Above: Stagger Lee Goods' Hijos del Sol apron includes hand-crafted details such as slanted welt pockets and cross-back leather straps. Photograph by Inga Hendrickson.
SOMETHING PERSONAL IS WOVEN INTO Alfred Ramos’s blue Hijos del Sol apron ($189)—and he has Albuquerque designer and bandanna maker Nicky Ovitt to thank. The makers met at a craft market in 2017 and became friends. Ovitt suggested a collaboration featuring Ramos’s Mexican heritage. “She just went off on this crusade,” says Ramos, who was impressed by Ovitt’s vintage-inspired designs and packaging. For Ramos, the cotton-twill fabric’s Oaxacan figures conjure childhood memories of agave grown on his uncle’s ranch and eating nopales and eggs for breakfast. “These have a significant meaning for me,” says Ramos, whose Stagger Lee Goods features details honed by his time spent in the restaurant industry and with a custom men’s clothier. The slanted welt pockets, for example, were inspired by World War II bomber jackets. The snug cross-back leather straps are preferred by his bartender clients, who are continually reaching into beer coolers. “And it just looks cool,” he says.
Look for Alfred Ramos to use Nicky Ovitt’s bird figure in a limited run of bison-hide wallets. His full line of aprons and leather goods can be found at staggerleegoods.com.