Metropark Brings World-Renowned DJ and Street Culture Icon to Mall of America for May 18th Opening Event

Metropark Brings World-Renowned DJ and Street Culture Icon to Mall of America for May 18th Opening Event

Live Performance by Z-Trip - Live Art Installation by Obey Creator Shepard Fairey - 'Lords of Dogtown' Art Collection

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif., April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Metropark, a new chain of mall-based specialty stores offering contemporary, multi-brand apparel, accessories, music and art for young men and women will be hosting an invitation-only event Wednesday, May 18th to celebrate the opening of its Mall of America store. The event will feature a live DJ set by Z-Trip (Hollywood Records) and a live art installation by Obey Giant creator Shepard Fairey. Guests will also view an exclusive "Lords of Dogtown" art collection provided by TriStar Pictures.

Metropark is the first mall-based retailer to combine the converging core lifestyle elements of fashion, music and art through a carefully edited, hard-to-find assortment of vendors that typically only serve small street boutiques in the major fashion centers of New York and Los Angeles. This includes an eclectic multi-brand assortment of apparel and fashion accessories; a custom, multi-channel audio-visual presentation featuring a current mix of music, fashion and art content; a lounge with energy drinks; street-inspired art and a DJ table where premier DJs perform live on weekends.

"To properly introduce our brand to the Twin Cities customer, we hand- picked several key mindshare leaders from the fashion, music and art arenas to participate in our Mall of America launch event," states Lawrence Tanenbaum, Metropark's President. "Z-Trip and Shepard Fairey are paving the road for tomorrow's pop-culture trends and, as such, they are true extensions of the Metropark brand. Their involvement with our Mall of America launch is significant and validates Metropark's commitment to offering our customers a fun, unique and constantly evolving destination shopping experience," adds Tanenbaum.

Metropark will be located on the first level of Mall of America near the Nordstrom court. The store is scheduled to open to the public on Saturday, April 30th. This is Metropark's first store outside of California, where it opened its first four prototypes last fall.

"Metropark has raised the bar by showcasing amazingly creative brands and art, stuff as cool as any boutique out there, in the mall setting," states Shepard Fairey, founder and creative visionary of Obey. "I'm sure Metropark is going over well because consumers are more sophisticated than most mainstream marketing gives them credit for and a venue like Metropark is long overdue. Snobby boutiques are going to be humbled by Metropark's offering," adds Fairey.

"I am excited to be involved with Metropark at an early stage of their growth," comments Z-Trip. "They are in touch with the fashion and cultural influences of today, and I think they are a very credible partner to help me reach and expand my fan base. The bottom line is; they get it!" stated Z-Trip.

Metropark currently operates stores in four major regional malls, including Glendale Galleria (Glendale, CA); The Oaks (Thousand Oaks, CA), Valley Fair (Santa Clara, CA) and Oakridge (San Jose, CA). The company is opening three to five additional stores this year, including Mall of America (Bloomington, MN), and has already executed leases for stores at Irvine Spectrum Center (Irvine, CA) and Galleria at Tyler (Riverside, CA), both of which will open late summer/early fall 2005. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.metroparkusa.com.

Z-Trip started DJing as a 13 year old in Phoenix, Arizona. His 2001 release Uneasy Listening Vol. 1, a mix-CD put together with fellow turntablist DJ P, was called "genius" and "wholly original" by critics. In 2002, Z-Trip was featured in the documentary film "Scratch" and the DVD bonus-feature, "How to Rock a Party" was shown on MTV2. He's played high-profile festivals such as Bonnaroo and Coachella and has opened up for The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews and Linkin Park. Z-Trip's debut full-length album Shifting Gears (released April 19th on Hollywood Records) received a four-star review from Rolling Stone and features, "Walking Dead" with Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. "Walking Dead" can be heard on Modern Rock radio stations across the nation. www.djztrip.com

Shepard Fairey's visual propaganda has seeped into the urban consciousness through its massive worldwide street presence since 1989 with a whimsical sticker featuring the mug shot of Andre the Giant. Fairey has shown his work in solo gallery exhibitions all over the world and has permanent collections on display in numerous museums including New Museum of Design in New York, the MOCA Sand Diego, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Shepard's own design firm, Studio Number One, pushes the boundaries in the advertising world through highly creative campaigns for clients such as Coca Cola, Twentieth Century Fox, Red Bull, Black Eyed Peas and Atari. Fairey is also co-founder and publisher of Swindle Magazine. www.studionumber-one.com www.obeygiant.com

On June 3rd, TriStar Pictures will present the major motion picture "Lords of Dogtown" in theaters across North America. The film stars Emile Hirsch, Nikki Ried, John Robinson, Victor Rasuk, Heath Ledger and Johnny Knoxville and depicts the legendary rise to fame of the Z-Boys, a Southern California surf-skate team that inspired the action sports revolution. In honor of the original team, TriStar Pictures will tour a collection of original Dogtown art and memorabilia along with props from the film created by the Z-Boys themselves. The show captures the inspirational esthetic of the Dogtown era and the authenticity of the filmmaker's process. www.lordsofdogtown.com

Mall of America is the nation's largest retail and entertainment complex. With 4.2 million square feet, the complex is home to more than 520 world-class shops; Camp Snoopy, the nation's largest indoor family theme park; Underwater Adventures Aquarium, a 1.2 million gallon walk-through aquarium; a 14-screen movie theater and more. The Mall is located in Bloomington, Minn., just minutes from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. For more information visit www.mallofamerica.com

Source: Metropark

CONTACT: Josh Kouzomis, METROPARK USA, INC., +1-626-968-1415, ext. 308; or Anna Lewicki of Mall of America, +1-952-883-8804

Web site: http://www.mallofamerica.com/

Web site: http://www.lordsofdogtown.com/

Web site: http://www.studionumber-one.com/

Web site: http://www.obeygiant.com/

Web site: http://www.djztrip.com/

Web site: http://www.metroparkusa.com/

------- Profile: Ent