The boutique juice industry is crammed with players already – now you can add a new one to the list. Wild Bunch & Co produces a delicious range of healthy juices including vegetable juices which are bulging with energy boosting vitamins. But our favourite thing about this Singapore based company is the packaging. Smooth and ergonomic, the bottles are like little design pieces decorating your refrigerator. By Billy T
It's the only feasible explanation for Jason Markk's devoted following and wide online acclaim at sneaker-fanatic blogs worldwide. Of particular note is Jason Markk's Premium Sneaker Solution, which does something truly revolutionary: it cleans your sneakers.
With a wave of a hog-hair bristle brush coated in their specially formulated magic potion, Jason Markk P.S.S. rids your kicks of the grass stains and gook soils even your mom can't eradicate. The solution consists of natural soaps derived from coconut and jojoba oils, a 98% natural product that is also said to be biodegradable.
In addition to Jason Markk's online store, you can find this trainers cure-all at renowned sneaker shillers: Ubiq, Kendo, NortStar and Colette, among others.
Add this to your long list of things you didn't know you couldn't live without. By L. Harper
Fashion scholar Sophie Albou first got her stylish feet wet at France's Fashion Institute. She followed her graduation with an appointment at Azzedine Alaia and then became a stylist for Le Garage.
In
1995 Albou launched her first menswear collection, under the name "Paul
and Joe" - a shout out to her two young sons. Two years later the
designer released a womenswear line under the same moniker, to critical
acclaim
2007 finds Albou celebrating the tenth anniversary of her Paul and Joe
womenswear line with a festive (bordering on cartoonish) collection of
clothing. The billowing royal purple coat, a blouse with enormous white
bell sleeves paired with dark khaki slouchy, pirate boots proudly
declare Albou's standing as a "resolute anti-conformist." Even her
primmer outfits - a conservatively tailored mint green coat with gold
button accents comes to mind - are punctuated with loud purple, white
or green stockings and patent knee-high boots.
Currently Paul
and Joe offerings are available in over 30 boutiques around the globe,
as well as in retail giants Barney's, Harvey Nichols and Harrod's among
others. By L Harper
Here at TCH, we love riding bikes through the
city. There's something immensely pleasing about sailing past scores of
traffic with little more than a push of a pedal. And at the same time,
you're burning the calories, and doing your bit to stay green. But
there's one thing we hate about this simple mode of transport. People
like nothing more than stealing them, damaging them, or driving buses
into them. While your safe at work crunching the numbers, who's looking
after your ride home?
Cue the bike dispensing machine. Brought to you courtesy of bikedispenser.com,
a small firm from Amsterdam, the idea is to help facilitate bike
rentals in urban areas. Cyclists pay a small fee to hire a bike, and
then they can take it where they please. Once they’ve finished, they
can return it either to that machine, or another one across town. And
because they’ve been fitted with RFID tags, they won’t all have been
nicked before you can get one.
Now, if only they can do something about those van drivers… By Matt Hussey
For most of us, buying an old campervan normally involved some sort of cash-in-hand deal with a man called Stig and the crushing reality that the reason why a car costs only $100 is because it doesn’t have an engine.
For mega-brands like Adidas however, buying an old Volkswagen presents a unique sales opportunity. The label’s new skateboard clothing range will be marketed via this old jalopy that has been customized with prints inspired by skating legend Mark Gonzales. The ‘Kombi’ will cruise the streets of Sao Paulo with its custom interior throughout August, before it goes on tour to promote the new range. By Matt Hussey
Berlin is one of the world’s most creative cities and now you can get your way around a lot more easily. Don’t bother with the public transport system, rent your own cool buggie style go karts, which surprisingly, you are able to drive legally on the roads alongside real cars. The mini size makes them easy to maneuver and parking is a breeze. Not to mention the fun factor – it’s like one big game of dodgem cars for grown ups. Rent them at kart4you.de
Berlin is one of UNESCO Creative Cities of design and it has a distinctive and strong creative subculture. But it takes a while for the cool aspects to become apparent because Berlin is not a city with instant sex appeal like Paris or Rome. And don’t try to do anything before 11 am -- the place is dead till then.
Luckily, we knew where the action is. In Berlin, it is in Mitte district (German for middle or center), a historic district formerly part of East Berlin. Now, it is somewhat edgier than SOHO but also similar with its refurbished buildings, one-of-a-kind designer fashion shops, cafes, bakeries, restaurants, bars, art galleries, studios and an overall creative vibe that attracts the city’s designers, architects, photographers and artists. Mitte is also the historical heart of Berlin with most of the main sights and many media companies within its borders.
In Mitte, we stayed at Lux 11. Lux 11’s name gives a nod to Rosa Luxemburg, the German champion of socialist causes, after whom the street is also named. The hotel name also refers to luxury and light (lux is light in Latin).
Lux 11 is a chic 72-room apartment hotel opened in 2005 in a renovated building that started as stately residences in the late 19th century. It was later converted to an office building from which the KGB was apparently in direct contact with Moscow during the Cold War. We don’t know if this is true but we like the story.
The hotel concept and interior are by London-based architects Giuliana Salmaso and Claudio Silvestrin. They‘ve managed to create an environment that combines a clean, minimalist and practical style with an abundance of tactile and sensual details, white walls, natural wood, concrete in China green, curtains in leather, upholstery in rough canvas. We liked the simplicity – no frilly things to annoy you, no boring sets of matching bedding and window treatments. We also liked the little kitchen (the hotel buffet breakfast did not appeal) which we stocked at Bio Organic Supermarket a block away on Dircksenstrasse. We found the best coffee at Buscaglione on Rochstrasse (1 Block away) and the best soup at Kultur (opposite hotel).
What You'll Love: Location, location, location. Mitte is where its all at.
What You Won't: No air conditioning, lifeless pillows. Expensive internet access (12 Euro for 5 hrs)
We feel distinctly worldly carrying our new shoulder tote from Red Flag Design. It is made of re-purposed sailcloth and we enjoy daydreaming about the various dazzling harbors our bag must have visited at the time when it was still a sail - most likely of a magnificent Swan. The AUM (alternate use material) bags are amazing - sturdy, cool and one-of-a-kind.
They are the first AUM product line by the Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based Red Flag Design. Every single tote, duffel, clutch, wallet and shopping bag is made in Vancouver from locally sourced materials. The industrious and creative Red Flag has made noble-minded products of discarded materials since 2004 and they are getting better each year. By Tuija Seipell
We’ve been running into amazing walls recently (not literally, of course, or at least not physically) and this is giving us reassurance that “contractor beige” is not the only wall color imaginable or acceptable. So, you can imagine the grins on our faces when we discovered E-Glue.
The 3 month old French based company started by designers who create
super-fun wall adhesives for kids rooms. The creative duo create all
the illustrations and hand-make all the products. They ship worldwide
but we see no reason to spoil the kids with such extravagance. We are
ordering some for the office. By Tuija Seipell.
Forget your traditional definition of an amusement park, Wannado City leaves behind the cotton candy, the solicitors of large stuffed animals, the mindless entertainment and trash. Instead the “city” has redefined child entertainment with aspirational activities, all of which are framed around the question: “What do you wanna do when you grow up?”
Wannado City was crafted from the vision of Mexican-born Luis Javier Laresgoiti, who had a eureka moment while watching his daughter “play executive” on his business phone. Laresgoiti, with the backing of several major corporations has crafted a dream world where children are encouraged to take on an adult profession and see where it takes them. The park is located in Sawgrass Mills Mall in Southern Florida.
 Each venue has its own concentration, such as the Motorola-sponsored M-Lab that focuses on innovation and invention. The M-Lab turns each visitor is given a white lab coat and transformed into an “M-Ventor.” The children are encouraged to work together on a technology-based game to solve a difficult problem. Once they’ve solved the situation at hand, they’re greeted with a congratulatory “Mission Accomplished” banner.
M-Lab however, goes far above and beyond the standard protocol for children’s playthings. The space was designed in collaboration with Motorola and Gensler, a self-proclaimed “global design, planning and strategic consulting firm.” The M-Lab lures passer-bys with its façade – clad in stark aluminum and panelite – which contrasts with the surrounding “quaint village” motif. Inside there are seven chambers, each meticulously designed depending on the room’s task at hand. The end result is a realistic series of rooms that embrace each child’s fantasy of becoming the next influential innovator. By L. Harper
As you’ll no doubt have seen on the pages of the cool hunter over the past few weeks, we’ve been paying homage to wall-art
from all over the world. From bars in Baghdad to clubs in Cairo, we’ve
been trawling buildings looking for the finest illustrations the
art-world has to offer. And for this next one, we had to scurry around
the trendy backstreets of Jingumae in Tokyo to find it.
This
small live in studio and salon has been decked in black paint with a
beautifully elegant mural, depicted from the salon’s own brand to
engulf its two exposed walls. The hand-painted pattern is reminiscent
of an inverted Rorschach inkblot drawing. Yet the symmetrical display
blends perfectly with the centre piece - a woman overwhelmed by the
surrounding plumage. And while the windows are large and severe, they
don’t distort the image. Instead, they perforate the design with
different levels of intensity, revealing larger and smaller details of
what lies beneath.
Inside, the space has been deliberately
simplified, so as to not compete with the eye-catching exterior.
Blackened wood surfaces sit quietly against the enlarged windows,
decorated with cream-coloured blinds. While the theme of masculine and
feminine remains true throughout. The angular planes of the structure
repeat in the harsh lines of the furniture and the effeminate fresco is
imitated by the soft lighting inside. A smart yet simple piece that
respects the duality of the building – somewhere to live and work –
while playfully intertwining the two. By Matt Hussey
In order to stay ahead of the shifts in taste and style, we’re always on the move. True to our nomadic leanings, the cool hunter will be literally roaming through the hotspots of Europe showcasing the best these cities have to offer and to plan our international cool hunter sites.
From the present-day Istanbul to the two Fashion Capitals of the World (Milan and NYC) Cool Hunter will strive to deliver - live online - the highlights of each unique city, beginning August 7th.
While traveling in these exotic locales, Cool Hunter will also be setting down its roots to expand our site internationally. While in Turkey, later this month, we’ll be preparing the launch of Cool Hunter Turkey. Around September/October we plan to start our Cool Hunter London site. There’s also a Brazil Cool Hunter in the works for later this year.
Deutschland… Berlin, Germany: August 10th to August 17th
Ramble to Turkey… Istanbul – August 17th to August 24th Bodrum – August 24th to August 29th
Cross the Mediterranean to Greece… Santorini – August 31st – September 6th Mykonos – September 6th to September 13th Athens – September 13th to September 15th
On to the boot of Italia… Rome: September 15th to September 21st Tuscany region: September 21st to September 25th Florence: September 25th to September 29th Bologna: September 29th to September 30th Verona: October 1st to October 3rd Venice: October 3rd to October 5th Milan (and a few to be determined locations in Italy): October 5th to October 14th
And finally… Home Sweet Home (NYC) on October 15th
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