Sneakers and footwear are such an everyday part of our lives that I think we sometimes take it for granted. While I read about the latest Nike Quickstrikes on Hypebeast and query sizing options for Red Wing Gentleman Traveler’s on men’s fashion sites, I rarely take a step back and wonder about the history of a shoe. That’s exactly what a graphic student from Helsinki did on a visit to her homeland, China.

Shumeng Ye saw a cleaning lady wearing a pair of Warrior basketball sneakers at the airport and her interest was piqued. Instead of leaving it as a passing thought, she embarked on a project that revealed a rich 30 year history that spans social classes. What was once a sought after shoe, Warriors are now relegated to the working class — and they’re not complaining. A year later, Ye returned to China to take pictures and assembled what she saw through the lens into a book.

Flipping through it, you’re immediately humbled by the poverty of the people in a country of 1.3B people. However, after a half a minute of scanning the page, you can’t help but crack a smile at the pair of crisp white kicks on peoples’ feet in stark contrast to the surroundings. The book (packaged with a pair of Warrior shoes) is available for purchase online as well as at major trendhouses Colette (Paris), Wood Wood (Berlin), and Patta (Amsterdam). It is a limited edition of 420. To say that I am impressed that a student was able to document an obscure and forgotten sneaker brand and turn it into product with tiered placement and an excellent online presence, would be an understatement.

Matt Bernson’s Dad’s Slouchy Boot: Read JS Review | Buy It (POA; shown as 1)

A commenter put it best when he said, “With this boot and the right alley stride you should be able to pull off just about anything.” We’re trying to keep our pair scratch free, so we’ve stuck to small scale bank robberies, but the man is right — you could probably hop a train or two with these shoes.

Wood Wood Repetition Scarf: Read JS Review | Buy It ($105; shown as 3)

We’ll take anything from Wood Wood, but if you gift the Repetition Scarf you’ll be wrapping up a little slice of history. Video game monsters, tapes, pitchforks; assuming the recipient has little hipsters of their own one day, said recipient will also win the title of “Vintage Daddy of the Block” come 2028. It just keeps on giving, you know?

Nau Sweaters: Read JS Review | Buy It ($87-$103; shown as 2)

Girls and Boys can get extra cozy with sweaters from Nau thanks to their killer blend of eco and body consciousness. We like the cuddly feeling we get from Nau’s Partner’s for Change association, too (it allows for 5% of your gifting dollars to go towards a humanitarian, environmental, or social group of your choosing).

retrosuperfuture: Read JS Review | Buy It ($129; shown as 5)

Retrosuperfuture sunnies seem to run a little bigger than the other eighties throwbacks we’ve been seeing these days… so of course we like them a little better. The Zeiss lenses don’t hurt one bit, either.

Gargyle: Read JS Review | Buy It ($88; shown as 4)

I like the holiday gifting rule that states, “Buy them things they’d never buy for themselves,” which is exactly why I like the accessories collection at Gargyle. Would he buy a railroad cuff bracelet for himself? (Probably not.) Would he think it was f&%#@!* badass? (Only if he can recognize the handiwork of God.)

A few weeks ago, we wrote about a few new Wood Wood items at New Dandyism. As it turned out, several of you were huge fans of the high-quality clothing line, and even took the time to personally tell us just how awesome the Copenhagen-based fashion label really is. If you were one of those people, and/or if you happen to be hunting down a toasty jacket to battle the seasons upcoming chills, you’ll probably love this Wood Wood x Penfield (a US outdoor clothing company) jacket. While I’m tempted to just say I like it because of its outer sexiness, the real niceness of this jacket lies in its construction, which promises premium goose-down warmth, Teflon-armored wind and water protection, an adjustable waist for keeping heat in and snow out, and a huge selection of inside/outside pockets for keeping your goodies safe. You can snag one of these for a super-reasonable price at Soul Life, or browse all of Wood Wood’s latest on their own web page.

Mixtapes, skulls, characters from eighties video games… that’s right, hipsters, it’s 2007 in the form of a scarf! Copenhagen’s Wood Wood, which is once again profusely stocked at New Dandyism, is looking awesome this season, and (have no fear) the designs on that scarf are the only cliches you’ll find in the collection. Wood Wood, which started in 2002 with a line of printed tees and sweats, has now expanded their line to include anoraks, bags, basic tees, and bags. I haven’t examined anything up close(r than my computer screen), but New Dandyism has some high standards when it comes to menswear, so I imagine these clothes offer as much quality as they do style. My faves: Ludwig in Acid Green and Sven in Black. And, okay, even though buying one would kind of be like listening to Cold War Kids for the first time today, I still kinda like the scarf. You know, to have around for my kids in 20 years.

Related: New Dandyism

WoodWood was an interesting shop on Krystalgade– another signature Copenhagen side street. The shops name matches the wood interior, from top to bottom, floor to ceiling–everything was made completely out of wood– Although i’m still not sure why. They had a nice mix of clothing (including their own WoodWood Couture line), designer toys, a lot of books (Yes, more Terrysworld), gifts, and a small wall of sneakers. This shop boasted the most limited edition Adidas stuff I’d seen all trip. They had a few rare Adidas watches, and several copies of the Leather Bound Adidas 35th Anniversary Book. A fun shop, with a nice atmosphere.