Products of the Week: Seltzers, Sneakers and Houndstooth Bags

The cassette is back! We Are Rewind’s latest retro gadget is a sleek, high-tech boombox that offers separate left and right woofers and tweeters. Don’t have your Appetite for Destruction tape handy?  You can stream your music via Bluetooth. Or, better yet — make a mixtape.

I’d pretty much given up on canned vodka cocktails until -196 came along. A huge hit in Japan, these vodka seltzers use real whole fruit (rind and all) that’s frozen and crushed (at -196 degrees Celsius) using a “proprietary Japanese process” then infused with vodka. The result is something much fruitier and tastier than the average vodka soda.

You’re probably familiar with Casetify’s phone cases, but did you know that they also dabble in luggage? To be fair, they didn’t until very recently, though their debut collection looks incredibly promising. As it stands now, they have two sizes (carry-on and check-in trunk), which are available in three colors (black, blue and red), though totally customizable as well. The trunk, for its part, is slim, sleek and packed with smart features. Priced at $899, it might seem like a splurge, but if Casetify’s phone cases are any indication of quality and durability, this luggage is well worth the investment.

James Dean, eat your heart out. Levi’s and Japanese experimental brand Sacai are back again with a mini-capsule of iconic silhouettes, chopped and screwed with the latter’s distinctive blend of high fashion and designer Chitose Abe’s innovative design sensibilities. Featuring a variety of classic stock — denim jackets and OG flare jeans — along with some positively freakazoid introductions (namely a reversible denim/twill blazer situation), the collection lands worldwide May 28.

It’s happening! After releasing a seemingly endless amount of New Balance collabs over the better part of a decade, NYC streetwear legends Aimé Leon Dore are finally dropping their own original silo. The RC56 has shades of early 2000s New Balance models (the sneaker gets its DNA from a cross-country style), but the revamp is completely ALD, with slick perforated leather, nylon mono mesh and a cushy FuelCell midsole for a totally premium experience. The new kicks drop May 23 and are speculated to retail for $160 USD.

This new drop from Monos is all very London-esque and perfect for the summertime jetsetter. As we head into June, one of the busiest travel months of the year, you’ll want to be refreshing your grab-and-go luggage essentials. The new Houndstooth collection from luggage brand Monos features their Metro Tote and Metro Carry-On in this striking black and white pattern.