As part of the “Time Honored” digital lookbook collection, I’ve decided to feature BOOMTHO Clothing – a U.S Cali-based Streetwear brand by Rod Benson as part of the collection. Rod Benson currently plays for Wonju Dongbu Promy, one of Korea’s professional basketball teams.

Many thanks go out to Natalie in sharing her time and energy to take part in this Featured Brands lookbook.

Location: Siam, Bangkok

For those of you who know me by now, yes, I’m a failed retiree as a sneaker collector. So… here’s what happens when your shoe addiction relapses, even in the mildest forms of a re-surge.

I got myself two new pairs during my 1-month stay at Taipei last month; both were purchased straight from my go-to street wear shop there: Millionaire Boys Club (MBC). The first pair were the OTW “Off The Wall” jet black coated VANS Alomar shoes. The slick design simply sold itself, and can easily match any shade of denim. So that’s a tick. The price? I got it at 40% off, while other retail stores nearby were pushing it in full.

The second pick ups were the VANS Cobern, also a member of the VANS OTW Collection. I initially planned to grab some classic tonal Sperry’s, until I came across this aesthetic hybrid of a sneaker and boat shoe silhouette. These are constructed of navy blue oiled pig suede refurbished with moccasin toe, medial ankle screen and inner pig leather lining.

Thank you Vans, for being so brutally honest. The Cobern’s are indeed “built to chill in,” and they sure look good on or off the docks. Easy to slip on, and easy to withdraw from without the pads shifting out of place.

Like all VANS OTW shoes, both featured premium materials, waxed laces, and trademark Culcan out soles.

After getting a hold of my first Macbook Air, here’s something else that found it’s way into the check out basket: The Acer Intel Core i7 G3610. This was something I need for my online marketing arsenal. It’s been more than a week, and I must say: The Predator is… a vigorous agile beast; beyond a pleasure to work with. I will surely be locking myself away at my office as I work this creature. For those ever interested in upgrading or purchasing a new desktop computer, the Acer Predator series is something you might want to consider. Prices begin around the $1000 range for the lower entry models.

Expect the system to over deliver in performance, speed, capability. Gone are the days where your computer crashed and lagged.

Even if online marketing isn’t your line of trade (I’m using this to edit videos, design, run softwares etc.), it’ll still support all your every day digital living pleasures: video viewing/editing, photo imaging, gaming. It’s like the Zeus of all “out the box” desktop computer’s at the moment. I give it 100 stars.

I want you all to witness man’s next new best friend: The splintery spine covered mammal. My hedgehog goes by the name “Peanut”, and I promise you he’ll be a Youtube Star one day.

I saw this little guy hanging with 3 of his comrades at a neighboring outdoor bazaar, got totally intrigued (or possessed), whipped out my wallet and paid the vendor. Now I’m responsible for it’s survival in the concrete jungle, I have a poor record with managing house pets, but rest assured that this time, I am determined to spoil this kid with my unwavering care. The kind of care a photographer gives to his lens.

For those of you fascinated by wildlife critters, I strongly encourage you to get yourself a hedgehog if your state law permits. They’re low maintenance, can be potty trained, knows how to find food for you, and responds to you when you call for it’s name.

Peanut’s now 3 months old, and is now being trained to play semi professional soccer. He’s mastering his dribbling and corner kicks at the moment. Fundamentals first. He could possibly be the first soccer hedgehog, and once he becomes a YouTube sensation in the animal category, I’ll sign him up for the Hedgehog Olympics (Yes they exist) and see if he can score some commercial time too.

Oh and, the photos above were my first attempt at still animal photography. The guy totally rebelled against the notion of staying “still” for a shot.

Here’s a recent Train Track photography shoot which I did with Vvienna (Singer) by the railroads. Initially, we just wanted to scan the scene and see how viable it was for a fashion shoot for a local brand.

Here are some of the photos I snapped up. Enjoy.

My Camera: Olympus EPL-1
Equipment: Hands, feet, helpful weather, some creativity & vision.

I was freeing up my desktop’s hard drive space, and guess what I came across: My baby and childhood photos. Since this blog is about me, I thought it’d only be right to share.

Enjoy the pics of crazy little Andrew.

If you’re a newly converted Mac User like I was, and you wanted a proper bag – one that is durable, yet is pleasing to the yes – I highly recommend the Incase Macbook Air Nylon Sling Bag!

The cost is considerably higher than your average generic bag, but the quality lives up to it’s tag.

I just got myself the 13″ ones in varsity purple. My Macbook Air is 11″, but since the price point was equivalent for the 13s, why not go for the larger storage?

If you’re going to purchase outer shells for your Macbook 11′s, get them at least 2 inches larger.

The inside of the bag is made of white velour, with minimal branding. Two compartments are available in the front (for your mini-mouse etc.) with a Velcro seal.

No, I’m not hired by Incase to even put up this review, but the Incase Macbook Air bag is hands down one of the finest Macbook Air laptop bags currently on the market.

Back in mid 2009, I actually tried my luck at designing a watch for the Italian jewelry and contemporary watchmakers: Vabene. I believe it was called the “Vabene… Originally Yours” contest. Oh, I didn’t make the final cut, nor the semi-finals. I’m not even sure if I was top 100.

Each contestants were given the opportunity to design on a 38 mm dial bed – however they like it, as long as it represented themselves. So… I went with the “Make History” brand philosophy which is aderivative of LUXLIVIN’s mantra.

Now, I have next to zero experience in watch design – although I do have a tendency to do a thoroughly study on the designs of watches I own, as well as the watches I see when window shopping

Ok, that still makes me an under qualified watch designer.

Here’s what I came up with for the Vabene watch design contest.

I bit the apple. Yes, Apple finally managed to convert me – the once die hard strictly “Windows” user. I guess products can really influence you to accepting them when you see them wherever you go. I got the latest Macbook Air 11″ (summer 2011 release edition) just this week. It’s almost Meagan Fox sexy.

My Acer Aspire grew old with pitiful white hair and needed an overdue replacement. It won’t be missed, as I’ll still continue to use it for Microsoft Word.

Now that I have a more more advanced, robust, and intuitive assistant on board, it’s time to produce more promo videos for my ventures. I may be writing up a review for those sitting on the fence still when time permits.

Starting up your own clothing label requires a multitude of know-how. It can’t hurt to do your homework from the beginning. The fashion industry and clothing business surely isn’t for those who come unprepared.

You either come with all guns blazing, or stay away – unless you’re looking forward to burning your investment. The fashion industry is a place where you should constantly evolving – through not just adaptation, but learning.

I’ve been in the business since 2007! LTL “Living that luxury” – a clothing line dedicated to empower and inspire through design and impeccable quality. It’s been 4 years of experience, so yes, I have accumulated some golden nuggets on how to start a brand.

A couple of pointers I’d like to share with all up and coming designers.

1. To become a successful fashion designer isn’t about knowing the “technical end” of designing. You need to develop a holistic strategy.

The following skills should exist as part of your foundational character:

Creativity, business savvy, social/networking skills, discipline, and commitment.

In fact, you may only spend 5-10% of your time designing. The rest is on marketing, visiting factories, managing relations.

Most importantly, it comes down to handling both the arts and commerce side of things. Don’t operate at a loss. You want to profit at least 30% for each piece of clothing .

Starting up your own clothing venture can at times feel like a gamble, but those who believe, play smart, will preserver, and thrive rewardingly. Again, the clothing business is not a walk in the park – it’s just like any other competitive marketplace.

2. Focus on one product at a time. I started solely on t-shirts, before diving in to polo shirts and jewelry. To me, t-shirts are the bread and butter to your brand if you’re in the street wear market. The costs are lower, and it has a higher re-use rate.

All it takes is one killer t shirt that everyone goes crazy for. Just like music, all it takes is one sensational hit single for an unknown artist to start a career.

At the end of the day, it comes down to locking in more sales.

Give all your attention and energy to creating a distinct t-shirt. Areas of focus: The visuals (Graphics), the technical execution, creativity in material fusion etc.

Don’t sweat about expanding your collection so you’ve got a garment for every region of the body. Wait for the right timing. Stack your chips slowly, then reinvest when you are comfortable financially to do so. This game is not a race (with other brands and designers).

3 . Practice discipline. You have to expect criticisms. Expect a lot of comments and responses which you may disagree with. Accept the critiques gracefully. Always stay humble in the clothing business, and appreciate the fact that you must be doing something right if you’re getting people’s attention!

Not every design you release will fly like hot cakes. Accept that. The key is to keep churning out more designs to see “what sticks”. Eventually, a design will stick and take you to new places.The more shots you take, the more shots you will make.

More timeless tips on how to thrive in the fashion industry in part 2.