Carga is a line of bags aimed for all men, not just the metrosexuals who started the trend. Each bag is handcrafted in Buenos Aires by a team led by Brooklyn-based Argentinean designer Mauro Bianucci. The sturdy, construction-inspired bags are made of felt or leather, and are held together by industrial aluminum rivets and leather straps. The collection includes everything from a small shoulder bag to totes to briefcases and starts at $145. The lack of label (there’s a metal disc embossed with a serial number instead) only adds to the overall experience.

Social Currency: Standing out among a sea of bag styles is no small feat, plus you get to brag about the uniqueness of your bag since it’s handcrafted and unlabeled.

Carga Bags

The wallets are made from sustainable materials such as recyclable paper, soy ink, post-consumer vinyl, and polyethylene laminant. materials, and are hand-sewn by Weiland himself. The designs of our test wallets range from quirky to artsy, and the collections have an even wider range, with lots of abstract colors, graffiti, photography, and other mixed media prints.

Social currency: Sustainability and convenience meet design. Could a revolution be too far behind?!

Timo! Wallets

One of our favorite indie brands, Crackheads, has come up with a sequel to their popular candy called Crackheads2 (or squared). Bizzarly, they’re also marketing these as Jitterbeans. We don’t really understand the reasoning here, but we like both names, so we’ll pipe down.

The main difference between the two versions is that the second iteration of Crackheads includes a caffeine supplement (600mg per box) in addition to the espresso bean, a hard candy shell, and only dark chocolate coating (60% cocoa) compared to the milk and white chocolate covered beans of the first edition.

One box of Crackheads2 / Jitterbeans chocolate-covered espresso beans is equal to the caffeine in six cups of coffee, 7 1/2 energy drinks or 11 cans of cola. Now, that’s what we’re most excited about!

Social Currency: Energy products are surging ahead with more concepts and more caffeine! We wonder whether the trend will head towards a new direction, otherwise we expect stagnation.

Crackheads

In America the Giftshop, the celebrated photographer has created multiple installations and artworks inspired by eight years of the Bush regime and the raging wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The art works are part parody and part biting criticism, and consider the current status of America as the world’s superpower through the lens of the most American of exports: commercialism.

Our favorite piece was an Abu Ghraib-inspired piece of a hooded naked prisoner serving as the base of a coffee table. A snow globe with Dick Cheney shredding top secret documents inside was whimsical, yet scary, and a series of cuddly stuffed toys elicited horror with their exploding brains and guts, and the images are still troubling us, in a thought-provoking way.

We took a first glimpse of the collection at SoHo’s latest luxury meeting space, MEET, where the artist premiered the works, and we’re anticipating word as to where the exhibit will move next.

Social Currency: Commercial art has been grabbing the headlines lately, so we’re glad to see a biting criticism of commercialization and politics in the art world. A thoughtful, not-your-ordinary criticism of America and its state.

You can take a view of the collection at America the Giftshop.

Designers Ryan Sovereign and William Beck met at RISD and collaborated on numerous musical and visual projects until they settled on their love for ties. Driven by a desire to imbue new meanings (and styles) to this often conservative accessory, the set off to create a line that combines classic lines with cutting edge design; with an overall look that is flashy without screaming design-y. Of course, each tie is created in limited quantities, and the duo launches a new collection almost every season.

We especially love the Ripple collection with its allusions of old-school video games, and the asymmetrical geometrical shapes of the Zig Zag line.

Social currency: The concept of masculinity is continuously tested by fashion and design, and we’re glad to see updated, cutting edge versions of our favorite classic accessory.

Sovereign Beck

The tequila went down smoothly and left no harsh aftertaste, which made us worry that we wouldn’t be able to stop drinking it. Oops! According to the tequila experts at Luna Sueño, the four-time distillation and oxygenation process creates a refined and pure tequila, while still retaining the full floral qualities of the Weber Blue Agave.

We also liked the hand-blown glass bottle, each featuring a ceramic, hand-painted, one-of-a-kind “lunita” representing the Moon Dream of the brand’s name. No two lunitas are the same.

We wish they had more inventive mixology recipes on their website, but for now we’re happy enjoying it straight up.

Social currency: Luxury liquor brands need more reasons to stand out, so we’re guessing we’ll be seeing more claims similar to the “quadruple distillation” one. Plus, the artistic personalization of each bottle kicks up the premium concept.

Luna Sueño

Since its inception, Nau has been one of the most innovative and intriguing company in eco fashion. Their products are a perfect blend of outdoor and urban fashion sensibility. Their design philosophy reflects a balance of beauty, performance and sustainability, and they were among the first companies to offer stylish, highly functional clothing in the most environmentally and socially responsible manner.

The Nau Version 2.0 site is launching tomorrow, but we caught a sneak preview of what’s coming and we’re loving what we’re seeing.

Our favorite Profile Fleece Jacket gets an update, with sharp angles, raw edges, and a new asymmetric zip. The recycled polyester fabric is developed from post-consumer and post-industrial polyester waste. At the end of its life, the jacket can be recycled once again into polyester fibers for reuse in a new jacket.

The new Modus trench coat features three-layer waterproof/breathable fabric for better protection against weather elements. The longer length keeps you knees dry, while the removable hood and high collar offer added protection from wind or rain. Woven from yarns recycled from post-consumer and post-industrial polyester waste, this coat could have been anything from a soda bottle to a yogurt container in its previous life.

Social currency: The “do well by doing good” philosophy is making an impact beyond small, niche companies as consumers expect more sustainable solutions from their favorite brands. We’re happy Nau is back and we can’t wait to see what impact it will have in the eco fashion industry and beyond.

Raw meat, the concept of meat, its symbolism and viscera serves as the inspiration for this new show at New York’s Daneyal Mahmood Gallery, named after Carolee Schneemann’s path-breaking 1964 work Meat Joy, also featured in the show. The dozen or so artists here are fascinated by our relationship with what meat stands for in context to our bodies, or what we put in our bodies. The viewers’ reaction is as important here as the artists’ intent, and we bet there will be lots of interesting reactions.

Pinar Yolacan and her photos of ordinary women dressed in beautifully sewn meat outfits is our favorite, but we can’t forget about the animatronic flesh shoe by Adam Brandejs. Freaky!

Social currency: It’s getting harder for artists to shock, and yet the subject matter here is one that still makes us uncomfortable. Consumers’ relationship with the concept of “meat” is not an easy one, and the ramifications are huge for many industries.

Daneyal Mahmood Gallery

Element Bars do just that! This new concept in protein and energy bars lets you design your own customized bar from scratch on a ridiculously easy online space. You start by selecting the consistency of the bar (chewy, oaty, crispy or datey); then you can add fruits, nuts, and sweets (from guilty pleasures like M&M’s and chocolate chips to healthy sweeteners like brown rice syrup and agave syrup). Finally, you can add any or all of the boosts: whey or soy protein, immunity boosters, omega-3 and fiber.

All the ingredients used are natural, with no artificial sweeteners. Most items offer an organic version as well. As you build your bar, the nutritional information panel is constantly updated helping you tweak your selections for the exact values you want. This was our favorite aspect of the bar building process, as we tend to obsessively study the nutritional panel of every product we purchase, and here we get the chance to control our own!

Your can further customize your bar by naming it (no unique designs for packaging yet, though we’re hoping that option will be offered soon!) and voila! The bars ship in packs of twelve for $36, plus shipping.

A little pricey for energy bars, but not that much more expensive than store-bought ones. Plus, these are custom-designed and baked especially for you, or someone special. We made our own Trendtrekking cherry cashew protein bars and we found them yummy, though not as crisp and crunchy as we would have preferred.

Social currency: Customization and on-the-go convenience - score! This could be the future for most everyday food items. We’re excited to watch it happen.

Element Bars

For this reason, we love the latest collection from Dutch fashion mavericks OntFront. After the smashing success of last year’s sole item (a sleek pinstriped hooded blazer, which looks great on us!), they launched an entire line inspired by the 1920s underground jazz scene. Called Midnight Sessions, the collection includes classic items like trench coats, blazers and dress shirts, combined with modern pieces like baseball jackets and hooded sweaters. The high end look and feel of the collection meets unexpected, edgy details like mini-jack plugs and tricot cuffs.

We hope more labels realize the potential of combining high fashion with street elements, for a polished look that doesn’t feel stuffy, and a casual feel that doesn’t look sloppy.

Social currency: Street influences in fashion are multiplying and this is a bright example of a perfect fusion. We’re hoping this is the beginning of a new adult clothing generation.

OntFront