From Europe with Love 🌞Consistency, chaos & a parasol that costs £2,200 #64

Buonasera from Merano!

Welcome to this week’s installment of what’s hot in brands & products.

I’m building this thing in public — and sharing the ride.
Some weeks flow, some are chaos. I show up either way.
The goal? 100 issues.

That means I’m always testing — keeping what clicks, tossing what doesn’t.

This week I had a call with Dylan (yep, the one who roasted this newsletter with Chenell a few months back). More sharp feedback. More ideas I’ll be rolling out soon.

Because one thought that hit me mid-hike* today:
Consistency without self-awareness? That’s just ego with a calendar.

This newsletter is my weekly rep, my ‘adaptive consistency’ so to speak. Showing up, but not on autopilot.

If you’re new around here: Every week, I share 5 of the coolest products from Europe I’ve discovered in the past 7 days.

I scout, you explore. Let’s get to it.

With love 🌞
Jakob

P.S.: Missed last week's edition? The notebook with the 12 different papers was the most clicked product.

*scroll for visual proof of that epiphantaneous moment

Plia Parasols [🇬🇧]

Inspired by vintage resorts from Palm Beach to Portofino, this scalloped parasol brings serious main-character energy to your garden. Handmade in Plia Parasols’ workshop Cornwall with bamboo ribs, Italian fringe, and stormproof (up to 90km/h) fabric from Northern France.
£2,200 for a statement shade? You decide.

Find your summer shade here →

Jules Wallet / Hugo Yoshikawa [🇪🇸]

Designed in Barcelona, handmade in Ubrique (aka Spain’s leathercraft capital). This collab between Iriarte Iriarte and illustrator Hugo Yoshikawa is engraved, vegetable-tanned, and built to age better than most of us. Five slots, a coin pocket, and serious character.

I already know who I’m gifting this to. Do you?

See the full collab here →

Patio Slatted Chair by Pauline Deltour [🇫🇷]

Designed by Pauline Deltour for Tolix, this steel patio chair walks the line between solid and soft. The no-armrest silhouette feels light, almost delicate — which is exactly what I like about it.

Sit with style →

Headfirst Bicycle Helmets [🇳🇱]

Fresh out of Amsterdam (and fresh off a successful Kickstarter), Headfirst makes helmets people actually want to wear. The fit is custom. The design is like if Muji did bike gear. Just form-meets-function in a way your forehead will thank you for.

Protect your dome →

Dream Recorder [🇳🇱]

Okay, this one’s weird — but the good kind. Built on a Raspberry Pi and designed in Amsterdam by Modem Works, the Dream Recorder lets you turn your sleep thoughts into surreal, low-res dreamscapes.
You wake up. Speak your dream out loud. The machine does the rest.
Part art project, part mind trip.

Enter the dreamscape →