A Revered Japanese Brand Elevates the Desert Boot to Its Final Form

Desert boots originated with a lightweight, minimalist design that was cheap and easy to mass-produce during WWII, but John Lofgren doesn’t make shoes that way. The distinguished Japanese brand elevated the humble military chukka with its exacting standards. A leather midsole with a steel shank, absent from the traditional blueprint, is added for enhanced stability and durability. This allows the upper, midsole and heavy crepe outsole to be stitched together. This version uses a luscious Japanese suede upper.

The Fender Precision Bass was the world’s first-ever commercially successful bass guitar. And it has remained an icon (and the bar by which all other basses are measured) for a whopping three-quarters of a century. To celebrate that monumental milestone, the brand has launched a trio of special edition Precision Basses that capture the spirit and lifespan of this legendary instrument. With stunning craftsmanship and high-performance parts, these represent the pinnacle of bass guitars, but they won’t be around forever…

Ram just recently revealed its most powerful production truck ever. Appropriately named the Ram 1500 Rumble Bee, Auburn Hills’ latest hi-po street truck kickstarts a rivalry once thought to be left behind in the ’90s. Geared towards tearing up the pavement and laying down elevens as opposed to storming off-road trails, the Rumble Bee comes in three flavors, all of which determine what lies under the hood. In its most powerful form, the Rumble Bee SRT boasts the company’s iconic and venerable Hellcat 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8, good for a whopping 777 horsepower and 680 pound-feet. In the middle is the naturally-aspirated 392 (6.4-liter) HEMI V8 with 470 hp and 455 lb-ft, and the base model rocks the traditional 5.7-liter naturally-aspirated HEMI V8 with 395 hp and 410 lb-ft. Other highlights include exterior street body effects, beefed up brakes and suspension, and other appropriately themed bits both inside and out. Stellantis says Rumble Bee availability will open up in the coming months.

Made by one of the most respected American brands known for craftsmanship and “Buy It For Life” quality, this compact tote is a great catch-all for everyday use. It won’t take up too much space, but it will be able to house your essentials on the go. Made with a rugged, heavyweight cotton canvas and available in six color options, the Steele Canvas Mini Tote proves bigger isn’t always better.

Awake’s latest addition to its flagship Sơn Mài collection adds hand-turned guilloché to the mix, combining the technique with Vietnamese lacquer for the first time ever on a watch dial. The collection comes in three styles, each featuring a different color and pattern: the orange Alba, green Borealis and purple Sunset. The watches also introduce a new 38mm case along with a new handwritten logo for the brand that better reflects Awake’s approach to its handcrafted dials. Each of the three Sơn Mài Guilloché watches is a limited edition of 200 pieces, and all are priced at €3,180 (~$3,687).

One of Chrome’s coolest annual capsules returns with fresh artwork by Brazilian visual artist and illustrator Jenifer Prince and a unique twist: like a concept album, the eight pieces form a larger narrative, echoing Prince’s comic book storytelling style. Comprising all three sizes of the iconic Kadet sling bag plus two utility pouches and a four-pack of patches, plus a “Can’t Think Straight” tee and hat launching June 1, the collection carries an impact that extends beyond its beautifully provocative aesthetics, as a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Prince’s chosen nonprofit, Casa 1, a Brazilian civil society organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQIA+ youth who have been expelled from their homes due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Chimera is the Portland-based audio maker’s most high-end and expensive pair of in-ear monitors. Each earbud features a unique nine-driver architecture that combines four distinct driver technologies: dynamic, balanced armature, electrostatic and bone conduction. (In fact, it’s the first time Campfire Audio has incorporated a conduction driver and embedded it directly into its CNC-machined magnesium shell.) The result, according to the brand, “is a listening experience that is both highly detailed and physically engaging.” The Chimera ships with an ALO Audio Valence-6 cable featuring four high-purity copper conductors and two 50/50 copper-silver-plated conductors.

Herman Miller releases a modular standing desk for gamers called Coyl. The minimalist essential isn’t the furniture designer’s first gaming desk but it makes significant improvements this time around, including a built-in power supply, full-length cable tray and perforated shroud in back for accessories. However, its standout feature is easily the physical knob used to adjust the desk’s height, giving you tactile feedback when you turn it.