hello Welcome to the first seasonal style guide presented by style and culture site Tee Hunter. Winter is a strong season this year and builds further on last year where workwear and nordic influences began to creep into cuts, fabrics and finishes. 2011 is the year it’s all come together and feels 100% cohesive. Staple wardrobe pieces appear subdued and stylish with particular style cues from Nordic and American workwear influences. Especially the knitwear and jackets. Whilst use of colour is sparing but eye catching. Knitwear and outerwear are chunky and utilitarian whilst details such as thick walking socks over straight/slim jeans are enhancing the already rugged quality to the looks this season. This look is finished off with a mix of clean cut, fine quality basics and a dash of technical outerwear. Not to mention a handful of graphic tshirts to spice up the layers. This guide aims to uncover the best in Winter 2011 trends, established and independent brands and the garments to enhance your wardrobe and lifestyle this season. Thanks everyone and enjoy.
Liam Thomson Editor Tee Hunter liam@teehunter.com Connect: facebook.com/teehunter.fb twitter.com/teehunter
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contents Trends #1 ---------------------------Brand Spotlight: howies -------------Brand Spotlight: Ambig --------------Men’s Clothing Buyers Guide ---------Brand Spotlight: Bush + Leavenworth -Trends #2 ---------------------------Brand Spotlight: New Gotham ---------Brand Spotlight: Victate ------------Trends #3 ---------------------------Women’s Clothing Buyers Guide --------
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trends.
“This winter there is still a lot of work and military inspired outerwear, you can see this across the spectrum from high street to indy. Tech fabrics are starting to come through on to heritage pieces giving a more contemporary look. Colour is also being used in a lot of ways whether it be on a lining to a jacket, touch of detail or as a pop in an outfit. Knit wear is also really strong with chunky knits, fair isle patterns and cable knits popping up in most peoples collections.” Jacket available from supremebeing.com
“Work wear and vintage influences Winter fabrics and details. Protective details like storm flaps, elbow patches, toggles and waxed or oiled fabrics are key for infusing the outdoor functionality into everyday casual wear. Winter fabrics include woolen tweeds, flannels and sherpa. Textures in knits and fleece along with updates to Chambray are new. Melanges, heathers and slubs layered in with stripes and plaids are impactful in merchandising the line.” Top available from ambig.com
Simon Purchase Marketing Manager Supremebeing
Amy Beams Designer Ambig Clothing
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Brand Spotlight: howies UK based, howies is a clothing brand that believes in making higher quality, lower impact products for their customer’s leisure pursuits and day-to-day lives. The team behind the brand consistently aims to create well crafted, long lasting clothing from great fabrics that support and compliment their lifestyles. “High quality, low impact” is their mission. With an industry renowned catalogue, a positive, all-encompassing brand philosophy and consistently well photographed and styled products, this is an established brand worthy of your attention. howies started out as a tshirt brand and has grown into a highly recognizable, fully fledged clothing label. How did the transition come about? We wanted to start a nice company that made people think. And t-shirts are a great way to do that – they’re a good medium for expression. Our designs seemed to connect with a lot of people who shared our way of thinking, becoming popular in the bike and skate circles. From there we just wanted to follow that ‘make people think’ brand philosophy and do business in a common sense way. To make clothing for the sports we love and our day to day lives and sticking to our idea of making stuff that lasts from natural fabrics, with as little environmental impact as possible. We used our catalogues in a way that went against the industry norm too – to tell our story and to express our beliefs through art and writing, as well as to showcase our products. I guess we are a brand with a conscience and a point of view that lots of people share. There aren’t too many of those around these days. And by being in niche sports like bike and skate since the beginning of howies (and when they weren’t billion dollar businesses), we’ve earned a respect and authenticity that can’t be bought, no matter how big your marketing budget is.
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You now produce Merino and other technical wear, what inspired this product line? We struggled to find existing brands that made the kind of clothing we wanted to wear. Many seemed to be making stuff using man-made fabrics, inventing stuff for the sake of it. We wanted a return to more natural, sustainable materials and Merino wool was a perfect example of that. It easily out-performed all the oil-based polyester stuff out there in terms of breathability and comfort. Plus it was as biodegradable as a banana skin, so wouldn’t end up in a landfill. All that, from a sheep. howies has always held the belief that nature already has the answers to many man-made questions. So it’s our aim to make innovative stuff that performs and that people want to wear from fabrics like wool and organic cotton. Your tshirts frequently feature positive or motivational phrases, what do you hope people take away from the brand? Like we said, t-shirts are a great medium of expression. They are like mini billboards with ideas or thought processes on and can be a brilliant agitator for change or for provoking debate. Ours are a little political, a little humorous, some a little tongue-in-cheek perhaps, but through statement or design they all serve to relay our core brand beliefs. Hopefully, in a small way, they effect some change in people’s thinking.
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What do you feel the seasonal style and design trends are this Winter? Shoppers are way more savvy these days, you can see it on the high street and the popularity of particular brands. People seem to be more appreciative of quality and craftsmanship. The idea of using more traditional methods to produce great staple pieces of clothing – techniques and detailing which ensure that those pieces outlast the more ‘mass-produced’ fashion stuff out there. That kind of thinking is partly to do with educating the shopper, so that they can make an informed decision about whether they buy cheap, or go for the quality option. More and more people are coming around to that realisation that buying cheaper clothing which falls apart quicker is a false economy, not to mention really bad for the planet. That’s definitely something that howies is trying to inform people on. What is your most popular garment this season and why do you think that is? howies’ Merino is always really popular. Again, people appreciate quality and when you cycle or run in our Merino. You feel a distinct difference in performance, compared to the cheaper polyester stuff out there. More and more people are realising what an incredible material Merino wool is. Our traditional selvedge denim ‘Kaizen’ jeans seem to be flying out too. Even though they are at a higher price than our other jeans, our customers have responded to the workmanship, care and respect that has gone into making them. The fact that they’ll still be wearing the same pair in five years time is a good selling point. What do the artists you work with as a brand bring to the table for you? We’ve been really fortunate to work with some amazing artists, from Geoff McFetridge to Jim Phillips, to more recently, a t-shirt collaboration with Jon Contino. We still try to design the majority of stuff in-house, but it’s always good to get a splash of someone else’s perspective and creative style in there. They often bring a different point of view or a fresh aesthetic to the party. There is so much talent out there and so many ideas to be had, it’s great to have the opportunity to work in such an expressive industry.
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Can you tell us more about your ethics and how they have shaped the brand? We just wanted to work in a nice company built on common sense (one that could do things in a better way than some of the other brands out there). Our environmental policy can be distilled into four words – ‘High quality, low impact’. That statement is the common thread running through our brand. It’s the marker we look to if we ever get lost along the way. Stuff like using factories that treat their workers well, that have cleaner air and use less water. Those aren’t our point of difference and shouldn’t be used as marketing leverage; everyone should try to do business that way. We use organic fabrics wherever possible, from well managed sources. We avoid plastic/polyesterbased materials, unless they are recycled or recyclable. We try to minimise the amount of water used throughout the manufacturing process by working with technically advanced factories with the latest machinery. We use natural fabrics like Merino wool, which are sustainable and ethically sourced through the MAPP Zque accreditation scheme. What makes howies products special? We try to avoid the fashions of the day and just ensure our products are as functional and as simple as possible. “That which has the greatest use, possesses the greatest beauty” is a quote from a book about Quakers we read. It seems like a good starting point for design in general. It goes back to the lifespan of our products. We see a howies garment as being somewhat timeless. They are designed to be futureproof. If it doesn’t need to be there, we take it off. So hopefully you can still be wearing your howies jacket in ten years time and not look out of place. Make something once, and make it well. The greatest component a manufacturer can give to a garment is time. You can view and order the latest collection at howies.co.uk
Brand Spotlight: Ambig Ambig Clothing is a lifestyle brand based in Santa Ana, California, with a heavy lean towards art and skateboarding. The best way to think of them is a mix of Californian lifestyle brand and grown up skatewear. We spoke with Teddy Kelly one of the core team of founders about their new line, their excellent artist project and why they have a skate park in their office. What inspired the creation of the Ambig brand? The brand ambiguous has been around for a while as we know it. What inspires us as a team and individually is our surroundings, our love, and our passion for what we do; whether it’s in action sports, fashion or the arts. With the new blood, the company has been able to bring all those things together and make Ambig a special creative place to be a part of and reach our goals. Your brand HQ houses a skate facility, art studio and mural space, tell us more about the vibe this creates and what it’s brought to the table for Ambig? Yes we have a skatepark as well as lots of wall space. We are lucky to have space that stimulates our creativity. We like to be in the right environment and look at fun stuff or make a few loops around the skate facility whenever we feel like it... it’s always a nice perk to have. What inspired you to open the above spaces? I think being in the right environment is important to stay inspired. I think that having those open spaces helps us with that. Having friends over to either skate or paint is just part of this whole lifestyle that we belong to so we’re just keepin it real! What do you feel the seasonal style and design trends are this Winter? MMMmmm that’s a hard one. I’m the kinda guy that does research based on what inspires me outside of the fashion tendencies. I like to have my own interpretation of what I believe inspires others or communicates something fun and positive. I really don’t have a specific answer to what is gonna be trending -- we just do what we think is relevant for the upcoming seasons.
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What is your most popular garment this season and why do you think that is? There are always a couple of items that are hot every season. Our Jackets are always among the most popular. We have 3 that are killing it as we speak: the Fleetwood, Lincoln and Summit. You can check them out on www.ambig.com those should keep everyone looking fresh and warm this holiday... Tell us more about the reasons and successes behind your 4A collective? As far as the program goes, we try to work with upcoming and established artists, colleagues or people that inspire us in different ways. The program is called the “Four A”: “Ambig Addicted Artists Association”. This line is a little more special because the artists have no guidelines to follow. We want the artists to be 100% themselves and give us unique artwork without being influenced by an art direction -- no premeditation. The 4A program is art-direction-free -- so the artists get the chance to do as they please -- just like when we were kids and just drew to draw without being self-conscious about what we were doing. Most of the time it’s work that the artists themselves don’t think they will ever use... and here I come and just snap pieces from their own sketchbooks... random artwork laying around their studios or stuff they e-mail me. It depends but we try to keep it simple maybe that’s why it’s working so well. Tell us about the Ambig work and production ethics and how they have shaped the brand? A good advantage at Ambig is that we all have similar backgrounds, each in our own area of expertise. We love what we do and that makes work more fun and easy to digest. We have a small office compared to other brands but we operate as if it was as big as any other brand. Keeping the office smaller allow us to communicate easier and perform better... can’t think about one person that doesn’t give a 100%. We are pretty lucky to have such a great talented team.
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How does Ambig progress whilst staying true to its well established roots? Well, trying to keeping the office small helps in a way, we also have a very clear ideology of who we are and where we going. Every department head works hard to keep this philosophy consistant and even though it’s a constant progression of growth we make sure that any new members that come on board understand this philosophy. That way we can always stay on point and keep building momentum. What has been the toughest point for Ambig and how did you all overcome it? Definitely the transition between distributions 3 years ago. That whole year was kind of rough; and exciting at the same time, it was time to prove ourselves and show that Ambiguous had become a better brand with new blood that wanted to achieved big things and we were hungry for it. Feels good to be sitting here and talking about it like a great experience and not the other way around lol. It was one of those “make it or break it” situations. We have come a long way since then but we are happy that our whole team has been commited to making this work. Here we are 3 years later and going stronger than ever...so stoked! Where do you see Ambig in 10 years? Wow, I would love to see it as unified and solid as it is right now. We are committed to making better competitive products for everyone out there. There’s no question we will still be around making sick products, hopefully a way bigger skatepark also lol! What can we expect to see more of from Ambig into 2012 and beyond? Expect great things. Our line has been looking better every season. The skate team is solid and growing and there are lots of surprises coming up. We have a skate video in the works, our media marketing manager team just acquired a brand new “Scarlet” Red camera which is not even out for sale yet, so our ads and video content will continue to improve. The artist program has sick collaborations in the works with great artists. Check our web site regularly or become a fan on Facebook to check all this stuff out. You can view the full winter collection and read more about Ambin at www.ambig.com
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menswear
“Grizzly” overshirt, £99 by howies
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#001 “Taylor” shirt, $85 by Bush + Leavenworth // #002 “Peyton” quilted jacket, $110 (US) £114 (UK) by HUF // #003 “Skyscraper” (heather grey) tshirt, $25 by E The Real.
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#001 “Miner” jeans, £85 by howies // #002 “Know Pain Know Gain” tshirt. £25 by howies // #003 “Mickey Stardust” tshirt, $21.95 by Dance Party Massacre // #004 “Popcorn” tshirt, £25.99 by Bemused // #005 “WeActivist Series: Ingemar Backman” tshirt, £30 by WeSC // #006 “Mont Bar” Crew, £50 by Supremebeing. // #007 “Silverfalcon” zip hood, £50 by Atticus
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#001 “Fresh Till Death” tshirt, £22 by SABBC // #002 “Church of Science” tshirt, $50 by Cuppa-T // #003 “Linwick” shirt. £55 by Animal. // #004 “Ruin” jumper, £55 by Supremebeing // #005 “Fairtrade” shoes, £39.95 by Rapanui.
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#001 “Chucka” mid-top shoe £50 by Animal // #002 “Prestige” crewneck, £57.49 by King Apparel // #003 “6 Pocket Canvas” trousers, $100 by HUF // #004 “Revolutions” tshirt, £25.95 by Rapanui.
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#001 “Seraphim” tshirt, $59.95 AUD by Das Monk // #002 “Letterman” crew, £59.99 by King Apparel // #003 “Bundle Multi” scarf, £45 by Supremebeing // #004 “Hands Face” shirt. $34.95 AUD by Insomniac // #005 “Certificate” tshirt, £30 by Victate
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#001 “Still-Steezin” shirt, $79.95 AUD by Afends // #002 & #003 beanies and headwear by Ignite // #004 “Nautical” waxed hooded jacket, £204 by Marshall Artist (available from Chemical Records)
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#001 “Defy” storm shell jacket, £74.99 by King Apparel // #002 “Nicolau” padded jacket, £175 by WeSC // #003 “General’s Jacket”, $250.00 by Reason // #004 “Chute” jacket, £120 by Supremebeing //#005 “Eagle Cow” jacket, by Neighbourhood //#006 “Never Say Die” tshirt, by Acrylick
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#001 “Made In The USA“ crew, $75 by Reason // #002 & #003 beanie and gloves by Ignite
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#001 “Berridge” cotton twill trousers, £69 by howies // #002 “Worldwide” tshirt, £15 by Exit Left Apparel // #003 “Pendleton” shoes. £60 / 80 Euros by Macbeth // #004 “California” tshirt, $27 by The Imaginary Zebra
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#001 “Stalker” hat £22.50 & “Mountains” hood, £47.50 by Sutsu // #002 “Bullshit” tshirt, $49.95 AUD by Afends // #003 “Kerrupt” tshirt. £22 by Dunkelvolk // #004 “Plaia” tshirt. £22 by Dunkelvolk // #005 “Captain Wolf” tshirt, £25 by Sutsu // #006 “Wolfman” tshirt, $25 by Social Freak
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#001 “Clothing Co.” crew, $86 by CXXVI // #002 “Vintager” shirt, £72 10deep via Chemical Records // #003 “Anchored” tshirt £19.99 by Macbeth // #004 “OS LS” henley 95 Euros by Norse Projects // #005 tshirts, 32 Euros by Dojo
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#001 Oversized Beanie £10, Jumper £40, Stripe Shirt £30, Twisted Banana Jeans £45, ‘Made in England’ Leather and Suede Boots £140 by ASOS // #002 “WEDO” jacket, £250 by Diesel // #003 “K-MIRTIL” knit, £250 by Diesel // #004 “Bike“ tshirt, £25 by 2 Many Printers // #005 “Baggy Leather” boot, £85 by Palladium
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#001 “Worker’s Carrier” bag, $130 by CXXVI // #002 “ALIFE Duffel” bag, £57.95 by ALIFE // #003 “Blain” unisex weekend bag, 110 Euros by WeSC // #004 “Three Day Weekender” leather bag, $175.00 by Reason
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Brand Spotlight: Bush + Leavenworth Bush + Leavenworth is a San Francisco, California based label that debuted with a Fall collection in 2010. It is stocked throughout the Bay area boutiques and available online. Founder and designer Neth Nom, a successful animator (Pixar, Disney and Sony), has crafted a stylish design aesthetic informed by modern twists on classic Americana style and vintage workwear. In fact B+L couldn’t be more relevant than right now given the trends of the season. Everything they produce is tailor made and designed from the ground up to the last stitch. Fit and longevity of the garments are paramount yet this is a youthful, stylish, well cut brand with a focus on subtle detailing. We spoke to Neth about the brands roots, the products and what’s next for this acclaimed new label. What inspired the creation of Bush + Leavenworth? As you may know, Bush and Leavenworth are cross streets in San Francisco. I lived at an apartment on Bush and Leavenworth during college, when I was studying animation. After establishing my career as an animator, I decided to start the fashion company as another creative outlet. It just seemed natural to choose a name that reflected such an integral part of my training as an artist. Our design inspiration, initially and to this day, comes from the thriving, diverse culture that is the San Francisco Bay Area. What was your background and how did it contribute? My background is in feature film animation. After working at Disney, Sony and Pixar, I decided that I wanted a more personal creative endeavor, where I could express myself using a different medium. It’s certainly inspiring to be surrounded by talented artists every day at Pixar, so I very much appreciate the industry. And much of what I’ve learned in animation, especially the importance of attention to detail, applies to fashion design.
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How big is the team behind the brand and what do they bring to the table? We have a very small team which means that each person is critical. Luckily, we have very talented friends who have volunteered their time and expertise in everything from modeling the clothes, photographing lookbooks, designing the website and managing production. You have a very cohesive style that harks back to a vintage american workwear - what is it about this that appeals to you so much as to build a brand around it? Living in California, specifically San Francisco, means you’re surrounded by different cultures. This gives us the benefit of diversity in our inspiration, but it also makes it exceedingly clear which styles stand the test of time throughout different periods and cultures. Most people can find appeal in one aspect or another of our collections due to the classic Americana elements. Ultimately, we’ve built a brand around a style of clothing that we ourselves want to wear. What do you feel the seasonal style and design trends are this Winter? I’ve noticed that a lot of brands are doing handbags, as well as Native American color palettes and designs. But when we design, we don’t really follow trends. We let each collection come to be organically, keeping with the idea that our customers expect a sort of constant, inherent feeling behind each collection. But they also expect subtle, modern twists to keep things interesting. That’s what makes the design work fun. What is your most popular garment this season and why do you think that is? Our most popular garments this season are the Hayes shirt and Mission sweater. For the shirt, I think the vintage look and feel has mass appeal. The sweater is lightweight yet cozy with a really unique look - perfect for winter in California.
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Tell us more about the design process behind your garments, do you work with artists or is it an in house affair? All of the design is done in house, though we will be featuring guest artists in the future. We begin the design process by sketching and researching. We think about colors, shapes, profiles, the subtle addition of detail, and what will complement the wearer. We then do mock-ups of our sketches in photoshop and give our manufacturer detailed instructions. Finally, our manufacturer sends us a sample of each garment so that we can see if what we envisioned came to life as planned. Can you tell us more about the work and production ethics and how they have shaped the brand? Anyone who is self-employed can speak to the importance of work ethic. When your living room is your office and your nights/weekends are work-time, the only way to make things happen is to have unwavering dedication. With regards to production, we’ve learned a lot along the way. We’ve had some production setbacks where the product quality wasn’t up to par or production/shipping delays really threw off our schedule. So we’ve learned who is a good manufacturer to work with and who we can count on for quality assurance. Quality remains at the forefront of our production decisions. How does B+L progress whilst staying true to its well established roots? It helps to be surrounded by great artists. We also try to remember who our customer base is and who we’re designing for. So far, since we’ve had much of the same design team involved since the beginning, it’s been quite easy to stick to our vision while continuing to grow the company. What has been the toughest point for B+L and how did you all overcome it? I have a background in art - not business. So starting the business aspect of B+L was hard at first. I had a lot to learn about taxes and bookkeeping. It’s also been a learning process to better understand the fashion industry and marketing aspect of the company. I wouldn’t say I’ve overcome all of it yet, because I still have so much to learn. But I will say that if you put your mind to it, read, read, read, and ask a lot of questions, you can overcome just about anything.
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What has been your biggest high point so far? High points include interviews like this! It’s such an honor to be featured by blogs, websites and other companies that we respect. We also had the privilege of showing our collection and personal artwork at D-Structure (a store in San Francisco that carries Bush + Leavenworth. It’s really nice to get together with friends, supporters and customers to celebrate the company. Where do you see B+L in 10 years? A lot can happen in 10 years...But to dream big, hopefully we’ll have our own store in SF by then and continue to produce great collections. What can we expect to see more of from B+L next season? For next season, we will be featuring guest artists in some of our t-shirt designs. These artists are well-known in the fashion and animation communities. It’s really exciting and I can’t wait to share the finished products! You can view and shop the latest collection at bushleavenworth.com
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trends.
”Keeping in line with our design philosophy of subtle details, a trend for this season is the contrast pocket shirt. This shirt features a pocket made out of contrasting yet complementary fabric. It creates a unique looks that’s sure to add variety to your closet.” Top available from bushleavenworth.com
Neth Nom Founder/Creative Director Bush + Leavenworth
Brand Spotlight: New Gotham NYC New Gotham has been in incubation for just over two years and Autumn/Winter 2011 sees the core team of three friends quitting their day jobs and going full time for their debut collection this season. We caught up with Brad Previdi, who along with childhood friend Dan and friend from college Fitzy co-founded the brand, to talk about their debut collection and where they see the New Gotham heading in the future. What inspired the launch of your brand? My friend Dan & I have wanted to start our own business for years just to do our own thing and get away from the whole 9 to 5 lifestyle and the high likelihood of having to work to work for people other than our selves, doing things we don’t care about. We decided upon t-shirts and just naturally fell into the whole street-wear/lifestyle scene. We started off with fully custom cut and sew tees and after cooperating with factories to get these made, we gained the motivation to try our hand all different sorts of garments. What would you like customers to take away from your brand and product experience? 1) At this particular point in time as an up comer, we are a brand that did NOT cut corners or get started the easy way. We were not in a rush to get our products on to the market at the cost of originality or quality. All of the products on our first line have started with an original concept & have been executed on a fully original/custom garment. 2) We’re into making strong concepts. We see to it that our products make as much sense as possible both graphically in the message they are conveying and physically in terms of how aesthetic and functional they are when being worn. What inspired the tone and style of your current collection? The tone & style of our current collection is derived from the seemingly opposite NYC virtues of Independent effort & Contribution. We believe in working on one’s own game so that he may contribute and exact meaningful change over a larger
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game with many players other than himself. As we struggled with the headaches of managing a start up label on a virtual budget of ZERO, we added our Grinders theme to the brand identity as a natural representation of the mental energy that we felt we needed to keep our project moving forward. What has been your highest point so far? We are just hitting a high point at this point in time. We are getting our project firing on all cylinders and making improvements to all facets of our operation. It feels good to be rounding out a full collection that is conceptually cohesive in nature and that speaks accurately to our larger brand message. It feels even better to already be working on our next drop for Spring 2012! ‌..and your lowest? Most of our low points have come from running out of necessary funds at various times along the way and from various complications w/ manufacturing but we’ve always just scrounged, rallied and pushed through. The low points we have hit, although challenging, have enlightened us on how to make necessary improvements and motivated us to do so. What can we expect next from your brand? You can expect more heavy duty graphic concepts, the start of new & permanent brand themes & layers, a diversified product offering, & a few pieces for the girls. View their collection at newgothamnyc.com
Brand Spotlight: Victate Victate founder Edward Li started his fast rising streetwear/menswear brand when he was just 17. “I was experimenting a lot with print methods and learning about it all,” says Li, who, at the time, was a regular student with no real income or funding, working once a week at a teaching centre tutoring Maths and English to little kids, earning between £60-80 a month. “Victate was kept a secret from my parents for 8 months before they found out in June 2010 as I was waiting to get to a stage where I can present them a well-formed version of the brand. It was a real struggle in the first year with no money to actually pay for production equipment or blanks” explains Li, adding “That summer holiday, instead of going to Malia or Napa I stayed in London and worked for 3 solid months full time at Selfridges trying to bank up money for Victate. I was able to get all the equipment, rebuild Victate and focus on where I’d wanted to take it. This was in the run up to the AW 10/11 line release. Looking at Victate now, it’s hard to imagine only around 10 items were sold that year. Li is now in his second year of Dentistry and Kings College, London. “I began building my team. Things were and still are very small scale despite the image Victate may portray” says Li. It showed promise and caught the attention of various style bloggers. However it was Summer ’11 that would see Victate really satisfying it’s founder in terms of focus, direction and output. “The development of the Summer ‘11 items and the latest collection for Winter ‘11 items pulls together a lot of travelling, meeting new people, reaching out to a whole new direction i had only dreamed about 12 months before,” enthuses Li.
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Victate (a combination of Victorious Dictation) was initially brainstormed for a friend’s brand but Li liked it so much that when they went in a different direction he began his journey to create something special. “It came to me at a perfect time, a time where I started getting bored by a lot of the brands out there in streetwear. The hype and awe of the other brands that I used to adore just started fading,” he reminisces, adding “All you’d see from established brands is just their logo stamped on a low quality tee and sold for twice to four times the price of a tee.” Li, originally a hobbyist artist and illustrator took it upon himself to begin righting some of these wrongs and take steps towards meaning and quality. “I want to be a bridge between streetwear and menswear” he explains. His team is small, freelance and part time but there’s a real connection there; “With their help, the work really meets what my mind envisions, I really appreciate them.” So what informs the Victate aesthetic? “I am into traditional things, baroque decor, ink presses, classic menswear, craftsmanship passed down from generations. The heritage matters to me. I love the love and attention seen in how things used to be made There was never an easy way round things back then graphics have to be carved into cast iron to print books, leather had to be hand cut, cured, treated, sewed to make shoes, bags etc that’s why I love going to great lengths to get something done, to the best of my ability.”
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Most impressively, Li, now in his early 20’s, has gone from selling one off designs via the Spreadshirt print on demand service to developing and releasing his first cut and sew garments (released as part of the Victate Winter line) in just three years. That’s a big leap. “They are being made in Taiwan, a small family that have owned a tight knit team of workers; they have lots of Japanese clients and make great stuff. It was a pretty big leap, stepped up the order numbers (relative to our previous stuff). It was the main aim this summer for me when I travelled there. Li feels that quality is king and age is getting younger, “kids now want selvedge jeans and redwing boots” he explains. This year has been great for Victate and many steps were made in the right direction, “I have my own manufacturers, I have my own tailor, I have a team of leather craftmasters, I have a good team along with me,” he proclaims, adding, “I would love to be seen alongside or dressed with the likes of YMC, Norse Projects, Yuketen, Carharrt Heritage, APC”. This may seem ambitious for a young dental student but Li has proved that hard work and determination gets results. He backs up this fact with “Don’t be surprised when people are shocked at what you are capable of. All the nights people are out partying and you feel like you’re missing out because you’re working on something you enjoy - just know that whatever you learn will only be with you there are endless chances to have fun, there aren’t endless chances to pursue something you love.” In some final words, Li elaborated on what he hopes customers will take away from the Victate experience; “I want Victate’s customers to cherish what they buy from us. It’s not a marketing gimmick saying what they buy is limited to that season, literally a batch of 25 might be printed and that’s all. I hope they get to know a corner of where Victate came from and to know as long as you hard at it, something good will come of it.” The Victate Winter 2011 collection is available now and features great cut and sew items such as shirts mixed with the now expected high standard of graphic tshirts. sweatshirts and leather accessories. View and shop the collection at victate.co.uk
trends.
“Big stripes and animal prints are coming in, more so on tanks and such for Spring 12 and Summer 12. Graphic design trends are growing into a simpler format - more on the typograph tees, simpler custom art, and more of a branding to the graphic. We try to mesh our edgy image, which everyone knows us for, with those trends and this Winter11 line really showed that and turned out well. It showed growth in the company and it’s image and really helped us step into that new realm of lifestyle brands.� Top available from killbrand.com
Nico Tramontana Chief Operations Officer KillBrand
trends.
“The Diesel male collection for AW 11 was all about the wilderness world of being on tour. That means not just having a wild time but spending time in the wild in your lux shearling coat or your down filled parka. Think lots of oversized plaids, leather and cord, rock and roll for the rocky mountains” Jacket available from diesel.com
“The main design trend for our current A/W 2011 collection “On Strike” is the inspiration we got from activists, protests and underground resistance. This results in a style that is recognizable by its use of innovative & functional garments with a lot of care for detailing and premium quality materials. Zippers, checked fabrics, hoodies and leather reflect the ‘riot’ feel of the collection. The color palette with rusty, mustard, bordeaux and olive makes the garments stand out and contribute to the overall feel of the ‘On Strike’ collection.”
Katie Dalling-Cobley Male Sales Manager (UK) Diesel
Remco van der Velden Owner & Designer Ontour
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womenswear.
“Peps” scarf £27 and “Tala” shirt, £25 by Animal
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#001 “Pointer” jacket, €199 by Ontour // #002 “M-YAQUELL” knit, £210 by Diesel // #003 “Ashlee Peacoat” melange. 100 Euros by WeSC // #004 “Amerie” cardigan, £45 by howies // #005 “Bouncing Bunnies” jumper, £40 by ASOS.
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#4 #001 “Path To Nowhere”, “7 Days A Week” and “Mountains” tshirts, $24 by Ugmonk // #002 “Cream” beanie, £21.99 by Ignite // #3 “Green Colour Block” mittens, £13 by River Island // #004 “Frippe” socks, 15 Euros, by WeSC
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#001 & #002 Selected styles from Winter collection by Brixton // #003 “The Forest” tshirt, £20, by howies // #004 “Lou” jeans, £75, by howies // #005 “Elise” knitted dress, £50, by Animal // #006 “Lida” handbag, 160 Euros, by WeSC // #007 “Trudi” blouse, 90€ by WeSC
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#001 “Knitted Texture” slouch jumper, £38 by Topshop // #002 “Borg Collar” parker, £95 by Topshop // #003 “CT Knee XHI” shoes. £70 by Converse // #004 “Ruby” trapper, £29.99 by Ignite // #005 “2-VALRIN” belt, £65 by Diesel #3
// #006 “Stoned” clutch purse, £24 by Volcom (available here)
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