(Left to right) Limited Edition Olympic 2010 bag; Kennedy wallet; Deurne Travel duffle
BRAND:WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie
SINCE: 2006
HOME BASE: Canada
FOUNDED BY:Dexter and Byron Peart
WHY WE CO-SIGN: You constantly see celebrities rolling through airports with monogrammed travel bags from brands like MCM and Louis Vuitton, so you'd be forgiven for believing they were the only names doing it big in luxe luggage. But you'd be wrong. Canadian brand WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie offers superior quality and build with simple grown-man design that doesn't scream to the world, "I GOT MONEY!" For the holiday season, the Peart brothers created 47 L.E. Olympic DeGaulle bags (one for each Olympic Games held since the revival of the ancient Olympic Gam). The bags are made with white leather and rep all the Olympic colors with interchangeable handles in yellow, blue, green, red and black. They cost a grip, but if you get your paper right you can cop them at stores in September. Read on to check out more of the line and an interview with the founders...
WHERE TO FIND IT: WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie Shop, Opening Ceremony, Steven Alan, Fred Segal, Blackbird, South Willard, Oak NYC, Kesner and Achilles stores.
See below for our interview with Byron and Dexter Peart and pics from the Fall 2009 Collection...
What are your most popular items for the summer and fall?
WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie: The Kansai computer portfolio, the Kennedy money clip, and the organic cotton tote collection. It's urbane, compact design and ultra-functionality means the Kansai is the only piece you need to carry, with a section for your computer, notepad, BlackBerry, and, of course, your Kennedy money clip. The organic cotton tote collection of the lightweight, deconstructed Orly (north-south) and Mirabel (east-west) "rolled" bags are imbued with the same iconic modern design and classic style redolent of WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie, but with a more playful, impulsive look. Available in nine different colors with burnt henna leather handles, these bags share the same DNA as their leather counterparts and can be effortlessly mixed and matched to create the quintessential luggage system.
KANSAI - COMPUTER PORTFOLIO KIX01
Click here to Buy It Now at WANT Les Essentiels, $450
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What are your top five travel essentials?
1. WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie Passport Cover & Wallet
2. Apple iPhone
3. WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie iPhone case
4. Canon G10 camera
5. Any of our WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie bags
MANLEY PASSPORT WALLET KIN01
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What do you foresee in menswear in five years?
We believe menswear will be an increasingly exciting segment of the fashion industry. Men will want to create their very own personal style. They will invest in pieces that embody a classic authenticity but with a modern approach to shapes and fits. They will shop for items that can be passed down from generation to generation. We believe accessories will pay a vital role in helping them to curate a strong, confident, and individual style. The customers will appreciate quality over quantity, good design over fashion trends, and subtleness over ostentatiousness.
GATWICK LEATHER- ENCASED COLLAR PINS LGW01
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CHARLEROI BAG
Click here to Buy It Now at Forward Forward, $780
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TRUDEAU BAG
Available at Fred Segal, $1075
