Emogayu Ceramics

by Bailee Wolfson, 29 October 2009

Hailing from Japan, artist Yuri Fukuka now resides in Brooklyn, NY where she currently cultivates multiple ceramic masterpieces under the pseudonym Emogayu. Her work revolves around energy and life, with each piece juxtaposing intricate design and simplicity.

At relatively inexpensive price-points, her limited edition pieces make the need to act fast essential. To learn more visit Merchant no. 4 or see her gallery show (info below).

More images after the jump.

Emogayu Installation
Through 31 October 2009
Archip Gallery Theater
498 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY, 11231 map

Box 185 Clothing

by CH Contributor, 29 October 2009

by Tisha Leung

Sexing up the Midwest prairie look, Sara Keiser's Box 185 collection makes the style relevant to today. Her newest pieces—nubile faux fur chaps and pants, fringe leggings and feather earrings—aren't for wallflowers.

This season, the South Dakota native reinterpreted her '70s-inspired wide leg pants from prior collections and decked them out in faux fur resembling Mongolian lamb hair. Keiser will also custom create the pants in any fur fabric and any color.

For those with the boldest of hearts, Keiser designs goat hair and leather chaps—inspired by Texas Long Horns and other large animals—to wear with shorts, tight pants or stockings. Other Box 185 staples include accessories like reversible earrings in either bird or peacock feathers with stitched leather, hanging up to 16" long.

The Box 185 collection sells weekends at The Market NYC, with prices spanning $28-1200.

Jo Ratcliffe x Edun: War Child T-Shirts

by Ami Kealoha, 29 October 2009

With hand drawn animals depicted mid-roar, these new white-on-black tees by British fashion illustrator Jo Ratcliffe bring new meaning to the word "fierce." The slouchy styles with varying sleeve and hem lengths work as tunics and dresses too. Created in collaboration with Edun, 15% of the price of the limited edition shirts helps support War Child, a non-profit dedicated to aiding children affected by war.

Already launched in the U.K. at a pop-up within Selfridges (photo credit of model goes to Dazed & Confused who also had a hand in the project), the organic cotton t-shirts debut stateside today in Saks Fifth Avenue exclusively and online through Edun with prices starting at about $150.

ExIT Shoes

by CH Contributor, 29 October 2009

by Adrienne So

Jeff Mandel owns a one-man shoe shop in Portland, OR called ExIT Shoes. After learning his craft in the Netherlands, he set up shop where he emphasizes the importance of making shoes that fit feet, with the best materials possible.

No pair of feet is the same‚ Mandel says on his site. Even your left foot measures different than your right. Finding well-made shoes that fit poses a problem for feet that differ even slightly from the production model.

Mandel's Italian vegetable-tanned leather, which uses chestnut and oak tannins in the curing process, costs more than leather tanned with mineral methods but it absorbs more water and keeps feet drier.

Mandel works from a custom print of the foot, from which he orders a custom last (or mold) around which he forms the shoe. Last modification takes place with customer input. The entire process can take up to a month to complete.

Handmade shoes cost $475; custom shoes run around $1,000. The cost covers all materials, labor, and a pair of trial shoes. For those outside of Portland, Mandel also takes out-of-town orders. Contact jeff [at] exitshoes [dot] com for more information.

Check more images after the jump.

Cool Hunting Guest Curates Etsy

by Ami Kealoha, 28 October 2009

On Etsy today, check out my not-just-for-Halloween picks to see a Hitchcock-inspired headband, jewelry made from snake bones, an ornate heart-shaped eye patch and more! We're excited to take part and thank Etsy for the opportunity.

Tumi Vapor: Polycarbonate Travel Bags

by Karen Day, 28 October 2009

Launching today, Tumi's new Vapor collection is an ensemble of ultra lightweight polycarbonate travel bags determined to defy airport impediments. The revered luggage label, already known for producing exceptionally durable suitcases, eclipses the competition with this triple-layered polycarbonate built to outlast even the toughest tumble.

Offered in three sizes—an international legal carry on, a medium-sized packing case and a large extended trip case—each boasts a fully-lined, spacious interior and an intuitive organization system. The vapor is ideal for outsmarting new airline luggage weight constraints and features such as rubber molded bumpers add to its damage resistance while the striated metallic surface cleverly hides scratches inevitably incurred over time.

Available now, prices range from $395-545. To purchase or for more images and technical information, visit the Tumi website.

Big Shots: Andy Warhol Polaroids

by CH Contributor, 28 October 2009

by Tamara Warren

Andy Warhol understood the power of immediacy, and the Polaroid Big Shot camera he purchased in 1970 became his favorite tool to capture the heat of the momentous life he lived. The exhibition Big Shots: Andy Warhol Polaroids at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University features nearly 250 Polaroids and 75 black and white prints of the images taken by Warhol from 1970 to 1987.

Touching on how Warhol experimented with photography, the exhibit includes his films from the 1960s, in addition to thousands of Polaroids featuring celebrity confidantes such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Truman Capote, Dorothy Hamill, Bianca Jagger, Grace Jones, Jack Nicklaus and former Cars vocalist Rick Ocasek, which he used as studies for his silkscreen paintings.

Adding local context to the North Carolina-based exhibit are canvas portraits of Patsy, Andrea, Joan and Nancy Nasher, the wife and daughters of the late Raymond D. Nasher—the museum’s namesake—accompanied by corresponding Polaroid photos.

Big Shots: Andy Warhol Polaroids
12 November - 21 February 2009
Nasher Museum of Art
2001 Campus Drive
Durham, North Carolina 27705 map
tel. +1 919 684 5135

Frank Hülsbömer: The Fiction Of Science

by Karen Day, 28 October 2009

Using photography as his medium, artist Frank Hülsbömer documents his love affair with objects. The upshot, beautifully-composed, abstract images of various items like colored paper and wire, star in his forthcoming book, The Fiction of Science, along with a detailed explanation of the Berlin-based photographer's both scientific and artistic approach to capturing each article.

A former contributor to Wallpaper Magazine, Hülsbömer made a name for himself photographing exteriors. Applying his studious method to interiors, the lyrical images in his book show how the shift brings an intense concentration on pure form to his work.

Described by curator Matthias Harder as "still lifes," Hülsbömer compositions exclude all signals of a human touch and any reference to landscapes, with minimal acknowledgment of the photographic element. His undoctored, multi-faceted photos make for, as he puts it, "a neutralisation of the senses."

The Fiction of Science is available now throughout Europe and Asia, comes out stateside 1 January 2010 and sells from Gestalten.