Sustainability is not just the word of the moment – it is quickly taking over as the look of the minute. The fashion industry is owning up to its dirty past, and closed loop, reworked style is becoming the holy grail for designers and retailers looking to gain an edge. At this week’s Copenhagen Fashion Week, the founders of the event laid out strict new sustainability rules that will govern those fashion houses and designers permitted to show in the coming years. Perhaps they could all take a note from Benjamin Benmoyal, whose recent collection entitled “It Was Better Tomorrow” is made of material woven from old VHS tape. “Many people and companies wanted to get rid of the tapes, as the digital age has made them useless,” Benmoyal said. “I feel that using VHS tapes from my favorite childhood Disney movies ties to this nostalgic idea of my lost naivety – recovering tapes into something new.” Sounds like a Blockbuster to us. 😁

In an age where the general consensus states that Millennials are leaving organized religion, one dynamic duo of Christianity is fighting back – with san serif. Alabaster is a gorgeous and minimalistically designed modern day version of the Bible, targeting a cohort that prefers to get their information beautifully staged and professionally filtered. Described by one critic as ‘religious texts for the selfie generation’ Alabaster reflects the goal of its founders: Bryan Chung – and (wait for it) Brian Chung, to relaunch the Bible as a form of indie print- something fresh, and relevant, and most importantly: beautiful. And it seems to be working. The Chung’s already have connected with Hillsong, who will be distributing the books, and see a huge market opportunity in China. Will a Kinfolk version of the Gospel revitalize religion for the younger generation? Only time will tell. But at least for now, there definitely seems to be an audience. To quote one Amazon reviewer: “If you love photography and Jesus, you will enjoy this set.”

New York City is a place of boundless ambition, relentless energy and unique eccentricity. Jason Polan managed to embody all of those qualities in a too short life. An insatiable artist, seemingly driven to capturing everything he saw in front of him, he is perhaps best known for his grandiose plan to draw ‘every New Yorker’. Reminiscent of Hockney’s ‘82 portraits and 1 still life”, Polan would invite people to join him for two minute stints of portraiture. At the time of his death, he had drawn over 30,000 such pictures, with many more side projects along the way. During an interview in 2010, he commented on his seemingly endless voracity for his self-appointed task. He said, “ I don’t think there’s a day I don’t draw something. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and it could stop, and the project will be not very complete. But as long as I’m living and can draw, I’ll be thinking about this project. “ A city that never sleeps will miss this light that burned so hot and fast.

Sometimes, fairytales DO come true (and Cinderella has nothing on this!) Christian Louboutin, of red-bottomed shoe fame, has long been a fan of the sumptuous art and culture of Bhutan. From the lotus imagery, to the dramatically tiled ceilings of the country’s many temples, the Italian designer has been held in a long time thrall since his first visit. “I always thought of Bhutan as an extraordinary country,“ says Louboutin, “something straight out of a fairytale.” And thus, Loubhoutan was born. This collection bridges Bhutan’s 13 traditional crafts with the designer’s creative vision to birth what can only be described as wearable art. Each exquisite piece turns the viewer’s gaze back to a time when shoes were made for each wearer, by hand and by craft. Now on display at NYC’s Phillip’s Auction House, we can only imagine Carrie Bradshaw’s reaction to this!

Local journalism – an industry on life support, right? Well the folks at The Athletic, the subscription based digital media platform, beg to differ. In fact, their hunch is that sports fans can’t get enough about their local teams. Easily snapping up regional talent, this focused media outlet seems to be thriving in a season of upheaval. With Matthew McConnaughy investing, and seed funding progressing nicely, this endeavor seems to be proving that a tight focus on specific content will always find a place – and a base. With local sports fans keeping the faith for decades – we anticipate this curve ball to land squarely in the green.

One of our favorite quotes belongs to Albert Einstein. “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” In this week’s Hidden Brain podcast, this uniquely human vehicle provides possible answers to the fervor behind some religious beliefs, as well as a glimpse as to why imaginary friends might not be something we should outgrow. Intriguing, unexpected and somehow inspiring, listen in to hear why inserting ourselves into the imaginary, mystical realms of the mind might be the very thing we need to experience all we can as human beings.

In even more throwback news, two old-school sweet treats have made a new appearance on grocery shelves, promising a fiery end for those already weak-in-the-knees January resolutions. First up, Jelly Belly bellies up to the hot pepper bar with a fresh take on an old favorite. Reagan’s erstwhile snack now promises to set your senses aflame with a five-alarm pepper bonanza. Next up? An old favorite is sporting a new look. Those crazy squares, better known as Cinnamon Toast Crunch, seem to be practicing Cryo-therapy these days. The cereal is launching as an ice cream flavor this week, bringing new meaning to ‘ Netflix and Chill.’ We predict some pretty fabulous mix-ins!!

With the Tokyo Olympics just around the corner, we close out with the Instagram account of one to watch. Rayssa Leal is a spunky, 12 year old Brazilian phenom who promises to bring the heat, and the height, in the brand spanking new skateboarding competition debuting there this year. #shewasas8tergirl!