The Five at Five is a download of the best things to read, watch, shop, and get inspiration from – ready for the weekend. Each week, we’ll be bringing you selections from different tastemakers in our community, so you can delve into what’s keeping them entertained.
This week’s curator is Tom Horne, co-founder of L’Estrange – a fashion brand on a mission to encourage you to do more with less, through a wardrobe of modern clothing based on comfortable, season-less, versatile pieces that can be worn in multiple scenarios.
Read: Essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less by Greg McKeown. Essentialism is about doing less, but better. With so many distractions in life, it's a simple structure for life and helps refocus your priorities - everything from how you spend time at work to what you choose to buy . It’s the core of everything we do at L’Estrange.
Watch: Rams by Dieter Rams. Dieter Rams was one of the most famous industrial designers – a pioneer in thoughtful, responsible and intelligent design before sustainability was a buzzword. I have a letterpress card of his 10 Good Design principles at home to keep me on track and own various bits of Vitsoe furniture in my house.
Listen: Sam Harris Waking Up. I’ve done various meditation courses, apps, and retreats but I always come back to the Sam Harris Waking Up app which is a great guided meditation each morning. He’s someone I look to for life advice on YouTube as well. During the week, I always have the L’Estrange Spotify playlists on the go!
Shop: L’Estrange are opening a new store in Westbourne Grove soon that we’ve designed with the talented furniture designer Fred Rigby. We’re big proponents of physical retail as a way to tell the brand story - we’re focussing on bustling neighbourhoods during this challenging time. I came across the vacant store when I was cycling around during lockdown so jumped at the chance of opening there.
Inspiration: Yvon Chouinard. I was taught at a young age that your life should be centred around values and principles. He’s one of the rare examples of someone in business who stay true to what they believe and his focus on reducing consumption is an inspiration to me and L’Estrange.