UCS, Uno Coal Showten, the clothing brand by Japanese sportsmen Uno Coal, has released a nice presentation of their Spring/Summer 2008 collection. The brand has nicely evolved in the last couple of seasons and offers both casual, as well as dressy pieces in their new collection.

Check out the great presentation of the S/S ‘08 line here.

Fashion artist Kenzo Minami from Japan has been involved in many projects over the years, including sportswear giants such as Reebok. Over the years his t-shirt line has also become very successful. Here we present you the Spring/Summer 2008 offering. Once again he presents his very own style on the t-shirts, different from pretty much everything else out there! Look out for these to be in stores soon!

We have announced Uniform Experiment, the collaboration label between Sophnet and Hiroshi Fujiwara’s Fragment Design before, and now we can finally have a look at their first collection. Overall we were a little surprised, because we expected a more dressy collection and a clearer division between  the new label and the Sophnet label. Even though it is more dressy, the lines are still kind of blurry. On the other hand we are glad not to only see suits. The checker outfit above and also the fleece suit were our favorite pieces in the collection.

At the end of the year we should have a better understanding of the direction of the brand. After the jump some more pictures of the Spring/Summer 2008 collection.

Every year we appreciate the Japanese brand Sophnet more. We are not sure if its because their collections are getting better or we are getting older, either way, their new Spring/Summer 2008 collection is looking really good. Classic materials, modern cuts and pieces and an overall good mix of styles make this yet another strong collection. If F.C.R.B. is too sporty and their new brand Uniform Experiment too dressy, Sophnet is the perfect middle and will dress you for any occasion.

The colors are nice this season and from the online lookbook we can already see some Visvim collaborations, that we will report about more when the get closer to the release. Hopefully the brand will this year finally become more widely available outside of Japan. Check out some more styles from the new Spring/Summer 2008 collection after the jump.

Neighborhood continues to release their Originals series exclusively through their online store. After the M-65 jacket, they are now about to release the Original LS Shirt. The longsleeve shirt comes in black and white, two chest pockets, a patch embroidered on the chest as well as special applications around the buttons.

It will be released on the 11th of January!

Porter has released a new Grocery Tote, which looks exactly like the paper bag that you get in a supermarket, but it is not made out of paper and of course reusable. The bag comes in the same brownish color, has the same handles and even comes with the triangle pattern on the edges, imitating the paper cutter. Inside it has a light blue lining.

More pictures after the jump.

Visvim has announced the New Year Collection. In this pack they have put two of their most successful models, the Kiefer-Hi and the FBT. We have seen these two styles in many different variations and materials. This time they used black glossy leather on both models. Each model comes in two colorways, each featuring black glossy leather and altering red or blue accents on the sole, giving this pack a more sporty look.

We think this pack will be especially popular among sneaker lovers. It has been released today at Chapter World. Check out many more detailed pictures of both sneakers after the jump.

Nexus VII, even though around for many years, has really only attracted our attention in the last couple of years. Their subtle and smart design and talent of giving a classic piece something special, is very impressive and something we learned to appreciate. A perfect example for that is their latest release, the B.D.W. shirt, which comes in a black/white check pattern. The work they did on the collar is brilliant. Simple, yet something you do not come across every day and a sharp look. Pic via Figure.

We are hoping that with the increased international attention, the brand will soon be available at some stores outside of Japan!

The latest pair of Levi’s Fenom denim has dropped in Japan, the 505 Crystal Disco Decoration. The Swarovski crystals have been applied in a floral pattern on the back of the denim. Otherwise you find the usual Levi’s Fenom characteristics. We were never huge fans of Swarovski stones on clothing or denim, therefore we will not judge this latest Fenom release. But Levi’s Fenom fans should be a bit used, since there is usually some crystals on the denim.

They also released some subtle flannel western shirts along with the denim. Both the denim and the shirts are now available at Tab Device and other Levi’s Fenom dealers in Japan. Check out the shirts after the jump.

Here an object that you do not come across every day – a condom shaped like a handgun by Mavo’s Masayuki Takahashi. It is part of the “Honey Trap” series. The Japanese brand has lots of exciting accessories, ranging from pillows, sanitary boxes to masks, each one of them with a twist.

Pingmag sat down with the designer, Masayuki Takahashi, and had a chat about his work and the brand!