A little refresher for those among us not already familiar with The Commons on Flickr: In partnership with The Library of Congress, ”the key goals of The Commons on Flickr are to firstly show you hidden treasures in the world’s public photography archives, and secondly to show how your input and knowledge can help make these collections even richer.” Everybody is welcome to contribute and join the familiar company of:  NASA, The Smithsonian, The New York Library and The Imperial War Museum Collections.

Above, a photograph from NASA’s collection – On Feb. 20, 1962 at 9:47 am EST, John Glenn launched from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 14 to become the first American to orbit the Earth. In this image, Glenn enters his Friendship 7 capsule with assistance from technicians to begin his historic flight.

To celebrate the ongoing sponsorship and relationship between Paul Smith and the Rapha Condor Sharp cycling team, Paul Smith created this film – London – featuring the team training at the Manchester Velodrome.

The absolute best thing about the bags coming from Ally Capellino is that they’re built for life. Using materials that are meant to be worn, used and loved, all pieces feature very  little to no exterior branding. Capellino explains, “People should add something of themselves, so that the bags become theirs not mine” – words to live by. Straight from Shoreditch, East London, where her studio and boutique are both based comes a the Fjell Rucksack made especially for Scandinavian brand and shop Norse Projects. The bag is a classic hunting style, and is made from high quality British waxed cotton with bridle leather detailing. And though a little out of character for Capellino, the collaborative label is displayed prominently  on the front. Available here.

On paper, Visvim has done everything right as usual: 14 oz. dual ring-spun denim, 4 different slub lengths blended for varying texture, pure indigo dye from Japan’s finest denim mill in Okayama, custom Visvim buttons and rivets, elk leather patch on back and a hidden zip pouch in back pocket. On body, is a different story. Thinking that these would fit like all Japanese denim brands, that is to say, smaller, was a major oversight. And moving up a size didn’t help either. The cut is far from perfect for some, though it’s not far off to assume the fit is perfect for others. Issues with a ballooning thigh and wide leg opening leave this loyalist far from satisfied, though, if you’re more of the bottom heavy variety, you can count me jealous. Available here.

A look at the neat head office and showroom for Cheap Monday by design and architecture firm Uglycute based in Stockholm, Sweden. Have a look here. Photographs by Mikael Olsson.

You may have already gotten a look at the full Fall/Winter 2010 collection from A.P.C. last month, but now that they are officially in shops, we’re finally starting to get up close with some of the pieces. Jean Touitou appears to have strayed a little further from the subtle military influence this season and instead favouring a style that’s arguably a little bit more British than French. Plaids, argyles, bow ties and corduroys round out the collection, though we’re particularly fond of the workwear inspired cotton flannel above. Available here.

One of the best things John & Mary’s handcrafted line up of bags is this quote from John Stuart Mill that governs their entire operation, “One must always act so as to produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people, within reason.” As a rule, they place the utmost importance on functionality and durability and marry it with classic aesthetics from their Los Angeles base. There, they work closely with a small family-owned local factory where production of the canvas-leather bags are handled. Available here.

Buying well made and well packaged items should seemingly go well hand in hand even though men’s skincare products often miss the mark. Such is not the case however with Portland General Store’s old-fashioned shave soap formula which they describe as, “It is not a scent for every man – this is a powerfully masculine scent. Elegance, strength, and charisma describe the fragrance of this shaving soap . . . a deep woodsy and amber fragrance with a surprising hint of spice that reveals itself over the hours . . . notes include vetiver, labdanum, vanilla, woods and fruit.” While that all sounds nice and well,  we’re drawn to the the old-fashioned packaging that screams grandpa’s medicine cabinet. Available here.

With roots on London’s historic Jermyn Street at British clothier Turnbull & Asser, the Fayed and Goncalves brothers are bringing the bespoke philosophy to ready-to-wear for the next generation. The brothers decided to try their hand at catering to the offspring of the Turnbull regulars who appreciate old-world craftsmanship on slimmer, more modern cuts. Designed and manufactured in England with materials sourced from British and Italian textile mills, Bespoke combines classic Americana with British mod wit. In a few short seasons, Bespoke‘s take on velvet, herringbone tweed and cashmere for blazers, cardigans and trousers have been well received both at home and on this side of the pond. We managed to catch up with 3 of the 5 that make up Bespoken just as the Fall/Winter 2011 collection is set to drop.

LH: We’ll start with the formalities, who are you, what are your respective rolls and what did you guys do in your previous life?

Paulo Goncalves: I guess you can say we’re a bit of a mixed bag.  There are two set of brothers – James, Sam and Liam who grew up in their family business of Turnbull & Asser in London.  Carlos & myself grew up in NY working in finance and advertising, respectively.  We collectively make it work, and being brothers and all, it keeps us honest despite the occasional headbutting (not in an Noel & Liam Gallagher sort of way). We’re all extremely passionate about this brand and what we do, so its definitely a collaborative effort.

LH: Growing up in and around Turnbull & Asser and given your backgrounds, it seems you could have gone in a variety of different routes and just as easily given up on clothing, so what about clothing makes it so appealing to you guys?

Sam Fayed: Honestly, it was something we could all relate to, born out of a frustration of our own.  Being guys in our 20s & 30s, we felt that its been difficult to find a menswear label that marries fine tailoring & construction with more contemporary fits and styles.  It was through working the sales floor at Turnbull where we were exposed to just how customers reacted & appreciate the quality and details, down to where it’s manufactured.  We thought we would bring this to a younger audience, and along the way, round out our personal wardrobes.

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This isn’t an announcement of Murakami’s interview in Interview Magazine so much as this is an announcement that the magazine has been putting together some terrific interviews as of late. Beyond pop culture icons like Murakami, N.E.R.D., Hiroshi Fujiwara and A.P.C.’s Jean Touitou, they manage to humanize Mike Tyson, and arrange for some colorful interviewers whether it be Tobey Maguire interviewing Kaws or Iggy Pop interviewing Shepard Fairey. Each interview is carefully crafted, creatively executed and well considered. Among the finer quotes delivered from Murakami, “I’m very sad to be compared with Warhol and The Factory, because I have no drugs, you know. We have no drug culture in Japan! Maybe it’s because our attitude toward labor is totally different.” Read this interview and others at Interview Magazine.

Perhaps one of Nike’s most successful running shoe that was surprisingly not designed by Tinker Hatfield, the ’91 Air Pegasus is set for a re-release for the Spring of 2011. With the run of ’89 Air Pegasus’ that were released in a myriad of colors over the past few seasons, including an interesting hybrid with ACG, not to mention a couple of ’83s a couple of years back, it was just a matter of time. While this isn’t the preferred colorway for the purists, here’s hoping this retro release follows suit with the rest of the previous releases with more colorways to come.

It seems fitting that these woven waxed twill rucksacks are being born out of Eugene, OR and Boulder, CO. Inspired by the traditional canoe pack, this one seems right at home in the outdoors. Since their launch in 2009, Archival has quietly been making some top quality pieces utilizing heavy weight waxed cotton twill, Horween Chromexcel leather, solid brass hardware, and military-grade cotton webbing. Trying to utilize as local manufacturing and sources, they take domestic offerings seriously – an effort “t0 help stimulate the domestic market and encourage US manufacturers to expand their offerings.” Here’s hoping you can help them with that. Available here.