Just around the corner from the main factory for Barbour jackets in South Shields, England lies a very special repair shop. Michael Williams, of "A Continuous Lean" fame, popped in for a visit and found his Barbour repaired a few hours later. The shop does everything from rewaxing to major surgery. To a Barbour lover's relief, the shop can extend the life of the jacket for years and years. The ACL post has us thinking about buying better and keeping longer in general, but also wondering where our local repair shops are—good places to know, we tend to think.
Visit Barbour online for more info on jackets that last a bit longer.
It was a mob of manicured beards, Fair Isle sweaters, and leather boots at the recent Pop Up Flea V at NYC’s ROOT (Drive-in) in Chelsea. Hosted by A Continuous Lean’s Michael Williams and Randy Goldberg of Urban Daddy, the 3-day menswear event was the mecca for urban dudes who embrace a decidedly rustic wardrobe. Has the heritage trend given guys the liberty to upgrade their look in a down-to-earth way? We’ll let you decide. So, go ahead and pitch a tent. Here are a few highlights:
- Man of the World: The fancy lifestyle mag’s booth sported a shiny black MG, fixies, and smaller goods like axes by Best Made Co. and Walnut Studios’ Leather Bicycle Can Cages, perfect for your PBR.
- Gerber: No, not baby food… knives. A shit ton of knives displayed beneath a tent adorned by a huge boar head. And other potentially lethal goodies like hatchets. Winner: most creative booth.
- Ursa Major: Sustainable skincare products made from natural ingredients that smell fantastic. Products like “Stellar Shave Cream” and “Fortifying Face Balm” kind of smell like... well, the woods. Not sweaty lumberjack woods, more rugged outdoorsman woods.
- Billykirk: The leatherwork designs of brothers Chris and Kirk Bray is handcrafted by a group of Amish leather workers in Pennsylvania. Impeccably made satchels, belts, and more. Also? They’ve collaborated with J.Crew so you know their work is perfect. Because J.Crew just seems…perfect.
- Levi’s Vintage Clothing: I know, it feels all branding voodoo with the addition of “Vintage Clothing”, but Levi’s pulled off some serious bad-ass magic with a large gallery exhibit of self-taught Brooklyn photographer Danny Lyon’s “The Bikeriders” featuring hand-painted leather moto jackets, books, pics, and archives. Photojournalism at its best. It was brilliant.