Artoyz was established in 2003 and has played a large role in building the culture of designer toys in France and Internationally. The next step in the companies development is to manufacture toys. Artoyz Originals Label will serve as an lab for new and established designers to produce new product for the toy market. 
The first project from Artoyz Originals comes from Easy Hey of the Delkographik collective and was rendered by Gregos. Named ELEMENTS, the toys play on, well, the elements – water, fire, air and earth. The Elements Prologue set will release during the month of June, and Artoyz will be using Bread and Butter as a platform to unveil a few new projects.

New Balance is pleased to announce the introduction of the Elements 576 Collection, featuring a theme inspired by the basis of the universe according to Chinese Taoism: the elements. Three of the five elements in this age-old theory are realized in a collection of limited-edition shoes – Earth, Wood and Water.

The Elements 576 collection features design details that reflect each of the three elemental concepts. For instance, “Earth” features brown contrast stitching, a medial pattern reminiscent of layers of sediment and materials used to convey soil. “Wood” features a black and green design to signify tree bark and leaves, medial embroidery of trees and a unique “peel leather” to convey bark. “Water” embodies Zen-like serenity and tranquility, with a blue/white colorway, transparent rubber outsole and a recurring pattern of water bubbles.

Each shoe has a distinctive Chinese touch: the medial side of every Elements 576 shoe features the Chinese character that represents the shoe’s respective element.

The Elements 576 collection will be available in limited quantities and will retail for $100.00. The shoes will debut at retail spaced out over the spring: “Earth” is available 4/1/08, “Wood” will be available 5/1/08 and water will be available 6/1/08

As the Fall season comes to an end, The Hundreds gets ready to release their next New Era cap, under the Elements theme. The cap features the trademark Jags pattern that one can find on many The Hundreds designs and tags, but here it comes for the first time on a New Era cap.
It looks like they will also release some t-shirt along with the cap, featuring a leaves print. Expect these goodies to hit the Hundreds store this coming Friday, October 25th.

New Balance announced today that the fourth collection of the Super Team 33 project has been designed by the New Balance Asia Pacific team and will feature a theme inspired by the elements – wood, water, earth, metal, and fire. The Elements 1400 shoe will debut at 33 select retailers worldwide on October 20, 2007 and retail for $200.00.
Available in three exclusive designs, this new limited edition collection celebrates the complementary Yin-Yang interplay of the elements in the cycle of life. The “Fire and Metal” 1400 shoe honors the role of fire as it refines metal, while the “Earth and Wood” shoe pays homage to our planet and the way it nurtures all living things. The third design, “Water” is a standalone tribute to the power of water.
“This exciting new range represents a global collaboration and a deep commitment to individualism that is unique in the footwear industry,” said Qing Ni, New Balance regional marketing manager for Asia Pacific. “Details include elaborate designs on the tongue of each shoe, the sole insert, and even the outsole. Every Super Team 33 Elements shoe is truly a limited-edition, sophisticated work of art.”
Super Team 33 Elements footwear features design details that reflect each of the three elemental concepts. For instance, “Earth and Wood” features brown contrast stitching, an eye-catching tree pattern, a distinctive tree-trunk pattern embossed on the New Balance logo, as well as two sets of laces – one in green and one in brown. “Fire and Metal” features a striking black and red design with metallic embroidery, a silver insole, and a laser-etched phoenix rising from the flames. “Water” embodies Zen-like serenity and tranquility, with a blue/white colorway, transparent rubber and a recurring pattern of Chinese junk boats and water bubbles.
To give each shoe a distinctly Chinese touch, the heel of every Super Team 33 Elements shoe features the Chinese character that represents that shoe’s element. The collaborative elements, namely Earth/Wood and Fire/Metal, use different characters on the left and right shoe, while the Water design features just one character. Transparent panels on the box showcase its contents and color-coded lids explain the meaning of the Chinese characters on the rear of each shoe.
After the jump detailed pictures of all three sneakers that are part of the collection.