I was recently introduced to Poketo!, a company composed of a collective of artists who showcase their work by reinterpreting everyday items (like tees, handbags, stationary, housewares and wallets), and I can't stop going to their site to check out more goods. The company was founded by Ted Vadakan and Angie Myung back in 2003, when they released their first limited-edition run of artist-designed wallets. The response was so overwhelmingly positive that their network now includes over 100 artists (from French illustrator AK to graffiti artist SP One, illustrator/designer Elisa Riera, and San Francisco-based artist Damon Soule) and they've expanded the line to include totes, brooches, rings,lampshades, key rings, and more.Check out, for example, this 2 x 10" melamine plate set by Oksana Badrak -- it's so dope you'll probably want to display it rather than eat on it, but I'll let y'all make the call. Also hot are their vinyl wallets, which include a bill slot, three credit card slots on the left-hand side, and a change purse on the right side. They're durable and bulk-free but definitely not for those who walk around with every kind of Duane Reade/Macy's/Key Foods/Sephora card (trust me -- I tried squeezing all of those cards into the 3 slots, and it didn't quite work out for me). But if you're more of a minimalist, then go out and cop one of these bad boys.
Birds of a Feather Plate Set, $28. Hannah Stouffer Wallet 7, $20. Visit http://www.poketo.com