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Straight Outta Portland: The Shwood X Widmer Brothers Kit

By Ann Binlot Jan 9, 2015 10:07 AM

Ah Portland, the land of Pok Pok, Stumptown Coffee Roasters, The Manual’s home office, and Shwood and Widmer Bros. The last two, an eyewear company and a microbrewery, recently joined forces for a collaboration that was only made in an edition of 200 that showcases both of their strengths: the Shwood X Widmer Brothers Kit. In it are a pair of Canby Widmer sunglasses, and a bottle of Skipsaw Upheaval IPA packaged in a specially numbered crate made just for the partnership. We quizzed Josh Fulfs, brand manager at Shwood about the collaboration, who designed the custom beer bottle, and more.

An eyewear and brewing company collaboration seems like an odd pairing. How did this come about?

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Both Shwood Eyewear and Widmer Brothers share Portland roots and craft our products here in this town. We’ve admired and respected each other’s work for a long time and the time was finally right to work on a project together. We felt that, together, we could make a great product that had never existed before.

How did you go about deciding what the sunglasses would look like?

Through a lot of trials and experimentation. We’ve liked the look of skip-sawn wood (sometimes used in flooring or furniture for a rustic look) and this project seemed like the perfect chance to utilize that texture. We also knew we wanted to incorporate Widmer’s beer into the sunglasses, so we decided that the best way to do that in the staining process, which is what gives the sunglasses their rich brown color.

Even the beer is custom for the collaboration. Who designed the label?

We worked with Portland-based illustrator Jake Hollomon to create the custom label. We incorporated woodworking, beer making, and Portland elements into what we feel is a pretty great embodiment of the collaboration. It was screen printed directly onto the bottle (no paper label!) by Widmer’s bottling partner.

Describe the person who makes the perfect recipient of this kit.

This kit is made for the person who enjoys unique and high-quality products. A passion for craft beer and/or sunglasses would be an added bonus.

Are there any future collaborations like this coming up?

We are always working on our next big project. We have several exciting new collaborations coming up during 2015 that we can’t wait to share. Keep an eye out!

For more information on The Shwood X Widmer Brothers Kit, visit shwoodshop.com.

Ann Binlot is a New York-based freelance writer who contributes to publications like The Economist, Wallpaper*, Monocle… Read Full Bio

The Golf Channel’s Betting on Reality TV Again With ‘Big Break,’ Which Returns After More Than 10 Years

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The Big Break was an incredibly popular show on The Golf Channel for over a decade. The reality TV series premiered in 2003 and aired 23 seasons until 2015, when it was canceled. At the time, NBC owned the Golf Channel, and the network made cuts throughout, which included axing Big Break. The series pitted aspiring pro golfers against a series of challenges. Think Survivor meets Wipeout. But the stakes were high, with the winner ultimately receiving the grand prize of a sponsor exemption at a pro golf tournament.

The series, which debuted in 2003, featured a myriad of skills challenges, including the popular “Glass Break” and “Flop Wall” challenges. And after NBC sold off some of its assets, including the Golf Channel, new owner Versant — in collaboration with the golf media company Good Good — is bringing back the popular series for its 24th season, which is being co-hosted by Bachelor in Paradise fame Wells Adams and former LPGA Tour pro and Golf Channel personality Blair O’Neal. The team is also made up of Good Good Golf’s Matt Scharff, who will be a reporter, along with Brad Dalke and Tom “Bubbie” Broders as non-playing team captains.

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At 17, I finally realized that my father was cool all along. His dad jokes were inspired, and his weekend uniform, a knit polo tucked into sensible khakis, was preferable to the ungodly amount of popped collars I layered. Now a well-adjusted 37-year-old, I feel similarly towards my dear grandfather, particularly in his interior decor. Grandpa outfitted his study with culture and art; he didn’t have a mancave, he had a gentleman cave.

Entering your 40s, you’ve conceivably invested in a watch that will outlive you, but not a tip-top display case. You can confidently choose a bottle of whiskey and a cigar, but does your space need decanters or humidors? Should you acquire an oil painting to hang by your Neil Leifer football photography? Some leather-bound classics to accompany your TASCHEN James Bond coffee table book?

We’re only a few months away from our new Bond, Producer Amy Pascal teases

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Since Daniel Craig bit the big one in his James Bond swan song in 2021’s No Time to Die, fans have been waiting to find out who the next person to drink the martini shaken instead of stirred will be. In true Bond fandom fashion, a whole slew of fancasts have started to muddle the waters as to who could possibly be the new 007. Callum Turner, Jacob Elordi, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and more have all been pitched as possible replacements. Some more ethnically diverse options like Henry Golding and Rene Jean-Page have also emerged. But, alas, no word has come down from on high to give us the scratch to this fan itch raging on for the last five years. That is, until Producer Amy Pascal sat down during her Spider-Man: Brand New Day press tour and gave a bit of insight on when we can expect an announcement, and also what we can expect in the cast.

I would say the end of the year is a good bet. We are being really, really methodical. – Amy Pascal