Rian
Without the lowly napkin, we'd have been deprived of everything from John Nash's first scribblings on game theory (see: A Beautiful Mind) to yet another painfully long Ron Howard biopic (don't see: A Beautiful Mind). For a men's bag line sprung from that same humble stationary, check out Rian. From a man who grew up in Poverty Flats, Oregon (movin' on up) but went on to study with a noted French artist by age seven, this series of high-end travel and other bags was originally sketched out on a napkin over breakfast at the 5-Spot, where huge pancake portions make it easy to get Poverty Fat. Inspired by those Oregon landscapes -- and sometimes featuring prints of original paintings on the interiors -- the just dropped Fall-holiday investment-grade signature line includes a dark gray full-grain leather messenger with a quilted patchwork-style flap; a worn washed-canvas duffle trimmed in gray leather; and a hyper-practical domed toiletry-kit whose fold down side-flap boasts individual pockets for everything from razor cartridges to toothbrushes, though who can relax on vacation if you have to brush your teeth? A less extravagant line features simplified takes on the same designs in yellow & black water-resistant coated canvas; in this iteration, the messenger's liner sports an image taken from a film collaboration w/ Brit band The Boxer Rebellion (who knows more about anti-Imperialism than British twentysomethings?).Finally, there's the Canvas Art series: previously only available in Japan, the bags feature exterior prints from the original abstract "Barn Fire" -- aka, a blessedly rapid homage to Ron Howard going bald.