Quality Wins for Horween

It's great how brands and consumers are coming back to placing a significance on quality. Not only has it come full-circle back to "Made In USA," but a main component of that shift is that some of the best quality of work is done within our own borders.

Horween is a leather tannery based in Chicago, IL. It's been there for over 100 years and still does the same thing it has always done -- tan leathers. They take pride in their work, and believe me, that's an understatement.

After so many brands have opted for the quicker and cheaper options in the past, we are now beginning to see a lot more focus on the old saying, "Quality over quantity." This is true so much so that all of a sudden, Horween leather has become a household name -- which is nuts! That is a true testament of their work; That it is of such high quality and authentic craftsmanship, the consumer has begun to recognize its "stamp" of leather on their footwear. This truly is an incredible feat.

Here is a sampling of some of the companies that not only utilize Horween leathers, but also make it a marketing opportunity to showcase it. Quality is a selling point that should never get old and should always be an important factor when making any purchasing decision. Remember, QUALITY WINS!

Sebago x Horween:


Wolverine 1000 Mile x Horween:


Vans x Horween:

The Art of Logo Design

PBS' "Off Book" has put together a great collection of 4-7 minute long mini-documentaries videos touching on a variety of creative cultures, passions, industries, and hobbies. Here's the latest piece that I have a love for:


I've already subscribed to their Youtube channel and am a follower of their Tumblr and Twitter pages, so I suggest you to do the same. Here's a list of some of their previous videos that I'd also recommend watching and bookmarking:
- The Art of Film & TV Title Design
- Seeing Beyond the Human Eye
- Tattoos: Pop Portraits, Japanese Traditional, American Eclectic
- LEGO Art
- Fan Art: An Explosion of Creativity
- Animated GIFs: The Birth of a Medium
- The Impact of Kickstarter, Creative Commons & Creators Project

Golfing Through Detroit

A reporter golfs through the city of Detroit:

FOX 2's Charlie LeDuff takes on an epic challenge of golfing his way from 8 Mile Road to Belle Isle... literally. It's a par 3,168, 18-mile, single hole course. The 46-year-old Pulitzer Prize winning writer carries only four clubs in his bag while facing extraordinary hazards that took years to form. He strokes his way through grassy fields, abandoned houses and crumbling landmarks. The half-way houses on this course are real. On the loop, Charlie interacts with the gallery, capturing the spirit of the people of Detroit. No Mulligans here, you play it as it lies.

Joe Buys: Ionia Armory Show

Since he was home from LA for a couple of weeks, Joe Buys was asked to put on a show for his hometown. The location of choice was the historic Ionia Armory building, which happened to be where he first performed back in 2007. I can remember that because that was when I was working on my first ever celebrity-client pair of shoes for the Detroit Pistons' Tayshaun Prince -- which I painted live during the show.

Check out a few images from the night (below) and download the track list he performed. Expect a video recap by Glass Cage Productions soon.

This Is Our Planet [VIDEO]

I know I recently posted a time-lapse video of space a few days ago, but I couldn't pass up posting this time-lapse video as well. This stuff is just too cool to not share. So without further adeu, This Is Our Planet:
This is Our Planet from Tomislav Safundžić on Vimeo.