But anyway. Over consumption is inherently bad, so I try not to do it.
Old habits die hard though.
As someone who once had 40+ pairs of footwear, operating on around <10 now is a good place to be. Leaving the US did some damage to the rotation though, so I’m needing to replace some soldiers.

There’s also a difference between opening your front door and it being the beach, versus being in Hackney. I need something to throw on to walk the dog at night. My Salehe Crocs just wouldn’t fly in London.

I love the Boston Birkenstock. I think I’m just a few years too late. So I’ve been looking for alternatives.

Before I get into it, what I like about the Boston:
1) Closed toe. It’s fine having the heel out, but you can’t be in the pub with your skanky toes hanging out. Put them dawgs away.
2) They dress up and down.
3) The look with the socks is tight.
4) Works with shorts.
5) Works with pants.
6) Actually good for your feet. Lord knows I need this.

Here’s what the options are:
Click the name titlesfor the product page.

Dr. Martens Orleans San Mule

More structured than anything else on this list. The Doc’s DNA is in there without it screaming it at you. This makes the list because it doesn’t have the Docs yellow stitching. Closed toe, real sole, can actually handle a London pavement in October. Probably the most practical pick here.

Diemme Maggiore Faded Black Suede

Italian suede, Vibram rubber sole, handmade in Veneto. Sits somewhere between a mule and a sneaker silhouette. It’s weather-resistant which matters here. The faded black is a interesting call over straight black, a bit more character to it. Pricier, but that kinda comes with anything from Diemme.

ROA Fedaia

ROA is doing interesting things and this is probably the most out-there pick on the list. Trail-influenced, closed toe, proper outsole. It shouldn’t work as a casual shoe but somehow it does. Not for everyone. For the right person though, whose always ready for action, it’s the one.
This kinda looks like a Foamposite.. FTWK.

Studio Nicholson Wearing Clog

This is the closest thing to the Boston on the list and Studio Nicholson does it better. Considered brand, considered product. Black, minimal, works with the socks look without trying too hard. Slightly elevated but not in an annoying way. But much more expensive. At this point, should you just get the Birks? I think so.

Blundstone 2420 Clog

I truly wasn’t expecting to find a Blundstone product in my research.. but here we are. Rustic black leather, Chelsea boot construction translated into a clog. More robust than anything else on this list. As an Australian, I’m still slightly confused about the evolution of Blundstones into a premium brand. Can I stomach £160 for Blundstone clogs?

Salomon RX Slide 3.0 Nomad

A little more Sporty Spice than Posh.. but these would be hella comfy. Definitely the most sporty from the list so far. These are built for recovery but look intentional enough for a quick errand. If you’re not precious about it and just want something functional with a bit of edge, these work. I think the right colourway would be crucial for dressing up or down.

Salomon Reelax Slide Ultra

The premium version of the above. Full grain leather upper, cork footbed, fuzeFOAM midsole. £90 and actually feels like a considered product rather than just a performance slide with good branding. The khaki colourway ultimately leans more casual.. so again would need a different colourway.

Tabi Mule

Split them toes son. Not sure how I feel about running a Tabi but worth including for sure. Tencel knit upper, sugar cane outsole, split toe silhouette. Would feel premium. The split toe will divide opinion, which is probably the point.

Arket Suede Mule

The quiet one. These kinda remind me of the slippers my dad wears but much more fancy.
Suede upper, full leather lining, clean shape. No nonsense mule.

If there is something I’m missing, let me know. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet, so could be swayed.

Anyway, thanks for reading the third edition of Things I’m Not Buying (But Want To).

Thanks for your time as always.

Hayden

What I miss about playing sport isn’t the Saturday night travel or playing in front of crowds. It’s the team camaraderie. The moments stretching during warm ups, talking shit during cool downs, with the teammates you’ve signed up for a season long battle with. It’s nearly impossible to replace. Being a fan is the closest we can get.

Sunday, I headed to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium alone but surrounded by 60,000 other people.

But I knew we believed in the same thing.
We wanted the same thing.
We cared for the same thing.
So not once during the hour ride on the 149 bus, did I think for a second I’d be lonely.

That’s what shared belief does.

90 minutes later, we’d either be devastated together or we would be strangers hugging out of pure joy.

While the rest of the football world calls it embarrassing for a club to celebrate finishing 17th, the reality is we dodged a bullet. The bullet with relegation engraved on it.
So yes, we were the happiest fans in world football on Sunday, all bar Arsenal.
We had the most to lose. A billion pound stadium, a self given big club title, already a banter club. Imagine just how bad it would have been.

This is why there isn’t another industry in the world that brings people together the way sport does.

As always, thanks for reading and Glory, Glory, Tottenham Hotspur.

Hayden

Streetwear as a genre has always been for outsiders. Even myself, I wanted to be in fashion, but chose to study Graphic Design, rather than fashion design, because designing the print felt more important than knowing how to sew a garment. I came through the side door. So did Patta. It wasn’t a master plan that was heavily backed. It was very much a DIY mindset, that grew authentically. They came from record crates, rare sneakers and an underrepresented community in Amsterdam, not a 40 page business plan.

Brands like Aime Leon Dore built their original community through nostalgic led taste that their consumers bonded over. Patta built and sustained their community by actually living and breathing it every day, often referred to as a creative family. Still independently owned, proudly minority owned, never sold out.

So what makes Patta different? Everybody is talking about community now. This is where the five pillars of Patta come into play, which authentically drive everything and don’t feel like they were created for commercial benefit.

Patta Stores. Started out as a cultural hangout spot for like-minded creatives. The heartbeat of everything Patta does. With flagships located in Amsterdam, London, Milan & Lagos. The store came before the brand and in many ways still does.

Patta Clothing. A flag for fans to fly by wearing. The designs reference music, sport, Amsterdam and Surinamese heritage without ever having to explain themselves, very much the For Those Who Know mindset.

Patta Running Team. Every man and his dog has one of these now right, even Diplo. But Patta started their run club in 2010, and no matter how smart you are I don’t think anyone could have foreseen the future boom of run club culture from over a decade away. What I love about their ethos is that it seems like it’s more about people hanging out rather than big dicking over how fast they are.

Patta Soundsystem. The two founders met working at a record store called Fat Beats, with one of them being a DJ and the other a MC. Music was part of their identity before clothing, which is another nod to staying true to themselves. The Patta Soundsystem was originally designed as a DJ crew and has evolved into a full sub-label of the brand responsible for anything music related from products, to festivals and events to exclusive record releases. They’ve partnered with: Dekmantel Festival, the Jimi Hendrix estate, Conway, The Alchemist, Freddie Gibbs, MIKE, Madlib, Yussef Dayes and more.

Patta Foundation. The Foundation’s motto “each one teach one” expresses their commitment to giving back to the community that helped Patta become the clothing brand it is today. Their initiatives promote inclusivity and diversity, engaging in projects targeting young, marginalised and vulnerable audiences. Active across culture, sports, and the arts, spreading knowledge and creativity while bridging social gaps is core to the strategy. Most brands will donate (as a tax right off) but Patta gives back by teaching. That’s the difference.

“Out of love and necessity rather than profit and novelty”. That ethos started as a way to get their local community rare sneakers that you couldn’t find elsewhere in Amsterdam. Twenty years later, the landscape of consumerism has changed but the love hasn’t.

Most brands build a community on top of a business. Patta built a business on top of a community. That’s not a model you can copy, because you can’t fake the 20 years that came before it.

Patta has always been about building culture rather than building profit.

As always, thanks for reading.

Hayden

Hello!

Lots of new subscribers lately, which is always a good motivator, so hello. And thanks for being here and I’ll do my best to not waste your inbox.

Moodboard Mondays is something I started back in my Berlin days as a way to track what was catching my attention. It’s not weekly, and it’s dictated by whatever I’m into at the time. It’s crazy to think I’ve done 65 of these.. now 66.

So, here is also to that.

Bromptons

I have a really good friend who is probably the smartest person I know. You know the type of guy he is, no social media, but somehow always tapped into what’s coming next. He’s not a trend jumper, but if he’s early, he’s early. And he rides a Brompton.

You know, those stupid little fold-up bikes that only boomers use?

He’s trying to convince me they’re cool. So I went to the website expecting nothing, and honestly, the art direction, casting and styling is good. Really good.

I’m still trying to work out if he’s ahead of the curve or just getting lost in the VC world.

It kinda feels like when I started wearing Crocs. I was very early on those MoFos in 2018, mainly for irony, but also because they were hella comfy.

There’s a bigger piece in here, so I won’t go too deep, but Brompton being cool was not on my 2026 prediction list. If, in fact, he’s onto something.

Teenage Engineering

It’s a brand that is clearly design-driven. Jose (hi Carlos) had a couple of their products, which got me onto the brand. But yesterday at Goodhood, they turned a vintage arcade machine into a learner for their newest product, the EP-133 K.O. II.

If you know me even in internet form, you know I fucking love how it looks. The deeper question, the one I spent Sunday night down a Claude and Reddit hole on, was what I would actually do with this thing? I don’t want to make actual songs. Mainly just have a different creative outlet.

I’ve never played music but enjoy it more than your average Joe. I also want a hobby that gets me away from a screen. I’m designing more for fun lately, but that’s just more screen time. So I’m wondering if this becomes the toy that gets the creative juices flowing without a laptop in front of me.

Not trying to be Dos Again… or H Dilla.
Just seems like a fun hobby. If anybody has experience here, I’m all ears.

Local Fashion

I’m enjoying the difference in how Londoners dress. It’s got me wanting a pair of leather shoes for everyday walking, and I’ve got my eye on Horatio. The brands I keep finding feel more like cobblers than shoe companies, and I’m here for it. Emphasis is on being proud of being product-first brands.

Apartment

We signed a lease. Everybody said it would be a nightmare and to be fair, one of the four flats we viewed did have a line outside. That being said, it was nothing compared to the craziness of flat hunting in Berlin. But here we are. We are very lucky to lock in a spot, so stress-free. Everybody wins, including the dog, who gets another balcony.

Now starting from scratch on how to decorate it, which means moodboards are getting a workout. Chantelle wants maximillism… I am thinking more warm, 70s California .. Ace Hotel kinda vibes. Where we end up, let’s see! But excited to deck it out.

Zines

I’m somewhat obsessed with zines lately. The DIY of it. Maybe I can make one myself, though I need to figure out the printing element, since I have five suitcases to my name and none of them has a printer.

The idea I keep coming back to is making something physical and sending it to the agencies and people I want to be in conversation with. A zine as a calling card. Watch this space.

Who knows? Maybe there will be a D5 newsletter in zine form???

What have you been looking into and what do you have for me that I might be interested in?

As always, thanks for reading.

Hayden

So why London? (insert Turkish from Lock Stock voice)

1. I want to be back in a city again. A PROPER city. LA is not just one city, it’s many.

2. I think London is the place to be for creatives. As the world looks away from the USA, I believe London has taken over New York as the creative culture hub for sport, fashion and youth culture. Three things I can talk about and look into, all day long.

3. I’m not tied to a job-related visa, so I can freelance again and have more flexibility with my career.

4. Some of our best friends from Berlin are British and have since moved back to London. So day one, we have a handful of great friends here and a small but mighty community.
   Fun fact: after a few Sunday pints when we visited last year, we signed a contract with friends that we would be back in London by May 1st.

5. It’s not the USA.

6. Weekends in Italy and across Europe again.

7. I hate needing a car every day and sitting in LA traffic.

8. Hopefully, Tottenham are still in the Premier League.

That is why London.

And what happens now?

I’ve said it before, and some of you even still wear merch that says it, but District 5ive is forever. I’m about to give this more time than ever. The baseball hiatus is over.

If you haven’t seen my posts on IG, engage here and help let the algo know I’m back.

As always, thanks for your time.
Hayden

1. We launched the biggest brand campaign in club history.

We had two separate kit launches, separate because the kits were late… for the 3rd year running.

2. First, I was told to spend no money, which is always a fun brief. I didn’t want to do another version of what everybody else does, but a much cheaper (& shitter) version..
It’s also a kit that there isn’t much too. It’s a modern take on a traditional football pattern, with 34 waves making up each checker.

So I leaned into the captain and his accent.

Side note: I lost the vote on making the checkers darker and was then told to make them darker in post-production. Go figure.

3. The second was definitely one for me. The football world has consumed my life for the last three years, so I wanted to treat it more like a fashion project and have work that’s closer to how I feel and what I want to create moving forward.

As always, super small team. If you all can’t fit in one car, you’ve got too many. That said, it came out very strong and sold well.
Highest-selling kit release day in club history. Breaking the record, I previously set with another jersey I designed two seasons ago.

4. We had to do media day the week of the home opener, and then turn around signage, posters and scoreboard graphics for the home opener.
5. Rebrand the stadium.
Busy start to the season was an understatement.

Personally:
All the while knowing I was wrapping up less than a month later because Chantelle and I were moving to London.

This is the third time we have left (new) family and friends in a city we have called home for nearly four years.

Logistically, we are pretty good at it.

But emotionally, it’s a lot. We’ve created relationships that we will have forever. Some of these people know who I am better now than my oldest friends - not saying they are better friends. But they know the person I am today better than anyone.

And why London? Well I think that deserves it’s own post.

Just wanted to check in and explain where I’ve been, but I’ve been thinking about you, and I have missed this.

As always, thanks for reading.

Hayden

Part of that is down to the owner, Greg, who has to be one of the nicest guys in menswear. He’s always up for a chat and always generous with free game when it comes to brands, design choices, and fabrics. Anytime I go in, I usually leave an hour later. So much for the quick stop. But it’s rare to meet someone who can talk off the cuff about menswear brands more than me, so I soak up every word.

The shop itself feels very LA. Lots of natural light. Spacious. Considered. Surfing and hiking books. A little bit of Japanese flavour. The product has room to breathe, which means you’re not battling through overpacked racks trying to push hangers to one side just to see what’s there.

Product-wise, you can find a bit of everything. What I like most is that Greg has chosen to stock everything for a reason, and he’ll happily tell you why. A lot of the brands are Japanese and Korean, which not many other stores in LA have on hand. So it’s always nice to finally touch pieces you’ve been seeing online for months.

Brother Brother also has its own in-house label and, like everything else in the store, it feels very well designed. That’s actually what I find myself buying most. I know it’s going to fit right, and the attention to detail lines up with what I like. It’s also reasonably priced, and some of it is made locally.

I don’t wear graphic prints that aren’t vintage very often, but anytime I wear the BB Shop Tee, I get compliments. I even wore it to a gig at the Forum and got stopped seven times by people in the crowd telling me they liked the design or loved Brother Brother.

That’s pretty rare. For people to comment on liking a shop says a lot, and it speaks to the reputation they’ve built.

I’m not really one for cults, but the cult following around Brother Brother is well deserved. And when it comes to independent retailers, cult followings are a good thing.

Shops like Brother Brother remind you why good retail still matters. In a world where most clothes are discovered through an algorithm, it’s refreshing to walk into a place where everything is there because someone with taste chose it.

So yeah, check them out online, or even better, if you’re in LA, go to the store in West Adams.

Follow them on IG.
Check out their website here.

As always, thanks for reading!

Hayden

If you’ve made it this far: Do me a favor and engage with the post about this on instagram please.

That belief drove Village PM, the Paris-based skate brand founded in 2024, to create what might be one of the most interesting shoes of last year. Not just in skateboarding. In any category.

This is a product-led company. Not just a flashy disruptor brand.

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For the past two decades, skate shoes have been like your favourite Thailand tourist t-shirt, “same same but different”. Different colourways, slightly updated versions of old models and usually looking towards basketball or the 90s for inspiration.

Village PM did something different. They asked a better question. What the shoe should be, not what it used to be.

Founded by lifelong skaters Basile Lapray and Bram De Cleen, both with experience inside technical outdoor brands like Salomon and Arc’teryx, the starting point wasn’t aesthetic. It was functional.

Instead of looking inward to skate history, they looked sideways to rock climbing. A world obsessed with friction, feeling and precision. When it’s put like that, it’s kinda obvious, huh.

That thinking shows up in the details. Extended lacing for better lockdown. Climbing rubber for maximum grip. A shape that feels engineered rather than styled.

Not decorative difference. Functional difference.

‘Don’t look inside your industry for inspiration’ is a rule I think creatives should live by. The most interesting ideas rarely live in the same industry. And I think Village PM are the perfect example of why this is so true. This different thinking and rock climbing mindset, is why I am now writing about a shoe, I haven’t even seen in person.

It also matters that they built this as a proper skate brand, complete with their own all-European skate team.
Culture first. Marketing second.

Because if you’re going to innovate inside a category, you have to respect it.

Here is their debut skate video from 2025.

As always, thanks for reading.

Hayden

Links:
Shop Village PM here.
Follow on IG here.

If the first campaign was about subliminal shots and keeping receipts, this time it’s a Euphoria-level diss track.

Firstly, the retro-inspired gaming console is the standout. It adds a layer of intention that goes beyond a one-off film. You can easily see this becoming an in-store activation or playable experience over the coming months, the kind that naturally generates UGC without asking for it.

Secondly, I love that they’re staying inside the Ant world they’ve already built, right down to the colour palette.

Now let’s get into the finer details.

On the surface, you only need to have watched a few games over the past seasons to catch the Monstar-like characters and their very familiar traits. But when you pause it, that’s where it gets interesting. Most of the characters feel pointed for a reason. These aren’t just rivals, they’re signature athletes(minus Joker) at other brands. The subliminal details are deliberate, and they reward attention.

If you are reading this, there is a fair chance you don’t need an explanation. But just know, there is no mistaking who they are aimed at.

I said this last time, and I’ll say it again. Credit to adidas Basketball for letting Ant’s personality fully come through. This campaign only works because it leans into his raw, unfiltered presence. In an era where most athletes are media-trained into sameness, Ant is truly one of one. And the smartest thing adidas can do is keep letting him be exactly that.

The takeaway isn’t the diss.
It’s the trust.

When brands stop sanding athletes down for safety and let athletes become authored characters, culture follows.

Which raises a bigger question. adidas look ready for war, but will anyone fire back? Are sneaker wars back?

As always, thanks for reading.
Hayden

Their flagship store in Silver Lake is also worth visiting, either if you live in LA or the next time you’re in town.

It’s hiding in plain sight. And don’t think for a second the exterior is an afterthought.

This is a brand that’s been quietly building a cult following for over a decade. You can understand why, by how many different styles and weights they offer in something as simple as a plain t-shirt. That level of range only exists when a brand genuinely cares about the product.

Some people might look at the wall of tees and think it’s overkill. They all do the same thing, right? But that misses the point. When you’re dressing with a t-shirt as the foundation, fit, cut, and weight matter. It has to work for what you’re actually trying to do. And Lady White Co. makes sure it does.

And they don’t stop at t-shirts. They’ve got you covered head to toe, shoes and socks included, underwear excluded. Unsurprisingly, I also appreciated the printed materials throughout the store.

As I start framing more of these pieces as District 5ive’s Guide To Better Living, inspired by Grinspoon’s debut album, this felt like the right place to start. Lady White Co. thinks consciously about everything, from stitch to thread count to the words you read along the way.

I finally made the trip over from Venice after eyeing off a lilac jacket. The colour is spot on, and if you know me, you know I’ve always had a soft spot for purple. It’s refreshing to see a minimal brand push its colour palette like this. With no external branding, it’s clearly made for the wearer, not the watcher, which helps keep the hype away.

The main takeaway is simple. The quality across every garment is undeniable. You can’t feel that through a screen, but in person, it’s hard to fault. No notes.

This is a brand for the “I only shop with them” type. People who find something that works and stick with it. That’s the biggest compliment you can give a brand, and something I think about a lot.

So if you’re in LA, it’s worth checking out their space.
You can check them out here on Insta.
Or do some online shopping here.

As always, thanks for reading.
Hayden

Let me know if you are already a fan of Lady White Co.

I’ve written a few text-heavy pieces lately, so this week I thought I’d lean into what I do best. Visuals.

These are references from my ongoing collection, the things that quietly inform and shape the visual language here over time.

All images sourced from Pinterest. Not all are perfect but they all have atleast one element I like. That could be anything as small as a texture, a colour, a type or a layout.

Thanks for reading, and in this case, looking.

Hayden

PS. I promise there isn’t much more visual language content coming. Probably.

That doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of a visual language built over time.
Consistency. Product. Setting. Mood. Are all part of the equation.
When those things work together, recognisability follows.

You can see this clearly by looking at brands that have committed to it.

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You can spot an Aimé Leon Dore image instantly.

Same with Stüssy, who often rely on location, lighting, and environment as much as the clothes themselves.

Nike consistently frames athletes as bold, almost mythic figures.

Bandit focuses on movement.

Fear of God strips things back with muted palettes and not showing any personality.

Different brands. Different worlds. Same principle.

What makes this interesting isn’t the aesthetics themselves, it’s the discipline behind them. These brands know what they look like before they execute their campaigns. There is meaning in the decisions, usually reflecting aspiration… especially as the garment's price point rises.

This way of thinking is central to the work I do. Not chasing taste for taste’s sake, but building a visual system that speaks directly to the audience the brand is trying to attract. Personal preference always exists, but it comes behind clarity and intent.

District 5ive is different.

This one is personal. It’s a place where the thinking becomes visible. In this case, I am the audience. That doesn’t mean indulgence, it means honesty. If something doesn’t resonate with me, it doesn’t belong here. If somebody else can post about it, shit.. you don’t need my take as well.

As I’ve started posting again, the focus has been on consistency. Now it’s a thing that is happening, I can give the visuals more time. The aim is that you recognise District 5ive before you see the Keith Haring inspired logo in the corner. The editorial posts are intentional. They’re meant to feel closer to a magazine than a social post.
Slower. Considered. Slightly out of time.

It’s early. Maybe 10% of the way there. But consistency and direction matter more than polish at this stage.

Visual language isn’t about having all the answers upfront. It’s about setting rules, testing them, then refining without losing consistency. That balance is the work.

Email has limitations. Instagram gives more room to experiment. You’ll start to see me push and pull between those two, exploring how far recognisability can travel without losing its core.

That’s the point of this project.
To follow my own tastes, question why and then see what comes of it.

Here are some images I’ve saved that resonate. Not all will survive what eventually becomes a more aligned brand moodboard, but it’s a fun process either way.

As always, thanks for reading.

Hayden

PS. I know some of these topics are pretty heavy in the branding world, but hopefully, it just makes you think a little differently about what you like and why you like it.

I see it advertised everywhere. I’ve probably paid extra for it more times than I’d like to admit. And until recently, I never really stopped to think about what it actually was, or why it mattered to me at all.

It’s Vibram soles.

Similar to how Gore-Tex became shorthand for “all-conditions”, Vibram has turned into a quiet stamp of approval. That yellow octagon signals quality, especially in the hiking and outdoor world. You see it and you assume the shoe is built properly.

But the brand didn’t start as a branding exercise.

In 1936, Vitale Bramani lost six friends in a fatal climbing accident. He blamed poor equipment. At the time, mountaineering boots were fitted with leather or felt soles, which became useless in frozen conditions.

Bramani took the first letters of his name and created Vibram, then went on to patent the first rubber lug sole, inspired by tank tracks and tractor tyres. Very 1930s. Very functional.

The original design isn’t far from what we still recognise today.

Vibram soles went on to become the gold standard for mountaineering footwear. Ninety years later, they’ve crossed into fashion, lifestyle, and streetwear. Over 1,000 footwear brands now use Vibram soles, producing more than 35 million pairs each year. And now, a non-negotiable in any real gorpcore fit.

Again, it didn’t start broad.
It started hyper-niche.
Built for climbers who needed their gear to work first and foremost, not look good.
It meant everything to the people whose lives depended on it, long before it meant anything to anyone else.

And that’s why it still carries weight.

Vibram isn’t a logo.
It’s proof.

Function earns trust.
Trust earns cultural credibility.

Start niche. Mean something. Let scale come later.

As always,
Thanks for reading.

Hayden

Simple ask. Hard execution.

Leather bags are, 96% of the time, designed for women.
The ones that are made for men often look like they’re stuck in the late 90s, and not in a good way. Too corporate. Too stiff. Too “I work in sales.”

The brief was reasonable.
He’s Australian-based. And wants to spend around $400(I didn’t confirm a currency), with some flexibility for the right bag.

The reality is less reasonable.
Currency conversion alone starts doing damage pretty quickly but I do know some Aussie brands, up their prices for US people.

Some of these are well outside the brief, but I’ve included them anyway for context and inspiration.

The Best Overall Option (If You Can Get One)

1. Mutimer Leather Carry-All Everyday Tote

This is the best all-round option, especially for someone in Australia.
Naturally, it’s sold out.

I like the brand. I like the subtle magnet. I love the shape.
It works for the office, then somehow still feels right for after-work drinks that turn into a Friday night on a Prahran dance floor, gin and pineapples in hand.

Recommendation: DM the brand on Instagram.
There’s always one sitting around somewhere.
For the price point and everything I’ve heard about the quality, this is your guy.

Strong, No-Nonsense Totes

2. Linden Is Enough Soft Leather Maxi Tote

These guys spend serious money on Meta ads. I see them constantly.
Thankfully, it looks like the product actually holds up.

No nonsense. Built to be thrashed.
Love the shape and what looks like a good balance between sturdiness and softness.

A more expensive, slightly classier cousin is this Frank Clegg option:
https://frankcleggleatherworks.com/signature-working-tote-black-unlined.html

Still, I prefer the Linden. Better price, less precious.

3. ATKM Town Hall Tote

Keeping it local.

My mate actually sent me a different bag from ATKM, but I think this version might be the winner.
Looks like it’s ready to go into battle and will still be standing after your fifth pint.

Bonus points for being a Fitzroy brand.
Would fit right in at The Napier.
(Ignore it’s only shot on females on their website)

Overseas Options Worth Considering

4. Ronning Everyday Leather Bag

London Calling…
Just discovered this brand recently.
I like what they’re about and the product looks solid.

The shoulder strap is a nice touch and works with or without it.
Worth a look.

For the Traditional Tote Lovers

5. Y-3 Leather Tote

If you like a classic tote, this could be the one.

I’m not personally a big Y-3 guy, but it is a design-led sub brand of the three stripes, so I can’t hate on it.

6. Tonywack Embossed Leather Tote

Similar price to the Y-3, but more refined.
They’ve done a really good job making thin straps that don’t feel too feminine.

Out of the Price Range (But Worth Mentioning)

Porter James Leather Crescent Bag

More crossbody than tote.

Big fan of Porter James. Funny story: I met a guy at CDMX airport wearing their pants. I noticed the tag and ended up chatting next to him while Chantelle was doing a random security check, and I could see her from afar, admiring his curls. Honestly, we both were.

The bag is great. Definitely outside the brief.
European leather, soft shape, moulds nicely to the body.
Less classic, but very good. Worth considering if want to change it up.

Buck Mason Leather Tote

Strong, well-made, Japanese leather.
Not sure Buck Mason is easily accessible in Australia, so it might be ruled out.
I might still pop into the Abbott Kinney store to check it out.

Monphell Sonda Oversized Tote

Definitely out of range, but probably my favourite of the bunch.

Toby always get it right, with Monphell. He’s got an incredible eye.
Most original shape here and I’d bet it ages beautifully.
Knowing him, the leather is top tier too.

If You Want to Get Creative

There’s also a strong case for Etsy.

If you find a shape you like, I’d have zero concerns going handmade with no branding.
Just make sure the straps are right.

Value for money, especially in Australia, this might be the smartest route.
Put together a brief, dimensions, strap width, pocket preferences, and you essentially end up with a one-of-one.

This might be me in a few months.

Extra Credit

If you enjoy a second-hand hunt, try tracking down the Our Legacy x Stussy leather tote.

Does everything right.
Two brands I love.
Check Grailed, eBay, The RealReal or StockX.

Anyway, thanks for reading the second edition of Things I’m Not Buying (But Want To).

Also more importantly, Happy birthday to my Mum.
You’re probably the only person who reads every word. I love you(not just because you read every word but it does help). Thanks for being you.

And to anyone who made it this far, thanks for your time as always.

Hayden

Nike had Jordan and owned aspiration.
adidas had heritage and global credibility.
Reebok had Shaq and Iverson.
Converse were still hanging on.

From the outside, there didn’t seem like much room left.

But that assumption only held if you believed basketball culture lived exclusively in the NBA.

One brand didn’t.

They knew they couldn’t win a traditional, head-to-head fight for leagues, stars, or endorsement power.
So instead of competing harder in the same lane, they competed somewhere else.

They changed the battlefield.

The insight.

AND1 followed one school of thought. It was simple, but radical at the time.

Real basketball culture lived on the blacktop, not the hardwood floors.

The NBA was polished and controlled, with the occasional exception like Rodman and soon to be Iverson. It preached the best of the best.

Outside, though, streetball was raw, expressive, disrespectful, local, and unforgiving.

More importantly, no major brand had made it their focus.

Streetball was treated as a carry-over from owning the NBA, not a culture worth owning outright.

That gap was the opportunity.

The positioning.

Nike celebrated greatness.
AND1 celebrated attitude.

Nike’s world lived under bright lights.
AND1’s lived on cracked concrete.

They weren’t building for fans watching from the bleachers at Madison Square Garden.
They were building for the ones running it back every day at Rucker Park.

That single choice shaped everything.

Not polished.
Not corporate.
Not exclusive.

They spoke in court language, not corporate manifesto presentations.

That language mattered because it didn’t explain itself.
If you knew, you knew.
If you didn’t, it wasn’t for you.

The strategy.

Before content marketing was even a thing, AND1 unlocked growth through mixtapes.

Instead of ads, they distributed VHS tapes, yes actual video tapes, hand to hand.
Instead of blowing budgets on NBA stars, like Skechers is doing, (trying and failing now) with Embiid, they elevated street legends.

This did three things:

1. It made AND1 feel discovered, not sold.

2. It created heroes the mainstream didn’t control.

3. It turned the audience into distributors.

The Mixtape Tour later became a live, travelling embodiment of the brand.
A cultural event, not a campaign.

Back in Australia, these tapes were easier to get than NBA footage.
That mattered.

Accessibility was the differentiator.

Nike didn’t want you to be anything like their stars.
And realistically, only a tiny percentage of people ever have a real shot at that level.

AND1 didn’t ask for that.

If you could hoop, and could hold your own against the neighbourhood, you belonged.

For a 12-year-old me with a decent handle, I was more likely to be an AND1 player than an NBA player.
I could practise the moves I saw on an AND1 tape.
I couldn’t practise being Like Mike, unless there was a trampoline under the ring.

That inclusivity made the brand feel owned by the community, not rented from it.

Nike felt aspirational.
AND1 felt like yours.

The lesson.

The lesson still holds.

Cultural relevance beats budget when it’s real and specific.
Going head-on with the top of your industry will never be a fair fight if you play their game.

So change the game.
Pick your lane.
Own what they don’t.
Make sure you actually mean something to the people you’re building for.

As always, thanks for reading.
Hayden

PS: A.O. was always my favourite.
“Hot Sauce” was the most outrageous, but A.O. felt like the perfect mix.
Creative, controlled, and the one whose game would’ve translated best to properly reffed games.

Wishing you, your family and friends a year that brings all that you’re asking for.

With a new year underway, and part of my job being to pay attention to culture, taste, and how people are behaving, I wanted to put a few thoughts down on paper.

I’m really trying to avoid saying trend forecast but couldn’t think of a different way to frame it. So I didn’t say it, but it’s sort of that.

Something we can come back to and test my predictions later in the year..

It’s a mix of sports, menswear, lifestyle and creativity.

Let’s get into it:

The World Cup is a disaster… for real fans

If the draw is anything to go off, the 2026 World Cup could be the final nail in the coffin for FIFA.

This tournament will grab the attention of casual North American fans. But once they realise their nation probably won’t make the top 16, that attention fades.

For real fans, it already feels off. Corporate. Overproduced. More like a global activation than a representation of the World’s Game. Superbowl-isation of the World Cup, won’t end well.

That disconnect is hard to ignore.

Menswear goes tailored but relaxed

We see a return to tailoring in menswear, but not in the traditional sense.

Continue seeing wide pleated trousers. Tighter, but not tight, t-shirts. Everything fitting like it should.

Think Don Johnson in Miami Vice. The proportions, the confidence, just without the tropical palette and blazers.

Polished, but lived in with room for activities.

Marketing goes offline

The cost of Meta ads keeps rising and consumers have lost trust in social platforms.

So budgets move.

I think we see more money, especially from bigger brands, going into offline activations. Physical placements. Installations. Things you can’t scroll past but what eventually makes its way organically to social from people taking photos of it.

This also becomes a way around not being officially involved in events. Be close enough, in the vicinity, and people assume you’re part of it.

Presence over permission.

Design goes analog

With the rise of AI, I think we start to see designers flex more.

The saying “you’ve got to know the grid to break the grid” becomes truer than ever. As AI gets relied on for creative output, a lot of work starts to feel templated. Clean. Correct. Boring.

Designers push back by making work that feels unmistakably human. Less structure. More hand-drawn elements. More texture and imperfection.

Not anti-technology. Just visibly human.

“Building a moat”

Becomes the buzzword of the branding industry in 2026.

And to be fair, it’s not wrong.

Brands are finally realising they actually do need to separate themselves from the pack. Distribution is easy. Attention isn’t. Standing for something specific matters again.

That said, the phrase itself will be said to death. Decks, pitches, LinkedIn posts.

The brands actually building real moats probably won’t talk about it at all, they will show and not tell.

Appreciating the art

The best example is the continued rise of listening bars around the world. Spaces where people go just to listen to music.

This isn’t really about music, though. It’s about attention to detail and appreciating craft across all mediums.

I think this mindset spreads across all human-made creative acts.

Print media is back. Nearly better than ever

You’ve heard me bang on about this before, but I think the signal keeps getting stronger.

Magazine subscriptions continue to rise, in a similar way to vinyl sales. Not because they’re convenient, but because they’re not.

Print becomes a conscious choice. A break from algorithms. A physical expression of taste and a sign of a consciously designed lifestyle.

Let me know what you agree with, and what you don’t.

Leave a comment

As always, thanks for reading, and thanks for being on this journey with me.

2026 is going to be fun.

Hayden

Timothée Chalamet, ping pong, and New York(?) is all I could tell you.

I haven’t even seen a trailer. Especially when you compare it to One Battle After Another, a film you couldn’t avoid seeing a promo for.

And that’s the point.

What Marty Supreme has arguably done better than any film this century is become culturally relevant through unexpected, culture-hijacking marketing. Not through clarity and traditional movie marketing, but through tapping into youth culture.

The rollout has been on point, start to finish. And there’s a lot here I can learn from A24 for my job, so I’m breaking it down.

A tagline.
Dream big. It’s a sports movie after all, but Dream Big is something that Weiden + Kennedy would have given Nike during their historic brand marketing run.

18-minute “leaked” Zoom call.
Timothée talking through wild, half-baked ideas with the A24 marketing team. Some good, some bad, all out loud. Slightly unhinged, like ‘drenching the Eiffel Tower in orange to show international cooperation’, very intentional. Real Shia LaBeouf energy. It felt raw, uncomfortable, and most importantly, shareable.

Then the Wheaties box cover becomes real!
Which A24 then sold online.

Then the track jackets.
Funny timing. I wrote about track jackets having a moment nearly a month before Marty Supreme surfaced. Since then, it’s gone nuclear. Celebrities everywhere are wearing this jacket. And the official account is treating it like a merch drop.

The jackets are now reselling on StockX for around $6,000. Pure supply and demand, straight from the golden era of streetwear and sneaker hype playbook.

Then there’s the colour.
Orange.
Like Barbie in 2023, they’ve owned the colour pink. He speaks about this in the zoom call and owning the colour Burnt Orange. He says that his visual artist spent 6 months working on this colour. So now when you see that shade of orange online, you think Marty Supreme. It even mirrors the New York Knicks colour palette. For a proud New York movie, that visual crossover makes sense, intentional or not.

Speaking of the Knicks.
Marty Supreme branding appeared directly on the court during the Christmas Day game at Madison Square Garden. I half expected Timothée to be courtside in character. Not sure that happened, but the placement alone did the work.

The blimp.
Simple. Strange. Impossible to ignore. Designed to be photographed and shared.

Again, this was pitched in the Zoom call, which the team has concerns over. Something his visual artist worked on for 6 months.

Which he said should be a feature in Tyler The Creators’s headline set at his festival.

Pop Ups.
Ping pong pop-ups followed across major cities, pulling in influencers and creators who did the distribution for them. Organic reach, disguised as participation.

And then the Sphere.
Not just a takeover, but taking it one step further. Timothée standing what appears to be just high up but then as the camera zooms out, we realise he’s standing on the f***king Las Vegas Sphere. The first time this been done..

Oh yeah.. and he dropped a feature on a UK hiphop track. There has been a conspiracy that the rapper with a ‘Scouse accent actually is Timothee due to Esdeekid always hiding his face, only revealing his eyes, which look a lot like Timothee’s. If it’s Timee or not, the fact that he features as himself will get people talking.

Not marketing, but worth noting. He’s apparently been secretly playing ping pong for six years. Flying tables around the world so he could practice between filming other movies. Commitment matters when you’re selling obsession. And any good sports movie is automatically ruined the moment the audience realise they aren’t actually very good (except for White Men Can’t Jump and ignoring the way Wesley Snipes dribbles the ball. You can tell he’s rubbish).

As short-form content continues to dominate how we consume content, slightly ironic as I write this, it raises a real question.
Is this the new way to win awards?
Not just by making a great film, but by becoming unavoidable in culture.

There’s no doubt about it.
Marty Supreme isn’t just a movie.

It’s a moment.

As always, thanks for reading.

Hayden

I love The Sopranos. Kith, less so. This collab sums up that gap for me.

Kith is now so big they can collaborate with anyone. That scale is impressive, but it often comes at the cost of intimacy. A lot of their projects feel built for reach rather than sentiment, more brand exercise than fan service. This one feels no different.

One detail that really stood out was the decision to swap the Bada Bing address for a Kith store. Reading through comments online, it is clear many fans were not happy about it. For a show that means as much as The Sopranos does to people, that kind of change feels unnecessary, even a little tone deaf.

The Sopranos is the hero here, but it was not allowed to breathe. Less Kith logos and more restraint would have gone a long way. Tonal branding, subtle nods, and inside references would have respected the source material without competing with it.

I will always compare Kith to Aimé Leon Dore. They come from similar roots and draw from overlapping references, but the execution is fundamentally different. ALD has shown how referencing place, culture, and history can feel lived-in rather than layered on. The brand often lets the story lead.

Kith feels like the older brother with more funding, taking similar cues but turning the volume up. Bigger faces. Louder moments. Less intimacy.

If I were involved, I would have leaned into the old HBO marketing playbook. Street-level ideas. Inside jokes. Things only real fans would clock. Fake arms hanging out of caps in New York. Moments that feel playful, slightly unhinged, and deeply aware of the audience.

With something as sacred as The Sopranos, intimacy matters. Sometimes the most powerful move a brand can make is knowing when to take the backseat.

I am curious how others feel.
Did this come across as a genuine homage, or did it feel heavy-handed?

Do me a favor and leave a comment on my IG post, to help IG know, D5 ain’t dead.

As always, appreciate your time.

Hayden

This week’s Moodboard is a little different. A small experiment. A trust fall between you and me.

I’m giving you seven links. No context. No breakdown. No analysis. Just seven things that have caught my attention over the past few days.

They are all safe for work, so you can open them on the company’s dime without getting a message from IT.

You might like some.
You might love some.
You might not understand some. (Hi Mum)
You might hate some. (Hi Mum)

That’s the fun of it.

Link 1.

Link 2.

Link 3.

Link 4.

Link 5.

Link 6.

Link 7.

What was your favourite?

Tell me what you think.

Leave a comment

Thanks for clicking.

Hayden

P.S. I’ve been asked to work on a gift guide for the Holidays. Let me know if you want parameters in there or any suggestions. Just respond to the email if so.

Hello,
Reporting live and direct(like the hyperman set) from Mexico City.

We’ve been here a few times, but not for a few years.

We’re staying in a friend’s house, which is very sweet of them. So this trip is about living like a local and enjoying the city at a slower pace.

Channy G and I are working remotely, something we used to do across Europe but haven’t done as much in LA.

Immediate takeaways:

• People dress better in CDMX than they do in LA.

• (Vintage) Leather is a feature in a lot of great outfits.

• It feels even more gentrified than our last visit.

• The attention to detail in the architecture, signage, and spaces is impressive. Everywhere but the excessive power lines.

• Roma Norte feels straight out of Berlin. Think Kreuzberg.

• I get why this is the coolest city in Latin America.

• The Biblioteca Vasconcelos is still one of the best architectural buildings I’ve ever seen. (Below)

• Yes, we could live here.
  And no, Mum, we’re not planning it.

In terms of cultural cities around the world, my order is now:

1. London

2. New York

3. CDMX

4. Berlin

5. Paris

6. LA

(I still haven’t been to Japan, so I can’t include Tokyo.)

Cities will always inspire me more than a beach. I’ve taken 3x as many photos in 2 days in CDMX as I did a week on the beach in Greece a few months ago.

More to come. These are just the first impressions.

Have you been here?
Please send me your recommendations.

As always, thanks for reading.