nooka sightings: nid and sancy

i am a fan of good experimental pop, electronica and synthpop, especially if they can put on a good live show. well, nid and sancy is one such act. they recently sent me some photos of their live set wearing their lovely nooka watches. they have a great style that is very nooka [if i do say so myself]. read more news on them at their blog here.

nooka can be found in fine stores all over europe and here. follow nooka on facebook and twitter.

nooka sightings: brandon hines

mtv’s trl’s hottest undiscovered act of 2008 has been spotted wearing a new nooka strip in orange and a matching orange zub! the talented Brandon Hines, singer/ songwriter, from detroit, michigan, is a force to be reckoned with. he has immense talent that is being recognized world wide. hines has worked with the likes of trey songz, cassie and johnta austin and has made a guest appearance in estelle’s and kanye’s video, american boy. armed with a sultry voice, hines is ready to take over the r&b music industry. be sure to look out for his music.

now, when i say "spotted", i'm not being totally honest as the photos were sent to me by star image director, alexander allan! his site here.

the nooka belt and zub can be found at fine stores and here. follow nooka on facebook and twitter.

nooka creative x-change: jabari johnson

I was recently given the opportunity to interview aspiring host/journalist, jabari johnson. jabari is a well known figure in the online hip hop community and has continued to show love for Nooka. be sure to check out his interviews and posts on his site http://www.iamjabari.com/

could you give us a short bio on yourself?
In a nutshell I am a music journalist/host but I do a lot of other things as well. I have interviewed artists like 50 Cent, Lupe Fiasco, Keri Hilson, Ryan Leslie, Soulja Boy, Wale and many more. That led to my online videos becoming very popular and developing a following that has turned into over 1.5 million views.

i always try to discern the differences between motivation and inspiration. what motivates you to do what you do?
Honestly what motivates me is having the ability to influence culture. Everything that I have done in the past and the things I will be doing in the near future are all links to the big picture which is being able to have a voice that can spread positivity to the masses. I know it sounds cheesy but I would like to be able to send messages to the world that help people on a grand scale.

With the direction social media is heading the lines of entertainment, news, fashion, philanthropy, technology etc. are all blurring. Each category can easily be incorporated into the next so while I'm entertaining somebody I can take five minutes to slip in something inspirational or educational, its almost like an obligation.

what inspires you?
I am inspired by people who make something out of nothing. Short web films inspire me especially from students because I know most of them are working with limited resources. When I see a great story in a 5-10 minute YouTube or Vimeo clip I get blown away because the filmmaker only had such a short amount of time to make such a compelling story. I am always online watching short films and mini documentaries and this is where you really see the budding talent of tomorrow. I love seeing who else is out there telling great stories through their camera.

your coverage is very hip-hop-heavy. what else do you listen to?
Yea it seems like I have interviewed every hip-hop artist under the sun! What most people don't realize is that I love all types of music (even though hip-hop is my favorite genre). Right now I am in love with Meiko she is a great singer/songwriter with songs that everybody can relate to. I also like MGMT, Lenka, Flobots, Mike Posner and Cage.

what does "nooka" mean to you?
Nooka is the future. I think the brand is currently where a lot of "lifestyle" brands are headed. Most watch companies could not come out with a fragrance but it doesn't seem weird with Nooka because it just fits. I think Nooka is about innovation and creativity and I can't wait to see what the next surprise is.

what's next for jabari?
Hopefully hosting a television show in the near future is next. I am always trying to become a better journalist and sharpen up my interviewing skills so I hope to be doing that on a larger platform soon. I am producing a documentary entitled Rest In Beats that pays homage to legendary musicians that have passed away. It is directed by Opiyo Okeyo and should be out in the Spring of 2010. I also want to do some more acting and modeling here and there. The future looks good and I will have my Nooka on the whole way!

nooka is available at fine stores and here! follow nooka on twitter: nooka
look for posts from matthew waldman on spacecollective.com/NOOKANYC

spongebob nookapants

everyones favorite sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea is coming to a wrist near you. spongebob squarepants is currently nickelodeon's highest rated television show and 2009 marks its 10th anniversary. we are extremely excited to be a part of history. what better way to mark spongebob's impact on popular culture then being forever immortalized on a nooka watch. we have designed two limited-edition timepieces referencing the palette of bikini bottom on the ZUB ZENH and the aluminum ZENV. these are designs i can imaging on sandy cheeks, spongebob and even patrick! hey, i know marc jacobs is a big fan of the sponge, maybe he'll be buying some of these as well.

spongelevator is the ZUB retail at $175 and the spongenvader $275. they are actually available now, exclusively at comic con in san diego. link here! and will be in stores for fall, but you can make sure you pre-order yours as these are sure to fry… I mean fly off shelves.

nooka featured is available at fine stores and here. join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nookaNOW on twitter.

nooka sightings: oh so pretty!

these photos of the adorable giorgina was sent to me by our man in the netherlands! apparently, she is one of our youngest fans. the netherlands is one market that really 'gets' nooka, and why not – they are one of the few countries that have viewed design as an important professional discipline for years. it is one of the few countries where one can receive government support to pursue purely theoretical design problems, plus they have paté american which is something you'd never find in america [it's raw beef mixed with ketchup you spread on bread in the mornings]. i'm a little jealous having to claw my way towards the top here in dog-eat-dog NYC but i am having a fun claw at it.

nooka is available at fine stores in the netherlands and here. join nooka and on facebook and nooka on twitter.

week-o-press!

this has been a very satisfying week for press and attention and wednesday's not even over! i even had to time to do something cultural – got a private tour of the frank lloyd wright show at the guggenheim with a group from the royal academy of arts [od which i am a fellow]. i highly recommend catching the show before it's over, really quite comprehensive and inspiring. about the show here.

there is great coverage on the opening of the nooka pop-up shop with a focus on the new nooka scent, including this link on partycrasher which includes an on-the-spot interview with me. i was told that i don't normally sound that gay, so it must be the tequila [and obviously, i'm sensitive to how i look and sound on camera!].

super flattering to have such great pieces on so many outlets. here are a few:
on mens style.com! wow
teen vogue. wow
j.c. reports. wow
the nooka strip on acquire. wow
on william yan's blog. wow

i don't want to alienate anyone, because i love all the press love, but there was also a great piece on nylon.com and other great fashion/trend blogs – too many to list! more great stuff coming up so i will update here occasionally.

ALSO...nooka sightings on youtube with dj splurt wearing the ever rad green urban camo nooka! here's a link to one of his shows. here.

nooka is available at fine stores and here. join nooka and on facebook and nooka on twitter.

portable film festival in australia!

It is my pleasure to announce that the Nooka Extra Dimensional National video has been selected as one of the finalists for the State of Design “Film the Future” competition! As a finalist, we will be broadcasted daily at Federation Square in Melbourne. If you’re around the area between July 15th and the 25th, be sure to check us out and if not, make sure you check experience the video at the film festival site here, along with the other submissions.

An overall competition winner will be judged by representatives of the Portable Film Festival, Ewan McEoin from State of Design, and respected Melbourne graphic designer Jeremy Wortsman. The Cool Hunting site will feature the winning entry.

please note, this is melbourne AUSTRALIA, not florida! special thanks to andrew hamilton aka futuretron and all nooka fans in australia.

nooka is available at fine stores and here. join nooka and love nooka on facebook and nooka on twitter.