While us ‘Mericans have the luxury of perfectly mowed fields and a plethora of generic gear at our disposal, most of the world does soccer… or fútbol… or futbito, differently. It’s a beloved and gritty sport, the foundation of which lays in the townships of Africa and in the dirt surfaces of Spain and Brazil. As so many of us have been, while traveling to these hallowed international ‘fields,’ Travis Winn – the founder of Calle (pronounced KAI-yay) – was inspired by the passion, talent, and ultimately, the style he saw being displayed by 12 year old street soccer players in Spain. Confidently and creatively, he thought, they tirelessly played 5 v. 5 on fenced-in concrete courts and in the callejones (a.k.a. alleys).

The difference between most of us and Travis is that Travis went one step further and saw a business opportunity in all of this. Calle was born out of international streets, and has come to fruition through the idea of bridging the gap between the mostly hideous soccer apparel/gear that we’re used to, and a more fashion-forward, to-the-roots-of-the-game aesthetic. There’s a market for a brand like this, no question about that. My hope is that Calle doesn’t try to become ‘the Quicksilver’ of the soccer industry overnight, but rather focuses on conveying through its apparel and other products the authentic look, feel, and style from which the brand was born.

Their Primero street soccer ball is, in my book, the icon of the brand– low bounce, soft touch, and not afraid of getting dirty… canvas sack included.

The other day, a guitar fanatic friend of mine – who incidentally also handcrafts guitars for an impressive list of virtuosos you’d all know – burst into the room looking like a kid fresh off of his first roller coaster ride, and began spouting off about this new Paul Vo designed Moog Guitar. When I was able to to calm him down enough so that he could speak sufficiently clear for me to understand what he was saying, he began explaining to me why the release of this guitar is such a big deal. See, the ‘guitar’ as we all know it employs technology that is older than most of our parents– over the years, Bob Moog has breathed freshness into the instrument by way of his synthesizers and effects; those changed the way modern guitarists approached the instrument because they broadened musical possibilities.

This guitar is – as I understand it – a landmark addition to the guitar family because it (on its own) vastly widens the range of sonic options through its ‘infinite sustain’ and muting capabilities. Plus, it goes for $6,500, so it must be an ass-kicker, right? Any feedback from our guitar heroes out there?

Related: Wired’s Moog Unveils Badass Guitar with Infinite Sustain

Disclaimer: no polar bears or snow leopards were harmed during the creation of these shoes… National Geographic imagery meets sneaker design in this collaboration between PUMA, Atmos NYC, and Japanese photographer Mitsuaki Iwago. Through two releases– the Polar Pack and the Asia Pack, sneaker buffs will be treated to a series of kicks inspired by Mitsuaki Iwago’s famed wildlife photos. The outsides of the shoes capture the unique characteristics of various animals, and each (removable) insole sports Iwago’s actual photos on them. The final touch is that both the name and habitat of each animal is printed on the reverse tongue and on the outsole in both English and – you guessed it – Japanese.

The Polar Pack will be on sale only at Atmos NYC and Ubiq in Philadelphia beginning on June 28th, and you can expect the Asia Pack to drop later this summer.

Most artists are as individual as snowflakes; it’s a pretty safe bet that no two creative talents – given a blank canvas – will come up with the same thing. That’s exactly what makes Schaffas so magical. These “gentle and un-aspiring creatures of great mystery,” that more or less resemble one of your cuspids, were sent out by Sam Barratt and Chris Edser at Screamdance to their art friends all over the world, giving them carte blanche to decorate these bizarrely sculpted little guys at their own artistic whim. The result is a family of eighty distinct characters that reflect the genius and personality of their creators.

If you’d like to ‘Meet the Schaffas’ first hand, they’ll be on display at the Urban Cow Gallery in Adelaide until the end of June. Word has it, after their exhibition is over, the individual characters will be on sale with proceeds going to Close The Gap, a campaign that aims towards closing the health gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

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