a guide to heritage clothing, canvas bags, steel bicycles, and Japanese web shops
Before our Archival intern, Lauren, moved to the bay area, we took a few impromptu snaps of our bags in the alley behind Archival headquarters. We’ve been shooting so many products indoors, under softbox strobes, it was a relief to snap the bags in direct sunlight. Here are a few outtakes from …
Inspired by climbing packs from the 1970s, our Day Pack is a compact and convenient bag for everyday use in the city or on the trail. Designed for lighter loads, it’s smaller and made with a lighter weight fabric than our Rucksack. The main compartment is easily accessed by a sturdy, twin slider brass zipper. The pack features an …
Thanks to Bill Lane at Wall Bike for reprinting this pictographic feature on front handlebar bags from the Japanese magazine Cyclo Tourist. Apart from Guu-Watanabe, Ostrich and Berthoud, many of the brands are new to me. For reference, here is my post from 2008 showing the of the range of French, US and …
Uncle Sam is one of my favorite Japanese web shops. Though I cannot read Japanese, I frequently visit the site to check out the shop’s style blog. While I don’t recognize most of the brands on offer, I take inspiration from the shop’s artful presentation of snout to tail, total clothing ensembles. Someday, I hope …
Archival is thrilled to be working with Barley Harvest Season, the distributor of our bags and apparel in Japan. One of the original motivations for the Archival blog was my wish to document the US heritage products sold in Japan – but not available stateside. Now, I take great pleasure in redistributing images of our own …
Current color offerings – cobalt, natural & black Our Archival Roll Top is a comfortable, roomy, stripped-down backpack for keeping your belongings dry and safe in any conditions. Slightly larger than our Rucksack, the Roll Top is great for bicyclists, motorcyclists, and anyone else who regularly faces the elements. Featuring a roll-top closure secured by …
AC Small Field Bag in ranger tan We’re now offering our Archival Small Field Bag in black and ranger tan in addition to gray and dark brown. The Small Field Bag is a scaled-down version of our Original Field Bag for those who don’t need to carry as much in the field or to the …
Here are excerpts from my favorite vintage Abercrombie and Fitch catalog from 1939. During this era, Abercromie & Fitch field jackets and outdoor clothing showed a tailored, British influence. Many of the garments came in dress fabrics like high count cotton poplin or wool gabardine. The catalog contains sections for both men and women. While …
I picked up a large Seal Line roll top backpack with my REI dividend. Made in the USA, it’s roomy and well-made. Since it’s made of nylon, many of the joints are welded rather than sewn, a bit unsettling but no doubt stronger than a stitch. While I loved the massive capacity and no-brainer roll …
Archival Clothing is pleased to announce that our Field Bag is now available in 22 oz navy waxed twill. The Archival Field Bag is intended as a daily workhorse, a crossover between a traditional English fishing bag and an urban messenger bag. Durable construction and practical features allow the bag to excel at carrying gear …