Clothes can be exhausting. You have to decide what to wear every day, buy new bits every so often, and end up browsing rails on a weekly basis. And if you’re anything like us, you talk about them almost constantly. We love clothing – obviously- but even we can admit it all gets a little overwhelming sometimes.
Don’t worry, we’re not all about to start turning up to the office naked. We’re just making a bit more room for the things that aren’t clothes: accessories, homeware, books, vinyl, rugs, mugs – basically anything you can’t wear. Although, to be fair, you could probably wear a rug if you committed to it.
So, in honour of our all too often shelved appreciation for non-clothing objects, here are six of the best things that have absolutely nothing to do with clothes whatsoever. Even if, admittedly, quite a few of them have been made by clothing brands. See? There’s really no escaping it.
Originally built to haul 500lbs of ice, the L.L.Bean Boat & Tote has since become one of the brand’s most coveted pieces – and for good reason. Its rugged, no-nonsense construction is built to take everything from spilt soft drinks to the inevitable stains left behind by discarded meal deal wrappers.
Sierra Designs Therm-O-Compass
Back in the day, you weren’t a proper outdoor brand until you produced a Therm-O-Compass. Built to measure temperature and wind chill long before weather apps existed, vintage versions now fetch surprisingly high resale prices. Thankfully, this one from Sierra Designs saves you from spending hours on eBay and £60 on something that originally cost 30p.
Creek Angler’s Device Mix Tape
Now here’s an interesting bit of non-clothing. What’s actually on this Creek Angler’s Device mixtape is anyone’s guess, but we’re hoping for ambient sounds filled with flowing water, splashing trout, and the constant chirp of crickets.
This Presta94 Nalgene bottle pays homage to one of Nalgene’s original logos, beautifully capturing the very same bold early-’90s graphic style. These haven’t officially dropped just yet, but we’ve been told that release is imminent.
Cafe Mountain Where Is The Mountain Print
Lovely poster from the boys at Café Mountain. It’d look fantastic framed, but bluetacked to a white wall works just as well if time, money or energy is at a premium.
A 96-page photobook dedicated entirely to cigarettes. Sounds slightly edgy at first, but some of Martin Parr’s shots in this important piece of documentation are nothing short of beautiful. Just be warned: leave it on your coffee table long enough and an ashtray might soon appear beside it.
