Lets face it— Puerto Rican from the hood? Yeah, gold is pretty much a prerequisite.

Even my grandmother had some gold framed teeth. I remember I worked with a Puerto Rican dude at a metal shop who fixed the greasy machinery— while wearing multiple necklaces, bracelets, gold watch and a ring on every finger.

I’m known for my gold cleaver but that never goes over well at my kids school so I toned it down a bit.

- Double sided gold coin with my TBB logo on one side and my FRANKMATIC™ logo on the other (yeah that’s my face too.. why not?)
- Addition gold piece with my Butcher’s “B”

Big shout to my peoples over at Linx Jewelry in Venice California for the continued love.

Hit me up if you want to connect with Linx for custom jewelry

The goal is to make it look easy. The magic is in the mystery.

Being able to work with a company with so much of a heritage is truly a blessing. I’m confident in saying that Clarks is probably the industries most copied. Wallabees, Desert Boots, Weavers, Desert Treks— their design influence is in everything from high end dress shoes to skate shoes- and everything else in between.

I can go on about how the Wallabee means so to much to me. From Slick Rick to Ghostface– Especially Ghost!!!

The Weaver is Mr. Wally’s sexy cousin and shes a beauty.

Long story short– from the design to the marketing plan, I had a blast… and the cycle continues… and by that I mean I’m already working on our Spring / Summer project.

Ahh. The ever present fitted cap.

Something so classic and simple can mean the world to someone. If something means the world to me, it’s important that it’s representative of my personality and style.

I’m going to be 33 years old and that means I have been conscious of my fitted measurement for at least 20 years. My first was a San Diego Padres cap I bought in a sidewalk sale at a store called Maurice The Pants Man around my way.

My friends at Mitchell and Ness blessed me with an opportunity to put together a cap that represents me and my brand. I have had the pleasure of building a relationship with M&N while developing special projects for Concepts. The heritage and quality of the brand is something most people trust but I’m not sure people give their fitted cut and feel enough credit.

I wear New Era caps (like the rest of the world). In the passed couple of years, the New Era fit has not been my favorite. What changed? I’m not sure. Sporadic sizing and crown shapes makes it difficult to count on. Like most, I continue to hope for the best when I design caps for the shop or buy personnel caps elsewhere.

The M&N cap has surprised me and has become my favorite. Why? Well first and foremost – it fits. It fits good.

Jump on the M&N site and cop something to hide your crooked shape up. You will thank me later.

Shouts to Vic and John for the continued support and love.

Now on to my cap—

Features my “The Butcher’s Block” logo embroidery on the front

My motto on the right side panel in tonal embroidery and satin linings (not pictured)

The back embroidery lets you know that I keep it FRANKMATIC™

Will it be available? You will have to wait and see!

A couple months back, Michiya Suzuki of Red Wing Japan visited the shop to interview me and the crew about what the Red Wing Boot company means to the U.S. consumer and to us as an account. Japan has a great appreciation for American heritage and U.S. made products and it shows in the new issue of The Red Wing Book. The magazine is filled cover to cover with articles and great photos of boots and other Red Wing products.

Big thanks to Red Wing (U.S. and Japan), Michiya Suzuki & Hiroshi Morohashi for their time.

Lets face it. I love hip-hop probably more than you love your mother. I have been listening to rap music since the 3rd grade and haven’t stopped yet.

I received a surprised package from my homeboy Derek over at Manifest Worldwide which included a few designs that really hit home. These designs make clever references to some of my favorite artists. Great designs, colors and genuinely inspired by an era that continues to fuel current and future artists.

“Ghost is Back” – Ghostface Killah and the movie Ghostbusters 2 merged into this awesome parody. One of my favorites!

“When They Reminisce Over You”- The Pete Rock & CL Smooth logo featuring the title of their most popular ode to a fallen friend. One of the greatest songs in the history of hip-hop music hands down.
“The Ruler” – As in Slick Rick the Ruler or MC Ricky D or the greatest story teller of all time! He was fly as hell and taught you how to “treat em like a prostitute”. Slick Rick could be my favorite rapper of all time.

Big shouts to MANIFEST WORLDWIDE for the blessings!

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Nike iD. Sometimes the shoes I make come out great, sometimes they don’t end up as I intended. It tends to be hard to judge how the colors will look when all you’ve got is a computer screen. This year, Nike iD decided to give us some really good options for the Air Max 1, as far as materials go. Mesh as the base, soft suede, reflective 3M material, good color way options, even speckled midsoles. I’ve always loved the Air Max 1, so the options on iD now are right up my alley. I’ve gotten four pairs of them already and fighting off the urge to get a fifth. Safe to say, I’m obsessed. Check out the pictures below and grab a pair if you can, before they change the options.

~ Silver, Black, Neptune Blue, Blue Dusk.

~ Silver, Black, Electric Green.

~ White, Black, Silver, Electric Green.

~ Silver, Dusk, Obsidian, Speed Yellow, Black.

My family over at Sneaker Freaker have out done themselves. Conquering the Sneaker Magazine game is not enough, now they have moved on to creating some of the best collaborative footwear out. Issue 18 features SF’s new project with Asics. Also a great article on the ever changing sneaker retail business with insight from some of the best shops in the world. Big shouts to Woody for getting me involved.

The 3D fold out cover for this issue is nothing short of awesome. Glasses included.

Great job guys!

www.SneakerFreaker.com

I am a bag fanatic. I switch in and out of bags more than I should. My Cannon G11 jumps from camera bag to camera bag. My daily back pack is ever evolving. While I thought I had settled into the (overly expensive Japanese brand) back pack that I would ride with long term, I have discovered a new company that has me questioning my current situation.

Lexdray is about to launch their first season which is called “The Classified Collection”. Think what Jason Bourne is toting while traveling and plotting revenge on the agency that wiped his memory. Yeah that ill. Ultra durable weather resistant fabrics, secret pockets, military grade hardware and blacked out for a sleek presentation.

I need them and you do too. Below are some of my favorites.

More info here: Lexdray.com

The Aspen Soft Case

The Boulder Pack (with water proof cover)

Tahoe Duffle

Been a while since I “Block Certified” some products.

Shwood hand makes wooden sunglass frames out of Portland, Oregon. Good ol’ fashion craftsmanship designed to showcase the beauty of natural wood while creating a product that is as useful as it is stylish. Made in Maple, East Indian Rosewood, or Zebrawood with imported Carl Zeiss or polarized lenses. This is where I “wood” make a “getting wood” or a “woodie” comment, but I am too mature for that.

More info here: Shwoodshop.com

Nike and Bodega partnered up to present the True Colors World Cup Collection in Boston. Great event and a great turn out.

13th Witness was in town to document the event

Fresh with our Nike reps Randy and Aaron

Ian has always been skinny– but Todd and Jeff just got that way

Set Free is a monster.

Mister Cartoon signed his Mister Cartoons.

Brek.One, AB and Fresh

Brek’s girlfriend Mayra ice grillin. She’s no joke.