As you might have noticed (no pressure), I’ve been working on getting my photography skills a bit beyond the range of “out-of-focus selfie”, and somewhere closer to “barely presentable”. In that pursuit, my photographer-in-residence (aka Hubs) recently picked out a very fancy new camera for me to start practicing on. Mind you, calling this an uphill battle is a serious understatement – my patience for learning about new technology is roughly on par with my dog’s patience for learning to shake paws.

{Sidebar: It’s actually pretty hard to take photos of your camera inside your camera bag. So, these are sub-par iPhone photos. Which is sad, because my new camera actually takes pretty fantastic pictures, even with a Luddite like me behind the lens.}

But, the one thing I’m really good at? Accessorizing it! As you might expect, I immediately started my usual obsessive hunt for the perfect camera bag. Which, as it turns out, is harder than I thought. You see, this is a big-girl camera, and as I quickly learned, those twee little “camera bags” you’re seeing at department stores aren’t actually camera bags at all. Too small, no padding…it’s a trick!

Then, I happened on Lo & Sons, and I swear to you, it was like the clouds parted. Started by two sons when their mom needed a travel bag that wouldn’t injure her back, this is a brand that’s devoted to making a few things, and obsessing over them until they’re perfect. My kind of people!

Case in point: this beautiful Claremont camera bag. It’s deep enough for my big-girl camera, with room for an extra lens if I get fancy (or room for my wallet and keys if I don’t). And I could easily – easily – tote this around even the most fashionable city without shame. In fact, I’ve even been stopped a couple of times with compliments for it. By people who had no idea it was a camera bag.

Yep, the Claremont’s a looker. But its beauty is so much more than skin deep. Sure, I love that go-with-anything taupe color, the small size, light weight, and the crossbody strap. But my favorite thing about this bag is how smart it is. Structured sides and rounded edges, so it protects without being bulky. Built-in slots for memory cards. A movable insert to let you accommodate any camera size (or take everything out and use it as a crossbody bag), without that annoying Velcro some styles have. I’m telling you, Lo & Sons thought of everything.

Sure, if you’re a pro, you’ll probably want something a bit more unwieldy. But for the rest of us? The Claremont is about as perfect as it gets.

I’m definitely a new convert to the church of Lo & Sons – this idea of making one version of something, but making it perfect is beyond appealing to me these days. If you’re curious to know more, keep reading for a little Q&A chat I had with co-founder Derek Lo.

Shopping’s My Cardio: Lo & Sons really seems to epitomize the idea of making only a few things, but making them as perfect as possible. What made you interested in that critical, streamlined approach to design – less is more, versus providing dozens of options?

Derek Lo: We just believe in providing products that meet real needs. We didn’t want to launch products for the sake of fashion cycles or flighty trends. That’s why we focus heavily on designing each product as best as we can.

SMC: I’ve been living with the Claremont for a while now, and I continue to be struck by how well you’ve married form and function. What was important to you when you designed this bag? 

DL: When we set out to design The Claremont, we wanted it to be a camera bag that didn’t look like a camera bag. A lot of so called “camera bags” nowadays are just inspired by classic camera bag shapes, but don’t actually have the functionality to fit a professional-grade DSLR camera. With so many women now carrying high quality DSLRs but stuffing them into handbags that have no protection or padding, we thought it was important to provide a better solution.

SMC: Can you share a bit about the design process – how you come up with a concept and how you perfect it?

DL: We generally like to identify particular needs and consumer behaviors, and then just work from there. We do a lot of research and talk to customers directly (which our website allows us to do), so we have a very involved and thorough design process. We don’t necessarily believe in the traditional fashion design process, where products are developed without even consulting the consumer. So the feedback and prototyping process is extremely important to us.

A huge thank you to Derek and the rest of Lo & Sons for answering my endless questions, for designing such a fantastic product, and for generally being a group of great people!

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