FILSON & PENDLETON FW 2013

A peek in the Dutch showroom of Pendleton and Filson.

It's always fun to visit Tobi's Agency in Amsterdam and sharing our passions, but enough said about me, myself and I.

Safety orange makes an appearance in the forthcoming Filson Bag collection, it shows up on backpacks and daypacks contrasting well with the classic oiled canvas. Furthermore the clothing has new updated shapes, let's call it more European. My personal favorite for coming Fall is that beautiful woolen vest in navy with a grey shoulder piece.

STORE LOCATOR - FRANS BOONE, SLUIS

Tucked away at the border between Belgium and The Netherlands you can find Frans Boone, Sluis

Frans wasn't in today, he was in Italy on a business trip selecting some products and brands which can fine tune the collection for Fall 2013. I was welcomed by Menno with a hot coffee and a nice chat. The store is separated by a big red cabinet into two different rooms. At the entrance you feel the rough outdoors with collections like RRL, Pendleton blankets, Red Wing, Gitman Vintage,  & Howlin'. The other room has a yellow sofa as a great eye-catcher, here you find a Salvatore Picolo shirts, Boglioli, Alden, Tricker's just to name a few brands. Frans Boone is cherry picking in every collection, and create special editions as well. You may call it "Very Frans Boone"

CHAD VISITED UNIONMADE, SAN FRANCISCO

On my last trip to the States, I paid a visit to Unionmade, which was high on my "bucket list"

I was welcomed by John, who showed my around and introduced me to Erin, the Manager and Todd Barket the owner. Todd started Unionmade in 2009 on Sanchez Street after working 18 years for GAP.       

In September 2011 the store was expanded to house a growing collection, here you can find excellent brands like Filson, Alden, Pendleton, Gant Rugger, Beams+, Barbour, Gitman Vintage, Quoddy, Redwing, Howlin' by Morrison etc. all under one roof. For F/W Todd introduced his 2nd Unionmade Indigo Collection bringing in favourite labels to work their magic in blue. My favorite spot of the store is the fitting room, nicely decorated with Pendleton blankets. Thanks guys for your hospitality.

STORE LOCATOR - THE GLOBE, ARNHEM

"THE GLOBE - AUTHENTIC & ORIGINAL SINCE 1969"

The Globe is located in a historic building from the 15th century, the oldest stone building in Arnhem.

When I entered the store I bumped into the owner Harry Wonder, his eyes filled with passion for authentic brands. I asked him when and how he started the business. He told me that he never finished school, and learned by doing. He sets himself a goal of learning 3 new things a day and even now this is his motto. Before he started the Globe he was a vintage dealer, but then in Italy he saw for the very first time a brand called Stone Island and that was 30 years ago. Harry was the very first dealer of Stone Island in the Netherlands. Bringing the brand to Holland changed his whole world.  He changed his way of working from vintage dealer into a store concept with authentic and original brands not just casuals but also outdoor gear. Even now you see still both influences, brands like Pendleton, Filson, Lee 101, Grenson going hand in hand with brands like Fjallraven and Patagonia. 

For a true shopping experience visit Harry and his team Anton & Ricardo @ the Rijnstraat, Arnhem.

CHAD GOES OUTDOORS IN AMSTERDAM

Recently, I paid a visit to the showrooms of Pendleton & Filson in Amsterdam. Tobias of Tobi's Agency welcomed me with some coffee and soon we talked about our passion, Americana. In the eighties he get this Americana virus, working in a (vintage) clothing store in Amsterdam and finally started in the 90's his import/agency with true American products like Pendleton, Filson and Dickies. As a passionate fly-fisher he knows what he can expect from a Filson product and this knowledge he transfer to his dealers. The showroom houses in an old warehouse of a former Amsterdam shipyard and still you can see the dry dock in front of the building. The main floor is reserved for the collections of Dickies, Armor Lux and Pendleton blankets and the mezzanine is filled with all kind of Filson bags, tin cloth pants, cruiser jackets, tin cloth hats and even fly fishing cases. Tobias, I'm looking forward to another cup of coffee.