Hasta La Ideas

Our trio of basic accessories for your pocket mainstays

There are a few essentials you never leave home without: your keys, your phone, your wallet. These represent the survivalist accessories of modern life, and they should be carefully considered—after all, they remain the stronghold of minimalism and functionality in a world of excess. The following leather goods are handsomely spare selects that do everything required and nothing else.

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The size of your wallet can say a lot about you—overloaded back-pocket bricks indicate hoarder tendencies, and anything requiring a snap release signals high maintenance. This pliable option has three enclosure slots to keep cash and cards separate and the durable, American-made Korchmar leather is fully tanned with vegetable dyes, resulting in a rich color. The handcrafted wallet is available from Koyono for $129.

Hard Graft Phone Fold Wallet

In a world dominated by cards, it may seem excessive to carry a wallet at all. Besides providing stellar protection for your phone, this case comes with a slot to carry the shortlist of everyday cards along with space for cash. The felt liner is kind against scratch-prone screens while the tough leather outer amps up the heritage look. Made in Italy, the wallet is hand-finished by Florentine craftsmen and can be found at Hard Graft for $89.

Alice Park Lanyard

We’ve always felt that bulky fobs are unnecessary. Lanyards serve as the perfect key accessory, providing ease of access without adding too much weight. Alice Park‘s calfskin option comes in a rainbow of colors to fit your personality. The brass and nickel rings link with a detachable hook to prevent fiddling with key rings, while the generous length allows you to latch onto purse handles and belt loops if you don’t want to rock the drape. The lanyard is available at OK for $45.

Le Pro-Keds non mi sono mai piaciute, fino a questa release, rimesse a nuovo dal brand danese Norse Projects.
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Custom denim built by brothers at Northern Sweden’s Unionville shop

There’s a special level of appreciation for denim in Sweden. Acne, arguably the country’s most directional label, began as a project to make a few pairs of jeans for the founders’ friends. Fast forward to today and, on top of Acne, there are a host of denim brands whose cuts have endeared them to the fickle undercurrent of raw denim lovers including Nudie, Cheap Monday and other smaller brands who specialize in working with raw denim. Perhaps it’s the country’s affinity for utilitarian apparel, its strong subculture scene or maybe simply because Swedes gravitate toward quality above other more aesthetic attributes.

Almost a year to the day of its opening, we took a trip to Unionville, a specialist denim and workwear emporium on Stockholm’s Södermalm island to speak to Douglas Luhanko, who co-founded the store with his brother, Hampus and fellow denim specialist, Fredrik Johansson. Unionville sits on a quiet street behind its sister store, Sivletto—Stockholm’s Rock a Billy paradise—stocking a carefully selected blend of Japanese brands like The Flat Head and Iron Heart alongside classics including Levis and Wrangler and local labels Denim Demon and Blue Highway.

Blue Highway marks the work of the Luhanko brothers, whose passion for denim runs much deeper than just designing it. “We started six years ago,” explains Douglas. “My brother and I were still in a small town in Northern Sweden and we’ve always has this shared love of jeans and the history of denim itself. So Blue HIghway actually started out as a blog where we talked about vintage denim, its cultural references and history,” says Luhanko.

Pointing to one of Unionville’s hand-sourced machines, Douglas tells the story of how he and his brother acquired it after seeing a local advertisement—although it was only a single-seam stitch, it was enough to start with, and Blue Highway began to morph from a blog into what is arguably Sweden’s only truly custom denim brand. “Despite living at the time in Eskilstuna and working from a small basement there was a clear benefit in the small, isolated town in that it’s got a really long, industrial past,” says Douglas. “So we were able to pick up more machines over time, which are the ones hissing in our workroom here at Unionville.”

“I love how raw denim is brought to life by the person wearing it,” he adds. “Even though it may look like a normal pair, the owner knows that behind each line, fade, mark and crinkle is its own personal story.” While the brand has been growing organically for six years, the brothers have been involved in garment-making for much longer. Sharing a strong desire to return to the ideals of an 18th-century tailor, the Luhankos create everything from scratch for each client.

As Blue Highway began to pick up more clients, the pair began their never-ending search for authentic deadstock rolls of denim. “We’ve been through about 15 different types of denim,” Douglas says. “At the start we just hunted on Ebay but in Sweden that’s really expensive. We’ve gotten better at sourcing as time has passed,” he continues, pulling out their latest find, Cone Mills deadstock. “This one was meant for Levis, and it’s a little wider than the narrow shuttle loom denim we’ve had in the past,” he explains. “It’s about 11 ounces, and not so slubby like you’d get from Japan, but already now, when I feel it, I can see the possibilities.”

The brothers make everything in a workroom at the rear of the store, in full view of visitors. “Each pair takes around six hours to make,” Douglas points out, going on to explain that Blue Highway will never be about the money. “For us, it’s about the attitude of creation itself and paying a genuine homage to each piece of fabric and exploring the limits of our own creativity and cratsmanship at the same time.” He is quick to stress that their brand will always be completely handmade, so their vision remains imprinted on every aspect of the finished garment.

Given the duo’s pedigree as denim historians, Blue Highway’s cut is proudly based around a classic 1950s five-pocket cut. Each pair is single-stitched and overlocked on original, period sewing machines, while belt loops and bartacks on the rear pockets are completed by hand. Blue Highway denim sports special brass hardware that’s embossed in the workshop, and hand-cut, stamped leather patches. Perhaps in homage to Levis, Douglas is quick to mention that they don’t do riveted pockets. That said, they have added their own special twist on the coin pocket, which is sized large enough to fit a watch, with a slightly scooped cut to enable faster access to its contents.

The cost for this labor intensive process runs around 3,000 SEK (approximately $440), available at Unionville.

The inaugural garment from Mission Workshop’s limited-run Advanced Projects Series

Best known for their waterproof cycling rucksacks, San Francisco’s Mission Workshop has taken their material knowledge and redirected it into the Eiger field jacket, a limited-run waterproof parka from their Advanced Projects Series. We were lucky enough to get a hands-on preview of the Eiger, and can attest to its superior quality and neat, trim fit.

At first glance the Eiger seems virtually bomb-proof, with sturdy storm flaps covering all leakproof zippers on the outside, and fully-taped seams on the inside. Besides the tech extras, the fabric is the real draw. Made from Swiss-made Schoeller c_change fabric, the field jacket regulates body temperature while remaining entirely waterproof and looking sharp enough for everyday street wear.

Although Schoeller fabrics are a standard among most tech-conscious waterproof parkas, Mission Workshop uses c_change wool on the Eiger’s exterior for a technical and fashionable look. This clean aesthetic applies to perfectly placed pockets—including a rear cycling-style stowage compartment—and a great fit, making the Eiger a solid choice for everyday wear. Plus, a slight stretch in the yoke lends just the right amount of room needed forcycling or snowboarding.

The Eiger Field Jacket is now available for $695.

Tinkering with NYC’s most recognizable accessory

The Ace Hotel has quickly become a beloved city hot spot, thanks in part to housing Opening Ceremony, the Breslin and Stumptown Coffee Roasters within its Roman and Williams-designed walls. Building on the tradition of channeling New York culture in their partnerships with respected brands, the Ace announced today a collaboration with Pendleton and New Era to restyle the classic fitted Yankees cap. The rich plaid hat succeeds in bringing a fresh (and perhaps controversial) look to the iconic symbol of the city.

Composed of virgin wool imported from Pendleton’s Oregon mills, the hat brings the two coasts together with the unmistakable intertwined NY logo on top. The plaid swatch was designed for Ace’s NYC blankets, the signature fabric repurposed for headgear. As for the construction, the hatting savants at New Era stitched it together in Derby, NY.

The collaboration is part of a series that aligns Ace Hotel with the work that inspires the team. An icon of individual style, the fitted cap is a medium of expression and a show of solidarity all rolled into one and, depending on the wearer’s personal lean, can embody looks from casual to clean cut.

The New Era 59FIFTY Yankees cap in Pendleton for Ace Hotel plaid is available from the Ace Hotel shop for $55.