Tightly Laced Kicks: "Graffiti Legends" Series 2

 About the design:

The goal for the design of the Tightly Laced Kicks: Graffiti Legends Series 2 is uniqueness and the love of art. In the daytime the design on the shirt appears as just an x-ray of someones foot, but after exposure to light, you can go into a dark area and the Air Jordan 3 appears over the foot via glow in the dark technology!!! The x-ray represents an accident the artist, ProBlak, had while working with the tools of his trade... spray paint, a design and a wall. 

From the high quality 100% cotton shirt, to the iconic sneaker that adorns the front. We wanted the design to stay away from the cliche graffiti shirt and bring something new and fresh. ProBlak executed the concept perfectly with a "glow in the dark" design that can only be truly appreciated with the naked eye.

You can purchase the T Shirt at:

• At The Buzzer. 81 Harvard Ave. Allston, MA 02134
• Kulturez Dynasty. 36 JFK Street, 2nd fl. Cambridge, MA 02138
• Got Sole 1981. 617 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

T Shirt Mock Up Illustrates "Glow in the Dark"
Feature (IT DOES NOT GLOW GREEN)

ACTUAL COLOR OF GLOW
IN THE DARK FEATURE

The Design

The Front 

The Back

The Extras: Weather Proof Vinyl Sticker, SB or Nike Shoelace
(can be a skaters shoelace belt), Sneaker Style Box with Soft Tissue Lining.

Label On Outside of Box

Tightly Laced Kicks 11.11.11

Tightly Laced Kicks is back at it again!!! Bringing you a collection of rare kicks, dope graffiti art and some of the best up and comers on the hip hip performance scene.  All happening under one roof on November 11, 2011.  Jamn 94.5's D.J. Jaz will be on the 1's and 2's and he will be joined by some solid hip hop performances by Haze T, Dre Muzic, JVizZ, Tony Diaz, Moroney, Nono, The ShowStopperz and a few more to come.  Click on the flyer for a bigger version so you can see all the details... more info to come as we get closer to the event....

FACEBOOK "LIKE" PAGE... so go like us for all the up to the minute info...

Happy Birthday TLK

Flyer for the first event

On September 9th 2004, the first "Tightly Laced Kicks" event has held.  The idea of the event was to introduce something that, to my knowledge, had never been done in the City of Boston.  The event was billed as a "sneaker collectors exhibit and graffiti art showcase".  We added an Old School Hip Hop jam to complete the trifecta and the event was a success! With close to 300 people in attendance, we had a hit on our hands and the sky was the limit.  The second TLK event was supposed to happen on October 21st 2006.  Consequences beyond my control forced the cancellation of the event on the night of and it also made me not ever want to organize another event.  4 years later and a little bit of soul searching led me to wanting to continue organizing a yearly TLK event and on October 10th 2010 our second official event took place.  Once again we had a successful event with close to 225 people attending.  We are in the midst of planning this years event which will happen on November 11, 2011.  Despite the hit we took by cancelling the 2006 TLK on the night of the event, it has been a great ride and I have been able to connect with amazing people who I might not have met otherwise.  TLK has also led to the creation of TLK Apparel which has also been an amazing experience that I expect will one day compare to some of the solid street wear brands available today.  If you haven't already, go "like" the Tightly Laced Kicks page on Facebook and request us to be your friend as well.
Happy 7th Birthday Tightly Laced Kicks.... and I look forward to many more to come...

Display from the first TLK event on September 9, 2004

Tightly Laced Kicks x The PHS Mob

I am super excited to announce that Tightly Laced Kicks Apparel will be sponsoring the The PHS Mob.  Who are The PHS Mob?  Check the links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egNT7VfmPCE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

YouTube.com/user/buggernaut1 

The main reason why I'm excited about this sponsorship is because it is in line with what I expect Tightly Laced Kicks to grow into.  TLK started off as a yearly event that highlighted sneaker collections, graffiti art and hip hop from creative people all over the city of Boston and the state of Massachusetts. As a once a year event, It is difficult to have an impact that lasts for too long so we created the TLK Apparel line and the "Graffiti Legends" Series not only as a way of keeping TLK on the radar, but also to give local graffiti writers an opportunity to create by designing a sneaker inspired T-Shirt.  With this partnership, we become an apparel contributor to a group of young people who love their sport and will become an inspiration to other youth in their community. 

With TLK as part of The PHS Mob family, we are gracefully given the opportunity to be part of something special that is new, fresh and ready to grow!  This group of young men have a dedication and love for their sport and aim at transforming it from and underground third cousin of biking and skateboarding into a respected extreme sport known for it's difficult tricks and high level of skill involved.  Stay tuned for more info on events that The PHS Mob will be competing in or a part of and I hope we can all support and root for them as they aim to take over!!!

The PHS Mob (Posse Has Steeze):

Justin Diaz - (does 99% of the shooting and editing plus most all photography)

Remo Ditullio

Kevin Phan

Carlos Galvez

Manny Wanzo

Sam Marcionek

Eric Woods aka ercaderk

Jarrid Diaz

Tightly Laced Kicks: "Graffiti Legends" Series 1

TLK: The Steady Climb

TLK Shirts at Kulturez  (Harvard Square)

The Tightly Laced Kicks: "Graffiti Legends" Series 1 T-Shirts (Design by Deme 5)  were released more than two months ago.  The release was limited to only 75 shirts printed.  I have about 20 shirts on hand, the rest have been sold or are being sold right now online at:

• www.kicksone7.com (direct link to WHITE or BLACK shirt)

and at the follwing locations:

• Bodega. 7 Clearway Street. Boston, MA 02115
• At The Buzzer. 81 Harvard Ave. Allston, MA 02134
• Kulturez Dynasty. 36 JFK Street, 2nd fl. Cambridge, MA 02138
• Got Sole 1981. 617 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

If you have not bought a shirt yet, get to it before it's too late! If the retail store you went has run out of your size, please email me at tightlylacedkicks@gmail.com and I might have your size in stock.  Series 2 is in the works as I type this and I can't wait to see the design, I have no doubt it will be dope! (more details are coming real soon).

The entire process of creating this shirt has been a great experiece, every step from choosing the best quality shirt to building with the artist to speaking with store owners to gain their support, has been nothing but good times!  The support I have received from my friends is amazing!!! The love from the shop owners has been incredible. (THANK YOU owners: Paul@kicksone7.com... Mayan@Kulturez... Dan@Bodega... Joon@At The Buzzer.... Joel @ Got Sole 1981) and even those people that have not bought a shirt but still show love by giving me props or spreading the word. ALL of you have made this a spectacular experience!! I can't stop now, we can only get stronger... stay tuned...

TLK Shirts at Gote Sole 1981, JP

PS: WE HAVE CHOSEN A DATE FOR THIS YEARS TIGHTLY LACED KICKS: 

A SNEAKER COLLECTORS EXHIBIT AND GRAFFITI SHOWCASE... NOVEMBER 11, 2011... (11.11.11) .... MORE DETAILS SOON...

Release Day: Tightly Laced Kicks "Graffiti Legends" Series 1

The day is almost upon us.  More than 3 months ago, we embarked on a mission to create a fresh t-shirt.  The goal was to make them the best possible quality shirt, from the material, to the design.  The idea is to highlight the talented artists from the area and to ensure that the yearly "Tightly Laced Kicks" event is on the forefront of peoples mind as we plan the next TLK event in the fall of 2011.  Sneakers, Graffiti, Street Culture and Hip Hop all wrapped up in a classic presentation. The shirts will go on sale this weekend so cop one before you miss out!

About the design:

The goal for the first design of the Tightly Laced Kicks: Graffiti Legends Series 1 is sleekness and sophistication.  From the high quality 100% cotton combed shirt, to the iconic sneaker that adorns the front.  We wanted the design to be recognizable and play on the name of the company. The artist, Deme 5, executed the concept perfectly... the laces of the tightly laced sneaker extend and integrate into the design for a symmetry that ties it all together.

  

 (CLICK ON PICS TO ENLARGE)

The White Shirt

The Black One

The Presentation

The Extras: Weather Proof Vinyl Sticker, SB or Nike Shoelace
(can be a skaters shoelace belt), Sneaker Style Box with Soft Tissue Lining.

Artist Bio: Deme 5

Tightly Laced Kicks Apparel

The last few months have been spent on the goal of releasing a dope t-shirt! As most will agree, t-shirts are a staple of our gear.  Along with the North Face coats, the New Era cap and the Champion Hoodies, the t-shirt is an important part of our style, it helps define your look.  I decided it was time to drop my own t-shirt line and I have two reasons: First, having a t-shirt gives the yearly TLK event more exposure and it keeps reminding people about the event... because let's be honest, the event is only once a year, life proceeds and people forget.  Second, I love kicks and t-shirts are a big part of making your outfit match... you would look pretty ridiculuous if you wore a pair of black, red and white Air Jordans with a Green and Yellow Packers t-shirt.  It just doesn't work.  And we have a perfect concept: get a Graffiti Legend and have him design a sneaker inspired t-shirt.
Easier said than done, especially given the fact that I will not half-ass a project that I am involved in... I either come correct or I stay in my cave.  I wasn't going to just find a cheap t-shirt, smack a quick design on it and call it a day. The research began, I went to t-shirt companies and looked and and felt materials.  I wanted the best bang for your buck, a shirt you can wear, wash, air dry and then pop into your dryer for a few minutes and have the shirt looking new.  A quality tagless t-shirt was chosen, our logo will be present on the inside neck tag as well as the woven loop label.  We are going to package this shirt as if it was a pair of kicks, with a box and a vinyl sticker hang tag attached to the shirt by an official shoelace!  Every shirt released will be designed by a graffiti legend and first up is Deme5.  This dude is one of the best artist in the city of Boston, state of MA! Period.  Check out his website and get a glimpse of the skill set of Deme5. Only 75 shirts per design and we will never release the same design twice.
The design will be under wraps until release day, but in the meantime check out some pics of Tightly Laced Kicks: Graffiti Legends Series 1.

The boxes will include tissue paper

Logo stamped on every box

Woven tags will be sewn in

These hang tags are vinyl stickers so peel and stick

My Daughter helping with the construction of the boxes