Number four in line of the Colored Like Coal line-up are Muny, Puny and the Tree of Ambition!

Between the wonderful city of Allegory and the long Road to Success live curious twins by the name of Muny and Puny [open World Map]. It was said and believed that the two were born from the seeds of a famous tree somewhere on the Western Plains. Both a legend and a mystery, the story of their birth sprinkled the lives of Muny and Puny with dusts of secrecy the twins simply could not escape from. So on a day just like this, when the two finally reached the age of adulthood and the birds sang the hymn of a summer morning, Muny and Puny left their home to journey on the Western Plains in search of the famous tree.

The Tree of Ambition was not hard to find as the miraculous plant lay at the heart of the lowlands amidst astonished pilgrims and fascinated tourists. Awed by the energy that radiated from the tree, Muny and Puny slowly approached their destination wondering whether they were once seeds fallen from the tree’s Fruit of Labour.

Like the previous designs, Muny and Puny is silk-screen printed on a 185 gsm tee, double-stitched and with a shoulder to shoulder neck tape to curve the fabric with the shoulders line. The tee also comes in two color variations: white and blue, maintaining a subtle appearance while being captivating at the same time.

Guy Vernes is more than tees and polos. We can imagine that it’s hard for those of you who cannot drop by at the Mansion once in a while, to comprehend the totality of the brand. This is more so the case with our boutique only displaying a handful of products. One of our main intentions with the renewed blog is to try to fill that gap by publishing more about Guy Vernes on a regular basis, including our ever-growing product-line.

Those of you who enrich our days by their visits at the Mansion not only notice the elegant shelves painted by the colors of freshly pressed tees, but if they look at the walls, they see framed Guy Vernes artwork hanging against a flat background. Hence, by a quick glance around the room, almost every new visitor tells me the same: “So Guy Vernes is more than just tees!”.

This weekend, Guy Vernes Artwork premieres, as a mini-exposition will be put on permanent display at the Coffee Company in Delft. The little exhibition features two framed artworks of which one is a Coffee Company exclusive. The revelation of these artworks will of course be part of the Colored Like Coal Presentation this Sunday.

Exciting news to be continued…

If you haven’t visited the World of Guy Vernes yet, get your ticket now!

The World Map will be updated with new stories and phenomena so make sure to check it out once in a while. As stated earlier, with each new design a little more about this wonderful place will be revealed uncovering the bizarre mind of it’s creator. Stay tuned, everybody!

Surely, the birth of each new character in the realm of Guy Vernes is a wonderful happening. A new design means an introduction of a new character with it’s own story, habitat and personality and it’s own place in the encompassing web called the World of Guy Vernes. Those of you who have been around since the brand’s early days, certainly remember the World map displayed on the 2006-2009 website, where you could browse through the little guide and read all about your favorite characters. Through the Kuma Jungle, down the Baill Desert to the wonderful village of Tales Hamlet, the World of Guy Vernes was a magical destination full of adventures and little surprises.

Since the brand’s re-launch earlier this year however, the World seem to have faded to black with newcomers completely ignorant to the existence of this exciting phenomenon. Hence a re-introduction is due and in an attempt to revive this fantastic realm, we have taken the old World Map and updated it to it’s current state, displaying for the first time the magical World of Guy Vernes, where all characters are born, live, work and venture.

Continuing to reveal the upcoming series, here’s Colored Like Coal’s third revelation: The Male Brain featuring Maleko.

It has never been a secret that Maleko spends his days thinking only of one thing and one thing only. Cruising down the narrow tiled streets of The Capital, Maleko chases girls and women in an old-timer moped he calls the Wasp. Despite his obsession with the feminine, Maleko is known as a full-breed gentleman; bringing girls to his house, the Casa Nova, to eat tartare biscuits and marvel over his collection of Giovanni Panini replicas.

When the sun sets and the tangerine-orange paint of the evening spreads over the streets and the alleys, Maleko is to be found on a terrace in front of a caesar salad and a woman in love. The lady laughs and wonders, knowing that at the end of the evening some delicious tartare biscuits are waiting to take her down the road of a nightly romance.

Maleko is featured in the Male Brain; a silk-screen printed, medium-fit tee which comes in two color variations: white and brown. With smooth 100% combed-cotton fabric, the tee is a sturdy piece of work. Of course the t-shirt is finished with a woven Guy Vernes logo label and a Colored Like Coal textile label to wrap up the package.

UK-based blogger and streetwear aficionado FatKidOnFire interviews Guy Vernes on the brand, the theme of the designs and more. The result is a page full of interesting material and a great read for all interested to know more about the brand.

Read the full interview.

Every brand, every company, every collective is made of it’s people. Guy Vernes is a singular name, but a denunciation that surpasses the individual. This segment is an introduction and a tribute to the ones who make it all happen. Kicking-off is Mr. Guy Vernes himself.

The rise of every brand starts with nothing and over time, if you play your cards well, it might become a little something. The recipe is somewhere out there, I suppose: maybe between the lines of a Richard Branson biography or a Phil Knight interview somewhere on the net. The key to success is your definition of the latter. Needless to say, we’re all striving for it. Whatever it is.

Allow me to reintroduce myself, something I should have done a long time ago. My name is Bilal Al Mashta and although the brand surpasses the person, I’m also known by the more fashionable name of Guy Vernes.

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Born in 1985 in a city called Constantine, I spent half of my life in the lower lands, the place I call home. I graduated in 2009 as a master in Law with a degree in commercial law from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. On the second of June I handed in my thesis and that same evening I decided to dedicate my short-term future to a name I worked on building for a couple of years: Guy Vernes; a t-shirt brand I started in 2006. I will tell you all the reasons behind this somewhat radical decision another time, when the complete story of the brand’s coming to existence is published. For now it suffices to tell that it’s a decision I hardly regret.

My love for creation is the only thing I’m sure of. I cannot tell you what my exact talents are, but I find pure joy, life’s most encompassing feeling of happiness in the process of creation. Add to that a free spirit and an obsessive tendency to be original and you have the drive behind a brand that’s trying to tell it’s wonderful story in the world of art and fashion. Hence the company has become my way to give the world what I have been given, my supposed raison d’être: unlimited creative production.

After 24 years on this planet, my young mind has enveloped itself on the philosophy that life is a gift you ought to live in all humbleness and gratitude. In order to be your genuine self: live, love and give the world your talents. Maybe Guy Vernes is just a boyish dream I will wake up from some day, maybe it’s a beautiful reality I will dream about later. All I know is that we’re peddling along the canals, our girls on the back-carrier, not sure whether this is the road to success or success itself. In the meantime we’re doing what we do best and if you want to be part of it, just grab a bike and tag along. It’s a ride you’ll never forget.

With pleasure, Bilal

Read more about Bilal’s work
Photograph by Laura de Haan

On the red corner, weighing a 72,6 kg, it’s the incredible, the undefeated, the Unstoppable Vigorr!

Nobody really knows when Vigorr (read: Veegorrr, with rolling “R”) was born and it surely seems as if everybody who happens to have met him, has marked a different birthday on their calendars.

Vigorr was a restless child and in adulthood, he continues to be a very lively spirit. His peculiar love for punching things got his parents to send him to the famed Takeda’s Dojo where he was introduced to his life’s love: boxing. Through his energetic spirit and a body that seems to withstand every blow, Vigorr has become famous throughout the World for his unbreakable character. In the hundreds of fights he has entered, none has been lost, granting him the adjective of “unstoppable”; a nickname he carries with pride.

Silk-screen printed on a very smooth 185 gsm tee, The Unstoppable Vigorr comes in two different color variations: white and heather. Using 100% preshrunk cotton, the tee is tailored with a round knitted body making it a perfect medium-fit tee for both the summer and the chilly days.

Those of you who’ve seen the sketch on Facebook dropped last month: this is the end result.

Big news regarding the upcoming collection: Colored Like Coal will be hitting the shelves in the week of August 16! This retail launch will be preceded by a presentation of the collection celebrating the summer and the new series.

Colored Like Coal by Guy Vernes: The Presentation
Sunday 15 August 2010
15:00 – 17:00h CET
At The Coffee Company
Delft, the Netherlands

During this beautiful event you’ll be given a complete update on past, present and future happenings in the realm of Guy Vernes. Of course we will be displaying the new series and we have an awesome little surprise to expose. Simply put, the Presentation is an event you can’t miss!

See you at the Coffee Company everybody!

PS: Those of you wondering about the online launch; the collection will be available on guyvernes.com in September, although we will make earlier pre-ordering possible. More on that later.

In honor of one of the best (fighting) games ever made, Guy Vernes will release it’s second Special on Friday August 20 titled “Super Fighting People IV”. A brand new collectors item for all fans and especially for those who have bruised their thumbs over a Hadoken or a Sonic Boom sometime in their lives. More on this Special later.

To celebrate this fabulous event, a Super Street Fighter IV tournament will be held on Saturday August 21st. For those of you willing and able to enter the contest, we’ve included all info below. So bring on that trash talk and subscribe now!

A butt being kicked is a wonderful sight for all, so if you can’t fight or too chicken to bring it, but still want to watch the spectacle feel free to join as well.

Tournament information

Super Fighting Man
Saturday 21 August 2010
Starts at 19:00h CET
Labs55, The Hague (the Netherlands)

Prize: a “Super Fighting People IV” Special + SFIV figurine + the ultimate title of “Super Fighting Man”.

Note that the tournament will be played with the later edition, Super Street Fighter IV, on the Xbox 360 console. Default Xbox 360 controllers are available; arcade sticks are of course welcome.

Subscribe by sending an e-mail to ithinkicanhandleit[at]guyvernes[dot]com. Please include in your e-mail your character of choice (for statistical purposes; you are not obliged to actually play with this character).

Ready? FIGHT!