Upper Playground is releasing two New Era caps designed by artists Herbert Baglione and Jeremy Fish. Baglione’s art has gained him respect and recognition from his native Brazil to the U.S. and abroad. He is known for his strong minimalist and simplistic approach to painting. Jeremy Fish’s artwork can be found throughout his own line, superFishal, through the multiple books he has been featured in, and in the various collaborations he has done with corporations like Nike and Adidas.

Cat Moonlight, the design by Baglione, gives us a wistful look at a full moon from a black cat’s perspective. Fish’s Bunny Skull design creates a clever wall paper-type pattern covering the entire fitted with bunny skulls. The new 59FIFTY caps are available at all Upper Playground retail stores and online at the Upper Playground web store.

Detailed images of the Herbert Baglione and Jeremy Fish designed Upper Playground New Era caps follow after the jump.

Upper Playground recently announced a collaborative project with Montana Colors to create artist series Hardcore cans by four artists. The second MTN x UP Limited Edition artist can in the series features the work of graffiti legend MQ.

Angelo Lospinuso from Montana Colors says “somebody may not agree with me, but I think MQ represents the original essence of graffiti, bombing, destroying, getting up, being infamous from the East to the West. It’s not politically correct for me to say that…. but who cares? I love this idea of graffiti and I pay the maximum respect for MQ! It’s an honor to have a dedicated Limited Edition by this timeless Bomber.”

The MTN x UP MQ Limited Edition artist can is available now at Upper Playground retail stores and online on the Upper Playground web store.

Upper Playground teamed up with legendary West Coast artist Mister Cartoon to create a t-shirt and Montana Colors Artist Can. The first in a series of four artist cans, the Mister Cartoon MTN x UP can depicts a stylized vision of LA, complete with downtown storefronts and the Virgen de Guadalupe. In addition to the Montana collaboration, Mister Cartoon has designed his first t-shirt graphic for Upper Playground with an image that combines his classic iconography with impeccable lettering. Mister Cartoon will be in San Francisco for an in-store signing this Friday, August 28th, from 5 to 7 PM, at the San Francisco store located at 220 Fillmore Street. The items are now available at UpperPlaygroundStore.com.

Finally, be sure to watch the Mr. Cartoon interview from “The Run Up,” available for the first time to the public for free, on Walrus TV, below:

More looks at the Mister Cartoon x Upper Playground T-Shirt and Montana Colors Artist Can after the jump.

Upper Playground and Chrome chose to feature the work of Sam Flores and Jeremy Fish, both San Francisco based artists whose art speaks to the bicycle subculture. Flores and Fish have created compelling designs that are embroidered on the front flap of the Chrome Bag. Jeremy Fish’s “Fowl Mood” design features an elaborate owl “wall paper” pattern, while Sam Flores’ “Angel of Death” art features one of his signature characters riding a bicycle amongst the clouds. This project has enabled both brands to fuse contemporary art with durable design. The Upper Playground & Chrome artist series messenger bags are available in limited quantities and will be sold exclusively at select lifestyle boutiques and through Upper Playground and Chrome retail stores.

More detailed images of the Upper Playground x Chrome Artist Series Messenger Bags follow after the jump.

Upper Playground has launched a new sub-brand designed by Japanese artist, Usugrow called :SHINGANIST:.  Derived from the Japanese word “Shingan,” (meaning mind’s eye), “the line represents those people who create by seeing things in their mind’s eye, and are not bothered or influenced by things around them.”  Inspired by underground Japanese lifestyle, :SHINGANIST: will feature the art of Usugrow, as well as guest artists including Mozyskey, Toshikazu Nozaka, Bene and Jun Kaneko.

The launch of the line comes along with the release of the book of the same name as well as the re-release of Love Hate From JP. Love Hate From JP sold out and has been re-printed with a heavier-weight of paper with a slightly glossy finis for the :SHINGANIST: launch. Now available at Upper Playground.

Check out the T-Shirts from Upper Playground x Usugrow’s :SHINGANIST: after the jump.

For its August release, Upper Playground is releasing two new New Era cap styles – one by Jeremy Fish and the other by FIFTY24SF. Jeremy Fish’s “superFishbones” pays homage to the Los Angeles ska band of similar name, while incorporating signature Jeremy Fish elements like skulls and bunnies. The “superFishbones” Fitted comes in navy and features front and back embroidery. FIFTY24SF’s “Great White” gives us an up close and personal view of what it would be like to get chomped on by a Great White shark. Both caps are now available in the Upper Playground online store.

More detailed images of the caps follow after the jump.

After selling out the main colorway in just a few days, Upper Playground has unveiled an exclusive tonal purple colorway of Sam Flore’s Kid Dragon. Unlike most vinyl figures, Kid Dragon is made up of three pieces, creating the illusion of a dragon floating through clouds. The figure measures 10″ and comes packaged in a double-sided window box with scenic insert card. The purple color is more limited than the first release at only 200 pieces.

The Kid Dragon Upper Playground Exclusive Colorway is slated for a late September release, but is now available for pre-sale at Upper Playground.

The latest edition of Upper Playground’s Walrus TV features legendary New York based street artist WK Interact. Inspired by the concepts of movement, gesture, and place, WK Interact’s site-specific pieces have garnered notoriety through the obvious concern for spatial context with which he approaches each location and through his fluid depictions of figures in motion. Blurring lines between street art, fine art, and design, WK Interact has exhibited in galleries internationally and collaborated with brands such as Nike, Adidas, and BMW. Check out the above interview from Walrus TV and “The Run Up” to learn more!

The July Upper Playground New Era 59FIFTY hats feature the artwork of David Choe and Upper Playground. David Choe is well known for lots of things, one of them being his notorious whales, so it’s only fitting that Mr. Choe’s cap features his signature whales embroidered all over the hat. The Upper Playground Logo Mesh Fitted blends the breathability and comfort into a hat perfect for warmer weather. Both hats are available at Upper Playground stores and on the Upper Playground Web Store.

Have a closer look at the Upper Playground July 2009 New Era Caps after the jump.

San Franciso based Upper Playground present the newest in a series of vinyl figures slated for release in 2009 – Dragon Boy designed by Sam Flores.  Known for his signature characters and fusing them with Asian motifs, Flores’ Dragon Boy fuses his influences in this new vinyl figure. 

Unlike most other vinyl figures, the Dragon Boy is made up of 3 pieces creating the illusion of the dragon floating through the clouds.  The figure measures 10″ tall and the head, midsection and tail feature extremely detailed gradient blends. Limited to 500 units, Dragon Boy is slated to release in early September but is now available for pre-sale on the Upper Playground web store.

Have a closer look at the Upper Playground x Sam Flores Dragon Boy Figure after the jump.