17 November 2008

ACL Creates The American List

This is something that I had been researching for awhile now, but Mr. Michael Williams at A Continuous Lean has created The American List a page dedicated to those fine manufacturers who are still crafting their products in the United States and keeping American manufacturing alive. A very nice list of folks dedicated to the quality and values of American made products. I have been on a quest for a while now to bring in as many companies as I can that still manufacture their products in the United States. As the next year progresses, I hope that the majority of the companies in the store will be manufactured locally and in the United States.

Notice that there are a few companies on the list that are currently carried in the store, or will be within the following months, including:

Alexander Olch
Alden Shoe Company (Coming Soon)
BillyKirk
Birdwell Beach Britches (Coming Spring)
Obedient Sons
Quoddy Trail Moccasin Company (Coming Soon)

Other companies currently in the store that are manufactured in the United States:

Baxter of California
Makr
Meehan by Bonny Doon Farm
Oregon Wild Hair Moustache Wax (Made In Oregon)
Pinkham Millinery (Made In Portland)
R Hanauer Bow Ties
Rite in the Rain
Sovereign Beck

If there is a locally made product or product still manufactured within the United States that you feel passionately about and would like to see featured in the store, feel free to e-mail me at jordan@winnperry.com.

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15 November 2008

The 5 Points

Brett Glass from the Portland Mercury came by the store the other day and asked me a few questions about how men should dress. It resulted in an hour and a half of me rambling over this and that (many times about things not even related to the subject at hand), but somehow Brett managed to pull 5 tips from me and has presented them to you in a much more coherent format than I managed to give him.

The full article can be seen at the Mercury On Design blog here.

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14 November 2008

The Art of Ceremony: Regalia of Native Oregon

This is a highly recommended exhibit for those who can make the day trip to Salem to view it. It is on display at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art. The below is the story of one of the many fantastic artifacts that are featured in the exhibit.

"Surviving the high desert nights of eastern Oregon for the Northern Paiute (Wada-Tika) people
required that each member of the tribe own a rabbit blanket, or Kamme Wigya, to keep him or her
warm. Each blanket required two to three hundred rabbit pelts. The rabbit pelts were first
processed and twisted and then assembled into one large piece by twining the individual pelts
together with very strong dogbane cordage. This process would hold the blanket together for
many winters.

Jack rabbits were plentiful in the old days when the Wada-Tika needed the Kamme Wigya to
keep them warm. Today it is difficult to make one of these blankets, due to the scarcity of jack
rabbits in Harney County. In the last fifty years the rabbit population has dwindled so much that
it is difficult to get even ten to twenty hides in the winter, when the fur is thick (and thus
preferred). Rabbit bounties in the 1950s and other means of eradication have left few rabbits for
the Paiute to process into blankets.

This masterwork of Paiute culture is being loaned for the exhibition by the family of Agnes
Benning Hawley and is one of the few rabbit robes in the possession of Paiute families today, in
part because of the tradition of burying ancestors with their robes. Believed to be over 100 years
old, it was featured on the front cover of the First Oregonians (first edition, 1991, Portland:
Oregon Council for the Humanities)."

Also highly recommended is the fascinating The First Oregonians, mentioned by the essay. It is a very nice examination of Native Oregonians.

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13 November 2008

We Really Are A Bunch of Lucky Drunks

Living in Oregon, we have been obsessed with homegrown food, beer, and wine for quite a long time now. Living in SE Portland is an extra special bit of a treat. We have all of the perks of living downtown without all the hassle. The amount of fantastic breweries, bars, and restaurants is really quite astounding actually.

Another reason to be thankful for living in the area is that the ever expanding craft distilling industry has set its roots in the neighborhood. This article featured in the Seattle Times is a few months old, but has a good summation of Portland’s ever expanding craft distillery scene and its concentration in the SE neighborhood. House Spirits Distillery in particular is mentioned in the article, known for their Aviation Gin.

Aviation Gin is a wonderful Dutch Style gin with an earthy flavor and a smooth finish.

It is so fantastic that our city can support these craft industries that gain world wide acclaim, but always seem to hold on to their home grown feel, never forgetting their roots.

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11 November 2008

Our Legacy Pictures and Prices

Here are the pictures and prices for the Our Legacy items that I promised everyone awhile back.

Our Legacy Extra Collar Shirt
Red w/ extra white detachable collar
100% Cotton
$166
S, M, L, XL

Our Legacy Country Shirt
Indigo
100% Linen
$166
S, M, L, XL