5 Buys is a monthly column that highlights savvy individuals and the things they're buying now.

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Mark Sabino is a guy, not a brand, or so says his Twitter bio. Whatever you call him, since 2020, Sabino has been creating some of the internet's most viral and sought after custom creations. Oakley's imagined as a ring? Check. A necklace commemorating Yeezus? Check. As innovative as he is tapped in, Sabino is both a trendsetter and a tastemaker. Below, he outlines his five buys, and makes a case for better living habits while he's at it.

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1. Vintage Promotional Posters

I’ve really been obsessed with finding old promo material for things that might not have been the most popular, but mean a lot to me. The newest was a poster for the 1986 Talking Heads movie "True Stories" that I found on ebay for like $30. I think there’s something cool about this time capsule, meant to market to a completely different generation, getting its appreciation almost 40 years later under a totally new context.

2. Books

I try to read every day to balance out the permanent damage my phone is doing to my attention span, and as an excuse to just go sit in the sun. Two of my recent favorites are Rap Capital by Joe Coscarelli and On Photography by Susan Sontag. Rap Capital hits just about every emotion you could possibly think of while still being genuinely fascinating, done with a level of care that unfortunately isn’t as easy to find anymore. I’m also super late to the Sontag party, but better late than never tbh. Her idea that taking a photo of something removes the potential beauty that comes from it blurring in your memory with time is something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently.

3. Hardwood Coffee Table

My current coffee table is something I made in college, and it’s lasted me way longer than I thought it would, but I’ve been trying to get rid of the few pieces of plastic furniture I have left in my apt and replace them with things that can develop patinas alongside me from space to space. This Minguren II coffee table by George Nakashima is probably my dream one, but unfortunately I don’t have an extra $75k to drop on it, so I’ll still be on the lookout for a nice substitute.

4. Révolution by Trudon

I smelled this fragrance for the first time a few years ago at Totokaelo (RIP) and fell in love with the concept. A dark, charred wood scent inspired by the burning buildings and chaos of the French Revolution, for a $240 100ml bottle. That contrast is the stuff I really live for, just rolling with the absurdity of the whole thing, but still through sincerity (it actually smells really good). I’ve been debating buying it for a while but I think I need to finally get around to it.

5. Emeralds

There’s really no other gemstone that can properly substitute the look of natural emerald. The vibrant color, the tiny clouds and imperfections that make each one unique, they’re really the best stone to just get lost staring at. I’ve been meaning to work with them more, and they’re available at all different prices and grades, so if anyone wants to commission something green, you know where to find me!