Old Meets New: Celebrating Original Craft
From Intelligentsia to Brooklyn’s The Hill-side, new takes on tradition and creation
Taste Talks—in partnership with Mount Gay—are featuring creative makers and craftspeople who are forging a new path in the spirit of the old ways, and celebrating their #originalcraft. From coffee experts Intelligentsia to Brooklyn’s own (and CH favorite) The Hill-side, these are exciting brands that are genuinely contributing—rather than just adding to the noise.
Lone Wolfs Objets d’Surf
Surf culture has gone through many changes over time, but Scott Brown and Alex Kemp, founders of LA’s Lone Wolfs Objets d’Surf, still didn’t see a place for their vision of surf to live. The shop, located in the heart of Venice, CA, hosts a unique collections of surf gear–with an edgy spin that makes Lone Wolfs in a league of their own. Fins with Psycho references, boards with macabre quotes and re-imagined classic images make Kemp and Brown stand out in their original craft. “We’re a surf brand that combined passions that to us, were a little more real,” Brown tells BK Mag. “Our historical references, film references, other kind of cultural heroes, mixing that together.”
The Hill-side
In an industry where mass production and assembly lines are taking over, designers Emil and Sandy Corsillo of The Hill-side had a different vision of the future of menswear. Inspired by the craftsmanship used to create these original materials, the Corsillos continued to gather unique, old fabrics and turn them into ties, handkerchiefs and scarfs. “The Hill-side started with us collecting old, vintage fabrics–the fabrics used in 20th century workwear garments,” Emil explains. “The first tie we made was cut where the salvage was left at the bottom of the tie. That was our invention.”
Intelligentsia
What is better than a perfect cup of coffee? For a lot of people, the answer is: nothing, actually. And Doug Zell—founder Intelligentsia coffee—inherently understands this. After launching Intelligentsia 20 years ago in Chicago, the company has expanded nationwide to bring their custom roasted beans to cups everywhere. Zell says, “[Intelligentsia is] shepherding this pristine ingredient from putting it into the ground, all the way to our customers’ cup.”
Image and videos courtesy of Mount Gay Rum
