Cool Hunting
You may already be familiar with the Swiss company, Freitag. They're known for their trendy-yet-individual bags made from old truck tarps. A couple of things you may not know are: the bags were first tested for durability on the back of a bike messenger out in San Francisco and that they outsource production to a factory that employs people with disabilities. Now that you're up to speed, check out their new wallets inspired by spoiled rich kids and named after a few of the clan from the show 90210; (from left to right) Brandon, Dylan, and Brenda. These wallets only hold cards, so no big wads of cash or coins!! There are an array of pockets and three different styles to choose from. Each one folds up nice and compact with an outside pocket for frequently used cards. Brenda and Dylan are the ones I'm pining after, but I'll have to exert a bit of footwork to appease my rubber fetish since these items are not available through their online store.
UPDATE:
Although their website currently doesn't indicate this, a little birdie told me that the wallets will be available through their online store by April 1st. And that same little birdie told me that unless you live out in LA, don't bother with the footwork since the rubber goodies are only currently available in the U.S. at MoCA. But do not fret. I'm sure if you make a few calls (west coast friends?), pay for some shipping, you can get your hands on one of them, one way or another.
A few weeks back, we posted a round-up of the bags for guys we most liked the look of, and at the very top of the list were those from London-based Ting. As a result, founding designer Inghua Ting got in touch and invite us round to her West End atelier for a visit. Tucked away behind Savile Row, the studio is stuffed full...
We spied one of these great totes a friend was carrying and he introduced us to Sea Bags, a small company in Maine that recycles sails and makes bags from them. The one-of-a-kind bags come in three sizes and are made by hand in the Portland, ME shop....
Sonic Fabric is Brooklyn-based artist Alyce Santoro's venture that weaves textiles from recycled audio cassette tapes recorded with sounds she considers sacred. The fabric emits a melange of sound when swiped with the head from a tape player and can double as a musical instrument, like when Jon Fishman of Phish wore Santoro's "Sonic Rhythm Dress" and gloves fitted with tape heads in concert....
Check out the Bicicleta Rug by Nanimarquina, two Barcelona based designers, Nani Marquina and Ariadna Miquel. The rug is hand loomed from rubber bicycle tubes. With a tag line like, "Recycle yourself. It's never too late," what's not to admire? Plus the company is also affiliated with Care & Fair, an organization that combats child labor by building and maintaining schools, kindergardens, apprenticeships and...
Waste not, want not... Check out these bags by Stewart+Brown made of surplus material from Patagonia. The one on the right is called Buzz Purse and the one on the left, Treescape Tote....
Someone raided the dumpsters for old broken keyboards and found a good use for them. This custom made keyboard jewelry is made from classic original keyboard and typewriter parts. The designer has made rings, earrings, buttons, and there is even a neat bracelet made of the +'s keys of what looks like an old type writer. Techie-retro flare. via Ektopia...

