Solebox x Hypebeast x Adidas: Zeitfreis Cycling Sneakers

by Doug Black

Later this month, Adidas will introduce Zeitfrei, its new line of cycling-inspired shoes. For the first offerings, they opted for a pair of collaborations, one with the preeminent sneaker site Hypebeast and the other with the Berlin-based boutique Solebox.

Both feature a low-profile design with technical elements specifically made for fixed-gear cycling. Perforated uppers give ventilation and subtle reflective accents surround the shoes' base and highlight the embossed heel logo. To prevent laces from getting stuck in the gears, Zeitfreis provide a neoprene pocket marked with each brand's logo. A stiffer outsole and treaded forefoot ensure improved pedal feel and grip, while retaining enough comfort for wear during those non-cycling moments.

As if this collaboration wasn't enough, Adidas also brought Bianchi into the fold. The venerable Italian bike company made a pair of one-off show bikes to match the aesthetics and colorway of each Zeitfrei shoe. The bikes will make the rounds through Bianchi retail stores, before going up for a charity auction.

Each shoe is individually etched with a number and each design is limited to 100 pairs. The shoes will begin their release 23 May 2009 at the Solebox store (for 110€, along with a complimentary Solebox air pump). And on the 29th, you can get them online through Hypebeast for $198 with the addition of a cycling cap, Cordura messenger bag and carry-all sling bag.

Gräf & Lantz Accessories

by CH Contributor

by Julie Wolfson

Los Angeles-based design studio Gräf & Lantz is launching several new projects at this year's ICFF in New York, including geometric-patterned ottomans and their handmade, leather and embossed felt tote bags.

Founded by Holger Gräf and Daniel Lantz, the duo create products that combine Holger's love of modern lines and structural aesthetics with Daniel's Japanese-influenced ideals. Their east-meets-west and ancient-meets-modern style of design is a perfect match for the functional wool felt and other biodegradable materials used in their designs.

When searching for the perfect tote, both good looks and functionality are important. The Holger Gräf Jaunt totes have both in spades, by fusing zig zag stitching with colorful 100% merino wool felt panels and luxurious leather for a fresh, minimalist look.

In addition to totes and ottomans, Holger Gräf's new series of home accessories, including items like pillows and bowls, also utilize their sturdy combination of felt and leather.

Catch a glimpse of the new products at the Holger Gräf booth at the ICFF (through tomorrow 19 May 2009) or join the mailing list to stay informed of when the felt and leather goods will be available for purchase.

Soft-Maps Quilts

by Doug Black

The modern grid system helped revolutionize urban life, but we generally make less of its effect on quilting. Noting parallels between the intersecting streets of Brooklyn and and the stitching across a quilt, Emily Fischer of Haptic Lab decided to fuse the two. The resulting Soft-Maps are functional quilts that she stitches with the detailed outline of a Brooklyn neighborhood, complete with hand-embroidered street names, a compass rose and scale marker.

Made of organic cotton between layers of dupioni silk, Fischer makes Soft-Maps to endure all the rigors of daily life. Used on a couch, bed or spread under a picnic, they serve the utilitarian role of a quality blanket, while fostering a greater understanding and appreciation for your particular neighborhood.

If you happen to live outside of Brooklyn, Haptic will happily make a quilt depicting your own individual neighborhood, town or country on a scale of your choosing. And upon request, the Lab can also indicate particular homes, apartments, shops or other locations of personal significance.

Find out more about Soft-Maps on the Haptic Lab site or email Emily directly (emilyfis [at] gmail [dot] com) for inquiries.

Andrew Hamilton Crawford: Valley of the Dolls Collection

by CH Contributor

by Ariston Anderson

One jewelry line popping up everywhere this spring is Andrew Hamilton Crawford's Valley of the Dolls-inspired pill collection. Turning common anti-anxiety pills into charms or "dolls," the Damien Hirst-like collection of bracelets, necklaces and earrings make for a playful accompaniment to any serious wardrobe.

Design team Chad Crawford and Andrew Tessier hail from the south—Georgia and Alabama, respectively—and now work in New York City. Andrew started in costume design, while Chad's fine jewelry background results in a collection that is ironically luxurious. The line consists of affordable, unique items crafted from sterling silver, gold vermeil, often incorporating resin charms in striking colors.

"We didn't create the Valley of the Dolls collection to glamorize drugs—we wanted to comment on how fashionable pharmaceuticals have become," Tessier tells CH. "The collection started with the anti-anxiety bracelet, which got a great response, so we added the single capsule charm necklace and then later the capsule earrings and anti-anxiety cufflinks. Even though much of our collection focuses on higher end jewelry, we do enjoy incorporating a kitschy element in the collection."

The "doll necklace" is one shiny and glittery pill on the end of a sparkly chain, while 10 little blue helpers make up the "10 milligram bracelet." Both serve as a gentle reminder to calm down whenever you're stressed out, without heading to the medicine cabinet.

The collection is available from the Andrew Hamilton Crawford site, prices range from $78 to $248.

Flip & Tumble Bags

by Mike Giles

Combining a colorful palette with smart design, Hetal Jariwala and Eva Bauer at Flip & Tumble are doing their part to solve the problem of what to do with bulky canvas totes by introducing a ripstop nylon shopper, similar to our beloved Baggu. Designed to roll up small enough to simply live in purses or messenger bags all the time (they compact to the size of a peach), they solve one of the inherent problems associated with other “bring-along” reusable bags. They're available online and at less than $10 a bag it’s easy to own a few.

We chatted with Jariwala to learn about how the girls came up with the design

Who’s behind Flip & Tumble?
Eva Bauer and I met at Stanford’s PD (Product Design) grad program. It's a pretty neat hands-on place which is kind of like playing Lincoln Logs with 14 of your best friends, except you’re trying to make things that can actually solve real world problems.

In our second year, we tackled choosing a topic for the very open-ended design thesis by defining which problems were important to us. I ended up working on developing transformative spaces, while Eva worked on exploring the topic of delight for adults. Where Eva definitely strives more for the fun side, I'm more into the emotionally uplifting side, but we overlap strongly in a desire to push for strong function that integrates with how people live.

CH: How did F & T come to be?
Our thesis experience had been great, but we both came out of it looking to work on something that felt more rooted in a current everyday problem. Inspiration hit us at the checkout line at IKEA. The whole reusable bag thing had just started to take off and we had remembered that we had forgotten the big IKEA bag we bought last time. We were struck by the divide between the intent of reusable bags and their actual application. We started talking to shoppers at our local grocery store, most of whom seemed to own reusable bags, but virtually all of them had forgotten their bags at home or even in the trunk.

So many shopping trips are unplanned or done when you people are racing around, so we realized that if we could make the bag super-stashable, we could get around that issue. It also had to be incredibly easy to compact, otherwise you wouldn't take the time to compact it.

The resulting bag is durable and strong enough for just about anything you can put in it, but just as importantly it has a modern style that you would feel comfortable bringing anywhere.

What's new at F&T?
We're excited about our expanded color palette. Different colors evoke different feelings and we wanted shoppers to be able to pick.

As for other stuff, you'll just have to stay tuned. We’ve got more in the pipeline that we’ll be sharing soon.