Cashletes 2009 Winter collection was several months in the making, and dropped just in time for the Holidays. Special thanks to all our customers who gave Cashletes gifts this Christmas. The journey to the completion of the collection was full of massive planning, constant revisions, numerous setbacks, [...]]]>
A BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AT THE SEASON DEVELOPMENT

        Cashletes 2009 Winter collection was several months in the making, and dropped just in time for the Holidays. Special thanks to all our customers who gave Cashletes gifts this Christmas. The journey to the completion of the collection was full of massive planning, constant revisions, numerous setbacks, and in the end, ultimate satisfaction.

        The inspiration behind some of this collection’s pieces comes from some cool vintage sportswear sweatshirts and t-shirts I came across over the past few years. With this collection we began the introduction of a more solidified direction of the brand, giving it a touch of ‘classic-ness’, drawing inspiration from vintage sports apparel.

        Summer collection in full swing, I hit the sketch pad and began working on some new ideas for Autumn/Winter items. Sweatshirts, jackets, t-shirts, and some new accessories were what we envisioned. A vintage hockey jersey styled sweatshirt was even in the works. It took a while before we were able to decide on a solid collection of new products, and we played with the idea of introducing some new teams. The decision was made to put out new team merchandise as part of the 2010 Spring/Summer collection, in order to further establish our pioneering teams to new audiences.

        By the time Autumn came around we were still in the development stage of most of our new products. We had a really tight deadline to meet if we wanted to release our collection in time for the Fall. Another tough decision was made to push our release back to Winter. The anticipation was building, and several new designs were completed for forthcoming products. We planned to introduce new Cashletes organizations, like the Institution of Higher Earning and the World Wide Wealth club, to expand our design variety and give our fans more than just teams.

        As a young brand we’re still becoming accustomed to the industry, so we tend to do things in unorthodox ways. I decided we’d start running the brand more like the big dogs in the apparel world, doing things like creating fashion illustrations. Being a seasoned cartoonist and having no background in fashion illustration, my drawings come out more like cartoon characters. Either way, it helped to get an idea of how our products would come together as a whole ensemble. I played around with a variety of product ideas and made some edits.

        We had over 20 potential products over the course of the development, but we were finally able to narrow it down to the collection we debuted in December. Choosing which combination of products would make the cut was far from a stroll through Central Park, and I lost hours of sleep over it. But it had to get done in order to finally release a collection in time for Winter.

        And so we moved forward, transitioning from the computer screen to the fabrics. It took a while to decide on how some of the designs would be presented, and the print and application processes we would go with. We messed with different ideas, like felt patches and digital printing, in order to get the look and feel we were aiming for.

        Finally the collection was released and we were satisfied with the outcome. It was a long haul but it all payed off. We had alot of fun with this one and hope you come to appreciate each item as much as we do. The next collection is always in the works, as we aim to consistently release classic sportswear inspired streetwear apparel for financial champions like you.

You can catch these products and more at the shop.

—AJ CAMARA

Starter jackets were a staple piece to any sports fanatic’s wardrobe back in the early 90s. I’m a fan of Starter jackets, but not just any ol’ Starter jacket– the satiny variety is where its at! These satin finished jackets are some of the most memorable pieces [...]]]>
AN ENTHUSIAST’S ODE TO AN ICONIC SPORTS APPAREL CLASSIC

Starter jackets were a staple piece to any sports fanatic’s wardrobe back in the early 90s. I’m a fan of Starter jackets, but not just any ol’ Starter jacket– the satiny variety is where its at! These satin finished jackets are some of the most memorable pieces of apparel in sportswear history. From celebrities to regular Joes, any team fanatic had to get a hold of one.

        Starter jackets were so in demand that they caused numerous robberies— criminals who just had to get their hands on these jackets. I mean, who didn’t wanna come through shining in a jacket adorned in their favorite team’s logos and classic team colors, cut and sewn to perfection. We definitely look to starter jackets for inspiration.

         The Raiders starter jacket is one of the simplest, yet most popular designs. Undoubtedly one of my favorite starter jackets of all time. Raiders starter jackets became highly popularized by hip-hop artists, similar to many other sports apparel trends that were yet to come.

         The starter jacket designs ranged from NBA and NFL teams to NCAA teams. The crazy thing is that I find myself loving a jacket of a team I’m totally indifferent about, and that’s the magic of these things. You just can’t discriminate. It’s so unfortunate that they don’t make jackets quite like these anymore. There’s a limited number of them going around, alot of which are pre-worn and being resold. You’ll be surprised to find some unworn ‘deadstock’ starter jackets too.

        From the team-colored knit trim and tackle twill team names, to the team and league patches, everything about the starter jacket is true beauty. Being such an enthusiast, it really hurt to see these iconic pieces of history cut up and turned into duffel bags. (That’s right, they cut starter jackets up into pieces and sew them back together in the shape of a duffel bag!) They’re called ‘Finisher Bags’, and anybody who appreciates the craft of starter jackets would be disgusted by them. This is an endangered specie we’re dealing with, and I’d hate to see designer bags be the death of starter jackets.

        Cashletes will continue to put out jackets in honor of the good ol’ starter jackets and attempt to bring sportswear back to its roots. The classic jacket most consider a ‘fad’ will once again become a staple, with new teams, new designs, new cuts and material. If starter wont supply the demand, we sure will.

—AJ CAMARA

(Photo Credit)

What’s your favorite starter jacket? Did you own one back in the day? Currently own one? Share your good ol’ starter jacket stories with us!

Cashletes is a term that can be attached to the following wealthiest athletes. Amongst athletes there are champions, and amongst champions there are financial champions. These are the wealthiest athletes.

Tiger Woods Estimated Net worth: $900 million

This man is the face of the entire sport of golf, and has [...]]]>
THE WEALTHIEST ATHLETES IN THE WORLD OF SPORTS

Cashletes is a term that can be attached to the following wealthiest athletes. Amongst athletes there are champions, and amongst champions there are financial champions. These are the wealthiest athletes.

Tiger Woods
Estimated Net worth: $900 million

This man is the face of the entire sport of golf, and has become a sports icon, winning over 20 tournaments. Undoubtedly among the world’s wealthiest athletes. Much of his income comes from the dozens of endorsement deals he signs each year, including ones with Nike and Gillette. According to Golf Digest magazine, Tiger Woods made $769,440,709 between1996 and 2007, was predicted to be the world’s first athlete to pass one billion dollars in earnings by 2010. Unfortunately he was surpassed by Michael Jordan, another one of the wealthiest athletes.






Michael Jordan
Estimated Net worth: $700 million

The G.O.A.T to the game of basketball, and one of the wealthiest athletes of all time, Michael Jordan has become an inspiration to all ballers on and off the court. From his amazing dunk ability to his Jordan Brand business and managing an NBA team, Jordan embodies the true meaning of a champion. In 2009 it was announced that the Jordan brand’s income for the year would reach $1 billion, making him the first athlete to reach $1 billion in earnings. This wealthiest athlete is probably the most recognized athlete in the world.






Alex Rodriguez
Estimated Net worth: $300 million

In 2007 A-Rod signed a 10-year, $275 million contract with the New York Yankees. This contract makes him the highest paid baseball player of all time, and among the wealthiest athletes. Rodriguez is so rich he was able to give $3.9 million to the University of Miami, a school he didn’t even attend, to renovate its baseball stadium in 2003. It was his way of apologizing for turning down their scholarship. A $3.9 million apology is a clear demonstration that A-Rod is amongst the wealthiest athletes with money to blow.






        One of the toughest thing about maintaining your millions while constantly being in the public eye is keeping your image clean. A few of the wealthiest athletes make one wrong move that damages their image, and consequently lose numerous endorsements that kept the bills payed and exotic cars in their garages. But as long as they can maintain their cash flow these wealthiest athletes have nothing to worry about.



—AJ CAMARA

Disclaimer: As endorsements and assets come and go, its hard to determine the exact net worth and rankings of the wealthiest athletes.

Snapback hats have developed a cult following in the world of sportswear apparel. A fitted cap is great, but there’s just something special about a classic hat like this. Gotta love the snapback hats of the previous decades. You can’t deny the freshness of these. [...]]]>
A LOOK AT THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF SNAPBACK HATS

Snapback hats have developed a cult following in the world of sportswear apparel. A fitted cap is great, but there’s just something special about a classic hat like this. Gotta love the snapback hats of the previous decades. You can’t deny the freshness of these. Ol’ school team logos and colors, contrast color brim and eyelets, green under-brim. One size fits all. Structured crown. What’s not to love about snapback hats?

         One of the most notable features of snapback hats is they can be commonly found in either wool blend or cotton twill. The cotton twill snapback hat is most common, but the wool snapback hat can be more closely compared to a typical fitted cap, which is most popular nowadays. Another remarkable characteristic of snapback hats is the green underbrim. I see a green underbrim on a cap and I can immediately identify it as a classic snapback hat without even confirming the plastic adjustable snap. That lush green canvas represents the grassy fields on which baseball is played, as the style of cap we’ve grown to know and love has its roots in America’s sport.

        The snapback hat was a phenomenon in the 80s and 90s, and now we can only reminisce on those days in which it reigned supreme. As the popularity of the fitted cap grew, less of the sportwear audience bought into snapback hats and instead leaned towards fitted headwear. Recently though, the snapback hat has made a return to the sportswear scene, and I’m forecasting longevity as more and more streetwear brands are begining to feed the consumers demand for these classic hats.

What the future holds for snapback hats can only be determined by the rate at which the snapback hat consumer base grows. I don’t think the fitted cap will ever fall from the throne, but there’s definitely a good chance that many will begin to appreciate the snapback hat again. As sportswear and streetwear apparel brands continue to add their own twists to the classic template, the possibilities become endless, and snapback hats will never fade.

—AJ CAMARA

(Photo Credit)

What’s your favorite classic snapback hat? Any dope streetwear brand snapback hats we should check out?
Let us know!

by AJ

Reminds me of my favorite member of the X-Men too.

by AJ

by AJ

by AJ