LOOKBOOK II

Man i'm soo hyped on this new lookbook. I had the pleasure to work with my brothers Pat 4 Stack Daniels(model) and Patrick Melon(photographer) on it. I couldn't wait to properly show you all what i've been working on. Don't forget the online store will officially open Monday, December 6th. Winter has never felt this good!

ENJOY THE RAY

Looking at cultures around the world it seems that the owl has thoroughly confused man since the beginning. Some cultures see the owl as a bringer of death and bad omen, and some see the creature as a bearer of wisdom and spirituality. This has prompted my interpretation of the owl as a symbol of balance and that of an overall messenger. Since TALL TALE is a effort to bring the Greatest Story Never Told(GSNT) to light in modern mediums, the brand has taken on the form of a messenger itself. So what better character to represent it. Not to mention that Thoth did his thing when he gave us this beautiful glyph.

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Here's a look at what's hit and will be hitting the streets

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BALANCE IS KEY

TALL TALE from Michael Collins on Vimeo.

Preview of the new collection

I will explain later.

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THE ENDI Thank You All

The great thing about a good story is that it must end. Since the inception of TALL TALE there has been an overwhelming amount of love and support, and I thank every last one of you. TALL TALE for the past year has been my life(literally), I have spent countless hours, tons of sacrifices, and an infinite amount for energy to make sure that the vision for TALL TALE was put out according to the "great will" of things. So when things go awry and relationships take an ill turn I tend to take it very personally. Remember this is my life, I love design, concepts and creating in general, but even bigger than that the message that I made it my point to convey is a big part of me. Remember that this wasnt just t-shirts TALL TALE was a belief that paradise is out there and it doesn't fall in your lap you must chase it. So with this last release I am positive that I am leaving you all on a good note. Someone, somewhere in this time or the next has been motivated by this experience, and for that I am happy.

THANK YOU ALL

ENJOY THE RAY always

As human beings we have knowledge and control over this incredible thing we call balance. Unfortunately in this world there is no such thing as a constant state of balance, all we know and understand is its push and pull. Just as one side(good) gets ahead the opposing force(evil) knocks it right back down and even sometimes advances. As a result we often have a lifetime's worth of "bad experiences." But even in those times of advanced evil we can always rest easy knowing that with every PUSH there is a PULL.

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SN(Scribes Note)- i may have just found the inspiration for a future release

TALL TALE from Michael Collins on Vimeo.

Night Lights

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SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON II

Thers isn't much you can say about people(beings) like SONNY BOY, everything from his TALL TALES to his witty demeanor grabs you by the root. A huge inspiration for me because through his music he was able to create a mythology that speaks to us all. What's your story?

ENJOY THE RAY

As I finish up some things for the next release I have been contemplating on adding another shirt to the line up. The only problem is nothing was really speaking to me, so I decided i just wouldn't do it. But yesterday morning I woke with an intense RAY of inspiration and knew what had to be done. So I dedicated the rest of that day to making sure the RAY manifested, from concept to finished design. It took time but I am thoroughly pleased with the end result.

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Anyone who knows me can tell you that sometimes having a convo with me can sometimes feel like watching t.v. with someone who doesn't let it stay on one channel long enough for you to figure out what's going on. Luckily the homie Luke St. John hooked me up with this pocket sized marble composition pad. When I say he may have saved me from a system melt down, I mean it. I went from taking horrible notes in my phone to jotting down detailed ideas, quotes, things to do and most importantly sketches.

Thanks brosef

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CHASING PARADISE II from Michael Collins on Vimeo.

As of late I have found a new love for videography, it has emerged as an effective an fun way for me to convey ideas and stories past the apparel. So as i'm sitting here finishing the the details of the next video I realize that I haven't posted the last video "CHASING PARADISE II" here for you. Well here it is, take a couple of deep breaths and zone out and take in 2:44 of soul. Did u pick up on the symbolism?

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Terra Nova

Here we have a logo/design that I created and have been working with for a while now, called Terra Nova, which simply means new land. So in typical Tall Tale fashion when I got the inspiration for it I took it and ran with it. The concept behind using this piece comes from our story of chasing paradise. When we decide to chase paradise (for the most part) we are hoping to find a new land, which manifests as different things according to the person. Some may be looking for the literal new land to escape to, some may searching for a place of clear thought, balance, wealth, etc, but whatever it is that new land becomes your paradise.

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THE COMING

This is pretty much what everyday after class looks like for me. By myself in a room full of gorgeous Macs.. creating. I try to take advantage of this space whenever I can, so often time I may not leave this room until about 4 or 5pm, (starting at about 8am) no lunch, maybe a bathroom break because if I leave too much they'll may lock the door on me. Im saying this to bring up the fact that I don't think most people understand how much time and attention to detail it takes to properly tell these tales. Im not just slapping some "artwork" on a shirt and calling it a wrap. We're crafting this modern mythology for you.

ENJOY THE RAY

Let me start by saying there's not much better than a good anime. This particular series "Wolfs Rain" I stumbled on about 2 yrs ago has served as a large part of the inspiration behind the CHASING PARADISE chapter of TALL TALE that we are in. Needless to say I was almost immediately captured by the story but for some reason I fell off the show about 3/4 the way in. So about 2 days ago I decided to go back and finish it. As I was finishing the last episode I realized that it took me so long to get back to it because I needed time away from the show to learn and gather the wisdom it would take to appreciate such a story and realize that it is only a tale of " US " chasing paradise.

If you get a chance I most definitely recommend checking it out

ENJOY THE RAY

In search of Sekmet

So its been about a year now since I first came across the goddess Sekmet, who to me represents both the destructive and creative powers of the SUN (RA= RAY). Im not sure what it is yet but I feel as though she has been asking to be presented in a design since my discovery of her. I think i've done a pretty good job, you'll be seeing it soon enough.

ENJOY THE RAY

A Lil Sumthin Sumthin

Well here we have it, the first preview (will release more throughout the week) of what you all can expect from the next few drops. I'm not going to say what comes out when just know that

Urban 9 Skateshop will be stocked

with some Tall Tale goodies this weekend June 17.

ENJOY THE RAY

Fishing Trip

So lately the homies have been talking about enjoying the rays and catching some fish and right now its about time to take some pics for the upcoming releases, so I said why not kill two birds. So I rounded up the fellow scribes and we took the trip. Needless to say we had fun and got a lot accomplished, can't wait for you all to see the finished product.

ENJOY THE RAY

Daewon Song

Absolutely amazing is the phrase that comes to mind when I think about Daewon's skating. He really pushes the envelope for what we think is really possible to do on a skateboard. Even after all these years he still seems to have so much fun. If anyone deserves the big bucks its this guy.. Heres an lil video Daewon recently put together with DVS to celebrate Love Child.

http://www.dvsshoes.com/skate/indepth/daewon_lovechild/

Is he in your top 5 favs?

Hotep in Headphones

Recently I had the pleasure of working with good friend, visionary and recording artist Luke St. John on the cover of his upcoming mixtape

"Hotep in Headphones". I love to work on projects like this, after hearing select tracks and once Luke expressed to me the type of vibe and the feelings he wanted to communicate I was instantly down. I think we were pretty successful. You guys are definitely in for a treat with this one. I can't wait!

check out this lil interview too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_mOYmM8n1w

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STORYTELLER

Its always great to see people appreciate the product so much as to actually wear a piece. There's so much time, thought and energy that goes into making this happen, so to see that other share and feel the vision its for lack of better words awesome! Thanks to all the supporters

check out currensy enjoying the Tall Tales of Paradise beanie

http://www.creativecontrol.tv/www/#/shows/barretta-aftershave-powered-by-jet$-vision/pilot-talk-coming-soon.../

http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/511811/dame-dash-re-launches-roc-a-fella-records.jhtml

ENJOY THE RAY

AF THE NAYSAYER

Love to see the homies doing good things, so what better way to start this blog off than with a good friend of TALL TALE. Check out Ahmal's interview with www. bmxfreestyler.com check it out here

http://www.bmxfreestyler.com/2010/06/amahl-abdul-khaliq-riders-spotlight.html

ENJOY THE RAY