It’s a sunny evening in Finland. The day’s been full of energy ever since 4am when I woke up to watch the NBA Finals. There’s no hiding it, I’m super hyped about the game and especially about the fact that Lakers drew the first blood taking the game 102-89. I was tweeting about the game and you can check up the reactions to the game at denim_house. There were plenty of folks commenting on the game in a similar fashion, heh. One of the funniest parts was when the court-side commentator/reporter was trying to interview Chris Rock (the comedian) in the audience, he obviously did not want to be interviewed and had his eyes locked in the game. It was similar to a situation when the husband is watching the game on TV and the wife asks something and he doesn’t eve realize she asked something but just answers yeah, yeah. C’mon, I know you know the situation.

But enough of the game, I will be all on the NBA Finals around the next game. So this is not the last you’re hearing about the NBA Finals 2010 on the NDH blog. Oh yeah, whether you care about the finals or don’t let us know who you think is taking home the trophy on the poll below the Soap Box.

So back to the Friday edition which is about Art. Art surrounds us and as they say it is often in the eye of the beholder. This is very, very true in most cases. Take for instance Picasso’s work, I really like his works of art but one of my friends went to see Picasso’s exhibition and his comment was that the pieces looked like something drawn by a 7 year old.

I would love to bring up the art of comic books in this edition, but I don’t want to mix up my comic book editions with this one. The graphic art and stories in the comics have inspired me ever since my early childhood and still do. If I feel like I’m in a slump with some creative work or with my writing, all I need to do is dedicate few hours to some good comic books and I’m back at it like an addict. One artist that in my opinion brings out the comic book elements (manga) in many of his works is Takashi Murakami  whose World of Murakami exhibition you can see at Palazzo Grassi in Venice from 9th till 11th of June.

I’m a fan of Murakami and like the manga inspired colorful pieces he has produced. Not to mention the stuff he’s done with LV. Not that I’m an art expert but I would say he has made an impact in the art world, especially in the Japanese Art scene. For more details you can check out www.palazzograssi.it, and if you happen to be in Venice, check it out.

Both my wife and me are avid photographers, I guess it runs in our veins. Not that we’re professionals or anything, we just love capturing every moment of this crazy journey called life. I have previously mentioned the works of Yasumasa Yonehara aka Yone and his work at Cexworks. I mean this is another field of art that people definitely have many opinions of. Some could consider his works as pornography, though I don’t see it that way. I mean take a look at some of the pieces, when I see the pics I don’t just see lovely ladies, but art.

Picture courtesy of Yasumasa Yonehara.

It’s the same with our beloved T-shirt labels like erect81, QUOLOMO and KIKS TYO. I have been told that the shirt I was wearing was a bit daring. My usual answer is, oh, is it? It’s art. This added with a smile and people get over it. Yone’s work though quite “daring” do get plenty of attention and celebration. I really liked his work with QUOLOMO, I mean just take a look at the shirt below.

Another art pick of the week comes in a form of a video. A video about BMW Art Car by Jeff Koons. Pretty nice I would say.

I guess the next edition could be on music since Remy’s been visiting the concerts of the likes of AC/DC and I’m heading to a gig by Devin the Dude in a matter of hours. I did a concert recap last year regarding a gig by rapper Too $hort. That was a good one and I expect nothing less from today’s concert. That said, I’m off to eat something and get going. Life’s good oh and GO LAKERS!

Indeed. What hasn’t it sold so far? Maybe horse plows for mormons, but that would be the proverbial exception to the rule. Continuing with the excellent topic of Tony’s about naked girls, here’s something related from the wonderful world of denim advertising.

There’s been two new advertising campaigns by Diesel for the winter/spring seasons of 2010. This is the better (forget the other, it’s just stupid).

Image courtesy of Denimology.

Then again, we all knew that sex sells. It’s not yesterday’s news, it’s not even last week’s news. Even neanderthals always went for the best looking cavegirl or -man. Which then begs the question: are we supposed to appreciate this not-even-slightly disguised insinuation that our buying behaviour stems from pre-historic times and we are little better than our trogdolytic forebears?

Sure we are. How can we even begin to deny the basest of our impulses? We can’t.

Yet, what bums me out a bit, is that the Diesel ad above says that sex sells, but does little else. Puma did it a whole lot better a couple of years ago. Sure, officially Puma claims that this is not theirs, but I genuinely doubt it. Whatever the case may be, personally I think this is brilliant. Forget subliminal messages, double entendres and puns and go straight for it!

“It” being the clever straightforward advert of course. Ahem.

Image courtesy of Ads of the World.

So what do you guys think? Does sex in advertising products get you excited, erect(81) even? Or do you do what we promote here at NDH and put the sex into sex appeal.

Whatever you do, remember to be safe.

Sunny Saturdays! I should rather say soggy Saturdays as all that snow is now turning soggy thanks to the recent 0 Degrees Celsius temperature. As long as you’ve cleaned your roof from excessive snow, everythign should be just fine. The great thing about soggy snow is that you can now make snowmen and have a snowball fight. Great!

Last week I introduced our first batch of erect81 arrivals and this week it’s time to introduce you to Azumi Harusaki and Risa Kasumi. Both of whom are featured on the fresh erect81 shirts straight from Tokyo, Japan.

Azumi Harusaki, a Japanese av star and media celebrity is on adds to the impressive number of erect81 collaborations. They say words speak a thousand words, so let the pictures speak.

While on the topic of Ms. Harusaki I thought of sharing something that sure made me laugh. A Japanese game show where they put their male contestants through on hell of a test. The goal is apparently to avoid giving in to temptation while the lovely ladies do their utmost to seduce the contestant. Hahaha… See for yourself.

Watch kissgaman – azumi harusaki 090102 in Entertainment |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Our next contestant, sorry I meant entry is Ms. Risa Kasumi. Known for her full lips this model, actress and an av star has been making name for herself since 2007. But needless to say her lips are not her only asset. The shirt features erect81′s signature contrast style mixing gray-scale and pink color.

Hope this has made your day even better than it has already been. I mean I just watched the video again and it cracks me up, haha. Good job fighting the temptation. If you are tempted to try something different, head to our store-side and check out what erect81 has to offer.

That’s all for now, I’m off to make a snowman. Peace and have a great weekend.

Yes, this edition is titled Naked Girls. You might be asking why? Why does the blog post have such an absurd title? Well, this edition is pretty much about naked girls. Naked like piece of art naked.

Most of you already guessed it, we have finally released the new tees from erect81, the brand that takes things on another level. We’re very excited to be one of the first stores in the world to carry the brand. Below just a little info on the newcomers just to show what we have in store for y’all.

First up, Naho Ozawa Tee 01.

Naho Ozawa is a Japanes av star and a singer. I’m pretty sure she’s more known for her firstly mentioned career, just to say I have not heard any of her songs, but she makes the below shirt look good. The shirt is among the first releases from the erect81 brand.

Next up, Megu Fujiura Tee 01.

Megu Fujiura just like Naho Ozawa is a Japanese gravure and av star known for her looks. The shirt shows the contrast erect81 portrays in their shirts. The images all black and white with strategically used colors that create some contrast.

We’re just getting started with the brand. More will follow, mark my words.

With this we switch to another of the new brands introduced to our catalogue, QUOLOMO.

QUOLOMO which means “wear” in traditional Japanese and it is focused on creating wearable items dedicated to the time tested sensibilities and standards of quality, artistry and originality. The brand stands behind words, Design Japanese Culture. These very well fit he brand and its products.

We’re now introducing to you Yukie Kawamura, a popular gravure star and an actress. One of the latest collaboration projects from the QUOLOMO brand, Yukie Kawamura delivers just like the brand’s previous collaborations with the likes of Sora Aoi. One of her latest acting roles was in a movie Vampire Girl Vs. Frankenstein Girl.

Not too shabby, not too shabby at all. For more, check out our QUOLOMO section.

Last but definitely not the least we have Yuu Tejima. KIKS TYO’s first model for the year 2010, or at least the first Girl Collaboration for the recently started year of the Tiger.

The first set features Yuu Tejima in a feline pose rocking AJIII Black Cats. The Black Cat Air Jordans are the inspiration for the Halloween Like scene topped off with a black full moon. The shirt is a sure winner.

The other new release is the White Wings Tee which features Yuu Tejima rocking the Jeremy Scott Adidas Wings. The angelic pose is highlighted with angel wings art by manga artist SP Nakatema. For those wondering the “feathers” in the wings do cleverly spell KIKS TYO. Heaven oh heaven…

On that note… Although this is not an official Kicks Edition, I thought of dropping a little something on the latest from Jeremy Scott Adidas Wings series.

Picture courtesy of sneakerfreaker.com

The Rainbow Wings kicks are actually covered in a reflective coating that changes color depending on the light. The trippy shoes are one of the most extroverted kicks I’ve seen in a while and you know what, I like them. Normally I keep my kicks plain and simple, but these somehow attract me. Well, at least I know what shirt to match with the kicks.

That’s all I am willing to bare in this edition. More will follow as soon as tomorrow actually. So stay tuned and and I leave you with a video My Chick Bad (feat Nicki Minaj) from Ludacris’ new album Battle of the Sexes. I thought it would kind of fit the theme.

So keep your eyes open, we’re out there like truth in X-Files.

What a day, that’s simply all I can say. Multitasking on another level. But since it’s all good, everything packed, ready and we’re set to go. Hey, I wouldn’t be writing this if everything wasn’t done. I’m starting the week with just a little intro on why we’re going to Copenhagen in the first place. It all started when… No, nothing like that. We’re joining forces with the all mighty Momotaro and going over to Copenhagen Fashion Week to represent the brand big time.

The Copenhagen Fashion Week is full of fashion related events which pretty much revolve around the CPH-Vision and Terminal-2 fashion fairs. Naturally the whole week will full of fully booked show rooms and fashion parties plus the normal stuff like sales, heh. Our main focus will be on the Terminal-2 where we will be having our temporary headquarters together with the guys from Momotaro Jeans.

Terminal-2 is a streetwear and denim fair held in an old locomotive maintenance building, which means 9000 square meters of streetwear. It is meant to be rough and rugged just like the brands showcased there. Divided into segments such as Sport Fashion, Streetwear, Urban and High-End Denim the fair

Playing host to an impressive range of denim and streetwear labels and fashion companies, Terminal-2 is intended to showcase the universe that is characteristic of the urban, denim and streetwear lifestyle with shows, lounges, performances and music. The fair is segmented into Sport Fashion, Streetwear and both urban and high-end Denim needless to say we’ll be representing the denim side of things. And I quote, “with potential of being one of the most innovative fashion trade fair in Europe, Terminal-2 offers exhibitors and buyers alike an amazing space to infuse the building’s spirit and character. The slightly raw and unpolished surroundings of the new exhibition space play host to shows, performances and lounges in a young, energetic and inviting atmosphere. Terminal-2 is not just an exhibition hall, it is also a market place where up to 200 exciting street wear and denim exhibitors, the latest trends and international trade and fashion magazines from all over the world can be experienced alongside influences from music, art and culture.” (terminal-2.dk) I think that explains what the deal is.

We’ll also be dropping some updates from the CPH-Vision. Althought the two fairs have been pretty much integrated together there are certain differences. Where as the Terminal-2 has its focus on the streetwear, CPH-Vision presents you with Contemporary Fashion, Feminine Classic, Direct Fashion, Shoes & accessories and up-and-coming designers.

“The Vision” was started wit ha focus to exhibit Nordic design and has been running since 1998. Since then the show has grown to become an extensive showcase of international talent and style with attendants from all over the world (50% of visitors come from abroad). The fair is held at the historical Øksnehallen, and provides as the CPH Vision puts it “an intimate and exclusive platform for both established and up-and-coming designers.” (cph-vision.dk) The 5000 square meters provide plenty of space for different brands and designers to show what they got. We will be reporting more from the spot.

We will be at the Copenhagen Fashion Week from Wednesday 10th of February until Sunday 14th of February. What this means is that all orders placed during this time will be shipped on Monday 15th of February. You can still reach us via email. Just drop a note to info(a)nordicdenimhouse.com and we’ll get back at you accordingly.

But that’s not all I have to say. When I’m not climbing snowy hills…

…I’m actually working. One of the best things about this line of duty is the “new stock days”. Well today was one of those days. It’s sometimes as easy as getting the batch to your office door, but sometimes (usually) you do have to deal with things such as customs. But that’s nothing. It’s all worth it when you get to go through the stuff. I mean for real, think about the last time you got a set of new gear. It’s like Christmas every time, heh. Inventory, invoices all that stuff is secondary. So I’m going to leave you with just a little teaser of what’s to come. Once we come back from Copenhagen that is.

So check what’s happening through the blog, facebook and twitter. Oh, and if you happen to be in Copenhagen drop by to visit us at Terminal-2.

That’s all for now, the next post will be coming at you straight from the heart of Copenhagen. Wish us luck and may the force be with y’all and y’all. I’m out…

As some of you might have noticed, we have added some additional information and sneak peeks to our upcoming brand additions, QUOLOMO and erect81.

I have covered QUOLOMO in the past but just a quick follow up before the official introductions. QUOLOMO is a t-shirt, apparel and lifestyle project from Tokyo. Their creations draw inspiration from sub-cultures, artists, pop-culture personalities and Japanese animation. QUOLOMO means “wear” in traditional Japanese and it is focused on creating wearable items dedicated to the time tested sensibilities and standards of quality, artistry and originality.

The brand has released some very rare tees featuring the art on photographer Yone. I dropped a video on the Yone x Reach Partouze exhibition from last spring and below’s another one from the show.

erect81 again is a crossover of erotic art and fashion from Tokyo. Produced by the crew that brought you KIKS TYO and QUOLOMO, SEVEN UNDER the brand will bring you the same high quality just with on a bit more extreme level.

Below a little intro video to the brand featuring av gravure idols Kaede Matsushima, Naho Ozawa & Hitomi Hayasaka.

That’s all for now, we’ll be back with more soon. Stay tuned and stay safe, I’m out…