Cool Hunting
| 14 April 2008view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Original Fake Two Fingers T-Shirt
by Tim Yu
A deceivingly funny t-shirt from Kaws using his trademark Mickey Mouse-esque cartoon hands, it just about sums up the complicated set of feelings I have about New York City (and everything else) these days. (Also see Public School's similar expression of dueling emotions.) Available in black and white from We Sold Out for €65.
via Highsnobiety
Bratstyle Motorcycles
by Tim Yu
Japanese custom bike makers Bratsyle build or tinker with any make and model to create dream bikes. With capabilities to machine nearly any part of the bike including engine blocks, mufflers, handlebars and seats, each bike is an exquisite work of craftsmanship and a showcase of impressively sharp attention to detail. Unlike over-the-top embellished bikes in the vein of Orange County Choppers, Bratsyle offers a more rideable, comfortable, subdued luxury that reminds us of Simone Pace's Italian bikes. I especially like the old-school Firestone slicks often used on their street bikes.
Check out some motorcycles, purchase original parts or inquire about your own custom creation at Bratsyle.
Jon Krause
by Fiona Killackey
With a folio that includes some of the world's most reputable publications, Philadelphia native artist Jon Krause has been causing waves in the art world for intelligent illustration and cutting-edge creations. CH caught up with the Tyler School of Art graduate to discuss inspiration, online galleries and transformers. (More images after the jump.)
How do you first get interested in art?
I always loved to draw as a kid. I was interested in monsters,
transformers, animals, and they were usually my subjects. I began
taking art lessons at a very young age, and that led me to the path
I'm on now. Even as a five-year-old, I always thought I would make art
for a living, even though I had no idea how it worked. I remember
thinking you get hired by an art museum to draw pictures for their
walls. It wasn't until I got to college that I learned what
illustration was.
Do you do this full time?
Yes, I am a full time illustrator. I also teach one day a week at the
university I graduated from.
Biggest inspiration?
Obviously as an artist other great art inspires me all of the time,
but there isn't one entity that I can say is my greatest inspiration.
I look into the specific project I'm working on for something that I
can use to get my mind thinking. Each job I take on has its own unique
story, and the challenge is to visually depict the text while staying
true to your own sensibilities.
What do you think of the global art scene, in that so many galleries
now have online sales and someone in Australia can purchase art from
some young guy in Japan?
I'm really not involved in the gallery scene, but I can say that I
have clients all across the globe. The internet has made it very easy
to collaborate on projects with art directors from anywhere in the
world.
What do you have coming up?
I usually have several projects going on most of the time. I recently
just finished illustrations for TIME magazine, The Wall Street
Journal, Scientific American, and The New York Times. I'm lucky enough
to collaborate with
many different outlets, and to work with a lot of great people.
Finally, how would you describe your art?
I guess my work would be described as conceptual. In reality they are
painted responses to text I'm presented [with], and hopefully they
convey an idea or mood outside of the text, instead of just echoing
it.
Elise Bergman Clothing
by Ami Kealoha
by Sheena Sood
Chicago-based clothing designer Elise Bergman's business began as a small venture. A family-taught seamstress and self-trained designer with a degree in English lit, she started cutting and sewing dresses by hand out of her home in Michigan. Elise launched her label with a small collection of dresses made with mostly vintage fabrics in July 2006. Those pieces all sold and with growing demand, she moved to Chicago to dedicate herself to the label and began working with a team of pro seamstresses and tailors.
Elise now divides her time between the Montana mountains, Chicago and a lakeside Michigan town. She takes inspiration from both urban and country environments and keeps in mind the lifestyles of the city girl and the rural girl while designing.
Her collections use silks, organic cottons, hand-dyed or hand-woven natural materials, as well as rare fabrics collected by scouring estate sales and interiors showrooms. The pictured knit vest was crafted from castoff sweaters, for example. Wrap dresses and skirts formed a large part of her first collection and they continue to be her signature pieces.
Elise Bergman clothing is sold at boutiques in Illinois, Michigan, Montana, North Carolina and California, and as well as through her website.
