As I watch the weather forecast, and see that we will have a 92 degree day, it seems as though life is pretty normal for all of us here in Austin. But, it is not. We have thousands of evacuees here from Galveston, fleeing from Hurricane Ike.

The Red Cross is doing the best they can to accommodate the evacuees, who are all sleeping on the floor, some without sleeping bags or bedding. The families have no idea when they will be able to go home, and if they do, what they will find.

Were doing our best to help out any way we can. We initiated a canned food drive in our neighborhood and collected around 350 lbs of food in one day! Nice people here in Austin. We are going to head down to the shelters today to see what else we can do to help out. 

How can you help? Get on the Red Cross website,  www.redcross.org and donate anyway you can!   

Street Fashion Meets Art at THELABELLAB Exhibition at Crewest Gallery Featuring Drifter, David and David, Pretti Vacant, with Special Feature “Bomb It”—The Graffiti Documentary

May 6, 2008, Los Angeles, CA–Street fashion + art will come together May 17th at Crewest Gallery in downtown Los Angeles for the 2nd showing of THELABELLAB EXHIBITION featuring live fashion art creations and installations by LABELLAB members’ Drifter, David and David, and Pretti Vacant Accessories, with a special screening of “Bomb It”—The Graffiti Documentary by Jon Reiss. The Exhibition marks an exciting opportunity for emerging street fashion brands to depict their independent style through artistic interpretations in a unique gallery in downtown Los Angeles. 

By teaming up with Crewest Gallery, one of the only galleries in Los Angeles dedicated to street and graffiti artists, THELABELLAB Exhibition comes with the necessary backdrop to showcase street fashion in completely refreshing dimensions. Drifter graphic artist Daniel Cone will be showcasing live creations of his brand stretched across a large table format for on-site crafting, plus a hanging mobile of T-shirt art displays. David and David, masters of the screenprinted process will create T-shirts, backdrops, and art featuring their LA-inspired designs on assorted textiles. Pretti Vacant’s Michelle Ponce will showcase her plexiglass cut jewelry in a unique art installation with video of just how she designs, cuts, and creates her range of punk rock-inspired collections ranging from owls, guns, boomboxes, pirate ships, and crowns. “Bomb It” creators will project features from their documentary that has been generating a strong following across the nation as it makes it’s way to premiere in Los Angeles, June 6th. 

THE LABEL LAB Exhibition will be backdropped with an incredible urban photo journalism exhibition curated by Vyal One featuring top images from graffiti and street artists taken from obscure locations based on what takes place within the landscapes of their urban canvases. 

A live DJ set will be provided throughout the evening, along with Hint water beverages, and opportunities to buy on-site, one-of-a-kind creative pieces that each fashion artist designs. 

Event Details: THELABELLAB Exhibition is May 17, 2008, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. at Crewest Gallery, 110 Winston St. (between 4th and 5th off of Main), Los Angeles, CA 90013; www.thelabellab.com; www.crewest.com; info@thelabellab.com; (323) 630-4000. 

About THELABELLAB

THELABELLAB.com is an Online Directory + Network exclusive for independent and emerging fashion brands, retailers, + industry vendors. Created by Label Networks, a leading global youth + street culture intelligence media company, THELABELLAB.com allows members to quickly create profiles, find, and connect with like-minded people, and gain information and news in the independent street and contemporary fashion industries in order to do business better. THELABELLAB Exhibition is an on-going event series as an extension of featured brands in THELABELLAB.com, providing an opportunity for live showcases of fashion artists in street and contemporary culture to showcase their brands in a completely new, artistic dimension. 

For more information about THELABELLAB or to see who has joined the movement of creating and promoting the business of street and contemporary fashion, go to www.thelabellab.com; (323) 630-4000.

By the way, Thriving Ink will be featured in July at The Labellab Exhibition. Be on the lookout for more info.  

What are you doing on Wednesday night (Apr 2)? Be sure to catch MTV Real World Awards Bash at 10pm. Our friend CT attended the Awards Show because was nominated as Hot Male on Real World. Anyway, he repped Heraldic Eagle thermal for us on the Red Carpet. Check out this photo. Nice! Don’t forget to tune in. It is going to be a wild show! 

Have you ever had to pinch yourself just to make sure that you are not dreaming? Well, working with my family in this new biz is making me feel like pinching myself alot. Coming from starting and growing another company, in a corporate environment, it is so refreshing to just to bounce ideas off of my loved ones, and celebrate our accomplishments together! As we continue to grow, I have seen incredible similarities in owning Pump It Up and now, Thriving Ink, in that they both require an incredible amount of organization, vision and passion.  Jenelle, Matt and Ron all have these attributes. They are great business partners!Our shirts our insane. Our family is amazing. Wow!  Life IS good.

Don’t miss the hottest ticket in town. We are hosting our one and only FIRST Release Party/Fashion Show. The party will take place at The Abyss Club in Sunnyvale on March 22. We chose that venue because it is for 18 years and up, so we can have more of our friends there.

Our friend CT from Real World, Guantlet III is hosting the party. So, girls, bring your cameras. We are also having a few artists come out to celebrate with us. Our amazing DJs, Brandonray, Atimatik and Shey Love will be spinning house , hip-hop, mash-ups and top 40.

The Abyss holds about 1400, and this event promises to be packed, so be sure to get on our guest list! It will cost you 5 bucks to get in if you are on the list, if you come between 9:30 and 11pm. If you wear a Thriving Ink t-shirt to the bash, we will give you a limited edition shirt, designed exclusively for this event. We’ll also throw your name in a drawing for 100 bucks of shopping here at Thriving Ink.

So, come early, wear a Thriving Ink shirt and we will see you there!