A Visit with Monocle Magazine

Last week while touring the East Coast, Slate Olson and I stopped in to visit one of our favorite publications. Monocle magazine is one of those publications that I look forward to picking up each month. Every issue does a wonderful job of combining stylish layout with interesting content.

They are consistently offering their thoughts on what can and should be done in the current economic climate of not only the United States, but on a global scale as well. Especially when speaking in terms of fashion and buying. So, it was with great interest that we got to sit down with the heads of their North American operations — Ann Marie Gardner and Aisha Speirs.

Meeting with Ann Marie is everything that you would expect from a representative of one of the most fashionable and distinct publications on the market today. The first time that I met her was here in Portland at the ACE Hotel and the experience was something akin to witnessing a human tornado. To say that this woman is filled with energy would be an understatement because she is a whirlwind.

As it turns out, Ann Marie is already a fan of Rapha. She can be spotted here in her Classic Jersey and Armwarmers doing a ride in upstate New York. This is an interesting conversation for us however, because more and more we have been hearing that women have been buying Rapha clothing in the closest sized men's items that will fit them. We have been finding that the smaller men's sizes do quite well, but the end of March will see the launch of the Rapha Women's Collection.

We left her office with copies of the new issue to keep us company on the plane ride back to Portland. And if you get the chance pick one up and check out the article Open and Shut Case about the famous Pelican Case Company.