Hasta La Ideas

The new Brooklyn address for dapper dressers

In an effort to bring bespoke tailoring to a broader audience Brooklyn Tailors will open their first official retail space this Saturday, 30 July 2011. Previewing their airy new digs earlier this month, it’s clear that the Grand Street location (in the ever-growing Brooklyn neighborhood of South Williamsburg) signals a promising direction for the label and independent fashion as a whole. The move from their Clinton Hill appointment-only studio combines retail space and HQ for the design pair and their expanding team.

With the opening, Brooklyn Tailors’ now has a designated space for custom fitting appointments, as well as sales of their off-the-rack duds. The shop’s interior conveys the same clean and contemporary aesthetic that defines their handmade garments. Simple white shelving displays neatly folded “Standard” button-downs and the newly-released washed cotton “BKT30” pants—both available as ready-to-wear and custom—while suiting hangs within arm’s reach for quick pairing reference.

Offering nearly a thousand different premium fabrics—from subdued Japanese oxford cloths to more boisterous Indian patterns—the sartorial choices are seemingly endless. If bespoke is too daunting, the shop also keeps a well-stocked supply of readymade shirts and pants for sale on the spot, all in their standard slim fit and made with the same care and attention for which they are known.

Keep an eye on their site for to-be-announced shop details and general hours of operation. For a closer look at the new shop take a peek at the
gallery below.

Additional photos by Nicholena Moon

French-inspired, exotically-flavored caramels handmade in Los Angeles

When Justin Chao of Le Bon Garcon discovered caramels in Paris, he learned that crafting classic handmade French caramels can be a labor of love. I first tasted his buttery confections at Artisanal LA, and was so taken by the mango-passion fruit combination I reached out to Chao to learn more about his process for making such deliciously sweet caramels. To get your hands on some, visit the online shop where they sell in variously sized packages spanning $5-18.

How did you come up with the name Le Bon Garcon?

When I lived in Paris, I lived near Rue des Mauvais Garcons, which translates to Street of the Bad Boys. When I started thinking of names for my company, the name “Mauvais Garcon” kept coming to mind, but I wanted something that reflected my personality, and the truth is, I’ve always been more of a good boy than a bad boy. The name also reminds me of my childhood, when my grandma would take me to the Chinese grocery store to buy French pastilles for special occasions or as a reward. When I started thinking about the concept for Le Bon Garcon, I wanted my customers to feel as special as I did when my grandma would take me to buy candy.

Why did you decide to focus on caramels after working at L.A.’s Water Grill?

When I was in Paris, I discovered what a caramel could be. French caramels were buttery, flavorful and melted in your mouth. When I returned to L.A., I found myself missing those caramels more than almost anything else about Paris. After searching and searching for something similar, I finally decided to make the caramel myself. For months, I spent practically every evening after work in my kitchen, making batch after batch of caramel until I finally found a formula that I was happy with. When I perfected the recipe, I started giving the caramels out to friends and family. As soon as I saw their reaction to my caramels, I knew I had to start a company.

What did it take to launch your company?

Launching Le Bon Garcon was not an easy process. The logistics of finding a kitchen and getting all the permits for a food business is complex and took me a while to figure out. When I had finally found a kitchen and finished all the administrative and legal paperwork, I still needed to find a place to sell my product. I went to a performance at the Broad Stage with my mom and some family friends. I brought some caramels for our friends who happened to know the director of the Broad Stage, Dale Franzen. Dale liked them so much that she asked me to start selling them at the next show. From there, I was able to slowly expand through word of mouth and participating in the Artisanal LA show this past April really helped propel Le Bon Garcon to the next level.

Where do you make the caramels?

I make the caramels at Chefs Center of California, which is a communal commercial kitchen located in Pasadena. The manager, Larry Bressler, an instructor at the Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, has given me several pointers about how to improve my caramels.

Is there a different technique for making fruit caramels than classic caramels?

Absolutely. Each caramel has its own unique process to make the flavor an integral part of the caramel’s essence (rather than something added at the end). For example, to preserve the fresh mango and passion fruit flavors in the caramel, I use a gentler process for heating the caramel. Scorching is an issue with the fruit, so the caramel must be constantly stirred for about an hour in French copper pots. I use real mango and high-quality passion fruit puree to make the flavor of the caramels as close as possible to the flavor of a fresh piece of fruit.

What is the secret to making your caramels so smooth?

Unfortunately, there is no magic trick to making smooth caramel—it’s just hard, manual labor. The texture of Le Bon Garcon caramels comes from constantly hand-stirring the caramel while it is cooking so that the caramel heats uniformly and does not scorch.

Will you be adding more flavors or products to Le Bon Garcon?

I am constantly experimenting with new recipes. I hope to start releasing limited runs of seasonal flavors in the next few months, but I want to make sure that the new flavors are of the same high standards as my current flavors.

Japanese bonsai shears handcrafted with 85 years of experience

Following in the tradition and quality of Japanese metal and blade manufacturing Suwada Blacksmith Works has been crafting the the highest quality bonsai shears and cutters since 1926. Simply but elegantly designed for function-specific use, the tools are comfortable to use and beautiful to look at.

Working in Sanjo, Japan—a small town known for its long history of blacksmiths— Suwada crafts bonsai shears for shaping and pruning, satsuki scissors for bud nipping and purpose specific cutters for branches, knobs and wires for keeping your beloved bonsai in perfect form. Boasting an underlying motto that in order for one to create beauty one must use beautiful tools, all of Suwada’s specialty products are as exceptionally elegant as they are functional. Sharp as a samurai sword and precise as surgical instruments, these fine shears are likely to add an extra bit of zen to your bonsai sculpting.

Suwadasu Blacksmith Works also manufactures nail clippers and a unique twisted crutch as well as various other beauty instruments. You can order online (in Japanese only but Google’s Chrome browser does a great job translating), or contact Suwada directly.

Jeans made to order from the most coveted denim in the world

Founder of both Earnest Sewn and Paper Denim & Cloth, Scott Morrison’s commitment to the raw essence of denim extends down to the brand names of each new project. His latest, 3×1 Made Here, borrows a name from the technique that gives denim its diagonal weave. Shoppers at his new 4,000-square-foot Soho space can customize a pair of ready-to-wear limited edition jeans, order a pair in their denim of choice or make an appointment to work with Morrison from scratch.

As a pioneer of the premium denim phenomenon, it makes sense that Morrison’s next step would be to elevate denim fashion to a level typically reserved for high end men’s suit tailoring. But don’t worry, the project is setup for laymen and elitist denim-heads alike. Morrison says of the shop, “I think some people are drawn to the 65+ selvedge denims they can select from, others are just looking for a great fitting pair of jeans, while others are coming down because they’ve heard about this new store/factory/gallery space in SoHo that makes jeans while you watch.”

The idea began back in September 2010 when Morrison started sewing the first patterns in his apartment. The line has continued to evolve and now includes a ready-for-purchase run of limited-edition styles for men and women, with the in-house production curbed at between eight-24 pieces per model. For these, the customer can still tweak the hemline and buttons, but to take it a step further, a second option is available. Patrons can choose an existing cut and then apply one of the 100+ fabrics on hand, coming from Japanese, American and Italian mills, delivering a tailored pair of jeans without going fully custom. Morrison reflects on his raw denim fascination we discovered during a previous interview, saying, “Thankfully we offer both [washed and untreated], but 3×1 is unique in that it’s a raw denim fanatic’s dream shop. There is simply no better place in the world to find the best selvedge denim than in our shop in SoHo.”

I was invited to check out the studio and worked with Morrison for over an hour to achieve the perfect fit. Deciding to build a pair from the beginning, I chose a gorgeous red cast, 15.5 ounce denim from Collect (the coveted Japanese mill) as my base, adding a white button, silver rivets and two different hues of orange stitching. For the back pockets I went large and low with tight parallel run-off stitching and a fold-over top that gives a hit of selvedge. Two days later I was back in the shop, where the mostly-finished pair was perfectly arranged to my specifications (web visitors, check out the gallery to see the process and finished product). I was so enamored with the experience and the output that I ordered another pair on the spot, leveraging the fact that my specs are now on permanent file. This second, summery pair is made from a lighter weight, linen-cotton blend from another Japanese mill, Kaihara, and feature a rainbow-colored selvedge on a blue-green cast denim.

Curious about Morrison’s own take on the ubiquitous material, we followed up our visit with a few questions about living the denim life. Read more about 3×1 and get some advice from the guru below:

How many pairs of jeans do you have?

I’ve probably got a dozen or two pair at home here in the city, but my denim collection (if you will) is at my house upstate. There are probably 300-400 pair—much of which are from my own labels—but far too many for anyone who’s not in the denim industry to rightfully own.

Do you remember when your love affair with denim began?

My first pair of jeans were Levi’s, but my love affair with denim started with my first pair of Replay jeans—which happened to be a limited edition pair made from Japanese denim (which were pretty rare at the time in the early-to-mid ’90s).

What’s your recommended denim care?

I rarely wash my jeans, but when I am I typically go one of two routes. If it just needs a little fresh air, then I spray with a little Febreze and hang outside. But if it needs a heavier clean, then I’ll hand wash with Woolite Extra Dark (make sure it’s inside out) and then hang dry.

How will the concept grow and evolve over time?

My hope is that the brand will grow slowly and steadily, as we’ve intended, and over the coming seasons we will slowly offer a few limited edition products to a select group of retailers around the world, and eventually add a second and third store for custom made and bespoke customers.

3×1
15 Mercer Street
New York, NY 10013
+1.212.391.6969

Ninth-generation Japanese shipwright handcrafts lightweight mahogany bicycles

A ninth-generation shipwright, Sueshiro Sano has been making exquisite wooden products since he was in elementary school. But in 2008, drawing inspiration and technique from a lifetime of shipbuilding, the woodworker produced his first bike constructed entirely of mahogany, including frame, fork, seat, seat post, handlebars/stem combination and even rims.

Using mahogany lends flex and responsiveness in a way no metal frame can, which in turn gives riders an elevated sense of control and increases pacing possibilities. A number of Sano’s prototypes have been raced professionally, excelling in both ideal and inclement weather. In the three years since starting the project, Sano has handcrafted 11 of these fully wooden bicycles, making improvements that shave the average weight of his full builds down from 11 kilograms to around eight.

Through this evolution, the original mahogany seat was eventually upgraded to include a slimmer profile and mahogany mounting rails. By replacing the original metal rails and joints with stronger and lighter mahogany, Sano reduced the total weight of the saddle and mounting rails from 230 grams to 160 grams.

This year Sano began experimenting with more influential design improvements, most notably the implementation of a fully-integrated seat post. The development combines the seat post and seat tube into one continuous piece running from the bottom bracket to the seat, eliminating seat height adjustability—but offering an unmatched 100% tailored fit. The advancement also makes the bike lightweight, aerodynamic and responsive. Superbly conceived and executed craftsmanship like this extends to handlebar size and seat proportions as well, further proof of Sano’s superlative ability and skill.

Sano also makes unbelievably gorgeous boats and furniture, putting attention to detail and passion equally into each project. To keep tabs on the constant evolution of Sano’s organic creations and his twelfth bicycle (now in the works) check out Sanomagic. If you dig what Sano is doing check out Renovo‘s take on the wooden bicycle.