Fatlace, Alphanumeric, Crooks & Castles - When Two Wo Rlds Collide

SS: Why should motorsport enthusiasts care about fashion? What would you like to see happen to motorsports because of fashion's affect/influence?

A#: For the same reasons motorsports enthusiasts care about how their cars look, sound or the way they drive. Most of what we'd like to see has happened already. We helped the action sports and fashion industry recognize tuning. Were we the first to think of it? Probably not. Were we the first to REALLY get down and do something?

SS: Are there any current project cars you're working on or sponsor? How about events? Why? What do you think of these cars/events?

A#: We support Sparco's 2008 EVO X MR, built by Alan Viado. The concept of the car was to create a car that the everyday guy could recreate and relate to. The mods were kept simple so it could be beaten on the track and still be able to drive home safely. The car retains A/C and factory sound system. Some events we took part in last year were: Mitsubishi Owners Day, SpoCom, EVO/STI Challenge and your Super Lap Battle finals. Next year, we're working on some stuff with Falken Tire and the Super Lap Battle time attack series. We are also doing an auto event with San Diego's premiere men's and women's clothing boutique, 5&A Dime. The first event was labeled, "Daily Driver Get-Together". We lined the streets in front of the store and the A# office with local enthusiasts cars. We are moving the event to the much larger parking lot across the street for the next event. Keep your eye on the A# blog for updates.

Source: 619.531.9400 www.alphanumericbrand.com

Crooks & Castles
SS: Tell us a little bit about your company: how it got started, your background, sole purpose in life...

CC: Crooks was started in 2002 by Dennis Calvero and Robert Panlilio and the idea was to inject new life into the streetwear arena by designing clothes that reflected their interests and themselves as individuals. We have one retail flagship store on Melrose in West Hollywood with plenty of support worldwide, including a certain Shawn Carter.

SS: Why are you getting involved with motorsports and/or the different facets of motorsports? How does your brand identify itself with or compliment the motorsports industry?

CC: Growing in up Southern California, you can never escape fashion and car culture. They almost exist hand in hand. When we were growing up, we always had to be in the dopest gear and to compliment our fashion, we had to be driving the right car with the right modifications. One of our co-founders, Rob, was big into the import scene, but more illegally than legally. It's amazing however many years pass, things don't really change but only evolve. When we hooked up with one of our retailers, Attic, we noticed that the car and fashion culture was still in effect but just on a higher standard of execution. When you see kids rockin' the illest JDM parts with their Air Jordans and Crooks & Castles New Era fitted, you know there is definitely a reason those two go hand in hand. Back then, it used to be about putting crew window banners or performance parts tuner stickers on their windshield. Now we see hits of the Crooks & Castles Medusa on the windshield or rear bumpers, so we knew this could be a start to an awesome crossover. We began to realize the commonality between car tuning culture and street fashion culture is that they are both very niche and interest driven. You can never appreciate either or without the proper research or genuine interest. People thrive off schoolin' others about their knowledge of their car parts and how they tune their ride. The same can be said for fashion where you instruct cats on why your jacket has mad technical features or why your shirt is hard because of the limited edition press and collaborations. The more you know, the bigger the respect.