AUF Philadelphia

Coming together as one can either create something far more powerful than each individual, like Voltron, or usher in the horrible reality that now you all have to eat the cookie. Forging an alliance to give local labels their due props, AUF Philadelphia

From a couple dudes with streetwear scene connects who felt Philly threads weren't getting enough national love, just-launched AUF (A United Front) aims to raise the visibility of the city's independent labels by rounding up and hawking the finest 215 tees & sweatshirts alongside a smattering of books and CDs, while its blog highlights the artists, designers, and musicians -- but not Highlights, because that's for children. Featured lines include Piazza-docked Fresh Melt Water, pushing a tee with a book entitled The American Way with bookmarked sections on how to "Lie", "Cheat" & "Steal", while AnmlHse continues their logo-skewering tradition with a self-referential morph of FILA's trademark plus another number with THE ANML LIFE replacing NEW YORK LIFE, now The Company You Keep...in a cage. Next up's Babylon Cartel, whose clean, sometimes sci-fi-ish stylings include the gray Chanel Cartel Crew sweatshirt, complete with UPenn's shield reworked to rep Babylon Flight Academy's commitment to the "People of the Future", while The Fates celebrate fine living through crossed hand-carved pipes on a blue tee dubbed "Life Of Leisure", and AUF-exclusive After Life slings vintage Pendletons in a range of sizes and styles -- none of which, sadly, are "Terry"

On the lit tip, AUF's moving copies of Tatted, the hardback graphic-heavy ode to tattoo art from local publisher Grit City, while music picks include DJ Sega's New Jack Philly and Emynd and Bo Bliz's Crossfaded Bacon, which proves that two concepts combined are always stronger, when one of them is bacon.