Hasta La Ideas

Socks with athletic support and snazzy looks guaranteed to set you apart from the masses

If you weren’t lucky enough like me to have a wise Italian friend give you the tip, a glimpse of white tube socks will likely make any stylish woman run the other direction. And why run the risk of boring choices that may suggest a similar inner spirit? Thanks to imaginative companies like Stance, my feet will never be subjected to the abuse of plain again.

The San Clemente, CA brand may be rooted in California board sports (the socks have all the ergonomic support you could hope for), but Stance also has a literal foot in the creative community with many of their “society” of “Punks & Poets” doubling as talented athletes and artists. Some of their growing roster of supporters even put their own spin on a pair of socks through the brand’s Artist Series.

Artists like Kid Creature, Urethane, Russ Pope, Matt French and others expressed their personal style with socks serving as their canvas. Dominated by bold graphics and colorways, the series captures the feeling of sunny days on a surfboard and the graffiti-riddled streets seen by skaters.

In addition to jazzing up a simple ensemble of t-shirt and jeans, the super-soft and comfy socks have firm elastic at the top to keep them up while in action. As French points out on his blog, Stance are “really good socks that care for your toes like two litters of little marsupial babies.”

Selling through Tactics and their own online shop, Stance socks span $6-25 depending upon style, size and collection.

Nike introduces their first Lunar sole in a pro skater’s signature shoe

Drawing inspiration from both running and soccer shoes, pro skateboarder Eric Koston announced his first signature model for NikeSB last week. The result has the durability, performance and looks of a skate shoe, but with comfort and technical specs usually reserved for traditional sports.

Koston, who had design experience from working on both Nike’s Dunk Pro SB and Zoom FP, found himself turning to Lunars and Glides to cushion his feet when he wasn’t skating. Taking cues from the comfort of those shoes, along with the glove-like fit of the Nike Presto, the goal was to integrate those features into an outer that could withstand the pavement. Simple enough in theory, what it took to get there was a little more involved.

To get the lightweight comfort of the Lunar, the Koston 1 is the first shoe in the Nike Action family to use the recent innovation of Lunar foam. Putting it in both the sockliner and midsole makes for a light shoe with full-foot cushion that translates into heavy impact protection—without a loss of board feel. Another cushion for toe crunch helps with high impact from jumping down stairs or slams, and a mono tongue (as well as an overall minimization of seams) alleviates pressure points around toe ligament.

In spite of the cushy interior, the new kicks have a tough exterior that can hold up to even Koston’s pro moves. A lack of seams and superior durability of the TPU-reinforced suede upper makes the shoe last longer and less susceptible to immediate toe blow-outs. Where the icon claims he used to go through a pair every four or five days, his model lasts him weeks—long enough to even get an ollie hole, which he hadn’t done since he was a kid.

Sealing the deal, a neoprene collar lends uniform ankle comfort and “Lo Ride” construction gives the stability of cupsole construction with the board feel of a full vulcanized sole. The Koston 1s hit stores 1 July 2011 in three colorways, as well as a limited release of Nike SB Eric Koston Premium, a collaboration with Kobe Bryant that features an embossed suede and a snakeskin pattern upper inspired by the Kobe VI basketball shoe.

Skateboarding, sexuality and suburbs in artist Ed Templeton’s expansive new book

Owner and art director of Toy Machine Skateboards, Ed Templeton’s work has been most widely-seen on boards under the feet of thousands of skateboarders around the world. For fans of his skateboard graphics or those already familiar with his art, the new book “The Cemetery of Reason“—a compliment to his 2010 solo exhibition of the same name—binds together images of over 260 pieces in a comprehensive survey of the native Southern Californian’s work.

Projects span painting and drawing to screen printing and photography, highlighting his free-form approach to combining mediums, something of a hybrid documentary-style that makes for a refreshing take on heady subjects like society, religion and the overall human condition.

While Templeton often comments on today’s over-sexed and under-supervised youth, the nomadic life of a pro skateboarder gives the artist unusual glimpses into innumerable global locations. Works in “The Cemetery of Reason” include photos of a bloodied friend after a bad slam or a seedy motel in Middle America, paintings of monstrous creatures speaking brainwashed thoughts and surreal mixed-media works of nude women.

While his work spans several mediums, the strength of his aesthetic is his first-person perspective, acting as an overarching link between subjects and artworks to convey his humanistic worldview.

Rounded out with telling interviews with Templeton over the years, as well as multiple essays by influential artists, writers and the exhibition’s curator, pick up “The Cemetery of Reason” online from Photo Eye or Amazon.

From honey bear bongs to portable Bluetooth speakers, Cool Hunting’s limited-edition series of collaborations

This year, Cool Hunting teamed up with select favorite brands—innovators in technology, design, fashion, and perhaps most fondly, food—to create limited-edition versions of their much-beloved products, available exclusively through our online store and at our pop up for Gap.

When we learned that 160-year-old Swiss watchmaker Marvin was undergoing a revival, we worked with their designer to put a CH spin on their newest style, the Malton 160 Cushion. Our interpretation ($1,250) features green accents and is signed and numbered, as well as engraved with “Toujours Plus” (a riff on one of our taglines, “Always More”). Already sold out, the last chance to get this sleek watch is through our upcoming charity auction. (Stay tuned for details, and check out our recent video on Marvin to learn more about the brand that supplied JFK with gifts for Marilyn.)

Created by CH founder Josh Rubin and his father, the tech-friendly glove brand Freehands came out with a CH Edition ($80) this season. Like all Freehands, these are designed to keep your hands warm while using your mobile phone, camera, iPod and more, but this luxurious version is made from 80% pure cashmere in gray-on-gray stripes, and features the new magnetic design that discreetly secures the finger and thumb flaps back out of the way.

We collaborated with Brooklyn brand Outlier on this Swiss wool hat, an accessory technically designed for bike riding in less-than-cheery weather. Completely wind-resistant, highly water-resistant and with a brim that perfectly shields a rider’s brow, the stylish cap ($90) comes in three colors, keeping you protected from the elements without ruining your holiday party entrance.

Maintaining their minimalist design, local sourcing, and small-footprint credo, Rickshaw created one of their bestselling Zero Waste bags for Cool Hunting. Featuring a green interior and a black exterior, our exclusive multifunctional Zero bag ($150) and its matching CH Edition felt and nylon iPad case ($30) keep your precious goods protected on the go.

Already fans of their caps and belts, we commissioned the creative Tokyo-based label Zillion to completely cover a series of vintage skateboard decks in their dead-stock kimono fabrics. The limited-edition collection was crafted in two styles—with wheels ($850) or without ($750) —each in beautiful patterns that look fantastic hanging on any wall, especially when grouped together.

Local artisan Jill Platner (another craftsperson who’s long been on our list of favorites) created a series of 12 of her signature rawhide bracelets exclusively for Cool Hunting ($205). Handcrafted in New York for nearly two decades, Platner’s jewelry features her trademark sterling silver toggle clasps, but our version comes in a longer bracelet length and a custom dove gray leather.

We’ll be hosting an event premiering our video on Jill in our pop up shop for the Gap soon, check back for details.

Handmade from locally-sourced vintage fabrics in one of the few remaining factories in Manhattan’s Garment District, 3sixteen‘s four patterns of classic ties for Cool Hunting ($80) boast clean lines that demonstrate the menswear company’s extreme attention to detail and craftsmanship.

Other collaborations include the pairing of Brooklyn chocolate purveyors Mast Brothers with San Francisco fruit gastronome June Taylor to create an out-of-this-world artisanal chocolate bar ($10), a beyond delicious Happy Goat scotch caramel sauce, an Esque honey bear water pipe ($360), and Good Fight’s herbal smoking blend. Stay tuned for more in the upcoming days on those Cool Hunting exclusives!

Though it’s not for sale, also keep an eye out for CH giveaways of Jawbone’s brand-new portable Bluetooth speaker the Jambox in custom Cool Hunting Green.

Almost all products will be available through our gift guide as well as our new Cool Hunting x Gap pop up store.

Famed skate store and cult brand Supreme has been the subject of many a skater’s wet, sneaker-fueled dreams since James Jebbia founded it in 1994. What first began as an ode to the laid-back urban sport’s apathetic but angry crowd has spawned artist-designed boards, videos directed by the likes of Damien Hirst and advertising campaigns featuring Kermit the Frog, Mike Tyson, among other unlikely collaborations.

The eponymous new book “Supreme” pays homage to the brand’s forward-thinking invention and seamless representation of skate culture. Full-bleed photos catalog the posters, from Lou Reed in classic “fuck you” mode (he’s rumored to have been paid a pretty penny for it) to the pin-up calendar from 2005 and an enviable layout of inventory, including sneakers and t-shirts, from the various collections.

As Glenn O’Brien writes in his introduction, “Supreme spreads style, but it also spreads thought and information. Culture is its business.”

The book includes an interview between Jebbia and artist Kaws, with a preface by former Supreme employee Aaron Bondaroff, who since has gone on to start his own successful brands.

Spreads of the limited edition boards feature color palettes comically reinvented by Ryan McGinness, Kaws’ red-and-black transmogrifications and Andrei Molodkin‘s classic “Fuck Bush”—which quickly became a catch-all slogan for Supreme’s hardscrabble perspective.

“Supreme” also features the fruits of collaborations with Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, Jeff Koons, Public Enemy, The Clash and Budweiser.

Work by Takashi Murakami and Mr. boards reflects the brand’s ascension in Japan, while the Sean Cliver painted versions recreate fifties illustrations with a sick twist. A major part of Supreme’s business is nurturing these creations and simultaneously offering them at moderate prices, keeping in mind their street clientele.

Supreme’s unapologetic style, often brassy and harsh, and its well-made, affordable clothes sparked an explosive combination. The reams of iconic shoe and shirt designs get full display, which include brand collaborations too with the likes of Nike, Timberland and Vans.

“Supreme” sells from Amazon. See more images in the gallery below.