Who doesn't love a bit of sparkle under the Christmas tree? You can’t go wrong with these extraordinary and individual pieces!

Australian rapper Mars Castro makes these beautiful accessories from bullet casings she finds in Rio de Janeiro’s Rocinha favela. The result: High-end accessories with unique charisma. Bling instead of bang: a great symbol of peace at Christmas time.

Read the full story of Crystals not Pistols in our interview with Mars Castro.

Style up someone’s life with this toxin-free and individually designed drinking bottle:

Do you take something to drink when you head out the door or just buy a bottled drink on the go? Most of us probably take any old plastic bottle we have around the house. We might even upgrade to a plastic drinking bottle bought especially for the purpose. Either way, whatever we’re drinking somehow always ends up smelling and tasting like plastic.

Soulbottles are a very handy and stylish alternative: These plastic-free drinking bottles are made from completely recyclable glass and printed with custom designs.

So just choose your favorite look and make a friend happy with a stylish, trusty companion to go! 

Do you want to learn more about this great initiative? Read our interview with Soulbottles founder Paul Kupfer.

These Ghanaian shoes produced by Gutta Soles are probably the funkiest sneakers you’ve ever seen. And just imagine: they’re made from old car tires!

A perfect accessory for everyday, they will definitely attract attention when the recipient of your gift hits the streets in them. 

Here's our story about Gutta Soles founder Leslie Bentil.

At last – the age of bulky, annoying life jackets is over: Protecting your own life in water is now much easier with Kingii, a revolutionary inflatable wristband that keeps you from drowning. 

Kingii works a bit like an airbag and immediately pulls you back to the surface if you get in trouble in the water. It is easy enough to use at any age – except for infants – and provides buoyancy for an adult up to 275 lbs/ 124 kg. 

Sound good? It certainly is an amazing gift for all your water-sport enthusiast friends who are fed up with clunky flotation vests.

Want to know more? Read our article on Kingii.

If you’re a cyclist, you’ll know the helmet problem all too well: Of course you want to ride safely – but most bicycle helmets are a pure aesthetic disaster and the death knell to any hairstyle. 

Not this one though: the Hövding company’s Airbag Helmet looks like a round scarf and does not deploy unless you actually crash. And unlike a normal helmet, the Airbag Helmet protects your neck and face too.

Surprise your cyclist friends with a helmet they will actually enjoy wearing! 

Want to know more? Read our article about the Airbag Helmet.

Jeans are the absolute streetwear stars – the indestructible, perennial favourite among the trousers. They go with everything, fit well and are rugged and sexy. And every single one of us has at least one pair in our closet. 

But the conditions jeans are produced under are almost enough to make you give them up: the exploitation of workers, enormous water used and pesticides sprayed on the cotton fields are just a few of the things on the daily manufacturing agenda.  

These jeans are special though: the Kuyichi fashion brand from the Netherlands is a pioneer in fair and organic denim production. A great idea for your fashionable friends who don’t want to do without the wardrobe staple they have grown to love. Give them a pair of jeans with a conscience!

Here’s the story behind the brand.

“Skateboarding is not a sport, it is an attitude,” as skaters would say. 

So why not give your skater friends an upcycled Bureo skateboard for Christmas? 

That would indeed be a present with attitude: Bureo skateboards are made of discarded fishing nets. Each product helps fight ocean pollution and supports Chilean fishing communities. 

Want to know more? Read our article about Bureo. 

Did you know that around 3% of all the people living on our planet are involved in a combat sport or martial art of some kind? In all likelihood, there’s a fighter among your friends and family too. If so, then this is the perfect gift for him or her: vegan boxing gloves from the Berlin-based startup Vehement.  

It admittedly sounds a bit surprising at first. But it does make sense: Boxing equipment is usually made from leather, and it is no secret that industrial cattle farming and leather tanning are severely harming the environment. 

By contrast, these stylish boxing gloves are produced fairly and ecologically. Instead of animal leather, they are made of Battleskin, a synthetic leather that lasts just as long and is just as robust, but produces less than one tenth of the CO2 during manufacturing. And Vehement donates some of it’s profits to the Wolf Conservation Center.

Read our interview with Vehement founder Jan Lenartz.

Would you have guessed that such attractive designer fashion could be made from scraps alone?

Well it can: the tonlé ethical fashion label from Cambodia uses scraps that would normally be thrown away by large manufacturers as a primary source of production material. The result: exceptional clothing for an airy summer’s day at the sea, a stylish evening out, or a day at the office. 

Pieces are individually designed and you will certainly make your friends happy with one of these beautiful garments.

Read our story about tonlé.