Sneaker culture show no signs of slowing down any day soon…and so we find designers and brands working overtime to create covetable brands to feed your drip. Givenchy plays in the super elusive segment with a mash up between Onitsuka Tigers and  Givency’s SS20 Menswear Collection entitled ‘Nouveau Glitche’.  According to the show’s notes, this marriage represents ‘Japanese know-how in leather working and savoir-faire couture’.   Expect these to be THE shoes on every fashionista’s feet next Spring. On the flip side, we saw hysteria generated by the mash-up from cult brand AriZona tea and Adidas. The Soho Drop – considered a harmless marketing stunt, offered up the covetable Kicks for a mere $0.99 – the price of a can of Arizona Tea. What went down was anything as smooth.  A riot broke out, kids were hospitalized, and the police shut the whole thing down.  Seems resale is getting serious.

Sneaker Sticker Shocker

A Canadian investor bought a pair of the Nike Waffle Racing Flat “Moon Shoes” – one of the rarest of the original Nikes made, for $437,500 at auction this week. So…maybe those resellers are on to something…

If there is one show grabbing our hearts and fomenting our fears about teen living, its Euphoria. The show plays our nervous system like a sibling who knows where every emotion lies buried. Part of that is the great Zendaya but pushing the story line is the epic music that floods every scene. Complex magazine has taken the time to put together an archive of all the tracks played thus far – smells like Teen Spirit to us.

The long anticipated Augmented Reality evolution of MineCraft: Minecraft Earth, allows players to collect resources together, build super structures and battle mobs in the places they know best- their own neighborhoods. In a unique blurring of the digital world and Google Earth, we perhaps are finally seeing a way for disparate players to come together and imagine a new utopia. In this article from Fast Company, however, the author wonders if that will lead to a better vision, or a mindless escape from real world problems. (We believe, at the very least, the ability to bring diverse people together to build, rather than to destroy marks this launch as an exciting moment in the world of gaming.)

In Karen Azoulay’s mesmerizing video art, the artist and her collaborators don gem-encrusted masks and sample bits of nature. The artist’s show plays with the conceit of accessing deeper, more mystical truths by combining the ancient art of crystals and the language of flowers. The work is deep, compelling and strangely beautiful. If a true artist’s real work, as it has been posited, is to reveal mystical truths, Azoulay should feel confident in what she has put forth.

In the post #METOO era, pussy hats are just the beginning. Faced with a continuing assault on their reproductive rights, and the ongoing exposure of gender inequality (Megan Rapinoe – we see you!!) women are seeking to gain control of their own sexual narrative. Palma by Unbound Babes is a waterproof sex toy disguised as piece of jewelry that can twist, tilt and be tapped to produce different vibrations. Their founder, Polly Rodriguez, was driven to put together an all-female team to tackle the idea of an intuitive toy that did not rely on Bluetooth technology – something women found cold and obtrusive. She believes that designers are just beginning to tackle the area of creating products for non-traditional relationships and celebrating unique expressions of sexual connection. ‘Put on a ring on it’ may just have a whole new meaning.

During hot days, we long for what’s simple and true… and thus we bring you the gentle and soothing Instagram account: @sarahmartinezart. You’re welcome!