On Monday, Rustin shared Tellason with you– a denim company that produces stylish, durable jeans that are sourced, cut, & sewn right here in the U.S. of A. In continuation of the “think global, act local” fashion theme, I’d like to share with you “Sidewalks.” We love when friends have new, creative, ideas– and we love to enrich your lives by passing them on!

Chelsey Ann is a Denver local and talented young fashion designer. Sometime late April she’ll be launching Sidewalks: a website that features the street-wear styles of everyday people. The idea is similar to LookBook in that it offers a resource for people to discover new trends in fashion. What differentiates Sidewalks, however, is the photos posted will not be taken of obscure occupants of a distant region. Instead, they’ll be candid shots of YOU, Denver! Chelsey Ann, the creative genius behind the site, is on a mission. She will be sacrificing sleep, privacy [and possibly her liver], to become your personal paparazzi. Chelsey will be taking it to the streets of Denver to catch all of you fashion-forward folks in your best-dress. Then, she’ll post photos of you for the world to see, judge, and impersonate.

That’s not all, though. The best part? After your leather jacket/sun dress/Chuck Taylors combo hits the world wide web, this fashionista will break down the outfit for readers. She’ll offer finely tuned art-school commentary on the styles and provide direct links to similar (if not the same) pieces online! You’ll be able to pick up new unique styles without spending your weekends hanging out in front of City O  City- waiting to stalk the hipster you just saw walk in wearing those ambiguously labeled “perfect jeans.”

Here’s an example of what’s to come:

While snowboarding and discussing style one day, an old friend of mine (Bronson Fry) said to me, “If you look good, then you feel good, and then of course you will ride good.” This simple lines resonates a powerful truth for me, and I would imagine a lot of other people. If you are confident, then you do better at everything in your life. This blog has been dedicated to sharing creative ideas about how to live a better, more positive life that is sustainable, and gives back to our planet and people. If we look at the root of all of that, we have to start with ourselves. How can we be productive happy people if we are not confident? Now I know it sounds superficial, but we all want to feel good, and part of that is looking good.

Looking good on the inside is absolutely more important then looking good on the outside, but for those of you who wanna step out of your house with a little extra style, check out Lookbook.nu. They continue to bring the cleanest looks and inspiring styles by everyday people. Lookbook.nu is a social blog where people post outfits, and looks that they wear from their own wardrobe. People can interact, hype other peoples looks, and get inspiration for their own ensemble. Good work Lookbook.nu on keeping us fresh and inspired.

The creative community in Denver continues to grow and thrive, and so do mustaches…

One example of this vibrant creative community is Westword‘s annual music and art festival known as Artopia. For the last four years, they have hired me to produce their fashion show performance. I try to be very careful and selective with the projects I say yes to… and Artopia has been one of those projects that has been very fun and rewarding. Starting last year, I invited the talented Abella Bala to co-produce the show, and together we helped turn the fashion show into a huge performance that has pulled in over 1,200 people each of the last two years. The venue chosen for this fashion experience is the three story City Hall, on 11th and Broadway in Denver. Below is a small photo recap of the evening….photos by Jessica Lambiase

Each year, we bring in a film crew to produce a video that tells the story of the shows theme and is used as the introduction into the fashion performance. This year, we joined forces with the talented Focus 4 Design team to bring you the DARK CITY GLOW video. I would also like to thank, NXT Modeling Agency, Floyd’s Barbershop, V.A.I.N Cosmetics, Jessica Lambiase, and the talented clothing brands/designers; Akomplice, Jiberish, Rae Marie, Trophy, and Denver Bespoke.
Enjoy the video below…

Today is the start of something great. It’s the first day of a beautiful tradition that celebrates ones masculinity and machismo…
“Do boys start puberty in the spring?” you may ask…
Well, probably. A mustache induced hormonal reaction anyway. Because all the real men around them are now sporting caterpillar lips and walking around with swagger…
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, it’s Mustache March.

Many greats have sported the stud-stache. Tom Selleck, Geraldo Rivera, Alex Trebek, Salvador Dali, Charlie Chapman, and Yosemite Sam– to name a few. And many lesser have donned the butt-broom, molestache, or some variation thereof… but let’s not be “that guy.”

While no one expects you to stand tall next to these gods among men, this third month of every year allows you the opportunity to show the world the raw and unequivocal power of your upper lip.

The ‘ol soup-strainer is so mighty, in fact, that it has inspired men across the country to use it for a cause. Is it merely an excuse to rock ferociously phallic facial hair? Probably. But the cause is good.

Rather than put on an event, run a race, or bake some cookies, the idea behind this is a TCMBC, or “Temporary Cultural Movement for the Benefit of Charity.” The official movement donates money to The MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer) and more hilarious information can be found at http://www.mustachemarch.com/. I fully encourage getting involved in the cause; however I, myself, will be growing simply for the verility…

As for the females reading this post, don’t fret! Even if a combination of fish oil and black-market stallion steroids wont grow ya a dick-duster, there are companies out there determined to help. Try The Hot Pink Mustache on for size! They’ve got mustaches designed just for you

So gentlemen, get your shave on. And ladies- fair warning: your mans libido will increase tenfold this month. Prep your loins.

Let the bash begin!

- Ches Sheridan Arms

I, like many of you out there, am in the job market. There are many questions that arrise when headed down this road: “Do I have the necessary experience?”… “Will this salary support my lifestyle?”… “Could I get away with ‘dancing’ for a little while longer? You know- have some fun… pay off the school loans…” (<–What? No one else?)

But how many of you have seriously asked yourselves: “Would I be willing to relocate?”

I’ve recently asked myself this question and come to realize: No, given the choice, I would not relocate (for work or otherwise).
The state of Colorado is one of the greatest places in our country.
Sure, if given the opportunity to work our dream job in Fiji, most of us would probably jump ship. But let’s be realistic- 40k a year for a middle-management position in Mianus, CT… no thanks. I’ll keep my anus in Denver.

Some of us, however, get in ruts. We begin to think “the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” A common theme in my posts to you has been finding contentment, and in continuation of that theme, I’d like to share with you 10 Reasons Colorado  is GREAT:

1. Colorado ranks as the nation’s fifth-best state for business and careers in the latest annual report by Forbes, posted November of 2011. So stick it out, job hunters!
   
2. Colorado consistently ranks in the top 10 healthiest and slimmest states in the country. There’s so much to do! Plus, walking anywhere west of Denver means going up hill.
3. Denver was named the 13th best city for singles by Forbes.com in 2009. We have the thinnest, most attractive young professionals. Look in the mirror… you’re probably getting laid tonight.
4. Boulder is the most educated city in America. Colorado is one of the most educated states. It’s everywhere online… Google it.
5. Colorado gets over 300 days of sunshine every year– the most clear-sky days of any state.
6. Denver is the top city for bicyclists according to Bicycle Magazine and the Huffington Post. One more reason we’re not fat.
   Moreover, I’d like to share: I have ridden a bicycle on both coasts and in many different states. In California you get flipped off and run off the roads. On the east coast you can’t breath from the smog or people assume you’re poor. Colorado is the only state where drivers will slow down for you and wave. Shit- in Boulder they’ll stop at a convenience store and circle back around with gatorade.
7. We’ve got Colfax. In addition to all the different aswesome “scores” you can make within a single-block radius, Colfax is the longest continuous street in America.
8. The Colorado Rockies. Sure, we’ve had some good baseball years, but I’m talking about our mountains. People from all over the world save for years and spend thousands of dollars to ski and snowboard where we do any day we fancy.
9. Colorado loves good beer and has has more breweries per capita than any other state in the U.S.
10. Denver is the sixth happiest city in the country according to market research performed by the fast-food giant McDonalds.

BONUS: COLORADO HAS YOU! The communities within this fine state are filled with healthy, intelligent, open-minded, friendly people.

 What more could you want from your home?

- Ches Sheridan Arms

Let’s face it: we are consumers. Whether we consciously attempt to reduce our consumption or not, if it wasn’t for Black Friday and arbitrary shopping sprees our economy would atrophie. It is what it is, whether we like it or not.
Last week I shared the concept of “dining mindfully” with you. On Monday, Rustin asked the question: “Can a Product Really be Sustainable?” Whilst considering these topics my mind drifted to wood… and NO, not the wood that normally “pops up” when sitting alone in front of one’s computer- the more sustainable kind. Ya know: the kind that remains useful for more than 5 or so minutes…

Before we make a purchase, many of us don’t consider what it took to create our shiny new object– Nor what happens to the materials in an item once we are through with it. However, to remedy this lack of concern, all we have to do is purchase from the brands that have already thought of this for us! Piece o’ cake!

Wood is one of [if not] the single most sustainable resource(s) on our beautiful planet. Trees are naturally renewable. With responsible manufacturing waste is virtually eliminated by creating products out of wood. There is far less energy and fossil fuels that go into their production. The durability of a finished wood product contributes to it’s longevity, not to mention the fact that wood stores carbon– thereby reducing the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere. And finally, at the end of their initial life-cycle wood products are very easily recycled for other uses!

Now that you’re psyched on cedar and revved-up on rosewood, get out there and earn some style points!

• WeWOOD fashions the dopest wooden timepieces from mostly scrap-wood and uses state-of-the-art Miyota movements forthe guts, resulting in a unique watch that’s handsome, earth-friendly, and splash-proof.
• Shwood is a self-proclaimed experiment with nature. They make handcrafted wood eyewear created with the finest exotic woods.
• Omerica Organic designs and crafts wooden plugs and jewelry, to your specifications, from a single block of wood. Even better: they’re a young bunch of pierced and tattooed artists based in a workshop right here in Denver!

“Wood is Good.”

As a clothing company owner I almost always felt obligated to update my wardrobe every season, when our new line would be released. But as someone who has always been a minimalist and had an issue with over-consummation this has been a very difficult internal battle.
Why get into fashion then you may ask? … good question, seems silly but I guess I really enjoy how dynamic and functional the creative process can be. I love the business side of it, and I love the challenge of creating products that can somehow give back or have a closed-loop life cycle.

The book Cradle to Cradle does a great job of explaining what a truly sustainable product should be, which in theory could replenish the earth through its lifecycle or could be perpetually recycled, and  yield benefits that enhance all life. Unfortunately most of our products are still on a one-way trip to a land fill.
Being ethical and working towards creating sustainable products  is not easy and can often be very expensive at first. However new solution’s are being developed and worked on every day. Take for example this fun and wonderful example of recycling old denim into installation, which is becoming more and more common. Even Gap created a whole campaign to recycle your old denim and receive discounts on new denim.

However, is this really sustainable? Where does the denim go after it is installation for houses?
Are there products that we make that can actually live inside a closed-loop? Cradle-to-cradle design, offers a framework in which the effective, regenerative cycles of nature provide models for wholly positive human design. Over the past decade, the cradle-to-cradle framework has evolved steadily from theory to practice. In the world of industry it is creating a new conception of materials and material flows. In a cradle-to-cradle economy, cities are the principal home and source of technical nutrition—the place where metals are forged, polymers synthesized, and tractors, computers, and windmills designed and manufactured.
It is exciting to see this change happening, but we have to continue to push ourselves to be creative and learn new ways to give back more then we take.
Some examples of companies creating products that do just that:
Climatex
Zeftron

Thank you for your time,

Rustin Coburn

WHEW! So it’s Wednesday now and the week is in mid-swing. Halloween is [finally? unfortunately? gratefully?] behind us. We continue, however, to re-live the debauchery through the posts and pictures of our online friends.

(On second thought… if they gave you Sharpie ink poisoning, pissed in your shoes, or screwed with you in any unacceptable manner while you were passed out, are they truly your friends? BUT, I digress…)

This week social media outlets have served as a fragmented storyboard– allowing us to reminisce about (or put the pieces together from) the weekend. Because this holiday is my single favorite of the year I wanted to take a couple moments to pay homage to another All Hallows Eve of epic proportions.

The first moment will be in silence… for all those lost in our inebriated states. Thank you, you sweet little brain cells. I would like to say you wont soon be forgotten– but in all honesty, I’m still using Facebook to piece together Saturday night. I can only assume you were once cordial contributors to my IQ.

The second moment will be to share the Halloween experience had by the crew over here at DVLP Life. Now, we’re not normally ones to brag, but let me tell you: we’re awesome. From epic costumes to awesome company, we did Halloween right. And now a look behind the scenes at the staff:

Rustin Coburn
Costume: Blackmail!
Props: Postage Stamp,
Photographic Memory (more dangerous than a camera)
Attended: Taxi Eurotrash Bash and
The DTC Haunted Hotel Party

Abella Balla
Costume: Dust Bunny
Props: Hot Pink Sunnies (found on floor),
Rabbit Ears,
The Keys to Every Guy Dressed as Mr. Clean’s Heart
Attended: Taxi Eurotrash Bash and
The DTC Haunted Hotel Party

Ches Arms
Costume: Tyler Durden
Props: Stunna Shades, Red Leather Jacket, Undeniable Swagger
Attended: Taxi Eurotrash Bash and
The DTC Haunted Hotel Party

Tyler Browning
Costume: Lucha Libre
(The Masked Wrestler)
Props: Leather Mask, ‘Shiver Me Timbers’ Chest Carpet, Smokin’ Blonde Sidekick
Attended: Hudson’s Wholesome Festivities and Skrillex

_________________________________________________________

Awesome?
Yeah… we know. And now I’ll open the comments section up to you!

- Tell us how you rocked the casbah this weekend!
- Vote for your favorite DVLP Life hoodrat!

Ready?! GO!

- Ches Sheridan Arms

Hello all! Happy hump-day and happy first snow!

Originally I’m from San Diego, where today they are enjoying 70 degree weather and sunny skies. They will likely enjoy similar weather tomorrow… next week… Christmas day… YUCK!

Which brings me to the point of this ramble: Too many guys are, umm… challenged, in the fashion dept.
When I went to get dressed this morning I realized that my clothing considerations changed drastically. I like to think of myself as a stylish fellah, but it took a minute to put a cohesive outfit together– one that complimented my baby blues while protecting my ‘chestnuts’ from Jack Frost. Lucky for me, my wardrobe and I were blessed to have been a part of DVLP Clothing. DVLP was an innovator in mens fashion, offering guys stylish threads for any temperature. Unfortunately, not all guys have been graced with an intuitive sense of style and many (like myself) don’t have a fashion-forward female to lead them down the path of dashing dress. In my own search to be stylish I’ve come across a few resources that offer men options beyond the relaxed fit wranglers and pullover CU hoodie.

For the Winter: Holden. If you’re not familiar, Holden is a snowboard company out of Portland that makes some super rad streetwear and outerwear (for dudes and dudettes).
Year-round: Secede For Men. Our good friend and previous fashion design intern for DVLP, Diana Walker, is passionate about Mens style. She’s showed some love to my look on more than one occasion.
Nearby: Emage. Our friends over at Emage skate/snow have an epic collection of sneakers, as well dashing adornments for the other pieces of you.

These are just a few places to start. Get creative with layers. Don’t be afraid of accessories. Bust out the scissors.

Guys, what are some of your favorite brands and looks that set you apart from ‘Chad’ in the polo and cargo shorts over there?
Ladies, what kind of styles are your favorite to see us stud-muffins in this time of year?

- Ches Sheridan Arms

The people at NOWNESS were able to spend some time with the famous Japanese streetwear designer Nigo, as he handpicked items for his personal collection at London emporium The Vintage Showroom. The force behind cult brand A Bathing Ape, as well as a long list of distinguished collaborations, Tokyo-based Nigo is a long-term vintage enthusiast, citing the rockabilly subculture he encountered as a teenager and 50s American rock and roll icons as prime influences.

To see the article, check out some very cool photos and learn more about his design and sourcing process please visit: NOWNESS