:: Denim Collection Available Now!! ::

A little while ago Sonrisa began working on this newest collection of bags. I'll let you get the skinny directly from her, but I've gotta say, I think these bags are incredibly well-designed and stitched. She alludes to it a bit in her summary, but each flap and pocket is constructed of several pieces of salvaged denim. They are arranged in a way that might be missed by the casual observer, but much like your favorite pair of jeans, little details become more and more apparent the more time you spend with them. Anyway, taken directly from designer Sonrisa Rodriguez:

"I was about to go on tour with my friend’s band and I needed to make myself a backpack for traveling. I kept putting the project off because I wasn’t sure what color cordura I wanted to use, and if I even wanted to bother making it custom in some way. I wanted a colorway that could go with anything I chose to wear without being too simple or safe. Dismissing the idea of a practical all black bag as the easy way out and a heavily appliquéd flap as beyond my skill level, I started considering using alternate materials in lieu of cordura. A thorough raid of my home fabric stash made me quickly realize that I had a disproportionate amount of denim scraps at my disposal in the form of sleeves, pant legs, and the eventual fabric source for my soon-to-be midpack: an intact pair of grey stonewashed jeans. I had accidentally stumbled upon an exciting bag idea!"



"If I were to name a source of inspiration for me in the creation of this series I would have to point to the New York street fashions of my youth. I am a child of the 80's and was a kid in the early 90's so I may have a slight bias towards that era, but I can honestly say that the creativity I was exposed to as a kid by walking down the streets of my neighborhood has never been surpassed. Anyone who came up during that time can no doubt remember denim playing a large part in their wardrobe, whether it was in the form of a favorite pair of jeans, overalls, or jacket. It was omnipresent and more than a bit gratuitous, but one thing it had on its side was durability. Many of the clothing supplied for this line could very well be a favorite skirt of yours from when you were eight, its denim barely worn through and strong as ever after all these years."



"When I first started working on the series, I went back to my personal fabric supply and found some salvaged pieces that I could use, but soon realized that I needed much more material. My good friend Jesse has an Etsy store where she sells vintage clothing and makes regular runs to thrift stores outside of the city to stock her store. When I told her about the denim series I was working on, she offered to supply me with the clothing I needed. I raided her stock and found a virtual denim goldmine, each piece’s fabric unique in its appearance. I’m lucky to have found a reliable supplier without any difficulty and even more so to have such quality source material at my disposal."

"The decision to make only the flaps and pockets of each bag in the line from salvaged denim came about for several reasons. The source material for each bag is an individual article of clothing, mostly likely a skirt or a pair of jeans, neither being large enough to yield enough fabric for an entire bag. Regardless of the limited fabric there is to work with, my initial feelings about the original backpack I made for myself still apply to the bags I make for this line. I want each bag to have a kind of subdued individuality. Black, grey or blue treated denim paired with black or brown cordura is as complimentary to one’s wardrobe as the pair of jeans you wear on a daily basis without seeming over the top or matchy. "



"The most surprising thing I’ve discovered about using salvaged denim clothing is the how grateful I am to be able to incorporate their seams in to the design of the bag. They add an interesting symmetry and texturized feeling to the final product that a plain seamless flap or pocket would lack. Seams also serve as a reminder that the fabric used once had another purpose altogether, recalling the article of clothing it once was in a far more subtle--and in my opinion, less tacky--way than the use of an intact back pocket or waist band from a pair of jeans."



"Some could easily write off acid and stonewashed denim as relics, one of the many ghosts of far-gone fads that should have never been resurrected. Treated denim, like so many trends of our recent fashion past, should be judged only on its potential to be overdone. With this series I hope to show that there is a subtle, modern-classic quality to treated denim and that quality alone should prevent it from being written off as yet another outdated look."

Sonrisa's Denim Collection is available here, and is being updated to include almost all of our current bag sizes. Some models also feature custom denim messenger pads!

Bags of the Living Dead

A brand new series by Gerik Forston! In the words of the artist:

"There's really no more socially acceptable way of presenting blood, guts and gore than through zombies. Whether they are half-rotten corpses risen from the grave or are living but infected by a cannibalism-inducing virus dooming humanity to eat itself, zombies just can't seem to get gross enough. Year after year, new and more terrifyingly disgusting depictions off the walking undead come to theaters and we (generally) love it. Each new portrayal attempts to outdo the last, both in sheer gore and in interesting new ways and rules that zombies can come into existence. One has to wonder at what point this progression comes to a head at the ultimate movie simply showing frame after frame of exploding corpse heads."



"I've also always been drawn to the surreal idea of the Dead "living" ordinary existences (this is direction the grey and celery designs have gone). What if they really do take over the Earth? What then? I always assumed they'd just pick up where they left off before they died. But as much as I enjoy the visceral nature of these depictions of zombies, I always come back to wanting to see blood and guts (specifically being pulled fresh from the torso of an unidentified corpse, ha). In my personal zombie apocalypse I don't see any reason why there can't be both. I mean, even while they continue to go to work and school, hang out with friends, bond with the family, dance and play games, they've still got to eat!"



So far the series is four bags deep, and Gerik has plans for a few more in the time leading up to halloween. you can find them in the collections section of our website.

Woodgrain Collection

We are proud to introduce our new Woodgrain Collection, completely designed and hand-printed by Senior stitcher Brieann Tracey! While discussing the collection and its eventual release, Brie spoke about a number of the factors and issues that she came across along journey from initial thoughts to executed design.....

"So the woodgrain collection was born about 6 months ago. I started the drawing, which was about 11 inches by about 3 for each panel, and there are two panels. I drew it so that the lines of the grain lined up with the end of the other panel, so that essentially you could take the two pieces lengthwise, and have one continuous wood panel. Then I blew it up in photoshop and had Awesome Dudes make my silk screen for me."

"At first, I experimented on printing whatever I had on hand: living room curtains, a Softpack i made for myself, my bathing suit, a big wall piece on canvas for the Fabric Horse shop, more canvas for a home made ottoman for the living room, tee shirts for an art show. I even "framed" a map i printed with the woodgrain and stuck little copper tacks in parts of it so it looked more like real wood."

"When I think about where it all came from, I think of the work that led up to it. For a few years I had been working on prints that were versions of animals or just nature in general: tiny paisley birds, big gold leafed paisley hammerhead sharks , octopi, etc. I am very interested in shapes that occur naturally, and I think that woodgrain is such a unique and beautiful pattern. It is never the same; it's very complex. It even ages and becomes more entangled in itself as time goes on."

"I thought that that wood grain pattern would look good on a lot things, everything I mentioned above and more. If i were versed on how to do upholstry, i would have a wood grain couch. In the meantime, i plan on doing another drawing of different grain and making some one of a kind hoodies."

"After making my Softpack with the woodgrain print, I thought that that would be a nice option for people to be able to order it from R.E.Load. I collaborated with a friend for his bag; he designed the flap and I printed the pockets and base for him (bag pictured here)





"Once we all decided the collection should happen for real, I just stuck with colors that were pretty natural. I love bags that are pretty much monochromatic and just have different shades of the same color, or at least are in the same family. I am more of a warm color person i think, and that is also what makes me choose the colors that I do. I also have a funny habit of trying to make or relate things to food. For example, an all brown and tan woodgrain bag might look like a peanut butter cup or some sort of chocolate cake to me, and that makes it more enjoyable for me to look at...which in turn makes it a more desirable bag to have...ha!"

The series is slated to have at least two color ways - you can check them out on our site as we speak - and we are going to spread them across the whole range of models. So don't worry if you don't see the specific model you're looking for right away. We should be rolling out the rest of the range by late August. Subsequent models will feature full printed flaps to go along with the printed pockets.

:: New Website ::

It's been a VERY long time coming, but it's finally here! Our brand new website is up, and we're still working hard to continue uploading products and improve the user interface. We have a new "Build Your Bag" section that actually allows you to chose all of your options and submit and order completely online. And there is finally PayPal integration. Go check it out, and feel free to fire feedback at us regarding anything at all, be it bugs or praise! reloadbags.com

:: New Totes ::

I think we're really going to try and keep a bunch of tote bags in stock these days....we're offerring them now at the introductory price of $45 (10% off), check the site!

:: Waxed Canvas Bags at Shop Gentei ::

Just in case anybody missed this....a little while ago we made a batch of custom bags for Baltimore's Shop Gentei. They feature waxed canvas exteriors and a three-ply construction with a super-soft plaid flannel interior layer. Silk screened bases. Basically the butters. So go check 'em out here

:: Miles Davis Music Series Bag ::

I remember when I was a kid, my parents used to go to the Newport Jazz Festival. My dad would always come back talking about Miles Davis and how he'd kinda hang out in the background, come forward and play for a few minutes, then wander off backstage. I'm sure he also said a lot of other things about Miles, but for some reason this is the thing that stuck with me most....actually, I hadn't really thought about it much until I sat down to write about Davis for this posting.

For most, it is this enigmatic quality that first comes to mind when thinking of Miles Davis. Born in 1926, Davis played with Charlie Parker in the late 1940's. A decade later, he formed a quintet with John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones. This version of "Milestones" showcases the talents of Davis and Coltrane.



Although the group would see a change in several members over the next few years, he went on to record the legendary - and best-selling jazz album of all time - "Kind of Blue" in 1959. I'll let some people far more qualified than myself talk about this recording



Davis' second quintet consisted of himself, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, and Ron Carter. To say this was an all-star lineup would be an understatement. Here's "Agitation" from the album "E.S.P."



As with all musicians with any longevity, Davis changed his style from album to album, year to year. During the sixties he release "In a Silent Way" (actually one of my favorite albums) and "Bitches Brew", helping to usher in a new sound that would come to be known as "fusion". Although the title track of "In a Silent Way" is a beautiful, slowly-building piece, this video drops in on my favorite part, so i went with it



in 1972, Miles released "On the Corner", and album with a decidedly stronger focus on funk and rock. This was not necessarily seen as a positive thing by critics at the time. However, it proved the progressive nature of Davis as an artist.



Through the late seventies, Miles Davis actually disappeared from the scene. This was due to a number of factors including drugs, physical problems not related to drugs, and psychological issues. However, he resurfaced in the early eighties and recorded several more albums. Since this was actually during my youth, the one I remember was "Amandla", released in 1989. Here, you can also see his trademark style; he was known to show up in what would be considered "daring" getup at the time. Note that this extended even to his customized trumpet.



Davis passed away in 1991.