Gone swimming — back end of August 🌞 #67

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

Ferragosto is around the corner, which in Italy basically means: drop everything, head to the water, and don’t come back until you’ve forgotten what day it is.

My lido streak is now officially stronger than my Duolingo streak — and honestly, more useful. (I can’t order a 4-course dinner in perfect Italian yet, but I can tell you exactly which sun lounger has the best shade after 3 pm. I wrote this from the Lido in Schenna as the last guest — and this was the view.)

I’m keeping the streak alive the next two weeks too, so this will be the last edition until the end of August.

Consider it a mini-summer break for both of us.

By then, I’ll be slightly more tan, slightly more broke from spritzes, and hopefully still able to fit into my swim shorts.

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 Lieblingsglas Mason jars were the most clicked product.

Catch me on Instagram during summer break.

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Imagine a motorcycle and a tiny spaceship had a baby — but with seatbelts and forward-rotating doors. That’s AE Motion’s electric vehicle. It tilts like a bike, so the view from inside looks like you’re threading a shuttle through city traffic. The French team behind it crammed in removable batteries, a modular rear seat, a boot, and enough crashboxes to reassure your mother. I’d love to try one just for the cockpit vibe.

Take it for a (virtual) tilt (Preorders are expected to launch later this year)

I’m a handleless cup loyalist (mostly KPM Berlin). And trust me: these Glasgow-made porcelain beakers from Ingot Objects really stand out. Thrown by hand, glazed, and inlaid with a blue detail, each one’s a little different — the kind of variation that makes you pick a favorite.

I haven’t tried them yet, but the rim looks nice and thin, almost like a teacup — which, for me, is the sign of a cup worth sipping from. I’m picturing flat whites in them. You?

Give your coffee new clothes

Looks like ceramic. Feels like ceramic. Isn’t ceramic. London’s Palefire Studio makes these pendants from hand-painted paper pulp, and the texture is pure “grand villa on the Amalfi Coast” energy — if that villa were also an art school. Founder Rowena Morgan-Cox came from the fine art world, which explains why these lamps feel like you’re buying sculpture that happens to light your dinner.

Switch on some art

Kamarg started in post-war Austria making gear tough enough for mountaineers and handsome enough for Viennese sidewalks. The brand disappeared for decades until someone resurrected it on Kickstarter, green canvas and all.

The result? A backpack that looks like your grandfather’s gear from the ‘40s — if your grandfather also had a MacBook.

Carry history on your shoulders

Apple clung to the Lightning port like it was a family heirloom until the EU forced their hand.

If you’re still running an older iPhone, Obsoless in Switzerland makes this case that updates it to USB-C. Protects your phone, ditches the outdated cable, and buys you a little more time before you have to upgrade.

Plug into the future