Can you feel it? It’s almost here!! No – not Back to School but Off to Burning Man!!  Ahead of the caravans of heady ‘burners’ are the artists that help make the festival the incredible sensory experience it has become.  With a theme of “metamorphoses”, Black Rock City will be a wonderland of colossal installations speaking to transformation, evolution and rebirth. Check out a sneak peek of what’s to come. We are particularly enamored of Thom White and Jen Detlefsen’s Mega Cake: a wooden birthday cake structure that focuses on our journey through time. As the artist’s share “Happy Birthday is a universal phrase of optimism and validation – right up there with ‘Welcome Home,’ ‘Thank You,’ and ‘I Love You.’” And, it is one of the tastiest acts of community.  Yumm!

Dig that twirl! Google has just released a library of 3D clip-art for use in virtual and augmented reality projects, from game creation to architecture and design. While the site will be open-source, Google is kicking things off with shelves full of creatures and objects from pizza to poodles, commissioned from artists expert in the space.

Is beauty the next chapter in the hot world of designer consignment? It seems to be for the label-conscious Japanese Millennial shopper. In a country famous for hygiene, the market for previously used luxury branded cosmetics is white hot. The resale site Mercari is reporting a strong uptick in sales for used Chanel powder compacts and Addiction brushes. The reasons are complex but make sense. Many of these brands are not available in Japan in the first place, so online shopping is the go-to method of discovery and purchase. Also, given the growing impact of the Asian KOL (that’s influencer to the rest of us) having branded cosmetic products as props for social posts adds cachet to those who are priced out of this heady market. Accessible luxury will always be catnip for broke but brand conscious. Whether it can drive a whole new marketplace is the question – but so far, the answer seems to be Yes.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the supermarket, Kellogg bloodies the water with – wait for it – Baby Shark Cereal. The infamous earworm – far too familiar to parents of toddlers around the globe – will now show up as a combination of “berry-flavored loops and shark shaped marshmallows.” Timed to launch just in time for Shark Week, this is one sharknado that might just sink the summer. Sending all parents love and support during these trying timees…

A story of love, despair, hope and heartbreak. One week after becoming a) number one on Spotify, b) the hottest meme on the internet and c) a full blown Tik Tok dance challenge, Omae Wa Mou was ripped from our trend loving hearts over a copy-right infringement. Combining the de-riguer bossa nova rhythms we all seem to be craving this year, with some hot anime style beats, has given its creator, 18-year-old Noah Ryan Murphy a taste of the giddy and gutted life of a musical wunderkind. Read on for a tale of incredible success and heart wrenching defeat…

The rights for euthanasia will undoubtedly heat up as baby boomers, always masters of their destinies, begin to face their own mortality. One advocate, designer Philip Nitschke, unveiled his contribution at this year’s Venice Biennale. The ‘Sarco’ is a 3D printed suicide machine that lets users administer their own death in a matter of minutes. Futuristic (dare we say Star Trek-ian?), this device may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for some, it will provide an elegant solution. In Nitschke’s words: “This is the most important day of your life, the day you die. It is something not to be hidden, it should be eloquent and beautiful.”

Ever imagine taking over an entire hotel, just for your own personal vacation experience? Well, the Hotel brand Trunk has gotchu! Working alongside the design studio Tripster, they have created a boutique hotel for one in Tokyo. Built from the bones of a geisha house, Trunk House features a beautifully spare modern Japanese aesthetic, but our favorite part is the red-hot miniature nightclub! Dubbed ‘the tiniest disco in the world’ this magical space will have you dancing with yourself….

#Metoo meets Fashion

#MeToo and Time’s Up have cast a seemingly long shadow, but has it reached far enough? Enter Refuse Club, a gorgeous and thought provoking new fashion brand coming out of New York by way of China. Designers Yner Shao and “Stef” Puzhen Zho created this project to highlight issues around sexual harassment, cultural condonement and ultimately, the freedom for all to express who they are. A unique voice in the current fashion world, Refuse Club offers a seamless range of tough, structured outerwear and loose, feminine garments in luxe fabrics that fuse their experiences and influences of both the United States and China together in a way that makes the user think, and move with purpose. We will be watching this emerging talent during the upcoming NYFW SS 2020.

Haunting imagery for these steamy days of summer.