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No invasion force is complete without the help of motley mercenaries -- the British enlisted the steel of the Hessians, and the Rebel Alliance enlisted the cape of Lando Calrissian. Rumbling (with cohorts) into LA: Upper Playground.

Upper's an SF-based streetwear line making its first SoCal foray via a 4-shop complex -- one for themselves, the rest for their peeps. The breakdown:Upper Playground: The main store stocks basics (shorts/pants/accessories), plus hoodies covered in everything from wide stripes to a collage of Renaissance religious art. Graphic tees include Jurassic Park variations on UP's Walrus logo, an Osama-Bush BFF mashup, and exclusive-to-LA numbers like a cartoonish map of city icons like the Roxy, Venice Beach, and...Van Nuys? Mr Cartoon: The UP-friend/venerable LA tattooist (he's inked Eminem & Beyonce) will be hosting guest artists, and selling "items and artifacts from his passions and hobbies" (Beanie Babies -- leave the tags on 4 Life). Estevan Oriol: This gritty photographer's selling prints, plus apparel festooned with his images of lingerie'd chicks, lowriders, and thuggish men from his Eastside neighborhood -- put your own likeness on a shirt, so when you run into the guy gracing yours you can merrily return the favor.

The fourth store'll constantly rotate with everything from rare motorcycles to promotional film tie-ins, starting with DeNiro/Pacino's Righteous Kill -- a movie whose success is guaranteed, thanks to the enlistment of 50 Cent, John Leguizamo, and the ultimate mercenary, Brian Dennehey.

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Check out the line at UpperPlayground.com