Akomplice Clothing

Month: January 2012

A Day in Colorado

January 22nd, 2012

After exhibiting at Agenda Long Beach, Patrick and I left for Colorado and the rest of the AK crew headed back towards Santa Barbara. Our first stop in Colorado was Keystone, where we met with some of the other lifestyle clothing heads for a couple days in the mountains and a few nights of celebration. After tearin’ the town the small mountain village it was time to head back to work, most brands returned to their native hubs on the coasts, us on the other hand were already back in our homeland. We drove to a small valley town called Paonia, which was the official birth place of Akomplice. After working and meeting with some old friends and family we decided to give everyone a peek into a day of our Colorado life.

We started by waking up at 6:30am, jumped in the mini whip and drove over a mountain pass (check above photo) to Glenwood Springs. We met with a journalist who was excited to update Western Colorado with all the Akomplice movement since we’d ventured to California. After some biscuits and coffee we headed straight to Aspen where we were asked to be the guest feature on The Buzz T.V., a regional Colorado television channel (soon to hit our blog). After the interview spot we headed to long time retailer Radio Boardshop. If you’re not familiar with Radio don’t worry, we’re soon posting an interview with pro snowboarder/ co-owner Travis McClain. We chilled for a bit, then kicked it with our boy who works at WESC. On our way to WESC we had to check in with our girls who hold down Louis Vuitton Aspen, we ended drinking some champagne in celebration of L.V. After getting a buzz at 7,890 ft. we headed to Snowed In Supper Club, a small invite-only supper club in Aspen. While there, we ate only locally grown foods, including pasta, salad, short rib, apple turnover, and ice cream, all of which were handmade. The company included some of Aspens tastemakers including top archetects, planners, founders of companies, and of course Akomplice. Left Aspen to enjoy our solid hometown of Carbondale, felt good to be home. See more photos here.

NFL’s Vernon Davis x Akomplice

January 13th, 2012

We have teamed up with NFL tight end Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers to produce two limited edition T-shirts with proceeds from the sales to benefit children in the U.S. and Africa. “There’s a lot of need everywhere in the world,” says Davis. “This is one way to make a difference in the lives of children in Africa and here at home.” The limited edition black and white T-shirts are $30 each and feature a stylized photographic image of Vernon Davis shot by award-winning photographer Tim Mantoani. Click here to purchase this exclusive T-shirt.

We will donate 50% of the proceeds from sales of the white T-shirts to Young Audiences Arts for Learning, the largest single arts education organization in the U.S., serving more than 5 million children annually. Young Audiences Arts for Learning national executive director David Dik believes this fund-raising campaign is especially meaningful given the number of arts programs being cut in public schools. “All young people need the arts,” says Dik, “research shows that children from low-income families benefit most significantly from gaining exposure to the arts, improving their academic performance, their community involvement, and their workplace readiness. With the help of Akomplice and Vernon Davis, Young Audiences will continue to partner with schools and community organizations throughout the nation to ensure equity and access in the arts for all children.” Davis agrees. “I grew up in a tough DC community where the arts were no where to be found, so I had to wait to discover art years later in college. Our goal is to help create opportunities for kids right now.”

The purchase of a black T-shirt provides a free T-shirt for a child in Africa to be distributed by Starkey Hearing Foundation during an upcoming 2012 mission trip. Starkey Hearing Foundation has given the gift of hearing to more than half a million people around the globe. “It will be our pleasure to deliver these T-shirts to children in Africa during our hearing mission trips to further brighten their lives with this gesture of goodwill,” says Brady Forseth, Co-Executive Director of Starkey Hearing Foundation.

Teaming with NFL star and playmaker Vernon Davis and a philanthropic titan like The Starkey Hearing Foundation, who have graciously offered to deliver the T-shirts, is a perfect way to leverage our brand with theirs to make a positive impact on the lives of children who need our help.

Check out more pics after the jump.