21 Mercer - Mr. Cartoon x Nike x USA Soccer

It was on and crackin' at 21 Mercer again tonight.  The legendary graffiti/tattoo artist Mr. Cartoon was in town to promote the release of his new collaborative effort with Nike sportswear.  Mr. Cartoon was commissioned by Nike to create a set of images and logos for USA soccer as they prepare for World Cup play in South Africa.

 Mr. Cartoon signs for a fan.

Dubbed the True Colors series, Nike sportswear also commissioned 5 other artists from Brazil, England, France, South Africa and the Netherlands.  Each artist brought his own flair to his home country's gear.  World Cup play kicks off in 43 days.

Mr. Cartoon put together this video with Nike talking about his work on the project, how it came about and his creative process.



The sports wear is available for purchase here.

As usual, it was a very nice time at the store.  I did my usual networking and shot the breeze with friends.  Fans of Mr. Cartoons work had the opportunity to customize t-shirts and the upcoming Nike Blazer x Mr. Cartoon release at the store.  Nike employees assisted customers on a special Nike iD site to create their very own products.  Those that customized t-shirts had their creations printed immediately in the store.

Here are a few pics from the event:

video via: www.nike.com

21 Mercer - Stickball Tournament

Nike flexed their monetary might to put on a stickball tournament in from of the 21 Mercer Nike Sportswear store.  They shut the street down between Howard and Grand streets on the most beautiful day of 2010 so far.  It was up to 80 degrees at one point and the sights, sounds and smells of summer were in full effect. The people on the street grooved to the music selected by the events DJ, the legendary, Q-Tip.  For those who needed a drink, there was an open bar inside the store until 6 pm.

Q-Tip

Q-Tip poses with a fan

After the completion of the tournament, the store was briefly closed for cleanup/setup and reopened at 7:30 for a Q&A session. 

Championship Trophy

The championship trophy was handed out to the winning team just before sunset and all was right with the world on Mercer street.  I snapped a few more pics as I downed a root beer and headed back north for some much needed sleep.

Futura

Old School vs New School

Down on the Street

The Finale

Julio (No Label Watches)

21 Mercer - March Madness Party

I got the heads up on this event late in the day, but made my way down in time enough to down a few beers and sliders and take a few pics.  It was a very nice laid back vibe and I got to chat with a couple of people that I haven't seen in a few years.  Shouts to Whit3boy and Julio.  I'll be in contact.

Also met a few people that I had no previous knowledge of so that was nice as well.  My homie Vulkan introduced me to SneakGeekz and we chopped it up for a few minutes before heading our seperate ways.  Definitely check out the SneakGeekz website for up-to-date sneaker info, release dates and early looks.

Enjoy the pics...