10 Essentials: David de Rothschild, Eco-Adventurer and Lost Explorer F

David de Rothschild launched his eco-minded lifestyle brand, Lost Explorer, earlier this fall but the adventurer and environmentalist has been working on the idea for years. De Rothschild (yes, scion of the famous Rothschild banking family) has collected vintage treasures from his travels for decades, having an insatiable fascination with the stories behind lost items, while also building relationships with traders and artisans in every stop along the way. When it came time to launch the Venice-based brand, Rothschild hired the best of the best. Alumni from Levi’s, including creative director Len Peltier, and luxury goods consultant Chris Spira, among others.

But the team is still small and Rothschild is not planning to play by retail’s normal rules. Instead of seasonal collections Lost Explorer releases items based around materials and environments—for launch, wool-based soft tailoring and merino-cashmere layering T-shirts built for mountain adventures—and the brand’s workshop and store, located on a side street off Abbot Kinney, doesn’t have a proper sign out front or cash registers, though it’s technically open to the public. The “lifestyle” component of the brand, meanwhile, will soon include everything from medicated balms and mezcal to edible mushroom powders. It’s whatever Rothschild and his team are interested in at that moment—and you’d better believe they’ll travel all over the world to see the products through to their execution.

Lost Explorer might be a newcomer in a crowded space, but it’s definitely grabbed our attention. To learn more about the man behind the brand, we sat down with Rothschild and asked him to tell us about his 10 Essentials. Here's what he pulled out and what he had to say:

Vintage Military Jacket Sample

This is from 1932. It's a sample jacket that the Ministry of Defense would loan out to factories with the actual patent attached to it. The tags show all of the times that the sample was used over the years. It's just really cool to see how the handwriting changes over time, and how it eventually moves to type, and also just appreciate the design of the jacket, which is still so relevant today. You can see influences of pieces like this in the Lost Explorer collection; we try to make things that will endure the same way.

Metal Matches Case with Striker

I found this in an old leather bag. The guy who had the bag didn't even know it was in there. It's probably Victorian. You flick up the top and it has matches inside and then there's a little striker on the bottom. It almost looks like it was a precursor to what we know as a Zippo now. It works just the same way. The swallow on the front is probably an indication that it was owned by a sailor; usually a swallow is a symbol of a certain number of miles traveled at sea. And then there's bamboo and lattice engraving that could also symbolize places traveled. I'm not sure. It was obviously around a chain, maybe on his neck or attached to a waistcoat. I love how worn it feels. It has that tactile quality that you really can't fake.

Vintage Saddle Bag

This is a vintage saddle bag made from basically an Iranian rug. It sits over a horse and when you take it off the horse, it opens right up. I took this to Mongolia with me, I've actually travelled with it a lot. It's got these very study handles on the sides that you can use to pick it up and, because it opens right up when you unlatch it, it's a nice bag for being able to see all of your gear at once. You don't have to dig around in the bag. I mean it's not the most practical otherwise but I just love it. It originally would have been used by traders. You can imagine them arriving at their destination, undoing the bag, laying all of their goods out in this nice way. I love to imagine the life journey of a product. I think we live in an age where there really isn't a lot of consideration for products. We've lost that attention to detail that really makes something special.

Pendant Necklace

This necklace has been all over the world with me; the North Pole, South Pole, jungles, everywhere. It hangs on my bed now or I loan it out to friends who are traveling. It holds a lot of stories. I've lost some of the pendants and added some over the years. There's a compass that's broken, which is hilarious, pendants for two of my dogs who've passed, a wishbone, a pig, a horseshoe for luck, and a pendant that my aunt gave me of Saint Christopher, who is the patron saint of travels, with the tree of life on the back.

Khaki Vintage Military Shirt

This was one of my first vintage purchases. I found it in London through a dealer. It's from the Second World War. I love how the pockets are dirtier on the inside, because whoever was wearing it would have had greasy hands when they were putting stuff away.

I collect a lot of vintage. I have huge cupboards and some pieces in storage. I guess it's just that desire to have something storied, that was with someone for years. Most flea markets, if you find something super rare it's usually someone's prized possession and they want a fortune for it. Working with a dealer helps because they can seek out pieces that they know you want. These dealers will send me a note when they find something and the next time I'm in town I'll go and see it in person, learn about the piece, have a conversation with them about it, and maybe take it home with me.

Leaf Art From Venice

This was made by a guy who I met on the street where our office is. He lives in his van and makes these leaf designs using a needle; it's really painstaking. I asked him to do our logo for us, which represents the mountains, desert, jungle, and ocean. I asked him to do a few more for us recently—he seems tentative. I just think he's cool and I love that he makes this really precious thing out of something we normally don't pay any mind to.

Nature is sort of like magic. It has this ability to produce, heal, and provide or take away, and do the most incredible things. The way magic brings out the kid in all of us, nature does the same thing.

Our products really aim to be simple and just appreciative of nature. They're all wild-crafted, all organic. We use crazy ingredients, sourced from ethical producers all over the world. Things that have been used in traditional medicine for hundreds of years. This balm is sort of all you need, I literally never leave home without it. It's made with Marula oil, Niaouli oil, and Shea butter all sourced from different parts of Africa. You can put it on your hands, around your nose, and on your chest. When you travel in an airplane and you get really dry, it's great. And it smells like what's in it, not some heavy fragrance.

Watch Now: 2016's Breakout Actors Answer Our Weird Questions

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS ONE

http://ift.tt/2hTyuD7

Best Product Soap
Defense Soap Bar 4 Oz (5 Pack) All Natural Antibacterial Antifungal Therapeutic

Kirk's Original Coco Castile Bar Soap, 4 Oz, 3 Count

Raw African BLACK SOAP Organic From GHANA Pure Premium Quality CHOOSE

Dial White Antibacterial Deodorant Soap, 4 Oz, 10 Count