On Monday, May 29th, our Customer Service and Shipping offices and
Seattle Factory Showroom will be closed in observation of Memorial Day (Wikipedia: href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_day">Memorial Day).

On this Memorial Day weekend, we would like to thank you, our customers, for helping us to raise a total of $18,480.00 for the Seattle Vet Center through your purchase of the French Label t-shirt. When we participated in the “Stand Down” event held by the Vet Center where tarps, boots, soap, other basic items and a hot lunch, all paid for with money raised by the French Label t-shirts, were given out to Seattle’s homeless veteran
population, and met veterans, some of whom came back from serving in the current Iraq war to find themselves homeless, it showed us first-hand how the money you helped us raise helped homeless veterans and how much more can and needs to be done.

Above: Cheri Page (our former factory manager and Vietnam Vet), Bob Patsfield, and Tom Bihn. Tom is handing Bob the first check.

What else can we do to help our homeless vterans? Tell us what you’ve done, what you think should be done, or how you think people can help in our forums.

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. —José Narosky

More:
The story behind the Tom Bihn Care Label

Snopes.com entry on the Care Label

The Medium Cafe Bag is back in-stock in every color: Black/Steel, Black/Wasabi, Olive/Steel, Olive/Wasabi, Cocoa/Steel, Cocoa/Wasabi, Crimson/Steel, Plum/Wasabi, Plum/Steel, Steel/Crimson, and Steel/Deep Blue.

The Cafe Bag is also available in sizes Small and Large. The Large Cafe Bag will fit a 12″ laptop when paired with the Size 5 Soft Cell.

Yesterday Apple introduced the long-awaited 13″ MacBook. (We visited the Seattle Apple Store to see them. Tom wants one but I still want a MacBook Pro!)

Today we are introducing the Brain Cell, Archetype and Soft Cell in Size 6, specifically designed for the 13″ MacBook. The new Size 6, with interior dimensions of 12.78″ x 8.92″ x 1.08″, fits the 13″ MacBook like a glove. These protective sleeves and cases for your MacBook will slip inside your current bag or one of our backpacks, briefcases, or messenger bags. For a complete list of bags that will fit the 13″ MacBook, click here or read on.

The Size 6 Brain Cell ($50; pre-order now; ships in late July) provides the ultimate protection for your MacBook in a case that is still light and minimalist. Cradled in 8mm thick soft foam padding, your laptop hangs suspended in a 4mm hard corrugated plastic insert that protects from the front, back, and bottom. The sides are protected by dense cross-linked closed-cell polyethylene foam. It closes on the top, like a cereal box, with two padded flaps that seal with Aplix® strips (like Velcro, only longer-lasting.) The Brain Cell is available in five colors: Black, Steel, Crimson, Deep Blue, and Wasabi.

The Size 6 Brain Cell will clip inside our ID messenger bag, Empire Builder briefcase, Super Ego messenger bag, or the Brain Bag backpack via a removable clip system, turning them into great laptop bags.

The Size 6 Horizontal Soft Cell ($30; pre-order now; ships late June), a simple padded envelope for your MacBook that protects against scrapes and scratches, features an exterior made of durable 500 Denier Cordura and an interior of super-soft brushed nylon. The Soft Cell protects your laptop with little bulk added and is ideal for those who don’t want their laptop case to make their loads heavier or take up a lot of space.

The Archetype ($95; pre-order now; ships late July) is our new sleek and protective laptop case available in three unique exterior fabrics evocative of nature and the material world: Genuine Cork fabric, Galvanized Majilite®, and Snow Leopard Ultrasuede®. The Archetype is our first work-in case, and it protects your MacBook on all sides.

Looking for a Size 6 Vertical Soft Cell or Monolith? Because the 13″ MacBook is such a small computer, the Size 6 Brain Cell and Soft Cell are compact cases that will fit into most bags. Turning the MacBook on its side in a portrait/vertical format case wouldn’t save any space.

The Empire Builder briefcase is now in-stock in colors: Black/Black/Steel, Black/Black/Deep Blue, Black/Steel/Wasabi, Black/Steel/Crimson, and Black/Crimson/Steel. Note: Color Black/Steel/Steel is already sold out but is available for backorder with a shipping date of late June.

The Empire Builder

The Archetype is our new sleek and protective laptop case available in three unique exterior fabrics evocative of nature and the material world: Genuine Cork fabric (made of real cork), Brushed Stainless Majilite® (a synthetic leather), and Snow Leopard Ultrasuede® (contains no leopards, we promise). The Archetype is initially available for pre-order in three sizes designed specifically for the 15.4″ MacBook Pro, 17″ MacBook Pro, and 12″ Powerbook laptops.

As with all of our products, the Archetype is made of the finest materials and features a #8 YKK splash-proof zipper and ultra-comfortable handles. Cork Fabric, Brushed Stainless Majilite®, and Snow Leopard Ultrasuede® are rich, striking, and unique fabrics.

Each Archetype case is hand-made to order for you. Once we receive your order, our crew of highly-skilled seamstresses will construct your Archetype in our Seattle factory. Because the Archetype is hand-made to order, you will receive it within two weeks of when you placed your order.

The 12″ Powerbook Archetype is available for order now and will ship within two weeks of receipt of your order. The 15.4″ MacBook Pro Archetype is available for pre-order with a shipping date of late May. The 17″ MacBook Pro Archetype is also available for pre-order with a shipping date of late June.