An Urbanity Profile – Nicholas Schmidt

Posted on June 27, 2013

Nicholas Schmidt is the name behind a fashion brand representing American tradition in the highest regard. Urbanity101 is proud to feature this native Wisconsinite and the story behind his emerging label. Nicholas creates custom made-to-order selvage denim pieces for men and women, as well as vegetable-tanned leather accessories.

Three years ago, Nicholas took on the craft of making jeans. This was spurred by a conscious decision to quit drinking and refocus his time and energy into full progression of his design skills. What started as a single simple jean mock-up, soon developed into a consistent process for creating superb selvage jeans. Nicholas saw his skills improve immensely as he began working across different mediums. He began to branch out and learn leather working, eventually creating a full product line consisting of belts, wallets, and briefcases. Nicholas describes his belts as “life lasting”, as they are made with 11-13 ounces of leather exclusively sourced from the Herman Oak company.

The Nicholas Schmidt brand draws it’s fashion inspiration from the 1930’s and 40’s; coupling that period’s iconic work-wear aesthetics with modern fashion sensibilities. What separates his brand from other fashion companies is how he manages to side-step the current assembly-line format of purchasing clothes. All of the pieces are custom and made to order based on the specific measurements of the customer. Nicholas is committed to fully involving the customer in the step-by-step creation of their garment. All of the denim is sourced abroad from socially responsible manufactures.

What especially stood out to us here at Urbanity101, is how Nicholas is able to create high quality selvage denim that breaks gender lines. A majority of current Women’s jeans offers solely fashion designs in place of quality construction and durability. This allows Nicholas to merge both elements within his women’s garments. The selvage material creates a silhouette that stretches and adheres each woman’s unique shape. He believes that women need and deserve a higher quality denim jean. We here at Urbanity101 attest to Nicholas filling that void within the current fashion market.

For inquires, please visit (nicholasschimidtusa) & Facebook.

An Urbanity Profile: Jenni Yang

Posted on June 5, 2013

What inspired you to do Metal Design?

Well my mom is a jewelry maker. She makes mostly natural jewelry with natural stones and beads, but what really inspires me to design metal is my community. I live on the Creative Arts and Design Community in Sellery Hall on the UW Campus. The artistic culture and many resourceful networks the community provides has taught me so much. There are a bunch of First Wavers on my floor and the hip-hop culture they embody has also been an inspiration for me. We collaborate on projects all the time and feed off of each other’s talent.

Where are you from?

I’m originally from Taiwan but I was raised just outside of Columbus, OH.

What kind of artist would you classify yourself as and what direction do you want to take that in?

I would say that I am a 2-D artist but I really love 3-D art. Most of my work is typically unconventional. I started off wanting to do tattoos but when I came here I was introduced to new friends and I picked up making metal artwork. Eventually, I would love to make custom furniture pieces but for right now I am focusing on a smaller project called Sins in Salvation (SNS). SNS is an artistic company I started myself that pretty much encompasses all of my art work (photography, metal work, tattoo pieces, etc.) I love to collaborate my company and my work with different artists here on campus. We all work together to help each other and provide resources for one another on a lot of our projects.

How has the Midwest inspired you in your artwork, if at all?

Well the Midwest is much more relaxed in comparison to the east coast The east coast is very high pressured and competitive. I think that the Midwest is a combination between the two. There aren’t many pressures here; no one ever has any big expectations for the Midwest. This gives us the liberty to make it what we want. It’s weird that I found an inspirational hip-hop community in Wisconsin, but that goes to show how people in the Midwest take their environment and personalize it, they make it what it is.

So explain your thought process when you are making metal artwork? What elements go into a typical project? What materials do you use?

Well I have always been interested in how things are made. When I see a table I look at what holds it up? How does this table function? What parts go into this table? So when I make projects I kind of use that same conceptual analysis. I usually get my task or what aspects need to be incorporated in the project from the patron and then I take it from there. I always incorporate my own style and interpretation on each of my projects. As for materials? I use whatever is available. The Humanities Building has a vast variety of different metals and materials they sell; so I have many resources.

Here is some of Jenni’s work:

Urbanity Grooming: Dart Salon & Spa

Posted on April 4, 2013

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Grooming is a topic that often gets bypassed by some men in an effort to keep masculinity status during conversations. It’s a subject that is often hard for most guys to broach. We fear of appearing too concerned with “trivial” matters such as hair. Yet, grooming remains an essential requirement for any modern gentleman. The Urbanity team is looking to service our male readers by doing the grunt work for you. We know as well as anyone that the demands of young adults can sometimes force us to put haircuts in the back of our priority list. The Urbanity team was luckily able to find solace in the talents of those at DART Salon and Spa, located in Milwaukee’s Third Ward.

Founded in February 2012 by Tanya and Daven Hines, DART has filled a much needed void in the salon and spa services market. Offering a wide array of products and services for both men and women, they differentiate themselves from competitors by offering clients a fully inclusive experience. It’s not often that someone is able to have all of their grooming needs met under one roof; even rarer for the quality of the services provided to remain completely upscale and personalized throughout. DART places emphasis on not just providing males with a haircut. Instead, they provide a sense of artistry with their shears. The master barbers in residence at DART, Daven Hines and Darryl Tucker, took on quite the challenge. The stressess associated with the final exam crunch were personified in the state of the Urbanity101 duo’s hair. These before and after shots highlight the authority DART barbers wield with their clippers. Please try to reserve judgment on the before shots.

An Urbanity Profile: Chef Ethan Taylor

Posted on March 6, 2013

The lyric “started from the bottom” is a new millennial catchphrase that has garnered quite a bit of media buzz recently. I believe that people are indentifying with this expression because it depicts the idea of success as being a continuous cyclical process; a “grind” so to speak. Exhibiting expertise and garnering success within any profession never occurs over night. The culinary resume of Milwaukee native Chef Ethan Taylor truly exemplifies this mentality.

GreatEET’s is the company started by Taylor and executive Chef Autumn Lewis; GreatEET’s currently provides high-tier personal chef services to some of the most notable celebrities in entertainment. Since their initial launch in 2007, the company has amassed a client list of the world’s biggest stars. Since Taylor’s relocation to California he has cooked for the likes of Frank Ocean, Justin Beiber, Mariah Carey, Kelly Rowland, and Kim Kardashian just to name a few.

During a brief conversation with Chef Taylor, he describes the fortuitous position Great EET’s has placed him in. “I’m grateful to be able to do what I love and bring fresh, delicious food into the homes of my clients each week. I keep this in mind every day and with every meal I make.”

However, Taylor has been paying his dues within the foodie world for quite sometime now. He began his culinary career at the early age of sixteen, working in prep kitchens and catering events in the Milwaukee area. He then set his sights on completing culinary school at Kendall College. It was there where he began apprenticing under prestigious chefs and gained expertise in Classical French cooking. Starting his career in Chicago allotted him exposure to the city’s culturally diverse food scene. Making him extremely well versed in a variety of cuisine styles, ranging from Asian to Contemporary Comfort foods.

Working with a celebrity client base also means understanding and accommodating nuances. Chef Taylor works individually with each client in creating a custom meal menu. A process which includes preparing trusted family favorites, cooking for special diets or simply getting them to try out new and exciting foods. This California transplant is offering a much needed Midwestern flare to Hollywood’s culinary scene. Chef Taylor is an excellent embodiment of the Urbanity mentality.

(ûr-bn-t) Travel: Floridian Explorations

Posted on February 8, 2013

As Midwesterners, sometimes an escape from January climates in Wisconsin is needed. The Urbanity team spent a long weekend exploring what the cities of Ft. Lauderdale and Miami had to offer. During our trip we stayed at the W hotel located directly on the beach. The modern aesthetics of the hotel are what especially stood out to us. The central theme of water was carried out in small details throughout the building. The hotel staffs were all incredibly accommodating. Although the sun did it’s best to hide from us, we still managed to make numerous trips out to the pool. Their in-house restaurant, Steak954, offered a great variety of seafood options. My personal favorite included the big-eye tuna and foie gras tacos. The balcony view provided us with a great ocean landscape.

Another great experience from the trip was getting the chance to stop by the Yardbird on Miami Beach. This brunch location was recommended to us via Lebron James blog. It was a welcomed surprise. You don’t typically think of southern styled comfort food when you picture Miami Beach. However, this place offered one of the best brunch menus we’ve seen to date. The food was so good in fact, that it nearly tempted us to make it a daily stop during the trip.

Homey touches are all over the menu. Biscuits are baked fresh every half-hour or more; bacon is house-cured — an eight-day process repeated several times a week. Grits and eggs arrive in the cast-iron skillet in which they was baked. Yardbird, which gets crowded on weekend nights and during Sunday brunch, clearly has its priorities straight. Over the open kitchen there’s a sign: “There are two kinds of people in the world: those who love fried chicken and communists.” We couldn’t agree more.

Our Floridian explorations proved to be quite the adventure. As always, we encourage our readers to explore the best the world has to offer them. Until next time friends.

An Urbanity Interview: Yuna

Posted on December 31, 2012

Yuna is a recording artist that understands the importance of writing music that has the ability to transcend boundaries. Her self-titled debut album, featuring three tracks produced by Pharrell Williams, is currently out now.

Urbanity had the opportunity to meet with her for a quick Q&A session this past summer. As music connoisseurs, we immediately noticed her talent. Yuna’s music possesses lyrical sensibilities and production quality that distinctly seperates her from her peers. With her soft vocals and warm acoustic guitar, this singer-songwriter crafts thought provoking songs that reflect life and love in a novel way.

We at Urbanity are incredibly infatuated with your fashion background. Where do you draw style inspiration from and in what ways has co-owning the Malaysian fashion boutique IAMJETFUEL influenced your music?

I love European street style. There’s something about it that I’m drawn too, probably because there’s a lot of personality that goes on, people just dress differently and they don’t wear the same stuff. I guess IAMJETFUEL helps me a lot in giving me another way to channel my creativity when I’m not touring or recording. I love going through clothes, it’s another way of telling a story like, “Hey with this piece you could wear it with this and that… I love it.”

Can you describe to us what the Malaysian indie music scene is like? How has the culture impacted your debut release?

The Malaysian indie music scene is small, but there’s a lot of people in Malaysia who are just super passionate about music and we are super supportive of each other, I came from a small circle of acoustic singer songwriters in Malaysia so I bring that spirit with me everywhere I go. I’m making pop music now but I’d still keep the honesty and sincerity of lyrics that singer songwriters normally have in their music, in whatever I’m doing these days.

Your recent Frank Ocean cover of “Thinking About You” was extremely polished and smooth. What contemporary artists are you currently listening to? Are there any whom you could see yourself possibly collaborating with in the future?

I’ve been listening to a lot of Frank Ocean, St. Vincent, Best Coast, SBTRKT these days but I would love to work with Chris Martin from Coldplay one day.

An Inside Look: Context Clothing

Posted on December 25, 2012

Context Clothing is nestled along the capitol square in Madison, WI. This store specializes in Heritage selvage denim that’s primarily produced in the U.S. and Japan. It also carries a variety of rare menswear pieces from brands like APC, Band of Outsiders, Canada Goose, Gitman Brothers, Wings + Horns, and RRL.

Daven and I attended the shop during Context’s Adopt-A-Family charity benefit. The mission of Adopt-A-Family is to serve the needs of the diverse Madison community without discrimination; they are a subsidiary of the Salvation Army. Their services are especially necessary during these hard, economic times and the holiday season. Context raffled off four tickets to see the Green Bay Packers play at Lambeau Field with all proceeds benefitting the charity. Luckily, Context also does amazing denim repair. We were looking to save Daven’s pair of APCs from a brutal crotch blowout.

Sunday Brunch Vol. 1: Bradbury’s Cafe

Posted on November 25, 2012

This post chronicles a new Urbanity installment, entitled Sunday Brunch. Nothing tends to cap off a weekend youthful of shenanigans quite like a Sunday brunch session to help make sense of it. By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch also tends to make life brighter for Saturday-night carousers. Conversation amongst friends about the weekend and the week ahead are what make the Monday transition more bearable. Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting. It is talk-compelling. It tends to put you in a good frame of mind, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.

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Our first installment focuses on the Madison, WI cafe, Bradbury’s. The cafe’s food menu is a rotating array of crepes (based on the Wisconsin growing season), scones and muffins made every morning in-house. They use local flour, eggs and dairy as well as seasonal fruits and vegetables, free range meats and local cheeses. Pictured below is their cappuccino, the expresso is made from Kickapoo Coffee (Viroqua, WI). Urbanity applauds Bradbury’s commitment in using small-scale farms and their strong overall focus on quality and sustainability. Although Starbucks may be abundant and convenient you notice a real taste difference when a bunch of folks are interested in brewing quality coffee at every level. We’d highly recommend their drink menu as a must for any coffee connoisseur.

The crepes include a delicious banana, almond, and Nutella dish. It’s difficult to ever make an unappetizing meal that features Nutella, this crepe only further proves the theory. The second crepe was a seasonal pumpkin offering that made you wish autumn was an endless thing. Add some freshly squeezed orange juice and friendly conversation into the mix, and you have a brunch experience that quickly turns into tradition. Urbanity encourages its readers to take the edge off of the looming workweek by rounding up your best friends to link up for brunch.

An Urbanity Interview: Chester French

Posted on November 19, 2012

We here at Urbanity are especially fond of those who can remain unabashedly prep whilst singing hooks for Meek Mill and Rick Ross. Musically, Chester French embodies juxtaposition. Their latest album, Music for Tngrs is a refutation of irony; an album that is unapologetic in creating great, relevant pop music.

We recently had the opportunity to interview Chester French lead singer D.A. Wallach. D.A. is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin native, Harvard graduate, and current Artist in Residence at Spotify. Read more to view the latest video for Chester French’s lastest single, “DROP.”

You seem to combine sartorial influences from your experiences at Harvard, working with Pharrell, ect. How would you describe your personal style aesthetic?

I gravitate to aesthetic simplicity in general. Nature is the gold standard of beauty in my book, and everything humans make is an ultimately hopeless attempt to match that standard. Clothes in particular, then, should be about presenting oneself more than about presenting a designer’s work. My personal style these days is also focused on comfort. I have been wearing a lot of Birkenstocks and t-shirts.

In what ways has growing up in Milwaukee influenced your music? What is your opinion on Wisconsin’s musical identity?

I think Wisconsin in general is this cool petri dish of misfit cultures, or at least it was for me and a lot of my friends. Being marginalized by the coasts, Wisconsinites have to craft their own sense of belonging and ownership over art. In high school I listened to a ton of Outkast, The Beatles, Roy Orbison, and Michael Jackson. Tom Petty too. I used to go see him at Summerfest.

Congratulations on the release of Music for Tngrs. How would you explain the transition of the Chester French sound from Love the Future to now?

Thank you. The sound now is more visceral and self-possessed. We were more in control and could use music to make a more honest and direct statement.

A Weekend in the City.

Posted on November 10, 2012

The Urbanity team spent a weekend in Chicago this past summer. We were lucky enough to receive press passes to Lollapalooza. It was our first trip to the famous annual music festival. A highlight of the weekend was getting to be backstage for TORO Y MOI‘s performance. This was our first true festival experience. Crawling the landscape of Hyde Park, not worrying how mud covered our shoes were. It was beautiful to be able to connect with so many that had a genuine love and appreciation of music. Seeing some of our favorite bands for the first time was a great experience that we wont soon forget.

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We also managed to work in a delicious brunch during the trip. We dined at the Grassfed restaurant in the heart of Bucktown. The brunch menu was fantastic. The items pictured above include fried chicken & waffles, made of buttermilk brined amish raised chicken, sage butter, and maple. The second dish is Grassfed’s Breakfast Burger, made of grass-fed ground beef, fried egg, hollandaise, and organic potatoes. We hope to make this festival trek an annual tradition. Urbanity would also like to thank city of Chicago for its wonderful hospitality during our stay. Read more to see a clip of Toro Y Moi’s live performance.