There is something about beautifully worn in sneakers that is undeniable, the genuine “don’t give a crap how much they cost” attitude and organic creasing that comes from actually wearing the darn shoe is simply gorgeous. A word to all you sneaker connoisseurs out there, wear your shoes, thats what they were made for, there is nothing that makes me cringe more than seeing one of my peers walk like a duck for fear of creasing their “grails” come on, if you’re gonna pay whatever amount for them you should get your money’s worth no? till next time, enjoy my AJ-Falling aparts.

This weekend Pennsylvania was short one Connoisseur and Maryland welcomed home it’s golden boy on the wheels of the giant hound. Okay, if you’ve gotten over my ridiculous exaggeration of my return home for the weekend, allow me to get into the details. I went home to retain sanity as this college life gets overwhelming from time to time, attended an epic concert, a birthday shindig, and most importantly reunited the duo. Your favorite tag team collaborated on the future of this here site/brand and if  the future was any brighter we would be walking around with no sight. It’s a blessing and privilege to work with someone whose passion and creative vigor is a great as Sam’s. The stronger this collaborative effort gets, the better the experience and presentation of our ideology, so stay tuned.

I’m not sure how many of you know, but both Wale and I are proud Africans that come from really culture oriented homes. Despite all of the condescending remarks that Africans have to put up with (as is many other persons of foreign decent) we embrace our heritage. This past sunday, my aunt flew from London to have her wedding here in the U.S. I swore I met like fifty aunts in the span of forty seconds but it’s all love.  And please don’t let me go on about the food! It was a famished college kids dream to have jollof  rice, cous cous, fried plaintains, puff puff, casava leaf, pepper soup, etc… You name it, it was there!

A big misconception of Africans is that we’re lacking in mannerisms and are primitive. #FALSE! Our continent is one of many traditions and cultures. Even the aesthetic in our clothing, in my own opinion, surpasses those of other cultures (then again I’m a bit biased). As you can see from the little glimpses in the pictures, my family takes pride in wearing traditional garments (head wraps, scarves, costumes, and so forth). We’re a colorful group of people with personalities to match! Next time, we’ll invite ya’ll to Sierra Leonian or Nigerian outing and you tell us what you think.

-Peace & Light

Greeting Connoisseurs and other readers alike!

I’ve been away in my murky lab trying to design some goods and get some sketching in as of late. With deadlines approaching, I’m feeling pretty confident about the future. Wale and I, both, have been making steady efforts towards finalizing and making last minute adjustments to the Fall/Winter ’09 line. I know you’ll enjoy it as much as we do and can’t wait for you guys to be apart of it. I hope to see you on the other side!

-Peace & Light

There comes a point in all our journeys where we become temporarily fed up with the present, where we lack the same drive and determination we had when the journey began, and only a physical, tangible reminder of the progress made and the displacement of your actions can bring you back to fight another day.

I’m sorry if that is hard to digest since it may seem pretty vague and broad to some, the past week I lost my zeal and let the universe dictate my path, school has been so hectic that I started to feel overwhelmed and at the mercy of my lectures. When I finally got time to think, time to reflect, all it took to re-spark my drive were a motivational post by my brother Joshua Kissi at Street Etiquette, and the item in the picture above, a button. A simple button made of paper and metal held so much symbolism for me, it symbolized the progress of this idea I and Sam have concocted, it symbolized a plateau higher than the one we were at when we decided to share this brand and life ideology with the world, a Connoisseur is anyone that has zeal and passion for something in life that drives them to be the best version of themselves and become experts and enthusiasts of that particular thing. That may not be the definition Mr. Webster has but that is what the word means to us, and we thank you for following and partaking in it with us.

(fyi if you want some buttons shoot me an email)

Wale. A

The Roots – Lazy Afternoon