MWB Magazine January issue 218

ISSUE 218 | JANUARY 2015 | £6.95 | WWW.MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

TRENDING WORLDWIDE YOUR COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE TRENDS AND PRODUCTS FOR THE A/W 15 BUYING SEASON — YOUNG GUNS MWB SHOOTS THE BEST IN DENIM, STREETWEAR AND CONTEMPORARY FASHION —

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JANUARY 2015 | CONTENTS | 05

F E A T U R E S 12

Online Insider Advice, news and issues online

14

Retail Insider The latest in-store news

17

The Apprentices Discovering the heart of the workforce

19

Aesthetic versus technical fit Notes from fitting specialist Alvanon’s most recent seminar

27

Product news Rounding up the key stories this month

32

In-season stock Clockwork orange

34

In-season stock Rebel without a cause

36

Soho calling Folk Profiling contemporary menswear label Folk

39

Guide London strides back into denim MWB discovers the next natural step for the British label

41

New kids on the lane Brand new signings for London trade show Jacket Required

44

Eat, shop, rest Four of the key London hotspots to check out

48

The season’s starting line News and developments for a/w 15

50

Seasonal trends A comprehensive guide to the trends and products for the a/w 15 buying season

62

Back to the streets Capturing the key products in young, contemporary fashion

77

’47 Brand goes major league Tom Bottomley discovers more about the American label

80

All good in the hood The success of East London indie The Goodhood Store

R E G U L A R S 7 8 24

Comment News Interview Julian Dunkerton

84 86 90

Collective The Bottomley Line Last Orders With…

Philip Start

Front cover:

Soulland (suit jacket) 0045 4012 9416 Guide London (shirt) 020 7481 1111

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E D I T O R Victoria Jackson victoria@ras-publishing.com

JANUARY 2015 | 07

COMMENT

— D E P U T Y

E D I T O R

Tom Bottomley tom.bottomley@btinternet.com — C O N T R I B U T O R S Isabella Griffiths isabella@ras-publishing.com Laura Turner laura@ras-publishing.com Christina Williams christina@ras-publishing.com — S U B

E D I T O R

Amanda Batley amanda@ras-publishing.com — D E S I G N E R S Michael Podger mick@ras-publishing.com James Lindley james@ras-publishing.com Clive Holloway clive@ras-publishing.com Richard Boyle richard@ras-publishing.com — S E N I O R

S A L E S

M A N A G E R

Sharon Le Goff sharon@ras-publishing.com — S A L E S

E X E C U T I V E

Fiona Warburton fiona.warburton@ras-publishing.com — S U B S C R I P T I O N S Laura Martindale laura.martindale@ite-exhibitions.com — H E A D

O F

M E N S W E A R

Jamie Harden jamie@moda-uk.co.uk — E D I T O R I A L

D I R E C T O R

Gill Brabham gill@ras-publishing.com — P O R T F O L I O

D I R E C T O R

Nick Cook nick@ras-publishing.com — M A R K E T I N G

D I R E C T O R

Stephanie Parker stephanie@moda-uk.co.uk — M A N A G I N G

D I R E C T O R

Colette Tebbutt colette@ras-publishing.com —

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After sitting and reading through the final pages of this issue before we press print, it’s clear to see from the independent retailers we have spoken to this month that there is one topic on everyone’s mind – Sales.

— I spoke last month about the animalistic behaviour of shoppers brought on by events such as Black Friday, but it seems independents are taking back control of the situation.

We speak to indie Philip Browne on p14 about Christmas trading and, while he is far from happy from the ever-growing Sales culture that seems to be taking over the UK, the new season sees him looking to shake his brand portfolio up with some more exclusive labels – which may help in his fight against the constant discounting in retail.

Re-evaluating his store’s offer was something David Johnson, owner of John Douglas, decided on after a well-known denim label disagreed with the way he conducted his Sale. Which way might that be you ask? This year he opened on 27 December for an exclusive in-store event, refusing to go into Sale any earlier. Shock, horror.

Even Simon Carter, our regular columnist and founder of the eponymous label, noted a subdued two weeks running up to Christmas following the madness of Black Friday, which in most cases turned into Black Saturday and Sunday, before Cyber Monday hit. As Carter says in his column on p84, following that, shoppers were spent – both fiscally and emotionally.

So what can be done to change this culture, brought over the pond by our US friends? If retailers take a leaf out of the indies we spoke to this month, I think we could see a turnaround – maybe not this December, but certainly the one after. Create an exclusive event in-store, take your customers away from the heaving crowds, jumble Sale merchandise and make them feel special. After all, that’s what independents do best.

If you’re looking to shake up your offer this month, MWB’s January issue is the perfect place to start. Covering the key labels across mainstream menswear through to young, contemporary fashion, this edition brings you the best of a/w 15. Here’s to a prosperous 2015 and a successful buying season.

Victoria Jackson Editor

A Buyer Series Fashion Business Publication MWB is a fashion business publication produced by RAS Publishing Ltd. Other titles in the Buyer Series include WWB and CWB. RAS Publishing Ltd is an ITE Group Plc company.

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JANUARY 2015 | NEWS | 08

N E W S

INDUSTRY WELCOMES RATES REFORMS

INDIES ENTER NEW SEASON WITH CAUTION Menswear retailers across the country are approaching the new season with trepidation after witnessing how shorter seasons and the ever-growing sales culture affected the performance of a/w 14, according to a straw poll carried out by MWB. Following a mixed performance across the board through 2014 – which saw sales slowed by unseasonably warm weather up until Halloween and competition with high-street retailers, both online and off, going into Sale earlier and earlier – retailers have adapted their buying strategies in a bid to cope against these challenges.

“The main challenge we were faced with in 2014 was the cold weather not coming early enough,” says Ravi Grewal, owner of Stuarts London. “September and October were too mild to dent our stock levels of the more warmer jackets and coats. However, with the cold spell of late, key styles are running low. So now it’s a case of maintaining our outerwear buying strategy as it was last season with no real push to add any more than we need.”

Continuous discounting, meanwhile, is another key issue affecting indies moving into the new year, as Rowan Hines, owner of Room 14 Menswear, knows.

“Our biggest difficulty is the constant discounting from the bigger retailers,” he says. “This is why we focus on adding more up-and-coming labels for the new season. The knock-on effect is that if big retailers discount product we have, we simply can’t compete as we need to hold on to margin.

“We get involved in Black Friday and other key discount days, but apart from that we rarely discount through the year,” Hines continues. “Margins are tight, and we feel too many discount days can tarnish your business – and reflects that maybe got your buying wrong.”

One retailer to change the way he approached Sales is Dave Johnson, owner of John Douglas. “We were closed Boxing Day and opened on the 27 December at 11am,” he says. “It was a bold move, but we found the store was packed with people.

We made the experience more exclusive for customers – yes, it’s a different way of doing things, but we find it worked for us. You can’t rest on your laurels.”

—

The Chancellor announced a full review of the business rates system last month as part of the Autumn Statement. Following a two-year campaign to reform the system – spearheaded by industry body the British Retail Consortium – George Osbourne pledged to have new proposals ready for a reformed system in time for next year’s Budget.

The Chancellor committed to a cap in business rates rises of two per cent, and also promised to extend business rates relief for small businesses. The current system of properties with a rateable value of up to £6,000 being exempt from business rates will continue, while those valued up to £12,000 will receive tapered relief. It is estimated that this will take 360,000 businesses out of the system and reduce rates for a further 180,000 companies. Businesses with a rateable value of up to £50,000 will receive an increased discount of £1,500 from the current £1,000.

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RETAILERS STRUGGLE WITH DELIVERY BACKLOG Retailers across the UK struggled to cope with fulfilling the overwhelming amount of orders placed online in the run-up to Christmas. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday phenomena left some retailers and logistics partners with more orders than they were able to fulfil within the suggested delivery time frames.

Courier firm Yodel announced in December that it would no longer be picking up parcels from retailers as it works to clear the backlog of deliveries – something which the firm predicted would take 72 hours. Online sales over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend were estimated to be 50 per cent higher than expected, a figure that can be mainly attributed to the competitive discounting seen by retailers across the spectrum.

Despite some retailers – such as M&S – forced to extend estimated delivery times, however, most fulfilled delivery in time for Christmas.

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JANUARY 2015 | NEWS | 09

IN BRIEF

UKTI TEAMS UP WITH SHANGPIN

GERRY WEBER EXPANDS INTO MENSWEAR

Industry body UKTI has entered into an agreement with online platform Shangpin.com to bring British business into the Far East. The UK Trade & Investment body will provide support and expertise to British brands looking to establish a presence in China as part of the deal.

Shangpin.com has a unique position in China as the first full-price online retailer and B2B platform focusing on international fashion brands. The website recently reached 61 million people with a campaign for Topshop – which the organisation says will pave the way for other brands looking to enter the Chinese market. “Our successful online launch of iconic British brand Topshop through ShangPin.com was a milestone in Chinese retail history,” says David Zhao, CEO of ShangPin. “Topshop is one of many leading international brands looking to enter China via online platforms instead of opting for a traditional bricks-and-mortar presence.”

—

Womenswear label Gerry Weber has announced plans to expand into menswear as part of a wider move to reposition the label on a global level. The brand recently acquired fellow German womenswear label Hallhuber following its administration, and will target a new, younger demographic through the expansion.

The existing Hallhuber and Hallhuber Donna labels will continue to operate alongside Gerry Weber’s six brands, benefitting from the company’s logistical and operational expertise. A separate menswear line, meanwhile, will be added at a later date.

“The Gerry Weber Group has its own retail spaces in almost all European countries, and we will team up with Hallhuber as partners in a professional way in order to support it in building their own network of company-managed retail spaces, especially outside Germany,” says chief sales officer Ralf Weber, Gerry Weber Group.

—

BFC ACCOLADE FOR EDWARD ENNINFUL Stylist to the industry, Edward Enninful received the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator at the annual British Fashion Council Awards last month.

Enninful, who is currently fashion & style director of W magazine, has shaped advertising campaigns for Gucci, Christian Dior, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Jil Sander, Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani, Mulberry and Comme des Garçons during his extensive career. “Edward’s creative energy and level of vision captures the mood of our times,” says Natalie Massenet MBE, chairman of the British Fashion Council.

— ASOS TOPS PINTEREST Asos was the top retailer for shared content on Pinterest for the second Christmas season in a row. The retailer’s images are the most shared via the social network, which focuses on pinboard-style visual content shared or “pinned” on member’s personal pages. The season saw Asos generate an average of 7,202 pins per week, five times that of retail giant Amazon, which generates an average of 1,620 pins and came in at second place.

Third place, meanwhile, went to department store John Lewis.

— CLICK & COLLECT MOST POPULAR AT JOHN LEWIS Click & Collect has overtaken home delivery for the first time at department store John Lewis, indicating that consumers are opting to take control of receiving their own parcels. The Christmas period saw 56 per cent of online orders at the department delivered to stores for customers to collect at their own convenience, according to new figures.

Overall, John Lewis sales surged to £777m during the five weeks from 27 December, up 5.8 per cent on the same period last year. The growth was, however, entirely driven by online sales, suggesting that customers are as keen as ever to opt for the convenience of shopping via the internet.

—

BEST OF BRITANNIA HEADS NORTH

NEW SIGNINGS AT MODA

Exhibition for British design and manufacture to launch additional Northern show and new venue for London event.

Following three successful editions in London, Best of Britannia (BOB), the consumer and B2B trade show for British brands specialising in everything from fashion and fragrance through to food and drink, is launching BOB North. Taking place in the historic Post Office building and Market Square in Preston, Lancashire, BOB North will take place on 15-17 May 2015 and is being organised in partnership with Marketing Lancashire and Preston City Council.

BOB London, meanwhile, has a new venue for its next edition on 26-28 June 2015. Taking place at Nicholls & Clarke on Shoreditch High Street, the setting offers indoor and outdoor space, providing up to 40,000 sq ft of brand space for exhibitors in a location where high-pedestrian footfall is guaranteed.

—

Moda Gent has announced further signings to its autumn addition as the industry makes its final countdown to the event.

The exhibition, which takes place at Birmingham’s NEC on 15-17 February, will welcome Timberland (pictured), which will makes its debut for a/w 15 with a key focus on its apparel offer, alongside the likes of British classic, Gloverall and lifestyle label Weird Fish. Despite Gloverall exhibiting last season, February will see its move from Moda Select into the show’s Gent area, with an increased stand size and a renewed focus on new UK wholesale accounts.

Returning favourites, meanwhile, will include Crew Clothing, Olymp, Camel Active, Douglas & Grahame, Remus Uomo, Gibson London and Carl Gross, among others.

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SIMON CARTER UNVEILS FOOTWEAR COLLABORATION Eponymous designer Simon Carter has collaborated with footwear label Rad Russel to create a five-piece capsule range.

Paring elegant design with contemporary detailing, the collection comprises classic Oxford’s and Derbies handcrafted in calf leathers, buttery leather inners and insoles in Carter’s signature colour – cinnamon. Each pair comes complete with a shoehorn, anti-dust bag and spare set of laces in a matching colour to the shoe.

“I’ve worked with the designers at Rad Russel for many years, and always admired their energy and modern take on shoe design,” says Carter.

“So it seemed a natural partnership when they approached me to work on a collaboration range. I bring a touch of Simon Carter detail and style to their expertise to produce a collection that is well made, sharp and very wearable.”

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JANUARY 2015 | NEWS | 10

IN BRIEF SPORTS DIRECT SET TO CLOSE THIRD OF USC STORES Sports Direct is reportedly preparing to shut down a third of its USC stores. At the time of going to press, the company’s directors, who are led by Dave Forset, Sports Direct chief executive, filed a notice of intention to appoint receivers at the High Court.

There are 90 USC stores nationwide, employing over 1,000 members of staff.

The worst performing stores are expected close, while the remaining stores continue to trade.

PRINTWEAR SHOW TARGETS RETAILERS

RETAIL INSOLVENCY ON DECREASE

Next month’s Printwear & Promotion Live trade show will specifically target independents in the fashion sector with its garment customisation ranges.

The event, which takes place at Birmingham’s NEC on 22-24 February, has seen an increase in visitors from the clothing retail sector in recent seasons. Last year saw 5,000 visitors attend the show, with around a quarter of these being from the clothing retail sector.

“Many fashion retailers offer customised clothing and Printwear & Promotion Live is the ideal opportunity to see all that is new, and meet all of the major suppliers,” says event manager Tony Gardner.

“Many exhibitors, such as American Apparel, Anvil, Gildan, Fruit of the Loom, Beechfield Brands and Continental Clothing Co are set to launch new lines of high-quality garments, which allow fashion retailers to put their own stamp on them.”

—

Figures from business advisory firm Deloitte show the number of retailers entering administration decreased by 35 per cent in 2014. Falling to 119 cases, down from 182 the year before, the results showed a third of the insolvency filings in 2014 took place in the first quarter.

“After a few turbulent years, we saw fewer casualties in the retail sector in 2014,” says Lee Manning, restructuring services partner at Deloitte.

“As the economic situation improved, consumer confidence increased and the retail industry benefitted. There is a clear pattern developing, whereby we expect to see a permanent shift away from using administration as a restructuring tool for businesses with a greater emphasis towards constructive debtor-driven solutions involving negotiations with creditors.”

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— BOOHOO ISSUES PROFIT WARNING Shares in online fashion Boohoo dived more than 40 per cent after it issued a profit warning. The online fashion retailer dived sharply in the London Stock Exchange after it said full-year earnings were set to be “below current market expectations” after it was hit by fierce price competition from the high street. In a considerable profit warning, Boohoo.com said that sales growth in the UK had slowed to 25 per cent in the four months to 31 December and full-year results would be below market expectations. This compares to the 47 per cent sales growth recorded in the UK alone in the six months to 31 August.

The company, which floated on London’s Aim market last March, was expected by analysts to post a 62 per cent increase in annual pre-tax profits to £17.3m.

— SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY BOOSTS LOCAL SPENDING Consumers across the UK came out in force to support independent businesses last Saturday, with over 16.5 million people shopping local – representing a 20 per cent increase in footfall on last year’s event.

According to an American Express commissioned survey undertaken in the 24 hours following Small Business Saturday, almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of UK consumers were aware of the day – a 33 per cent increase on 2013. Of those, just over half (51 per cent) shopped at a local, independent business.

The average spend, meanwhile, was £30.56 per person, equating to £504m across the UK as a whole.

—

BANK FALLS INTO ADMINISTRATION

TOMMY HILFIGER ANNOUNCES GLOBAL BRAND AMBASSADOR

High-street fashion chain Bank has been placed into administration, jeopardising the future of its 84 stores and 1,555 employees nationwide. The chain – which retails a range of branded fashion labels for men and women – has, however, avoided making any redundancies so far and has reportedly been approached by several potentially interested parties.

“The administrators are trading with a view to progressing these options and seeking further interested parties for some or all of the business,” says Bill Dawson, joint administrator at Deloitte, which has been appointed as administrator. “The chain has been loss-making for a number of years, and a review of the business has determined that a solvent turnaround would not be possible.”

—

Tommy Hilfiger has announced that internationally renowned tennis player Rafael Nadal will appear as the global brand ambassador for its underwear and tailored collections beginning a/w 15.

“Rafael Nadal has been a long-time personal friend and supporter of our brand, and I’m continuously inspired by his dedication and passion for his sport,” says Tommy Hilfiger. “This exclusive partnership brings one of the greatest athletes of this generation into our Tommy family. Rafael embodies an effortless sense of style that exemplifies and reflects our brand spirit – he’s confident, fun and cool.”

Nadal adds, “I’ve always admired Tommy Hilfiger’s cool, all-American designs, which are sophisticated and easy to wear, and I’m excited to be partnering with the brand.”

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BBB CANCELLED This month’s edition of trade show Bread & Butter was eventually cancelled, following weeks of speculation and uncertainty in the industry.

Founder Karl-Heinz Müller attributed the cancellation to the reluctance of brands to commit, saying the exhibition had not been able to “motivate a sufficient number of exhibitors to participate this season.” He says, “I am convinced of the fact that our success concept cannot be continued by repeating the past.

“Maybe something great has to end so that something new can arise. Our whole fashion industry is at a point of radical change,” Müller continues. “This is why challenges of the future have to be met with new solutions. For now, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have supported and accompanied us in the last 14 years, above all to my numerous long-term employees and business partners – this is not the end. We will return.”

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HEART of FASHION MODA 15-17 February 2015 NEC Birmingham. Register online at moda-uk.co.uk

Woman

Lingerie & Swimwear

Accessories

Gent

Footwear

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JANUARY 2015 | ADVICE | 12

ONLINE INSIDER Advice, news and issues online.

ADVICE: HOW RETAILERS AND BRANDS CAN ENGAGE WITH THE “ALWAYS-ON” CONSUMER

JOEL REID is the new business sales leader at Intel Services and can be contacted at www. alwaysonconsumer.co.uk

Consumers are driving many of the changes in retail today. Consciously or not, they are receiving, processing and storing brand information and imagery almost constantly, from a growing range of sources. And they are becoming adept at filtering these messages to decide in their own time how and when to engage. Here I outline how retailers and brands can engage with this new breed of consumer.

In the quest to keep up, retailers are looking for ways to integrate their activities in all channels, both directly and through a network of partners, affiliates, agencies, developers and media. Their challenge is to connect their information and intelligence in order to create a tighter and more profitable engagement with the Always-On Consumer whenever, wherever and however they want.

The Application Programming Interface (API) is the bond between these disparate applications and devices, enabling all the players to meet rapidly changing consumer preferences.

APIs are playing a crucial role in retailers’ ability to amplify their presence through digital platforms. They provide a basis for composite applications, offering new ways to integrate systems and expand their reach across developing channels without losing control of their security, data or brand message.

Although most retailers have begun incorporating APIs into their strategy, they have mostly been embraced in an “as and when needed” fashion – which has led to a lack of consistency in procurement, deployment and management.

As the volume and sophistication of their APIs increase, retail businesses are likely to find it impossible to manage data from various organisations with different use cases and roles in-house. A successful longterm strategy relies on a dedicated management solution that simplifies increased API usage, to avoid turning a simplifying solution into a complex management challenge.

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WEB WATCH

WWW.THEFIXFORMEN.COM Launching earlier this year, The Fix For Men is a one-stop shop for all things sartorial. Designed to offer simple, relatable and informative fashion and style advice, the site is targeted for those on a budget. Acting as an e-commerce platform, the site brings together names such as Albam, Penfield, Jigsaw, Nudie Jeans and Oliver Spencer, as well as providing detailed city guides, wish lists and interviews. The Fix For Men is much more than a shopping site, it’s an online magazine covering a complete lifestyle and worth a bookmark.

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NEWS

THE WOOLMARK COMPANY LAUNCHES E-COMMERCE MARKETPLACE The Woolmark Company has opened an e-commerce marketplace on its consumerfacing website Merino.com, making merino wool products more discoverable for consumers worldwide.

The Merino Shop is an online tool powered by ShopStyle and allows consumers to browse the world’s finest wool clothing and accessories.

Developed by global digital marketing agency Lowe Profero, the Woolmark brand communicates the story of Merino wool and takes consumers on the journey from farm to fashion – linking the products they buy back to a story, adding authenticity to their purchased goods.

“Merino.com is our primary channel for educating consumers on the benefits of merino wool through highly engaging content,” says Rob Langtry, chief strategy and marketing officer, the Woolmark Company.

“The past two years have seen our digital presence significantly grow, and our key campaigns are increasingly moving to a digital basis. While currently we are about 60:40 digital:traditional, within the next three years we are likely to shift towards 90:10.”

— ZALANDO LAUNCHES PERSONAL STYLIST SERVICE German online retailer Zalando is set to launch its first personal stylist service for both men and women over the next six months, as it looks to take its customer service offering to the next level.

“This will be an interesting service for the large part for our 14 million customers in Europe,” says a company spokesperson.

“We will first start the new project in Germany and see how it goes before expanding it step by step. Our great advantage is that we have access to our entire range. We are not under pressure either to make a sale. This new service is part of our strategy for 2015 to improve our current customer service. However our personal stylist service will solely be available online, unlike other personal stylist platforms such as Outfittery, which has a number of showrooms where customers can see the clothes in person.”

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JANUARY 2015 | RETAIL | NEWS & OPINION | 14

RETAIL INSIDER The latest news and opinion from the menswear retail industry.

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VIEWPOINT JACQUELINE HARVEY is the owner of Harvey’s menswear in Sevenoaks, Kent, and is a member of The Fashion Association of Britain (FAB)

OI POLLOI TO OPEN IN LONDON Oi Polloi, the iconic Manchester-born menswear store, is opening its first shop outside the North in London’s Carnaby shopping district.

Located on 1 Marshall Street, the two-storey 1,170 sq ft store will launch in March and offer an edited selection of brands, as well as exclusive products and collaborations. There will also be a series of new additions to the brand list, as well as classics Sassafras, Fjallraven, Orslow and Engineered Garments.

“We are celebrating 12 years in the industry with the opening of our first store outside Manchester,” says Steven Sanderson, co-founder, Oi Polloi. “Carnaby is the perfect location for our shop with its mix of diverse, independent brands alongside larger flagship global brands in its 13 streets. The Marshall Street store will sell exclusive products, with some brands only available at the Oi Polloi Soho shop.”

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IN BRIEF JR TAYLOR ENTERS ADMINISTRATION Independent department store JR Taylor has been placed into administration by Howjow Investments, at the time of going to press.

However, the store, located in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, is actively seeking a buyer, and staff have been assured that it is “business as usual” until a new owner is found. The Manchester office of Duff & Phelps has been appointed as administrator. JR Taylor retails an extensive range of branded womenswear, menswear and childrenswear, as well as an offer of lifestyle goods and homeware over four floors. The business was founded in 1901 and has become a flagship retailer within the Lytham St Annes area.

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FURTHER EXPANSION FOR PRETTY GREEN Premium menswear label Pretty Green has announced plans to launch six concessions within House of Fraser in spring 2015, including Belfast, Exeter and Middlesbrough.

The brand will also be available online at houseoffraser.co.uk. This follows the recent opening of two new stores in London at Westfield Shopping centre and Spitalfields Market. It currently operates 15 stores in the UK including London, Manchester, Glasgow and Leeds, as well as five stores in Japan, and over 100 wholesale accounts.

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Somehow we managed to survive the slow early autumn season without discounting. I think it was a pretty dire start to the season for most of the industry. I sincerely believe in traditional end-of-season Sales where possible.

I feel that, if we were to embrace the midseason Sales, we would be creating a rod for own backs. Fortunately for us, we enjoy a loyal customer following and so, when we do go on Sale, our customers appreciate and value the mark-downs we make as genuine and consider the discounts worth waiting for. Christmas was slow to get going here, but the customer loyalty vouchers we mailed out during the first week of December were a strong hit. Offering a £100 voucher to a customer who has spent £500 with us is very attractive to them but doesn’t cost us that much in real terms, so it’s a win-win situation. We do well with cashmere coats and branded knitwear at this time of year and Gant and Boss Black sell particularly well in this category. Delsiena shirts have been very popular, too, and Canali suits, on the first floor, remain an equally reliable and well trusted brand. As a menswear retailer, we are all too aware that, generally speaking, men do not enjoy the shopping experience as many women do. With this in mind, we endeavour to make the experience as pleasant as possible and have a leather sofa outside the fitting room where customers can take some time out. Invariably, when a man is comfortable, and can find the right products, he will happily buy an entire wardrobe, so we make a great effort to get the product and shopping environment right. Looking forward to the New Year, I feel positive about the prospect of a new restaurant opening opposite us in the courtyard. It should be helpful in terms of footfall, especially during the warmer months when shoppers are inclined to dine al fresco.

As an independent, it is important that the environment is conducive to shopping, and having a restaurant will hopefully increase the amount of time customers spend in the area. www.fashionassociationofbritain.co.uk

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JANUARY 2015 | RETAIL | NEWS & OPINION | 15

SHOPPED: PHILIP BROWNE How was the festive trading for you?

We maintained turnover up to Christmas Eve, but it was the week after Christmas – from the 27th when we went on Sale – that we really smashed it with a record turnover. We didn’t set a certain percentage discount, some things were 20 per cent off, some 30 per cent and some 40 per cent. Brands such as Canada Goose and Belstaff we said were not the Sale. People accept that, and it’s why such brands are held in high regard.

PHILIP BROWNE — OWNER, PHILIP BROWNE, Is serial discounting having an effect on your business?

NORWICH Obviously it’s the profit margin that is a major concern, but this 24/7 Sale culture we’ve seemingly imported from America is not going to go away. Whether it’s Black Friday, Cyber Monday or whatever, it just seems to be any excuse to be on Sale – especially when it comes to the big boys who often overbuy and need to discount early in fear of sitting on too much stock.

— Isn’t it also a problem for the brands?

Of course. The problem is protecting the integrity and desirability of the brands. Some of the better labels, such as Stone Island, will advise on what they call “synergising” with their own business strategy, as in what you sell their product for, when you can discount it and how much for. That makes perfect sense. It’s protecting the brand image. After all, there is nothing sexy in permanently discounting. Fashion is meant to be a glamour business, not about piling it high and selling it cheap. That’s why I’ve started buying into the likes of Moschino and Versace again.

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IN FOCUS: RUSKIN 8 HARBOUR STREET, WHITSTABLE, KENT CT5 1AG

ESTABLISHED: JUNE 2014 BRANDS: COMMON PEOPLE, GIBSON LONDON, BLUE COLLAR WORKER, PEREGRINE, HIUT DENIM, COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, J SHOES, TYLER & TYLER

ELEMENT OPENS FIRST UK STORE Streetwear brand Element has opened its first standalone store in the UK at Seven Dials, Covent Garden. Located at 13 Shorts Garden, the 2,816 sq ft flagship stocks Element’s full range of men’s, women’s and kids apparel, accessories and footwear, trading over three floors.

The Element Basement features a dedicated skateboard section with a wide selection of skateboards, hardware, footwear and backpacks.

Reclaimed and industrial interior elements are mixed with street-art details and ecological components throughout the store – a key highlight being the tree trunk extending from the basement’s skate room up to the first floor.

The store is also set up to host regular events and will be used for internationals and regional artists to present their craft.

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IN BRIEF

Husband-and-wife team Garrie and Shelly Keeys opened Ruskin just six months ago, with the idea coming from them spotting a gap for menswear in the local market.

Initially it was more men’s gifts – as Shelly previously ran a general gift shop in Whitstable – but, once they started to get menswear in, things really started to happen, and now they are increasing their buying and steadily adding new brands and products. “I think men’s fashion has been much more interesting than women’s over the last couple of years, and there are some really strong, niche British-made garments out there,” says Shelly. For Ruskin, it’s all about the quality. Once they found the Common People brand, and it started to explode in terms of sales, the clothing side was deemed the way forward. “It’s definitely much more about the clothes now, and less about the accessories,” she adds. Gibson London, Blue Collar Worker, Peregrine, Hiut Denim and J Shoes have all been added to the mix, and the new buying season will see them explore the menswear side even further as Ruskin goes out to establish itself as the menswear store in Whitstable. It’s also a very nice looking shop, with a ladder from an old Victorian factory a key feature.

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BRITISH BRANDS COLLABORATE FOR CHRISTMAS POP-UP STORE Last month saw three quintessentially British labels – Peregrine, J Shoes and Forbes & Lewis - collaborate to open a Christmas popup shop on London’s Lamb Conduit Street.

Running for one week until 21 December, the store brought together a carefully curated selection of a/w 14 pieces, including Peregrine’s classic outerwear designs and the brand’s collaboration with J Shoes, which features a boot made by J Shoes, using Peregrine’s wool and a Daintie sole.

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JANUARY 2015 | PEOPLE | UKFT | 17

THE APPRENTICES As BBC1 starts to prepare for the 2015 edition of its popular The Apprentice show, apprentices across the country are already cutting out a career in all aspects of fashion, thanks to new government funding available via the UKFT and Creative Skillset. Christina Williams found out more.

— To any budding tailor, the chance to work on the renowned Savile Row is something many can only dream off, yet for Tom Pendry (pictured right) his aspiration of working with some of the world’s finest craftsmen was brought to life by an apprenticeship scheme with Henry Poole & Co. “We recognised Tom was a Poole & Co man for the future while he was with us doing work experience some three years ago,” says Philip Parker, managing director, Henry Poole & Co. “Since then, Tom has for filled our expectations in all departments, technical, management and being part of our close team – which are all important here. He has now begun his traveling career in Europe. Poole & Co is all about training the next generation for the company, and Tom is certainly part of that.”

It’s a microcosm of a new phenomenon that is occurring all over the country. In an age where formal university education is falling out of favour, a scheme that offers young people vocational experience, relevant skills and a working wage is proving increasingly popular. For the employer, meanwhile, the benefits of employing aspirational young people with fresh ideas are seemingly limitless, particularly when the government is offering financial assistance to employers looking to take on an apprentice.

Fashion Enter, New Look, Asos and M&S are just some of the high-street names that have already signed up to the scheme but, according to Creative Skillset’s training network manager for the Fashion & Textiles sector Alice Burkitt, independent retailers and smaller fashion brands looking to expand are especially well-placed to take advantage of the scheme.

“Apprenticeships are an effective, sustainable way of growing your business, and at the moment there is financial support to do so,” she says. “All too often, people think of apprenticeships as being limited to would-be fashion designers, but there are so many aspects of the fashion industry – from retail to marketing to buying – that can benefit from on-the-job training.”

Since July this year, Creative Skillset has been working with industry body the UKFT to make all aspects of the trade aware of the funding available. Employers fitting the criteria of employing less than 1,000 staff and being willing to take on an apprentice aged 16-24 could be eligible to receive a government grant of £1,500 per apprentice.

“Training and developing existing staff and bringing new talent into the industry at all levels is vital in ensuring the long-term future of fashion and textile businesses,” says Burkitt. “The fashion industry is joining together to invest in skills and training crucial for its growth and sustainability, and the call to action is use the support and funding that is out there now to bring new talent and industry relevant skills into your business.”

Here, some fashion apprentices explain how the scheme has benefitted them.

EMPLOYERS CAN FIND OUT MORE BY CONTACTING ALICEB@CREATIVESKILLSET.ORG.

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JANUARY 2015 | PEOPLE | UKFT | 18

L-R: ZOE BARROW, TOM PENDRY, ABBIE GODBOLD, EMMA JOSEPH, CORY HURST, ALEX RANK, NATALIE HURST-KNIGHT, ELOISE MORRIS, SHANA TEKILA

ZOE BARROW, 18, PR APPRENTICE WITH FASHION ENTER “The key skills I’ve learnt along the way are the full production life cycle and the business side of the company. I would 100 per cent recommend doing an apprenticeship if you want to get into the fashion industry. It’s not an easy way in and the training is quite complex but, just like everything in life, you get out of it what you put in.”

— TOM PENDRY, 31, CUTTING APPRENTICE WITH HENRY POOLE & CO, SAVILE ROW “After attending a workshop in college, I fell in love with the traditional old British craft of tailoring – it intrigued and fascinated me. I went from being on a six-week course to work experience to being taken on as an apprentice. Apart from learning the technical skills, managing people from different cultures and backgrounds is what I found most interesting about my apprenticeship.”

— ABBIE GODBOLD, 18, FASHION STUDIO APPRENTICE WITH FASHION ENTER “Since starting my apprenticeship I’ve gained so many skills and received so much information, it’s unbelievable. Coming straight from school I wasn’t sure if I was work-ready, but I am now much more professional. I’ve increased my performance levels and I’m a lot more confident in myself. It’s fun, exciting and hard work. I would recommend having an open mind when entering into an apprenticeship, as there’s so much to take on board.”

— EMMA JOSEPH, 23, FOOTWEAR TECHNOLOGY APPRENTICE WITH NEW LOOK “I have found my apprenticeship really hands on and interesting. You have to be on the ball because it’s just like a full-time job – you’re not running around doing errands or making coffee; it’s a real job. I’ve learnt that you have to be consistent and professional at all times, as you’re meeting suppliers and going to board meetings. I’m coming to the end of my apprenticeship and have really loved it, and the money is good.”

— CORY HURST, 17, TEXTILE MANUFACTURING APPRENTICE WITH CAMIRA FABRICS “It was the noise and the excitement of the Camira factory with all the looms moving that first inspired me. I’m more hands on and would recommend it to others who are like me. It’s about watching and working and, since starting, I feel a lot more mature and know more about how fabric is made and distributed. It’s a great place to work and the money is good.”

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ALEX RANK, 17, TEXTILE MANUFACTURING APPRENTICE WITH CAMIRA FABRICS “I found out about my apprenticeship through school, and felt it would suit me because I’m very practical. I’ve found it amazing and feel I’ve grown up so much since I started. I feel like a proper adult now, getting a wage every month. It’s like I’ve woken up since I left school; I’m more switched on and feel a lot better about myself. I want to keep progressing in my job and get as high up as I can in the company.”

— NATALIE HURST-KNIGHT, 22, GARMENT TECHNOLOGY APPRENTICE WITH MARKS & SPENCER “It’s the perfect career path for me. I knew I didn’t want to go to university, as it didn’t suit my learning style and I wanted a skills based apprenticeship.

I’m still finding my feet, but it’s really enjoyable – every day is different and there is no such thing as a typical day, so it’s exciting. You’re allowed to learn on the job – you must be confident and get yourself known to make an impression. By the end of my apprenticeship I should be ready for a fulltime job, and hopefully that will be with M&S.” — ELOISE MORRIS, 20, LINGERIE APPRENTICE WITH HOLLOWAY SMITH NOIR “I’m really enjoying being an apprentice – its good fun and you get to do really cool stuff. I was quite nervous before working here, so the key skill I’ve gained over the last few months is people skills – it is a core skill for me. I’ve learnt about the timeliness of production. The job is challenging and I’m always wearing different hats, but I get a say in decisions and I am involved in everything. You get the basis of everything in the business through learning – you get paid and you still get a job at the end of it.”

— SHANA TEKILA, 18, STITCHING SCHOOL GRADUATE WITH ASOS “My aspiration is to be a fashion designer, and to do this you need to know all the different areas in fashion, including the basics of learning how to sew. I love my apprenticeship and going into work every day. I am learning different skills by seeing what’s behind the scenes and how the production process works from start to finish. It’s hard work but fun, and I’m actually doing what I want to do.”

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JANUARY 2015 | REPORT | ALVANON | 19

AESTHETIC VERSUS TECHNICAL FIT

– THE FIRST STEP TO FIT SUCCESS Apparel fit expert Alvanon recently completed the first of a new series of UK seminars aimed at helping fashion professionals design and develop better fitting garments for men. Held at the UKFT offices in London and attended by high street retail and independent brands, the seminars provided clear and valuable advice on “best fit practice”. MWB, the media sponsor for the menswear sizing and fit event, reviewed some of the highlights.

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The aim of fashion professionals involved in the design and development of men’s and women’s clothing is to create a product that fits most people well within a defined demographic.

However, explained the seminar’s host Don Howard, executive director of Alvanon’s strategic consultancy division, AlvaInsight: “To achieve the ‘best fit’ it is crucial to first distinguish between aesthetic and technical fit and then to determine, who within your organisation is responsible for

achieving aesthetic and technical fit.”

Aesthetic fit is based on a subjective preference on how a consumer wants to wear a garment: “Do they want ease over body – easy, tight, fitted, compressed? Do they want their garment silhouette to shape and drape and what garment proportion and length would they prefer?” In comparison technical fit is an objective evaluation of a garment’s measurements and size, balance, fit for purpose, comfort, size range,

grade intervals and fabric characteristics.

Aesthetic fit, explained Howard, should be owned and determined by the brand’s front end professional design and merchant roles: “They should set their aesthetic fit goals in stone from the beginning, approve up to proto-sample stage and then hand over to the technical team. It is the technical team’s responsibility to achieve the aesthetic fit objectives in a technical fit that can be communicated and executed consistently >>>

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across the supply chain.”

With these distinctions in mind fashion professionals he explained can essentially break their garment fit discussions down into two fundamental categories: • Who is the garment meant to fit and what is the body size and shape of the target customer?

• How is the garment meant to fit them and what is the fit intent ‘ease over body’ and customer wearing preference?

In order to establish a shared objective of ‘who’ the garment is intended to fit, brands must define a fit standard for their target consumer population by identifying the body size (key girth measurements) and overall body shape (relationship between bust/chest and waist measurements AND waist and low hip measurements).

Target demographics When defining a target demographic for size and shape the primary focus should be on the age range, geographic location by country and sometimes region and fitness level. Sadly as we age explained Don Howard: “Gravity works. Even if we stay the same size, we lose height, gain weight around our girth and our posture changes effecting positional changes on our chest and bust measurements.” Similarly fitness levels and weight will have an obvious and significant impact on chest, hip, bust and waist measurements and stature.

Meanwhile ethnicity or country of ethnic origin can have a profound impact on shape. Each and every country has a unique morphology, body shape, some of these differences are marginal but many are statistically significant. This diversity is a wonderful thing until you have to design clothes

JANUARY 2015 | REPORT | ALVANON | 20

for a global consumer market!

Fortunately global body shape data is available. Alvanon conducts consumer body scan research all the time and supplements and validates this data against statistics from accredited sources such as the NHS, World Health Organisation and Centre for Disease Control. As a result it has compiled a database of over 400,000 such scans, the largest in the world. This data provides significant insights into how the human body how the body differs from country-to-country, or even regionally within one country.

Core body standard From this data a brand can identity its consumer fit “sweet spot” that is the core body size standard, however, he cautioned: “The core body size standard must be at the centre of the distribution range not at the smaller end of the range as is the tendency for many brands. If you start at the small end of the distribution curve you will distort the fit through the size jumps as bodies do not grade linearly.”

Right tools for the job Once the core body standard has been established brands should commit to tools that will embody that standard accurately and consistently through the supply chain, from design through every element of development, quality and production. Brands should start with a technical fit form that represents their core body standard. Fit forms should always serve as a consistent and reliable visual representation and technical reference that allow fashion professionals to evaluate the overall balance, scale, measurements and appearance of the garment in relation to a body. It then serves as a tool from which they can communicate and share their fit intent regardless of function or location.

Howard went on to explain that the most effective way to establish a standardised fit is to develop blocks: “An unchanging base pattern for balance and key measurements, devoid of detail,

DON HOWARD

that are developed in core fabrics with zero shrinkage. While blocks take time to develop,” he explained: “they will greatly impact the speed and consistency of style development. Blocks should always be developed on and mapped to the standard fit form.”

He concluded: “Brands must align their aesthetic fit with their technical fit objectives at the front end of the product development process and invest in the tools that will enable them to execute that fit intent throughout the garment development process. In so doing they will save time and make significant savings by reducing the number of ‘touches’ and ‘samples’.

It is essential best practice in the quest for the best fit.”

— www.alvanon.com

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JANUARY 2015 | MODA | PROMOTION | 22

MUST SEE MODA 15-17 Februar y 2015, NEC Birmingham

With just over a month until Moda opens the doors on the new season, its appeal is ever strengthening as a host of new features complement the brands heading up the show’s menswear of fer.

R E G I S T E R F O R Y O U R F R E E T I C K E T AT

The Skopes Breakfast Club

BE2B Hub

Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, and Moda has teamed up with menswear favourite Skopes to kick-start your morning with the launch of a daily Breakfast Club. The Club will open from 9am to 11am each morning of the exhibition, offering a free hot drink and pastry to all Moda visitors. You can pick up your Breakfast Club voucher at the Hall 6 Entrance and redeem your breakfast at the Plaza in Hall 20.

Joining Skopes in Moda Gent this season, Timberland will debut its men’s apparel collection, while new launch area The Loft will see fast-fashion brands Garcia, Blend and Warrior Clothing come together in one easy-to-access pop-up marketplace.

In Footwear, Helly Hansen joins Aigle, Paolo Vandini and Brakeburn to head-up a strong men’s offer. Explore these brands and more at Moda-uk.co.uk.

Recognising the service needs of both e-commerce and bricks-and-mortar business, the BE2B Hub is a new area that will assemble the leading providers for merchandising, point of sale and in-store display systems alongside the latest technologies, software and service to allow you to continue enhancing your customer experiences whether you run either or both bricks and clicks. Whether you’re refreshing or refining your business, it has never been easier to find the tools and expertise you need at Moda. With the likes of online marketplaces Shopa and Downyourhighstreet.com, 360 photography specialist EME Digital, Abbotts Freight, stock management software from Top To Toe and e-commerce website company Superia Commerce ready to share their products and insights, the BE2B Hub is a must-visit this season.

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JANUARY 2015 | MODA | PROMOTION | 23

MODA-UK.CO.UK

Underpinning knowledge

History in the making

Network and socialise

At the heart of the new BE2B Hub will be this season’s business and e-commerce theatre.

Seminars to be anticipated include business coaching and funding advice from former Mulberry and Clarks operational manager Jim Jordan; a hot-seat with the Fashion Association of Britain as they give you an idea a minute; consumer insight reporting from research group INTO; and topics on marketing, social media, stock management and e-commerce insights from experts and Moda regulars such as Dennis Reid, Tony Scott, Martin O’Toole and Jonny Ross.

Moda is once again teaming up with De Montfort University to bring you an exclusive snapshot of tomorrow’s footwear design talent.

The long-standing competition, entitled History in the Making, continues to grow from strength to strength, fast approaching its sixth year. The unique partnership enables students to expose their raw talent to top names in the industry with previous participants going on to design positions at Dr Martens, Loake, Clarks and Vivienne Westwood to name but a few. View this year’s finalists at the History in the Making installation in Hall 20 in front of the catwalk.

A Moda tradition, all visitors and exhibitors are invited to toast the end of day one with drinks in the Atrium on Sunday 15 February.

Meanwhile, tickets for this season’s Monday night party at The Beeches Bar and Grill are selling fast. The evening once again offers the opportunity to relax and reflect on the day’s business. As the UK’s leading fashion industry event, Moda is the perfect place to connect with other retailers, press and service providers.

Tickets cost £20pp and include food and a welcome drink. To book your tickets call Nicole Yates on +44 (0)1484 846069 or email nicole.yates@moda-uk.co.uk.

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JANUARY 2015 | INTERVIEW | 24

INTERVIEW

JULIAN DUNKERTON Founded on T-shirts mixing Americana with Japanese touches in 2003, Superdry’s phenomenal rise has been one leaving others in awe.

Tom Bottomley talks to co-founder, product and brand manager Julian Dunkerton about the ride so far, new ranges and a fresh emphasis on wholesale.

— Tom Bottomley: How would you say the brand has evolved over the past decade?

Julian Dunkerton: We started by introducing one product at a time – T-shirts being the first. The Osaka “6 print” really got us noticed and, though David Beckham wearing one helped, it was actually the exposure we got with who turned out to be the winning contestant on Big Brother wearing it over and over again – when Big Brother got big viewing figures. We’ve now obviously developed into a very comprehensive range for men and women, including footwear, accessories, tailoring, a Snow range and now a new Rugby collection. We’re constantly developing new product areas to push the brand.

— TB: Is the Snow line just for the ski look?

JD: No, it’s technical as well, so you can wear it on or off the slopes. It’s men’s and women’s. I’m proud of it – it’s great stuff. We basically keep targeting new areas that we feel the brand can move into. Rugby is the next one, launching with a small introductory capsule line in our own stores for this spring, and then launching properly for wholesale for a/w 15. We will showcase it during London Collections: Men at a drinks event at our Regent Street flagship. We believe it will open up a new customer demographic for us, as well as extending our current demographic.

— TB: Is part of your success your far-reaching customer base?

JD: We have a very wide appeal, and within the range we target different age groups. There

CO-FOUNDER, PRODUCT AND BRAND MANAGER SUPERDRY

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are products that only 30-somethings will buy, products that only late teens will buy, and products that will go right across the whole spectrum. The branded hoodies are pretty much bought by any Superdry customer. Sales continue to be skewed towards menswear, which accounts for around two thirds of our retail and wholesale business.

— TB: Did you ever envisage that the business would become this big?

JD: You never think it will, but then I never see any boundaries to what I think we can achieve.

Ten years ago I didn’t sit there and say “it’s going to be this”, but incrementally you just keep growing.

— TB: At what point did you think, “We’ve hit the jackpot here?”

JD: There have been so many stages to it. Every time we get a new category, co-founder James Holder and I get as excited as we did 10 years ago.

We do genuinely love product. The good news for me personally is now that Euan Sutherland has joined us as chief executive officer, James and I have much more focus together working on developing new areas. Product is my core skill, after all. It’s also about understanding where the consumer is going to go. Euan is here now to really develop the business growth, and provide clear strategies for Europe and other opportunities globally. Europe is the most developed, and we opened quite a few stores in Germany just before Christmas. They are wholly owned and run by us, though we do also have a franchise development strategy around the world.

— TB: Are franchise stores a route you take for the UK market?

JD: We don’t do franchises any more in the UK. We’ve got almost 100 standalone stores ourselves, so we don’t need any. We do have some shop-inshops in House of Fraser stores as well.

— TB: How important is the UK wholesale market to you now?

JD: It’s massively important. And we really intend now to move that forward with Flemming Jensen coming into the business, who’s recently joined us to head up our global wholesale operations.

We’re very much working on how we support and

JANUARY 2015 | INTERVIEW | 25

develop the UK wholesale market and that, of course, includes independents.

— TB: Of your UK market, how much would wholesale currently represent?

JD: We have around 300 doors in the UK, and they are very important to us. We intend to forge closer relationships with all of our wholesale partners, so we can become more efficient and do a better job for them. It’s a big focus for us now. Currently, wholesale is around 25 per cent of our business in the UK. — TB: Are you still doing the tailoring line with Timothy Everest?

JD: We are doing the tailoring ourselves for a/w 15. It was a successful collaboration that took us into a different market area once again. And it had an element of surprise to it, as I don’t think anyone would have expected that from Superdry, or indeed Timothy Everest. It’s a more sophisticated, expensive product, and it really helped to cement us with a slightly older and more sophisticated customer. All customers are important to us, but it added a different customer. Personally, I wear both the tailoring and the casual stuff.

— TB: How important is the Superdry branding to the overall appeal?

JD: One of the things we really pride ourselves on is the sophistication of our branding. James and his team work very hard to ensure that every single different product has a different kind of branding, be it back label or other little branding touches. I don’t know of any other company that is quite as sophisticated with its branding. In my mind, James is an absolute genius when it comes to anything to do with branding. They are like works of art every single season. There are pages upon pages of back labels, small tags and so on. The amount of work that goes into each product to try to make it the best in the market – within the price bracket – is phenomenal.

There’s an amazing attention to detail. That’s why we’re here, and why we’re successful – it’s James’ attention to detail.

— TB: How much are Superdry T-shirts and hoodies these

days?

JD: It’s still £25 for a T-shirt, and £50 for a standard hoody. It’s very important that we are affordable.

That’s why, from a wholesale perspective, people can rely on our product to sell. People get value for money when they buy our products.

— TB: When you started Superdry, what did you see as a gap in the market?

JD: The biggest gap in the market was for tops.

There were strong denim brands around, but no-one was owning the graphic T-shirt and polo space. We always work to the weaknesses of the market and fill the gaps. That’s what we always have done, and what we always will do.

— TB: With the Japanese writing incorporated in the branding, how is the brand perceived in Japan?

JD: Anecdotally I’ve seen a lot of Japanese people wearing and buying our stuff, but Japan is the only country in the world that we’re not allowed to sell in currently – somebody else owns the name there, which is a shame. In Asia in general we are very popular.

— TB: Is the Superdry website your biggest shop?

JD: Yes, by quite a considerable way. It’s 10.2 per cent of SuperGroup sales in our global business – and that’s incorporating our wholesale business, too.

— TB: What new market areas are you looking at in particular for menswear?

JD: When it comes to Pitti, we’re showing a higher-end product to go into higher-level stores including the new tailoring within the Copper Label – a range designed for a sophisticated customer. We expect it to be suitable for the Selfridges of this world.

So what you’re seeing from us is very much targeted product in the right environment. Along with the Snow and Rugby lines, we are giving new opportunities for wholesale customers to come and look at us differently. They are all very segmented and focused ranges, allowing a new customer to discover us. It’s giving us a wider appeal.

“We always work to the weaknesses of the market and fill the gaps. That’s what we always have done, and what we always will do”

A U T U M N / W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 C O L L E C T I O N S – 4 & 5 F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 5 S P R I N G / S U M M E R 2 0 1 6 C O L L E C T I O N S – 2 9 & 3 0 J U LY 2 0 1 5

4 & 5 F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 5

O L D T R U M A N B R E W E R Y, L O N D O N

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JANUARY 2015 | PRODUCT NEWS | 27

P R O D U C T

ALPHA MALE One of the strongest trends to emerge for a/w 15 has to be Normcore. Normcore, if unfamiliar, puts the focus on everyday basics, dressing neutrally to avoid standing out from the crowd – something the “fashion pack” seems to be embracing across both menswear and womenswear. Picking up from this trend, Alpha Industries presents a collection of pared-down designs, moving away from loud prints and bold colour choices. The brand’s signature MA-1 bomber jacket can be found in reflective nylon and denim, while a new sweatshirt programme will feature the Alpha Industries pencil pocket and a “remove before flight” tag on the sleeve.

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JANUARY 2015 | PRODUCT NEWS | 28

RADAR Spotlighting style SPIRIT OF THE BRITISH Baracuta continues to update its iconic outerwear silhouettes for a/w 15 while preserving its cultural heritage and DNA. The new season will see the introduction of adaptable winter options, colour, prints and contemporary technologies. The Field and Travel jackets marry Baracuta’s signature iconic shapes and finishes with technical utility features and modern design detailing, resulting in contemporary and adaptable winter essentials.

Inspired by classic hiking coats, the Field jacket features a detachable faux-sheepskin hood, front and internal pockets and a mid-length cut to cover a blazer. The Travel jacket, meanwhile, is the latest version of the G10 trench, with a pocket designed for passport, travel documents and phone.

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ROAMERS & SEEKERS ESTABLISHED: 2014 — SIGNATURE STYLE: Fusing contemporary and classic shapes, garments are made to be worn in both urban and outdoor environments.

— HISTORY: Former Superdry design manager Amanda Goss established the brand after working in the industry for 20 years.

After working in the industry for over two decades, founder Amanda Goss identified a gap in the market for reasonably priced menswear aimed at the 30-plus market. Goss felt her target customer was tired of the usual high-street offerings, and set out to create her own label, which would be both affordable and alternative. The result was Roamers & Seekers.

Combining functional fabrics in fashion-led shapes with technical-inspired features, garments are designed with the regular man in mind. Modern shapes combine with classic designs to feature collection pieces with a clean, contemporary appearance, without comprising affordability.

The brand will launch with its a/w 15 collection, which features a 90-piece collection ranging from typographical T-shirts to bonded wool bombers and mountain camo prints.

The new line will show at this season’s CIFF, whereby Gross will look to promote the brand and explore distribution options. Later, the brand will be launched to independents in time for a/w 15. Wholesale prices average at £30.

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JANUARY 2015 | PRODUCT NEWS | 29

PRODUCT NEWS Spotlighting style

THE ORIGINAL PLAYER Footwear classic Lawler Duffy is re-entering the UK menswear market for s/s 15 with one of its most exciting collections to date.

Born from the wave of British creativity prominent in the late 80s, the brand gained international recognition with its use of innovative materials such as salmon skin, stingray, pony skin, denim and printed leathers.

The new season will see a focus on the 18-35 year-old market, with a collection paying attention to the original ethos of the business, emphasising the iconic Stingray detail as a signature.

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RESTORE ORDER The new season will see denim brand G-Star unveil Restored Denim – the latest technical development from the Dutch label. Restored Denim repairs ripped and distressed jeans using techniques from the brand’s extensive workwear archive.

Celebrating the art of mending, when jeans were repeatedly fixed to extend their life, techniques span from blanket-stitch reinforcements to tailored darning stitches and blind-stitched patches that are invisible from the exterior.

Always pushing the boundaries of denim craftsmanship, the brand has created an innovative method allowing the techniques to be applied over closed side seams – an advancement also preserving the denim’s wash.

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STYLE HIGHLIGHT

PARTNERS IN STYLE Ben Sherman and Pendleton, two renowned shirt labels with over 147 years of history, have collaborated to produce a series of unique garments. Using authentic and famed Pendleton wool fabric, woven in the US, the capsule collection comprises three button-down collar shirts with the famous Ben Sherman tab branding.

Selecting two plaid fabrics, each shirt is made from 100 per cent virgin wool and features locker loop, box pleat and distinctive back collar button. The highlight is the combination shirt, which features black watch tartan sleeves, and green gold plaid through the body of the garment.

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CHATHAM British footwear manufacturer Chatham makes a bold statement with its a/w 15 country footwear collection. Presenting a classic country chic style, the brand combines traditional influences with a modern twist for its Goodyear Welted leather brogues.

Working the classic Harris Tweed with high-quality burnished leather in dark brown and tan, Chatham debuts a shoe and an ankle boot.

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JANUARY 2015 | PRODUCT NEWS | 30

RADAR Spotlighting style

MADE IN AFRICA

BLAQ ZINQ ESTABLISHED: 2013 — SIGNATURE STYLE: Signature streetwear style blended with a series of premium finishes.

— HISTORY: The brand was started with a passion for hats, inspiring the creative team behind it to spend countless hours designing and remaking the perfect snapback.

With a focus on luxury headwear, Blaq Zinq was established in Manchester and is entering the market for s/s 15. Designed for the hat connoisseur, with design details others may overlook, the brand offers a selection of headwear options where finish is key.

Its signature trademark – a black satin lining with gold binding – presents the consumer with a hidden attention to detail. Using the label’s star symbol as the core inspiration, this is translated through the range in various techniques, from 3D embroidery, black patent leather and matt black metal star placement on the right-hand side of each hat, designed to represent the creative side of the brain. Comprising nine styles, one highlight is the Houdini Crystal, which has a full covering of jet-black Swarovski crystals on the under peak.

With a strapline, “Your imagination is your only limitation,” Blaq Zinq chose to name each style of hat after great philosophers, innovators and artists – a collection aptly named The Creative Minds. For example, the Edison is named after inventor Thomas Edison, while the Da Vinci is named after the famous painter. The Jobs, meanwhile, is named after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, while the Mozart Q is named after the influential musical composer.

Finish is the key to this collection, which means each hat is packaged in a black dust bag before a black decorative box at point of sale.

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Based in Lagos, Nigeria, contemporary fashion label Okunoren Twins is one of the fastest-growing fashion brands to come out of Africa’s emerging economy, with their own standalone stores across the region.

With initial inspiration taken from Savile Row, yet utilises traditional weaving techniques, the brand creates three culturally driven ready-to-wear menswear collections a year.

For s/s 15 the focus is on shirting, with fabrics woven using the traditional Yoruba technique, originating from South West Nigeria.

This detail can be seen on sleeves and panels on the back of garments. Okunoren Twins also carries the Conceived in Africa trademark to highlight its position as a global African brand.

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IN BRIEF HITTIN’ THE GYM American label Original Penguin has unveiled a new capsule range for s/s 15, entitled Vintage Gym. Inspired by the collegiate and athletic style of the 50s and 60s, the collection comprises sweatshirts, baseball shirts and varsity jackets, Oxford shirts in brushed cottons and tapered sweat pants.

A colour palette of burgundy, navy and grey is complemented by soft gold detailing and typography.

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JANUARY 2015 | PRODUCT | IN SEASON | 32

ANTHONY MORATO £54.60 020 7739 8560

MERC £55 020 7495 8538

OLIVER SWEENEY £101.57 0800 622 6030

SPIEWAK £30 07773 775092

DAINES & HATHAWAY £70 01935 474321

GUIDE LONDON £16 020 748 1111

EYE RESPECT £69 020 3239 7517

CLOCKWORK ORANGE From rust to apricot hues, orange is one of winter’s biggest colour trends, spanning statement outerwear through to eye-catching accessories such as city backpacks and eyewear. Team with charcoals and navy for a more understated look.

Perhaps orange is the new black?

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FILLIPA K £42 0046 86157000

OLIVER SPENCER £90 07970 198962

PARAJUMPERS £37 020 7012 1420

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JANUARY 2015 | PRODUCT | IN SEASON | 34

CHEAPO £14 0114 249 3037 PALLADIUM £29.55 07585 300402

LAST BUT WON £23.50 07711 743569

WESC £24 01271 865600

BELLFIELD £10 020 7739 7620

REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE Animal print, leather and a signature red and black check can mean only one thing – the return of punk, or the aesthetics of punk, should we say. Continuing to influence designers and wardrobes for the past five decades, this non-conforming trend offers a much-needed edge to the smarter tailored look of a/w 14.

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SCHOTT £250 020 7481 2418

FUTURE CUT CLOTHS £14 0115 977 0009

NEUW PRICE ON REQUEST 0046 858791600

ENERGIE £46 020 7637 9663

Unless stated otherwise all prices are wholesale

ASHLEY MARC HOVELLE £20 07912 548107

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JANUARY 2015 | PROFILE | FOLK | 36

SOHO CALLING FOLK Cathal McAteer had the first Folk showroom on Beak Street in Soho in 2001, a time he best remembers for the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers more than his perky start to business. Fast forward 14 years and Folk is back in Soho, but this time with a brand new shop at 24 Great Windmill Street. Tom Bottomley catches up with McAteer to discover what’s spurred the move.

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Own retail stores are something the Folk brand saw as a key part of its growth early on, with creative director and founder Cathal McAteer identifying them as essential in presenting the brand vision as he saw it.

“Opening the first shop on Lamb’s Conduit Street was really the start of us being a bankable brand,” he says. “It was when people were buying us because they were making money out of Folk, as opposed to when we started out and people were buying us because they just liked our aesthetic. We quickly learned how to make garments much better for the punter, because production wasn’t great in the early days.”

Folk was indeed the very first of a swathe of menswear brands to go onto Lamb’s Conduit Street around nine years ago. “Just before we

opened the store, I let my girlfriend have her photography book launch in the empty shop, and invited Oliver Spencer. He liked the feel of Lamb’s Conduit Street so much that the next day he was down with an agent looking for a shop. It’s got a good feel to it with the restaurants, cafés and bars, and there’s a diverse mix of people around.”

Folk has two shops there now – a men’s and a women’s – with a barber shop below the women’s.

“Girls love it,” he says. “It’s good retailing that, having a space that’s not just about clothes.

People are after more these days, because you can get clothes on the internet.” The Universal Works shop on Lamb’s Conduit Street used to apparently be a barbers, but the owner sold it and emigrated to Australia leaving another barber there in need of a space. “So we said come

and do it under our shop,” says McAteer.

Folk also has the shop on Dray Walk in East London’s Truman Brewery – which it took over from the Butcher of Distinction shop several years ago, an independent that used to stock Folk. “He couldn’t make the shop work, but he sold a lot of our stuff so we took that over,” says McAteer. “It’s been a really good shop, but the area has changed dramatically. It was once a place where me and the guys from the office would go and meet for a pint, and it was cool.

Now it has all been transformed and most people are saying it’s like a “bridge and tunnel” part of London. That New York saying whereby the only people that socialise there now are people from out of town – it’s quite touristy.” He also says that, unfortunately, there are now lots of Sale shops

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there regularly, so the turnover has decreased considerably. Aside from that store, Folk also an outlet shop on Shepherd Market.

So why back to Soho? “We’ve been looking for something in Soho for a while,” says McAteer.

“It’s been hard to find the right unit in the right street. We launched our Folk womenswear line three years ago, so we were also looking for a place where we could find a home for both.

Another unit very close by will be something we’ll be looking at going forward.”

In McAteer’s mind, he likes the idea of having “a cluster of stores,” near each other. He cites a visit to Saint Germain to visit the APC guys as inspirational for that. “They had their men’s shop, women’s shop, Sale shop and office all within a stone’s throw of each other. With the staff going between each, it creates a buzz around the stores. If we could create that in Soho I would feel really lucky and happy.”

Great Windmill Street is certainly not a street known for retail, but being slightly off the beaten track is the Folk way, aside from rents obviously being more accessible. He says, though, that if you stand at the top of the street during the day, the footfall is quite impressive. “People come out of Piccadilly Circus, they walk up Shaftesbury Avenue and want to get into Soho, so they take a left on to Great Windmill Street. So the traffic is massive. Also, the development on Brewer Street, where Rapha, Stone Island, Wolsey and Woolrich are, has a draw. I know Stone Island do well there.”

McAteer says Folk is a small, self-financed brand that can’t just go out and entertain

JANUARY 2015 | PROFILE | FOLK | 37

£200,000 rents. So finding the right spots is essential when it comes to new retail openings.

“This feels like the right part of Soho for us, even down to being next door to Soho Radio. There’s enough going on. It’s quite a personal choice choosing a shop, and this one just felt right. Being in Soho again feels great, too, and the early signs have been very good.”

The new shop also signals a brand new shop-fit, as well as perhaps a cleaner-looking collection than we have been used to from Folk in the past. The retro approach of finding old furniture and old bits of wood for shop fittings has been replaced by a more modern aesthetic for Soho. “We did it so well, and our shops were photographed because people loved the shopfits,” says McAteer. “But it was time for a change, because it’s an easy thing to just replicate what you’ve done before. Also, our garments have changed, and we’ve matured a bit. I love the whole second-hand workwear thing – it’s a brilliant look, everyone loves that look, but we just felt we should move things on because we’re very much a design-led company. Everything is as detailed as ever, but it’s a lot cleaner. And it goes hand-in-hand with the new shop-fit.”

One thing about the new shop is you can buy everything in it, not just the clothes on the rails. You can even buy the tables, chairs, ceramics and lights. “We’ve designed them in-house, and we’ve sourced the right makers,” says McAteer.

“Because that’s what we’re really good at. We’ve always done that with our clothes, too. There’s no extra mile we won’t go to source something

more unusual or beautiful. And we’re not doing it on purpose just to be different; it’s how we are compelled to work. That’s how I set it up, and that’s how we do it as a company.”

McAteer also says they have “cleaned up,” Folk’s wholesale business, with some small shops struggling to pay their bills. “It’s not that they come to us with the intention of not paying, it’s just some of them are having a hard time. But we’re not a bank, we’re a small company, and financially we can’t afford to have people not paying us. So we’ve had to clean it up and work with a tighter group of accounts.”

Another factor in the clean-up has been that certain shops were carrying the brand that maybe shouldn’t have been buying it because of the perception of it being cool, despite not being “right” for their particular store. “Sometimes it just doesn’t mix with what they do,” he says.

“Sometimes we have to be firm and say, ‘No, you’re not the right shop to carry Folk.’ We need to be sitting alongside the likes of Acne Studios, Oliver Spencer, YMC, Our Legacy and so on, because that’s the type of customer we’ve got.

We’ve had a cracking season with Liberty, and the likes of Oi Polloi, The End and Peggs & Son are great retailers for us.”

For all the talk of new design direction, McAteer says he does have an idea to one day do a selection of past seasons’ winning Folk pieces, which he would like to simply call Old Folk. That really will be something to get Soho’s movers and shakers talking, and with Soho Radio next door, word will get around fast.

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JANUARY 2015 | PROFILE | GUIDE | 39

GUIDE LONDON STRIDES BACK INTO DENIM After a five-year break, Guide London has sought some expertise this time round to relaunch denim within its offering. Tom Bottomley finds out what’s different from brand director Richard Benson.

— Having gone about growing its collections over the past four years, Guide London is ready to go back to the drawing board and relaunch a welledited denim package for a/w 15.

Brand director Richard Benson says that only four years ago around 70 per cent of Guide London’s turnover was done on shirts, whereas this year it’s 40 per cent. “It’s not that the shirt business is down, we’ve just been adding other areas,” he says. “And we’ve not done denim for around five years, so it feels right to give it another go – and do it better this time.”

Guide London has partnered up with designer Tim Browne, who has a lot of experience in denim and with other brands. He has put together a package that will target the customers who generally buy Guide London’s shirts, polos and other clothing. The target demographic is the 25-50 year old.

There will be three fits: slim-fit with a tapered leg; comfort, which is a bit baggier; and a slim-fit with a straight leg. “It’s quite a focused collection,” says Benson. “We’ll be running 12 options altogether – over the three fits.” There will be a plain black, an indigo dyed denim, a used finish, a more aged finish and other rinses. Stretch is also important in denim at the moment.”

As on everything Guide London does, it will be carrying stock on it in-season. “On denim I believe that’s one of the most important things – you have to have the stock replenishment available,” says Benson. “A lot of our customers have been asking us to do denim again for a while because they know we do the stock back up which makes their replenishments much easier.”

Price-point wise, the jeans will wholesale

between £24 and £26, with a recommended 2.7 mark-up. “Denim is a very competitive market,” says Benson. “If you don’t get it right, you won’t go anywhere with it. That’s why we pulled out of it previously. We tried to do it in-house, and frankly we just didn’t have the expertise. This time around we were put in touch with someone who is much more of an expert.”

Benson believes it is also about looking for holes in the market. “It’s very difficult to find a nice pair of black denims at the moment, for instance, but there’s always a customer that likes that look.”

Richard Benson’s father, Isaac, and mother Jessica started the Guide London business back in 1988. Both are still involved. Benson joined the business around 10 years ago with his brother Jack, who deals with the finance side. “We’re the fourth generation of our family in this industry,” he says. “There’s quite a lot of history there – we’re certainly not the first time round the block.”

One the key strengths of the Guide London brand is its dedication to menswear independents up and down the country. “We have some 250 accounts,” says Benson.

Names such as Coneys in Lincoln, Estilo in Birmingham, Ashes in Bournemouth and Changes in Middlesbrough are among those that benefit from Guide London’s strong production values and customer service.

“As a business choice, we don’t work with department stores and multiples,” says Benson.

Having said that, he does admit that a multiple such as John Lewis is a retailer that Guide aspires to supply. “As a company, both our values are very similar, with customer service a top priority.”

Benson’s view of the multiples was tainted

due to experience. “We supplied Envy about four years prior to their business going ‘pop’,” he says. “Thankfully we were insured. But we’re a relatively small brand. We do very good business with those we deal with, but it’s not like we’re a £100m turnover company. The problem is when you do business with these multiples, aside from the chance of their business going ‘pop’, is they are always on Sale. Our business model is that we do not want our brand always on Sale.”

For that reason, Benson says they protect their retail price points a lot – for their own benefit, but also for the retailer’s benefit. “It’s no good if the only way we can earn money is by offering our customers discount, and the only way they can make money is if they discount in-store.”

So, he says, it’s quite rare, apart from when you get to end of lines, to find Guide London product discounted in stores in-season. “You’ve only got to look at brands of the ilk of Firetrap, Gio-Goi and Henleys – labels that supplied lots of multiples went ‘pop’,” he says. “And the reason for that is the independents, who were once the lifeblood of their business, stopped buying them because there was no point – they couldn’t earn money on them anymore because it was always on Sale. Customers could walk into a Bank store, for example, and find the same product for £20 less.”

For that reason, Benson has a point to stick to his guns when it comes to who Guide London now supply. And with denim now a new option, that will be music to the ears of many menswear independents who find it hard enough to have a point of difference from the big boys as it is.

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JANUARY 2015 | BRANDS | JACKET REQUIRED | 41

NEW KIDS ON THE LANE Always striving to make the brand line-up stronger, Jacket Required will once again have a roll-call of new additions to add to the mix and entice home market and international buyers to London’s Old Truman Brewery on 4-5 February. Tom Bottomley selects 12 new signings.

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HUSH PUPPIES

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NAVITAS Navitas is a new breed of outdoor lifestyle label.

Walking its own path, it sits where streetwear, outdoor and action sports meet. Its outerwear is functional, but looks the part in decent fits inspired by more leading edge street looks as opposed to just built for purpose. Created by a collective of like-minded individuals coming from vastly different backgrounds but all with one common thread – they all love being outdoors.

The next generation of outdoor enthusiasts, if you like, with a focus on creating clothing and equipment to fit the lifestyle they lead. “Styled from the street, inspired by the outdoors, built to last” is the brand’s message.

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In 1958, Hush Puppies pretty much invented casual footwear. Shoes with an individual style that made it cool to be comfortable. Soft and breathable were also key factors that created an appeal previously only achieved with well-worn shoes that had taken forever to “break in” – even The Mods, such as the old Hush Puppies brown suede lace-ups with their Sta Prest trousers back in the day. For a/w 15, there’s the reintroduction of the iconic Aquaice Wallaboot, and the Leo Desert, which adds brogue detailing to the usual desert boot silhouette.

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CHUP SOCKS Chup Socks takes its inspiration from the patterns of various indigenous tribes from around the globe. Using a rare find, traditional, low gauge old stocking frame machine in Japan, the brand weaves quality products while paying real attention to details on colour and design. All designs are original and executed with the most beautiful selection of yarns available. The label’s aim is to design high-quality yet comfortable socks, without compromising the intricate patterns of each style. On average, a single machine can produce 20-25 pairs a day. They really are of impeccable quality.

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ONTOUR Ontour is a modern menswear brand from The Netherlands, founded in 2005 by Etienne Dekkers and Remco van der Velden. They became friends at The Design Academy in Eindhoven, sharing aesthetic values and a common interest in music, design and street culture. Both men are inspired by the people and places they visit, hence the Ontour name. The label has just started a UK partnership with agency Rolling People, and will show for the first time at Jacked Required as part of its showroom brands. The a/w 15 collection is themed Trippin, and is apparently its most contemporary line so far.

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VICTORINOX Another intriguing signing for Jacket Required, Victorinox is usually a brand more likely found at Pitti. The a/w 15 collection is dubbed Archetypes by artistic director Christopher Raeburn. It draws inspiration from the design team’s Swiss Lab immersion experience in Ibach, and the surrounding areas, where the Victorinox factory is located, as well as the treasure trove of original ideas found in military surplus outlets or Swiss “liq” stores, as they are called locally. This season there is also a strong focus on the Victorinox outerwear programme, drawing direct inspiration from iconic archive garments.

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PORTER Porter is the brand name used by bag and luggage company, Yoshida & Co – founded by Kichizo Yoshida.

When he was 17, Japan was struck by the Great Kanto Earthquake and, in the aftermath, survivors – Kichizo among them – had to find efficient ways to carry around life-saving items. Hence his early mantra – “A bag should, first and foremost, be a tool to carry good.”

During Japan’s economic revival of the 50s, sales of his bags sky rocketed and he discovered the necessity of branding them. So in 1962, he came up with the Porter brand name – always associated with high-quality craftsmanship, and a notable new exhibitor at Jacket Required.

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NAKED & FAMOUS

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MADE BY SCRUB Made By Scrub is a Hong Kong vintage workwear inspired brand founded in 2012. Its aim is to reconstruct classic workwear in a modern way, analysing the garment’s engineering. Every detail applied on each product is based on research of the historical garment’s functionality.

So this is a well thought-out product. The Made

by Scrub team travels to different cities, sourcing antique and limited fabrics for each collection.

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Naked & Famous denim uses only the most unique and rare denim fabrics from the most prestigious mills in Japan. All the jeans are kept raw and simple – no washes, no embroidery and no gimmicks, just the best fabric in the world combined with modern fits. For a/w 15, the brand will unveil the world’s first coffee-dyed Japanese selvedge denim. In addition, it will showcase its new heavyweight Elephant 5 selvedge denim, weighing in at a whopping 19oz. Naked & Famous will also introduce a new knit programme, which includes sweatpants, sweatshirts and blazers. This is all in addition to over 50 styles of new shirts.

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JANUARY 2015 | BRANDS | JACKET REQUIRED | 43

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SPIDIDENIM

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STETSON Going strong since 1865, and supplier of headwear to real-life cowboys (as well as the likes of John Wayne and other stars of the screen), Stetson has a lot more in its range than most people might think, with classic caps, contemporary streetwear and hats made for the great outdoors. The a/w 15 collection is a celebration of Stetson’s 150th anniversary. There are some classics reintroduced from the back catalogue, with craftsmanship and enduring style the appeal.

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Spidi is a leading Italian specialist with 40 years of expertise in outfitting MotoGP and World Superbike “pilots”. And now it’s launching Spididenim – jeans built for action, shall we say, taking elements of traditional motorbike racing kit and applying them to denim. It all sounds very high-performance, and it’s all in the fabrics, but the trick up the padded sleeve is they are partnering with textile giant Orta Anadolu – a denim manufacturer since 1953. And the designs are by Maurizio Zaupa, a renowned denim expert, who has worked for Diesel in the past. The goal is to unite absolute resistance to water, abrasion, impact and ripping – exactly what is required on the MotoGP track, with the softest textures, easy to wear and comfortable, and exactly what jeans lovers demand.

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G.H. BASS

TIMOTHY EVEREST

The new G.H. Bass collection for the UK and Europe for a/w 15 pays homage to the brand’s classic styles, but there’s a new design ethos, too, to appeal to a modern consumer. Not stepping away from the Weejuns classic silhouette, “moreover allowing a plentiful archive to be dipped into and utilised in the name of aesthetic progression,” or so the company line goes. This is due in no small part to the vision of Stephen Palmer – the pioneering British shoemaker with his ground-breaking company Overland.

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British label Timothy Everest redefines casual tailoring this season with the launch of its autumn collection. Entitled Everyday Tailoring, the range re-evaluates the construction of classic menswear styles to present a range of lovingly, handcrafted pieces designed to be the modern essentials of the contemporary man’s wardrobe. Parkas, macs, unstructured Ventile jackets, tapered jeans and Oxford shirts all feature within the latest collection, each focusing on enhanced fit through ergonomic cutting. Texturally meanwhile, the range combines an eclectic mix of fabrics in celebration of British eccentricity. The line comprises 25 piece in celebration of the brand’s 25th anniversary, which will see it celebrate over two decades of tailoring since it was established in East London in 1990.

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JANUARY 2015 | LONDON HOTSPOTS | 44

EAT, SHOP, REST While in the capital for Jacket Required, here are just some of the places you can eat, drink, catch up on emails and discover retail inspiration, all a stone’s through away from London’s Brick Lane.

— BAR TERMINI u 7 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JE If you’re looking for a spot to grab a drink, Bar Termini – a bit further into Central London – is the place to head.

Whether you’re wanting coffee or cocktails, the bar caters for both.

Although there’s no two-year waiting list like some London bars, there is only room for 25, so expect the crowd to be small and select. And while it’s seated service only, if you find yourself flagging you may stand to order a single espresso (£1) for a shot on the go.

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HOSTEM q 41-43 Redchurch Street, E2 7DJ If you have time to check out your retail counterparts while in East London, Hostem is one place to add to your list, bringing together a carefully curated mix of casual yet premium streetwear designers and directional fashion. With three ever-evolving rooms, the uniqueness of the shopping experience at Hostem is that the layout and brand mix very rarely stays the same for long, so a visit in February might be very different to a visit now.

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FORGE & CO p 154-158 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6HD Forge & Co is a social working space in the heart of East London, offering a creative environment without the burden of overheads or the need for a regular studio or office. With a restaurant and bar, there’s more than one reason to visit Forge & Co – an ideal place to recharge your batteries, in both the lateral and literal sense.

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ACE HOTEL p 100 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JQ The latest opening for the Ace Hotel brand, last year saw the boutique chain launch its first UK hotel on Shoreditch High Street. Undoubtedly hip, the interior is all pale wood and 60s-inspired styling, while two gallery spaces feature bespoke bicycles on offer, as well as hotel-branded merchandise. Designed to feel like you’re staying in “a friend’s Shoreditch apartment”, rooms include a locally sourced mini bar, sofas and coffee tables. Quote JACKET when booking for a 20 per cent discount on the best available rate over 4-5 February 2014.

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JANUARY 2015 | BRAND GUIDE | 47

P R O D U C T

WAR HEROES A key menswear name in the British design scene, Realm & Empire strengthens its position even further this season with one of its best collections to date. Taking inspiration from WWII aviation, the new range, entitled Flyers, is based on designs and details found in the garment and print archives at the Imperial War Museum – unique access to which is enabled by the brand’s ongoing partnership with the museum. Highlights include a hand-painted A2 leather flying jacket in collaboration with Cockpit USA, a British-made knitted bomber-style cardigan, contrast-colour sleeve panelling and flash pockets inspired by the fluorescent painted hoods of Coastal Command jackets. Other WWII influences included all-over prints featuring the iconic Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane and technical, parachute fabrics and features inspired by a WWII parachute bag.

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JANUARY 2015 | BRAND NEWS | 48

THE SEASON’S STARTING LINE MWB brings together its highlights of autumn/winter 2015, starting with the news, developments and innovations to hit mainstream and contemporary menswear.

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BENCH

S4

ETERNA

Synonymous with Bench, the classic hoody has evolved for a/w 15 into a new silhouette with a modular hood system. An example of this within the men’s range is the Filament hoody, including carefully considered features and fabrics running throughout. Detailing comes in the form of stowaway hoods and taffeta, zoning on the collection’s Dormant jacket. The range continues with the concept of zip-in/interactive products such as the men’s Hothead gilet, which can be zipped into the Drone long-line parka for an extra layer of warmth and comfort.

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Inspired by design and architecture for a/w 15, outerwear specialist S4 presents a series of wardrobe classics for the modern man. Combining smart styling with sportier elements, the comprehensive collection features parkas with sheepskin-style lining to the hood, speckled wool relaxed-fit blazers, and padded gilets designed to be worn with smarter options to name just a few.

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“Modern elegance, urban dress and a light touch of dandy” is the description shirt specialist Eterna gives to its a/w 15 collection.

Colour palettes comprise cool blue-based shades of grey, lilac, dark berry, dark blue with burned ginger-orange and classic light blue. Subtle details add gravitas to the collection, such as ribbon finishes on collar bases and piping on facings, contrast-colour buttons and button threads. As always, the brand produces a range to the highest quality of premium fabrics.

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PRETTY GREEN For a/w 15 Pretty Green’s premium sub-division Black Label is inspired by British brands in 60s America, delivering a versatile range tied together by a unique floral design developed in house, specifically for this season. Inspired by The Beach Boys’ Wild Honey album cover artwork, the pattern has been hand-drawn by the brand’s resident artist and features throughout shirts, tailoring and accessories.

— GABICCI Referring back to its archives for inspiration, Gabicci’s a/w 15 collection features vertical colour block panelling and tipping, while silhouettes are streamlined and neat. Key autumnal colours include shades of uniform blue, claret and mustard, alongside fabrics such as cottons, woollens and water-repellent nylons – not forgetting Gabicci’s signature use of jersey fabrics, which is cotton plated with polyester for a crisp look.

— SKOPES Skopes enters a/w 15 with a comprehensive collection, featuring the likes of the Pershore – a tailored-fit suit jacket, with slanted flap pockets, contrast lining and a centre back vent, the New Cromwell, which is a tailored fit overcoat with a jetted ticket pocket, black velvet collar

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JANUARY 2015 | BRAND NEWS | 49

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CAMEL ACTIVE

JOULES

BARBOUR

Traditional workwear styles are mixed with sportswear elements, as is robust outerwear with classic tailoring this season at lifestyle label Camel Active. The look is reduced, tonal and focused on subtle detailing. In terms of colour, various shades of indigo represents the key trends of a/w 15 and can be found in all product areas, while brown and military tones are also strongly represented. New is the exclusive use of fur generated as a by-product during environmental care through forest rangers and hunters.

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Following a successful a/w 14 season, British label Joules takes its influence from a cleaner, stripped-back look. Colour is rich and regal, with ruby greens, British reds and strong blues, while quintessentially British style comes from the use of tweeds, chunky knits, statement checked shirts and outerwear that performs in the city and country, with the introduction of the Leeward reversible padded jacket, the Seagrove peacoat, the Pocklington parka, and the Lockhart waxed biker jacket, available in two colours.

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The new season sees iconic British label Barbour unveil its collaboration with Triumph Motorcycles in a two-year clothing partnership. Based on the core characteristics of authenticity, modern design and retro coolness, the collection combines the rich heritage of both brands. The signature Barbour International jacket is customised exclusively for the collaboration, alongside cut-off denim jackets, shirts, chunky knitwear and statement tees.

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with contrast under-collar and centre vent and finally the Castlehill jacket, which features contrast suede jetted ticket pocket, elbow patches and contrast polka-dot lining.

— TIMOTHY EVEREST Timothy Everest reaches its 25th anniversary this year – which will be celebrated with the launch of its new ready-to-wear collection. The range takes the renowned tailors aesthetic and reinterprets a cohesive line of casual contemporary icons with sartorial attention to detail.

— DUCK AND COVER This season sees the British label draw reference from a diverse range of topics, such as merchant navy dockworkers, vintage sportswear, and 90s lad culture. While the ever-present black and variegated levels of melange grey are key basics, navy remains the backbone of this season’s colour palette, along with green tones and deep shades of red. Key fabrics include denim, corduroy and neoprene.

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p AIGLE

q MAC p MERC

p ALBERTO

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SARTORIAL SEVENTIES With staple roll-necks, textures such as soft-to-the-touch shearling and robust cord, as well as a colour palette comprising browns, yellows and greys, it is clear to see a/w 15 brings with it a revival of sartorial 70s dressing. Visible throughout outerwear categories, brands such as French lifestyle label Aigle present a series of texture-rich Hunstman coat options, which incorporate the use of fleece fabrics, sheepskins and Sherpa wools, while German label Digel updates its leather jacket collection to include a lamb nappa short aviator jacket with a lambskin collar, available in cognac or dark brown. Modernising this trend, meanwhile, is the return of the tapered slim-fit trouser, again with texture being key as trouser specialist Alberto offers up classic corduroy looks, updated with leather applications and a rough vintage finish, while the focus for MAC remains on slim silhouettes, plus tapered styles, with and without pleats. Sophisticated details such as zips on back pockets, silicon prints and material mixes can be found on five-pocket styles throughout, again featuring a colour palette of beige, brown, khaki and black. One brand to capture the sartorial dressing of the 60s and 70s is British brand Merc. Short-sleeved jacquard knits and tartan button-down shirts lay under Harrington and Donkey jackets, while updates come in the form of wool and PU combinations, coated nylons and cotton moleskin – all mixed with traditional wools such as Melton and flannel. Featuring heavily on runways through a/w 14, the roll-neck, as mentioned previously, is a staple to this trend. Olymp presents a thick knit style in deep olive, while Roy Robson impresses with fine textures, detailed edging, purl patterns and ethnic jacquards. — q OLYMP

p G-DESIGN q ROY ROBSON

p DIGEL

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JANUARY 2015 | TRENDS | 52

GET WAISTED Although prominent throughout suiting, the waistcoat is seen standing on its own in a much more casual sense this season. Rounding off German label Carl Gross’ a/w 15 collection, waistcoats incorporate new weaving patterns, while the reverse side is often coloured and designed to create a subtle contrast. Fabrics used, meanwhile, include wool, synthetic nappa and nylon combined with jersey. Lifestyle label Bugatti welcomes the inclusion of waistcoats within its suiting offer, with and without reveres, in slim-fit lightly brushed fabrics. In terms of its a/w 15 collection, British label Brook Taverner offers a selection of waistcoats in tweeds, wool mixtures and brushed cottons as part of its three-piece range. Guide London, meanwhile, puts the focus on its heritage, with tailoring balanced between smart day and evening special occasion looks – a key selling point of the waistcoat is its sheer versatility – while Benventuo introduces a sportier version in Italian wool mixes with a unique effect yarn to create a slight metallic shine.

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q BUGATTI

p CARL GROSS

q GUIDE LONDON p BENVENUTO BLACK LABEL

p BROOK TAVERNER

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p MAC

p ANTHONY MORATO

p JOULES

p DIGEL

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p ALBERTO

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p CG CLUB OF GENTS

BACK TO BLACK Menswear takes a trip to the dark side this season, with a plethora of labels presenting a palette of black, granite and the deepest of blues. Interest comes from texture for a/w 15, with fabric and finish playing a central role in this dominating trend. For example, trouser specialist Mac uses leather touch gabardine with a velour leather look, while its “jog ’n’ jeans” feature sweat denim coated on the outside, creating a striking, fine leather look without taking away the comfort of sweatpants. G-Design, meanwhile, also presents tapered-fit jogging pants in black-grey jersey wool, featuring a houndstooth design and cuffed trims. Alberto acknowledges the trend for innovative finishes with no less than four types of coating in its trouser offering. Narrow, black-coated drainpipes with panel seams at the knee create a robust look with a hint of attitude. The most important element of Digel’s Move collection, however, is layering. Highlights include the inclusion of two blousons in black and navy – the bomber-style version fashioned in textured shape memory, and the lightweight, quilted version featuring a band collar and ribbed cuffs. Moving into a more tailored look, CG Club of Gents pairs slim-fit sharp suiting with black minimalist patterned shirts – variations include pinpoints, jacquards, peacock motifs and checks. Sister label Carl Gross, however, moves away from the smarter look, introducing a jersey blazer to its offer, designed to take all constraints of heavy outerwear. Outerwear remains a key category for lifestyle label Joules, refreshed for the new season with a series of waterproof styles, including a lightweight pack-a-way and quilted biker jacket – in a series of toned-down shades.

— q CARL GROSS

p G-DESIGN

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q ETON

p VENTI

p HATICO

q MARVELIS

p CASA MODA

MAKING A STATEMENT Moving away from traditional checks and pinstripes, casual and business shirt categories receive an interesting update this season from a blend of florals, paisleys and graphic motifs. And while eye-catching, bold prints are usually spotted on the more eccentric shopper, a subtler colour palette means this trend doesn’t have to be worn with trepidation. This trend can be seen at the likes of Casa Moda, whose collection is characterised by classic tones of blue, grey and Marsala red. Buyers can expect to see minimal prints, fine-threaded Cotelé stripes, shaft patterning on Fil à Fil basis and micro structures, which are reversible due to the weaves also featuring throughout. Noteworthy prints this season come from shirt labels such as premium brand Eton, which presents a series of photographic finishes such as the forest graphic (pictured), and Venti – the sister label to Casa Moda – which welcomes the introduction of its new leisure shirt in a series of distinctive prints. With a colour palette comprising blue, green and emerald, detailing comes from vintage inspired buttons and ribbon finishes. Brands such as Hatico, however, put the focus on fabrics by utilising brushed poplins, flannels in various weights and twills, while blended yarns and faux denims are central to Marvelis’ a/w 15 offering.

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NORMCORE One of the most used buzzwords within the fashion industry in 2014, Normcore has filtered down from the catwalks and onto the high street for a/w 15. Except this “trend” isn’t really a trend – it’s the anti-fashion, if you like. Far removed from the Dandy dressers of European cities such as Florence and Paris, Normcore represents the normal everyday man – think simple colour palettes, stripped-down detailing and unpretentious clothing choices. Camel Active, for example, presents a series of relaxed, tonal wardrobe classics such as the field jacket in a nylon-cotton mix, and biker jackets made from soft, vegetable-dyed leather. In terms of denim, the focus is placed on washes and fits rather than noticeable details.

Trouser specialist Bruhl, meanwhile, introduces innovative denims with a soft and tactile bonded contrast lining to protect against the elements.

Detailing continues throughout the collection, inside rather than on the product’s exterior, including colour-woven textured pocket linings, laser buttons and stamped decorative rivets. Mid-layers such as sweatshirts are prominent in this trend, with Olymp showcasing a sporty blue logo sweat, designed to be worn over a casual shirt, while trend-led label Closed presents special weaving effects with authentic details in blue and olive shades, combined with paler printed elements to add interest to its sweatshirt offer. Textured knits are also key, with the Joules and CG Club of Gents introducing Fair Isle, chunky hand-knit and fine cable-knit options into their a/w 15 collections. Joules continues its love affair with timeless staples by welcoming back the polo shirt, found in a series of multi-stripes and solid colour blocks. Underneath sweats lay shirts, and a subtle colour palette of white, pale blue and denim effect reigns king at the likes of Seidensticker. Although simplicity is key, interest comes from fabric use and whilst poplin and twill feature, herringbone, fil-a-fil fabric and chambray complete the collection.

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p SEIDENSTICKER

q JOULES p ALPHA INDUSTRIES

p CAMEL ACTIVE

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q CLOSED

q OLYMP

p BRUHL

p CG CLUB OF GENTS

THE ESSENTIAL RESOURCE FOR THE MENSWEAR INDUSTRY MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK NEWS���•���RETAIL���•��BRANDS���•���OPINION���•���FEATURES���•���PEOPLE���•���EVENTS

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Schott leather jacket £260 020 7481 2418 Future Cut Cloths T-shirt £12 0115 977 0009 Duck and Cover jeans (just seen) £25 020 8453 1668 Necklace (just seen) stylist’s own —

BACK TO THE STREETS MWB SHOOTS SOME OF THE KEY PIECES TO BUY INTO THIS SEASON, FROM STATEMENT PRINTS TO CLASSIC STREETWEAR STAPLES SUCH AS THE BOMBER JACKET. —

This page: Mishka hooded top £25 020 7095 1145 Soulland flannel top price on request 0045 40129416 Mi-Pac python backpack £16.70 020 7749 5149 — Opposite page: Alpha Industries bomber jacket £58 01869 366580 Blue Collar Worker jeans £42.50 07890 994874 Farah 1920 T-shirt £16 07879 119344 Ohw? ski hook boots £60 07813 212416 Aono woollen hat £11 020 7095 1145 —

Known hat £12 07877 430811 Volcom hoody £28 020 7729 2744 Volcom jeans £30 020 7729 2744 Villain jumper £39 020 7379 4488 Ohw? ski hook boots £60 07813 212416 Larson watch price on request alicia@larssonandjennings.com

Opposite page: Future Cut Cloths T-shirt £14 0115 977 0009 Necklace stylist’s own — This page: Weekend Offender Kongur jacket £33.33 01332 614755 Weekend Offender Dinara jumper £25.93 01332 614755 Energie jeans £36.40 020 7637 9663 —

This page: Roux varsity jacket £72 07872 565437 Native Youth T-shirt £7 0161 835 2064 Volcom jeans £30 020 7729 2744 Saucony trainers £27.30 ian.pattison@saucony.com Necklace stylist’s own — Opposite page: Soulland blazer price on request 0045 40129416 Guide London printed shirt £24 020 7481 1111 Soulland trousers price on request 0045 40129416 Collar pins stylist’s own —

Realm & Empire Kemble utility waistcoat £34 07446 110138 Aono camouflage sleeved top £14.00 020 7095 1145 Luke Roper 1977 jogging bottoms £28 01869 366580 Caterpillar boots price on request 020 7860 0100 Elvine hat £14 020 7723 3211 Cheapo camouflage watch £14 0114 249 3037 —

Opposite page: Blue Collar Worker forester styled jacket £53.30 07890 994874 Native Youth T-shirt £7 0161 835 2064 Luke Roper 1977 grey bomber sweat £36 01869 366580 Energie jeans £36.40 020 7637 9663 Palladium £34.10 07585 300402 — This page: Schott bomber jacket £38.25 020 7481 2418 Known jumper £13.50 07877 430811 —

Credits: Photographs: Chris Harvey www.chrisharveyphoto.com Make-up artist: Rebecca Lockwood www.rebeccalockwood.co.uk Model: Marcus Hodson www.nemesisagency.co.uk Stylist: Victoria Jackson Assistant: Rebecca Jackson Unless states otherwise all prices are wholesale —

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JANUARY 2015 | ’47 BRAND | PROFILE | 77

’47 BRAND GOES MAJOR LEAGUE ON STREETWEAR

American sportswear company ’47 Brand, which has a history of supplying US sports team memorabilia, especially for legendary baseball team the Boston Red Sox, is upping its game on its street appeal with three new collaborations this year and a more fashion-targeted mainline.

Tom Bottomley hits a home run to find out more.

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In the summer of 2014, ’47 Brand opened a brand new showroom at 51 Tabernacle Street in East London with a fresh emphasis on apparel with more street appeal, as well as its various caps.

With it comes a whole new UK and European push to a different customer base aside from its traditional sports stores, with the likes of Urban Outfitters leading the way.

This spring also sees a collaboration with purveyors of all things street, Supreme, and in summer there will be a launch of a footwear collaboration with cool US brand Gourmet. Add to this a very interesting collaboration – set to become an exclusive licence deal – with Black Fives, which stems from the black US basketball teams of 1904 through to the 1940s during a still racially divided America. It is referred to as

the Black Fives Era, when dozens of all-black teams emerged and excelled, with names such as The New York Rens and The Washington 12th Streeters. Product-wise it can add another string to the bow of ’47 Brand, which already has the European rights for apparel to all Major League Baseball (MLB), as well as headwear and apparel rights for National Hockey League teams and 10 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams including Yale, Harvard and Notre Dame.

Leata-Mae Freeman, European marketing coordinator for ’47 Brand, says, “In America, we are the only sports lifestyle brand to have all rights to all major sports league teams.”

And it all started selling Red Sox related sports souvenirs off the back of a cart outside the Fenway Park ground of the famous Boston Red

Sox baseball team, by entrepreneurial Italian twin brothers Arthur and Henry D’Angelo back in the late 30s. Arthur is still around to see how it has all developed in to a global business, and it is his four sons – Steven, Mark, David and Bobby – who now run the business. A major game changer came in 2005, when Twins Enterprise – the company formed in 1947 by the twins when they established their first souvenir store – acquired sports apparel manufacturer Banner. With the merger of a huge supplier of caps and a huge supplier of sportswear, in 2009, it was decided to created the ’47 Brand – to be established in its own right.

“Banner was a bit of an upstart apparel brand, but it was making a name for itself producing some of the finest sports licensed >>>

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apparel,” says Freeman. “Twins Enterprise wanted to expand its categories and felt that apparel was the next authentic step. Hence the takeover.”

Fran Lavelle, who is now heading up sales for the UK and Ireland, says, “We are reaching out to an eclectic range of customers who, from sports or streetwear, identify with our brand. For 2015, it will be clear within our line architecture that the segmentation of product offers will be obvious by the profile of store that it is available in.” In other words, different gear for different retailers, with the common thread being the brand’s background in sports lifestyle.

There is also talk of pop-up shops in the UK to hammer home the brand message. “Of course, there should be one in London, and perhaps several others in key cities in the UK before expanding across Europe,” says Freeman. With regard to the spring Black Fives launch, there are plans for an exclusive pop-up instillation with the right retail partner, as well as a launch party and other activations to create some noise around the Black Fives collection and educate consumers on the history of the league as well. “To help bring these untold true stories to life, we have aligned ourselves with streetwear boutiques in the US – across the seven cities where the Black Fives thrived,” says Freeman. “Each boutique’s designs meld their own aesthetic of the Black Fives team from that particular city. We are currently in the middle of confirming which European retailers will stock certain team collections, as well as the generic Black Fives collection designed by us. It’s an exciting project.”

JANUARY 2015 | ’47 BRAND | PROFILE | 78

Fran Lavelle says they are being frugal with distribution. “It’s to ensure they offer their wellknown sports lifestyle products, which include snapback caps, strap and webclip options and the significant gun in our arsenal – the Franchise Curved Brim Cap – which has been a staple headwear product in the line for over 50 years.”

Also a look, trend-wise, that’s not really been big on the streets, in the UK at least, since the late 1980s and early 1990s. Time for a comeback, perhaps, as the snapback has been dominant for some time.

“As a premium sports lifestyle company, we are ensuring our a/w 15 collection is complementary to the sports we have supported for many years,” says Lavelle. “We will be presenting alternative fabric appliqués on apparel and headwear such as neoprene finishes, snakeskin treatments and mesh to give our winter offering a little flavour in contrast to the athletic, garment wash, French terry, fleece and slub/scrum we have as standard each season.

Strong silhouettes for us are consistently those that resemble our legacy within sports such as baseball.” The all-new ’47 Brand offering will be showcasing at February’s Jacket Required on 4-5 February, and the brand will also have presence at the BeStreet Festival in London in May. “It’s more of a consumer show, where we have the chance to connect with customers personally and sell items via a mini pop-up shop,” says Freeman.

The collaborations will also be sure to raise the label’s profile. Freeman says a lot of the work on that side can be attributed to ’47 Brand’s vice president of marketing, Wayne Best. “He has been in the business a long time and has some fantastic connections. We at ’47 Brand are keen to explore collaborations and long lasting relationships, so Wayne’s connections meant we could reach out to who we felt would work best with the label.” For Freeman, Supreme is considered top

of the tree when it comes to street lifestyle, so it’s a great opportunity to be associated with the best. Gourmet is a particularly natural fit, as the founder – Greg Luccin – is from Boston with Italian roots, just like the D’Angelo brothers who started this company. It also gives them the chance to explore footwear collaborations, as this is currently a category they do not run.

And Black Fives is almost more than a collaboration, as that will eventually become its own licence that ’47 Brand will have the rights too which, from an exclusivity point of view, is big news. “We also have the honour of working with designer Jeff Staple, who is helping to lead curate this project working with the Black Fives foundation,” says Freeman. “All of these collaborations are exciting as they each are different yet will raise brand awareness, showing that not only do we have an eye for who is the best to collaborate with, but an appreciation for great, high-quality, product.”

For all the great new work going on, though, it is unlikely that sales will surpass the products the company has created bearing the Boston Red Sox logo in the past. As Freeman says, “The Red Sox is indeed the bestselling of all-time in terms of products, and it is the most recognisable. Fenway Park is the home of the Boston team, and that of course is where it all started for the company – on the streets outside the ground.” Ironic, perhaps, that socks are, after all these years, another new addition to the ’47 Brand product line for the new season. Sure to smash a new home run when it comes to sales.

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JANUARY 2015 | XXXXXXX | XXXXXXXX | 00

ALL GOOD IN THE ’HOOD After a recent relocation and expansion, East London’s concept space The Goodhood Store is going from strength to strength. Rebecca Jackson finds out why life’s good at the top for co-founders Kyle Stewart and Jo Sindle.

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Setting up shop at the start of a recession in 2007, you might think the odds would be stacked against any retailer starting out in a struggling economy.

However, The Goodhood Store came out the other side with business doing better than ever.

Due to the success of the store it’s not surprising that owners Kyle Stewart and Jo Sindle took the decision to surrender to space constraints and move the store to a new and much larger location in September last year.

At 3,000 sq ft and spread over two floors, the new location on Curtain Road in London’s Shoreditch is a stone’s throw away from the previous spot. However, the new store is now big enough to house an expanded edit of the retailer’s men’s, women’s, children’s, homeware and accessories departments. Additionally, the new site saw the introduction of The Goodhood Café. Serving up flat whites to weary customers, as well as a host of other caffeine favourites, the store’s first ever café is a collaboration with Brett Redman – also known as the man behind Eliot’s Café in Borough Market and the Pavilion Café in Victoria Park.

Since occupying a prime location on Shoreditch High Street, the store has seen a natural increase in footfall – and with it a loyal customer base. The new location typically draws the same crowd which, not all that coincidently, also happens to be the store’s target market. “We are targeting the design literate – people who care about the provenance of clothing, people who are inspired by culture and its sub cultures,” says Stewart. “And any age, really – it’s just a mindstate.” And the store really does attract a varied customer clientele; the wealthy stock of different brands and products alone certainly suggests there is something for everyone.

Stocking names such as Diemme, DKNY, Opening Ceremony, Levi’s Vintage Clothing, Comme des Garçons, Nike sneakers, Maison Martin Margiela, Aesop and Jurlique to name a few, the store has been hailed as a one-stop destination for Shoreditch shoppers and people travelling from farther away, a department store

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with a difference and an established shopping destination for unique and usually harder-tofind brands in London. But, as most established retailers know, brands and products alone are not responsible for lasting success. Whether it’s through attention to detail or effective instore service, success usually comes through a combination of factors. Of course, a genuine passion for the job helps, too. “I personally like meeting all the interesting people that come through,” says Stewart. “From designers we have respected for years to Grammy winning singers.”

It seems passion has never been a problem for Stewart and Sindle, who both have a background in the fashion industry.

For the pair, the decision to co-own a store didn’t come out of the blue. They had built a successful career in fashion design prior to taking the plunge into retail. Before finding success through their own store, the co-owners designed for denim labels, working at industry giants such as Nike and Levi’s. Deciding to take a change of direction, the opening of The Goodhood Store seemed like the next natural progression.

Today, both Stewart and Sindle regularly cross the boundary between design and retail. One of the most recent labels to stock the shelves is the in-house range, Goods by Goodhood, which features T-shirts, homeware and bags. It seems the temptation to design has not completely disappeared, but with the store’s own-label range outperforming others in-store, it’s not hard to see why.

To the outside eye, the store appears unscathed by the recent national economic crisis.

And when taking into account its success over the past few years, it’s surprising to learn that business has not been without its problems. Stewart points out that “cash flow and funding remain a challenge.” Though challenges are expected to crop up in the running of an independent retailer, the pair have stayed one step

ahead through technology and e-commerce by custom-building their own Epos system into the store and website. “It has taken us many years,” says Stewart. “But we can do everything from it – manage stock takes, monitor sales, extract reports and control our website data. It’s vast and we hope to commercialise it for other businesses going forward.”

Since launching their website in 2007 at the same time as the bricks-and-mortar store, Stewart and Sindle have embraced the e-commerce side of business. Today, there is a team of people in place to look after the e-retail arm of the business, which includes copywriters, designers and web dispatchers. Online is valued as much as face-toface, and it’s easy to see why when around 50 per cent of The Goodhood Store’s overall takings are generated through the website.

Marketing has also played a role in the store’s success, with the main focus surrounding e-commerce and social media. Stewart says, “We have printed output specifically for our customers. We run events, and social is a part of all of this.” Then there’s the choice of courier, which is recognised as an integral part of the service – an intricate balance between cost and reliability.

“It’s very price dependent,” says Stewart.

“We were looking for people that could offer us a good price while being able to invoice us in a clear and easy to understand way.” Taking this into consideration, it’s clear that well-thoughtout decisions and a keen eye for attention to detail have played a large part in this store’s success.

As for the future of the store, Stewart hints at exciting developments.

“We would like to open new stores in other locations; we are looking at international locations. We are always looking at collaborations – none I can mention here yet. But some interesting ones in the pipeline.” Whatever the future holds, it looks like it’s only good news for The Goodhood Store.

“We are targeting the design literate – people who care about the provenance of clothing. People who are inspired by culture and its sub cultures. And any age, really – it’s just a mind-state”

T: 01765 640576 E: darren@knightsbridgeneckwear.co.uk www.knightsbridgeneckwear.co.uk

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JANUARY 2015 | PEOPLE | 84

COLLECTIVE The people, the places, the products.

LITTLE BLACK BOOK HOTEL ALEXANDRA, COPENHAGEN 1553, DENMARK

SIMON SAYS There’s a great sketch in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, where John Cleese asks, “What have the Romans ever done for us?” Expecting nothing in response, he becomes increasingly frustrated when the rebels answer, “Sanitation! Roads! Wine!” and the list goes on. It’s funny because all their accomplishments take the wind from his revolutionary sails.

— I’m tempted to ask, “What have the Americans ever done for us?” The list would be long. There would be many cries of protest. “The Big Mac! Chewing gum! Elvis! Edith Wharton! Scott Fitzgerald! The Great American Novel!” Well, maybe the last is my own highbrow attempt at sophistication. But at the bottom of this list, in its own illustrious position of infamy, would be Black Friday.

Whoever thought that importing this concept would be a good idea? It’s origin, allegedly, is that it marked the point in the calendar when US retailers moved into profit. Why, then, would you celebrate breakeven by discounting to the point of economic suicide and throwing away all margin? This notion is beyond me, like the existence of dark matter, or the point of wasps.

We’re all aware that a/w 14 was a very tough season due to the mild weather. Coats, boots and hats all lingered on our shelves, taunting us with their cosy irrelevance. But rather than throw them on the bonfire of Black Friday, surely it would have been better to trade them at full price in the run-up to Christmas, and then discount afterwards?

The scenes of panic buying and animalistic behaviour on our TVs were depressing. Customers fighting each other for vast flat-screen TVs that they didn’t need. The result was to bring forward the discretionary Christmas spend to blow on zero margin goods.

The following two weeks’ trade, normally so busy in the runup to Christmas, were subdued. The consumer was spent, fiscally and emotionally. When all the big groups have finished reporting their Christmas trade, I believe the true picture will be fascinating, and depressing. As I write this, Andy Street from John Lewis has stated the pre-Christmas week was not their busiest this year; the last week in November was. Asked if he’d do Black Friday again, he was non-committal.

My fear is that Christmas trading as we know it may have changed forever. A consumer, used to ever-more visible and year-round discounting, will now expect more and more from Black Friday. This may be a drug that will have a very nasty side effect.

Simon Carter is the CEO of the eponymous brand and retail stores.

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Situated just around the corner from City Hall Square, the Latin Quarter and Tivoli Gardens, Hotel Alexandra is ideally located for visitors looking for central accommodation this coming show season.

— Proving that nowadays a hotel is no longer just a place to rest your head, the boutique hotel focuses on delivering an authentic customer experience.

Vintage classic pieces are fused with Danish design to create a distinct retro theme. Though the current design focus was only conceptualised 10 years ago, the hotel has built a varied collection of vintage pieces. And it looks like the collection will continue growing, as general manager Jeppe Muhlhausen says, “The development of the concept by finding more Danish vintage gems will never stop.” Featuring the work of seven renowned Danish designers of the 20th century, such as Finn Juhl, furniture is sleek, minimalist and far removed from the obscure and novelty aspects of design often associated with vintage pieces.

— PLAN B

BJÖRN GERICKE managing director, G-Lab

If I had not launched G-Lab I would almost certainly have followed a career in either motorcar or motorcycle racing. Racing is in my blood. My father is Hein Gericke, who revolutionised the German motorcycle market through his development of Kevlar-cotton protective motorcycle clothing in the 70s and 80s.

His international stores were a massive success, as was the Hein Gericke motorcycle racing team, which dominated German motorcycle racing throughout the 80s. As a result, I virtually lived on race tracks as I was growing up. G-Lab’s own design handwriting has some design echoes of the Hein Gericke motorcycle clothing collection, and we had our own G-Lab Racing Team when we first launched. In 2008, Team G-Lab even won the IDM Superbike Contest in Germany – which is the equivalent of the British Superbike competition. I keep the race winning Triumph in my office.

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CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL IAN GARSIDE MANAGING DIRECTOR AT FLAGSHIP DISTRIBUTION For me it’s all about the details. Especially with accessories.

I never leave the house without a Porter bag. My current favourite is the Force tote in navy. The attention to detail is extraordinary, with extra pockets and the fact you find that the brand thought carefully how each item is used. It leaves you wondering why you ever bought another bag brand.

— I always wear Ayame socks from Japan. I first found them at Present London, and I now have 20 pairs and wear no other sock. The detail and colour combinations are outstanding. I wear them with New Balance trainers. I love the 577s – made in England. I was an Adidas kid when we used to travel for football, but now I have around 20 pairs of New Balance that are still wearable. If I’m not wearing those, it’s Tricker’s. I bought my first pair at Aspecto back in the day, around 1998. Currently I’m wearing a pair in black with contrast laces. They are a bit battered, but loved and have re-soled around five times. I do a lot of stomping.

— I like to mix things up with clothing, so my current favourite shirts are Richard James in the contemporary fit. They have the details just right – not too formal.

I love Italian relaxed tailoring, because the soft shoulder, less formal look is great.

I wear everyday coats and blazers by Grand Tour – a British take on that Italian tailoring – made for travel in great fabrics that you can just throw in a bag.

— My current favourite is a 1st Pat Rn blazer, again soft shoulder detail and the best Italian fabrics. The brand has developed its own “cavalry di maglia” – a jersey version of cavalry twill – which is soft and luxurious. The fit is a modern take, slim and fitted, but the look is traditional.

— I am also collecting Tsovet watches. We sell them, but I keep one new model for myself, too. I have a few. They are designed in Newport Beach California, and they make classic time pieces inspired by aviation, nautical and surfing lifestyles.

TOP TWEETS French Connection @FCUK Is anyone else NOT doing #DryJanuary?

Jake Lloyd @jakelam2116 If you’re using a snow umbrella, we can’t be friends. Sorry. That just isn’t right.

Enjoy the white stuff.

J’adore Vintage @jadorevintage1 Soup for lunch just isn’t cutting it. Salad for tea is certainly not happening now!

Grey Fox @GreyFoxBlog Called into new @PrivateWhiteVC shop in Duke Street. Great menswear made in Manchester #madeinUK #menswear Monsieur London @Monsieur_London Colourful braces. Will you be bold enough?

GQ Magazine @GQMagazine You had a good run, man-bun. But it’s over. It’s all over Elliot Ross @iamelliot James Corden OBE. These days an OBE is easier to get than a decent .com Stuart Flatt @stuartflatt Who needs Gerrard anyway, Rodgers for manager of the year? #fools

SOCIETY THE PARTIES AND EVENTS FROM IN AND AROUND THE MENSWEAR INDUSTRY.

p MUSEUM OF LONDON TEAMED UP WITH SAVILE ROW TAILOR NORTON & SONS TO CREATE A BESPOKE SUIT FOR LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN AMBASSADOR TINIE TEMPAH (PICTURED). FOLLOWING LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN, THE THREE-PIECE SUIT WILL BE ADDED TO THE MUSEUM’S EXTENSIVE FASHION AND TEXTILES COLLECTION TO HELP THE MUSEUM DOCUMENT CONTEMPORARY MENSWEAR IN LONDON TODAY.

p HRH THE PRINCESS ROYAL, PRESIDENT OF THE UK FASHION & TEXTILE ASSOCIATION, VISITED ZATCHELS AT ITS CHARTER STREET FACTORY IN LEICESTER LAST MONTH, WITH A TOUR OF THE FACTORY AS PART OF HER ROLE AS PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION.

p (L-R) NICOLA STEELE, FUNDRAISING AND EVENTS, RETAIL TRUST; RICHARD BOLAND, CEO, RETAIL TRUST; VERA WEISFELD OBE, CO-FOUNDER OF WHAT EVERYONE WANTS; AND EMMA HENDERSON, EVENTS COORDINATOR, AT THE RETAIL TRUST GRAND SCOTTISH BALL, WHICH RAISED OVER £50,000 FOR CHARITY LAST MONTH.

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THE BOTTOMLEY LINE MWB deputy editor Tom Bottomley – our man on the inside of menswear.

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p BREAD & BUTTER FOUNDER KARL-HEINZ MÜLLER

THE GREAT BREAD & BUTTER MELTDOWN First it was meant to be moving to Barcelona for this month’s show – presumably to try to inject a bit of excitement back into an increasingly, ahem, stale formula. The mistake was realised, however, and it was going back to Berlin. But with not enough of the right brands signing up, it was then a case of, “Is it on, or is it off?” Finally, following the cancellation of Bread & Butter for January – which left many aghast as to how such a giant could fall so quickly – the management of the show saw itself having to file for insolvency just before Christmas.

Karl-Heinz Müller, show founder and owner of the 14oz stores and web shop (which belong to the company but will continue to be run), was seemingly backed into a tight corner – a shame for someone who really did shake up and revolutionise the way we perceive and put on shows. But boy has he had a good run, and there’s little doubt he will pick up the baton once again. His statement read, “Many will understand how painful taking this step was for me. But, due to legal obligations, I had no other choice.

After the cancellation of the January event, we received an unexpected wave of encouragement and support. Therefore we are working on an alternative concept for January 2015, Bread & Butter – Back to the Street, for those who are willing to dare take the next step with us and who can still react on such short notice.”

Well, we don’t know what to make of all this now, or indeed who has signed up. A more logical game plan would surely be to re-group and relaunch in summer 2015, with a different name and concept altogether wouldn’t it?

Preliminary receiver in insolvency, Christian Graf Brockdorff, stated that at Bread & Butter they had met “a highly motivated team of specialists who have expressed their strong wish to continue the company’s activities.” And that is why his team would be offering their greatest support to

t NEW LABEL SOCK & TROTTER

“this Berlin flagship company,” in order to secure the financial recovery and the continuation of the business. “This includes the execution of the event in January 2015!” says Brockdorff. The problem is, it all now smacks as a tad desperate and last minute. Of course, we wish Müller and his team well to restore reputation and deliver us another cracking show.

BUY TODAY, PAY TOMORROW GAINS STRENGTH ONCE AGAIN Apparently, according to research carried out by retail finance expert Pay4Later, more than 3.3 million adults are still paying for Christmas 2013, with debts in the region of £800 most common, though 660,000 estimate they still owe over £1,000. On average, around 30 per cent of the debt was incurred on major purchases in stores funded by retail finance. Scott Law, CEO of Pay4Later, says, “Consumer confidence is at its highest for a decade and shoppers are increasingly confident about borrowing money again. But still owing money on debts incurred for last Christmas is potentially worrying, and people need to ensure they have an affordable plan of how they are going to fund debts before taking new credit.” Haven’t we been down this road before? It would be interesting to know how many people got themselves further into the mire with the so-called Super Weekend of Black

Friday, Sofa Sunday and Cyber Monday at the end of November. This year it may well have to include Returns Tuesday.

KICKSTARTER PROJECT HELPING TO BUILD NEW SHACKLETON BRAND British entrepreneur Simon Middleton, who in 2013 launched a UK banjo manufacturing business with one of the top five per cent most successful ever Kickstarter campaigns (which got over 200 backers) – opening the first banjo factory in Britain in more than 60 years, is now seeking more wedge to fund the development and production of a range of men’s casualwear. The collection is based directly on century-old photographs of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his team. Called, simply, Shackleton, the line is so far only Made in Britain knitwear, though for a/w 15 it’s set to include a waxed cotton windcheater, wool jacket, Tweed peacoat, jersey undershirts, heavy soft cotton shirts, cord/canvas high-waist trousers, socks, welted boots and belts. The Shackleton launch campaign on the Kickstarter platform has apparently been one of the top two per cent most successful of worldwide Kickstarter projects since the platform was launched, and Middleton has raised another £250,000 in equity funding for the business. That should also pay for a few tins of soup and cups of beefy Bovril for the next mission into the unknown.

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LAST ORDERS WITH...

PHILIP START Ahead of his debut at London trade show Jacket Required, British designer and independent retailer Philip Start speaks to Victoria Jackson about how business fared over the past 12 months, and what buyers can expect for the new season.

— D/O/B: 12.06.46 Place of birth: London Lives now: Shoreditch, East London Twitter: @_MrStart Website: www.mr-start.com

Victoria Jackson: In terms of your retail portfolio, how has business fared over the last year?

Philip Start: Our business across the multibranded stores has been good, with some likefor-like gains, and our Mr Start business in both men’s and women’s continues to perform strongly.

In terms of the last 12 months, business has been good, but I think last year was a challenging environment for everyone, especially autumn and winter with the weather and Black Friday conspiring to disrupt the business calendar.

Likewise, our other in-house brand – Gladys & Pixie, which is mainly cashmere – has also been excellent.

— VJ: What can buyers expect from the new a/w 15 range?

PS: The line will move away from being a tailoring brand and become contemporary. Formalwear will now be sold separately and in our own showroom in London’s Shoreditch. All tailoring in the new collection will be soft, casual and sold as separates. We will now be concentrating on the contemporary part of the collection, which is made up of casualwear and knitwear, as well as a big collection of shirts and accessories.

— VJ: In regards to your debut at Jacket Required, are you looking to open domestic or international accounts?

PS: Both, but not too many as the collection isn’t for everybody and we would prefer to open with accounts that really understand what we are trying to achieve – which is something different from most other brands.

— VJ: On a global scale, where would the dream retail location be for the opening of new Mr Start boutique?

PS: We have plans in the future to open somewhere in London’s West End – either Mayfair or Soho would be the kind of location we would consider. As far as international locations are concerned, New York or LA would be our first priority.

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VJ: In terms of designing for Mr Start, where do you draw your inspiration from?

PS: In terms of inspiration, what we are always trying to achieve is a casual elegance. It’s all about style, even when casual.

— VJ: Are there any labels you would love to collaborate with?

PS: I would like to collaborate with sportswear brands such as Nike Lab or a streetwear labels including Christopher Shannon or Shaun Samson as I think they would provide a challenge from a design point of view.

— VJ: Who or what inspires your wardrobe?

PS: I’m inspired by a look of casual formality.

Active sportswear is also something that I’m very interested in at the moment and how it might translate into something less active. The only other label you’ll find in my wardrobe is Nike LAB. — VJ: What does the next year have in store?

PS: The first priority would be a Mr Start transactional website for both men and women.

After this we would consider opening up a shop in the West End. As we showed at London Collections: Men earlier this month, will be at Jacket Required in February and with Poly King in Paris this year, our big push is on showing how the line has moved on and away from formal tailoring.

—

QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS — Early bird or night owl?

Both, but normally the early bird wins.

— Favourite book?

I don’t have one, but I’m currently obsessed with The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A Caro, which is a 4-volume series.

— Best piece of advice?

The harder you work, the luckier you get.

— Biggest vice?

Work.

— What can’t you live without?

Hummus.

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