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

DDI Announces their Elite set of Summer Workshops to launch their new office at the Pavilions on 16th st Mall in Denver, CO.
This set of four workshops will be taught by local Denver experts in their respect areas of Business and Fashion.

For more information go to the DDI Website .

OAT Shoes will debut its “Virgin” collection in Europe this spring. It was presented in January during the Green Fashion Competition at the Amsterdam International Fashion Week. The collection was themed after the Garden of Eden which portrayed the very first garden featuring Adam and Eve models. The fashion show presented OAT’s sneaker line with the end of the runway featuring a single sapling-filled OAT sneaker.

The OAT collection is one that satisfies both men and women with its unisex line.  OAT keeps the sole of the shoes vibrant and colorful but incorporates natural tones throughout the rest of the sneaker. But OAT Shoes are way more than just looks, these are fully biodegradable with a touch of mother nature. Through innovative materials it was made possible to create a flexible seed-embedded cork sole.. and when the shoe life is over, bury them!

These sneakers literally become a pot and will sprout greens!

OAT Shoes

Chanel, the iconic brand best known for classic scents, handbags, and women’s wear, is branching out–far out–into sports gear. The classic double “CC” logo now graces everything from basketballs and footballs, rollerblades and scooters, to surfboards and skis. While we can’t comment on the technical aspects of the gear (Chanel is a tad above our paygrade) we have to admit the wood skis actually look pretty awesome.

So, if you want to bring the bling this upcoming season, a whole new avenue just opened up for you. Get yourself into some Chanel equipment and we’ll see you on the next episode of “The Rich and Famous.”

Civic Duty is what you can call the company responsible for the refurbishing and transforming tyvek into a shoe. Civic duty prides themselves being a socially minded footwear company creating a leisure shoe in a way that it can still maintain an attractive appearance with comfort while still having a minimalistic impact on our environment.

 Tyvek is used mostly by delivering companies and more specifically for envelopes. “This material is lightweight, waterproof, recyclable, and near-indestructible.”   Steven Weinreb founder of Civic Duty, took a closer look at the material’s properties which was transformed into a sleek sneaker.  “Conspire to inspire” is how Civic Duty runs the business, each year an exclusive sneaker is designed to later be donated, using its 100% profits to go toward a charity. 

Ecouterre