Cool Hunting
| 31 July 2008view entries from: this week | this month | view previous day | view next day |
Vintage Leather Jacket Chucks
by Ami Kealoha
Converse's latest drop to celebrate their 100th is a lesson in how to make a good thing better. Made out of vintage leather jackets, the leather has that greasy worn-in feel and plenty of unique details. We also like the patchwork construction and the incorporation of the black anodized zipper as a design element along the tongue. Waxed cotton laces complete the look, as does a black leather toe box and commemorative logo on the tongue.
Only 168 pairs were made. To get your hands on them, head to select Undftd stores in L.A. and Las Vegas on 2 August 2008 or try Juice in Hong Kong on 1 August 2008. Be prepared to shell out about $380 for the privilege.
Store locations, maps and more images (including good detail) after the jump.
Images via Hypebeast
The Modern Architecture Pop-Up Book
by Doug Black
Viewing architecture in two-dimensions can be frustrating. Made to be touched and experienced, powerful architecture is impossible to recreate on paper. But a new book takes things one step closer to that unattainable goal. "The Modern Architecture Pop-Up Book" is an overview of some of the most significant buildings of the last century with 100 color illustrations, commentary from architectural writer David Sokol and contributions by notable architects I. M. Pei, Santiago Calatrava, Richard Meier, Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid. And of course, there's also pop-up recreations of famous buildings.
It features 20 meticulously-designed pop-up models, each the work of Anton Radevsky, who also engineered the now out-of-print "History of Architecture Pop-Up." The book includes legendary buildings, like the Eiffel Tower and Brooklyn Bridge, as well as more recent classics, like the Guggenheim Bilbao and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Part history lesson, part novelty, the "Modern Architecture Pop-Up Book" can serve as a passable simulacrum for people who might visit the genuine article.
"The Modern Architecture Pop-Up Book" will be released in November for $45. You can purchase on the Rizzoli site, or pre-order on Amazon.
Freeman Transport Collapsible Fixed-Gear Bike
by Brian Fichtner
Freeman Transport, based out of Missoula, Montana, has been working on a break down fixed gear since last year and it looks like they're finally ready to start delivering. The all-steel army green frames feature S and S couplings and break in half for easy stowage in a rugged, waxed cotton and leather travel bag designed specifically for the bike by Billykirk. According to the makers, "We designed these bikes for leaving the mountains to get some culture and hang with our friends in the city." Why compromise your style with a pint-sized folding bike when you can now travel with a fixed-gear? At $2,475, it's pricey but worth saving up for.
More images after the jump.
via Core 77
Lucas Isawa: Koinobori
by Phuong-Cac Nguyen
By combining traditional Japanese Carp-shaped wind socks with paper lanterns, artist Lucas Isawa has turned his floating and illuminated school of fish into a breathtakingly peaceful spectacle.
Building on koinobori (wind socks decorated with colorful Carp and flown in Japan on Children's Day), Isawa uses bamboo to first construct the skeleton shell of his highly-detailed fish and then fills in the gaps with silk paper. They're then hung suspended from the ceiling with a single bulb inside each.
When walking through a room full of them, as I did right before his exhibit closed at the Museu de Casa Brasileira in São Paulo this past week, I got the amazingly surreal feeling of swimming through water, watching all these delicate fish silently twist to and fro in response to the slightest of breezes blowing through the room.
The site has a revealing behind-the-scenes section that shows the impressive process that goes into creating the fish — from stripping the branches to carefully tying them together. If you can read Portuguese, he shows, step-by-step, how to make a traditional koinobori.
