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Sneaker freakin'

The wickedest L.A. streetwear

By Caroline Ryder, Special to Metromix

February 13, 2008

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(Credit: Courtesy of Nike)

Fairfax and Melrose is the streetwear barrio of Los Angeles, the place where sneakerheads and skaters converge to scoop up hoodies, tees and kicks by 10 Deep, BAPE, The Hundreds, Crooks & Castles, New Era, MHI, Commonwealth, Visvim, Adidas and of course, Nike.

Expect huge lines around the block—and fresh tags on the walls—whenever a new limited edition Air Jordan drops at Supreme, the hub of the Fairfax streetwear clusterf*ck. Union and Stüssy on La Brea add to the mayhem, as do Brooklyn Projects on Melrose, and The Hundreds, SLB23 and Reserve, all nearby. It’s no wonder the kids from Fairfax High School have such wicked style, with all this on their doorstep. The Eastside isn’t far behind, with boutiques like Greyone in Pasadena, Blends Downtown, RIF Los Angeles in Little Tokyo and Brooklyn Projects in Echo Park bringing the dopest kicks and hoodies to a street near you.

Do: Check out streetwear blogs like hypebeast.com, slamxhype.com and highsnobiety.com for the latest fashion updates.

Don’t: Go Saturday afternoons — crowds are hectic, parking is a nightmare (always bring quarters for meters).

Flight Club

503 N. Fairfax Ave. - Los Angeles

323-782-8616

Prices can be silly (like $1,500 silly) at this sneaker collector's paradise, a consignment store selling ultra-rare AF1, Dunk, and Air Max variants. Can sometimes feel more museum than retail store--shoes are shrink-wrapped to protect them from our grubby little mitts.

The Hundreds

7909 Rosewood Ave. - Los Angeles

323-230-7421

Mothership for The Hundreds streetwear apparel empire, this was the first storefront to open on Rosewood. The tiny black-walled outlet carries denim, tees and caps exclusively from The Hundreds' line, plus items from their ladies' collection "Ten". Popular with cute skater boyz, if you know what I'm sayin'.

Supreme

439 N Fairfax Ave. - Los Angeles

323-655-6205

This 2,800 square foot skate emporium boasts a freestanding skate bowl for pros who like to hang out at the weekends. Offers a small but highly-curated selection of footwear (Vans, Nikes, DC Shoes, Emericas) and apparel in a haute-ish atmosphere. Expect lines around the block when they release their quarterly Supreme collections.

Kendo

7218 Melrose Ave. - Los Angeles

323-934-9450

NYC graff queen and streetwear stylist Claw Money loves Kendo, the girls-only rare sneaker emporium, cause it's the place to go if you're not into pink hearts on your women's sneaks.They carry obscure styles from the '80s and early '90s as well as limited-edition newer stuff.

Brooklyn Projects

7664 Melrose Ave. - Los Angeles

323-658-7182

Skate shop and art gallery with gear, street apparel and designer sneakers co-founded by former MTV VJ and professional BMX biker Dominik Deluca. The Melrose branch has a mini-ramp with a spine for employees and resident pros, and a gallery space which has hosted installations by Buff Monster, and Craola. Artist Shepard Fairey painted the Echo Park store. Carries brands like NIKE, Obey, Stussy, Crooks & Castles, Fresh Jive and many more.

Union

110 S La Brea Ave. - Los Angeles

323-549-6950

The recently-remodeled Union is a must for urban gear aficionados. Think BAPE, Neighborhood and Billionaire's Boys Club with a sexy-looking dressing room. Sorry girls--no women's wear. Can be pricey and crowded at weekends, especially Saturday afternoons.

Greyone

2220 E. Colorado Blvd. - Pasadena

626-578-1582

You're living the lifestyle, you need the threads. Greyone is the place to come and get kitted out with the latest from streetwear and skatewear dominators like Crooks & Castles, Diamond Supply Co. and alife. Carries luxury street brands like Y-3 and Bape as well as indie brands like The Hundreds. Girls can browse White Trash Charms jewelry and tees by Hellz Bellz. Greyone recently merged with art collective Soul Assassins, whose members include Mister Cartoon, Estevan Oriol, Cypress Hill, The Alchemist and Scott Khan. They have a cool blog http://greyonearmy.blogs and MySpace: www.myspace.com/greyone

Mobius

3300 W. 6th Street - Los Angeles

213-385-9200

The the only store of its kind, so far, in Koreatown, Mobius may be the first sign of things to come in a neighborhood saturated with karaoke rooms, cheesy bars, and BBQ joints. This place wont be a secret for long. They carry limited edition sneakers from Nike and BAPE, clothing from lines such as Crooks Castles and 10 DEEP and tons and tons of vinyl toys. Stop in after you pick up a Pinkberry...they're neighbors!

Blends

125 W. 4th St. - Los Angeles

213-626-6607

There's a secret backroom at this little-known Downtown gem which carries everything to cure your retro sneaker blues, (think Air Jordans, New Balance, Reebok, Creative Recs) plus some sexy designer apparel. Unique styles from big brands, and plus some out-there high-concept designs. Go on--your feet will love you.

RIF

334A E. 2nd St. - Los Angeles

213-617-0252

Rare sneaker consignment in Little Tokyo. Exposed brick provides the perfect backdrop to a comprehensive sneaker collection (AF1 variants, Vans, Air Max's, BAPE, Adidas, Jordan's) in the heart of Little Tokyo. This is the sister store of Tokyo consignment store LA Avenue. They also run their own consignment service, whereby kids can bring in their rare sneakers, and keep 85% of the selling price. Limited women's selection, and prices can be steep.

SLB

501. N. Fairfax Ave. - Los Angeles

323-655-4752

Skater Sal Barbier invented one of the dopest skate shoes on the planet (the Etnies Sal 23) and now he's opened one of the dopest skate stores we've seen too, carrying menswear by Converse, RiVi, Weesner, Vans, Pendleton, Thrasher, Indie, and of course his own line Slbarbier.