The things that Schoolhouse Electric Co. turn out always interest me one way or another, and this wall light the Portland-based manufacturer is no exception. Created in collaboration with their crosstown friends at the ACE Hotel, the new Schoolhouse Electric Co. Radar Sconce comes in six color options and was developed from a light from an old 1970s parts washer.

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Our new Radar Sconce was inspired by a light originally used on an industrial parts washer. Utilitarian simplicity. We loved it. So did Ace Hotel Portland. Teaming up again after a 2007 collaboration, Schoolhouse and Ace developed a versatile and elegant industrial lamp to be used bedside in the hotel’s rooms and bar side in the new Ace basement bar.

When sourcing parts, we stumbled upon a 1970s stamped electrical box from one of our East Coast vendors that had the vintage tooling but hadn’t used in decades. We crushed hard on all the stamped details, including a cross, risk-of-fire warning, and wattage rating on the canopy box face. Functional communication incorporated into the design is what makes many vintage designs so rad. The message wasn’t hidden; it was part of the design, adding texture and character.

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A little over a year ago I stumbled upon The Good Flock from Portland, Oregon and picked up one of their wool iPad cases. I still use that case nearly every day, it even works with my iPad2 and smart cover all together. I toss them in a bag, am on my way and don’t have to worry about it. In the past year the product line has grown and The Good Flock now offer additional items like leather goods, bags and a more complete line up of technology cases. I love the wool stuff and my iPad case always gets lots of love from people, but the waxed canvas bags are, in my opinion, really something special.

The Tokyo Bag (above) is far and way my favorite. On the surface it is a standard waxed canvas tote (of which we have seen many similar variants before), but when you drill down further you start to get a better idea of the functionality that is built into its design. The carryall has a total of eight pockets (four on the exterior, four on the interior) which come in amazingly handy. If you want to drop your keys, phone, cell phone and sunglasses all in their own compartment it’s a maneuver orchestrated with ease. I don’t ever want my keys and phone in the same pocket (because of the potential for scratches) and same goes for my glasses, which makes me appreciate the pockets on the Tokyo Bag. It’s a simple concept but one that I got into immediately after using the bag.

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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

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