C/D: Volume 17
🚀🦚🌪️🍒🌊🎾🪄💎🔮
Seventeen. A little late but always on time. I appreciate everyone who has shared kind words about C/D. If this is your first time reading, welcome! As I wrote this intro from 30,000 feet in the air I thought it was worth acknowledging that even at the newly minted age of *33* I still find the idea of airplanes to be pretty extraordinary. Like we, as humans, did that shit. Go us. Anyhoo, we have a special dispatch on our hands with too many hits in the food, store, and brand departments to limit the share. So we’re getting blessed with a feature for each of the 3 cities I visited + some newly named sections (if I ever decide to turn my IP into a media empire.) You know what it is.
Otherwise in the toasty month of August besides getting older—we launched the Flower Caps and sold out of the Flower Caps, did some killer things with Spence, experienced a police escort on the way to Rufus Du Sol, and sat courtside to watch Paige Bueckers break the rookie scoring record. Sheesh. Onto September we have already embarked…with a fantastic trip to NY I’ll write about in uhh, a few weeks!
With love,
L11
Main Event 🎡
10 Days In Europe
This trip had been over a year in the making and now that’s it’s over, all I can say is what they call the guinea fowl at the newly opened Pompa in Barcelona - fuck yeah! Later in this meaty letter I’ll get into specific restaurants, stores and brands—so our main event is meant to cover everything else. A special shoutout to my travel co-pilot Jess, there is no one I’d rather travel the world with trying on sneakers, taking photos jumping in the air and eating delish food.
Knowing what you want in life is something we’re all figuring out in our own individual ways. When it came to travel there was one place in the world that kept knocking on my brain’s door. Copenhagen had that allure. A perfect combination of design sensibility, food culture, interesting people and a beautiful city. We call that a quadruple threat and needless to say Cope delivered on all fronts. Depending on how you like your weather, our arrival coincided with a shifting climate in Scandinavia. Not really canal swimming temperature, our time in the ocean would have to wait until Barcelona. If Copenhagen is on your mind like it was mine, I can assure you will have a killer time. The exchange rate is currently a little rough (DKK > USD) for my exchange rate heads but not enough to deter a visit. Every single thing we ate was delicious, from stumbling by Poulette then immediately following it with ramen from Slurp to Barr in the building Noma was originally started in. Home to some of the most interesting new menswear brands I surprised myself with restraint that would be completely thrown out the window in Stockholm. Finally the art—a fantastic experience at the Designmuseum located in the city and an absolutely all time day trip up to the Louisiana where we were graced with the likes of Calder, Kasama and more Longo than I had ever seen.
During her 20’s my Mom followed a Swedish dude named Peter to Stockholm and thankfully didn’t marry him or my name would probably be Sven. However all was not lost—she always spoke highly of the city and her time there, even occasionally dropping random Swedish words on me (seriously it’s such a strange sounding language if you’ve never heard it.) A quick jaunt from CPH, going in our expectations were more contained—you just don’t hear as much about Stockholm. There isn’t an episode of The Bear where the swaggy pastry chef stages in Stockholm. Well put me on the Swedish Board of Tourism payroll because, dare I say, Stockholm was just as epic as Copenhagen! Different for sure, but also similar in ways that make you feel equally as comfortable and curious. We cruised the old city Gamla Stan and the trendy Södermalm. Sick fucking names with delightful sights and sounds. Was blown away by the work of Anton Corbijn + Marco Brambilla at Fotografiska and as mentioned, did not exercise restraint in the retail arena. I mean, when you go to the home of Our Legacy, you have to get a piece(s)! Oops. My, what a good day, to step outside! Other Stockholm notes: The Soho House is insane, built in an old church—truly the best way to work with God if you know what I mean. The tastiest non-dinner bite was at a dinky hot dog stand called Günters—the ‘Kabanos’ might just change your life. And everything is always sweeter when one of your best friends happens to be in the same random city as you, shoutout Fando!
We saved the warmest and most nostalgic for last. Barssselona. The magical place I spent spring semester my junior year of college. Our arrival was equal parts dramatic and anticlimactic. Twelve years is a long time to not see a place so rooted in your development as a human. Some things were very different, other all-time favorites (what up Bode de B) were exactly the same save for a new neon sign. One certainly new element was also the thing that made our stay so memorable—Soho House Barcelona. If you have thought about joining or think SH is lame or past its prime, I implore you to spend an hour here and your whole perspective will change. A pool on the roof, a pool in the basement, a shuttle that takes you to Little Beach House 30 minutes south. That experience in particular, on our final day of the trip, was just sublime. Beyond that we had two 20k+ steps days, stayed out late going to some of the top bars in the world, and wandered aimlessly around one my favorite places in the world. It was so damn good to be back. If you haven’t been to Barcelona—this is your sign. If you want to feel alive, there’s nothing like it. Buy the ticket, take the ride.
The Corner Booth™️
(A Restaurant to Consider 🍜) x3
Kodebeyns Fiskebar - Copenhagen
They say CPH is the world’s food capital and you can quickly tell why. They take it seriously—from holes in the wall to the finest dining rooms. We didn’t do anything crazy (Noma will have to wait for L11’s next visit) with honorable mentions to Sanchez and Barr. But our favorite meal was at KODEBEYNS FISKEBAR.
As your uber gets closer to the restaurant’s location, you feel like you are surely in the wrong place. An industrial area that looks like it should be where boats dock (and they do) you suddenly find yourself in a diabolically poppin’ square of restaurants with hordes of cool young people gabbing at outdoor tables. Through the buzz you enter Fiskebar and the roller coaster begins.
I’m not sure if the food made me dizzy or the fish swimming around their cylindrical tank the whole evening but what a fine display of Danish seafood faire. Highlighted by the cod, presented on a bed of chicken broth foam—it was like the fish was taking a bath in silky broth, revealing all kinds of yummy wonders beneath it. A must hit.
Bord - Stockholm
The bar was high going into Stockholm and the city held its own with bangers on bangers. APO was fun, KRYP IN gave us reindeer and an exquisite scallop bite but the star of the show was Bord.
Joined last minute by Esy aka Fando, our table size went from 2 to 3. An unexpected curve ball that could have totally derailed our evening, the restaurant then presented us two options: squeeze on a two-top or sit at the table in the back kitchen. Our group’s first time sitting at a ‘chef’s table’ certainly won’t be our last. What a beautifully intimate experience. Shooting the shit with Vilnus (shoutout Vilnus!) eating wonders of the Swedish wilderness, cooked on an open flame.
Bord was made as an answer to Michelin culture that Vilnus described a “sucking the joy out of cooking”. Full of locals, Bord was full of joy.
Pompa - Barcelona
Tapas, tapas, tapas. This is the way. We did it right going to an old favorite (Tapas 24) that hadn’t changed a bit and a great new one on our last night (Bar Pimentel.) The Messi of our Barca dining experience was undeniably Pompa.
I had found their sister restaurant Berna and after emailing them about a reservation was pointed to the newly opened Pompa which had one table left—as long as we were ok with the potential presence of a dog…
Indeed we were! Nora (the dog) was such a chiller. I mean how often is it cool to have a dog hanging in a restaurant?
Towards the end of our incredible meal, filled with creative seafood and excellent wine, as the ‘fuck yeah guinea fowl’ was coming to a close—I felt a wet nose brush up against my knee. Alas, Nora had identified her mark. It was me. Target acquired. And you better believe I slipped her a little piece of meat. Nora looked pleased. Despite a look from Jess, so were we.
Store Sommelier™️
A Store to Check Out 🛍️ x3
Stoy - Copenhagen
Going into our trip, Stoy was not on my radar. While my menswear antenna is admittedly elite, it sometimes fails to account for stores that just opened. As was the case with Stoy, the absolutely dialed multi-brand men’s and women’s boutique that had setup their second Denmark location in CPH three weeks prior to our arrival.
This was the place. Housing all the hot Danish brands (I’ll get to them in the next section) with an intriguing layout and a staff that was cheerful and stylish in a very Danish kind of way. A sign of a great shop? I bought New Balance loafers that I totally could have got at the New Balance store down the street…but they were so much better at Stoy.
Honorable Mentions: Hay House, Storm, Maritime Antiques &, Studio Arhoj, Norse Projects
Herr Judit - Stockholm
I don’t know what Herr Judit means but it probably is code for fire garms unlimited. A vintage store with a sharp balance of hype labels, hidden gems and unknown sleepers. This is the place to spend time, get lost, and find something special.
Herr really just came out of nowhere and hit me right in the face with an unbelievable vintage Prada jacket, priced to take home. And I did. My favorite stores on the trip were in Stockholm so picking this one was tough—but it felt the most special when it is increasingly hard to find things IRL you can’t just buy online.
Honorable Mentions: Nitty Gritty, Broadway & Sons, Our Legacy Work Shop, Grandpa, Acne Flagship (in the old bank building that term ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ comes from)
TheRoom - Barcelona
Staying in the gothic quarter (my favorite neighborhood from study abroad) I knew there were L11 shops hidden within the historic cobblestone alleys. It was fun revisiting the store I liked most 12 years ago, oh how taste evolves. Around the corner I stumbled by TheRoom. At this point I know what to look for: sliding glass doors, tasteful plants, interesting signage—not rocket science but fun barometers that translates across continents and cultures.
Inside I found a collection of brands I don’t see too much in the states like PAM and Wacko Maria. Quickly making friends with the sales associates they noticed I gravitated to the one piece left on the floor from a brand that’s been on my radar for a few years now but haven’t found a reason to splurge for; _J.L-A.L_
The homie said, “if you come back tomorrow we’ll have the whole new collection out.” Church bells rang. I returned tomorrow. Bought a beautiful knit sweatshirt and can safely say this is the best shop in Barcelona.
Honorable Mentions: 12 Pulgadas, FOOTDISTRICT
Quality Control™️
A Brand to Know 📡 x3
Sunflower, Another Aspect, mfpen - Copenhagen
A this point you’re probably sick of me, or you’re writing everything down—either way we’ll move through these quick.
There are three menswear brands out of Copenhagen right now that are all absolutely killing it. Sunflower, Another Aspect and mfpen. They all run a similar playbook: neutral tones, quality materials, high but not astronomical price point. If you’re looking to elevate your wardrobe or a gift for someone with impeccable taste—these brands are a great place to look.
I did not acquire any items from the aforementioned brands but that surely won’t last long…nor will these be the last to come out of this burgeoning nation of menswear lords.
Sunflower, Another Aspect, mfpen
Our Legacy - Stockholm
The Danish brands feel like they all took a page out of Our Legacy’s book which took a page out of the iconic Swedish brand Acne’s book. Books and pages y’all.
No longer a ‘new’ menswear brand (or menswear at all—they do women’s too!) Our Legacy has evolved quite a bit into a full fledge fashion house. A favorite of many fashion aficionados for its tasteful proportions and quality fabrics it was a joy to experience the brand on its home turf.
Their ‘Work Shop’ line is particularly interesting to me which houses their collaborations and discounted past season’s product.
TwoJeys - Barcelona
If TwoJeys was founded in a US city like Kansas City or Miami, I likely would not be into it. For me, its charm has a lot to do with it still being largely unknown in America, a current trend I see changing soon.
TwoJeys started as a jewelry line (still the product I find most compelling) and has grown into a larger streetwear outfit. You can tell the owners understand youth culture and the pulse of product.
Taking notes from many popular youth streetwear brands like Sp5der and Hellstar, you’ll be seeing a lot more TwoJeys in SoHo in the coming years.
An Account Worth Following 📲
Cole Poska
If your algo is anything like mine you have undoubtedly been served content recently from spaceboycole. His imaginative takes on how brands could (and should) evolve their merch is beyond on point. Can’t get enough of this!
thank you for reading, until next time ✌️
Linkies: 1 (close up) 2 (great color) 3 (virgil archive) 4 (butter bose) 5 (spence plaid)
share with someone you think might enjoy ❤️
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