SOTO: An Elegant New Sake

A premium Japanese rice wine blending modernity with tradition

Sake brewing dates beyond recorded history—with its earliest textual mention in the third century. Sudo Honke, Japan’s oldest sake brewery, has been operating since it opened in the year 1141. It’s one of the oldest businesses in the world that’s still active today. There’s an illustrious history to this nuanced alcoholic beverage—a rice wine made in a way more akin to beer. And Billy Melnyk …

Olympia Le-Tan’s Japanese Book Clutches

Her SS16 collection—a tribute to Tokyo's Hotel Okura—embroiders Rashomon, Hokusai and Hello Kitty onto handbags

Paris-based, self-taught fashion designer Olympia Le-Tan has been creating covetable book-shaped clutches in small editions since 2009. Recreating everything from classics like Shakepeare’s “The Merchant of Venice” and William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” to cookbooks and the more obscure and vintage, each intricately embroidered evening bag celebrates craftsmanship and literature—and brings to mind a time not-too-far-ago when people actually carried books. Most recently, Olympia …

Snow Peak FW15: Camp, Dwell, Transit

The Japanese brand's latest apparel collection is as formidable as their cult camp gear

While Snow Peak has been making high quality outdoor gear for more than fifty years, the Japanese brand is still pretty new at apparel. In fact, their first clothing collection debuted only last fall. Snow Peak really hits its stride, however, with their new FW15 collection under the direction of 28-year-old designer Lisa Yamai, granddaughter of founder Yukio Yamai. Largely unisex, the functional pieces surprise …