I’m lamenting that a favourite style of undies has been discontinued. Fortunately I stocked up last time I found them, fearing just such an occurrence. That got me thinking about items that are ‘classic’ in that they are made today the same way they were made when first ‘invented’.
#1 OG Le Pliage first took form in 1993, named after the French word for ‘folding’. This trapezium-shaped bag was crafted from washable nylon canvas, a nod to the innovative and lightweight nylon luggage spearheaded by Longchamp in the 1970s, and equipped with a zip, two leather handles, and a snap-closing flap. Most notably, it could be reduced to a fraction of its size by three simple folds, making it transportable
#2 Converse started making an early basketball shoe in 1917 and redesigned it in 1922, when Chuck Taylor asked the company to create a better shoe with more support and flexibility. After Converse added Taylor's signature to the ankle patch they became known as Chuck Taylor All Stars
#3 Parkhurst Basque beret has been crafted in Parkhurst’s manufacturing facilities in Canada since 1926. It all started when Louis Borsook, the founder of the company, purchased beret making equipment in Europe just after the First World War and brought it back to Canada. (Sadly, Parkhurst recently shuttered its plant.)
I have some other classic items: Levi’s 501, Tilley Iconic Bucket Hat, LL Bean Utility Jacket - however they have all been ‘remastered’ in some way, allegedly to make them ‘better’. I suspect there are some OG Birkenstock styles. Maybe Clinique ‘Black Honey’, and Maybeline ‘Great Lash’ (pink tube) mascara (unchanged since 1971) fits the archetype category?
Do you count any OG garments or fashion items that you can reliably source that have remained unchanged since they were conceived? What do you most wish was still available or in it’s original formulation?
