Blog

Today we add two shops to the guide. One is in LA and the other is in San Diego. And they don't sell any of the same items really. But they both do a fantastic job of blending art and commerce.

For its part, Family in LA is stuffed with art books, DVDs, comic books, zines, prints and other creative output. The art books alone are worth the visit, as they represent some of the most interesting work being done by up and coming artists around the world.

Igloo (coming to us by way of suggestion) explores under the radar art, particularly that of California surf and skate culture. Prints, photo books, painted decks, T-shirts, even buttons are wonderfully creative in a completely unpretentious sort of way.

Both shops offer online shopping for a limited number of items.

A few months late but we figured if you hadn't seen it, you should. In the Spring/Summer 2007 issue of Another Magazine (which we just subscribed to and received just last week) they paired designers with artists and commissioned them to do a dress together. The results were stunning. Here are few of our favorites.

Martin Margiela and Gotscho

Christopher Bailey and Annie Morris (those are clothespins by the way)

Stella McCartney and Jeff Koons

Issey Miyake by Naoki Takizawa and Yoshitomo Nara

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Meredyth Sparks

If you want to see more you should still be able to find the issue on newstands.

When we first received an e-mail from Canoe announcing the opening of their online store, our first question was what's Canoe? We sign ourselves up to so many mailing lists it's easy to forget what's what. Canoe it turns out is a lovely design store in Portland carrying home accessories, personal accessories, toys, books and more. They do a rather impressive job of bringing together well-designed items from Japan, Italy, Scandinavia and the good old USA. Some are classics designed by mid-century masters, some are fresh designs from young upstarts. Check out some of our favorites from their store.

We're generally in favor of all iPod customization that doesn't involve Bono. But what with 18,000 iPod skins, cozies, holders and stickers coming out everyday we were a little burned out on the idea. These latest skins at Magic Pony have somewhat restored our faith.

Everyday we see more and more artists produce anything from T-shirts to ties to tableware featuring their art. It's a cheap, easy way to give people access to art, it's serves as a good promotion vehicle, and it's a way to make some money on the side. Recently, Loa Angeles based artist Brandon Francis contacted us to introduce us to his line of T-shirts, wallets and ties called Slowmovingvehicle. If you like artist T-shirts then you'll probably like his line. We did a quick interview with him about his work.

We noticed that on your website that you have done a lot of graffiti work. Is that how you got started in art?

Yes. Graffiti was the first form of art that I indulged myself in. I'm a product of 90's Los Angeles Graff. I started in about 89/90 and still partake in mild doses every now and then. It was actually the one thing that I was ever fully committed to as an individual and as a crew member. Up until then I didn't really have much interest in art. It plays a great roll in who I am today and the type of art that I do.

What are some of your influences as an artist?

Well my main influence would have to be everyday life. The good, the bad, and the ugly that we all experience in some way.

When did you first start doing a line of T-shirts, wallets and ties and why?

About 3 years ago. They are all excellent ways of getting my artwork out in the public eye. Chances are more people can afford a T-shirt or accessory rather then one of my actual paintings. It keeps me away from the 9 to 5 thing more importantly. I try to keep the items practical.

What are your goals/future plans with the line?

Not too sure, things seem to be working well without any type of plan so there is no need to make one at this point. I'm focusing more on showing my work rather then just the T-shirts since its pretty solid at this point. Just keep on growing and producing products.There are some home items and a possible toys in the works. You'll have to wait and see.

Where can people buy your T-shirts, wallets, etc?

Well my site has items that are only available on there. As for stores www.digitalgravel.com is a good place to look. I try to stay a bit under the radar. I'll have store listings on my site soon, I just have not gotten to it yet.

Do you have any favorite brands?

I'm not much of a consumer. They're are a few cool brands out there but, I can't remember what they are called.

Do you have any favorite stores?

Art supply and hardware stores.

You can buy the Slowmovingvehicle line at Digital Gravel. You can also pick up several exclusive items from the website. Check out the Slowmovingvehicle site for more information.

Art Star is one of those stores we inexpicably missed on our last visit to Philly. But thanks to the wonders of online shopping, we can still peruse their cheerly selection of artist-created wares. We've seen a few of these types of shops in our day and Art Star has executed the concept to perfection. They're picky enough to not let any old handmade item in their shop, but don't take themselves too seriously at the same time.

Besides what we've shown there are also a ton of artist T-shirts and hoodies, prints and original art. The store also holds monthy art shows. But, really, who doesn't these days :).

There we were, searching for US sellers of the latest Marc Atlan T-shirts when we ran into a relatively new shop in TriBeCa called Gigantic Brand. Gigantic is one of those fashion/art/music/ store/gallery type spots that's all the rage these days. The clothing stocklist is an intriguing one with appearances by Henrik Vibskov and Bruno Pieters. Alongside they have T-shirts by Gama Go and 2K, urban vinyl toys and funky art prints. We'll definitely be checking this store out in person next time we're in New York.

There are a lot of interesting stores in Toronto, but none more memorable than Magic Pony. The store is a truly magical collection of designer toys (the best among Western and Asian toys, including the work of emerging Canadian designers), art, prints, T-shirts, books, magazines and a few other random bits. Their gallery space holds host to regular art shows from emerging and established artists and designers. Here's some of what they're carrying right now:

Cool T-shirts.

Wacky plushes.

Art books.