Only the Dressed Have Seen the End of War
The point I'm tryin' to make is I don't ever need 'em / Seen what you'd do for fame, what would you do for freedom?
Tactical outerwear from an underrated Legend in the game, Banging Bottoms from an underrated Powerhouse of Pants, and a slamming link-up from two of the Top Dogs of the Trails. Our Soldier of the Week just dropped a masterpiece that blends the best garms and the sickest rippers for an endlessly rewatchable video. And Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dresses like a clown!
💥TUESDAY MEANS WAR💥
TACTICAL UPDATES
OUTERWEAR
Death Bloom Vest by Nike ACG
Nike first hit the trails in 1981 with the launch of Nike Hiking, introducing hard-wearing footwear imbued with Nike’s signature boundary-pushing material and technology innovation. In 1989, Nike Hiking gave way to Nike All Conditions Gear, breaking out of the hiking “box” and bringing early Gorp style to a wider audience. In the past 25+ years, they’ve consistently re-invented ACG through changing consumer (and Nike) tastes, keeping the line at the forefront of innovation and style while also maintaining a through-line that traces all the way back to Nike Hiking. What we’re trying to say is ACG is still Banging after all these years, and the hits keep coming every season. We gotta keep it real and admit that the biggest thing that drew us to this jawn was the cactus zipper-pull - we’ve long been obsessed with the icon of the American West, surrounded by cacti of all types in our Arizona youth and genuinely believing Shaq’s embarrassing “Big Cactus” era was going to deliver a ring to Phoenix. Thankfully, this vest is jam-packed with other genius features in case you’re not weirdly obsessed with Southwestern flora. We love the big open pockets on either hip, great to drop in your camera or a water bottle when you’re out on a mission. It can function as a backpack, with a zippered compartment covering the whole back and a bungee cord system on top. Bungee storage at the shoulders and standard zip pockets at the front round out the endless storage options. This thing is pure style that hides incredible innovation - the ACG experience on full display.
LOWER UNIFORM
Tubes Jeans by WKND
WKND is another Skateboard Company that’s quietly manufacturing garms the level of those you’d see in a Fashion Boutique but imbued with street sensibilities and priced right to make sure skaters stay Fitted. Their Pants Program is consistently Banging, no doubt thanks to sponsoring some of the best pants-wearers in skateboarding, including the likes of Tom K and Nikolai. We’ve run through a bunch of WKND pants over the years, always finding them to fit great and use hard-wearing materials that stand the test of time and road rash. The Tubes are one of their standard offerings, showing up in various colors and materials each season but always sticking to a blueprint of muted colors and tonal detailing that works for Everyone. They can be paired with Wacky tops or Quiet kicks, a great choice for Soldier of all sensibilities. TWR Correspondent Stephen Horrocks, deep in Enemy territory of Tennessee, has been rocking the Tubes lately and checked in with this report: “Tubes make skating in denim feel like it’s not skating in denim. The taper and inseam length makes it not bunch and look like you bought ill fitting pants from the store. A nearly perfect pant.” We love a good taper. And we love WKND pants!
FOOTWEAR
Moab 2 Siren by Merrell and Gramicci
If we could only pick two brands to wear for the rest of our days, they would be Nike and Palace. If we could pick two more, they’d be Merrell and Gramicci. Lucky for us, both duos are linking up for greatness in 2025. We’ll likely go Really Long on Palace and Nike at some point, but this week’s about the revolutionized Moab 2 Siren from Merrell and Gramicci. Two of the longest-standing and Most Banging outdoor outfitters of the very crowded category, they came together on a new iteration of Merrell’s legendary Moab silhouette made for movement. They dipped into the archives to restyle the Siren on top of the tried-and-true Moab 2 midsole, bringing forth an all new design that’s perfect for the trail, the rock face, or the Street and has every ounce of Style we’ve come to expect from two all-time greats of mixing fashion and function. Each colorway is uniquely Gramicci, but we gravitate to the timeless feel of the Dark Earth jawns, looking like it could’ve been here in the 80s while maintaining the spark of modern design detailing. As we’ve noted time-and-time again, the best Garms are multi-disciplinary and able to shift vibes and missions without the need to change your outfit, and these hit every one of those notes. A top-tier pair that’ll no doubt last for years and look better after every mission. What else could we expect from two of the best?
FIELD NOTES
SOLDIER OF THE WEEK
Ben Baptiste of Sexhippies
We’ve been glazing Sexhippies for a while now, originally hitting our radar via recommendation from the Big Homie Wes. We immediately fell in love with the exquisitely-designed garms and the very New England vibe - we were born in The Foliage of Vermont but left too early to experience it and have never been back. We’ve always had a strange nostalgia for something we never actually experienced, which is perhaps a discussion for our therapist instead of our blog. Anyway, this week we were treated to Earth Mafia, a new promo filmed this past summer with Ben’s collection of rippers from his backyard in the Berkshires to the streets of New York and skating everywhere in between. The video felt like a scene video and brand video at the same time, the same way Sexhippies garms feel down-to-earth but Massive at the same time. It truly feels like the perfect embodiment of the brand brought to the screen, down to the titles modeled off SH classic chainstitch embroidery and spot selection heavy on little-seen local gems. The new video introduces 15-year-old Charlie Fine to the crew, another youngster we’re lucky to know thanks to Ben’s unparalleled eye that’s brought us stylish rippers like Eddie Vargas and Cooper Qua. We were extremely excited to see Andrew Wilson, Mark Humenik, and Brianna Delaney (!!!) draped in Sexhippies, a clear signal that Ben intends on continuing his steady takeover of the Cool Clothiers Sponsoring Cool Skaters part of the apparel space. Congrats, Ben!
ENEMY OF THE WEEK
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
There are ways to be maximal without looking like a Clown, but Shai certainly hasn’t found that ability. Nothing he wears looks remotely like a genuine Outfit - it’s always more ostentatious than a Migo at the BET Awards and never looks comfortable or natural. He’s a stylist’s dream, a mannequin come to life whose personal style is just “I Wanna Be On The Cover of GQ.” The clothes wear Shai, which is the worst thing that could ever be said about a fella that wants to be seen as a Real Dresser. Shai might be dominating the NBA on the court, but we gotta crown him Least Valuable Dresser of 2025.
You’re now up to speed on the latest from the battlefield. Use this intel wisely and pass it on to others who may need our guidance. We can’t win the war unless we’re in it together.