Cool Hunting

Art Force One Sneakers
Manu Angot has become pretty well known in recent years for his Manu Customs. Specializing in hand-painted designs on everything from shoes to electronics, Manu has created quite a name for himself with his brand Art Force One. On our recent trip to Paris, we discovered that there was more to Manu than Nikes and Reeboks. Walking into Aimecube in the 1st Arrondisement, we...

Take-G Wooden Robot Toys
Craftsman Takeji Nakagawa, aka "Take-G," doesn't simply make "toys." Rather, he creates tributes to childhood, nature and the future. The artisan crafts things like animals and futuristic robots out of four types of wood: keyaki (a Japanese tree of the genus Zelkova), teak, walnut and white ash. These four types of wood are joined through a traditional handicraft process called yosegi-mokuzougan (joined wooden block...

Matthias Pliessnig: Capsule
Although strictly sculptural, those with a bit of imagination could use Capsule as one of the nicest note/cigar holders out there. Matthias Pliessnig designed Capsule to contain its own plans rolled up inside (above right inset). Made of ebonized walnut and steel, the box is held shut by a mechanism inside—pushing the metal button at the tip opens the lid. Better known for his...

Found in Translation
The innovative Japanese sneaker brand, Onitsuka Tiger teamed up with Ramp Industry to develop Found in Translation, a new website that went live earlier this month celebrating the latest designs and movements of Anglo-Japanese talent. The site's combination of audio, video, and animation, as well as special downloads that users can turn into their own customized pieces, makes it well worth a visit. Cultural...

AKA x NikeiD Charity Auction Nears $15,000
On 10 May 2006 Also Known As put seven pairs of NikeiD patent leather Dunk Lo's on Ebay in an auction to benefit Free Arts NYC. The bidding has already reached $14,800 with over 100 bids! The colors were inspired by vintage spray paint and the sneakers made exclusively for AKA, the New York based graf art collective. Free Arts NYC is a non-profit...

Joshua Gurrie
While Australian illustrator and painter Joshua Gurrie takes inspiration from the racier elements of contemporary popular culture, his work also seeks to counter the over-saturation of "pop media, web junk and glossy sneakers." He achieves this with clean black lines that pierce the page with their directness and his work is notable for its lack of excessive ornamentation. Gurrie’s background in design contributes to...