By Kathryn Henderson
Part graphic design, part product design, part curation, Taylor Pemberton's Cavalier Essentials is a concept piece that the designer has put together to showcase his talents. The "line" is a series of goods that range from a straight razor, shaving brush, and flask, to Ray Bans and a Molskine engraved with a Letterman-style 'C'. The use of glass bottles, leather, wood, and off white paper gives a classical feel, while the clean labels and graphics give the project modern life. After creating the series of product, Pemberton teamed up with photographer Collin Hughes to bring it to life.
The series seems to have emerged from a time warp some where between the mid ’50s and early ’70s, when men wore suspenders, carried handkerchiefs, and worshiped blue-collar intellectuals like James Dean and Jack Kerouac—wait a second, are we at the Capsule tradeshow? Ha. Pemberton puts it this way: "If Steve McQueen carried a beat-up leather duffle bag on the back of his motorcycle; what would be in it and how would the products look?” His slogan "Cavalier—Since '53," is a reference to Fleming's Bond, and while Cavalier Essentials is currently a one-off production, Pemberton says he may have plans to produce the kit in a limited edition, granted there is enough interest. From those of us obsessed with The King of Cool we say, do it. [Cavalier Essentials]
