With personal stories, photographic vignettes, and observational essays, new print-publication Kindling Quarterly tries to make sense of the word 'dad' and all that it means today.
Our Working Tote and Duffle Travel Bag found themselves taking part in one of the most classic of father/child bonding adventures -a jaunt through the park. Visit Kindling Quarterly here.
We're forever amazed by the level of imagination that our leather goods inspire. The April edition of The Wall Street Journal Magazine had a particularly good and inspirational travel use for our iPad Case: a Hemingway-worthy journey around the world:
The iPad Case is "able to take on anything from the snows of Kilimanjaro to a sweltering banana republic." Let's just hope the iPad itself makes it through the journey, too...
Shop our iPad Case here.
"We seemed to breathe more freely, a lighter air, an air of adventure. Distant countries, heroic deeds and beautiful women spun around and around in our turbulent imaginations." - Che Guevara, The Motorcycle Diaries
Over the past year, we've come to know Justin Bridges, the photographer and writer behind the blog Tucked Style. In December, he and his buddy Sean Hotchkiss traveled from the city to Connecticut to see the Lotuff process up close. He was enamored by our old-school craftsmanship and the beautiful leather pieces that are born from it.
In March, he took his own Duffle Travel Bag - monogram with his initials - to the annual SXSW conference down in Austin, Texas. His post couldn't help but remind of those few moments before one's adventures, when the excitement and possibility of things to come stir endlessly in our minds. A beautiful weekender bag, filled to the brim with the necessities of travel, certainly aids in that excitement. Read his review here:
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Our friend Muffy Aldrich, who blogs about the New England lifestyle so naturally, got hold of our English Briefcase over the holidays. "We are still awestruck by both its understated beauty and quality ... It feels as good as it looks," she writes.
Leave it to Muffy, who gifted the bag to her husband Clark, to perfectly place the briefcase in a literary context and evoke some pretty classic imagery that had our minds running:
"This briefcase evokes trains. While it fits perfectly in the Acela, it is also how I pictured the lawyer's briefcase from the classic short story "Unreasonable Doubt" by Stanley Ellin:
'Good heavens, isn't this our station?' the stout man suddenly cried, and the next instant he went flying past Mr. Willoughby's out-stretched feet, briefcase in hand, overcoat flapping over his arm, companion in tow.'"
Read her review here.
Expecting Clark to have the bag for years to come, she thoughtfully had the bag monogrammed with his 3 initials:
Images courtesy of The Daily Prep.
The guys over at Cool Hunting know a good bag when they see one. So its no surprise that they picked the Duffle Travel Bag from our new Bridle Collection. The sturdy, smooth, and utterly gorgeous bag is "perfect for men who drive vintage sports cars, or at least aspire to..."
See the review here and shop the Bridle Duffle Travel Bag here.
Last fall, T Magazine Fashion Director Bruce Pask picked our Duffle Travel Bag as one of the best for transcontinental travel.
This year, he featured our Working Tote, calling it a "rustic leather carryall stitched the old-fashioned way."
Our Working Tote, with its double-layered bottom and wraparound handle, is indeed stitched the old-fashioned way: by hand in our Connecticut workshop.
See the article here.
On occasion, we like to invite some of our friends over to our Connecticut workshop to see the handmade process up close.
In July, we hosted Marisa Zupan from The Sig Other. Marisa has gained some well-deserved attention as of late for her blog, a unique curation of some of the best men's goods around from a girl's perspective.
We talked about our hands-on approach to production, the importance of thoughtful craftsmanship, and the philosophy of borrowing from the best of menswear but still maintaining femininity for our soon-to-be released women's line.
"At the end of the day, it's clear there is a singular goal at Lotuff," she wrote, "to create something of unparalleled quality and exceptional beauty, all in the United States. After seeing the techniques used and the team behind the brand, I can honestly say they've hit the nail on the head."
Read the post here.
Our iPad case recently made its way from the coast of New England to the left coast - sunny Los Angeles, California.
Our friends over at the LA Times called it a 'dapper, retro style case,' perfect for a trad dad during the Father's Day holiday.
Read the article here.
The GQ Eye is the storied men's magazine's daily blog, a go-to for any guy looking for the next essential piece. Our Small Duffle caught the GQ Eye and left a pretty great impression...
Photo: Sean Hotchkiss
"I found with these guys an affinity to old world craftsmanship (perfect, clean details and finishing), ingenuity, and just plain friendliness that rivals any (handwritten notes accompany each bag). Their small, navy duffle is the ideal size for a night or two on the road, and so damn pretty you won't want to beat it up, but it'll look better as you do," writes Sean Hotchkiss.
N'East Style has quickly become one of our favorite New England blogs. At its helm is Christine Mitchell, a New England girl who appreciates the rich history of the region and proves that 'New England style' isn't an oxymoron.
She recently conducted a Q & A with Joe Lotuff and posted the interview on her blog. Head over to N'East Style and read it here!