Chucks suck. These kicks definitely do not.

These all-class kicks are the result of a collaboration between New Zealand footwear brand Tobe and a young Wellington design collective, Simpleton.

With Simpler Times laid down as the collabo theme, Tobe and Simpleton set out to make a collection of high quality footwear, with as much of the process as possible being local and simple. The Simpler Times shoes are affordable but still exclusive; made-to-order, with limited numbers of each style going direct from designers to customer.

Made with New Zealand (Whanganui) leather and merino. 

 So tight.

The boys from Simpleton - Geoff Wright, John Chen and Nick Loubser

Wellington's Raglan Roast (cafe and roastery) got on board, hosting a pop-up space for the project. So if you're nearby, pop in and grab a coffee, chill out in the space they've created, touch and smell the shoes (leather is in my top 3 favourite smells) and hear the story of their process.

There are a few different styles - hightops and lows - and they're available for pre-order now. This would be such a sweet gift for your favourite man (P.S: you can totally be your own favourite man.)

Order here - orders close in just a few more days.

$120 gets you a pair of custom-made Simpler Times shoes, a bag of Raglan Roast beans and a ticket to the launch party which will happen in October... right after your shoes have been individually manufactured and sent to you.

Seriously, take off those cookie-cutter Chucks, bin your Skechers (Remember Skechers? Hahaahaa! Good times... good times) and order a pair of these. And not just because you'll be supporting New Zealand vision and design and craftsmanship, either. But because these are very, very very good looking, and so will you be in them.

Leather lovelies from My Deer Fox

Woah. Just W O A H. These new leather beauties from NZ designer My Deer Fox are woahwoahwoah.  And I see you, straps. I see you there with your solid brass hardware.

But wait, there's more...

Love this leather pouch.

Better Living, everyone.

5 minutes with Gidon Bing

Photograph by Nic Staveley for URBIS magazine's Gidon Bing story.

Perhaps best known for his large plywood artworks, Gidon Bing also uses those sculpting hands of his to craft beautiful ceramics. Using centuries-old techniques learnt from master craftsmen, Gidon forms crockery, lighting and vases. Products that are classy, understated... what I would call the 'strong, silent type'.

Choosing a Gidon Bing product means choosing something individually formed by the designer's own two hands; something genuinely one of its kind. Gidon Bing ceramics are available at The Flock and Everyday Needs, and a special collection is produced exclusively for Simon James Concept Store.

Images from The Selby

Gidon's studio - once a boat shed - is perched over Auckland's Hobson Bay

Gidon Bing Tea Cups available here

A colour palette that whispers where others shout.

Pitcher and bowl, available here

The Bing Pendant for NZ design collective Resident.  See the making-of video here.

Gidon Bing Pasta Bowl and new ceramic birdhouse, available here

5   M I N U T E S   W I T H   G I D O N   B I N G

What's your favourite part of a working day? 

Mostly it's the hands-on tactile and experimental stuff, like trying new methods for steam-bending wood or crazy science projects like mixing couscous and various fibres with clay to achieve porous surfaces, also love the occasional collaborative project.  

Tell us something delicious we should eat from a Gidon Bing pasta plate?  

I often use them for Shakshuka, a dish which is basically eggs, poached in a spicy fresh tomato sauce with loads of garlic, smoked paprika, cumin and tumeric... eaten with pita bread.

What are you working on at the moment? 

A couple of  frivolous and fun projects like flat-pack kitset mini modernist architectural models and some oversize and undersize wood block prints, as well as some more serious stuff including a collection of new ceramic, copper and bent plywood sculptural work.  

What advice would you give to someone wanting to become a designer?  

Not sure I'm in a position to be giving advice, but if pressed I'd say don’t take experts' opinions as gospel - treat them as guidelines only. Be bold, trust your instincts, persist... try it yourself if you can, and when you fail, try again. This invariably leads to innovation and discovery.  

Brass & Class from Douglas and Bec

It's always an exciting day when those classy broads, my unashamed New Zealand design faves Douglas and Bec have a new product. Brass hooks - four hooks, done four ways. 

Tim Webber Side Table

New Zealand designer Tim Webber's Y Stools just got a new cousin, the Y Side Table.

Paper Plane takes flight

Paper Plane has taken flight!

Booooooo! Boo! Lame journalism-style pun!

Let's try that again, shall we.

I'm a little excited, because this is the best thing to happen to my town - Mount Maunganui - in years.
We finally have a seriously good design store. And don't let the geography fool you. Paper Plane may be located in my sleepy (we're not sleeping, we're just chilling) little beachside town, but this is a design store of international caliber.

The product selection is a curation of all the things NZ designer Timothy John and his wife Krista Plews love - from handcrafted textiles, bags and prints from independent designers around the world, to furniture and lighting from New Zealand designers. They've also sourced alot of products that no other NZ design stores stock, too.

I would visit even if there were no products though, because the fitout is so, so good.
Subway tiled countertop, blush leather shelving braces, Scandi-style as far as the eye can see.
Tim has himself designed and made the shelving and racks - check out the photos below...

If you can't make it down here to the Mount, the entire Paper Plane store is also online.
Watch them sell out tonight at the opening though...

(PS: If you're local, you're invited to the opening tonight, from 5-8pm. More info here).

Timothy John and Krista Plews. Good peoples, good designers. 

Such a handsome store.

Shelving designed by Timothy John

So many good goodies, including exclusive Timothy John for Paper Plane products, 

like his copper-plated 'Utility' series (top left pic).

While I was visiting, Varpunen sacks arrived from Finland (happy Krista); 

Paper Plane also have their own range of  candles.

Timothy John designs (the trio of little wooden houses; the wooden wall hooks) 

sit alongside homeware from New Zealand and international independent designers

Never not taking pictures in this awesome shop

(Handmade chopping and serving boards by Timothy John shown top right)

Tim has designed some beautiful racks for Paper Plane.

I will break in in the dead of night and steal them all.

Comment comment awesome comment

George & Willy - honest, hard-working guys; honest, hard-working products...

George Wilkins and William McCallum are two uni buds who moved home after graduating, and decided to go into business together making honest, hard-working goods. Their products - under the name George & Willy - are solid and simple (in that sophisticated way that only simple things can be) and never over-designed. George and Willy instead narrow their focus to the product's intended use, making sure it's designed to fulfill that use for many generations to come. 

Dunno about you, but I can't wait to see this young brand grow...

George & Willy's new Rutherford clothing rack. Simple, strong, industrial.

I agree with George & Willy - every day with a swing in it is better than one without. 

Fisherman Duffel - what a guy needs to tackle his next mission or weekend away.

Protect yo'self George & Willy.

Ooh we love a good branding iron... The George & Willy logomark branded onto furniture.

Designer Chocolate

Every bar of New Zealand's new Polka Chocolate is wrapped in one of their ever-changing design papers, printed in limited edition runs. The flavours are an ongoing experimentation - at the moment, they have Sesame Toffee, Crystallised Rose, Salted Hazelnut, Coconut Chip and Original. 

Buy some online here

And PS: I love the name. Polka. It's perfect, because Chocolate does make my tummy do a fun little European folk dance.