Faribault Woolen Mills - Blankets and Throws

Faribault Woolen Mills is one of the excellent American makers that has been around for ages (since 1865), however not too long ago they went under and closed their production of quality woolen goods like blankets and throws. Luckily their mill was revitalized a couple of years ago, and their now up and running again. I read one place that half of all blankets sold in the US were made by Faribault, and they made not being doing that well, but judging from the press that they are getting, they're doing better than they have in a long time.

Ever since reading about Daiki Suzuki of Engineered Garments recommending the West-End blanket from them, I've been in the market for one, but thing is, I don't really need it at the moment. But I can appreciate it and wait for a time when I might actually have use for a good, solid blanket. Like when I get a small cabin in Sweden for instance - which will hopefully happen someday. Their military blankets can be found under the "Foot Solider" category.

Some retailers have also picked up some scarves made by Faribault. They're made out of merino wool, which I personally think is excellent for scarves. This scarf has some resemblances to the iconic Hudson Bay   blanket and is a favourite of mine. And so is and actual blanket with the Hudson Bay stripes.

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Archival Clothing Can Do No Wrong

As far as I remember I don't think that Archival Clothing has put out anything that I didn't immediately felt  the need to purchase. Despite that fact I've ever only ordered some Columbiaknit t-shirts from them. But hopefully it won't be too long before I start supporting them more. It's like they can't make a do anything wrong. I mean, the collaboration with Hollows was great, so are their sweatshirts, duffels, zipped totes, rucksacks and the list just goes on and on.

Not too long ago they released these cardigans that are made by Centralia Mills. Therefore you should instantly know that they're well-made, sturdy, heavy duty and of a superior quality. This particular design could easily double as a jacket in between seasons and I'm sure it would become the go-to sweater in many wardrobes.

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The Rifle Sling Belt

I remember, when I first read the post about the Riffle Sling belt on one of my favourite blogs, The Trad. I remember immediately thinking that I should start looking for the hardware needed for that belt and so a search started and after some time I finally managed to track down the hook that makes up for the buckle on the belt.

The claw or the hook was originally used on the Springfield rifle sling and at some point someone turned it into a very nice belt. As it's mentioned on the Trad LL Bean offered the belt, and I do believe that it was made by Bianchi Leathers for LL Bean, as I remember seeing a belt that carried both names. No matter what it makes for a classic and casual, albeit a bit unusual, belt.

Currently there are some companies offering this belt. 

If I weren't making my own, I would be ordering from Narragansett Leathers

Furthermore a more modern brand such as BillyKirk is also offering their version, but I'm not sure what I think about the look of the claw.

When I start making my own version, I'll of course try to keep you updated.

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Oak Street Bootmakers - Trench Boot

I remember when Oak Street Bootmakers hit the menswear scene. People went crazy for the vibram soled oxfords. It was crazy. But from what I've seen, it's totally understandable, as the quality is definitely up there, so is the vision of the brand.

It has become obvious that George Vlagos is going for something a bit different than moccasins and loafers with the release of the field boot for instance. However their most recent release, the Trench boot, really hones the brand name.

 Made in the USA (of course) of quality materials in a timeless design in one of the nicest leathers around (Horween's Chromexcel leather in the colour "Natural"). What's not to like? Nothing, I guess, but personally I would never consider wearing a pair of boots that didn't have a rubber sole. In my mind I'm thinking about how nice they would look, if they were equipped with a rugged, English Ridgeway sole. But that's probably just me and my OCD, but make no mistake this boot looks like one of the best boot options around.

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S-Double x Gitman Vintage

I've been searching for two shirts for a long time. Of course there are many shirts that I can think of that I would like to add to my rotation, but there are two shirts that I particularly want - a denim shirt and a chambray shirt. They both have to be button down shirts because that's basically all I wear. And other than that I want certain details, a good fit, a country of origin that I can support and lastly I want a hearty and solid fabric. This is something that I just can't seem to find.

However I may just have found a descent solution from Shawn Stussy's most recent project - S-Double. For this shirt he has teamed up with Gitman Vintage to produce a very wearable shirt. 

This shirt fits the bill in many aspects, but I'm not really sure about the tap on the pocket. Good thing I've got plenty of scissors in my workshop.

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Needles - Arrow Jacket

Lately a lot of products have surfaced which features Harris Tweed. This is definitely one of the better so far. Needles is a Japanese brand, which is part of the Nepenthes company, which Engineered Garments is also a part of. Needles is almost entirely made in Japan, and I find it very hard to place in terms of style, as they produce some very funky pieces sometimes, but if you find some of their lookbooks (especially the older ones), you'll get a sense of the myriads of styles they're able to mix.

This jacket is called the Arrow jacket. It's made in Japan of Harris Tweed fabric. Other than that it features deerskin patches on the elbows and deerskin accents of the cuffs and pockets.

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On the Topic of Notebooks

I've always been amused by people, who paid a lot of money for Moleskine notebooks. Not because they're necessarily terrible, but in their marketing campaign, I remember that they gave the impression that a lot of famous artists and writers used their notebooks. But if you looked a bit closer, it was all quotes from the artists and writers saying that they couldn't live without their notebooks - not their Moleskine notebooks. I hardly think, they would pay the costs of a Moleskine.

That being said I'm one of the pretentious guys, that carries a notebook around to take notes, write down grocery lists and draw naughty drawings of naked women. I mostly use Field Notes and Rite in the Rain. And both of them has performed very well, and while I like the fact that you can write in the rain with the RITR notebook, I'm just so infatuated with the Futura font, that I prefer the Field Notes.

Lately I've been looking for alternatives - not because I actually need any, but because I was wondering if there were any made in Denmark (I didn't come across any, but I did find a Danish link) or at least in Europe. And of course you're always hoping for something perfect. As in just that really, really perfect thing (It never happens)

But I did come across a really nice notebook, which is made in France by a company called Calepino. And it was quite refreshing seeing that they had a site in English, which is something the French always seem to miss, and they also look very nice.

If you're still reading and remember that I mentioned a Danish link: The creator of Calepino, Fabrice Richard, mentioned in an interview for the shop La Belle Échoppe that he lived in Copenhagen for a while and that he was greatly inspired by the Danish design philosophy when he started the company. La Belle Échoppe is an amazing store by the way with a perfect concept that I've been meaning to write about for a long time (My notes are terribly messy and mostly unreadable)
Fabrice also mentions that he is doing custom orders, which could be totally amazing and something I would like to look into at some point. I think a slightly larger notebook would be perfect - especially if you like to draw and design stuff. You just need more space sometimes.

The other great option I found was the company Word. They make notebooks in the US. They have a great system for keeping your notes in order, which is great and they offer their notebooks with a camo cover, which is gorgeous.

The use of the Swedish M/90 camouflage is without a doubt my favourite.

If I come across other great options, I'll make sure to share them.

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Coming Soon

I'm not going into details or anything, but I just wanted to unveil the logo of the first collaboration that I've been involved in.

Stay tuned and watch this space

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Stephen Kenn Furniture

I just came across this sofa and I feel that I could easily become quite obsessed with it.

It even comes with a great video. However I find a bit too sentimental, so I turned down the volume, but I turned it to full screen, when I saw the warehouse he entered (spoiler allert - Wow...)

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Watchbands from O'Connell's Clothing

O'Connell's Clothing is an institution. They're one of the very last true suppliers of trad and preppy garbs in the US. Which is probably why I sometime find myself spending hours upon hours browsing their huge assortment. You'll find everything there from good "shaggy" shetland sweaters to Harris Tweed blazers, and thank God they're based in the US and not some place closer to me, as I would be spending more money, that I don't have.

These watchbands are both fun, wearable, not-Nato and affordable. Oh, and they're made in the US.

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Centralia Knitting Mills - Varsity Jackets

A great thing about the internet fashion forums like Styleforum is that you can find people to share your interests and obsessions with. You discover, that you're not the only one digging Donegal tweed or tripping over some new South Korean streetwear collaboration. That's of course all good. But I get really excited, when I see it materialising every now and then, when people get together and buy a specialised product by some of the good makers as a group buy. It's democracy at its finest, especially when they vote over the details and create polls. Beautiful.

When I wrote about the Dehen 1920 varsity cardigan, I started thinking about the company Centralia Knitting Mills. They're a great company that makes great products. Their production is still specialized in making small batches of specialized products for sports teams for instance and nowadays they also cater to the picky Japanese market. 

For some odd reason I've passed on two consecutive group buys of custom made varsity jackets on Styleforum. I really don't know why, but I keep my finger's crossed that it will happen again, and when it happens I'll be the first one to sign up for it.

Here are some of the options that were available for the Styleforum group buy. They were a bit limited compared to the options that Japanese retailers/brands have. But still it shows a great number of options and endless combinations.

Here are some examples that I've found browsing Japanese webshops mostly. I think it really shows, what they're able to do.

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