Japan’s Shupatto Bags Easily Collapse for Simple Stowing

From totes to backpacks, foldable ripstop polyester products that roll up to save space

In many ways, the Shupatto bags, produced by Marna, act as an easy-to-decipher optical illusion. The Japanese company designs and manufactures a range of ripstop nylon products—totes of varying sizes, a backpack and more—that collapse and roll into surprisingly small bundles for stowing. This concept isn’t new, but the way Marna has engineered all of them is—thanks to an intuitive structure drawn from the world …

Road Trip: Manhattan to Montauk

Lobster rolls, sunset parties and other classics along the way to NY's easternmost point

by Mike Tommasiello Each summer, when the heat and humidity in the city reaches unbearable levels, many New Yorkers set their sights on an escape. A particular favorite is easternmost point of the state: Montauk. Beaches, surfing, clams, beer, lobster rolls, and more—Montauk used to be known as the anti-Hamptons, though has certainly been gaining popularity over the past decade. Accessible by the Jitney, train …

Word of Mouth: Pittsburgh

A city changing from industrial icon to a culinary and cultural hub, much to the delight of locals and visitors alike

Pittsburgh, moated off from its suburbs by the ribboning of three rivers (the Allegheny and Monongahela and Ohio) finds itself in the midst of a revolution. On the banks lie—vacant and, in many people’s eyes, obtrusive—the remnants of a fruitful industrial economy. Steel mills, smog and successful, sinful businesspeople make up the foundation of Pittsburgh history, but since the turn of the 21st century, imagination, …