Fashion Monday with JJ Lee

Contexture brings new life to dying technologies, all the while, finding ways to accessorize your paper coffee cups. The Vancouver designers behind Contexture, Trevor Coghill and Nathan Lee, have been getting the star treatment with a New York Times style magazine spotlight. Here's VBD's visit with Lee and Coghill.

It's either the snow or the rain. It just keeps coming. That's why JJ met Jeff Crook and Spring Harrison of Mountain Equipment Co-op. Jeff and Spring are responsible for the design and production of MEC's wet weather gear. They gave JJ tour and it started with a stop in front of a super-secret door boasting a "keep out" sign. Listen .

I was surprised to learn about what's going on at Nokia's Vancouver R&D facility. The work there is not theoretical. The researchers there are actually having an impact on how we use our portable devices, or at least yours, I have none, except, of course, my mind. One inventor with a high batting average is Patrick Wong. He holds four patents and has forty pending. I visited Patrick (right) and Director of Research Brad Lowe at their secure facility. Yup. Gates, a checkpoint, a friendly but deadly receptionist and keypads which makes it the most secure facility I've visited since touring Joint Task Force Directorate Nine of Joint Forces Command in Suffolk, Virginia. At least there were no US marines...I don't think there were. Here's my interview with Patrick and Brad .