WANT LES ESSENTIALS de la Vie

I love this brand - WANT Les Essentials de la Vie. They continue to make classic, amazing quailty products which also manage to have a really contemporary edge to them. This is a favourite of the moment, not so much the actual shape of the shopper but the fact of the exposed iPad case on the front. With a massive trend towards transparency and translucency in bags as you may have seen in some of my previous posts, this pocket is all about exposure.

Every time i open their website, i am completely overwhelmed by the striking beauty and quality of the products they make. They have a masculine but refined feel and from a designer's perspective a real focus on details which make leather goods absolutely sublime.

WANT LES ESSENTIALS de la Vie

CAMO AND SPOTS

Spots and camo merged together here in harmony. Its all about the classic prints at the moment.

Henrik Vibskov

Henrik Vibskov does some pretty nutty designs, but normally i really love them. These laptop or ipad cases are genius, and especially cool if you are a regular taxi user.

JACK SPADE PRINTED WALLETS

Jack Spade always has little quirks in products which bring a smile to the face. Using latest technology in photo printing onto leather are these little wallets or card holders. As seen at Capsule tradeshow in Las Vegas last week. I particularly like the gaffer tape printed wallet, a clever take on the DIY version. I also posted this on my tape blog for those of you who haven't seen it, click here: http://ilovestickytape.blogspot.com/

Jack Spade AW12-13

Jack Spade AW12-13

Jack Spade AW12-13

ASSYMETRIC TOTE

I like this, it is asymmetric, but not in a corny way.

JEANS BAGS

Some denim bags thanks to Mister Mort for your viewing pleasure. I love the unpretentiousness of this bag mixed with a fair dose of cool.

VINTAGE HIKING

Backpacks, rucksacks, whatever you want to call them. They are not just sporty with puffy shoulder straps anymore but go back to their roots of vintage camping with military inspiration. Here are some amazing images of vintage ruck sacks, note the colours, the details and the subtle branding style which make these bags so delectable.

MADMAXX

NEXUSVII have done a collaboration with Japanese legendary bag company Porter to come up with this dark and delicious collection. It fully explores the mash up between fashion and active sports, and reminds me of what would happen if a vintage hawaiian shirt had a crash with a New York bicycle courier.

The collection is featured here on Hypebeast there are a few more pieces to this collection but these are my favourite.


The collection is part of the Spring/summer 2011 collection appropriately named "you are my sunshine" and explores new technologies which allow photo printing on fabric to reach a whole new level of vividness and commerciality.




I feel like this collection is truly unisex with a sultry hawaiian vibe. The colours are super saturated and rich and the print pattern is intense and believable. Like.

REHACER BACKPACK

These backpacks are by Rehacer which is a slightly elusive Brand which comes out of Japan. They have some amazing backpacks which combine the classic eastpack style with a touch of the wild, rugged outdoors. This one here is called the Deer Daypack, i figure there could be some deer skin involved, but either way, it definitely summons the feeling of the great American outdoors.


The natural leathers and suedes are mixed with some native embellishments such as beading and raw leather edges in a truly old street meets new street style.


The bags are understated and humble which is what i always love about Japanese style, it usually manages to get just the right mix of coolness with a very effortless vibe. It comes in three colourways - white, tan and black and each combine multiple materials mixing performance and luxury through its mix of details and fabrication.


It is one of the new executions of this classic shape that i have seen in a long time. The bags are available to buy through the Japanese shopping/style site : http://www.anoutcommune.com/ which also stocks a lot of very delectable items.

WHAT DRAMA SHOPPER

This is the kind of drama you get to see at London fashion week. Great bag. Love a bit of typography!

CANVAS RUCKSACK TO LOVE

This ruck sack is to die for, just love the detailing and the proportions of the front straps. Sorry to whoever it is on etsy who posted it who i can't credit because i am crap and lost the link.


Ruck sacks are still the 'it' bag of the moment, maybe its because i am cycling around everywhere and seeing them all the time, but either way, dressy day time backpacks are growing rapidly day by day in popularity.


I really love seeing personal creations on etsy - people making their own bags, its probably not really all that hard, especially simple ones like this made from humble materials such as canvas / cotton or even waxed canvas or coated nylon.

BAGS WITH FACES

There is something a bit odd about bags with faces. Especially when the face belongs to the poor critter that has given its skin over to become a man-clutch bag as shown in the image below. This picture is by Yvan Rodic on his fantastic blog http://yvanrodic.blogspot.com/


I really want to find a few more examples of this type of thing. There is something slightly unsettling about this but at the same time probably a bit like wearing fur...

I would really love to see an obviously faux version of a bag like this.

OLD LEATHER BAGS

These old leather bags captured my attention today. The leather, originally stiff and shiny, is now worn and weathered. Designers are doing anything to achieve the aged leather look which shows that a product is made from the real deal.




This Givenchy bag above is all class, crumpled leather, simple pocket details and a gorgeous gold minimalist branding application. Worn with a pair of Vans. Nice.

FREITAG TOTE

Freitag is still a cool brand and they are re-inventing themselves through a more grown up line as well as some very nice new shapes. Take this tote bag for example with a messenger style shoulder strap.


Its like a functional over night bag that can be slung over the shoulder and worn whilst riding a bike. I sold my old Freitag on ebay a year or so ago and i sort of regret it.


I'd like to get a new one but they are quite expensive. But worth it, as they are the original tarpaulin bag. There have been lots of copies, but none are as good.


Loving the Freitag. Nice work.

WITHNAIL AND I INSPIRED BAGS

Inspired by the cult movie - Withnail and I, i did a bit of bag research. I describe the look as disheveled bourgeois or ramshackle. The movie is about a couple of want to be thespians out of work living in squalor in camden. They decide to go on a weekend away to uncle Monty's holiday cottage in the countryside where their domestic abilties are even more tragically hilarious.

Scratched leather frame bag. Adult version of a very serious school bag.

The slightly shiny leather on this bag coupled with the 70s style lock makes it a very nice understated business bag. Found on etsy.com

Hartmann travel bag, i imagine this is quite 70s.

I think this is a music bag - a sort of opening leather portfolio.

Vintage Gucci holdall