Los Angeles, CA — We love coming together with our loved ones to celebrate their shining moments. Graduation season is a wonderful time to lift them up and cherish their successes. It is important to make space and give time to reflect on their growth, gained knowledge and impactful experiences that will help carry them and all of us into a brighter future. We love to toast to them, not to mention, we love to share in the cakes and cookies, the great stories, the loving embraces, and the gift-giving.
At our core, we believe that humans are hard-wired for narrative and we believe every product should have a story. We believe in doing something with joy, or not at all. In anticipation of the upcoming graduation season, we enjoyed crafting this one-of-a-kind gift guide featuring products tailored to helping your graduate dress and travel in style.
1. INSPIRED BY SEINFELD, SORT OF
Every brand has an origin story. Res Ipsa was co-founded by Joshua & Odini in 2013 as a tie company. How did two lawyers go from making ties inspired by a Seinfeld re-run to making shoes in Istanbul? Read the story behind our name and shop our original neckwear collection.
Each tie fabric was custom-woven for Res Ipsa in the UK and Italy and then handmade in New York City, with distinctive finishes like a grosgrain neckband, self-loop and self-tipped. Each tie is 58-inches long and 3-inches wide. Fun fact: Our Mogador fabric tie takes its name from the port city of Mogador in western Morocco, from which it originated. Little did we know in 2013 how we would soon be 'tied' to Morocco in our near future. Our ties make a wonderful gift to wear on graduation day and for work/graduate school if it fits your graduate's future plans.
2. "Gants de Suède" aka the "Gloves from Sweden"
Our one-of-a-kind suede jacket and suede shirt jacket are handmade at our Marrakech atelier. Suede is derived from "gants de Suède," which is French for "gloves from Sweden." Embodying our commitment to zero waste, we use post-industrial surplus leather from the food industry to craft our collection. It is important to distinguish suede from leather: suede is both less heavy and softer than leather's smoother texture and added weight as suede is just the underside of the skin. The jacket will therefore become a more versatile wear over time. Each jacket is a timeless addition to a wardrobe.
Fun Fact: We really love Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David. Similar to 8th episode in the series (inspired by David's person experience), our jacket will get ruined like Seinfeld's in "The Jacket" if worn outside in snowfall. Our suede jackets will age extremely well with careful upkeep. The coloring will also naturally patina with regular wear. We recommend this gift for a graduate in immediate need of a statement jacket.
From presidents to rock stars to laborers alike, they're an American classic. Their story has survived almost 150 years. The look grew up in the West and fashioned the world over. Worn by the biggest stars, misfits, outlaws and pioneers and weathered on a path of rebellion and solidarity, we source vintage 501s in need of refurbishment, and patch them up with vintage textiles ranging from American quilts to West African fabrics.
Each pair is unisex and the perfect up-cycled, one-of-a-kind gift for him, her, or them. Denim lovers love our vintage 501 denim. Read the brief history + evolution of our vintage 501 denim and shop our limited vintage 501 denim collection.
4. The Magic is in the Material
At Res Ipsa, all of our kilim products are designed with its history in mind. We wanted to breath a fresh new life into the ancient textile. The merging of Eastern and Western cultures has been part of the history of kilim since it’s beginning, as Anatolia (the place of it’s founding) is thought to be the crossroads between East and West. Which is why Res Ipsa products combine the Eastern flavor of bright, bold kilim with classic Western shapes and styles, such as the British loafer.
Shop the men's and women's kilim loafer collections for your graduate in need of some bold shoes for the new office, for grad school, or for fun!
5. The Perfect Travel Carry-On Bag
The qualities of kilim that made it so valuable in ancient times is exactly why we use it to make many of our premium handmade travel leisure goods. The long history of kilim proves its ability to retain a sense of timeless allure, and like everything at Res Ipsa, kilim is self-evidently stylish. This includes our kilim weekender bags.
Shop our kilim weekender collection and give the gift of travel to your graduate. Each bag is the perfect airline carry-on size, with an international flair. Weekender bag dimensions are 24" x 16" x 9." We can attest from our personal experiences with each travel, the kilim upper and the leather base softens in our weekenders to create a distinctive, worn-in richness.
6. "That Rug Really Tied the Room Together"
Last fall we traveled to Marrakech. We used that opportunity to source and hand-select one-of-a-kind Moroccan Boucherouite & Boujaad rugs. Each rug is hand-woven by local craft-women following age-old traditions in creating colorful rugs.
From the foothills of the High Atlas mountains all the way to your grad's doorstep, if they need help with any home/office decor inspiration for their next big move, shop our Moroccan Rug, Moroccan Rug Pillow, and Cactus Silk Pillow Cover. Lebowski approved, the stripe patterns and colour combinations make each rug and pillow a one-of-a-kind inspiration from the craft-woman and man, resulting in a bright, vibrant, and textured piece of art.
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