[For this, the second installment of The Thought Kitchen's ongoing conversation about design, Josie sat down with Nau designer Peter Kallen to discuss the finer points of the Succinct Trench. For More of The Design Eye, check out last month's inaugural post, on the Lightbeam Jacket. —Ed]

Josie: So tell us about the Succinct?

Peter: Ok, well, just so you know, only the Succinct Trench for women is new this year—the Succint Trench for men is so genius that we didn’t change it. When we find something we like, we run with it! But they’re both inspired by this use of new technology: the lightweight 2.5-layer recycled polyester fabric. The reason why we chose 2.5 layer is the fact that it’s waterproof, it’s breathable, but it’s really light. You can compact it, compress it, take it with you: it packs down to the size of a small cantaloupe.

What we decided what we wanted to achieve with this was a trench with the silhouette of a longer length coat, something not unlike what you would see back in the Quadorphenia, mod scooter days.

Josie: ???

Oh, you know the old longer length jackets they used to wear on scooters? That whole ‘mod’ movement? These jackets take on that kind of role, but with new technology. They’re a very refined, modern approach to a trench that’s not trying to be so stuffy or uptight but a bit more spirited and on the move. And that’s why the 2.5 layer fabric was used—the fact that you can stuff it into your bag or your pack or whatever. And it’s kind of cool that while this fabric performs really well in any kind of condition, and it has this really cool style. It’s just an opportunity to make a silhouette that fits really interestingly into your wardrobe: the trench style allows you to be really professional in it, but you can use it for other things too.

We wanted to make something really precise and pointed in this versatile way.  Use the cues that it’s a trench, and then keep it vague in the sense of how you would interpret its use in your wardrobe. It becomes really versatile in that way.

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New today: Portraits of our Friends on nau.com. We invited ten of our friends here in Portland to interpret the new spring line in their own style, and got ten completely different takes on how nau’s new offerings can work into your wardrobe. Check it out.

Working at Nau, I get to know the ins and outs of recycled fabrics. Recycled polyester? Deal with it every day. Recycled wool? Sure. But until last week I hadn’t even heard of recycling cotton—or how close I am to one of its stories every day.

Polyester recycling programs, like Eco-Circle and Common Threads, started popping up in the apparel industry about 5 years ago. But while buying a piece of polyester clothing that can be recycled is pretty revolutionary, it turns out the cotton industry has been recycling apparel for decades. “Going organic” is the sexy cotton story that everyone is talking about because it’s relatively new, while the story about recycling cotton is often over-looked.

I learned a few days ago that large scale in the Lizard Lounge (our retail store here in Portland) isn’t just another cool recycled fixture Bob found at a thrift store.  From 1961-2005, our building was occupied by Pioneer Wiping Cloth, a company that took cotton from the waste stream and recycled it into wiping rags. They used this massive scale to weigh large bundles (up to 2000 pounds) of inbound cotton clothing, and outbound bundles of cotton wiping rags.

Unlike recycling polyester, cotton recycling is not a revolutionary idea. Pioneer Wiping Cloth was founded in 1931 because it was clear that clothing with holes or stains was no where near the end of its useful life. It’s still more durable than a paper product and more absorbent. Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other thrift stores send clothes that are unsellable to places like Pioneer Wiping Cloth where it’s sorted and turned into wiping rags, sold overseas, or eventually made into recycled cotton yarn.

Another interesting part of the cotton waste stream is the “Cotton. From Blue to Green” program where old blue-jeans become home insulation.

As a self-proclaimed green-geek, I am inspired by how the cotton industry found a profitable way of reusing and recycling cotton for at least 80 years. I’d like to say “thank you, cotton” for having a happy ending to your waste-stream story.

Hungry? September is the time of year when an unlikely harvest hits its peak here in Portland. While tourists and foodies seek out the perfect peach or pear in agricultural meccas like Hood River’s Fruit Loop, locals are making sweet finds right along many of the city’s streets. The richness is everywhere. Blackberry bushes crouch along the banks of the Willamette River and cling to the steep streets of council crest, exploding with fruit for anyone brave enough to reach into their thorny vines. Fig trees, apple trees and plum trees hang over sidewalks and sprout in empty lots, growing pecks of unwanted fruit just waiting to be picked. Indeed, if you know where to look, you can even find just about everything, from kiwi to quince, starfruit to saskatoons.

Finding the goods is made easier by Urban Edibles, an online directory of over 400 spots here in the city where an enterprising scavenger can forage more than 58 varieties of fruits and vegetables. They also have a handy introduction to the ethics of public picking: always ask permission for plants on private property, and only take what you need. Those rules, and a little common courtesy, go a long way toward avoiding this kind of situation. Most of the time, owners are more than happy to share fruit that would otherwise rot in their yard.

Even if you don’t aspire to become a freegan there’s a certain pleasure in finding fresh food along an otherwise ordinary urban street. It’s the reminder that even here, tucked in among the concrete and steel, nature is growing, sprouting, sustaining. From my own modest harvesting-a few liters of finger-staining blackberries to tart up bowls of breakfast cereal and ice cream-I can claim no deep connection to the land, like a real farmer might. But learning where the sweet and wild things grow does help me to get know my own backyard better, and maybe care a little more about the the condition of this place that I call home.

We have been happily riding together since the summer of 2002. She was created by Manik Skateboards under their Wildlife Preservation Project. Her graphics depict an African Savanna complete with elephants and a scorching sun. She has many dings and cuts but I still think she is beautiful. Possibly even more beautiful because of the scars. Her Venture trucks have remained strong throughout the years………holding up through numerous soggy Oregon days. Her wheels are 62 Kryptonics and like little baby clouds they provide the smoothest ride possible. The bearings were given to me by a strange man from Eugene claiming they “came from a really fast computer”. While this is still a bit of a mystery to me, they have been rolling strong for the past 8 years! I like to take her on rides during my lunch break, blasting through the Pearl District like nobody’s business. When not in use she is the perfect foot rest at my work desk……my feet resting comfortably until our next lunchtime cruise.

Today marks the launch of our first annual Grant for Change, a $10,000 grant designed to support those who instigate lasting, positive change in their communities.

It’s a project we’ve been working on for months, trudging feverishly through hours of meetings, debates, and revelations. It’s been a collective effort, with late nights, scattered moments, no blood or tears but definitely some sweat (though that could be from our recent heat wave, too).

And we’re finally ready to share it with you. This is exciting.

We’ll shift the focus of the grant each year, but this year, we’re dedicating it to those who move in the spirit of the Nau Collective, accepting nominations for

ATHLETES who are challenging assumptions about what it means to move through the world.

ARTISTS, designers or other creatives who are moved to design better solutions to the world’s greatest problems.

ACTIVISTS who are seeding positive change in their communities, and moving others to do the same.

You can learn more about the details of the grant – what it’s about, who it’s for, how it works, and why we’re doing it – on our website.

It’s inspiring stuff. There are amazing efforts in positive change happening all over the country. While working on this grant, we’ve met remarkable people with tireless commitment to causes as varied as climate change, transportation, urban agriculture, and clothing design.

The grant is nomination-based, and voter-driven, which means we’ll need your help to get it off the ground. Maybe this means you nominate yourself, or maybe it means you nominate your friends, or maybe it means you just spread the word and vote. When you check out our site to learn more, we hope something in there will trigger you to get involved.

Nominations for the grant are open ‘til August 17th, the voting ‘til August 31st.

And once you’re in, don’t hold back. The more nominees we get, the more stories of change we get to tell.

Nominate. Learn. Vote. This is the Grant for Change. Have at it. We hope you’ll like it as much as we do.

Dearest, darling Univega,

Oh how I heart thee. Heart. As in LOVE. Love with all my heart.

Will you be my summer fling? I need you to be my summer fling.

You rocked me the moment we met. Do you remember that day? Almost three weeks ago? In the back of that garage, behind the house of a man called Duane. I took you for a test ride…too many gears, not a great saddle, sticky tacky rubbery grips…but Oh! the potential.

I knew you had it in you. The steel mixte frame, in a cool metallic blue. Just enough wabi-sabi scrapes and dings to know you’ve lived a full life so far. And you were made in Japan! My sources tell me that it’s better that you were made in Japan.

And now. Oh the transformation. Who could possibly say cosmetic surgery is an extravagance when it can yield such glistening perfection? Gone are the gears; with your 42:18 ratio you now ride like a song. Au revoir black squishy saddle, the Brooks props me up with a firm resolve. And your touch…the caress of your new cork grips against the heel of my hand gives me goosebumps. Truly! Even when it rains.

Yes, Univega. This is our time. Me. And you. This might just be the summer of our lives. Nevermind the eye rolling and mock-vomiting of my friends, they’ll get used to my unfettered expression of our love. Nevermind the evil eye of the Bianchi, who now sits neglected in the corner. She’ll get used to it. We can do this as a team! A team of three! Haven’t you ever seen Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona?

I am in love. May this fluttery feeling in my heart never die. May the smile on my face as we ride through the city never fade, not even when the bugs get stuck in my teeth. Not even when my skirt flips up immodestly. Not even, Univega, when this summer nears its end, and I may need to tuck you away – temporarily! – for the Bianchi, who has fenders.

Love. LOVE, Univega. As in heart. You have my heart.

Let us ride.

xxooxxoo

It’s kind of a given that the people working at Nau have a passion for the outdoors: skiers, bikers, surfers, climbers and paddlers abound in our ranks, and when our team clocks out at the end of the day, many run (literally) from town to do something fresh and physical. But it came as a happy surprise to me that so many of the people I work with have separate creative lives outside the office. Among my immediate coworkers I have found authors, illustrators, photographers, painters, filmmakers and dancers.

Six months ago, when Eugenie invited me to a performance she was part of called “Endless Ocean Endless Sky” (playing in Austin, TX this weekend), I didn’t quite know what to expect. Choreographed and produced by Tahni Holt, the website for the Portland production was mysterious and poetic. The story, it seemed, was a collection of vignettes 100 “moments” long. Since only ten audience members are allowed in the performance at a time, I made sure to reserve a spot early. Read More »

Photographers observe, explore, and comment on the world around them with their lenses. The best of this breed of artist create images that are approachable, clever, aesthetically pleasing, refraining from trying to bash you over the head with their work’s meaning. Like the saying goes, “Walk softly but carry a big shtick.”

As both a photographer and appreciator of this art form, I’m constantly amazed by people’s brilliance and insight, especially when their work deals with environmental issues in subtle and clever ways.

Below are a few of the artists that have influenced my own personal work; the last two images, a landscape by my boyfriend Kevin Malella and another by yours truly, are our own variations on this theme, presenting both the sublime and the surreal in respect to our changing environment. The interpretation is up to you…

Photographs (L-R):
1. Dionisio Gonzales – Heliopolis 1
2. Alan Cohen – Construction No. 108-03
3. Edward Burtynsky – Nickel Tailings No. 31 (Sudbury, Ontario 1996)
4. David Maisel – Mining Project 3
5. Edward Burtynsky – Uranium Tailings No. 12
6. David Maisel – Lake Project 20
7. Kevin Malella – Mutated Towers
8. Simone Bogode – River Project No. 3

Our Thought Kitchen meetings usually take place at the bar/creperie Le Happy, a little joint around the corner from the office that’s the perfect venue for our informal pitch meetings. It’s usually after a couple beers (or hot toddies) that the best subject matter is born. Such was the case this winter when we began an ongoing discussion about the worst cinematic interpretations of outdoor sports.

What started as a casual conversation about few ’80s date movies blew up into an email rally 20 replies long. From Keanu Reeves’ bro-brah Johnny Utah in Point Break to Stallone’s piton-firing gun in Cliffhanger, no phony stone was left unturned. A month or so later, we had a hefty list of the bad, the good, and the guilty pleasure flicks Hollywood has made about the sports we love.

The list grew so long that we had to break the post into categories based on the sport genre being butchered. Since it’s still ski season for some of us, we thought we might as well start there.

SKIING/SNOWBOARDING

THE BAD (click for clips):
Ski Patrol
Downhill Willie
Frostbite
Ski School 1 & 2
Snowboard Academy
Winter Break
Aspen Extreme

THE DECENT/FUNNY:
Downhill Racer
Hot Dog
Out Cold
Better Off Dead

THE GUILTY PLEASURES:
Ski Party
Fire & Ice

Stay tuned for the next installment: totally bogus surf films…