Modish

Eco-Friendly Finds: Gifts for Him

The Holidays are upon us. I don't know about you, but I always have a hard time finding the right gift for the guys in my life, so I've grabbed a few of my favorite sustainable guy gifts to share:

Clockwise from the top left: my #1 all-time favorite gift for guys are these recycled bicycle tire belts from Re-Bicycle ($20). I love the sleek lines on all of byrdandbelle's merino wool laptop and accessory cases; this iPod Nano case is just $19! Chakra Pennywhistle's moneybag wallets are the perfect way to carry cash ($40). I LOVE these lights from repurposed Krylon spray cans from bblock ($75). And lastly, who can resist a stylish, modern mobile constructed from recycled beer bottles? $50 from Western Art Glass.

I'll be back next week with more gift ideas to share! If you're already in the holiday spirit, check out our Give it Forward giveaway over on cosa verde—we've got 30 different handmade gifts to give away over the next ten days; win sustainable surprises for your friends and family!

 Liz Grotyohann is a co-founder of cosa verde, a marketplace for handmade, environmentally-conscious goods.

Mustache Power

Mustaches, through the ages, have been used to express a variety of themes: Stalin had a power mustache.  Charlie Chaplin had a fuzzy lip for comedic effect.  John Waters ups his creep factor with his too thin pencil stache.  And Chuck Norris' nose neighbor kicks ass and takes names.  Yes, love 'em or hate 'em, these Lady Ticklers are deeply ingrained into our culture and are here to stay.  And Fuzzy Ink is mighty happy about that.  They're actively replacing pop culture items from our everyday with stache friendly alternatives- anybody up for a moustache ride? 

Fuzzy Ink has fully embraced the intrigue of lip hair with their funny hand screen-printed, mustache themed tees.  Available for both the mens and the fems, now women too can experience some of that famed mustache power.  Head to Fuzzy Ink to see the full line- like they say, "it'll grow on you!"

**UPDATE: Fuzzy Ink has graciously offered a discount to you!  Enter 'stache' in the coupon area during checkout and you'll receive 10% off!

The Outer Limits...of tee design

There is nothing wrong with your monitor.  Do not attempt to adjust the picture.  We are controlling transmission.  For the next few minutes, sit quietly and we will control all that you see.  You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to...the Trouble/Tease shop!

Meet Troy Hicks: a man who has been compelled to draw strange figures holding flowers, petting small bucktooth dogs and chasing after UFOs- Troy is afflicted with a self induced case of "the weird."  He and his partner (who may be an alien) print these figures onto soft t-shirts under the guise of "Trouble/Tease" to make them more palatable for human consumption, and thus, easier to inflict their weirdness onto others.  Be on the look out for these tees- people who wear them have been known to gaze hopefully into the sky, they may experience increased levels of smiling and they often carry flowers in their hands.  These "weird" people may be anyone you know...your brother, your father, your best friend...do stay away from them as they have been infected by Trouble/Tease, and YOU could be next!

Tees that aren't fishy

Sam Trout is sick of seeing t-shirts with the same ol' clip art images placed squarely in the middle- tees that are lazy, uninspired, cliche.  So, in an attempt to change those woefully generic t-shirt ways, he's thrown his hat into the ring with soft, fitted tees that feature hand-drawn, original screen-printed designs with off-kilter placement, tees that speak to folks who are looking for something a little different aka: modish readers! :)

In fresh colors with contemporary designs, if you're a tee and jeans type, Sam Trout is sure to become part of your daily rotation.  Find more designs for both women and men on Sam's site where you can also shop online, or head to buyolympia for even more options!

Eco-Friendly Find: Cubist Literature

We all know that shopping at thrift stores is one of the best (or at least, most fun) ways to recycle, but Cubist Literature has taken thrift store finds to the next level by shaking things up- he repurposes found items, like turning a sweater into a set of scarves, and adds felt appliqués onto others, giving old things a new life and some c.lit style spunk.

Cheers to c.lit for not only recycling clothing, but making that clothing truly reflect his own style by dismantling, reconfiguring, and adding- it should give you inspiration for the things you find while shopping that are close but not exactly what you're looking for...remember, you can make them what you want them to be!  And extra cheers for the heart appliqués- we can all use a little more love in our lives.  Find more shaken up, recycled goods along with art and other handmade creations at Cubist Literature.

Handmade Gift Guide: For the mens

Oh, the oft forgotten boys...I know I promised to write about guy's stuff on here more often, but I just don't come across it as much, I ignore it, I forget about it, I get distracted by pretty sparkly things easily, I'm sorry.  I truly am.  But I'm making up for it now with a gift guide dedicated just to the hubbies, boyfriends, dads, uncles and good friends in our lives who deserve a special little handmade something this season too!
**edited to add: Renee over at the guest blog has some more great finds for guys, here!

{one-of-a-kind vintage ties hand-screened with bright graphics by Tymbal}

{gorgeous handmade glass cufflinks by Starving Artist Bazaar}

{chic and eco-friendly wallets by db clay}

{keep calm and carry on hand-screened tees by Keep Calm and Carry On}

{one-of-a-kind hand painted steel belt buckles by Fosterweld, at night-lab}

{cozy and cool cycling caps by Built in Pittsburgh}

{hand-printed reed tee and wave scarf by Flux Productions}

{sage messenger bag by Moop}

{one-of-a-kind appliqued vintage ties by Sugar Lust}

{handmade felt fotopouch and eyepouch by working class heroes}

{lapiz and resin circular cufflinks by Nina Dinoff}

{Limited edition 3 penguins in a boat woodblock printed tee by Tugboat Printshop}

{when bad things happen to good people coasters by Mixed Species}

Super Tees!

Formed by a team of graphic designers in Greece, Supermandolini makes some super rad tees for both guys and girls!  With designs that vary from wild mustangs to gladiator rocket riders, these super vibrant and fun tees come in a range of contemporary color combos with lots of great graphic choices to choose from:

Step on over to Supermandolini for lots more great tees, as well as neato jewelry and poster prints!

Crafty men are the new feminists?

I've been reminded by modish reader, David, that guys are crafty too and they tend to get overshadowed by the ladies in the realm of craftland.  Tis true, David, very true.  So, today I bring you a wealth of goods from crafty wonders that all happen to be of the male-kind.  I think of this new indie craft movement as an expression of feminism, redefining the "typically female" roles of sewer, baker, household-maker into women as talented, creative, independent entrepreneurs and idols to admire, and I suppose, seeing men take on those same "typically female" crafty endeavors, only helps to further the notion that the words "typical" and "female" really have no place in the same sentence.  So, thanks David, and to the rest of the men below, for helping this craft movement along!  Let's hear it for the boys!

{wee prints by Ubiki}

{dewdrop earrings by Wired}

{Sunset/Dandelion photo by Jared in Kansas}

{Japanese school-girl tee by 57 Thirty Three}

{the Hirsute Hedgehog by John W Golden}

{handbound falling leaves book by xxrobot}

{Radiant Forest print by Andrew Daniel}

{customizable messenger bags by Stilleto}

{Appliqued recycled sweater by Cubist Literature}

{Owl print by Matte Stephens}

{3-inch paper boxes by Dingo}

{Solar jar by Easy Being Green}

{the World is Flat print by Eddyizm}

I found all of these items through the links on the men of etsy blog- I know there's many more men making more great stuff, and modish definitely supports craftiness from men, women and manbearpigs alike!

Cuff me

My dad's birthday is coming up quick and in perusing some male friendly indie sites, like modamuse, I came across these gorgeous gorgeous cufflinks by Lisa Cahill!  Made in wonderful color combinations out of kiln formed fused glass, they'll add a little pop to a summer suit ensemble and would be perfect for all those weddings this season! 


Find them at modamuse along with a myriad of other amazing goods by Australian and New Zealand designers!

Site of the week: Cyberoptix

In honor of the interest that you all showed in seeing guy's products reviewed on Modish, this week's site of the week is one of my absolute favorite indie shops for men, Cyberoptix!  Crafting beautiful hand-screened ties on luxurious and colorful silk, these would make any poppa feel like a million bucks on Father's Day or could also be used as a pretty belt for you ladies!  Cyberoptix' designs are hip and contemporary and a mix of masculine (gas masks, bombs, guns and meatgrinders!) and nature inspired motifs (poppies, fern, moths, squid.)  They're all gorgeous and very original- take a peek for yourself!

Find these along with many more designs at Cyberoptix!  They also have some cool ascots that double as scarves and some vintage cufflinks!