“What art does — maybe what it does most completely — is tell us, make us feel that what we think we know, we don’t. There are whole worlds around us that we’ve never glimpsed.” Greil Marcus — Friday October 17th — —

I love listening. It is one of the only spaces where you can be still and moved at the same time. — Nayyirah Waheed — Friday October 17th — —

The idea is to die young as late as possible. — Ashley Montagu — Friday October 17th — —

ro Bags

The beautiful leather brand ro was founded in New York City in 1999 by architect Gene Miao and apparel designer Yvonne Roe. With the brand they wanted to reflect the unique energy and character of the East Village in Manhattan, while actively adapting to the expectations of metropolitan life. Through its clean silhouettes and quality workmanship, ro soon became available at prestigious stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys in Tokyo, among others. Despite this success changes would occur in the company over the years, with both founders leaving separately. Gene left in 2005 and established 1:1, an architecture and interior design practice in Hong Kong. But in 2012, Gene was invited to rejoin ro as the design director. After witnessing the wasteful demolition of building and interior sites in his work for 1:1, Gene has developed a keen environmental awareness. The architect-designer now identifies both raw materials and former fixtures to reclaim and recycle into reborn furniture. Similarly, ro handbags that become visibly worn from use can be refurbished, retouched and restored into timeless fashion items.

We particularly like ro’s stylish Getrag briefcase which comes in 2 sizes that fit the 11″ and 13″ Macbook Air (or similar sized products). A special inner sleeve made of Neoprene will secure  your MacBook Air snugly and protect it from  scratches and dings. Unique retractable handles can  slide inside the body for different occasions and needs.  For instance you may carry the briefcase as if it has  no handle (with the handles hidden). Or you may  choose to carry it with the handles out, like a standard  briefcase, for a more formal appearance. A snap button  is located at the zipper end and side panel of briefcase  to keep things tidy.

Another specimen we like is the Wrench tote from the Tool Bag collection, which overall is a reinterpretation of (and a homage to) the functional tool bags used by carpenters and tradesmen. The Wrench tote marries fashion and function, this canvas tote offers a spacious main compartment with a series of external and internal pockets perfect for the man on the move. Featuring an adjustable double handles, it has ample room for laptop, books, or any all other daily necessities. It’s an ideal carryall for any time of the year.

We look forward to more clean designs by ro.

For more information and the webstore see here.