The Bloke Magazine - Issue 2

BLOKE

the men's magazine like no other

http://dhiglobal.com/hair-loss-treatments/direct-hair-implantation/ DHI Hair Transplant - Direct Hair Implantation

BLOKE Leader Rules are there to be broken As we have seen from the proliferation of the once taboo brown shoes with blue suits and an abundance of tweed in cities where – traditionally – it has no place, rules are there to be broken.

So, when we proudly announced that our magazine was going to be a celebrity free-zone, we had not allowed for a chance encounter with the elegant, erudite thespian that is Richard E. Grant. And when he agreed to pen an article on how he took time out from being an actor, writer, TV presenter and national treasure to start his own fragrance, well it would have been churlish to refuse. (And if either David Beckham or Tom Hardy are reading this, we’d probably make an exception for you too).

In truth, our previous (and launch) edition was a shot in the dark; a punt; a suck it and see venture that was dipping its toe into the publishing water to see if there was actually a demand for a magazine like this. Well, readers sucked it and – much to our delight – they enjoyed the taste. And so we’re back, bigger, better and bolder than before.

As you will see in the pages that follow, we are still not a fashion magazine and we are still not aimed at anyone for whom a 28-inch waist is not just a dim and distant memory. What we are is a magazine that is aimed at men that like the finer things in life, whether that’s an Aston Martin on the drive, a handmade shirt, or a quality suit or jacket liberated from a local charity shop.

We sincerely hope that you enjoy this issue and that you share it with your friends, family and colleagues.

The Bloke

Editorial Mark Anthony - Mark Anthony Publicity markanthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk 07973 456 166

Circulation Mark Anthony - Mark Anthony Publicity markanthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk 07973 456 166

Sales Director Ben Chambers ben@demolitionnews.com 01903 899823

Production, design & reproduction Barry Morgan - Down to a Fine Art barrymorgan2@hotmail.com 07539 259 737

General Enquiries 01903 899823

Published by Chambers Media Ltd 9 William Evans Road, Manor Park, Epsom KT19 7DF markanthony@markanthonypublicity.co.uk 07973 456 166

Publisher Mark Anthony

Bloke is published 3 times a year by Bloke Publications.

The subscription rate is £60 per year. Subscription records are maintained at Bloke Publications 9 William Evans Road, Manor Park, Epsom KT19 7DF Articles and information contained in this publication are the copyright of Bloke Publications and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publishers.

The publishers cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, uncommissioned photographs or manuscripts.

BLOKE Contents Crisis? What Mid-Life Crisis?

With the economy on the up, we decided that the time had come to try out a car from the more luxurious end of the market. It proved to be a near-religious experience.

Don’t know Jack The ever-eloquent and erudite Richard E Grant. In this exclusive article, the debonair actor and author tells – in his own words - the story of how he came to create his own signature scent.

Man of the Moment Harley Peters, welder/fabricator and owner of www.equipped1928.com specialising in 1940s' style t-shirts.

Thrifty but Nifty the thrift store or charity shop has become the go-to destination for many of the most dapper individuals.

Whole New Bag of Tricks Leather jackets have always been a staple item of any man’s wardrobe, and most of us will have one lurking in the back of our wardrobe we can't bear to part with.

However there is now an innovative way to upcycle your precious jacket, rather than hand it over to the charity shop

www.wizardJeans.com/mens.html

BLOKE Object of Desire Crisis?

What Mid-Life Crisis?

With the economy on the up, we decided that the time had come to try out a car from the more luxurious end of the market. It proved to be a near-religious experience.

Have you ever had that feeling? You’re in a top-class restaurant; you are suitably attired; you have brushed up on your cutlery etiquette; you have learned the menu in both English and French; and stuffed into your pocket is sufficient money to pay for the meal several times over.

And yet, for some reason, you feel out of place; like the maitre d’ will suddenly twig that you don’t belong and lead you to the door, asking you never to return.

Well, multiply that feeling by about a hundred and you have some inkling of how I felt climbing behind the wheel of an Aston Martin Vanquish. It is like being handed the front door key for Buckingham Palace. It is quite possibly the most daunting and yet sumptuously inviting place I have ever been.

COILED COBRA In truth, the exterior of the Vanquish doesn’t really prepare you for what lies within.

For while it is low and sleek, it suggests stripped down, raw power.

Don’t get me wrong – It has power to spare. The sixcylinder V12 engine lurking beneath the elongated hood is like a coiled cobra, ready to strike and ready to roar through all six gears to a top speed of 188 mph.

But airline-style dash and flappy-paddle gear controls aside, the interior could quite easily be from a high end Mercedes, such is the level of comfort.

Even the driving position – sat erect rather than lying horizontal – speaks of a luxury car rather than a supercar.

Where others make do with bare metal, Aston Martin has leather peeled from cows that have been to finishing school.

But make no mistake. This car goes. And it keeps on going.

BLOKE The car goes from 0 to 60 in roughly the time it takes to utter the fourth syllable of “Dear Sweet Mother of God”.

It is about the same time it takes to realise that – in addition to steering and providing a home for the flappy-paddle controls – the steering wheel serves a third, equally important purpose. It is something to hang onto while 550 horses and a huge dollop of G-Force is trying to suck you out through the rear window.

And that feeling never subsides. With each gear change comes another burst of whiplash-inducing acceleration that pins you to the seat and squeezes the air from your lungs. Indeed, I have never felt more conscious of my chest than I did in the Vanquish. The acceleration works like a boa constrictor on your lungs, and when you apply the brakes, the seat belt catches like a swift kick to the sternum. In tests, the brakes have stopped a car from 100 mph in less

JOHN RILEY CLOTHING 07715 38 38 69 · 07730 539428 johnrileyco@gmail.com www.facebook.com/johnriley 100% TRADITIONALLY BRITISH AND MANUFACTURED IN THE UK ESTABLISHED 1942.

BRITISH HERITAGE

BLOKE

than 50 metres. This is only marginally less efficient than hitting a wall. A comforting thought, until you realise that the person driving behind you is unlikely to be similarly blessed in the braking department.

SAFETY FEATURES That said, facts such as these are reassuring, as are the heaps of safety features including a hardworking traction control system that makes the car more forgiving when you’ve been a little eager on the gas. In fact, although it is unquestionably exhilarating, I felt constantly secure, safe in the knowledge that this car had my wellbeing at heart. The same cannot be said of a Ferrari or, as I prefer to call it, a near-death experience.

questionable tattoo or an illadvised piercing. But, as a reformed Porsche owner, I disagree.

Does it have any drawbacks?

Well yes, of course it does; and chief among them is the asking price You could buy Wales for less than the asking price of the Aston Martin Vanquish but believe me, you’ll never have this much fun in Wales. The Vanquish doesn’t so much use fuel as it inhales it. Then again, if you have spent that much on a car, the hourly visits to the petrol station probably hold very few fears for you. And think of the Nectar points.

But all these are petty niggles; like discovering that your supermodel wife leaves the cap off the toothpaste from time to time.

Then, of course, is the fact that its sleek shape and outrageous speed scream midlife crisis just as loudly as a

Driving a Porsche in your 40s – I now see - is a desperate and vain attempt to be young, carefree and careless one last time. A middle-aged man in a Porsche is Rod Stewart, milking past glories long after they ceased to be cool, even in an ironic way. “Do ya think I’m sexy?” No Rod, not for at least 40 years. Driving an Aston Martin speaks of aspirations realised, goals achieved, mountains scaled, a life lived. A middle-aged man driving an Aston is Keith Richards, still vital, still relevant, looked up to by his peers, and yet not caring a jot what others may think.

So yes, it is expensive and yes, it will make you the envy of just about everyone you meet.

But I assure you that driving an Aston Martin Vanquish is about the most fun you can have with your clothes on.

And if, like me, you’re in your 40s, it is as much fun as a good many of the things you can do with your clothes off too. So go on, treat yourself – You’ll thank me for it.

Ottely B E S P O K E L E AT H E R W O R K

B E LT S • B A G S • A C C E S S O R I E S

Handmade from oak bark tanned bridle hide, a belt to last a lifetime*. *Subject to waistline! www.ottely.com

T: 01452 771012

BLOKE People Man of the Moment Name? Harley Peters Age? 27 Location? North London Occupation?

Welder/Fabricator & owner of www.equipped1928.com specializing in 1940s style t-shirts.

Style Icon? Steve Mcqueen seemed to get it right.

Favourite gadget/device? My record player Favourite book or film? ‘The Birth Of Hot Rodding – Story of the dry lakes era’ it has it all, the best in cars, clothes and 1940s styling.

Dream car? Far too many to name and definitely not enough time to build them all. Mainly 1930s/40s era.

Dream holiday destination?

A road trip around the back roads of America, buying a 1940’s truck, filling it full of stuff and then bring it back home.

Do you have a daily grooming regime?

Only when I get told I look like a scruffy git How much do you spend on grooming products each month?

Not a lot, unless my pomade runs out.

How much do you spend on clothes each month?

More than my wife knows about.

Do you have a favourite clothing brand?

LVC Levis Vintage Clothing Do you have a favourite grooming products brand?

Generally blue Dax or Black & White but have started using Murray’s Super light which I found whilst in California recently.

In honour of our unrequited love of Twitter, in each edition we will bring you a Tweet-style interview with a notable BLOKE.

How often do you get your hair cut? Every month Who cuts your hair? A good friend Steve ‘Deluxestyling’ Favourite item of clothing?

Has to be my Carolina engineer boots that were resoled by Brian ‘the bootmaker’ at Role Club in LA Most expensive item of clothing you own?

My Rising Sun ranch hand duck canvas jacket.

Most ridiculous item of clothing ever purchased?

Pretty much all of them if you ask my wife!

What clothing item in the world would you most like to own?

At the moment its a Palomino horsehair/hide jacket.

What grooming product could you not live without?

Does a penknife count?

What, in your opinion, is the greatest fashion crime?

Wearing a Belstaff or Barbour jacket and not having the motorcycle to go with it!

If you could have anyone’s wardrobe, whose would it be?

Just send me back to post war California and I’d have everything I want to own right there.

Who, in your opinion, is the world’s best-dressed man?

That’s a tough one, Paul Newman

BLOKE Whiff You Don’t Know JACK Rules are there to be broken. So when we said in our first edition that Bloke would be a celebrity-free zone, we had not allowed for a chance encounter with the evereloquent and erudite Richard E Grant. In this exclusive article, the debonair actor and author tells – in his own words - the story of how he came to create his own signature scent.

Setting up my ‘One Man Brand’ JACK perfume business was the result of being encouraged by handbag and accessories supremo Anya Hindmarch who said “just do it”.

We were fellow house guests in Mustique and she had noticed that I missiled my nose at everything in sight.

“Are you going to do something about it?” she asked when I had my head in a gardenia bush. “Do you mean psychiatrically?” “No, create a perfume of your own.”

This prompted me to confess that when I was twelve years old and had a crush on an American girl called Betsy Clapp.

BLOKE My pocket money couldn’t stretch to buying her scent for her birthday, so I stole all the gardenia and rose petals in my parents’ garden in Swaziland where I grew up, boiled them in sugar water, sealed them up in jam jars, and then buried them underground, in the mistaken belief that they would transform into scent.

companies on the planet, who asked if this was to be a ‘celebrity fragrance’? When I said ‘No’, she ordered me to sit down, asked what the ingredients would be and what the packaging would look like.

“Financing this all yourself?”

“Entirely.”

“Risky.”

PASSION IS EVERYTHING Anya whipped out her iPhone, pinged me a list of contacts to approach back in London and declared that, in business, passion is everything.

I met with perfumier Lynn Harris of Miller Harris, who was very encouraging, whilst detailing the pitfalls of the industry.

Then onto Marigay McKee, head honcho at Harrods, who basically read me the Riot Act of how the business operates.

She introduced me to perfumier Roja Dove, who has been a benign Svengali to me ever since.

He set up a meeting with Catherine Mitchell at IFF, one of the big five fragrance

“I know, but my accountant worked out what I had ‘saved’ by never drinking or smoking, and I decided to take a punt starting a business with that money.”

I wanted a unisex, quintessentially British brand, which is why the packaging is pillar box red, whilst the bottle is ‘sleeved’ inside a vintage-style Union Jack calico bag with a luggage label attached, so that it can be personalised once opened.

The ingredients – lime, marijuana, mandarin, vetiver, nutmeg, pepper and tobacco.

I wanted the scent to be addictive and almost lickable.

MET WITH THE NOSE Catherine took me seriously, said that Liberty were looking for a bespoke unisex British scent and set up a meeting with head buyers Gina Ritchie and Sarah Coonan.

Felt like Dragon’s Den meets The Apprentice. Twenty minutes later, we emerged with a deal to produce a perfume in the months ahead that they would launch exclusively at Liberty, if it was good enough.

Met with ‘Nose’ Alienor Massenet who transformed my ideas into multiple ‘test’ options, crucially adding a base ‘note’ of Oud to give the fragrance “va-va-voom”. Back and forth testing sessions over six months, and ‘road testing’ it on all my friends, I finally had a Eureka moment in the middle of the night, combining two of my ‘almostbut-not-quite’ tester favourites into a bottle, phoned Alienor at dawn and declared “this is it!”

Asked Dylan Jones at GQ if I could write a monthly diary of my A-Z journey into business in lieu of having no

advertising budget, which he generously agreed to, before asking “what’s it called?”

get in every aspect of the business and respond directly to customers via the website.

Stumped for a name, he suggested ‘JACK’, as it’s British and comes in a flag bag.

Launched online and at Liberty in the Spring of 2014 with a party crammed with every famous face I could persuade to show up and within six months, JACK became a best seller and my fledgling company went into profit. Topped off with the award for Best New Independent Fragrance at the perfume ‘Oscars’ given by the

Applied to get the name patented and at the 11th hour was issued with a lawsuit by an American company who claimed it was too like one of their perfume brands.

Felt like David fighting a corporate Goliath. Took legal advice and encouraged to stand my ground. They finally conceded just before going to court, exempting them from paying my legal costs.

AWARD WINNER Approached Swallowfield company in Wellington, Somerset to produce the perfume in relatively small volumes as a start up business, which they generously agreed to.

Mid-January 2014, I hand delivered bottles of JACK to 30 magazine editors in the hope that they might give me editorial coverage. I am as ‘hands on’ as it’s possible to

Fragrance Foundation.

This has enabled me to launch a second scent JACK-COVENT GARDEN in the spring of 2015.

The third incarnation JACKPICCADILLY launches later this year. I now employ my daughter as our business expands.

As it says in very small print on the back of the box: “JACK is my signature in scent.”

Richard E Grant www.jackperfume.co.uk

Meccanica Classic British clothing with a contemporary twist.

Born out of a racing heritage our classics are inspired by individuality, speed, style and the beauty of things with two wheels or four.

We fuse a passion for British engineering with Italian design; our aim is to celebrate both nations’ rich cycling and motor racing heritages.

Available sizes small to 4XL while keeping a great cut and style. www.meccanica.cc +44 (0) 1565 651155

BLOKE Gear Thrifty yet Nifty There was a time when the very thought of wearing second-hand clothing would have been considered unthinkable for all but the least fortunate in society. But with the steady decline in the quality of modern clothing, a growing desire for longer-lasting menswear and an uncertain economic climate, the thrift store or charity shop has become the go-to destination for many of the most dapper individuals. The Bloke reports.

tailored quality

outstanding prices

EXCLUSIVE 10% DISCOUNT FOR READERS OF BLOKE MAGAZINE visit our website and enter the discount code SWBLOKE10 at the checkout to claim your exclusive 10% discount

www.samuel-windsor.co.uk

0871 911 7044

8am-8pm 7 days a week. Calls cost 13p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge. Offer ends 31st May 2016.

BLOKE

We live in austere times. The recession might be over – for now, at least – but neither my pockets nor my wallet feel suddenly swollen with excess cash to splurge on throwaway fashion items. Little wonder then that an increasing number of people – including

some of the best-dressed people you’re ever likely to meet – are eschewing the high street in favour of charity shops and thrift stores.

And before you voice your concerns about “dead man’s clothes” or the vague whiff of mothballs, it is worth bearing

in mind one important point: If an item of clothing is of sufficient quality and distinction to be sold not once but twice, the chances are that it is an item worth owning.

Thrift stores do not generally sell t-shirts from Primark as these are made – effectively – to be disposable.

AlyBondLeather Recycled Repurposed Leather Jackets into Bags

The ultimate upcycling for a beloved leather jacket.

Alybond will transform it into a beautiful, and useful objet d’art.  A truly unique and novel metamorphosis that will breathe life back back into a treasured jacket.

07971 853172 www.alybond.co.uk

BLOKE FINE AND FRUGAL Many years ago, I was having lunch in an up-market London restaurant. There was a man at the table beside mine who was sporting a really nice window-pane check blue blazer.

The jacket was clearly good quality. Besides the surgeon’s cuffs that he wore open, the buttonholes were just so; the buttons themselves even more so. Despite my usual English reluctance of striking up conversation with total strangers, I complimented the man on his jacket and he quickly admitted that he had bought it in a charity shop in West London. “I would rather spend £25 on a quality jacket and £50 getting a tailor to adjust the fit to my liking than buy something of lesser quality off the rack,” he said.

I can relate. I have shopped in charity shops regularly for many years, partly out of

20% OFF MYRANGE – USE CODE ‘MYRANGE20’ *

BRAND NEW

MYRANGE OUR MOST ADVANCED PRODUCTS TO DATE GIVING YOU THAT EXTRA EDGE Optimise your workout in every way with our new premium MYRANGE products.

From MYAMINO BOOST & MYAMINO COMPLEX with a complex 22 Amino Acid blend to our ground breaking weight loss supplement MYTHERMO X-TREME with added TEACRINE our new scientifically developed premium range is proven to deliver the best results.

EUROPE’S NO. 1 SPORTS NUTRITION BRAND *Offer valid until 30/06/2016. One transaction per customer.

BLOKE

frugality but, more often, out of a desire to own something different, unique and noteworthy. My wardrobe currently contains at least six blazers and sports jackets that arrived home wrinkled and crinkled in a bag with Oxfam emblazoned down its side.

These include a ginger number in cashmere that is a talking point whenever I wear it; and a tweed shooting jacket – trimmed with leather at the cuffs - I tried on in a Glasgow charity shop and which fitted every bit as well as any of my hand-made, bespoke suits.

Although I do not have what you might call a favourite item of clothing, I do have one piece that I return to time after time after time. And it too came from a charity shop about 35 years ago. It is a black silk Nina Ricci tie with the designer’s name brocaded repeatedly into the weave.

I originally bought it to go with a suit I inherited from my grandfather when I was going through my thankfully shortlived New Romantic/film noir/European cinema phase and it has been a wardrobe staple ever since. It is neither

narrow nor wide, it is just… right. It is beautifully lined and sufficiently thick to take a proper knot, not that awful four-in-hand excuse for a knot favoured by tattooed footballers and TV newsreaders and which look like the work of a four yearold. It has been cleaned a few times over the years but it has retained its body and lustre.

And it has been tied so many times now that the cloth almost knows where it needs to go.

SIGNS OF QUALITY Of course, a designer label is no guarantee of quality (although it often helps).

Many so-called fashion houses outsource the production of clothing to low-end producers. In addition, it is not unusual for designers to have a variety of quality levels and brands to match: a genuine Armani suit is always going to be better than an Emporio Armani number.

With that in mind, the thrift store shopping experience is more a matter of what you know than who you know.

BLOKE There are innumerable signs of quality, but here are a seven basic guidelines: * Look for trousers with quality details. Split or fishtail waistbands, pick stitching in the fly, buttons to carry real braces, side adjusters, and a closure with a generous tab are good signs of a quality piece. * Look for shirts with motherof-pearl buttons. They’ll look more lustrous and feel cold on your lip. They’re more expensive and are prone to chipping, so they’re only used on high-quality shirts. * Better jackets will have three discrete layers in their chest an outer, a lining and a canvas in between.

Because of imperfections, the top layer is sanded off, then replaced with a plastic coating. This is cheaper than picking undamaged hides, so it’s most of what you’ll find on the thrift store shelf. * Never buy synthetics. If you see a label that reads polyester or nylon, put it back on the shelf. * Don’t buy third-world-made goods. The words “Made in England” (or Italy or the US or Canada or Switzerland or Germany) don’t guarantee quality goods, but the words “Made in Bangalore” generally paint a rather more telling picture.

SHOPPING SERENDIPITY

Pinch the cloth to distinguish.

If you only feel two, they canvas and outer are glued together, a sure sign of a lower-quality jacket.

One of the main pleasures of thrift store shopping is the sheer serendipity it occasionally affords.

* Shoes that have a shiny, plasticky look are made of “corrected” or “polished” leather.

There are few things that give me greater pleasure than spotting a rose among the thorns; an undiscovered diamond in the rough.

And of course, no amount of heritage or luxury can replace that feeling that an item is just, well, you.

But, as a further protection, it is worth knowing your brands so you can recognise a gem when you see it.

Many thrift store enthusiasts are armed with a physical or mental brand list that sorts the wheat (a Brioni jacket) from the chaff (a Baroni jacket).

And, in the age of smart phones and eBay, don’t forget that you have a constant and well-informed ally. Search for completed auctions on the web or in the eBay app and get a sense of the market.

Some brands fly under the eBay radar, but for larger brands, it’s an easy way to distinguish between the good, the bad and the somewhere between the two.

A 5 ststa tar ar ststa tay ay in in bar bar ba arrefefffooo ootot glgla lam am moou mou our ur

The A zia Resort & Spa, the 5-star hotel in Paphos that has been voted and chosen as one of the best hotels in the World in the categories of Spa, Design, Families and Luxury in publications such as:

CONDE NAST TRAVELLER, ELLE, GRAZ IA, WORLD LUXURY SPA AWARDS, TRIPAD VISOR, Z OOVER etc.

THE TIME S wi th a r aving ar ticle that says 'It is like entering a capsule of tr anquility. Azia m anages to do luxur y wi thout s nootiness or class ostentation, a r arity these days.'

ELLE magazine in the UK LQFOXGHG WKH $]LD LQ ´WKH EHVW IRU VW\OLVK KROLGD\Vµ DW WKH FDWHJRU \ VKRU W-haul destinations.

7+( ,1'(3(1'(17 ´«The Azia is five-VWDU EXW QRW IRUPDO 6R WDNH WKH EDE\ DQG UHOD[«µ The tr avel bible CONDE NAST TRAVELLER in the UK honour ed the Azia wi th a 10-page ar ticle exclusively on the r esor t: ´7KH SODFH WKDW WLFNV DOO WKH ER[HV LV WKH $]LD 5HVRU W 6SDµ ´OX[XU \ FDWHJRU \ « LV MXVW WKH U LJKW FRPELQDWLRQ RI JORVV\ DQG XQSU HWHQWLRXV « QR JOLW] EXW ORWV RI FKLF « WKH JDU GHQV DU H H[WU DRU GLQDU \«µ ´«VSD ZRXOG EH D SHUIHFW SODFH IRU RQH RI WKRVH U HFXSHU DWLYH KROLGD\Vµ HOU SE & GARDEN OLVWHG WKH $]LD DV RQH RI WKH ´P RVW H[FLWLQJ KRWHOV LQ WKH ZRUOGµ LQ LWV ZRU OGZLGH +RWHOV E\ 'HVLJQ HGLWLRQ THE SUNDAY TIME S TRAVEL P DJD]LQH LQFOXGHG WKH $]LD LQ LWV ´5HDGHU V 5HYHDO WKH %HVW LQ WKH :RU OGµ THE MAIL ador ed the Spa and gave it top r ating for : Celebrities at the r esor t, Staff Attentiveness , Pamper rating and L Lu uxur y for Money.

TRIPADVISOR awarded the A zia with 2 awards in 2014 WORLD LUXURY HOTELS A WARDS awarded the Azia for a second time Infor mation| Reservations: Tel: 00357-26845100 | e-ma maiil: info@aziaresort.com ma Pafos - Cyprus

www.aziaresor t.com

BLOKE Gear Whole New Bag of Tr Leather jackets have always been a staple item of any mans wardrobe.

Whether you are a fan of the blazer, biker or bomber style, most of us will have one lurking in the back of our wardrobe we can't bear to part with.

However there is now an innovative way to upcycle your precious jacket, rather than hand it over to the charity shop

icks The jacket may have been a second hand find you treasure, a present from a loved one or snaffled from family member - you may even have one your dad or brother used to wear before they passed away.

For Aly Ashton, that's the point. Creating these bags from leather jackets is actually a way of upcycling your memories.

"Every bag has a memory," says the 49-year-old mum of two simply. "It's a way of finally making use of that jacket which is sitting in your wardrobe.

"The first bag I made was about ten years ago and it was from my own coat which I had worn forever, through my late teens, twenties and even thirties. It was second hand when I got it, which made it all the more loved, but it was getting pretty threadbare.

"I had seen a YouTube video

by Martha Stewart about how to make a leather bag by hand - so I tried that but ended up using a machine.

"I made that bag very badly," she says with a slightly embarrassed laugh. "I still have it though; it's an upright messenger bag with a flap.

"A few people spotted my bag and asked me to do one for them, so I started collecting leather jackets and my addiction was born!

"Now it's a full time career which I can do working from home, although now I have the industrial sewing machines which makes it all a bit easier."

Most customers send a coat for Aly to create a bag from, but if someone would like a bespoke bag and likes the idea of upcycling, but doesn't have their own jacket, then Aly has a collection for them to choose from, usually sourced from charity shops and ebay and kept until they are needed.

"The style and size of the bag is then chosen and I deconstruct the coat, but keep original features such as buttons, zips and other details," said Ally.

"I line the bags with old shirts and I have a number of nice old Ted Baker ones, but I can use one a client has. am now

BLOKE

very recently lining some bags with Liberty and Laura Ashley fabrics too."

Aly doesn't follow fashion, but after consultation with the client, lets the details of the jacket guide her design. She believes one of the most interesting aspects about repurposing the leather is the fact that before it landed in Aly's hands, it had a whole other life, something she can then preserve as a memory bag for someone to cherish.

As well as the bags, Aly also creates coin purses, pencil cases, laptop bags, basically anything which can be created from leather.

Along with selling her work through her online Etsy shop, they can be found at Wears London at Greenwich Market London and The Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester who stock Aly's work.

It takes eight to ten hours of work on average to create one of the bags which can cost anything from ÂŁ50 to ÂŁ250 depending on the size and detailing.

"I have been sewing since the age of 12 and always used to make my own clothes, but I really feel like I have found my niche now with leather.

"In the past I have worked as a receptionist, building printed circuit boards and making lycra leotards and other stretch clothes. Making the bags has been a real learning curve, and it has been difficult at times but I have got there now.

"I do love doing this; I bounce out of bed knowing I have a day of doing something I love.I get such a buzz out of making something that someone will keep forever, out of items of clothing of loved ones - not just those who have

passed away, but from old clothing of children and husband too.

"The winning thing for me and for customers is that each bag is one of a kind. The shops are full of beautiful bags, but they are all the same type of thing.

These are original. They are also earth friendly as we are re using material."

One of Aly's bags is due to make a TV appearance later in the year when Drew Pritchard uses Salvage Hunters on Quest TV. "He's into the very old vintage

battered look and I thought he might like what I do, so I sourced an old vintage blazer and lined it with levis, contacted him and he's agreed to use it in the series," she says proudly.

So far Aly has made around 500 bags, plus lots of smaller items and has a waiting list of a few weeks for customers who want Aly to make them a bag of their own.

She was even contacted by a lady from Adelaide who has turned into a loyal customer, commissioning her to make two

bags as well as a handbag tidy.

"It's nice to think of my bags going across the world," she says.

"I hate waste and throwing things out....the loft is getting very full," she admits. "I can't look at anything without wondering what else I can turn it into.Upcycling has become a bit of a passion for me, I'll do it until I die!�