LA Trip Video: 1 Week Compressed Into 1 Minute

T.WAY and accomplice, Adrienne, made a special trip to LA for a week. With great friends and hosts, Joe Buys and Tatiana, the four made a lot happen in a short period of time. Featured is a brief review of the 1 week in 1 minute. We love LA!!! Dream Impossible, then Live Your Dream.

Back To The Future!!

It's funny, because the last two nights the movies Back to the Future I and Back to the Future II were on TV late at night. Being out in LA for the week, Joe Buys and I were watching them and often commenting on how dope they were. Obviously, the Marty McFly sneakers came into discussion at least a couple times throughout the movies, but who would have thought that today great stuff seems to be happening...

NiceKicks.com reported, "Nike could possibly be gearing up for one of, if not its biggest sneaker release ever. Earlier this week, photos of a “Marty McFly” Nike Air Mag blueprint surfaced on the web, along with a shot of the patent papers Tinker Hatfield and his boys at the  Innovative Kitchen have filed. This could be epic to say the least."

Spotted on Streets of LA

We were spotted the other day while on Melrose rocking the "Dream Impossible" and "We Run GVSU" shirts, both which are available online: www.shop.TWAYcollection.com

History of Detroit, Part 8: The Final Chapter Shows Hope for Us

The 8th and final installment of the "History of Detroit" video series brings the most hope towards its recovery. The previous 7 videos seemed to hit mostly on the negative aspects of its continual destruction, but this one seems to have a ray of sunlight peaking through. I feel there can be reconstruction of the city. It may not be a duplicate of the previous Detroit, but it could eventually become bigger, better, and actually stand the test of time. The automotive industry was a blessing and a curse because the city seemed to have all of its eggs in their basket. By providing a more diverse arena of business opportunities and an energetic talent pool of young men and women, we can build it bigger and better. The general infrastructure of a big city is already in place. Now we have a nearly blank slate of canvas to work together and build a masterpiece. Let's do it!!!

LA Trip, Day 2: Shops and More Shops, Hidden Treasure, Roscoe's

Day #2 of LA was an awesomely long day. Unfortunately, we had to drop Tot off at LAX in the morning because she had a big NIKE event in Portland. Therefore, the foursome was riddled down to just three. We were able to continue on and made a lot of things happen in just one day. We hit up these stores around the Fairfax District and Melrose Boulevard, just to name a few.

- And Still
- Stussy
- Johnny Cupcakes
- HUF
- Supreme (were closed...?)
- Bape (were closed...?)
- Hall of Fame
- Undefeated
- Kidrobot
- Keep
- G-Star Raw
- The Hundreds
- Union
- Hotel de Ville Vintage Eyewear
- Reserve
- Flight Club
- RVCA

The highlight of the day was a store on Fairfax called "And Still." DJ Wells P met us there and we just had a great time looking at their product. The store specializes in original retro sports apparel from the 80's and 90's. Among their product are old school Starter jackets, vintage caricature sport shirts, etc. Basically, it was the stuff we grew up wearing! I'm pretty sure we looked at every single shirt, jacket, pair of shorts, and sweatpants in there and had a many nostalgic laughs and stories to coincide with the items. I must say, there was one piece discovered that blew everything out of the water though...WATCH:

We had to travel thousands of miles to find this, but was well worth it.

After having the best experience shopping I can ever remember, Wells P suggested we had to hit up Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in nearby Hollywood.

I have never had such good fried chicken and waffles before, EVER!

It was an awesome Day #2 as we were able to knock off a bunch on the "To Do" list and were able to build some new relationships with some great stores out here.

History of Detroit, Part 7: Crazy Art, The Perfect Storm, Urban Agriculture

Being the 2nd to last video of the 8-part series, this segment touches on crazy lawn art, rave parties, SUVs and The Perfect Storm it created, loss of The Big Three, illegal stuff to survive, dog fighting, drug dealers in abandoned houses, and more. But then, Goodwill stepped in and helps the citizens of Detroit go to work and make a positive impact on their city. The next step now is urban agriculture...

"Dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, become inevitable.” - Christopher Reeve

LA Trip, Day 1: In 'n Out Burger, NIKE offices, Ocean, Deep Dish

Adrienne and I arrived to the LAX airport at 9:30PM local time, which would have been 12:30AM in our time. What was the first thing we did? Went to In 'n Out Burger! We weren't even on LA grounds for more than 30 minutes before we already checked off one of the items on our "To Do" list. What a great way to start the week...

Once we recovered from a long flight and In 'n Out Burger, the next morning we visited the NIKE regional LA offices. The space was tucked away within a refurbished brick building, but the inside definitely had the feel of NIKE. The offices are the headquarters for anything and everything "Los Angeles" and the the majority of the West Coast, from events with Kobe to retail accounts with LA's finest sneaker boutiques.

My favorite part, other than the sneak peek of the 2011 product and a giant bag of free NIKE gear, was their inspiration wall. Among the many on the wall, the following two quotes were my favorite:


After touring the LA offices, we drove to the new NIKE store on Santa Monica's famous 3rd Street Promenade. The store was having a P-Rod signing event, but before checking out the event, we had to walk a couple blocks west to get a view of the Pacific Ocean. So here it is...

The new NIKE store was simply incredible both on the outside and inside. I walked throughout the entire store amazed by the attention to details within the store layout, as well as the clothing itself. The old, wooden bleachers was my favorite part of the entire store. The highlight of the store was the Jordan wall, which featured all of his signature shoes beginning with the very first sneaker, the Jordan 1.

This mural was featured at the head of the stairs. You can't really see the details in this picture, but it was made up of sports equipment like shin pads and helmets, and of course, NIKE shoes. It wasn't until I stepped back that I could see that the equipment was arranged in a way to create the silhouette of NIKE co-founder, Bill Bowerman. I must say, it did take me a few minutes to realize that it was an outline of his face.

The day was capped off with Joe and Tot treating us to their favorite local pizza spot, BJ's. Joe and I split the Bacon Cheeseburger deep dish pizza while Tot and Adrienne split the Sweet Pig deep dish pie. Yum, yum, yummy!

New York Times: Inside Knock-Off Sneaker Factories

The New York Times did some investigating reporting on the over-sized business of counterfeiting. Their article, “Inside the Knockoff-Tennis-Shoe-Factory,” profiles an Italian shopkeeper who unsuspectingly placed a Nike Tempo shoe order with a Chinese factory that took the shoes blueprint and created over 3,000 clones of the original sneaker. In the article, a Nike employee estimated that for every two authentic Nike sneakers, there is one counterfeit of it in the market. The counterfeiters have become so good at ripping off the originals that sometimes it may be difficult to determine which pairs are the real ones and which are the fakes. The biggest determining factor is where you purchase them from. First of all, Nike has VERY limited online stores that are granted permission to sell Nike shoes online. Chances are if you're buying your shoes from a cheap-looking, non-mainstream website, those shoes are FAKE. Also, if you're at a flea market and they have "Nike" and other branded sneakers for sale for $30-$60, I can promise you that those are also FAKE! The moral of the story: do not buy/support the counterfeits!

History of Detroit, Part 6: 8 Mile, European Cars, Destruction

This is the 8 Mile Road that was made infamous by Eminem. The segment also highlights the competition of European cars that led to the severe downturn of Detroit automotive production, the enormous amount of destruction that at one time averaged 70 fires per night, and a stat that 47% of Detroit is ILLITERATE. Amazing, in a bad way.

History of Detroit, Part 5: City Decay, Motown Music, The Riots

The 5th installment of this 8-part video series discusses the beginning of Detroit's neighborhood decay, Motown Music, racism, police brutality, and the infamous Detroit riots that required the federal government to send in the National Guard.

History of Detroit, Parts 3-4

Having spent the weekend in downtown Detroit, staying at a hotel on Jefferson, and spending time on Belle Isle, it was pretty amazing to be in the middle of the area that this video series documents. All around me, I found myself noticing the exact buildings and streets that were highlighted in the videos. At times, I was picturing what life looked like back in the glory days more so than what it is today. As I was taking in the sights of the city, reality hit me and I found myself surrounded by abandoned buildings, empty lots with overgrown weeds, and homeless people walking the streets.

History of Detroit, Part 2: The Big Three, Racial Segregation, Etc.

Part 2 of this 8-part video series highlights The Big Three and their development of the suburbs, increased wages which led to a worker migration from the south, racial segregation, and famous buildings that look like remains from a nuclear war. It's heartbreaking.

History of Detroit, Part 1: Historical Introduction

Being born and raised within the greater-metro area of Detroit, I never really knew a deep history of the city. I knew the very basics but missed out on learning the real stories and seeing the images of it in its glory days as well as in its darkest. A friend forwarded me this series of videos about its rich history. This is the first of an 8-part series of Detroit's history. I think we, in Michigan, need to know how it used to be so that we can work together to bring it back. My generation only knew it as what Detroit is to us today - an abandoned mess full of crime and poverty. It wasn't always like that though...

Penguins Play With Butterfly (Awwww)

SO, SO adorable! Nothing cuter than penguins, especially when they're all playing with a butterfly. Isn't this the cutest thing you've ever seen?? Hahaaa (Adrienne with love this!)

T.WAY Invades NASCAR?

Yeah, you read that right - NASCAR. Never before have I sat down and watched a race on TV, let alone be a spectator at one. However, when a new opportunity presents itself I am always willing to try new things. I was contacted by the Michigan International Speedway a couple of months ago about a possible custom sneaker project. The discussions and designs are still in the very early stages of development but seem to be heading in the right direction. To gather some primary research for it, they invited me down for this weekend's NASCAR race to experience the sites and sounds for myself with a couple of tickets and pit passes. I must say, it is much more entertaining in person. I have never heard anything so loud before; it was insane! Soon after the race started I couldn't bare it anymore and had to walk out to buy earplugs even. Overall the experience was awesome. Being able to literally feel the roar of those massively-powered engines is incredible. There is a lot of work ahead in order for a possible sneaker project to take place for next year's race, but this weekend was a great start. Stay posted!

P.S. Noticed the "Dream Impossible" shirt? A few sizes still available for you to purchase: shop.TWAYcollection.com!

Indianapolis - DAY 2

This past weekend, a friend of mine from high school got married in a suburb just north of Indianapolis. Adrienne and I made a full weekend out of it and did as much exploring of the local area as we could.

DAY 2:
After a relaxing morning and breakfast compliments of the local Hampton Inn, we took the local's suggestions of visiting nearby Broad Ripple Village. Before heading out, I made sure to do an internet search for any and all sneaker and streetwear boutiques in the surrounding Indianapolis area. I came across the shop, got SOLE? which was luckily located in the Broad Ripple. It was like it was meant to be. This area just north of downtown is comparable to a Wicker Park in Chicago or East Town in Grand Rapids. The streets were lined with independently-owned stores, restaurants, bars, and boutiques. Obviously the first stop had to be gotSOLE? 

got SOLE? is the vision of Mike Watson, formerly with Finish Line and Champ's Sports. With 20+ years in the sneaker industry and a personal collection at 1,500+ shoes, their mission at got SOLE? is to keep you laced in the flyest gear around!


The wedding was awesome (and so was my date - isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen?!). I've never had such a good time at a wedding reception before; we all danced like dancing-fools and had the greatest time doing so. I'll post some more pictures as soon as I get them in from a friend.

After the wedding, one of the groomsmen got a limo for everyone and we rolled around the town and made some stops in Broad Ripple Village before ending the night at the local Steak 'N Shake. What a great night/weekend/reunion/wedding!!!

Indianapolis - DAY 1

This past weekend, a friend of mine from high school got married in a suburb just north of Indianapolis. Adrienne and I made a full weekend out of it and did as much exploring of the local area as we could. (Shameless plug: All pictures were taken on my BlackBerry)

DAY 1:

We arrived in Carmel, which is about 20 minutes north of Indy, late in the afternoon. We had just enough time before the rehearsal dinner to visit the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The place was amazing and everything was free. Their summer attraction was the 100 Acres exhibit which contained different forms of artwork throughout the museum grounds.

This sculpture, known as the LOVE sculpture, was created by the American artist, Robert Indiana, for the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The image was originally designed as a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern Art in 1964, and first exhibited as a sculpture in New York City in 1970. This original sculpture is made of COR-TEN steel and has been on exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art since 1975. The LOVE design has been reproduced in a variety of formats. Likewise, the sculpture has been recreated in multiple versions and a variety of colors, and is now on display around the world.

My other favorite outdoor piece of art is an obvious choice for anyone that knows me the least bit. Containing soaring blue and red steel arcs, this sculpture makes apparent the trajectory of a bouncing ball. Free Basket juxtaposes the practical and the imaginary, drawing on the form of an international basketball court, and turning it into an aesthetically surprising sculpture that offers the community a place to play. In developing their project, Los Carpinteros (a Havana, Cuba-based art collective comprised of Marco Antonio Castillo Valdés and Dagoberto Rodríguez Sánchez) focused on the prominence of basketball in Indiana, bringing together art, culture and sports, and developing an iconic project for the city of Indianapolis. [Info gathered from www.IMAmuseum.org]


After our excursion to the IMA, we made it to the house of my friend's parents just in time for the rehearsal dinner. Let's just say his dad has been very successful in his business ventures, which was clearly seen from the mansion of a house and car barn filled with the rarest of rare luxury sports cars.

His prized possession was this Ferrari, which is the most rare of its kind in the world. It's 100% original and has the least miles of any of its kind that comes even remotely close to this one. It's estimated worth? $1,200,000 - for a car! I'm not really sure what I was thinking, but I was the only one foolish enough to sit in the car: AMAZING.

Having just purchased a new Subaru last week, I thought I was feeling pretty happy with my set of wheels; until now that is, ha. To add to his collection of nearly a dozen of the world's most expensive, historic, and fastest cars, he has a couple more on order in the next month. Must be nice to have that level of money to throw around, huh? Personally, I might use it for other purposes and causes, but who am I to judge? Guess I better step my automobile-game up. I better keep DREAMING IMPOSSIBLE...

Inside Look Into The REBEL8 Brand

I always love to get inside looks into other companies and brands. Rebel8 is a pretty large one and certainly has its own style. This is just a quick look into the company and its CEO via the streetwear blog I check on a daily basis, hypebeast.

In the last few seasons, REBEL8 has exploded on the backs of the work of illustrator Mike Giant and Joshy D. While the background of Mike Giant has been well-documented, we turn our focus to Joshy D and to get a better perspective of the whole REBEL8 brand. We catch up with the REBEL8 CEO and President regarding his relationship with Mike Giant and some of his daily activities.



Director: The WereHaus

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