Growing up, I had plenty of sneaker brands to choose from, instead of being limited to the three of four major players available recently. Thankfully, people are beginning to see the introduction of smaller niche brands such as Visvim and Creative Recreation. Admittedly, I’m glad to see so many brands of yesteryear stay buried, but a recent announcement caught my interest.

Tomorrow, May 1st, is the relaunch of British Knights (or BK as we like to call them). This is not the first time a brand has resurfaced. In 2005, Pro-Ked teamed up with Damon Dash to reissue favorites. There was some fanfare involved but since I never owned a pair, I didn’t pay much attention to it. This time, my interest is piqued and I am looking forward to seeing how their first pair, the “Purple Wizard Moccasin” designed by Gio Chiappetta, will be received. The hi-top shoe features a dark purple colorway with an obligatory velcro strap on the top. In addition, you can buy the first four 1989 Bk styles. The shoes will be available at on the BK site and select retailers nationwide.

From the casino floors of Vegas, to the velvet ropes in New York, there’s something about the power of the wad. Don’t deny that once or twice you’ve gone to the bank and asked for $500 in singles, then wrapped that sucker up with a few rubber bands, and voila! A wad. You know famous Belgian fashion designer Martin Margiela of the Antwerp Six believes, because he created a leather wallet with a faux $11-dollar bill facade (which is just a one dollar bill without Washington) for Oki-ni. It also costs quite of few of these dollars (well, since Oki-ni is London-based, we’re actually talking about pounds.) You’d think for the kind of cash we’d drop on this unique money minder he could have at least wrapped a $101-dollar bill around the outside.

Psychologist Carl Jung once talked about the “collective unconscious”, what he described as “a reservoir of the experiences of our species.” It’s kind of like how all children of the ’80s intuitively know an Autobot from a Decepticon. What Amy Hoy and Thomas Fuchs are trying to do with Twistori — their online social experiment — is find a sort of collective unconscious on Twitter. Inspired by our friend Jonathan Harris and his We Feel Fine project, Twistori uses Summize to tag conversations with key words like love, hate, think, believe, feel and wish. These convos are then grouped together on a scrolling Web page of innermost feelings. Now you can never say, “I never knew you felt that way.”

What do you get when you combine an up and coming Belgian designer with Brazilian inspiration? Belgilian desperation? Actually, the result looks like some pretty astonishing home furnishings courtesy of 2004 Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Pieter Maes. Having spent a good deal of time in the South American country, Maes found himself gaining an appreciation for Brazilian culture, as well as its long history of modern contemporary furniture. So, it’s not much of a surprise that Maes teamed up with New York based-company Brastilo, who are known for their line of home furnishings “inspired by the Brazilian love for an easy lifestyle and stunning design.” Maes’s creations are marked by an equal fondness for geometric figures as well as elements of the natural Brazilian landscape. His stunning collection — consisting of everything from chairs to cabinetry — is expertly made by Brastilo’s own craftsman using the finest eco-friendly wood from their private reserve in southern Brazil, enhancing the authenticity of these aggressive, edgy designs.

It would be in a product design powerhouse’s best interest to develop a Website that matched their creative aptitude. That would explain why U.K. based Seymour Powell has put together a simple, but very effective way of communicating their message — in seven clicks. As the pile dwindles down you learn there have been 1561 projects, 583 products, 136 clients, 38 awards, 23 years in business, 7 company directors, 5 main disciplines, 1 vision…oh, and a partridge in a pear tree. All of this is done with a dynamic stack of cards that, as the pile dwindles, the achievements are displayed in the scattered pieces. It impressed us, we thought you might want to check it out as well.

Your gal pals are always gushing on about how p.c. they are with their organic beauty products and all, but as a dude who likes to be clean and conscious of what you slather onto your body, why should you be accused of metrosexuality for wanting an alternative to your soap-and-shave regime? Organic Grooming is a men’s line of vegan personal care products, from cologne to deodorant, packaged in biodegradable and recyclable containers and contain ingredients you’d put in your lunch salad (like organic carrot and cucumber). According to the product’s backstory, these remedies were mixed in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere by a couple named Luke and Lisa (no last names listed), who received the first-ever organic personal care facility certificate in the States last year. We guess if you’re going to make a shaving cream from organic aloe, lavender and peppermint, you need a bit of privacy.

Many well-meaning organizations seek to make people aware of world issues through largely unsuccessful methods, like badgering people on street corners to sign petitions or sending a constant stream of spam. The forward thinking folks at Bantu Republic have come up with a successful way of fostering social awareness where so many other organizations fail. How do they do it? T-shirts, of course. Signing up for the Bantu Republic newsletter doesn’t mean you’ll be receiving pamphlets destined for the recycling bin. With your modest membership fee, you will receive a new T-shirt every month, designed specifically to highlight a pressing socio-economic issue. In their own words, it’s “like an activist newsletter you can wear.” In addition to your new shirt, you’ll receive Bantu Republic’s electronic newsletter The Conscious Dresser. While you can’t wear this, you should at least pay them the courtesy of reading it. After all, they did send you a sweet tee.

As you get older, you tend to forget about majestic mid-day siesta that is nap time. When you’re a kid, there’s no better time (except for recess) than bunking down on your He-Man mat with a handful of juice and cookies and a head full of addition and subtraction problems. But, the time has come again for the afternoon snooze. The Nappak is essentially an inflatable bounce-house that blows up to a small cubicle. Well, not that small. If we had to choose between this and a bedroll, we’d risk a little embarrassment for the sake of comfort. Now if it only had some sort of curtain we could take our pants off.

Kate Spade ain’t got nothing on us. With Elemental Threads’ line of customizable purses, day clutches, and totes, we are the master of our own design destiny. Choose between dozens of patterns, from paisleys to Geisha girls, to cover your bag. You can even choose from linings, handles, etc., right on down to the type of fastening button. Maybe it’s because the concept of these do-it-yourself designer items is, well, DIY that keeps the cost down. Either way, we already feel like Louis Vuitton’s successor.