brands

Not your mother’s L.L. Bean tote



L.L. Bean psycho tote

“Boat and Tote sales are up 30 percent over last year and have been one of the top drivers of new buyers this spring and summer. It’s been really fun seeing a new generation of customers taking our classic tote and making it their own.” L.L. Bean spokesperson, Amanda Hannah.

Everybody’s talking about how young peeps have co-opted the WASP-ish L.L. Bean Boat and Tote®* as a cheap-n-chic self-expression device. (more…)



On my radar: Outsiders Store



Outsiders Store Coal Drops Yard

I was wondering why no-one had invented a stylish multi-brand gorpcore store, then I realised – they have. While visiting the Debby Byford roller skating exhibition in Coal Drops Yard, I discovered Outsiders Store, a very cool curation of performance outerwear, practical headgear, Rotato socks, Gramicci rope sandals, Snow Peak camping kit, plus a variety of modern outdoorism books and magazines like Les Others and Go Out. (more…)



Business of beauty: Ami Colé for melanin-rich skinimalists



Ami Cole Skin-enhancing Tint

New on my radar: Ami Colé. This beauty brand caught my eye a few weeks ago on Violet Grey*, first for its clean branding and packaging, followed by the subtly enhancing products – tinted moisturisers*, barely-there highlighter* and non-ashy loose powders in a spectrum of inclusive shades.

Founded by New Yorker Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye, it’s a far cry from the matte full coverage and ‘baked’ concealer aesthetic of recent years and sits somewhere between Glossier’s barely-there look and the gentle 90s glamour of Naomi Campbell (or what TikTok calls ‘UK Black Girl Make-up‘. (more…)