Saving the Nation

Check out the "Saving the Nation" editorial by INVENTORY of the FW2010 collection of Nigel Cabourn. Where the Mountaineering Book is strong as a thematic and inspirational work, the photographs by Neil Bedford are a more contemporary impression. This creates the opportunity to inspect the product details more closely. You can almost feel the fabrics. More pictures over here.

(via Slamxhype)

NY Times: Subway In Pictures

From the 1910s till the 2000s the New York Times portrayed the New York subway and all that goes on there, from escaped zoo residents to big crashes or just hard-working people going home or still on the job. Of course I needed to make a selection of pictures and I selected some

from the period between the 1910's and the 1960's. For a full view of the portraits check out the New York Times website.

Roy's Jeans - Video by Self Edge

A new video about Roy denim appeared on the internet. This video shows your more about the process of making a pair of selvage jeans. Roy Slaper does everything himself and the way he uses his antique machines is really inspiring. The video was directed by Kellen Dengler and was produced by Self Edge. Make sure to check his website if you like denim.

Spud by Mac Motorcycles

Mac Motorcycles started as a collaboration between founder Ellis Pitt and Xenophya Design. They produce four models, each drawing inspiration from the chopper/bobber reference details. All models are powered by a Buell single cylinder, air-cooled, 492cc "Blast" engine. This type of engine is called a thumper. According to their website "it is really an event when the cylinder fires." Cool.

I must say they have a nice website. Good, detailed pictures of their models aside, you can also check out the sketches and inspiration sources. My favorite is the "Spud".

Learning from the Pro

We grab every opportunity to learn about shoes and leather. It's not every day you have the opportunity to learn from the real professionals. Today we had the great opportunity to meet up with the Director of Product Development of Red Wing Shoes.

Dave Hill, a 35 year veteran of SB Foot Tannery, knows everything about leather. I already met him in Red Wing MN in June, but it was an honor to learn from him again.We took a sneak peak in to the future and he answered a lot of our questions about shoe care.

Like real fans we had to take a picture. Thanks Dave for visiting us.

Resole Service Announcement

Resoling your shoes isn't something you do for just the look of them. As long as you maintain your leather upper, the shoe will stay with you for a long time. Usually the only thing that needs to be replaced every few years is the outsole. The insole can be replaced as well when the footbed is worn out. This process involves a new layer of cork between the outsole and the leather upper that is going to form to the shape of your feet again.

As of today we can officially offer our customers the service of resoling their Red Wing Shoes. The service includes a new Traction-Tred outsole, brand new Goodyear Welt, new laces and conditioning of the leather. For 89,90 euro you can have your old Red Wing Shoes back as good as new.

Garbage Of New York City

Justin Gignac is the inventor of the New York City Garbage Cube. The artist picks up litter from the streets of New York, then transforms an old Broadway ticket, subway map or old Starbucks cup into your own little slice of New York. The garbage is then 'trapped' in an airtight plastic cube, signed, dated and numbered. You can even get a limited edition that's filled with litter from New Years Eve!

So now you too can get your own little peace of The Big Apple (even if it is a little rotten) for only €50,- a piece!

Levi's 507XX Jacket

Every 4 years you need a new rigid denim jacket. Why 4 years, and not 3 or 5? It will take you about 2.5 years to properly break in your current one. After the first dry cleaner appointment, it will take some years before it looks its best. After 4 years of frequent wear it might be best to start a new project. Otherwise it will get too worn out and this is not what you want. My Atelier laDurance jacket - which I will show soon - is so well worn in that I decided to buy a new one for myself on short notice.

I already decided 2 years ago that my next one would be a Levi's jacket. Why? I want to break it in so hard that collectors will confuse it with a real vintage. I am still a bit in doubt, but the the 507XX is on my hit list. The box shape, the selvage denim and all the classic little details get me excited.

In a few years it should look something like this:

(image 1 via superfuture, image 2 via rakuten.jp)

Tråajja Sweater

A sweatshirt is like an all-purpose vehicle in the garage that is your wardrobe. Preferably in grey or navy versions, it goes with almost anything and is comfortable to wear. I caught myself buying my fourth grey college sweater last season and I still have each one. Can not get enough of them I guess.

Tråajja means sweater in Sami. Appropriately enough this is the name of my latest purchase from the guys of Denim Demon. What I like is the comfortable fit and long sleeves. This in combination with the unconventional print in the form of their printed logo patch.

Tilley Stormlight

One of the artifacts Joachim and I took home from our trip to Minnesota in June was a vintage storm light. The design of this object is timeless. Everyone recognizes the shape and it is almost a shame that the use of the storm lamp is no longer common practice.

Tilley is a typically British brand that produces the Stormlight. The company started in the 19th century, producing lights for use in both industrial and home environments. A famous model is the X246, which was first made in 1952. A modern version of the original Stormlight, the X246B, can still be purchased from the Tilley webshop. It costs 115 pounds and you can choose from a selection of chrome, red or brass lights.

As you can see below, lighting a Stormlight is a delicate job. A precise series of timed proceedings will create a very bright, warm light. The lamp can produce 12 hours of light on 1 1/2 pint of paraffin or kerosene. Ideal for the BBQ afterparty.

101 Postman

The 101 from Red Wing Shoes is something special. Probably not one of the first silhouettes that pops up when you think of the brand. For us it is one of our secret favorites. Also called the Postman, this sturdy oxford first came in to production in 1954. The leather is of Chaparral quality and this shiny black leather is strong but has a clearly dressed appearance.

It took Red Wing Shoes almost a year to re-create this leather. Because of increasing environmental laws and regulations, they had to do their best to reproduce the exact same leather as 56 years ago. Originally this type of leather was used to meet the uniform requirements but still remained durable to work on. A cool detail is the original tag on the side saying: "SR / USA" - meaning Slip Resistant.

As you can see, this shoe goes very well with a Burlington sock and a Momotaro Jeans. This style is available at our shop for 239,90 euro.

Red Wing Shoes Hamburg

Last Thursday Rene and I went to Germany to celebrate the opening of the Hamburg branch of the Red Wing Shoes stores. The store is located in the center of Hamburg in the Poststrasse. Surrounded by good stores it looks like the ultimate spot for a Red Wing store. The store has a lot of the same interior elements as the Berlin store. A must-visit if you live in the area.

The event was an intimate gathering of friends and family. It was great to meet up again with the people from Red Wing and of course all the German guys. We wish Kai & Shane and their team the best.

Check out more pictures on redwing1905.

WW2 Ski Mittens

In my childhood I really enjoyed my mittens. I had a pair that was attached by a cord. This cord would go through your sleeves and made sure you would not loose them. I needed this badly because I always lost everything.

What to do if you still like mittens but do not want to look like a child? For $25 you can buy this pair of vintage WW2 Ski Mittens. It comes with a metal adjustment buckle and the inside of the palms are made of leather. It looks cool and kinda matches my cameraman jacket.

Philosophy Bracelet

This leather signature bracelet from Royal RepubliQ is embossed with an ''aims of life'' text and is 1 cm wide. We cary the dark brown version (picture) and the cognac, both available at Red Wing Amsterdam

Norfolk & Western Railroad Company

Via Unionmade we came across this great photoshoot by George Zimbel. This photographer was commissioned in the late 50's by the Norfolk & Western Railroad Company to shoot a photographic essay. This was shot in the winter and Zimbel focussed on the transportion of cola from the the Virginia mines to the city of Norfolk. After being used in an annual report, the shots were lost in a studio fire in 1966. A nice selection can be viewed at Unionmade, and a bigger selection of the essay can be viewed at Zimbel's website.

EFF Classic Ballcaps

Ebbets Field Flannels or simply 'EFF' are the manufacturers of vintage history-inspired athletic clothing. Since 1988 they create their own hand crafted clothing, most of which is inspired on baseball sportswear from the 1930's-1950's and is made after intensive historical research. I really like their woolen baseball caps with handcrafted lettering that are available from their website.

Fall Look

A casual fall look with items that wont weather you down..

• Nigel Cabourn Fisherman knit
• American Optical Sunglasses
• The Hill-Side Scarf
• Edwin Japan Taber Logger Shirt
• Rocky Mountain Featherbed Down Vest
• Tanner Goods Standard Belt
• Edwin Japan Denim
• Red Win 8139 Sage Mohave
• Duluth Pack Scout Pack

All Items are available at Tenue de Nimes and Red Wing Shoes Amsterdam.

Peter Funch

The New York based, Danish photo artist Peter Funch certainly has a way of playing with your mind. In most of his photographs nothing is what it seems. That is, not at that certain point in time. His work consists of documented moments that never really existed - rather, they were put together from hundreds of pictures taken over a period of several weeks which were then put together in one frame.

He actually did some really nice work here in Amsterdam too that you can see on his website.

Just enjoy..

Build your own cabin

Perhaps you were inspired by our post Alone in the Wilderness and now find yourself wanting to build your own cabin. All you need is a piece of land and the book The Wilderness Cabin by Calvin Rutstrum. It was a great find by blog Wildwood in a box of discarded literature. The book includes information about materials, the necessary tools and construction methods. The drawings are made by wildlife artist Les Kouba. The chance is I am ever going to build a wooden cabin myself are slim, but it is cool to read about "How it's Made".

Cold Spring

Inventory Magazine has done great work on a new photo series. The shoot took place in Cold Spring NY and was photographed by Justin Hollar. Products from A.P.C., Junya Watanabe, C.P. Company, Penfield and Opening Ceremony can be seen.

The atmosphere of the black and white shots in this setting is great. I would have appreciated some pictures in color, so the styling by Tyler Wray and the individual pieces of clothing could be inspected in more detail. We want more!

The Blob

Halloween is just around the corner, and when I came across this horror cult classic I just could not keep it to myself. The Blob is an independently made American horror/science-fiction film from 1958 that depicts a giant amoeba-like alien that terrorizes the small community of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.

It was not until star Steve McQueen became famous with the TV series Wanted: Dead or Alive, that the film became a hit at the drive-in theatres. The cool thing about this movie is that it helped launch the career of Steve McQueen and was made by a maverick film distributor outside of Hollywood. You can see the entire movie on youtube (albeit in parts), and I highly recommend it! 

Temple Bags "Made in America"

In warehouses full of military stuff TB searches for materials that can be re-purposed. Combined with good quality leather and their own hardware they create handmade bags that are amazing. Bags for traveling, Ipads, weekenders, accessories - they have it all. Temple Bags are made in Los Angeles, California. Check out this video "Made in America" about their production process.

(via Selectism.com)

Ben Davis Project Line

Ben Davis is another one of those workwear brands that have been around for a long time. Looking at their website, this brand has stayed true to his heritage and for them less definitely means more. Of course the Japanese spotted this brand and made sure a Project Line was developed and the first fruits of labor were seen in last winter's collection FW09/10. I knew the brand from the classics they always have in their collection and came across some really cool stuff they made for this winter's collection: several really nice jackets, bandanas and some truly cool corduroy pants available at Bench At The Greene

Cut & Show - Red Wing Shoes

This year Complex Media visited both the tannery and the factory of Red Wing Shoe in rural Minnesota for Cut & Show. The answers and explanation from employees that were interviewed describe the soul of Red Wing Shoes very accurately. For me it was cool because I saw familiar faces in the factory. Enjoy.