Yes, you did read that right…American luxury. It seems the esteemed French luxury goods maker Louis Vuitton manufacturers some of the their fine leather goods right here in the USA. My business partner was showing me her beautiful new leather Vuitton bag and right away I said “I think that is made in the U.S.” With a quick check of the label we discovered it is indeed an American made bag. Pretty amazing when you think about it.
The folks at Levi Strauss & Co. teamed up with Filson to release a small capsule collection of collaboration workwear. It’s an intriguing project on a few levels; one being that both companies are storied and rugged American brands. The other lies in the fact that Filson doesn’t just collaborate with anyone. To go along with the co-branded goods (which I think have been very well thought out), Levi’s tapped Vice to make a short film about the people from the Grayback Forestry Company in Medford, Oregon, who battle Forest fires for a living. It is my feeling that the documentary adds an interesting dimension to an already appealing project. Expect a few more interesting collaborations from the LS&CO in the coming months.
Further reading: Levi’s x Filson at A Conversation on Cool and The U.S. Forest Service on ACL
Fall is coming, I assure you. And what could be a better symbol of autumn than these LL Bean Signature boots? Fall is undeniably the best time of year on the East Coast, it’s just good living. I dream about the season and its trappings most of the year. Stay tuned for more on that thought…
One of my favorite bag companies out there is Minnesota’s J.W. Hulme. The company makes classic looking canvas and leather bags, plus a variety of different accessories. It is one of those rare brands that I want one of everything from. I was introduced to the bags years ago, when they supplied carry-alls to Orvis. The two have since gone their separate ways in what I believe to be an amicable split. Either way, it must be water under the bridge at this point. Thankfully J.W. Hulme survived and lives on to supply good looking bags to those who appreciate well made things. Perhaps Orvis and J.W. Hulme can revisit things now that Orvis taking a renewed interest in American make with their U.S. Patent collection. (More on that coming soon.)
The new Sporting Originals canvas bags (the lightly colored ones like the above) are just hitting stores (including select Steven Alan and Barneys stores) now — in case you were wondering. Also, pictured below are some of the company’s SS11 bags (the gray canvas and leather items). It is great to see the brand progress and apparently prosper. There was a recent Wall Street Journal article about how the brand has navigated a tumultuous past few years. It was interesting to see that ACL made it into that piece. It also makes me proud to know change is being made for the positive and people are keeping their jobs. At the end of the day, that is what really matters. Well, that and there are sturdy American-made bags in this world.
Made to exact U.S. military spec, the Campbellsville Apparel Company sells the same tees that our boys are wearing out in the field to the general public. $9 gets you a 3-pack of the 100% Combed Cotton and $12 gets you a set of the moisture wicking polyester model (which is slightly too mock-necky for all but the most necessary situations.) Respect to our friends from Cold Splinters for digging this one up. Everything is made — per Berry requirements — right in Kentucky. Get some. [Campbellsville Apparel Company]
The people at Schott NYC have something nice and new coming for Spring ’11 — a little off-shoot collection of outerwear called Perfecto Brand by Schott NYC. The new goods were designed by none other than Mr. Greg Chapman, who seems to have given up Britain for the New World (at least for the time being). And not to worry Greg, if you keep designing clothes as nice as these we’ll let you stay. The initial line includes several shapes and materials, everything from the pictured Cone Mills selvedge pea coat and duffel, a rip-stop nylon parka and a small selection of leathers (a nod the the Perfecto heritage no doubt). Prices range from $400 to $1000 — everything made at the Schott NYC factory in Elizabeth, New Jersey. We’re getting an early look at this stuff, so you will have to wait until next January before you can add any of these to your closet.
If you are in the market for a new suit, the time is now. If you are attending a wedding soon and need a suit, the time is now. If you are someone that just likes to wear suits, the time is now. I can’t say this enough.
One of the most common emails I get from people needing style advice is about finding and buying a good suit. I have a few favorite places I generally point people to (one of which was Hickey, may it rest in peace), so when I heard from Gilt about the suits the commissioned from Martin Greenfield I got legitimately excited for a few reasons. 1. Because these are the perfect recommendation for anyone needing a suit. 2. The value for money for this clothing is off the charts. 3. Martin Greenfield makes really nice suits. 4. I’m in the market for a new suit.
News of the launch of the Wolverine 1000 Mile collection first came in February of 2009. It was around that time that I met some of the people from Wolverine and wrote about the collection. Later, Wolverine invited me to a little event they put together in the city and I got a chance to meet all of the people involved in the 1000 Mile line — all good people. After that we started talking more and eventually Wolverine hired my public relations firm to help out with the 1000 Mile Collection — which has been a lot of fun. (In case you missed it, that was my full disclosure.)
A project that we have been working on over the past several months is the special edition, limited-quantity Wolverine 1000 Mile boot with the imprint 721LTD. The undertaking, which is named for the original 1000 Mile boot reference number, was pulled directly from the company’s archives from over 125 years of boot making. To celebrate the provenance of the 721LTD boots, Wolverine commissioned a film series (directed by my friend Sean Sullivan) to document the journey of these unique 1000 Mile boots. The opening chapter takes you on a pilgrimage to Chicago to visit the Horween leather company, America’s finest tannery and supplier of shell cordovan to the 721LTD 1000 Mile boots.
I’m proud and excited to share this short film with you and to take you inside Horween, a truly special place and national treasure. These kinds of projects are what it is all about for me. To work with good people like the folks at Wolverine, Sullivan and all of the people at Horween on something as legitimate as the 1000 Mile boots.
Founded in 1875 in Springfield, Illinois, the Armbruster Manufacturing Co. is America’s oldest tent maker. As you can see from the building in the above archival photo, the company started out as a canvas goods and upholstery shop but eventually came to specialize in tent making. Armbruster was also a supplier to the U.S. military during WWII — which is how I came to discover them. I was looking to buy an authentic WWII tent, of all things. I considered buying an old original, but didn’t really want to deal with the smell of such an artifact. The good news is, Armbruster is remaking a variety of WWII olive drab canvas tents on the exact same equipment as it did in the 1940s — that is definitely the best-of-both-worlds.
A little while back I took a trip to Randolph Engineering to check out their factory and see how the U.S. Navy aviator sunglasses are made. A few extra photos from the Massachusetts manufacturer are below, but click on over and check out the post at GQ.
Every single stitch, button, thread and piece of fabric is Grown & Sewn in the United States of America. That was half of Rob Magness’s concept, to source everything domestically. The Ralph Lauren alum’s other idea was to combine denim fits with khaki cotton twill fabrics. The result are some very nice looking, wearable, washable goods.
I first heard about Rob’s collection at the second Pop Up Flea in November. A very nice young lady told me about their new store in TriBeCa, but it wasn’t until a few weeks ago in Las Vegas that I could meet the designer and see the collection. I’ll be honest, at first pass I wasn’t sold on everything (and there are a few pieces that are definitely not for me) but on the whole, the line is excellent. There are three fits to choose from, and just like with denim, there are varying wash options — everything from raw to distressed. (Note the top photo, distressed on the left, medium in the middle and raw on the right.)
Jeans and tee shirts. All that you need and nothing more. That seems to be the concept of the recently freshened-up Cinch store in London’s Soho. When you swing open the frosted glass door and step foot into the sparsely merchandised space you are enveloped into the world of Levi’s Vintage Clothing. The funny thing is, there isn’t much to “envelop” you at that store, which is why I liked it.
