It is always great to check out a great boutique that has great product and merchandising. However it is even better when a few of the items in the great selection are yours.. The best boutiques have items that are unusual and generally not found in mass marketed stores. Check out the way the items were merchandised at both the Studio Museum Store in Harlem and A&G Merch in Williamsburg, BK.

Studio Museum: Also check out the way the t-shirts were folded to brazenly and repeatedly remind you that Black is Beautiful, love that!!

A&G Merch: Love the color play in the merchandising, the bed looks so fun and lively. Peep the box below the bed with the brightly colored Laidback pillows waiting for someone to pull it out and chill.

A&G Merch

I decided to ice out the She Rocks totes. The feedback has been great so I think we will roll with it like this. Any thoughts??? Don’t forget they start shipping July 18, so preorder now.

Good music is essential to the very core of the laidback lifestyle and one of our favorites is Musiq Soulchild. I had the pleasure of outfitting the Music Soulchild VIP room yesterday for the House of Couvosier sponsored Musiq concert. It was a dope experience. Musiq was fire! The crowd was grown and sexy, Biz Markie was spinning, Big Tigger hosting, and Laidback rocking the VIP. The crowd was crazy trying to get in but thank God for VIP treatment, my new friend Renae from Crush Media was creating the ambiance and contacted me about using the pillows. They rocked the VIP with Ol’ Play pillows in orange and dew, a camo chill pillow and a denim joint. It was great, you know the product is hot when people are trying to high tail it out of VIP with big-a$$ pillows in tow. It was great, Laidback received mad luv and plenty of connects. Great collabo, great night! Yes I did hit Musiq off with an Ol’ Play joint of his own.

As we grow and step up our games by creating hot living spaces to go with our dope sense of style, we need to keep in mind what the walls of our homes look like. Do you still have posters of Neo and Usher, or posters of Nike ads or Bob Marley puffin up in your room? Well the time has come to invest in art. While most of us are still on a paper chase just trying to keep looking good, you might balk at my suggestion. But art can be a good photograph that you or someone else has taken, check out flickr, a framed pop art poster from the flea market, or when you are really ready to invest…ART. I stumbled on Mustafa Maluka’s work while I was on myspace yesterday and I can’t stop thinking about the colors and textures and pattern play. When you really begin to study art, color and strokes, pattern, and technique begin to spell out a story or eveoke an emotion and it is a wonderful experience. This cat just finished showing and selling work at the Armory in NY, and continues to show all over the world. He has made a name for himself and has a great eye for color. Check out his work above and get ot know more about him. He is definitely someone to look out for. Send me some links of good art and artists and lets share, but get to know and understand art and then invest in it, the pay off is far greater than the airbrushed Biggie on your new tee.

Laidback is committed to social change and our ability to contribute to those in need. We have just begun our journey of styling your home with the color and culture of fashions found in hip-hop and the streets. This baby is 3 months old but still not too young to start giving back. We are developing a relationship with an HIV hospice that caters to teens and young adults as well as contributing to a group working to find a cure for the disease that is ravishing our communities. Our thinking is no contribution is too small, so we are implementing a campaign, “Changing the World One Pillow At A time” to give back a portion of our proceeds. It will be implemented by months end. Tonight if you can get to Harlem “A Healing in Harlem, Concert and Prayer Vigil” to combat Aids hosted by Cissy Houston and Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child will be jumping off. Check out Harlem One Stop for more info. The Black Church Week of Prayer is coming to a close but we must stay mindful and prayerful until we are no longer affected by this disease.

The talented tenth are in the room.. Excuses are reasons for inactivity…

These are words from the prolific speaker, entrepreneur, author, man that has helped to shape me. The Laidback lifestyle is not for all, but if you are down you gotta be about becoming educated as much as about being and living fly. So I thought it would be cool to jump off the blog and the lifestyle by introducing you all to Dennis Kimbro. I first learned of him I believe my last year of HS or first year of undergrad, his book Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice, had me on fire, wanting to utilize the other 90% of brain power that is said that we don’t use. If you don’t read but one book this year make it this one. I had the privilege of meeting him earlier this evening at an afterwork mixer, and did the man speak, inspire, ignite and challenge. I am on fire!! The collection is on fire and about to ignite. So watch out.