Temple Bags is an LA-based company run by two Steves: Opperman and Dubbeldam. This isn’t their first venture… they started Iron Army Jeans in 2005 out of Edmonton and moved to California to grow the company. Three years later, the company lost its funding but they quickly moved on to start another denim brand backed by Hudson Jeans called City of Others. When the recession hit, they were forced to shut down once again. Steve Opperman began making bags and accessories by hand a year and a half ago under the name Temple Bags – they’re all crafted from repurposed military fabrics and trims. I had first connected with Steve in 2008, and when I found out last year that he was making these types of bags, I asked if he could put together a custom laptop case for me. Here it is…

The bag consists of olive waxed canvas that is quilted with a flannel lining. The leather straps, buckles and clips are all vintage military hardware. The case also has a removable pouch on the front that can store a power cord and a small journal. I’m told that their current laptop case design was based off this piece.

This blog entry really isn’t about the bags themselves as much as it is about the people behind them and how they’ve influenced me. The reason I reached out to Steve & Steve in 2008 was because I wanted to find out more about them and and why they did what they did. On Superfuture years ago, I found a thread discussing Iron Army. One poster asked about the Bible passages that were printed inside each pair of jeans, and if they were a Christian company. Steve Dubbeldam replied:

haha yea that’s rad that you know where that’s coming from. Proverbs 27:17 is the inspiration for our company name. It started when steve and i were both travelling and we would hold each other accountable in our lifestyle and sign off our emails “as iron”. Thus the Iron Army crew was birthed.

we are definately a Christian brand, yet we don’t believe in the idea that “Christian” clothes exist. We want to stand as a point of difference in our industry in our integrity, the way we promote and steer culture, and the way that we love those around us……sounds mushy but it’s true, it’s what our world needs and we’re stoked to change our part of the world with our jeans.

Those words resonated with me, as Johan and I are both Christians and our company name is evidence of that. What Steve & Steve expressed in that post summed up in a beautifully succinct way what we were seeking to do with 3sixteen. They were excited to affect the people around them through the work they did, and weren’t ashamed to talk about their faith when asked. Nothing has changed – if you take a look at the Temple Bags bio, what they believe in is just as important to them now as it was then. After years of chatting with them via phone and email, I finally got a chance to meet and break bread with them last week. I made sure to let them know how much they encouraged me in their journey, as it’s rare to find people that are transparent with their motivations in this industry. It’s always refreshing to meet others that share our vision and are doing their best to set an example by pursuing excellence in their work.

Find out more about Temple Bags at templebags.com.

Last week I had the opportunity to hang out with some friends of mine from the pacific Northwest; to me they are Milton and Bryan, but to hip hop aficionados they are Ohmega Watts and Braille. Together with their partner in crime Tyson (aka Othello), they form a hip hop trio called Lightheaded. I first met them in early 2004 when they were touring through Chicago. At the time I was just starting to push a nascent t-shirt brand called 3sixteen, and it was via our shared passion for creativity in the arts that our friendship was born. Here we are, five years later… Othello is married with a baby boy, Ohmega has two successful solo albums out and a budding graphic design career, and Braille has a beautiful daughter. We’re all in different life stages and have gone through much; though we aren’t able to keep in touch as much as we did in the past, it’s always a pleasure to reconnect in person and see how we’ve all grown and what we’ve learned since the last time we met.

Braille is currently touring in support of an album he recorded with S-1 of Strange Fruit Project called Cloud Nineteen. They’ve gone to bars, concert venues, youth groups, after school programs, juvenile detention centers, shelters and more this past year to do shows and give albums away. Yes, the album is available for purchase in stores and via iTunes, but their goal has been to give away 30,000 copies free of charge. So far they’ve already distributed 9,000 and are receiving loans and gifts to print the remainder of the cd’s they need to reach their goal. When asked why they’ve decided to do this, Braille said that their heart for the project was to make positive, uplifting music available to anyone they met without cost being a preventative issue.

Over these past several years, I’ve been slowly discovering what it means to be a Christian in a creative industry. I’ve been encouraged by several individuals along the way who I really respect  – people who are sure of their faith and are not ashamed of it, and express it in the best way they can with the talents they’ve been given. Braille (and the Lightheaded crew) is definitely one of those people. We’ve had opportunities to talk about the role our faith plays in what we do, and I am always encouraged by how focused he is on how his art can edify others. That, and his relentless desire to perfect his craft and give it more impact. It’s fine to say that you want your beliefs to affect others through your art, but it means a lot more when you’re really good at what you do.

Congratulations Jonathan and Jackie – Amina is beautiful.