12 Tings For Christmas: The LargeUp Holiday Gift Guide
Each Christmas for the last five years, we’ve been bringing you a Holiday Gift Guide filled with the best Caribbean and Caribbean-inspired gifts we could find from around the Internet. This year, we thought we’d put them all in one place.
From limited-edition streetwear to unique art pieces, we’ve gathered gift candidates from across the Caribbean and the Diaspora, and made them available at the click of a button. Put on some irie Christmas tunes, pour yourself a glass of rum cream, and start filling your carts.
View the 2016 LargeUp Holiday Gift Guide here.
Wackies Tees + Hoodies
Wackies was the first Jamaican-owned reggae recording studio and record label in New York City, pioneering a hypnotic and hugely influential signature sound that still inspires religious devotion from Tokyo to Berlin. These tees (available in white on black; yellow on black; and black on white) and hoodies (gold on black; black on white) with the classic Wackies lion logo are direct from Father Wackies himself.
Bacchanal Pepper Sauce + Queen Majesty Scotch Bonnet & Ginger Hot Sauce
Give the gift of pepper this holiday. We’re not joking when we tell you that you need these pepper sauces from Brooklyn’s Queen Majesty and Bacchanal Sauce in your life. These five-ounce bottles of liquid heat make a perfect stocking stuffer for your uncle or auntie, or a spicy wild card for the Secret Santa pool at your office. Now that we know even Hillary Clinton carries hot sauce around in her bag, it’s a safe bet these will score points with just about anyone.
Look out for more additions to our Peppa selection soon!
Breadfruit Coaster Set
Roasted, fried or mashed up in a Bajan-style cou-cou, breadfruit is a staple of tropical diets from Polynesia to Port-au-Prince. Handmade in Haiti, this coaster set celebrating the Caribbean’s favorite superfood comes in a set of four. A perfect gift for the homemaker who wants to entertain guests with a touch of classic Caribbean style.
Alpha Boys School + Jamaica Sound System Federation Tees
Alumni of Jamaica’s Alpha Boys School include greats like Yellowman, Horsemouth, Johnny Osbourne, Leroy Smart, Rico Rodriguez and the founding members of the Skatalites, to name a few. It’s the place where modern Jamaican music was born. Represent for JA’s famed music school with the Alpha Boys School tee (available in red, green and black) designed and screen printed by the students of Alpha Boys.
Cops and firemen have their unions, and so do the sound men who bring music to the people of Jamaica. Founded by Jam One International’s Tony Myers, the Jamaica Sound System Federation‘s mission is to preserve and promote Jamaican sound culture. The Jamaica Sound System Federation T-shirt is screen printed by the students of Alpha Boys School, with proceeds going to support vocational training at Alpha, and continuing education scholarships for sound-system personnel.
Alumni NY x Fila Beef Patty Sneakers + Tee
For as long as almost anyone can remember, the Jamaican patty X coco bread combo has been the afternoon snack of choice in Jamaica. This summer, Alumni NY, a sneaker boutique based in Flatbush, Brooklyn, paid homage to their neighborhood’s rich Jamaican culture by getting together with Italian footwear brand Fila for a limited-edition sneaker inspired by the beef patty. This collab sold out in a day, but we’ve got some of the last remaining pairs. As part of the package, Alumni also dropped this limited-edition tee featuring the classic beef patty in its rightful home — inside a folded-up slice of coco bread.
Rebels to Dons Indigo Fedora + Denim Cap
Combining streetwear with sophistication, New York’s Rebels to Dons has been one of our favorite menswear labels for a minute. Trinidad-born Joshua C. Joseph learned the art of hatmaking from his father, Opio Chung, a Brooklyn legend known for his leather crowns, and he applies that knowledge and craftsmanship to Rebels to Dons’ hand-stitched Indigo Fedora and Denim Cap. It’s no accident you’ve seen people from Major Lazer’s Walshy Fire to Tyler the Creator rocking Rebels to Dons.
Dancing Words Cushions + Dancehall Colouring Book by Robin Clare
Australia-based Jamaican artist Robin Clare‘s Dancing Words series illustrates the movements that make up dancehall’s classic dance moves, step by step. She recently applied designs from her wildly-popular prints onto these cushions inspired by the Dutty Wine and Nuh Linga. Both are perfect for resting your feet on after a night at the bashment.
For something a little more interactive, Robin has created the Dancehall Colouring & Activity Book. With features like a Vybz Kartel maze, a Shabba Ranks Mad Libs game, and a Yellowman crossword puzzle, this is the perfect opportunity to introduce your kids to dancehall, without letting them hear all the slack lyrics! Seriously, it’s fun for the whole dutty stinkin’ family!
In Fine Style: The Dancehall Art of Wilfred Limonious
This recently-released book celebrates the work of the late Wilfred Limonious, Jamaica’s wickedest illustrator from the 80’s, who is responsible for so much of our favorite album art. With a foreword from photographer/historian Beth Lesser, interviews with Limonious-inspired artists, and page-after-page of classic illustrations from the man himself, this is the ultimate dancehall coffee-table book.
The LargeUp Vape Pen
This customized LargeUp concentrate vape pen hits like a bloodclaut Mack Truck. It’s easy to clean and discreet for traveling purposes.
Baron Samedi Masks from Haiti + “Spoonboy”
Handmade by a child artist in Port-Au-Prince, “Spoon Boy” reflects the ingenuity of Haiti’s artisans. Using all found and recycled materials, this piece is truly one of a kind.
Baron Samedi, master of the dead and giver of life, is one of the principal spirits (or loa) in Haitian Vodou folklore. This set of two metal masks depicting the Baron in his signature top hat was handmade in Village Artistique de Noailles, an artist village in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti.
Dancehall Photo Prints from Martei Korley
LargeUp creative director Martei Korley has been documenting Jamaica’s music scene with his camera since the 1990s. Over the years, he’s captured some of reggae and dancehall’s biggest names in their most unguarded moments. For the first time, he’s made some of his favorite shots of Bounty Killer, Popcaan and Busy Signal available as 11 x 17 prints.
The Wah Gwaan Doormat
Wah Gwaan? Welcome your guests — and the New Year — yard style, with this easy-to-clean, handmade doormat bearing Jamaica’s favorite greeting. Trust us, this one will make you the envy of your whole neighborhood and all your IG followers.
Tags:
Alpha Boys School Alumni NY Bacchanal Sauce Baron Samedi beef patty sneakers Bounty Killer Breadfruit Busy Signal coco bread Dancehall Dancehall Art Dancehall Colouring Book Dancing Words Haitian art hot sauce Jamaica Sound System Federation Jamaican patty pepper sauce Popcaan Queen Majesty Hot Sauce Rebels to Dons Robin Clare Wackie's Records Wah Gwaan Wah Gwaan Doormat Wilfred Limonious
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