It’s great being an indie girl, who of course wears indie jewelry, because there’s such an abundance of it. Just go to a site like Etsy and you will find hundreds of jewelry designs that are unique, hand-crafted pieces that you won’t find in the big department store chains. Unfortunately, there are far fewer options for the guys out there, so I did some hunting and here are a few of my favorite finds for the hipster/modern man, (or the guy that is striving to be one):

This stunning wooden briefcase is designed by Japanese designer Takumi Shimamura. I love wood-accented accessories, but I have NEVER seen a briefcase made out of wood, let alone so sleek, modern and one-of-a-kind! This talented industrial designer used an ecological, thinned Japanese cedar with a water- repellant finish. It’s large and wide enough to accommodate most laptops, has sturdy canvas edges, double zippers, and inner pockets. These are hand crafted in Japan and each one is as unique as is the cedar tree it came from, and for $299.99, it stacks up nicely with more traditional versions.

The next company I want to introduce you to is as clever as their slogan: Craft meets Technology. Dbclay is a company from Portland, Oregon that creates unique wallets called pocket art. They are true innovators in the design world. Db developed a custom textile and a proprietary printing technique that takes conceptual art and photographs and transfers it onto their eco-friendly Tope fabric. Tope is strong, durable and water resistant ,and is the only product of its kind on the entire planet! How many companies large or small can say that? Cool and eco-friendly, now that’s a combo I can live with!

This ode to the 70’s design is actually a copy of an old wooden box transferred onto their Tope fabric.

I also love the Madras model, particularly the contrast of the gold wheat against the blue horizon in this photo series.

CYBEROPTIX TieLab hails from a top-floor studio in downtown Detroit. Their designs reflect their environment and background in industrial/electronica music. The founder, Bethany Shorb, created the costumes for Skinny Puppy’s 2004 world tour and is a performer herself. Their aim is to take the ‘old establishment’ tie and turn it into a subversive anti-establishment one, and I think they’ve definitely succeeded! Cyberoptix uses eco-friendly waterbased inks on their 100% silk charmeuse and microfiber ties, like their best-selling Exhaust Pipes design.

In this design, they took a Victorian skeleton key and repeated it into a tartan design….genius!

Another company that creates sublime, hipster ties is Sovereign Beck. Their designs aren’t for the faint-of-heart and definitely speak for themselves:

The Beetles design on the left and the Overlap design on your right, both sell for $90.

22designstudio is composed of a group of young designers from Taiwan. This masculine ring is one in a series made of cement and stainless steel. These young artists use environment, texture and human behavior as their design inspiration. The exterior was drawn freehand by the designer. The rough uneven cement outside is a great counter-balance to the smooth stainless on the inside.

I hope these pieces are either inspiration or motivation to look outside the box when it comes time to add an accessory or two to your wardrobe (or to help your guy update his look). Happy Hunting!