Gentlemen, these are for you. Check out the ultimate summer T-shirt, several manly-man accessories, personalized luxury sneakers and luggage that does everything but pack itself.
The summer tee for L.A.
Last month, hometown brand Buck Mason launched what co-founders Sasha Koehn and Erik Allen Schnakenberg describe as “the ultimate T-shirt for summers in Los Angeles.” The 4-year-old brand, which has stores in Venice and Silver Lake, is known for its clean, streamlined aesthetic, and the label has transferred that sensibility to its new Costa tee. The $42 crew-neck shirt is made from ultra-light Supima cotton, known for its softness and breathability.
“We wanted to create something that could be worn to work or to do errands and easily go under a jacket for evening,” Koehn said. In the first week that the Costa tee launched in mid-May, it became a top seller in Buck Mason’s expansive collection of jeans, shirts, jackets and sweats.
“The reaction has been surprisingly incredible,” said Schnakenberg, adding that the most popular colors have been Pacific blue and black. The shirt, which also comes in white and gray, can be purchased at Buck Mason stores and buckmason.com.
High-tech luggage pops up at the Grove
When “smart luggage” brand Raden launched its pale pink version, some 2,500 people were on the wait list for it, and not all of them were women.
“We’re seeing men buying non-traditional colors, taking more risks with their products,” said Josh Udashkin, chief executive of the 15-month-old brand. “I realized there was a market for alternative colors when I saw straight-laced banker types wearing bold, flashy headphones instead of the regular white earphones.”
The New York brand is having its first Los Angeles pop-up until June 28 at the Grove, coinciding with its debut and more permanent offering at the center’s Nordstrom store. (Look for Raden’s rainbow-themed pop-up installation to celebrate Pride Month. Also Raden and Caruso, developer of the Grove, will donate 20% of proceeds from the pop-up shop to L.A.-based Outfest, an organization dedicated to telling LGBTQ stories on-screen.)
Raden’s pop-up will offer the brand’s full range of 13 colors, including new red and purple selections, for its carry-on and check-in luggage, which can recharge devices and, through an app, weigh themselves. Despite the fascination with the brights and pastels, Udashkin said that the most popular colors remain black and navy matte. The carry-on is $295, while the check-in suitcase is $395. Selections are also available at raden.com.
By Kavita Daswani