The fitted baseball cap has been around the block and back again. In its global travels, this piece of Americana has been adopted by many different cultures and interpreted dozens of ways. We were recently introduced to an emerging designer that found her own unique flip on the classic hat form. KALIDOSCOPIO is a high-end crochet accessories line produced by Japanese born, New York based designer, Kayo Shibayama. Kalidoscopio’s products are hand made crocheted, cut, punched, and stitched pieces The brand’s creative vision focuses on transforming everyday designs into are sophisticated and unique items made with only fine quality materials. We’re taking a detour from our regularly scheduled program to dip into something different. Enter the crocheted fitted baseball cap.

The full interview follows after the jump. MORE >> …+MORE

For the second interview of our guest editor spot, we also used the same approach when it came to the retail aspect of our business. We chose questions from our fans about the daily operations of where they connect the most, the sales floor. Meet Rome Nolasco, one of our retail clerks at HALL OF FAME.

HOF: Can you describe your first day at Hall Of Fame?

R: My first day at Hall Of Fame was on opening day. Being part of the opening was a pleasure and very exciting experience. It was busy, hectic, and crazy all in one. A fitted hat store in L.A. has been long anticipated, so you can only imagine how the turnout must’ve been. There were already some people who arrived early to catch first dibs on the goods. By the time doors were ready to open, the amount of people had multiplied. From folding shop tees to memorizing brands, styles, colors, prices, and sizes. It was an overwhelming task, but I managed to overcome it. I remember the AC was busted and it was hot. Walking up and down those stairs was a workout. So many people came out to the shop. I met a lot of interesting people. I never thought one could drop so much on 5 to 10 hats in one purchase. At the end of the day, I was exhausted.

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We chose to approach our interview a little different. We let our fans ask us what they wanted to hear. After receiving numerous questions, we chose 10 questions to give them a perspective from the creative and business end of it all. Here is what we were asked:

Q: Who’s responsible for the originality and design of Hall Of fame? Who worked on this project?

H.O.F.: From the onset, we all chose the lane to make HALL OF FAME timeless, classic American style and not chase trends. Once that was established, it was easy to plug in some custom touches. We knew our limits and are trying to carve our own niche. We hired Architect Nathan Lentz to execute our vision and give it life. Quality over quantity, at the end of the day, you have to love it. To us its about detail, it’s not about coming up with something crazy just to be different.

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NHTVSN Episode 2 Part 3 from NHTVSN on Vimeo.

Our Editor/Co-Founder, Nai does the honors and spills the beans on the daily obsession. Special thanks to the NHTVSN family for thinking we were interesting enough to do a feature on. Special no-thanks to “he-who-shall-remain-nameless” for ducking out of the video shoot at the last minute. Guess what? You’re buying.

MEGA a.k.a. MEG@GEM clearly puts the “M” in multi-tasking. Between pulling duty as a manager in HUF’s growing empire and navigating his own marketing company KING’S ASSEMBLY, he has successfully completed the fourth season of his clothing brand BLVCK SCVLE. MEGA chopped it up with us about the present and future, and blessed us with a preview of the upcoming BLVCK SCVLE fitted baseball caps.

SFS: How has recolating to LA from the Bay Area changed your perspective?
MEG@: I have spent a lot of time in Los Angeles before residing here. I feel moving to L.A. open more doors as a whole because it’s more industry driven. Not just on the fashion end but everything that goes hand in hand with it is here as well so I get a chance to really learn more tools and trades to better myself and the company.

SFS: From a design perspective, how challenging was it to transfer the themes BLACK SCALE has worked with on tee-shirts to fitted baseball caps? Did it require a totally different approach?
MEG@: It’s a constant challenge as we are still new to everything on the design end. Learning different canvases to design on is definitely a challenge but it’s so exciting to see when the end product is created the way you want it.

The full interview follows after the jump.

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Chris, son of Mike Kays (whom runs the Hickam AFB skate hangar) is not only a sick skater, but the kid also shreds while in the water as well. Known for his crazy skill in almost any bowl / pool, Chris also moonlights as a party promoter in Honolulu, throwing some of the most elaborate surf / industry parties on the island, including working with the Vertical Junkies.

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Born and raised on the East Side of O’ahu (Waimanalo), Kekoa is an aspiring rising star in the surfing circles, recently snatching the 2006 NSSA (National Surfing Association) Open Men’s Nationals. He’s also been picked up by some major sponsors, including Hurley, Oakley, HIC, Reef, DaKine & of course FITTED. Keep yours ears to the street as this Waimanalo protégé rises to the top ranks of surfing’s elite.

THE INTERVIEW FOLLOWS AFTER THE JUMP >> …+MORE

Westbrook, along with his counterpart Let-T-Let (Slapp Symphony) are Hawaii’s rising Hip-Hop stars / producers. The duo have created remixes for Jay-Z, Young Buck and T.I. Their original productions are reminiscent of some classic Dr. Dre sprinkled with some DJ Quick, Hi-Tek and a dash of James Brown. Here’s another taste of Hawaii.

Photos: Mako

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