By Nick Grant
Dear Mom and Dad, why did you make me wear that janky Jansport backpack to school everyday? I mean, if you really are the loving parents you claim to be, why didn’t you get me something more stylish and durable, like this Stanley & Sons Bank Bag. With its 24 oz. waxed canvas body, veg-tanned leather details and hand-hammered rivet construction, do you know how enviable I would have been? Read More
It’s been a little over a year since I last caught up with Stanley & Sons founder / maker Chris Grodzki. In that time, he’s moved into a larger workspace, taken on a full-time sewer, participated in a handful of high-profile collaborations and relaunched his website, all while continuing to put out some of the most beautiful and hardwearing bags and aprons money can buy.
The moderately and (very) immoderately priced goods that I’d rather spend it on this month.
Welcome to the first installment of the Makers Series. Over the next four weeks, I will be spotlighting some of my favorite brands in their own spaces, doing what they do best. First up, a visit to Brooklyn’s Stanley & Sons.
“Everyone has just been so nice.”
It was the day after the now infamous NYC blizzard (the first one) when I went to visit Stanley & Sons founder Chris Grodzki in his Williamsburg studio space. My mission was two-fold. One, attempt to document Chris in his work environment, and two, have Chris update my custom S&S bag from a tote to an overnighter. With my sister in tow, I wound my way single-file through the three foot high snowbanks lining the still bustling Bedford Avenue. After a turn and long walk down Grand, we finally arrived at our destination, a warehouse turned storage facility for a nearby architectural artifacts dealer. S&S was occupying the basement.
What can I say? It’s been a hell of year. And I am overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude for all of the brands that have trusted me to feature their goods. Gratitude for the bloggers that have linked to me, tweeted me, tumbled me, and become friends. And gratitude for you, my readers, as you all are the lifeblood of this website. Thank you, everyone, you’re all great. An extra special thanks goes out to Valet, You Have Broken The Internet, The Choosy Beggar, 10engines, and Archival Clothing for the (continued) support, and, to my endlessly patient girlfriend for being the best editor I’ve ever known (both of me and the site). To mark the year’s end, I’ve decided to round-up some of my favorite Weekly Features from 2010. The first batch is below, the second batch will be up on Wednesday. Enjoy, and once again, thanks. Read More
The moderately and (very) immoderately priced goods that I’d rather spend it on this month.
Every so often I will come across an image that so perfectly encapsulates my own taste and aesthetic, it’s as though I’m looking at a still taken from one of my own daydreams. That was precisely the feeling I had the first time I saw the bags by Stanley & Sons. When I then learned that each bag was handmade in the US from salvaged and reclaimed textiles, what started out feeling like a daydream suddenly entered the realm of full-on fantasy. “Really?” I thought “Can I have my cake and eat it too?”
