Best of CH 2011: Five Cool Hunting Videos

A Brooklyn-based radio trio, the master of animatronics, precision art work, the history of Danish tattoos and a talk with a French fashion design icon make up our top video picks for 2011

All week we’ll be looking back on the past year of CH to resurface our favorite stories and moments. For starters, it was a great year of Cool Hunting Videos—we made some new friends in our native New York and around the globe—trekking long and far to produce our mini-documentaries about creativity, innovation and process. Below are our top five favorites from 2011:


Chances with Wolves

Master music selectors Chances with Wolves gave us a look behind the scenes of their successful East Village Radio show. We spent some time with the dynamic trio—who are childhood friends—and learned about their methods and inspiration.


Lou Nasti

The godfather of Christmas, Lou Nasti is hands down the most intriguing character we met all year. We had a chance to check out his Brooklyn warehouse where he creates all kinds of magical animatronic installations for clients around the globe.


Jean Touitou

When talking to the iconic French fashion designer and founder of APC you never know what to expect. We had the unique opportunity to sit down with Jean Touitou in NYC and got some insight into his take on clothing, business and religion.


Danish Tattooing

On a trip to Copenhagen we were welcomed into the city’s most famous tattoo parlor to get educated on the history and progression of the artform. Jon Nordstrøn, author of the book Danish Tattooing, broke down the long evolution of tattooing from its nautical roots to the more complex modern iterations.


Kim Rugg

We spent the afternoon with Kim Rugg in her London home and studio talking about her work re-imagining newspapers, comics, stamps and cereal boxes using their existing form while rearranging their content. The amount of precision and time her pieces take is truly mind-blowing.


Cool Hunting Video Presents: Lou Nasti

Our behind-the-scenes video of Brooklyn’s animatronic master

For our latest video we trucked deep into Brooklyn, NY to explore Mechanical Displays, Lou Nasti’s fantastic studio. Nasti is the animatronic mastermind responsible for installations around the globe, most notably some of the most iconic Christmas displays on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Obsessed with robotics since childhood, he’s been doing it professionally for over 30 years, applying an uncanny mechanical skill reflected in his “can do” approach to modern technology. We were lucky enough to spend the day in Nasti’s studio learning some of his tricks and getting a sneak peek at some upcoming projects.