Everything Is Illuminated

When The Other Collection creates an edition of a book you know you are getting one of the most considered, artistic and deeply design nerd experiences in print. For this edition of Jonathan Safran Foer’s multiple award winning  “Everything Is Illuminated,” first released in 2002 when he was 25 years old, TOC called upon Paul Smith to create the book’s jacket. A single drawing was turned into a pattern by Susanna Dulkinys, which looks amazing in letterpress. Type designer René Bieder’s “Vitruv” font was selected to complement Safron’s centuries-spanning story. Their editions are set digitally and their lasersetter then generates letterpress plates which are then run on their 1954 Original Heidelberg Cylinder press. Then there’s the 90 gsm paper by Schleipen Werkdruk & Gmund, a linen wrapped cover and the author’s signature on each of the 998 books in the edition. For you or anyone on your gift list who cares about great books printed in the most thoughtful manner, it’s a considered addition to any library.

This product is sold by The Other Collection

Engineered Garments x Reebok BB4000 II

We say yes to these classic ’80s Reebok BB4000 revisited by Engineered Garments in metallic gold and silver, giving them a bright and shiny new twist. The shoe, inspired by street fashion that developed alongside hip-hop, features a premium leather upper, a classic gum rubber outsole. You can learn more about the collaboration here. Exclusively available at Engineered Garments / Nepenthes until 3 May 2024, then available on Reebok.com as well.

This product is sold by Engineered Garments + Reebok

Reposado Tequila

Casa Obsidiana is a new tequila brand created by two families with deep connections to agave and wine making who have been friends for more than twenty years. Jorge and Roberto Beckmann Gonzalez’s family has been making tequila for eight generations—more than 260 years. Jean-Charles Boisset and his family have been making wine in France and California for decades and are one of the largest wine groups in France. Their desire to create a unique tequila together, along with Francisco Quijana, the Master Tequilero, is Casa Obsidiana’s origin story, and its differentiated by both the spirit—made from 100% Blue Weber agave from the Beckman Gonzalez’s estates, Quintana’s spirit, and aging for four months in French Oak barrels that formerly aged the Boissot family’s Napa Valley Chardonnay. Further elevating the brand is its unique, hand made and unusual ceramic bottles. This new, premium Reposado tequila, made in Jalisco, Mexico opens with caramel notes but isn’t too sweet and moves to a pleasant peppery finish. The Reposado is our favorite, but the Blanco and Añejo are both excellent as well.

This product is sold by Casa Obsidiana

Sweet Jane 1500mg CBD Lotion

This warm-woodsy smelling lotion, inspired by the “grounding, deeply soothing power of Sweet Mary Jane,” absorbs quickly and deeply moisturizes. A NYC recreational cannabis dispensary and CBD lifestyle brand, Gotham carries well-vetted goods and makes its own, including this lightly scented lotion with notes of oakmoss, birch and fir packs 1500mg of broad spectrum CBD in an 8ox bottle. The Sweet Jane collection also includes a roller, oil, candle, and bath salt.

This product is sold by Gotham

VISITORS

Adam Abdalla, a friend of CH, loves wrestling, and his latest book project documents a “death match” wrestling show at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall in October 2023, the first show created by an American independent wrestling company (Game Changer Wrestling). It featured 20 wrestlers and referees from the US and Mexico. Adam felt there wasn’t enough storytelling in previous efforts, so he recruited his photographer friend Nick Karp to document the event. This limited-edition book of 1,000 copies features 200 pages with images both behind-the-scenes as well as in the ring, and is  being shown during NY Art week (28 April – 5 May 2024). The photographs capture, in graphic detail and with a sense of primal and theatrical expression, this subculture of wrestling. Now available for pre-orders.

All photographs by Nick Karp (they have been cropped for our square format)

This product is sold by Orange Crush Art

Kimchi Salt

This bright, tangy and flavorful sea salt hits all of kimchi’s tasting notes. Use it to liven up soups, eggs, fries and more. San Juan Island Sea Salt fully evaporates sea water in the summer sun to create their salt. This variety adds Gochugaru peppers, ginger and garlic and will definitely awaken your taste buds.

This product is sold by San Juan Island Sea Salt

Rapper’s Deluxe: How Hip Hop Made The World

Dr. Todd Boyd’s thorough history of hip hop starts in the 1970s and shares how it has become central to music and American history, impacting nearly every aspect of pop culture since then. For both the informed and those who love today’s hip hop but lack some of the genre’s history, Boyd breaks it down into its key players, defining moments, and sprawling influence.

This product is sold by Amazon

Critical Thinking Hoodie

When the creative folks at Advisory Board Crystals pick a theme for their collections they lean into it with full force. Their Critical Thinking Hoodie Planet Saving Information Fungi Edition 2 series celebrates the magic of medicinal mushrooms with four different perspectives. Mega Spore, Dislike Everyone Equally, Predictive Programming and Home Team Welcome each feature unique colors, textures and text layered onto their signature heavyweight fleece using puff paint, glitter, graphic transfer and chain stitching. Finished using contrast threads on inside-out seams, no detail is left unconsidered.

This product is sold by Advisory Board Crystals

Spring Seasonal Concentrated Coffee

Jot’s Spring Seasonal coffee features a single-origin bean from Peru, and it’s just what we’re vibing for spring. Floral forward, nicely balanced, with fruity notes. Jot uses a “progressive enrichment process” to extract coffee from the grounds. Nothing else is added in the process—the liquid is very concentrated coffee and water. One tablespoon of the concentrate delivers a proper cup of iced or hot coffee, and from there your options are unlimited. It’s also available in Original, Dark, Vanilla, Chocolate Hazelnut and Caramel. Price is for one-time purchase. Discounts for monthly subscriptions available.

This product is sold by Jot

As We Rise: Sounds from the Black Atlantic (LP)

Aperture, the photography-focused not-for-profit gallery and publisher, has released its first album, an accompaniment to the phonebook As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic (2021), featuring images from The Wedge Collection. The LP features both classic and  current Black music, featuring tracks from Tenor Saw, Jeff Parker, Cymande,  Miriam Makeba and others. It’s compiled by Dr. Kenneth Montague and its liner notes are by Liz Ikiriko

Image Credits:
Front cover: Samuel Fosso, ’70s Lifestyle, 1975–78, © Samuel Fosso, Courtesy of the artist and JM Patras, Paris

Interior gatefold: Paul Anthony Smith, Junction 3, 2019, Unique picotage on inkjet print, spray paint, mounted on museum board, 40 x 60 inches, © Paul Anthony Smith, Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York

Back cover: Jorian Charlton, Untitled (Sydné & Keverine), 2021 (detail), © Jorian Charlton, Courtesy of the artist and Cooper Cole Gallery, Toronto

This product is sold by Aperture

Small Bistro 7-Piece Dog Food Travel Kit

Clever Pup’s Food Travel Kit makes traveling with your dog (or other pet) much easier with its practical, durable and high quality system. The kit includes a carrier, two food-safe containers (if your pet eats cold food there’s a sleeve for an ice pack), two collapsible silicone bowls, a collapsible measuring cup, and a mat. A larger kit is also available.

This product is sold by Clever Pup

Socks That Protect Sloths

Conscious Step creates socks, hoodies and candles that feature illustrations of a range causes—from protecting Sloths to building homes, planting trees and saving rainforests, providing meals to those in need, and many others. A donation is made for each item purchased, one small way for you to subtly share concern about our world and the many ways in which we can help make a difference, however small it may seem. Purchasing a pair of these socks sends $1 to Conservation International. Kids and toddler sizes, , footies and more are also available.

This product is sold by Conscious Step

Chaga Tincture

Family-owned and Oregon-based, Feral Fungi has been making premium mushroom supplements since 2016. Their line-up includes single mushroom tinctures, multi-mushroom blends as well as gummies. Their online store is highly educational and is organized by mushroom type, wellness benefit and even astrological alignment. Chaga is known for supporting the immune system and reducing inflammation so it’s a great supplement for almost everyone. Available as a single purchase or subscription in one or two ounce bottles, the mushrooms are ethically wild-harvested and extracted using a three stage process to maximize their effectiveness.

This product is sold by Feral Fungi

6″ Pocket Lounge Short in Indigo Sunrise

Nice Laundry’s 6″ Pocket Short is well-proportioned, well-priced, comfortable (one of our editors ran a half-marathon in them) and come in many patterns, some of which are limited edition. The 6″ inseam shorts have pockets, a drawstring, and a Micromodal stretch nylon interior.

This product is sold by Nice Laundry

Campus B5 Notebook

Kokomo’s Campus notebooks—available in myriad versions—provide quality options for most needs. These inexpensive B5 notebooks open completely flat, making writing a breeze. This notebook is 50 pages and 6mm lined. Other sizes, colors and sheet volumes available.

This product is sold by Bungu

Imprint Intention Candles

Alpha (empowerment), Salt (cleansing), Jupiter (alignment) and Eros (sensuality)—each Imprint candle is formulated to help manifest your intentions or help you get into your vibe while meditating or entertaining. Each 10.5 oz candle is hand poured in a beautiful 12 oz old fashioned glass that, upon cleaning, can be used to lift your spirits in other ways. Available independently for $45 or as a set of all four for $170.

This product is sold by Les Loups Candle Co.

Oculus Earrings

Artist Jiro Kamata makes art and jewelry from used camera lenses. The Oculus collection features a pair of earrings in 18k with matching optical lenses. From a ring to his larger art works, each shares a story of what the lenses saw in their past lives and creates a new way for us to appreciate them. Price is in Australian $ (approximately US $560)

Available from Funaki gallery

Auto-Tracking Stand Pro with DockKit

Whether you’re live-streaming or on a video call, Belkin’s Auto-Tracking Stand Pro with DockKit makes it easy to keep the camera on you while you are demonstrating, presenting, or doing anything where having a gadget follow your movement is helpful.

This product is sold by Belkin

Rolling Knife Sharpener Set

You’ve likely seen this on social media, as we had, and we were skeptical that it would get the job done. After trying it out we’re happy with the results, and how easy it is to use. It also looks great sitting on the counter if you don’t have room for it in your knife drawer. Simply hold your knife spine edge down and place it on either end of the knife holder block (one side is angled to 15º, the other to 20º). Grab the roller with you other hand and roll, abrasive side touching the knife blade, to sharpen. When it has reached your desired sharpness turn the roller around and use the other side to buff it. If your blades are seriously dull you may want to have them professionally sharpened first, and use this regularly to keep them that way. Remember to sharpen your knives after every use—a sharp knife is a safe knife.

This product is sold by Tumbler

MX Brio Webcam

Logitech’s latest webcam features a larger sensor (which improves low-light performance) and an in-house designed lens,  delivering ultra HD 4K resolution in a sleek, attractive package. Image detail is more than twice the resolution of the previous generation. If you care about your video you can adjust your color, light, ISO, shutter speed and more, and if you care about how you sound the MX Brio features two “beamforming” mics that deliver clear sound even when you are in a noisy environment. You can tilt it to show things on your desktop, which is handy. And when you desire privacy you simply rotate the large shutter wheel to physically close the camera’s view.

This product is sold by Logitech

Kragg Shoe

Our editor hasn’t worn other shoes since receiving these this week, touting the shoe’s comfort and performance. Your feet feel stable thanks to the breathable “Spacermesh” upper and sturdy Vibran Megagrip lower which grips surfaces as you walk or climb. Fold down the heel to create a slide for an even more relaxed vibe. While these were designed with outdoor and technical performance in mind, we think they are also a pretty perfect travel shoe. Available in mens and womens sizes.

This product is sold by Arcteryx

Brian Eno’s Turntable II, 2024

Brian Eno has released his next generation light art turntable following the success of his first in 2021, which achieved cult status and became the muse for U2’s mind-blowing show at The Sphere. Similar in concept, Turntable II, 2024 is a fully functional, audiophile turntable featuring a Pro-Ject tonearm, Ortofon cartridge, belt-drive motor and gold plated RCA connectors. The body is made of a single resin block with a frosted cast acrylic cover, and it features a control board and Arduino chip that powers the ever-changing dopamine inducing show of colors. Handmade in the UK, it’s available in an edition of 150 pieces and 20 artist proofs.

Photos © Brian Eno courtesy Paul Stolper Gallery, photography Luke Walker, 2024

This product is sold by Paul Stolper Gallery

Braun BN0279 Center Seconds + Sub-Seconds Limited Edition Watches for Hodinkee

There isn’t much more to say than these two limited edition watches from Braun and Hodinkee—their first collaboration—are everything you’d expect them to be. Limited to 100 pieces each, the classic model is available in either a Center Seconds or Sub-Seconds edition. Sleek, simple, elegant, not flashy, it’s a great daily driver and one that doesn’t bring too much attention to your wrist (in all the right ways). Inspired by Braun’s AW10 and AW50 watches, the stainless steel watch is 40mm.

This product is sold by Hodinkee + Braun

BIG COLOR

We love when CH readers send us their work. Artist Nate Nettleton shared his latest project, an ongoing series inspired by Pantone’s Color of the Year. Starting with the program’s launch in 2000, he’s created one work for each year, showing both the Color of the Year as well as its circular gradient opposite. Printed on 300gsm cotton rag matte paper, the works are available as single editions in 24″ x 30″  and 40″ x 50″; 16″ x 20″ prints have editions corresponding to the color’s release year—1 for the 2000 color, 25 for the 2024 color, etc.

This product is sold by Nate Nettleton Art

Productivity Shot

This product is sold by Magic Mind