CHAD'S FACTORY VISIT - FILSON SEATTLE

In May 2018, I travelled again to the USA and this time I conquered the North-West region, starting in Seattle, WA. I was lucky to arrive one hour before schedule in order for me to have time to visit the factory tour at the Filson Seattle headquarters to see how craftspeople take the best raw materials Filson can find from around the world and turn them into garments, bags and gear that last for generations.

After the tour, I spent some time at the flagship store which is decorated with love and passion. Availabele in this store is a Filson Restoration Department with one of a kind products some are rebuilt from Filson originals, while others are completely unique built from pieces of repaired luggage.

If you every have the change to visit Seattle, make sure you stop by the Filson store and book your tour.

CHAD'S STORE VISIT - TOPO DESIGN, DENVER,CO

Recently I visited the Topo Design store Denver, Co. Located in a "sea-container" on Larimer Street.

The store was packed with bags in different sizes and colors, it's impossible to walk away without a Topo Design bag. But they also run stuff made by local artist, like the posters with 4x4 vehicles and much much more.

Founders Mark Hansen and Jedd Rose began the company back in 2010. Taking its name from Topographic maps, Topo Designs hail from Boulder, Colorado, and manufacture some of the best gear in the industry.

Flagship Store

2500 Larimer St. #102

Denver, CO 80205

DETROIT MERCANTILE CO - GENERAL STORE

 "The Detroit Mercantile Co. is a store that celebrates our shared past while introducing our customers to new products. Like the mercantile and general stores of the past, we strive to find the highest quality products from our city, our state, and across the country."

Proprietor Robert Stanzler is a fourth-generation Detroiter whose great-grandfather migrated here from Poland to work at the Ford Model T assembly plant.

The creator of the original Made In Detroit logo and brand, current owner of Detroit Manufacturing – Robert has defined what it means to wear your heart on your sleeve, or back, or chest. His love of the City of Detroit is unequaled.

Authenticity is one of their main focuses for their shop. In which is something that I can appreciate. I instantly walked in and started drooling ( not really but for dramatic effect) at the amount of Pendleton products they had.  (pics by Wending & Boyd)

HOLUBAR - PIONEERS OF AMERICAN OUTDOOR CLOTHING

The Movie

Alice & Roy Holubar

Vintage ad from the 70's

 We all know the movie The Deerhunter with Robert de Niro in his iconic Orange Mountain Jacket, but a few know that this jacket is a Holubar Jacket.

Holubar began informally in 1946 in the basement of Alice and Roy Holubar’s house in Boulder, Colorado, when they decided to buy World War II mountaineering equipment from an army surplus warehouse to supply the many outdoor enthusiasts in the area. Soon after, they started to sew down-filled sleeping bags and then also parkas and backpacks. When an important order came from the Arctic Institute of North America a year later, they bought a business license and started formal operations. To make a long story short in 1981 North Face took over the company and a iconic American brand disappeared. In 2008/9 there was this Italian clothing company Fritz SRL seeking to bring back the heritage of a great American outdoor brand. Based in Northern Italy in the city of Pordenone. This Fall/Winter 2016 collection is their fifth season ready to make you The Urban Deer Hunter.