At the end of the month StrangeCo will make their descent on classy San Diego for the area’s annual Comicon to unleash a menagerie of characters that might not be so out of place in the fabled zoo of “America’s Finest City.” Their booth will have a bevy of creations from their usual collaborators like James Jarvis and tokidoki in tow. However, they’ll also have a brand partner in crime in the form of the San Francisco artist, toy collector and designer Mark Nagata. Nagata’s Max Toy Company specializes in making hand-painted, limited release figures in the tradition of classic Japanese character toys. If you’re going to San Diego in search of innovative creature comforts, check out Max Toy’s Eyezons, Pharaohs, and Booska figures, amongst others, and maybe snap one up before someone else does. These babies won’t last too long.

Take a look at the toys

(Read More…)

Warsaw, Poland may be known for the infamous ghettos of World War II, but these days it’s garnering plenty of positive attention as a European center of style. As home to one of the several European incarnations of the Comme Des Garcones Guerrilla Stores it would be an understatement to say modern street style has flourished within the confines of the city. The proprietor of CDG Guerrilla shop hasn’t stopped spreading the style love, as his second shop, Warszawska Nike is currently celebrating it’s first anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, the store is featuring sweet limited edition shirts (40 each) designed by the likes of Alex Purdy, Eboy, and Ill studio, amongst others. If you find yourself in Warsaw (not likely, but still…) in the coming weeks, we recommend checking it out. Or head to their website — provided you or a friend can read Polish. Or you can just contact Serek directly. Shirt pics after the jump…

(Read More…)

I’ve been a massive fan and daily user of the MAKR wallets for a long time, literally first raving about them more than three years ago. I’ve been using the same One Wallet for about two years now, and it’s broken in and perfect — or so I thought. Wallet master Jason Gregory had to go and launch 12 new sets, making me extremely jealous of all the other cash-and-card carrying possibilities. Give these bad boys a look: simple, elegant, durable, timeless. Handmade by real people, for real people — all the materials are carefully selected, cut, laser etched in house. Congrats on an incredible relaunch Jason!

Related: No Pattern & MAKR, MAKR Wallet

Last month we showed you the sweet partnership between Royal Remarkable and Monsieur T, but now, Monsieur T has dropped the details on its full summer line. Contributions this time around include a neon orange splatter shirt by Ruben Sanchez, an amusing skate-inspired shirt for both boys and girls by Bwana Spoons and a wild-style cap in a zebra print (as one who keeps up with color trends every season, I’ll clue you in on the fact that zebra stripes are hot this season). Each are pictured above, in no particular order. Get them before they sell out.

While many a great artist has had to suffer for their work, there are plenty of artists who realize that there is suffering in other people that exceeds their own struggle. Grant Barnhart is one such soul. Recently Grant received notice that a close family friend had been diagnosed with advanced small cell cancer. In an effort to ease her pain and the financial strain that comes with treating such a diagnosis, Barnhart decided to use his art to help with the more literal aspects of fighting the disease. To help pay for his friend Pam’s medical treatment, Barnhart is releasing a special edition print of his “In The Beginning” print. The image is available both framed and unframed and includes hand work applied by the artist, insuring the uniqueness of each piece. All proceeds go toward medical treatment and all print purchases are appreciated immeasurably.

With consumer space voyages looking more and more promising, and freak kitchen accidents an ever looming possibility, Omega is bringing back - in a limited release of under 2000 units - its Speedmaster Moonwatch “Alaska Project” timepiece. This design was cooked up in the 70’s during the early days of NASA forays into the void, and boasts temperature resistance encompassing more than 400 degrees Celsius (from -148 to +260) thanks to it’s red-anodized aluminum construction. You get one of these on your wrist (price TBD), and you’ll set the standard both on Mars and at Burning Man– same difference, I guess.

Via men.style.com

Ladybugs are known for being lucky and making your garden look great. Element Skateboards are known for pumping out slick-looking boards for pro and amateur skateboarders alike. And now the two have been brought together for a new line of iPod docks by Element. The docks feature speakers that open like the wings of a ladybug and while some of the docks - available at Vestalife’s online shop are standard, but spiffier, iPod docks that play music, charge your iPod, etc. - others are one-off art pieces available on eBay that are for merely sitting there and looking good.

Either way, all proceeds from the docks designed by thirteen Element/VestaLife artists - including Aaron Martinez, Craig Metzger, and Dan Severson - help kids attend their Element YMCA Skateboard Camp that otherwise couldn’t afford it. So, while they may not give you any extra boost of luck when you try to land more nollies or kickflips, at least you’ll make someone else feel lucky this summer.

The word “blanket” represents far more than a piece of cloth that keeps you warm at night or the bizarre nickname for Michael Jackson’s pseudo-son. It’s also a groundbreaking online publication that serves to “uncover new, emerging and established designers/ artists/ photographers, showcase their talent and give them a vehicle for self promotion.” In the spirit of that mission, the folks behind the online artist colony of sorts that is Blanket Magazine have just released a limited edition collector’s edition poster featuring the work of fifty-six artists from all over the world. The poster cleverly resembles a patchwork blanket wherein each individual square features the designs of a specific artist. Included in the melange of masterworks are creations by the likes of Andrio Abero, Jesse LeDoux and the Spear Collective’s own Jesse Hora. Every limited edition poster arrives in a distinct sleeve with an origami fold that houses a reference guide to all of the poster’s fifty-six contributors. So if anyone asks you about any part of your fancy new decoration, you’ll feel warm and fuzzy about knowing thanks to your ability to give a dissertation on each artist.

It looks like Swedish design studio Look Down has created quite the impressive collection of handmade Adidas Stan Smith sneaks. Monochromatic coloring is endemic to the collection, although each of the 7 (I counted) various designs provide individual flair all their own (Small World, Twisted Muscles, and Toontech designs shown here, from left). Ranging in price from 230-300 €, it’s debatable whether you’d be committed to an institution for actually wearing a pair of these, but then again, this isn’t the first time we’ve written about footwear that is best suited to come out of the box and go straight to the wall. Have a look at their site to get a better idea for the insane detail that went into these.

Via fubiz

We've never made our love of Threadless much of a secret. From their appearance on SpearTalks to the opening of their first retail store, to MIT’s business school’s labeling of them as master innovators, we've had our eye on them for quite a while. As both a constant flow of fresh creations from a plethora of designers and a source of hot new clothes, what's not to love?

The only thing better than getting some new summer tees to freshen up your quiver is getting them on the cheap. Say hello to Threadless' Summer Blockbuster Sale. From June 2nd to midnight on June 6th, 18 brand new designs and 18 reprints of smashes from the past will be on sale. Plus, the first 250 people to order over $100 worth of product (and we all know spending that much won't be difficult) will get their hands on a limited edition Threadless print.

Once you're decked out in your new gear, only one question will remain: should that cash you saved go toward a beer on the patio... or more Threadless?

The Japanese have a penchant for creating unique characters. They’ve more or less made brand mascots into an art form — just ask anyone who has become addicted to Pokemon or Hello Kitty. When MoMA announced that they’d be releasing their Destination Japan product collection, it seemed only natural that it have its own brand identity creature. Thanks to toy designer and retailer Kidrobot (along with Japanese design studio Devilrobots) they now have Mochi. Not only is Mochi a welcomed addition to the kawaii (cute) mascots menagerie, but eager collectors are already lusting after him (her? it?). The limited edition Mochi toy can be purchased at the MoMA store along with tons of other Eastern-inspired products. Get yours now!

When Zoo York asked Mark Owens and Matt Owens to design six decks for their artist series, we knew we’d be in for some of their standard-issue graphical, collage-esque awesomeness. What we got, though, is seemingly more — a modern, quirky ode to New York City, the brand that asked them to participate and the riders themselves, each representing unique areas of interest: Architecture, Literature, Gastronomy, Art, Transit, and Tourism. We likey.

Via AthleticsNYC

Plenty of people use their desk as a space to separate their work lives from their personal lives, but often times those hulking masses of wood and marble end up taking on a life of their own. They tend to inherit loads of clutter that pertains to both personal and business matters and it doesn’t help that they’re certainly not so easy to move around either. Well, we think it might be time for you to get rid of your business-time behemoth. After all, you don’t really need something that big, it’s not like computers are so massive nowadays. We think your life and space would be better off with OneLessDesk, a sleek space saving stainless steel work station from the inventive folks at Heckler design. Comprised of two independent decks that give you plenty of flexibility in terms of personal space, and featuring a rear facing shelf that hides the unsightly mess created by all of your electronic attachments, OneLessDesk is a fantastic alternative to a traditional office space. However, if you want one you’ve got to act immediately, Heckler design is only producing 20 of these babies during their limited Spring 2008 production run.

Baseball season is in full swing yet again; this season’s home openers for both New York teams were very special affairs, though not because of the outcome — each team’s respective game was the last at their current stadium. The Mets and Yankees will be moving to new homes next season. To commemorate the last opening days at both Shea and Yankee stadium fans no doubt brought home programs and ticket stubs of the event, but as much as those mementos are proof of game attendance, they don’t necessarily accurately convey the experience of being there. If you’d like to take a trip down memory lane that’s more a true reflection of what it was like to sit in the stands during those historic games, our old friend at NYC Garbage have just the thing. Justin Gignac one half of the creative duo behind on of our other favorite projects has collected trash from both home openers and sealed it in its very own see-through cube, so that Yankees and Mets fans can have a one of a kind, fresh-picked souvenir from one of their very last trips to their beloved fabled arenas of athletic combat.

L.A. designer Dr. Romanelli hasn’t been to an “accredited medical university,” but Chuck Taylor has decided to let the good doctor operate on a pair of limited edition Converse. The sneaker giant has teamed up with Bono’s African AIDS charity (RED) to produce 1HUND(RED)–100 artists to create limited edition kicks to benefit the cause–and Romanelli happens to be #12. The result is a shoe covered with breathable bandages, ghastly skulls on the soles, and some vintage anatomical drawings on the interior. Be the envy of your ER. The hottest guy in the burn ward. The there’s-nothing-really-funny-about-people-in-pain shoe wearing dude. You can find the Dr. Romanelli Converse at Sold Out until they, of course, sell out.