Guys don’t really use the term besties, but even so, Alan Paukman (left) and Jacob Melinger fit the bill. The two grew up together, taking art classes and causing trouble at Columbia Prep on New York’s Upper West Side, but college made their creative collaborating a little trickier. “Jacob went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I went to Gallatin at New York University,” explains Alan, who is also currently in grad school for architecture at Columbia University. “That first year of college, we were emailing each other about starting something formal—like a platform for us to make things. That summer, we registered for a company.”

If you think that’s impressive, you should know that these two—now both back in New York and working in their childhood locale—are only 24 and have already grown a following for their heady accessories, which guys flock to and their girlfriends borrow—think natty, luxe wool ties and silver rings set with bone. They’ve made cuffs for a Bill Blass runway show and have collaborated on such disparate things as music videos and doorknobs. And, considering the odds of them getting sick of each other at this point is pretty low, there will no doubt be a whole lot more amazingness in the years to come.

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