Australian Molly Younger has long been interested in the intersection of fashion and sculpture. To create her bags, she paints layers of handmade natural latex onto a plaster mold. The Bubbled Tote features the eponymous bubble-wrap surface on one side, with her signature plaster texture on the other. 

Alex Rosenhaus and Drew Arrison met in New York City, when she was working for a high-end furniture maker, he for a production house and model-maker. The two began collaborating, and in 2013, started Alex Drew & No One, their own line of furniture and home accessories. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved back to Alex’s hometown of Detroit, where they continue to produce lighthearted pieces such as Étagère No. 1. 

In her studio in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains, JoAnn Stratakos and the 15 employees at Mudworks Pottery create ceramic stoneware such as the Boomer sound amplifier. Fill the room with music from your smartphone when you place it in the critter’s “mouth,” then let natural acoustics do the work – no electricity needed. 

Ten friends – artists, designers, musicians, mechanics, and craftspeople – make up Red Clouds Collective, which creates sturdy, high-quality clothing, tool accessories, and bags. Their blanket carrier, made in Portland, Oregon, uses vegetable-tanned leather from a family-owned company, with solid brass buckles that can adjust to fit various blankets – to take along if you’re camping, hiking, or just having a picnic in the park.

Linda Hsiao and Kagan Taylor used to spend evenings and weekends making things out of salvaged wood. When their friends had a baby, they created a carabiner rattle, which they loved so much it was “almost too beautiful to give away.” At Knotwork LA, Hsiao now produces a full line of functional ceramics, but the rattles remain popular, with the ultimate “baby tested and approved” imprimatur.
 

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