Jonathan, the guy behind the Bandanna Almanac did a guest post for Rawr, where he visited with Hiro and Ryo of Ooe Yofukuten and toured their workshop, taking some great photographs along the way. Jonathan writes:

I had some preconceptions of Ooe Yofukuten before entering, but one thing I hadn’t expected was to enter a living sewing museum tucked cozily into the countryside of Japan. This workshop is more akin to an industrial-era museum than a sewing workshop. In reality it is a little of both.

Most of Ooe Yofukuten’s machines are pre-1930 models on which they stitch their jeans along with a wide assortment of handmade goods ranging from tissue cases to jackets and bags. Jonathan went on to interview this interesting couple and their fantastic denim brand – you can see the full interview here but we’ve pasted some of the highlights below:

BA: So where did the interest for denim start?

Ryo:  When I was in junior high school, which was about 15 years ago, there was a vintage American clothes boom among young people in Japan. Because of this boom, I have been hooked on vintage American clothes since. So that is how I got interested in denim.

Hiro: When I tried to sew the jeans it was very interesting and fun.

BA: You liked jeans and you started collecting, and now you are making jeans how did that evolve?

Ryo: At first I was making jeans for myself, family, and friends. I was updating my blog about those jeans, and readers asked me to make them a pair. So that was the first time I made jeans for a person not in my family. I only received the materials fee so I didn’t make any profit. That person loved the jeans I made, and that made me very happy. So it became really fun to make jeans. And that was the start of producing an actual product. I started thinking about bringing our jeans to a big flea market in Nagoya to see people’s reaction. So we tried it out and brought 12 pairs of jeans and sold about 6 pairs over a period of 2 days. You know at flea markets people are selling old jeans for 5 bucks or 10 bucks to get rid of the stuff they don’t want. But, we were selling brand new jeans for 100 or so bucks and six people bought them and that made me really happy, and that drove us to start this business.

BA: Any future vision or plans?

Ryo and Hiro: I want to try everything. We are making jeans now, but we want to try with wool.  Really anything and everything I want to try. We are a tailor, not only denim or jeans, so we are open to anything. But it takes time like we said.

Here are some of their product shots and details. It’s hard to find out if a brand like this is stocked anywhere outside Japan yet… it seems not but watch this space!

The Globe (Hedron) is a greenhouse made from renewable and natural materials, including bamboo, and uses the process of aquaponics to grow vegetables and fish, organically: aquaponics is a cycle system that uses fish waste to fertilize vegetables and plants, which in turn purify the water tanks that the fish inhabit. One Globe structure is said to be able to feed a family of four with fresh vegetables and fish, year-round.

The structure is lightweight, low cost and can be assembled easily.  Additionally, it can sit atop any generic flat roof within the city environment, because of its small size and geodesic design.

Earlier this year we reported on the Frisch vom Dach rooftop farm in Berlin, which uses a similar process to harvest food and vegetables for the city. Similarly, FARM: shop in Dalston, East London, opened last year as a ‘utopian’ urban farm that rears and sells fresh food on site.

As depleting resources become key concerns for future living, initiatives like this may prompt us into using alternative methods for growing produce.  We hope to see many more of these urban farm initiatives in our ever-expanding cities. – Samantha Fox

Tom’s SPACE PROGRAM: Mars inspired the collection including the Mars Yard Shoe, the Trench, Marsfly Jacket, and the Lightweight Tote, with easy-to-spot themes when you check out the video outlining the project.

Nike Mars Fly Shoe

Marsfly Jacket

Lightweight Tote

Elements Trench

Tom Sach’s SPACE PROGRAM: Mars opens today, May 16th, at the Park Avenue Armory in New York, where there will also be a pop-up shop to celebrate the artisanal capsule collection. - Calvy Click

We confess, our love of Mad Men extends from Sunday night all the way through the following weekend when we get our fix again. Yes, the cinematography is moody, the plot lines are appropriately subtle and the characters are complex. But, it’s the authentic style of the mid-60s that gets our juices flowing every time. Every Tuesday, we present a Style Recap after each new episode premiers, with our editors’ favorite looks from the show, and a little colorful commentary thrown in for good measure.

Fat was a feminist issue in this week’s Mad Men, in an episode that featured more bristling rivalries and bruised egos than you’d see backstage at a kiddie beauty pageant, and a display of parenting only slightly less noxious.

Slights were felt: Peggy was narked at Roger using Ginsberg for another secret client assignation, Pete didn’t get the profile he wanted from the Wall Street Journal, Sally’s feelings were hurt, Don felt competitive, and Betty felt fat.

Betty’s back, Betty’s back, Betty’s baaacck! It’s simply a Mother’s Day miracle that our favorite ice queen is back and playing mind games with everyone around her. Want to get back at your ex-husband’s hot new wife? Manipulate your kid into hating her. Oh, Betty, some things you never learn. Her season 5 story arc so far has revolved around her expanded waistline, and this week’s episode (aptly titled Dark Shadows) shed some light on why she’s so far been unable to shed the pounds. In short, Betty is still unhappy. Comparing her dumpy life with Henry in the Addams Family mansion to lithe Megan’s floor-cushioned, sunken living room, youth-exuding pad (and her taut tummy), Betty feels she picked the wrong horse, and it’s eating her up. Or rather, she’s eating it up, layering on the pounds and using food to fill the void. An early adopter of the Weight Watchers program, Dark Shadows saw Betty battling calories and attending group weigh-ins in a bid to reduce. Her jealousy didn’t stop at Megan’s figure, but extended to her friendship with Sally, and Don’s romantic infatuation with his beautiful new wife (um, how could you not react to the love note left for her: “Lovely Megan, I went to go buy a light bulb. When I get back, I’ll see you better.” )

Betty’s solution? Stuff young Sally with incendiary material, light the fuse and lob her fizzing over to Don’s apartment to wreak what damage she could. Another master-class in toxic mothering, every word Betty speaks to Sally is another dollar in the bank for some future psychiatrist (what, oh what, will the 1970s hold for dear Sally?). There just isn’t enough Reddi-wip in this world to fill the gap inside Betty Francis.

After four seasons of gazing into the mangled heart and mind of the former Mrs Draper, watching Betty struggle with losing her youth and beauty has been interesting, and strangely, more humanizing than seeing her repeatedly humiliated by a philandering husband. But let’s hope that’s enough now.

This week saw Sally put Megan’s acting lessons to good use, smilingly denying her mother the schadenfreude of knowing what a mess she’d caused over at Draper Towers on 73rd and Park Avenue. It was wonderful stuff from Sally, who proved herself right in that scene; she’s not just a little girl. It just a shame the same can’t be said for her mother.

The SCDP elevator is becoming an increasingly fraught space in Mad Men, less a lift in season 5 than a boxing ring. “You’re not loyal!” Peggy jabbed at Roger, and he came back swinging with his, “It’s every man for himself” line. It’s a philosophy that sums up both Roger’s character, that of a man who takes what he wants regardless of the toll on those around him, and what went on in the episode.

Don was inspired by Ginsberg’s talent to flex his copywriting muscles again, leading to the pair locking horns over the Sno Ball campaign, and having their own sparring match in the elevator of broken dreams. Speaking of which, the quirky character has been a great addition to the regular cast this season, nipping at Don and Peggy’s heels creatively, providing unpredictability, comic relief and oddly poignant claims of Martian heritage (though it was his more down-to-Earth Judaism that earned him Roger’s secret gig this week). Whether he’s mocking his superiors or misquoting Shelley, Michael Ginsberg is a welcome new presence in the Mad Men team. We are huge fans of his mismatched style, something closely resembling a Prada runway if you look close.

Weiner and co. evidently couldn’t resist using such a rich, gloopy metaphor as the poisonous smog swimming around Manhattan in late ’66, and who can blame them? The characters of Mad Men are surrounded by the stuff, a miasma composed of cigarette smoke, lies and this week, jealousy. Add to that the nicely ironic opening bars of Maurice Chevalier’s chirpy Sweepin’ the Clouds Away playing as the Francis family give the hollowest of Thanksgiving thanks, and you’ve a classically ominous Mad Men moment (if not one in a classic episode).

And finally, wasn’t that Dark Shadows rehearsal scene between Megan and her girlfriend a neat coincidence? Matthew Weiner couldn’t have known in time that this episode would air the weekend that Tim Burton’s limp tribute to the Gothic soap opera arrived in theaters (could he?), though that doesn’t make the swipe any less apt or enjoyable.

Let’s talk about this week’s dose of style. Roger spruced it up a bit with a wine-colored silk scarf and a matching fedora, and thank the costume design gods that Peggy finally wore a dress that didn’t look like it belonged on Harriet Nelson. The always-changing-never-know-who-he’ll-be Bobby Draper also got some attention this go around with a dapper Thanksgiving get-up, a punch of a red toggle coat and some awesome patterned pajamas (that, according to costume designer Janie Bryant, were really vintage). Megan and Don’s looks mostly took a backseat this week to some of the others. The three-way cab ride with Don, Harry and Ken really got Anglophile blood going with all the handsome mixed plaids and stripes (Duke of Windsor, is that you?). We were also fascinated with how dated Betty’s clothes continue to look as she becomes a dowdy contrast to the cool Zou Bisou Bisou of Megan.

Only four episodes remain in this season, which has already answered many of the questions posed by the last: will SCDP survive the loss of Lucky Strike? Who is Megan? How will Betty cope with Don’s new marriage? One thread that’s been left more or less dormant is the Roger and Joan situation, which has to be top of the wish-list for next week’s Happy Holidays installment. Until next week… —Michael Fisher

See also: “Mad Men” Episode 8
See also: “Mad Men” Episode 7
See also: “Mad Men” Episode 6
See also: “Mad Men” Episode 5

But don’t misunderstand, I am certainly not complaining, especially when we kick off a season with Fendi.  Moda Operandi is definitely anyone’s “in” to purchasing and pre-ordering looks before anyone else, and this time around they got their hands on the looks before it was released to the press.

For Resort, the brand brings back their fun and quirky constructions of molded platforms and heel detail.  The loafer continues to be a key item in high and mid heel lasts for day-to-evening ensembles.  I absolutely love the embossed leather to resemble a light stingray texture.  Suede is always a Fendi favorite, with raw edges to reveal a light contrast on the finishing.  If you’re ready to reserve your pair, head to Moda Operandi to put your down payment.  Leave me a pair of the orange oxfords please! - Jenn Tello

Following in the footsteps of the hugely successful Mama Shelter Hotel in Paris, a second location of the stylish boutique hotel opened in Marseille last month. Just like its Paris sibling, the Marseille branch is designed by Philippe Starck and created in collaboration with French philiosopher Cyril Aouizerate and father and son duo Trigano. Spanning eight floors and comprising 127 super-stylish rooms, the chic hotel features eclectic décor with a multitude of creative and personal touches and a bold use of color and design- we particularly like the instrument display and giant pink football table in the hotels common area. Several more locations are in the pipeline from the Mama Shelter group including hotels in Istanbul, Bordeaux and Los Angeles. Watch this space, we certainly will be… - Anna Jacobsen

Mama Shelter
64, Rue de la Loubiere
13 006 Marseille/ +33 (0)484 35 20 00
France

The process is simple – users navigate through to the site where they make a request for simple grocery goods, such as bread, eggs or cheese.  A shopper nearby can then choose to accept this request, and, if they wish, personally deliver the items once they have been paid for.

A little more personal than a standard supermarket delivery system, this community-led service enables participants to meet local people in their area.  Small trips to the supermarket can also be reduced, making it an eco-friendly initiative and perfect for those who are short of time. – Samantha Fox