TheDopeFiend

Baggu Shopping Bags

More often than not the key to good product design is simplicity, with a bit of edge applied in moderation. As is the case with Baggu. These reusable shopping bags were designed to replace the paper and plastic bags you use at the grocery store. Unlike many other bags I have seen with the same idea in mind these bags are actually stylish and their colorways are awesome. Baggu bags are made from a durable rip-stop nylon and come with a handy little stuff pouch so you can keep it in your purse or man-bag. The best part about Baggu (besides doing your part to help save the environment) is the cost. One bag is $8, 3-packs are $22 and a 6-pack is only $38!

[via: Cool Hunting]

Junior Lucky Bastard 2008

I am one of the lucky ones who’s job doesn’t suck, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to travel to exotic places doing all kinds of cool things, partying and meeting lots of cool people all on someone else’s dime. That is exactly what the winner of 55 DSL’s Junior Lucky Bastard Contest will be doing. So if your job does in fact suck, or even if it doesn’t and you want to try your hand at being the next Junior Lucky Bastard, you should check it out. Applications are submitted by making your most creative video about how you deal with your every day life. Your video must be 1:55 min in length and must be submitted by June 1st 2008. Flex those creative muscles and see if you have what it takes to be the next Junior Lucky Bastard.

Creative Recreation Summer Line

Creative Recreation make shoes unlike any other. They pride themselves in designing shoes that are difficult to categorize. The Orange County based company makes shoes that are neither athletic, dress or street footwear, but a hybrid of influences samples from many categories. I really like the materials, unique design and especially the colorways of the new summer line. The line has great designs for both men and women, as well as designs varying from casual to more semi-formal. Available at Balance Lifestyles, SportieLA and Zappos.

TRKFLD

“We Make Bags.” it’s as simple as that to TRKFLD, who do much more than just that in my eyes. TRKFL (Pronounced Track + Field, as far as I can tell) makes a wide variety of colorful and unique backpacks, handbags, messenger bags and more. All of their products are made from Sunbrella® brand fabric which is a high quality acrylic designed to be fade resistant, water repellent, breathable and best of all super vibrant. Unfortunately it does not look like they have and online store at this point, but check their store list and see if there is a retailer near you.

Giant Vintage

If you are like me you agree that for most vintage goods the price tag is usually pretty ridiculous. Giant Vintage has loads of sunglasses that are strait from the 80s and 90s and most of them are $20 or less! Some of the pairs are a bit too much for my liking, but many are already on my “to buy” list. Time to stock up for summer days in the sun.

Design By Humans

I have expressed before my love/hate feelings for Threadless. The idea was a great one, and they opened the door for a whole new way of selling products. On the other hand, not all, but many of the designs they print look amateur, the tees they print on are super cheap and fit funny. That being said there are people who have taken the idea and created similar, improved versions of Threadless. One of these site being Design By Humans. The minute I visited the site I saw several designs I wanted to purchase right away. The site is simple and to-the-point and new winners are announced weekly. They offer shirts with specialty inks, mixed media and classic prints. I am not sure of the quality of the tees and ink, but I plan on purchasing a few tees so I will keep you posted on my findings.

[via :: Yewknee]

Orisue Keeps It Fresh

I have had my eye on Orisue for awhile now and it’s been great watching their style and brand develop. Having seen them at Magic this season and thinking back to all the bad clothing I saw there, it’s apparent that these guys stand out from a lot of the other shit. The new line this season has a ton of great stuff including cut-and-sewn crew sweaters, cut-and-sewn full-zip hoodies, fitted hats and one of my personal favorites the Tiger Hoody which has an offset neck zipper. Check out the rest and shop over at Karmaloop.

Tradeshow Roundup

I am back from Las Vegas and back to the freezing temperatures of Salt Lake City. Over the four days in Vegas I was able to check out all four of the major fashion tradeshows going on during the week – Magic, Pool, Project and United. I would have to say I enjoyed Project and Pool the best, however, I think Magic did step up their streetwear section this time around. United had its highlights, but In all I feel their were more creative things going on at Pool and Project. Here are just a few labels or projects that stuck out as I was browsing up and down the many, many isles of convention center carpet:
:: Beautiful Decay
:: Spitfire
:: Zuriick
:: Quite Hero
:: Deter
:: Rise Up
:: Denada Designs
:: Dim Mak

Magic, United and More

I am off to partake in the trade show madness tomorrow in Las Vegas. I will be attending United, Magic and hopefully more. Stay tuned for tradeshow goodness and Las Vegas badness.

Etnies Plus

The new line out by Etnies called Etnies Plus has got me drooling on my keyboard. It has been a long time since I have seen a pair of Etnies I would consider wearing, but almost every single shoe in this line (both Men and Women’s) are amazing. I particularly like the Rock Steady Hi and the Upsetter. Word on the street is these are very limited edition, if anyone has any info on where to score a pair I would love to know!

The Fader/New Era/Panda Bear Contest!

If you have missed out on the other contests to get your hands on Panda Bear’s collaboration with The Fader and New Era you have been given another chance! This is the first in a series of super-limited-edition caps put out by The Fader and New Era and was designed by Noah Lennox himself. So here is how to score this cap along with a free 1-year subscription to The Fader – simply email me with your name, address and your top 5 blogs or daily reads (please include “Panda Bear/New Era/The Fader Contest” in the subject line). Simple as that. The winner will be randomly selected this Friday (the 8th). Don’t forget to include your top 5 blogs or you will be disqualified.

Oh PS – There were only 80 of these caps made, so if you want one you best enter!

Wear Palettes

Like most other designers/artists I find myself being influenced by a huge variety of sources. More often than not I get a great idea for a project when I am away from the computer. Like say a color scheme for a website from a well dressed woman walking down the street. The blog Wear Palettes has taken inspiration from the street photography of The Sartorialist and created color schemes using the awesome web tool Colour Lovers, then posting them all on their blog. A great idea for cataloging inspiration for design and fashion. I think it would be interesting to do this with a party photographer’s shots, like this one from Shadow Scene. I am sure you could come up with some some interesting schemes.

In Love With Bountee

Strait to the point here… Bountee is the coolest website I have come across in a long time. This says a lot because I visit hundreds of sites a day, and spend an embarrassing amount of time in front of this LCD screen. Bountee gives you the ability to design and sell t-shirts in the simplest and easiest way possible. There is no voting necessary in order to have your design printed. You make it. You sell it. You get paid! I love that everything has been done in the simplest way possible and gives the designer the power. You determine the price (anything above the base price), the color of shirt, the placement of the design, everything. After your design is created and uploaded Bountee does the rest, taking care printing, ordering and shipping. I plan on putting this website to use ASAP!

BONUS
CrownDozen and Bountee have teamed up to bring you 3 free t-shirts a week throughout all of December! Head over here for the details.

Boosted VS Madsteez

I think it was close to 7 years ago when I first started Mesh Magazine I published an interview with Mark Darren AKA Madsteez. His crazy style really caught my attention and I knew it was only a matter of time before he blew-up. Now his name is all over and his artwork is crazier than ever. The recent project he collaborated with Boosted Mobile on is no exception. The Madsteez x Boosted Device Case Collection has pieces designed to accommodate just about any of your electronic gadgets such as cell phone, iPod or Blackberry. In addition to the electronic device cases the collection also offers a larger sized nap sack, messenger bag and hip bag, all of which are made from “vegan-approved” materials. Check out BoostedMobile.com for more info and retailer locations. Also peep this exclusive Boosted interview with Madsteez himself to see what he has to say about his art and his future plans.

Zuriick Fall ‘07

Zuriick’s new Fall/Winter line has been released and it’s about damn time. I have been patiently waiting for some of these new shoe designs for months and they are finally here. The line includes new colorways of the original “Ake”, which I love for its simple but original design. Zuriick’s new line also brings us three entirely new designs including the Jakob (my personal favorite), the Kettle and the Beata. These new styles present some features Zurrick has never had before like laces, high/mid tops and different fabrics. In addition to the new designs Zuriick has made other improvements, making their soles a bit thicker, more durable and stepping-up the quality of their shoes overall. Be sure to check out the new tee designs as well. Head over to Zuriick’s blog to find a retailer near you, or their online store to purchase.