Cool Hunting

Jo Ratcliffe x Edun: War Child T-Shirts
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...

ExIT Shoes
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...

Cool Hunting Guest Curates Etsy
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
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...

Big Shots: Andy Warhol Polaroids
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...

Frank Hülsbömer: The Fiction Of Science
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...

Lama Hourani Jewels
by Paolo Ferrarini of Future Concept Lab Jordanian designer Lama Hourani beautifully fuses together materials and gems, past icons and present styles, Middle Eastern tradition and European taste for an elegantly ornate collection of rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings. Lama has been designing and producing jewelry since 2000, opening her first store—which doubles as an art gallery and a jewelry store—in 2004, in Amman, Jordan....

Bits 'n Pieces Exhibition
From fabric to furniture, advanced technology is quickly changing the face of design. The upcoming interactive traveling exhibition, Bits 'n Pieces, explores the evolution of the post-digital era with a display of objects found within the realms of graphic, product, furniture and jewelery design as well as architecture. The objects are as aesthetically pleasing as they are technically astounding, each designer demonstrating the future...

Tracy Glover's Mouth-Blown Glass
by Tisha Leung Tracy Glover's mouth-blown glass works illuminate vivid swirling patterns evocative of Pucci patterns. Working out of an old textile mill in Cranston, Rhode Island, Glover follows typical Venetian glassblowing techniques first learned while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design, crafting her skill into into custom-made lighting, vases, doorknobs and drawer pulls. Glover's ability and utilization of the A Canne (striping)...

Smoked Volume 1
by Warren Rubin Nearly a year old, Smoked Volume 1 is still a platform for the importance of pipe blowing within the glass blowing industry. Connecting pipe blowers to a broader audience, the book aims to highlight how pipe blowing pushes the boundaries of the art form, testing the medium's limitations whenever possible and placing it as a driving force among glass art and sculpture....

Maison Martin Margiela Book
by Anna Carnick Adding fuel to an already fiery mystique, Maison Martin Margiela lifts just a corner of the veil surrounding the enigmatic fashion icon in the self-titled book published by Rizzoli. Often referred to as the seventh member of the Antwerp Six, Margiela’s famous for a high fashion oeuvre characterized by an overwhelmingly subversive beauty including daring deconstruction, non-traditional fabrics, oversized proportions and provocative...

Grifted Boutique
by Ashley Eldridge Stuffed Mao Zedong dolls and candy wrapper curtains beckon from the windows of the Grifted shop on Beijing's famed Nanluoguxiang. Inside, irreverence reigns. Barack Obama, decked out in a Superman suit (all the more fitting post-Nobel), nestles up against Fidel Castro and miniscule Napoleon dolls. (The little dictator doesn't come full-size.) Bedazzled Buddhas and reindeer pandas dot pre-cut squares of wrapping paper....

Shwood Sunglasses: The Govy
by Adrienne So Shwood, the new Portland label making classic frames out of wood, recently launched their latest model, the Govy (pictured above). Refining the retro looks of the Canby (below), their first pair, this new edition has a lighter, slimmer silhouette and comes in zebrawood. The Canby, which debuted in July 2009, is available in zebrawood, maple or wenge (a dark tropical hardwood). Each...

Paolo Ventura: Winter Stories
by Anna Carnick Photographer Paolo Ventura’s new book "Winter Stories" follows an old circus performer’s visions as he looks back on his life during his final moments. Wonderfully, Ventura built the protagonist’s haunting and melancholy world with his own bare hands, constructing incredibly detailed miniature sets from props he collected at flea markets, and then photographed them to appear life-size. The result is a dark...

Made & Sold: Toys, T-Shirts, Prints, Zines and Other Stuff
by Jeremy Brautman Made & Sold, a new book from Laurence King Publishing, collects the work of over 90 artists who make and sell art products, taking on the role as both entrepreneur and designer. Curated by Agathe Jacquillat and Tomi Vollauschek of Fl@33, Made & Sold cleverly takes the form of an online store, dividing the content into shopping cart categories such as clothing,...

ABCyz
by Ariston Anderson As more and more art galleries regrettably shut their doors for good around Chelsea, one perk we've seen out of the recession is the increasing number of salons popping up around town. The current climate has left many artists feeling isolated, and one organization, ABCyz aims to bring together New York's collective creative juices into one whirlwind of a show, creating community...

Gan Rugs by Gandia Blasco
Gandia Blasco, the Valencian design company now widely recognized for its mainly white, outdoor furniture, began over sixty years ago as a textile manufacturer. In recent years, the company returned to its woven roots with a diverse collection of rugs for the home. Produced under the brand moniker Gan, the rugs come in hand tufted and hand knotted varieties, with designs influenced by a...

Converse at the Hotel Chelsea
To showcase their Spring / Summer 2010 line-up Converse presented each collection in different rooms of NYC's famously bohemian Hotel Chelsea. Visiting the homes of long-term residents Man-Lai Liang, event planner; Zaldy, clothing designer and Steve Willis, film director was a unique opportunity to to take in the creative material these artists choose to surround themselves with. Beyond placing their product in a unique...