Core77’s limited-edition bicycle, the Dutch Master, combines a number of our favorite trends as of late – two-wheeled transportation, local craftsmanship and provenance – into a stunning piece of rideable design that pays homage to New York City.
They explain the thinking behind the project:
The Dutch Master is based on the beloved Worksman cruiser frame–a workhorse foundation used throughout the New York delivery community, and manufactured in Queens, New York for over 110 years. Core77 customized the frame, fitting it out with a carefully curated set of components, each with its own story.
The bike was hand-built by KT Higgins, a Brooklyn-based [...]

On a hidden back street of Lisbon, the store A Vida Portuguesa sells what they describe as “genuine and touching products of original Portuguese design”. PSFK visited and took these photos.

At the start of this year, we featured a prediction by Monocle Magazine’s Tyler Brule that we’ll see brands consider whether to use local materials, production and craftsmanship as a competitive positioning against other brands that get their stuff made in factories in Asia. Brule said:
In 2008, provenance is going to become more important at luxury goods companies as CEOs decide whether to downgrade their brands (they wouldn’t call it this, but we would) by shutting workshops and moving the work to Asia to improve margins, or take a long-term view and keep investing in craftsmanship, education and maintaining manufacturing [...]

“In 2008, provenance is going to become more important at luxury goods companies as CEOs decide whether to downgrade their brands (they wouldn’t call it this, but we would) by shutting workshops and moving the work to Asia to improve margins, or take a long-term view and keep investing in craftsmanship, education and maintaining manufacturing facilities above the shop.”