I was browsing the Am Appy store, and I found a kewl new product called ‘the bag o scraps.’ I think that the concept behind the product is that you can ‘create your own meaningful arts and crafts’ using Am Appy material/the exclusive Am Appy colour/design palette. Like if you can’t afford a real Am Appy t-shirt, you could glue together these scraps to make ur own unique one. Or if you are a free-spirited girl, u can ‘let ur imagination run wild’ while creating some thing ‘beautiful’ with the bag-o-scraps.

It seems hard to run a clothing manufacturing company, like there is all of this ‘extra shit’ left over, but u don’t really know what to do with it. Then u hire some ‘alternative arts+crafts consultants’ to come in with some ‘fresh ideas’ about how you can brand this waste. Seems like u are just ‘jonesing 4 money’ in anyway possible, trying to ‘liquidate inventory’ and ‘reduce the bottom line’ by ‘creating brand synergy’ and ‘manufacturing efficiencies’ while keeping ‘fixed costs at a minimum’ and creating a ‘progressive business culture’ where ‘ideas are incubated’ and ur ‘vertically integrated corporate structure’ is able to ‘make huge margins.’

The bag-o-scraps sorta reminds me of how barbecue restaurants invented a product that is a sandwich made out of the leftovers from beef scraps and the leftover meats that have a ‘high fat content.’

The Chopped Beef BBQ sandwich is made up from the scraps and leftover fat cuttings from the ‘premium beef products.’ They are able to mix all of this 3rd class waste with barbecue sauce, and sell it like it is a ’special recipe’, but the people who eat it are actually ‘eating pig slop.’ It seems important to only eat ‘white meat’ and possibly red meat that has a ‘reasonable fat content.’ But I think in America, ppl like to eat unhealthy stuff, and take pride in it.

(What is ur fave kind of BBQ?)

It seems difficult to run a business efficiently. I feel like ideally, there would be no ‘leftover scraps’ to salvage. But maybe the bag-o-scraps is sorta a lesson about life. Not everything is going to be a perfectly tailored t-shirt in a unique colour sold at an above-market price because ur buying a ‘quality brand.’ Sometimes u have to take what life gives you–a bag-o-scraps– and turn it into something beautiful. Maybe life is just a bag-o-scraps, and the individual scraps are the people/mp3s/blogsites/social networks/tweets that make U who U R as an individual.

Might buy a bag-o-scraps and open up an etsy store/ebay thrift store. Seems lucrative. Might open a BBQ restaurant.

‘Matter can neither be created nor destroyed. It may be rearranged in space, and changed into different types of particles, and utilized to create meaningful arts, crafts, and branded products.’
-God when creating the Bag O Scraps

Previous Am Appy Coverage
[Kanye West Shops at Am Appy] [Am Appy Swine Flu Mask] [Am Appy Black Guy Employee] [Product Packaging Analysis] [Am Appy undies with cock pic] [Afrikaan products at am appy] [Am Appy Products that are easy 2 <3/h8]

Do u have n e good ideas 4 making shit with the ‘bag o scraps’?
Do u know if Am Appy cloth is ‘the same as a condom’ if u wrap it around ur penis and penetrate ur lover?
Does n e 1 know where I can buy Hollistercrombie bags-o-scraps?

Do u have any solid ideas for what makes a festival ‘appear 2 be’ hella ‘fun’?
Which of these gimmicks ‘makes’ a music festival better?

Should music festivals go to Home Depot to buy leaf blowers in order to make more ‘toilet paper’ shooters?

Photos via cobrasnatch

Releasing ‘beach balls’ to simulate a coastal environment?

Booking a college-themed partie DJ?

Releasing an ‘inflatable heart’ to represent ‘the human spirit’?

Having a ‘cityscape’ as ‘the backdrop’ ur music festival [via meaningful setting]?

Would ‘free weed’ make music fests better?

Have moms of kids who are at the festival host a ‘bake sale’ to make people feel younger & let moms feel like they are a part of their alternative child’s life?

Building a rollercoaster that goes over the mainstage?

Constructing a huge slip n slide for people to ‘fuck’ and ‘grind’ on?

Really just want to attend ‘the perfect music festival.’

Please share your creative ideas, and other stuff that would make a music festival seem ‘hella cool.’ Every business is struggling to survive, and business entities must get back in touch with consumers if they want to stay around forever [via govt bailout].

What makes a music festival ‘meaningful’ 2 u?
If u had millions of dollars to throw a music festival, how would yall ‘throw it down’?

I am so tired of shopping at malls/retail outlets/thrift stores that are ‘chains’/smelly thrift stores like ‘Goodwill.’ I just don’t want stuff that is branded, or stuff that is obvious. Now that Am Appy has ‘gone mainstream’, it’s just harder to express myself without seeming like I am wearing ’some cookie cutter outfit.’

Fortunately, I was able to attend an event called ‘a street sale.’ Basically, people from around the alt part of my town do something like a ‘clothing swap.’ We just put all of our stuff on the sidewalk, and we get to look around for ’shit that looks kewl.’ It was sort of like the ‘perfect economic model’ because we were able to buy, sell, and even trade goods+services to obtain the things we wanted. No need for debit cards. For example, I traded 4 hours worth of Photoshop designing for a really sweet pair of sunglasses. I sold a cute top for the opportunity to use some one’s Wii for 30 minutes with a group of friends.

I feel excited about ‘the scene.’ Think we’re coming closer together, understanding that we don’t need a mainstream economy to continue to thrive. If we just come together, and trade our goods+services, there really isn’t a thing alternative people need, except possibly from WholeFoods/Trader Joe’s.

Does ur community have any ‘community events’ in ur local community space?
Will ‘the alt community’ be able to secede from ‘the world’ in 2k12?
What goods + services would u barter?

Previous street sale coverage
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2008/05/t-shirt-yard-sales-end-up-looking-like-alternative-shanty-towns.html

Still searching for my ’summer look.’ I know that fanny packs have been something ‘ironic’ to mention since the beginning of time. But srsly yall…I think that fanny packs are actually really functional now that I have finished my design school curriculum. I was fortunate enough to major in Product Design & Engineering, and had a class taught by the guy who designed the first generation iPod Shuffle.

I feel like soon, ppl will want to carry ‘less belongings’ than ever. All u really need is ur debit card and ur smartphone. We will soon eliminate pockets, and either have specially designed pouches for specific items, or perhaps some sort of ‘camelbak’ that you can fill with the beverage of ur choice.

I’m not very creative, but I do come up with good ideas sometimes. Sorta wish that bars would sell pre-loaded camelbaks full of beer / well drinks / sparks / etc. Feel like it would make business more efficient, and decrease ‘foot traffic’ within the bar, allowing people to enjoy themselves’ even more. U could even encourage people to ‘bring in their own huge container.’ Might just use a camelpak because I am worried about dehydrating in the summer sun.

Yall… I’m just looking for a better way to live–and I think the best way to improve your life is to bring as many ‘kick ass products’ as possible into your life. I don’t really understand why ‘we were put on this Earth’, but I do know that u can do whatever is in ur power to make urself look kewl/have a ‘functional wardrobe.’

might buy an iPhone 4.0

Previous Fanny Pack Coverage
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/tag/fanny-packs

From what I understand, u r supposed to find a way to establish a personal brand and ‘go viral’ on the internet.

Via PSFK

Sometimes I wonder if u even need college. Like if ur passionate enough about going viral, u can make n e thing happen. Kinda like the Choco Rain guy. He had a plan and didn’t need a college education to make it happen. A lot of people want 2 ‘be famous’ on the internet, but I they’d realize that if ur uninteresting enough to ‘find meaning’ in real life, then ur life/opinions/self-generated memes probably aren’t interesting enough to make u a compelling figure 4 some1 2 follow on a daily basis. Not even if u r an altbro in a Basquiat shirt riding in a thong then vimeoing about it.

FEel like s0 many people try to ‘find meaning’ on the internet, or they think they deserve to ‘get paid’ [via advertising revenue] for just sharing their memes. They are s0 out of touch with reality. It’s kinda weird how not even that many people want to be ‘mainstream famous’ any more. A more authentic version of fame comes with being ‘microfamous’ via the internet. Some people also want 2 b ‘macro-anonymous.’

I feel like social networks, meme proliferation, and services that allow u to get feedback from a ‘tribe’ are bad for society/our economy. There are startup companies, bands, and web-based businesses that feel like they are ‘making progress’ because they sign up for social networks and get more feedback than ever. But every1 is getting feedback. It’s just part of being alive on the internet. Just makes me kind of sad when a band ‘thinks they are getting better and have a relevant fan base’ when they have actually just been hanging around on the internet for weeks. Just think it’s kinda funny/sad when entities ’stay alive’ longer than they should just because they have THE INTERNET to exist as this entity.

Kinda like when some one ‘makes a logo’ for a cool new venture/blog/website that they are starting, then they make a myspace+twitter+fb group, and then they start being an ass hole about their venture. U wish they would just interact with u from their own profile, instead of [venture-name]@gmail.com. It gets sad, and eventually, their web venture fails. They don’t achieve their goals/fame/success/monetization. They probably put it on their resume, like ass holes, and will try to tell old people who interview them for a ‘real job’ that they ‘had a startup company’ just because they had a twitter and an ebay store.

Do yall know n e 1 like this? Do u h8 when people glorify these types of people for ‘having an entrepreneurial spirit’?

Just sayin yall…. don’t put all ur eggs in 1 basket. Even if u do get ‘internet famous’, it doesn’t mean u’ll get money 4 it, and it doesn’t mean ur life will be meaningful. Not every1 can be Mark Zuckerberger.

But srsly… do yall think that class is ‘bullshit’? I think that professor probably ‘just gives every1 As’ at the end of the semester, even the ‘cunty, untalented girl’ who ’shouldn’t be at design school.’ Can some1 tell that professor not to give the people in that video ‘points’ for the class even though I blogged about them? h8 helping ppl.
What grade do u think U would get in that class?
What obvious strategies would u use to ‘build a following’?
Just want to be comfortable with who I am [in real life AND on the internet].

////I want 2 be famesies.’
Just want to ‘get paid’ and be ‘critically acclaimed’ for ‘being myself’ and ‘living life’ by ‘being on the internet for 70% of my life.’

AltBags can usually leave their altBro status behind when they pursue ‘a better life’ (on various levels) and/or try to become an alternative entreprenuer, capitalizing off their local/global scenes. Most of the world’s most successful alternative entrepreneurs have ascended into AltBag status. Whether they are a designer, DJ, AZN DJ, party pic taker, or altWebMagazineBlog founder– the altBag personality type is sometimes necessary to have a mentally-tough personal brand to withstand the trials and tribulations of being a public figure. On the flipside, some altBags are solitary alts, with no circle of friends beyond His altDiva GF.

However, most altBags are not successful. Most altBags are the post-AltBros in your local scene who are very difficult to take seriously, even though they appear to be taking themselves very seriously. Usually, they dress like an alternative version of the Jonas Brothers, utilizing an array of plaid, fancy/vintagey jackets, and avoidance of anything that looks ‘too American Apparelly.’ They spend money on higher end clothes and/or take time to find [HIGHLY THRIFTED] clothes.

AltBags are more than just AltBros.

[Photo by thecobrasnake]

AltBags take themselves 100% seriously. Their personal brands will last forever. They are generally between ages 24-30, since it takes a certain level of maturity to be an AltBag. You must be at a point where you were kind of forced into taking your alternative existence seriously.

[photo by Lastnitesparty]

AltBags sometimes manage to find an aloof altDiva. They are both relatively disconnected from modern trends, but still manage to have an intimidating presence on their FB/Myspace profiles & in person.

[Photo by Lastnightspary]

AltBros could transition their personal brands back to being relatively mainstream. However, altBags are ALT4LIFE. This AltBag Blipster is Alt4Life. His personal brand is set 4 life.

[Photo by thecobrasnake]

Being an ALTBAG is not always an insult. Some of the world’s most successful alternative entrepreneurs can be classified as altBags. Mark “Cobrasnake” Hunter is a good example of how altBags are either 0% zany, or 100% authentic zany. AltBags cannot be contrived-zany-core.

[Photo by the selby]

There are numerous altBags featured in this video. The various AltBags in this video include a party pic bro, a promoter, and various DJs/musicians. These altBags are truly passionate about their scene. AltBags can sometimes have self-important concepts of their place in alternative society, which makes it difficult for the socially conscious to take them seriously.

[video may not be viewable in ur RSS reader]

Another great video example of an AltBag is the guy named JUAN from the Pitchfork.TV series “Juan’s Basement.” Basically, bands come to play in this bro’s basement, and he acts how you would expect an altBag to act if a buzzworthy band came to hang out. He establishes an authentic connection with the band, making it clear to observers that he is truly ‘down’ with the band by joking with them/being the bro who ‘is interested in them like no1 else is bc he is a true fan AND true friend.’

[video may not be viewable in ur RSS reader]
<3 busting balls <3

Do u know any altBags in your local scene? Have you ever encountered an alternative celebrity who acted like the biggest altBag? Are altBags driven to make money off alternative markets, without always ‘getting’ the alt zeitgeist? However, some of the most successful altBag entrepreneurs accidentally stumble into an ‘ironic niche’ where they took themselves so seriously that it was impossible to believe that they were being serious, creating a portal in which their brand was fun to follow/make fun of (a.k.a. BUZZWORTHY). Do u have any important qualifications to add to the definition of ALTBAG?
////Welcome to the altBag era!////

Maybe instead of alternative entrepreneurs starting their own ‘clothing line’ by screen printing statements about a particular target market’s lifestyle on t-shirts, they will now only have to invest in a bucket + a colored substance. Is the ‘dye running up the shirt’ look more conceptually justifiable to mass alternative markets than a graphic tee?

Remember the time that Panda Bear (AKA Noah Lennox) and his wife designed some clothes?

Maybe they will move beyond ‘cut shit up’ process, and start using the ‘dip shit in dye’ technique.

[Photo via He Will Hunt Your Face]