Last week, Diesel paid its tribute to summer by hosting one of the largest parties in New York City down by the South Street Seaport. But first, Diesel got a little intimate with some of the guests by hosting a pre-party at the Diesel Denim Gallery in NYC’s trendy SoHo neighborhood. Hot tracks spun while guests partied and “got stupid” with temporary tattoos and Diesel Dollars in hand. The real party followed the day after in which guests of all ages spent the Saturday afternoon listening to live music (from the likes of Maluca, Max Glazer & Friends, and PO PO, to name a few) munching on great snacks, and just simply enjoying the company of one another.

Catch some of the pictures below, courtesy of http://www.sheenabeaston.com/

Downtown Toronto is rich in street-wear boutiques, but with so many, how do you pick the best ones?

In my small school located miles away from the city, people dressed the exact same way. My fellow school mates would buy clothes for the same brand names, expecting themselves to be unique even though everyone else had the same clothes on. Hollister, Aeropostale, Abercombie and H&M. The four apocalyptic disasters that were sent down to this earth to prevent people from having a unique and personal style. I always thought the people with the most up-to-date styles and the newest clothes were always the coolest people.  I wanted to be apart of that group, one of the cool kids who were known for their sense of style and trend-setting abilities. The one trip to downtown Toronto’s fashion district changed my life, every store there was so unique, so fresh and so hip. If I could name all of the stores I would, but out of all of them, five stores stick out:

Over The Rainbow:

Opened in 1975 as a premium denim retailer, Over the Rainbow sold jeans and apparel  from many different countries. As time passed,  Over The Rainbow increased it’s reputation and by 2007, the store was known as one of the go-to denim stores of the Country.

Over The Rainbow now sells over 250 styles of denim (largest selection in Canada) and carries over 100 different brands like 1921 and PRPS.

http://rainbowjeans.com/home.htm

Due West/Next Door:

Roughed up and edgy are the thoughts that come to my mind when I think of the ambiance of the store. Established in 1973, Due West is a mid-end retailer that has a very relaxed and chilled out vibe. When I first entered this store, I saw brands like Dom Rebel and G-Star, (which I personally don’t wear) and a lot of more street-ish and more urban styles of clothing. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is into the more graphic aspect of design.

www.duewestclothing.com

Next Door:

Next Door is probably my favourite stores out of the five. Located right beside Due West, Next Door sells higher end brands such as D&G, McQ by Alexander McQueen, DSquared and J.Lindeberg. You definitely get a more up-scale feel when entering this retail store, along with the simple and straight forward design of the interior. There is also a great contrast between the exposed plywood walls and the simple yet noticeable clothing showcase.

http://nextdoorclothing.posterous.com/

Show Room:

The first time I went into Show Room was during the 2009 boxing day sale. At first I thought it was going to be impossible to find something that I would actually like but I was surprised to see such a wide variety of clothes to choose from. After 20 minutes in the store, I had over $350 worth of clothes in my arms and I was walking towards the cash register. This two-floor store is filled with higher priced garments on the second floor and plenty of hip and up and coming brands on the first floor. From brands and labels that would get anyone spending every penny they have, including: Diesel, Cheap Monday, Miss Sixty,  Naked and Famous, Levis, True Religion and Lucky 7.

http://www.theshow-room.com/

Got Style Menswear:

Voted as the top menswear store by in Toronto by Now Magazine, Got Style is the leading menswear store when it comes to casual or business attire. The aesthetics of the store is what every man would want to see while shopping; flat-screen TVs, comfortable furnishings and a sleek interior. Got Style also has it’s very own male only spa which provides haircuts and hot-towel shaves.

http://www.gsmen.com/

The whole JUZD team is ready to take on LG Fashion Week, but are you? Well, if you still scrambling for outfits, we have one for you. In order to pull it off, though, you need to make sure that you can handle the attitude of your clothes. To brace this incredibly cool fall season, be sure to have your JUZD Original long sleeve shirt, as well as a hot leather jacket and the necessary black skinny jeans.

Get this look online:

1. Toughness comes at a price. Make sure your scuffles are worth it in your Kenna-T Leather Moto Jacket at Nordstrom for 398 USD. C’mon, you have to clobber those other papparazi in style to get your interview with the designers.

2. Take advantage of sale prices, and swipe this pair of DIESEL Nevy Jeans at RevolveClothing.com for only $119 USD

3. Nothing says “attitude” like a pair of fingerless motorcycle gloves. Get yourself a pair of Carolina Amato leather Snappy gloves for $41 USD

Click here for more JUZD Weekly Style

Notebook check? Pen check? Invitations in hand? And style? To cover New York’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, you have got to make sure that you have everything ready and in line because one mistake can leave you standing closed out on a show.

Make sure you are chic and glamorous to report with this JUZD look. Sport a JUZD Floral shirt from the fall 09 season, which will be available soon, to ensure that you are fresh when running from show to show. Pair this shirt with trousers and a vest to show off your professionalism, and snag a hot bag to store all your necessities.

Get this look online:

1. Want to be a bit different? Give a go to a black twill vest by Kag, which is on sale now for $75 CDN at SSENSE.

2. Also from SSENSE, you can find a great pair of straight leg trousers. Try on Diesel’s Paraguasi grey trousers for $120 CDN

3. Getting a nice men’s bag is always hard to find, but when you get one, you know it’s a great buy. The always reliable Jack Spade has a sale now on their grain leather Eaton duffle. The price may be a bit steep at 437.50, but it’s well worth it.

Click here for more JUZD Weekly Style

What does Al Ries say about logo t-shirts? Wait, who the heck is Al Ries? Marketing genius, Al Ries, is one of the top and most respected marketing gurus, having written some of the most important marketing books. I not only love his stuff, but also highly respect his work.

So what does he say about logo t-shirts? They don’t sell! Well actually, he never spoke of fashion or of design. And he never covered anything about t-shirts. But one of his theories did help me explain why there are so many brands that do logo t-shirts and why such brands will fail.

I never wanted to do shirts that dominantly say “Juzd” in different fonts, let alone have that as the main design element. I thought it was corny and not artistic, but everyone else was doing it. If all the top lines were doing it, and they were successful, then why wouldn’t I be successful doing it? There must be a reason. Logo on shirt = success? Well, all the other brands think so.

Then, an epiphany hit me hard last night. It was so simple, yet it took me so long to figure out. One of the important lessons I learned from Al Ries was that companies that use acronyms in in lieu of their name will never be remembered, but wait, what about the many corporations, such as IBM, KFC, and HP, who use acronyms successfully?

Take into consideration this: IBM, KFC, and HP are not successful because they use acronyms, they are successful, and therefore, they can use acronyms to represent themselves. When you say IBM, everyone knows the company and what they stand for, but no one knows “SUE” which, in this example, stands for “Sam’s Used Electronic” shop. Sam is an idiot for naming his company SUE, instead of naming it Sam’s Used Electronic shop. But we must note that Sam is also an idiot for getting into such a bad business – no one makes money by dealing with used electronics.

People will buy shirts with Ed Hardy, Diesel, and Guess plastered all over it because everyone knows these brands. They have build a strong enough reputation to sell shirts with just their name on it. But no one is going to buy a shirt with “Sam’s Collection” plastered all over it. So, the next time you see a collection of shirts from a new brand with no design, expect for their logo or name on the front, and shake your head while knowing why!

Logo plastering tees only sell when your brand is already well-known

Original post in July 29th 2008 issue of 24 Hours.
Original article written by Tanya Enberg, 24 hours

Bamboo first
Holt Renfrew keeps sharpening its edge.
The retail chain, which gives great play to Canuck clothing labels, has gone one step further by bringing on a largely unknown Toronto designer.

His name is Jing Liu and if you’ve never hear of him or his JUZD (pronounced joost) Bamboo streetwear collection, don’t’ be surprised. After all, he has never been trained in fashion design or cut his teeth at a design firm.

That, however, hasn’t stopped Holts from taking the unusual step of bringing the newbie designer’s graphic-laden garb-the world’s first designer bamboo label-to its high-end department stores.

The collection was delivered to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver earlier this month. Check out Liu’s work at: juzdbamboo.com

The following blog was written by Gloria Chik of UrbaneBloc. See original story.

I came across a really interesting streetwear concept early in the year – bamboo designer clothing. JUZD is a local brand that has established its line based on the concept of organic bamboo fabric. Want to learn more? Jing Liu, JUZD’s Lead Designer, takes us through the ins and outs of the brand.

1. Tell us about JUZD – how could we describe it in 10 words and under?

JUZD is the planet’s first bamboo designer clothing.

2. The brand just launched in March 2008, where has JUZD taken us so far?
   

The most innovative fabric in over 50 years. The founders of a clothing store chain which now has several hundred locations felt the fabric and was very impressed. These guys have been in the industry for over 50 years and are impressed by NOTHING.

3. Where did the concept of Bamboo Clothing arise?

The reason I started JUZD was I wanted a clothing label that represented nature and the raw power the human being. There is no line out there that paid respect to nature and us as humans. With that as the founding concept I wanted a fabric that was organic and natural. And growing up in China my subconscious was imprinted with imageries of luscious, green, beautiful bamboos. With all this in my subconscious when my friend told me about bamboo fabric, it felt so right. It’s like one of those moments when you meet your soul mate or discover your true passion in life.

4. Are there any big names that we can find organic bamboo being used?

The big names that use bamboo are Roots, Lululemon, and now Affliction. Personally I really don’t like their bamboos. It’s an older generation so it’s heavy clingy, and not as soft as our bamboo. I guess I’ve been spoiled with the JUZD bamboo. No one else has the JUZD bamboo because its custom designed and milled.

5. What does street wear mean in Toronto?

There are some very fashion forward and creative individuals in Toronto but there are just too few! I remember my trips to California and New York and even China, each person is different and it was accepted. We the Toronto streetwear fashion culture is a follower, dressing mainstream with things from H&M and Zara. Nothing’s wrong with H&M and Zara but the way things are paired up is very safe. I think the Toronto street fashion culture needs to move forward and embrace individual expression.

6. How do you develop your line to be street wear oriented?

The secret is I’m just an artist looking for an outlet. I just create edgy art and it happens to fit into the street fashion culture.

7. What is your process like in developing the product?

The process is pretty extensive. Here’s the brief version.
First I come up with an overall concept for the season that dictates everything. The designs and the colours, this has to match the cultural mood and the season. Then I finalize a small palette of colours and textures to use. Followed by the shirt styles I want for that season. Now comes the most creative challenging part, I have to come up unique concept and designs that match all the elements I’ve chosen. Then I collaborate with artists all across the world that matches the theme I want. In the Fall there’s one shirt that was the collaboration of four artists! The most fun, creative, and challenging element is making sure each shirt has a unique concept that no one has ever seen before, something totally fresh.

8. The general inclination is towards using organic materials to develop our fashions – how much do you think the eco-consciousness play into the next wave of clothing design?

In one respect I think the innovation of organic fashion is very slow. Designers associate organic with nature and nature with hippies. So all this ‘organic’ clothing is designed for hippies and tree huggers. God bless them but you can’t change society by getting the 3% of the population making conscious decision on their clothing.

Where I want to go with JUZD and hope the other designers will follow is to make it compete with the major labels such as Diesel, Energie, Christian Audigier, and other contemporary labels. That’s going to be the next wave that will turn the mass market onto sustainable clothing.

9. What’s the best way to wear your line – how do you style your clothing?

Pair it up with your favourite pair of premium denim. I designed for the full shirt so it’s hard to layer it. Maybe add accessories such as a chain, scarf, or a pair of bad ass shades. But always wear the tees directly against the skin, because it feels so good.

10. Where are you looking to take the design of the line – how do you reinvent yourselves each season?

With most artists when I create a piece that very creative (and I make sure every piece is) initially I get very excited. I jump I hop and show it to everyone. Then fear hits me hard. It’s like “how am I going to outdo myself next time? Is that my last? Is that all I got? Oh no! I think I exhausted all creative possibilities.”

But there are always more creative possibilities. I take inspiration from all around me. Whenever I see a design that’s innovative and edgy I think how can I translate that to a shirt. As with the art direction I want to go back to my roots, I want to take it back to Asia.