Vancouver Island, British Columbia, is a truly magickal place. Not only is it the occult center of Canada, it is home to a vast array of wildlife that literally live in people’s back yards. There really are no words to describe the natural beauty and power of B.C., and Vancouver Island is the jewel in it’s crown. Moon Raven Designs is based in the village of Brentwood Bay, Vancouver Island, and is run by Dianne and Michael Doyle, who handcraft stunning jewelry based on the wildlife they experience on a daily basis. Much of their collection is corvidae-inspired, and centers around raven and crow skulls and talons. However, they also venture into sea life, human anatomy, antlers and wildcats, among others. They cast in a variety of metals, and make earrings, pendants, rings and bracelets that are exceptional in their design and finish. I even found some amazing bird skull drawer pulls and a cross switchblade necklace. After the jump, find yourself a new handmade accessory by Moon Raven Designs…

READ MORE…

I just discovered a new tumblr dedicated to punk jackets. I have a special affinity for punk jackets, having spent almost a month & a half making one for Sean’s birthday last year. His wasn’t the typical punk jacket…there is no Discharge patch on it…it’s kind of a combination of gothic, metal, crust & doom-inspired. As far as punk jackets go, I especially appreciate the hand-painted ones, where the entire jacket becomes a canvas, because those take so much painstaking effort and really imbue the jacket with love. Fuck Yeah Punk Jackets appears to be run out of the UK by a couple of punks who go by the names of Rats & Booger, I think. But it is also a kind of open-source blog where people post their own creations, which is pretty awesome, because you get an unfiltered look at what people are making, even when the photos are shitty. I have assembled a gallery of some of the jackets I most liked from the site, including Sean’s…so check that out after the jump!

READ MORE…

We are really happy to release our first collection of tees, tanks, raglans, henleys & hats in the form of CVLT Nation One. We are also offering a couple of the graphics on canvas back patches for your own DIY enjoyment. We worked with some really amazing artists for our first season, who have set the tone for the CVLT Nation clothing line. If you haven’t already checked out our collections page, we worked with Daniel Desecrator, Toshihiro Egawa, Elias Tormentor and Alemsahim to create dark and powerful hand-drawn pieces. Everything is at our stockists’ worldwide next week, and it’s up here in the CVLT Store. After the jump, take a peek at what we are offering this season, and then head over to the store to pick some up for yourself!

ASUNDER – Daniel Desecrator

READ MORE…

These two are so busy, they remind me of Sean and I on speed. Somewhere in between hand-silkscreening their t-shirts and studding and sewing leather cuffs, Amanda and Le Messie at FALSE also produce FALSE Magazine. True to their craft, they hand-cut, finish and bind every signed and dated issue, and also include 3 handmade 1″ pins. False Flag, their third issue released today, is a series of mixed-media artworks in the spirit of Adbusters – revealing the corruption and deceitful reassurances of modern day societies and their rulers. FALSE inject every page of this zine with their anarcho-punk spirit and create scathing imagery that blasts both government and corporate mind-control of the idiot masses. Their cover image is of a flag that has represented lies and genocide since it’s inception. As a Communications major from a lefty school of thought, this shit is right up my alley. After the jump, check out some images from the new issue, and pick up your copy HERE.

READ MORE…

For those of you unfamiliar with GIVE UP, he is a wheatpaste artist from the great state of Texas.  His work can been seen all over Texas, United States, zines, album covers, and his own line of GIVE UP brand clothing. Make sure to check out his blog for updates on his awesome work along with his webstore! Last week, CVLT NATION had the pleasure of talking to the man one on one about life, chase stories, Oprah, and more. Read the rad interview with GIVE UP after the jump!

READ MORE…

Death is an ever-present and completely preoccupying aspect of life. Whether it terrifies you or excites you, it is something that is constantly under scrutiny by the metal community. I guess that’s why I search out artists who bring death to life in their work, who ask us to face it and to think about it. One of those artists, whom I am so happy to have found, is Sarina Brewer. Brewer is a taxidermic artist – she creates reverential portraits of found animal carcasses, sometimes simply using the carcass as she finds it, but more often than not altering it in some way. She creates chimeras, gilded corpses, frankensteins, talismans, siamese twins and the occasional punk squirrel. Brewer acknowledges that some people may find her perspective offensive, but contends that she is paying homage to and carrying on global traditions of revering the dead through mummification and other forms of preservation. She points out that the Victorians often used preserved body parts, such as hair or teeth, in their death jewelry, and that she too makes death jewelry with her animals. As Brewer says, reverence is relative, so why judge how a people deal with their dead? Not just an artist and jeweler, Brewer is also active in the science and animal rescue communities – she volunteers in the biology department of the Science Museum of Minnesota, and also works to rescue and rehabilitate animals. Her art uses roadkill, discarded livestock and donated corpses – the animals are in no way hunted or killed for her artistic purposes. I find her breed of art weird in a wonderful way; it makes my skin crawl with the enjoyment of her creativity. After the jump, enter Sarina Brewer’s world…

READ MORE…

A classic part of the metalhead uniform is the long-sleeve t-shirt, a piece that has barely changed for more than 20 years. At almost every show, you can find yourself an epically screened longsleeve, with front, back and sleeve placements. These shirts come in handy for hiding your skinny, hairy arms, and for covering up any unsightly tattoos you thought were an awesome idea when you were 18. I spent a little time perusing T-shirt Slayer, and I found some choice picks among the countless shirts posted up there. Keep in mind, this is very DIY photography, but you can definitely feel the spirit of the shirts. I even threw in some epic bootleg Ozzy & Metallica raglans from their 1986 tours…I just picture some mustachioed dude in aviators hawking these babies. In true metal spirit, CVLT Nation Two will feature some pretty rad longsleeves for your Fall wardrobe, so stay tuned for those. After the jump, take a peek at some of my favorites, old and new…

READ MORE…

Le Messie and Amanda from FALSE have created the perfect blend of DIY and independent fashion label with their brands. They are an inspiration for what we do here at CVLT Nation, and as a testament to the beautiful things that two people can create together. Each piece they make for their three brands, FALSE, Better Off Dead and Fallacy of Rome, has their personal touch on it, and most of what they make is constructed and silkscreened by hand. At a time where “Made in the USA” means nothing to the average consumer, who is happy to spend their life in Target, it is refreshing to see people who are making a success out of DIY! I am really happy I got the chance to interview them and get a glimpse into their world…after the jump, read about what makes Le Messie and Amanda my new favorite people…

Izzy Wolf has been around for a little while now, and is definitely my favorite kids brand. Although I grew up on hand-me-downs, and I am definitely of the thrift store school of kids clothing shoppers, I would drop the dough for one of their Night Wolf denim & leather jackets for sure. I am already fantasizing about the little back patch I’ll make for my soon-to-be-born daughter. And she will be rocking some of those leggings with it. Izzy Wolf is the brainchild of Cass and Jason Hamilton, who now have two fly daughters, but named the line after their oldest, Izzy, who is surely the flyest little girl I have seen outside of Stockholm. The “Wolf” part comes in because they donate part of their profits to the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in NM, which is pretty rad. Their collection is compact and quality, consisting of cut-off hoodies and denim vests, leggings and the aforementioned denim & leather jacket. They use tie-dye in a non-hippie way and create visual chaos on their hoodies, vests and leggings – the Storm tie-dye looks like the sky after the Icelandic volcano eruption. They also make some hair metal-esque shiny metallic leggings, of which the snakeskin is my favorite. What I love about their line is that it is not an example of people sexualizing their children by dressing them as little adults, the way children’s lines like Forever 21 or H&M do so creepily with baby bikinis and mini skirts. Izzy Wolf is kids clothing that looks hardcore, but retains its’ child-like quality at the same time. Take a closer look at their collection & rad photo shoot after the jump…

Witchcraft Hardware hails from the UK, and makes skate gear for a kvlt following. Owned & operated by our homie French, Witchcraft unabashedly takes its’ influence from death and black metal, and from Satan himself. The decks all feature handcrafted artwork masterpieces from a group of extremely talented artists, including French himself. From rotting nun corpses to orgies of goat-worshiping, Witchcraft is nothing to fuck with. They also do a clothing line featuring one of a kind artwork from the same artists that design the decks. Basically, Witchcraft is a one-stop-shop for everything the Satanic Skater needs to destroy the pavement. The Witchcraft skate team shreds globally and even has a member from my hometown of Canada. They have some rad videos up on their site of their team storming the UK like a demon army. So if you feel like your talents must have come from the underworld, then after the jump check out Witchcraft’s fine products, plus their awesome promo vid…

READ MORE…