Pop culture celebrates all things new and is continually retrofitting to keep our attention. Everyone from the photographer to the celebrity to the stylist plays a role in producing consumable content. Today’s post combines a trifecta of elements, proving that when the ducks are in a row, it’s hard not to recognize an obvious trend. Here we have Justin Bieber, playfully shot by Gregory Harris for Interview Magazine. He’s styled in vintage Cherry NYC glasses with texturized lenses. Selling a look that’s similar but different, Gilt Groupe has asymmetrically striped wayfarers on sale in their gift bin today. Reminding us that styles must exist beyond one city, Alexandra Cassaniti , an LA based fashion designer (and Pattern Pulp fav), recently released her surf inspired X lenses, proving no surface is safe from decorative accents, [...]

Everyone’s aware that the fashion industry’s taken a bit of a beating over the past year. As brands struggle to stay afloat, artists continue to incorporate economic themes into their design work.  Beyond creating money inspired products, we’re beginning to see marketing dollars move in the same tactile direction. Both Bond St. no 9 and Vince are provocatively challenging street audiences to embrace this ominous topic by putting dollar signs and bank robbers in their windows. Taking a similarly playful approach, Alexandra Cassaniti has recently released this money bag into her product line-up, proclaiming, “it’s funny to carry a bag with a dollar sign down the street. People are always like, ‘did you rob a bank?’ or ‘do you have money in there?’”

Reinterpretations of the wave are the norm every summer season, so in honor of the weather, we’re highlighting four artists and their unique approach to the surf.  Caitlin Hinshelwood, a textile designer and illustrator from the UK, explores nautical themes ranging from anchors and Hokusai-like waves to sea urchins and starfish in her 2D gouache creations. Riding a massive wave of foam (and irony), our hairy meets hip favorite, Alexandra Cassaniti, introduces her summer catalog, Summer Bummer, with a colossal, hovering, tooth-like swell.  Moving into the literary corner, Tamara Shopsin, a frequent illustrator for The New York Times, communicates political content using a googly-eyed shark fin in her effort to convey the art of political distraction. Using a similar blue and white palette, Geoff McFetridge expresses surf etiquette [...]

The laptop-toting demographic is continually on the rise.  Be it transient students, workers on the move or nerd-afficinados, anyone bringing their computer from point A to B has a few basic needs.  Alexandra Cassaniti understands this.  She gets an A+ for combining upscale efficiency with snarky wit.  Who else could create a pattern resembling overgrown stubble and seal it with leather trim (and a hidden smile)?  This ballsy American designer trusts her gut, producing quirky functional style that’s both tech friendly and fashion forward.

Robin Cameron’s art reveals a thoughtful parallel to Cassaniti’s textiles.  Distractions, Cameron’s latest collection of whimsical graphite drawings are part of a zine she has been creating over the past few months.  Inspired by movement, contrast and the human condition, Cameron’s analytical approach to her line work is both intricate and stunning.