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Julian Hakes Throws a Shoe – The Mojito

British architect Julian Hakes has designed a shoe with no footplate called the Mojito. While it may not look comfortable, the wraparound shoe was designed on Hakes’ observation that the force of movement in a footstep is primarily through the ball and heel of the foot, so the footplate is immaterial material. They are not available for sale – yet, so keep on eye out for them. In the meantime, you can check out Hakes’ site. His architecture is just as cool. Check it out.

Brew Ha-Ha - Dunkin' T's Starbucks

Back in June we posted about the storm brewing in the coffee category when McDonald's went all-in with McCafé. Well the pot is boiling over. Have you seen this t-shirt from Dunkin' Donuts? It reads, "Friends don't let friends drink Starbucks." Not sure who would pay $14 for it, but DD has spunk for doing the kind of direct competitive messaging we've seen recently in this lagging economy. Dominoes taking on Subway's toasted subs comes to mind. In fact, so does a poster ABC ran about ten years ago to promote its prime time shows. It read, "Friends don't let friends watch Friends." We love a good fight.

Not the Same Ol', Same Ol' - Southern Brand Apparel

Southern Brand just launched its line of vintage soft tees for men, women and lil' ones, and we've quickly become big fans. It's not just the vintage soft 100% cotton we love, or the fact that it's all made in the US of A - it's the fact that they print with vegetable and soy inks that produce no formaldehyde discharge. A great brand with a pure soul. Check it out.

Still So Simple

A very simple company with a very simple purpose. Best of all, Simple has never once strayed from its core values or brand identity. Oh, and they make great products without harming the planet. They've been doing it long before "green" became trendy, and they still do it about as well as any company. Check it out.

High Fiber Fashion – Eco-fi Polyester Fiber

Eco-fi, is a high-quality polyester fiber which has been developed using recycled plastic soda bottles. Eco-fi is used in fleece fabrics, carpets, home furnishings and fiberfill. The Eco-fi process has the capacity to keep almost 3 billion plastic PET soda bottles out of the world's landfills each year, saving over 1/2 million barrels of oil and eliminating 400,000 tons of harmful air emissions which contribute to acid rain, global warming and smog. We need more innovation like this. Check it out.

Can't Stop Touching Myself - Drum Kit T-Shirt

School Boards across the country will LOVE this cymbal-lic expression of freedom from the genius minds at ThinkGeek. Just tap the drums on the shirt and they actually play through an embedded speaker. There are seven different drum sounds and a “top volume level (that) is really loud.” Maybe it goes all the way to 11! Check it out.

The Vintage Collection by Samsonite Black Label

The Vintage Collection from Samsonite’s Black Label Line is a hot new series that reinvents classic luggage designs with modern materials and engineering.  According to Samsonite, “Nostalgic for the days when travel was all about Glamour, the Vintage Collection was created to make traveling an event again. It gives new meaning to old beauty with a modern twist to travel trunks and wardobe cases."  http://www.samsoniteblacklabel.com/scatalog/index_flash.jsp

Style up with the Illuminated Handbag

If you plan on lighting up the crowd at the next social function, this Illuminated Handbag is just the thing for you. Made from a light-emitting fabric that blends in perfectly with other fibers, your teched-up fashion accessory will definitely be the talk of the table at the very least. You will be able to choose from five different colors  Each Illuminated Handbag is powered by a tiny battery or direct current.  http://www.wiedamark.com/

Louis Vuitton Tribute Patchwork Bag, (World's Most Expensive) Handbag of the Day

Last week saw the launch of the Louis Vuitton Tribute Patchwork Bag, which considering price and exclusivity, could very well become the next "it" bag for celebs and fashionistas. The large shopper has a noticeable gold chain handle, but the thing that makes it stand out is that it is made up of samples of 15 different Louis Vuitton Handbags from the LV spring/summer and cruise lines.  Price: £23,484 ($45,352).  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=441431&in_page_id=1879

Uppercase: Travel in Style with this Revamped Classic

Look out Louis Vuitton, there's a new traveling case in town. Uppercase, based in the United Kingdom, offers travelers an alternative to looking chic with their new line of vintage-inspired luggage. http://www.uppercaseonline.co.uk/