Triplets lost, a lonely podcast, bags built in Chicago, lenses made in Los Angeles, a Sporting District in San Antonio, and a love letter to New York - this is Saturday Six Vol XX
Carry: DEFY Bags
DEFY MFG. Co. makes some of the best bags we’ve ever used. Our crew has taken them on the road from show to show, city to city, and they’re up there with the best. Operating out of Chicago, these guys know their craft, how to make a classic look fresh, and how to make it last. Their bags are made by hand of high waxed canvases, ballistic nylon and leathers from the famous Horween Tannery (also in Chicago.) Made to withstand more than just the elements, their backpacks, messengers, briefcases and totes can seriously travel. Fashionable enough for the street, versatile enough for the office, and tough enough for the bike, you should pick up a DEFY Bag today. Their go to is: “Defy the risk, let yourself go, and don't look back. Ever.” Watch this video to see how they do it.
Wear: St. Rita Parlor
Your future is bright, and there are a lot of sunglass brands you could wear to handle it, but please allow us to make a preferred suggestion. They’re called St. Rita, and they’re A+. Founder Neil Bardon (rad and talented dude) named his business after his grandmother, Rita, whom he says was and still is a “saint.” Based in LA, all pieces are handcrafted and limited edition. That’s cool and not something you see everyday (no pun intended.) His Los Angeles-based shop, Saint Rita Parlor, is deeply rooted in history and personal experience, as his grandmother Rita inspires every product line. The result is a showcase of beautifully nostalgic, unique pieces. The frames feature an antique brass Saint Rita Parlor coin embedded in the right temple, and if you look closely you can see her face. Everything about it is handcrafted with care including the embossed custom leather case lined with suede interior and a paisley eyewear cloth handkerchief. Los Angeles is known to be the top city to stand out as for eyewear design, and St. Rita was selected by Monocle Magazine as one of the top six LA based eyewear brands. Monocle chose wisely!
Shop: Sporting District
What is the best men’s store in San Antonio? The Sporting District. What did Garden & Gun name a Top 5 Men’s Stores of the South? The Sporting District. Where would Ernest Hemingway most likely shop if he was in Texas? You get the point. The store is located in the famous Pearl District, and the finish out of the space alone is a good enough reason to check them out. Amazing job! Their clothing, accessories and lifestyle merchandise befit the rough, rogue and refined sides of the modern gentleman. Southern sartorial style, quality and craftsmanship are their hallmarks. S.D. is owned and operated by people who really care, and you can really tell. Not to mention they truly and sincerely believe in brands and products that are made by folks who have a story to tell. And speaking of story, we saved the best part for last. The Sporting District in the U.S. city of San Antonio, Texas was a red-light district in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For a time it was one of the nation's largest vice districts with venues ranging from brothels to gambling halls. Woah! Now that’s a story!
Watch: Three Identical Strangers
Ok, so this doesn’t come out until the end of June, but you need to watch this preview now so you can plan to see it. Separated at birth, then reunited at age 19 in 1980, New York triplets Bobby Shafran, Eddy Galland, and David Kellman became famous shortly after their crazy story of how they found each other. In the end it seems to be quite baffling, and the real questions that arise are how were they separated, why were they separated and what does it all mean? This’ll be a good one!
Listen: The Lonely Hour
Julia Banbridge, based out of NYC and Atlanta, runs a fantastic podcast called The Lonely Hour. She is a journalist who travels the world writing about food & culture. Her podcast, called the Lonely Hour, is an exploration of loneliness. Topics range from community, professions, age groups, and activities that can often cause loneliness or a feeling of being alone. What kind of effect does social media have on us in regard to feeling alone? How does mental illness, motherhood, touring in a band or traveling as an actor feel in regard to being alone? This podcast is relative, enlightening and poignant. We highly suggest you listen and share.
Read: Here is New York by E.B. White
Whether you’ve lived in New York, visited or only know it from afar, this short read is a sweet one. You follow author E.B. White (yes, the same E.B. White of Charlotte's Web and Trumpet of the Swan) on a walk around Manhattan and see it all through his eyes - in 1949! His comedic side, blended with the details and personal love for the city, show NYC through a lens of warmth and nostalgia in a way that you might never have seen the city. It’s like an ode to the city only he could write - full of love and admiration. It’s quite beautiful. Not to mention The New York Times has named it one of the ten best books ever written about the metropolis, and The New Yorker calls it "the wittiest essay, and one of the most perceptive, ever done on the city.”