TheDopeFiend

Steven Shein VS. B/D Skull Necklace

Summer 2006 is the summer of jewelry. Sure there’s been 20-pound-iced-out-spinner-wheels-on-a-6-pound-chain kind of jewelry, but for the rest of us there’s jewelry by Steven Shein. Shein has got some really cool stuff ranging from plastic necklaces to leather bracelets. One of my favorites being the skull necklance, a collaboration with Beautiful Decay.

SKWAK All Over the Place

Something I have struggled with for a long time as an artist is having one distinct style that people can recognize. I am rather schizophrenic when it comes to design, and I admire those artists who have a very easily recognized styles. You could see a Shepard Fairey, Bansky, Neckface or Kozyndan piece from a mile away and recognize the style. Skwak is an artist who I have been seeing all over the place lately and he most definitely falls into this catagory. You may recognize that outlandish style from the load of work he has done for Beautiful Decay. Or more recently some favorite tees of mine he has done for Radioactive and Owl Movement.

The Amazing Work of Fatoe

Fatoe’s work is so awesome it makes me want to puke. Including amazing watercolor/vector artwork, magazine layouts, web graphics and hand-drawn illustration, Mike Orduña has a portfolio that deserves massive amounts of praise. His distinct style has been worthy of such clients like Tank Theory, Sony CONNECT, Linkin Park and DIGIT Magazine. Take a look at his portfolio and be prepared to spend some time, it’s well worth it.

Oddica Artists Collective

Looking for your standard run-of-the-mill t-shirt company? Don’t read this post if you are, because Oddica is anything but that. Amazing wearable art on high-quality American Apparel tees by some of the worlds best artists, sure, Oddica has that (they even have a design done by Hydro74 who TheDopeFiend posted about last month). However, what really sets this tee company appart from the rest is the way they sell their products. Oddica uses a business model that benefits not only themselves but the artists as well. Every artist that is commissioned to create a design receives not only a $500 for each design, but they also share in 41% of the companies net annual profit along with many other bonuses. This is a company who really seems to care about the artist community, I applaud them.

I Love Computer Love

Admittedly I spend more time on Myspace than I probably should, but with 86,000,000 registered accounts I don’t think I am alone. I may be a little embarrased about my Myspace addiction, but I have more recently become addicted to a community website that I have no shame in wanting to spend my time on – Computer Love. Computer Love is a online community for creatives to find like-minded people, jobs, news and a lot more about the world’s creative industry. The site also provides a place to upload and share your portfolio and work completely free. The design and layout is executed perfectly and I am sure will only get better, if getting better than perfect is possible.

Threadless, Adding Quality to Quantity?

I have been complaining for over a year now about the decline in quality of tees and designs at Threadless. However, with the launch of their new website they are offering what they call “Threadless Select” tees that are some of the best designs I have seen printed. With artwork by NoPattern, Aiko and Rinzen the designs immediately stood out to me. Unlike their regular tees that are printed on Fruit of the Loom (one of the main reasons I stopped buying from Threadless), the “Threadless Select” tees are printed on American Apparel. Of course the quality does not come without the cost, “Selects” are priced more than usual at $25 which is still not bad. If you are not willing to pay the extra check out the 3 day sale going on now on a bunch new tees just printed. Oh ya, and I will let you in on a little tip. If you wear a small to medium sized American Apparel tee in guys and don’t like the fit of Fruit of the Loom, try the Large to Extra Large girl tee. They print all their girl tees on American Apparel.

Juxtapoz Feeds the Need

Yes, there is no doubt about it, I am an admitted ‘zine fiend. I simply love flipping the glossy pages of my favorite monthly publications. Yesterday another magazine was added to my favorites list. I picked up an issue of Juxtopoz for the first time. I had noticed on the newsstand before, but surprisingly had never actually read it. Juxtapoz is a magazine featuring the up-and-coming, as well as the already highly-respected artists throughout the world. From Shepard Fairey’s street art in L.A. to Yumiko Kayukawa’s cutesy Japanese pop art, Juxtapoz has it covered.

Sneaker Templates by Pigmag

I never cease to be amazed at the underground, cultish sneaker culture. Sneaker-heads are a strange breed. Elite, passionate and sometimes snobby they will pay $500+ for something you put your smelly foot into. And although sometimes I am amazed by their loyalty to the sneaker, I understand it. It’s more than a shoe, it’s art. That’s why I think Pig Magazine’s sneaker templates are such a cool idea. In honor of 30 years of “Air”, these templates allow you to download and Photoshop your own Dunks, Air Maxes and Waffle Racers in any color you like. There is an endless amount of possibilities, now only if you could find a way to make Nike produce your style.

[via Mustache, check out his own gallery.]

Carbonmade, Show off Your Work

For all you designers who lack the necessary knowledge to build your own online portfolio, or perhaps simply don’t have the time, Carbonmade is the perfect solution. With its very user-friendly interface Carbonmade allows you to upload your work and organize it using your own categories. Customizing the look your portfolio is also easy, and you can even keep track of your traffic.

Apt’s Furniture is Funktional

Browsing the pages of magazines like Dwell, Object and Surface makes my mouth water with dreams of how my house will be designed when I make my millions. Apt is a furniture store based in Soho, NY that would definitely not be left out of the equation. Many of their pieces are designed to serve more than one purpose, making it very functional, or as they call “funktional”. The furniture at Apt is perfect for studios, lofts and the urban lifestyle, my kind of living.

EverywhereWeShoot’s Style You Can’t Ignore

EverywhereWeShoot’s Ryan Vergara and Garovs Garovillo are not afraid to try new things and present them to the still untrained eye of the regular Filipino hoping to open their minds. Both artists graduated from The College of Saint Benilde (School of Design and Arts) in Manila finishing Mulitmedia Arts and Fashion Design and Merchandising respectively. They are deeply rooted in popular culture while at the same time, living the independent lifestyle. Their art is a mix of class and decadence, modernity and nostalgia, completely new yet strangely familiar.

EverywhereWeShoot seeks to change the current trends in fashion photography and graphic design. They take each project to a higher level, which enables them to get ahead of the pack and this is what they promise clients every time. Ryan and Garovs have broken the mold of mediocrity and are now challenging people to embrace their creativity and show it to the world.

Jealous of HydroSeventyFour

Upon viewing portfolio sites such as Joshua Smith’s (Hydro74) an artist should be overwhelmed completely with two feelings, complete admiration, and complete jealousy. The artist’s portfolio is chalk full of some of the most amazing logos, illustrations, clothing designs and print works I have ever seen. With such clients as Nike, Burton, Complex Magazine, You Work For Them, Island/Def Jam and a grip-load more Smith has accomplished a designer’s dream. Make sure to check out his online store for goods on sale.

The “On Off” Alarm Clock

Over the past few years I have slowly gotten into the the worst habit of hitting my alarm clock snooze button a ridiculous amount of times in the morning. The people at Lexon have manufactured the “On Off” alarm clock for people like me who have trouble simply turning off their alarm and waking up. Instead of having the option of hitting a huge snooze button, and trying to find a tiny off button, the “On-Off” alarm designed by Nina Tolstrup is turned on and off by simply tilting it from side to side. The clock is super-stylish and comes in six different colors.

My Mania

Derrick Hodgson has made quite a name for himself creating his abstract, mutant little characters. Poppers, peepers, floaters, sprouts, spores, walkers, yetis and gouls are all members of the community that make up the world Hodgson has created. In October of last year the Canadian artist launched his book entitled My Mania at his solo show that took place at the well known Toronto gallery Magic Pony. The book expands on the exhibit, exploring the creative process behind Hodgson’s mad genius. So if you were unable to make it out to Toronto for the show, I recommend giving the “My Mania” book a little looksy.

City In A Bag

These city in a bag toys by MUJI are perfect for well travelled children and globe trotting individuals as well. Three popular cities (Tokyo, Paris, and New York) are immortalized in wood with emphasis on their most famous landmarks. These toys are great ways to introduce kids and kids-at-heart to the most stylish cities in the world and at the same time, double as playful, yet sophisticated home decor.