Stone & Cloth’s Summit Collection

The LA-based company’s made in USA bags help provide education for students in need

24 August 2015

Inspired by vintage mountaineering and travel bags with the modern day customer in mind, Stone & Cloth has re-imagined their their line of bags for their new Summit Collection—which launches on Kickstarter today. Now—in addition to the backpacks and totes—the LA-based company will offer weekenders and handbags. Each bag is crafted from American-made canvas from the Fairfield Textiles mill in Bridgeton, NJ and the Summit Collection features new shapes, premium leather, quilted exterior laptop sleeve pockets and ergonomic backpack straps. The new Book Bag (based on a classic grade school backpack) includes a ChargeVent detail to be able to recharge while keeping the bag safely stowed.

Founder Matthew Clough explains why they are debuting their new collection in a Kickstarter campaign. “We’ve cut out retailers entirely so we can avoid harsh retail mark-ups and focus on making premium goods and selling them at a reasonable price online,” he tells CH. “We feel Kickstarter is a great platform to help tell that story in an authentic way and get our community to help us bring this collection to life.” Their campaign includes an exclusive chambray colorway for the new shapes, including a small rucksack with antique brass buckles and a single leather lash tab, made just large enough to carry a tablet.

Clough first came up with the idea for Stone & Cloth while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, where he learned over conversations that his porter did not make enough money to send his children to school. Clough returned to LA energized to take some kind of action, setting up a business model for selling designs and raising funds to help students in Tanzania. With the motto “Carry An Education,” a portion of each Stone & Cloth bag purchase supports the work of education programs in Africa. “If this Kickstarter campaign and new collection is a hit, we’ll be on track to provide 25,000 hours of classroom learning for students,” explains Clough. “We’re partnering with Knock Foundation and Bridge International to help us bring this mission to life.”