what they represent? Vote. I'll give my views later.

OBEY The Neck

I don't hate many things in life. Though I mildly dislike certain aspects and angles of life, even the things that cause me considerable discomfort rarely breed within me to the point of hatred. Today However, I found a new thing that I hate, that somehow had been there all along, breeding among my internal insecurities and fickle falsehoods aquired throughout my breif 23 years on planet Cuff. The thing I hate, is the necks on t-shirts. I hate it when they are too big, when it looks like I'd been trying in vein for hours on end, hopelessly poking my head through the sleeve holes, stretching and contorting the material to get it on, and ending up looking like a 10 year old that's put on his dads t-shirt. When this ridiculous cotton lasso is finally hanging limply around my collarbone, I could just as easily hoola-hoop my way into the rest of it. Whats more frustrating is that shops love to hang the t-shirts on hangers, taking them off, putting them back on, all the time stretching the neck over an over again. I just don't understand it, you wouldn't wear a pair of jeans if the waist had been all stretched out and contorted, so why would you wear a t-shirt that makes you look like you bought it in the wrong size. And if you do want the neck to be a little more snug, you have to buy it in a smaller size that doesn't fit the rest of you. My good friends at Gloria's recently held a party for the release of some of OBEY's exclusive and limited edition products, including some of the American line of new T-shirts. And you know what, they had L and XL sizes with normal sized necks! OBEY t-shirts may now provide a new staple for Off Tha Cuff, so if you like your tee's to fit properly, and have a soft spot for the artistic vision of Shepard Fairey, OBEY's got what you need.