Hasta La Ideas

by Quincy Moore

U.K.-based makers of luxury Italian-leather holdalls Caracalla Bagaglio fashions their “Commemorative Motorsport Collection” line after the past triumphs of famous race cars and their drivers. The company, owned by motorsports aficionado Simon Jordan, borrows its first name from the Roman emperor whose historic baths were the site of Ferrari’s first victory in 1947 and gets its surname from the word for luggage in Italian.

While only die-hard fans will get the historical relevance of each bag, it takes little more than a simple aesthetic to admire the classic elegance of these weekend getaway companions.

Craftspeople hand make each bag in Italy from fine leather that closely matches the interior color of the car it celebrates. For instance, our favorite variant, the Lotus JPS No. 6 (pictured top), uses stark black with gold stitching, just like the Formula 1 whip Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi drove to victory in the 1972 Italian F1 Grand Prix.

A stamp of the Team Lotus emblem just below the opening of the No. 6 adds to the immaculate detail of the accessory, a design repeated on other models. Features also include a detachable shoulder strap, internal pocket, end-to-end zipper, and metal studs for protection while sitting on the ground.

Each measures 22″ long x 12.5″ wide x 11″ deep, and sells online for just under $445. Pick one up from Bagaglio.

by James Ryang

Pretty much anyone who went to school in the U.S. has had a Jansport backpack at some point in their life. If it could get books from point A to point B, while withstanding endless tosses over shoulders and the travails of school, it worked. Function, simple design, and durability have always been the key elements to Jansport’s enduring relevance as the iconic backpack. Recently, Jansport introduced their limited edition Heritage Series, re-issuing their original designs from 1967. Emblazoned with vintage Jansport labels, these bags are constructed in the same silhouettes and from the same materials as their ancestors.

Of our favorites in the series, the Hoss, pictured above left, is a top-loading backpack equipped with brass zippers, a re-enforced leather bottom, three utility pockets and seat-belt straps. The Snoqualmie duffel, above right, is a perfect, carry-on sized bag with three side pockets and an adjustable seat-belt strap. Both bags are available in four vintage colorways. Made from Classic Cordura fabric, the Hoss backpack and the Snoqualmie duffel are extremely durable. Cordura is a woven nylon fabric first applied by Jansport in the early 1970’s and still used in the production of military apparel and equipment. Jansport has taken a significant step backward to remind us why their brand is synonymous with durable, classic luggage.

The Madly, a new line of sturdy leather bags, puts the emphasis on crude, functional designs and hand-crafted production. Directed towards the male market, the bags share a simplicity and rough-hewn charm perfect for travel or as an everyday carryall and designed to get better with age.

Produced in the Philippines, the line was founded by Jake Quellman and Melanie Dizon (the latter had an eponymous line of women’s shoes and bags), who travel extensively and take a conceptual approach to their work. While the couple’s first collection took its cues from American literary heavyweights (the bags went by “Salinger,” “Burroughs” and “Hemingway”) the latest, “King’s Highway,” channels the Coppola epic “Apocalypse Now.”

The slightly asymmetrical “Kilgore” (top left) features handwoven webbing on the shoulder strap, and the “Willard” (top right) has a heavy leather roll-closure not unlike a paper lunch bag, which makes sense: Dizon mocks up each bag using paper. The vegetable-tanned leather of the “Kurtz” backpack (above) contrasts with the cracked leather straps, which the Filipino tanners make using a local treating method.

The globetrotting founders have their sights set on manufacturing in South America next, but in the meantime you can find the current crop of bags in NYC at Steven Alan, Buckler and Save Khaki and in Tokyo at Edition. Check out their soon-to-relaunch website or look at more images from the new collection after the jump

Upcycling scraps and remnant fabrics, LooptWorks makes neoprene-lined computer sleeves that protect both laptops and the earth. By sourcing materials thrown out in excess from industrial countries such as Malaysia, India and China, the Portland,OR-based brand creates new products without tapping any new materials and eliminating superfluous waste.

Boasting handy zippered pockets and bold colorways, the functional sleeves add a pop look to normally drab office accessories. They sell online from LooptWorks and other sustainably-minded retailers for $30.