Kristof Hock knew there was a better way of doing things. Years ago—while working as a product manager in the fitness industry—he would visit Nantong, China to meet with manufacturers. He remembers the polluted air and the bedraggled workforce—mainstays of the city that produces most of the world’s affordable fitness equipment. In pursuit of a more sustainable model, Hock formulated the idea for a range …
Rutherfords of England Leather Bags
Decades of experience and luxurious materials make these bags timeless and durable
While Rutherfords of England has only been around a few years, the company is built on decades of experience. Fortunate enough to inherit the tools and talent when saddlery firm Shuttleworths of Chester shut down operations in 2010, Rutherfords now produces leather handbags durable enough to rival the toughest saddlebag. Pinned together with brass fixings, the bags are constructed from vegetable-tanned, sustainable bridle leather from …
Series “B” Glasses by Josef Hoffmann + Lobmeyr
Beechwood-molded glass with a cubist pedigree
With an eye that favored strict geometric shapes, Josef Hoffmann was in many ways anticipatory of the cubist movement. His fondness for the square was so well-known that the architect and designer earned the nickname Quadrati-Hoffmann (Square Hoffman) among his peers. Perhaps one of the finer examples of Hoffmann’s aesthetic principles is the Series “B” glasses, produced with the iconic glassmaker Lobmeyr. The elegantly styled, …
Chief Trunk’s Historic Luggage
Iconic American luggage brand Oshkosh Trunk Company is seen through new eyes, resurrecting the golden age of travel with a modern touch
All great successes have an element of providence—for the Oshkosh Trunk Company, it came in the form of a surplus of deadstock canvas. In the 1800s, an unnamed American mill had been churning out red-and-yellow striped canvas for use by Spanish diplomats, fueling a demand that suddenly shuttered with the end of the Spanish-American war. The mill was left with heaps of the fabric, which …
Fold Pot by Emanuele Pizzolorusso
Silicone pots that grow with your plants
Certain designers have a knack for solving problems so basic that their creations feel immediately timeless. Industrial designer Emanuele Pizzolorusso is one of them. The Helsinki-based Italian creative responsible for a pre-crumpled city map for flustered tourists has now created the Fold Pot, a simple silicone container that grows along with the plant it contains. Plants grow—pots, not so much. The flexible design of Fold …