Issue 55 - Change & Those Striving to Embrace It

THE

essential journal The pursuit of a quality lifestyle

essentialjournal.co.uk

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CONTENTS

07.

11.

30.

The Primer. words by Will Halbert

One Thing Done Well. with Barber

Going For Gold.

Barbers’ Gold Standard

09.

Shop Fits. with Park & Province

38.

19.

MA.STRUM. Behind the Badge

12.

26.

The Power of Now. with Jamal Edwards

John Smedley.

Natural Icons

47.

Rolex 2020 Collection. with D.M.R

35.

All That Jazz. with Crown Northampton

42.

Death of the Photojournalist. with Don McCullin

Spirit-Forward Thinking. with Phaidon

54.

Columns & Thoughts

CONTRIBUTORS CONTACT Moshin ALI Tommy BANKS Ian BERGIN Chris COTONOU Dawn DAVIES MW Colin DORRICOTT Jamal EDWARDS Mathias Le FÈVRE Matthew GONZALEZ Róisín HANLON Mark HIGGS Don McCULLIN Jake O’BRIEN MURPHY Patty PERREIRA Johnny RIDLEY

FRONT COVER Jamal Edwards MBE Photography by Colin Dack Wearing MA.STRUM

PUBLISHERS Essential Studio essentialstudio.co.uk

PARTNERSHIP MANAGER Elliot Ramsey e.ramsey@essentialstudio.co.uk

TERMS & CONDITIONS Under no circumstances must any part of this publication be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher. Whilst every effort is taken, the publisher shall not

EDITOR Will Halbert w.halbert@essentialstudio.co.uk

@TEJOURNAL

be held responsible for any errors. Furthermore, the publisher shall not be held responsible for any advertis-

@essentialjournal

ing material/content. Please also note that the views and opinions written within this publication do not necessar-

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Thomas Sumner t.sumner@essentialstudio.co.uk

@essentialjournal

ily represent the views and opinions of the publisher. All prices and details stated within this publication are cor-

web essentialjournal.co.uk

rect at the time of print, however these are subject to change and the publisher shall not be held responsible

LEAD DESIGNER Christopher Gerrard christopher.gerrard@essentialstudio.co.uk

for these. Third party contributors own exclusive copyright to their own material that they have submitted as part of the publication. All rights reserved.

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linea mini sapphire special edition bring home a phenomenal cafe experience

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uk.lamarzoccohome.com

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR.

“I’ve seen a look in dogs’ eyes, a quick and vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts.”

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’ve no doubt mentioned this a time or two before, but I have a dog that by all conceivable reckoning is tailor made for wanton destruction and general, unfettered waywardness. He’s a four-legged calamity with a capacity for chaos unparalleled, a capacity which increases significantly when he’s left unobserved for absolutely any length of time. Suffice it to say that lockdown presented a far more brutal wing-clipping for him than it did for me.

Of course, a mutual understanding of our respective domestic boundaries was quickly reached via the usual methods: passive aggressive posturing; measured debate and, naturally, tests of strength. It was a close call in each respective field of combat. In the end, blissful cohabitation between myself and my dog was achieved by a shared desire to embrace change.

Something we could all do with emulating as lockdown lifts and we begin our slow and steady return to the before times. In truth, I’ll miss our afternoon rewatchings of Hamilton, our mutual appreciation for whisky breakfasts (and the rarer, more exuberant Cognac brunches that often followed), and our oft-heated, ill-fated games of chess. But change is change. You can’t stop it.

As we emerge from lockdown with the faint markings of the so-called ‘new normal’ on the horizon, I feel a pang of optimism as I envisage people embracing a similar take on the importance of change. I imagine people pushing on with a renewed sense of focus, a clearer sense of purpose, and an increased consideration for others. But then I see the unbridled self importance at the train stations, the unapologetic selfishness at the supermarket checkouts, the sheer shoulder-to-shoulder stupidity at the bartop. I remember that the more things change, the more they stay the same. In those instances my optimism wanes a little, and I find myself overcome with the sudden urge to run home, lock my doors, and get utterly shitfaced with my dog.

Anyway, this issue The Essential Journal goes out to the theme of change and those striving to embrace it.

Enjoy.

- John Steinbeck

THE PRIMER WHAT WE’RE WALKING IN: Finisterre x Palladium Boot Tough-as-nails, light-as-a-feather boots made by surfers with the help of shoemakers so skilled they literally equipped the French Foreign Legion? What’s not to love? Finisterre’s upcoming collaboration with Palladium comes in the form of a lightweight, waterproof and eco-friendly take on the latter’s infamous PAMPA HI boot. The PAMPA HI RECYCLED WP+ delivers a modern-day version of Palladium’s timeless classic, one that doesn’t cost the earth in resources. The shoe’s upper is constructed from recycled plastic bottles, while the sole is composed of recycled rubber waste.

Even the lace tips are biodegradable. These are triedand-tested, to-the-ends-of-the-Earth boots tailor made for walking sandy shores and concrete jungles without having to worry about the carbon footprint.

Finisterre.com

WHAT WE’RE DRINKING: The GlenDronach Now this is the kind of movie tie in we can get behind.

The GlenDronach Kingsman Edition 1989 Vintage has been expertly crafted by Master Blender, Dr. Rachel Barrie - in collaboration with director, Matthew Vaughn - to commemorate the upcoming release of A King’s Man. There’s a whole lot to love here. A spectacular blend of six of the finest casks from this rare vintage year, this 1989 vintage is then matured in Oloroso sherry casks, with a final maturation in Pedro Ximénez casks for that final flourish. The end result is a twentynine-year-old Single Malt with an exceptional depth of character and an almighty kick that could stick it to the best (or worst) of ‘em. A dram truly befitting a Kingsman. Grab a bottle while you can as these won’t be sticking around.

Will Halbert glendronachdistillery.com 7

WHAT WE’VE BEEN CHECKING OUT: The Don McCullin exhibition at Tate Liverpool

WHERE WE’RE CAFFEINATING: Rosslyn Sure, we could wax lyrical on the minimal décor, the laid back ambiance and generally unrivalled conviviality of what’s widely considered to be London’s best coffee shop. We could even dish out a couple of effusive and admittedly overwrought superlatives in support of the Rosslyn team’s coffee making credentials to boot. We’d be entirely justified in our endeavours, too. But we’re simple folk with simple tastes. So we’ve cut through the usual verbal pyrotechnics to offer a simple, succinct and easy-to-remember justification for your next visit to our new favourite coffee spot: Espresso Soft Serve.

From September through to May, Tate Liverpool is exhibiting a sprawling retrospective of the work of legendary photographer, Don McCulln. The exhibition boasts more than 200 images captured over the last 60 years and charting everything from Don’s conflict photography, to his images of working class, urban strife, to his landscape photography. It’s undeniably challenging, it’s often bleak, and it’s absolutely essential viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in photojournalism.

@rosslyncoffee

tate.org.uk/whats-on

WHAT WE SHOULD BE SHOUTING ABOUT: Got a suggestion, a tip-off or a project you think we’d like? Drop us a message and we could feature you in the Primer or FIVE in 5. @essentialjournal

FIVE in 5:

SHORT AND SWEET SELECTIONS Direct From EJ Towers...

LISTENING:

STREAMING:

DRINKING:

EATING:

READING:

Marlowe 2, Marlowe “No school like the oldskool”

Disney’s Mulan “We demand more talking dragons”

Tillingham’s Qvevri 19 “More than worth the hangover”

Buyers Club, Liverpool “Good God, pasta from heaven.”

Frank Herbert’s, Dune “Anyone else’s mouth gone dry?”

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S H O P

F I T S # 1

PARK & PROVINCE Toronto, Canada VILAYATH WEARS: • Oliver spencer Grandpa’s Coat new for AW20 in Wickham Oatmeal • La Paz Penouço Fleece Vest • 3Sixteen Heavyweight Henley • Kestin Hare Inverness Corduroy Trousers • Holding Kinto Travel Mug Photograph by Chris Naidu (Founder & Owner) @parkprovince 927 Queen St. West, Toronto, Canada

“For over five years our store has been proud to offer some of the best “local hospitality” shopping experiences combined with a thoughtful list of emerging and reputable international designers.

We call it “casual contemporary” and that’s basically just well designed, sometimes understated and really damn reliable clothing. We want our items on everyone’s back, but the beauty of shopping here is that we’ve always been able to adapt to an individual’s style and I think that’s what makes the outcome really worth it.”

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ONE Thing Done Well Barbour’s Gold Standard sub-brand delivers an elevated take on the brand’s revered archival excellence

T

he term ‘gold standard’ offers a serviceably snappy little shorthand used to describe a product ‘of unrivalled quality; a paragon against which other products of its kind may be compared.’ It’s a lofty claim by anyone’s reckoning; one quite likely to elicit an eye roll or two when used insincerely. When employed by a brand like Barbour however, Gold Standard becomes nothing less than a tried-and-tested, century-and-a-quarter long matter of absolute fact.

South Shields natives with over 125 years of heritage at their heels, Barbour have spent over a century crafting and perfecting some of the most instantly-recognisable and oft-imitated jackets in the world. Their latest Gold Standard sub-brand offers a serious doubling down on that enviable legacy.

The Supa Beaufort Waxed Cotton Jacket one of ten jackets that make up the new collection - is perfect proof of that very fact. It’s an elegantly-rugged, A-line jacket which incorporates all of the charm and tradition of the classic Beaufort whilst also dialling its production credentials up to 11.

We’re not exaggerating here; the jacket’s

words by Will Halbert details literally read like a roll call of technical ante uppers and fabric-forward flourishes.

From the three-piece, tailored raglan sleeves to the all-new, leather-trimmed and bellowed pockets; from the detachable, button-up hood to the now-iconic, vertically-cut, hand warmer pockets, the Supa Beaufort is a UK-cut, oilwaxed celebration of Barbour’s above-and-beyond approach to garment construction.

Legend has it that the original Beaufort was designed by Chairman Dame Margaret Barbour back in ‘82. During her visits to France, she would admire the way local shooting jackets boasted a more elevated style than their UK counterparts, and sought to build upon it. The name ‘Beaufort’ was chosen to highlight the continental inspiration that lies at the heart of the jacket.

It’s a lovely story, but in all honesty, as rich as the jacket’s heritage may be, it’s the road ahead that excites us the most. The Supa Beaufort is a built-for-the-journey investment piece which - much like the rest of the Gold Standard collection - will only get better with age. It is, by turns, a compelling story so far and a bold step forward. We’re delighted to be along for the ride. EJ

Barbour’s Gold Standard Supa-Hunting Wax Jacket

Barbour’s Gold Standard Supa-Beaufort Wax Jacket

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POWER THE

OF NOW

JAMAL EDWARDS MBE DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING FROM YOUR MISTAKES, APPRECIATING EACH DAY AS IT COMES, AND KEEPING AN EYE ON THOSE ALL-IMPORTANT VAT RECEIPTS

Interview by WILL HALBERT Photography by COLIN DACK

COLLECTOR OF TALENT, CREATOR OF CONTENT, CONNECTOR OF WORLDS - ENTREPRENEURS DON’T COME MORE MULTI-HYPHENATE THAN JAMAL EDWARDS. OVER THE LAST 14 YEARS, SBTV’S FOUNDING FATHER HAS DEDICATED HIMSELF TO BUILDING A PLATFORM THAT GIVES A VOICE TO CULTURES, COMMUNITIES AND MOVEMENTS BEYOND THE MAINSTREAM. HE’S COME A LONG WAY SINCE WHAT WAS PRETTY MUCH THE DAWN OF YOUTUBE. AND FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, HE’S JUST GETTING STARTED.

FIRST OFF, LET’S GO WAY BACK TO BEFORE THAT FAMOUS GOOGLE AD: HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN FOR YOU? HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT CREATING THE PLATFORM YOU NOW HAVE?

It all stemmed from my love of UK grime, rap and hip hop. I wanted to create a platform that would give those scenes the representation they needed and deserved.

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It was entirely unheard of back then. YouTube wasn’t really about that kind of content back in the day; it was more about cat videos and ‘Charlie Bit my Finger’. It wasn’t really a destination for original music. So I saw a gap in the market; a chance to champion original music content.

And as it turned out, the timing was perfect.

SBTV was born and the rest is history.

HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT GETTING YOUR NAME OUT THERE?

The whole thing grew from word of mouth really. There was no budget thrown at it or anything. I already had a small following from my days making tracks. It was all guerrilla tactics, really. Back in school, in the very early days, I’d set the PCs’ homepages to the SBTV YouTube page. The school got wise after a little while and stopped me doing it. So I started doing the same thing over at the Apple store. It actually got me a few hits too. It all sounds a bit silly now but it really was that grassroots.

YOU DIDN’T JUST CREATE A PLATFORM FOR YOURSELF. YOU HELPED SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE GET THEIR THOUGHTS, FACES AND VOICES OUT THERE. WAS THAT ALWAYS THE GOAL?

Yeah, and it took on a totally different dimension to what I was first expecting, too. I soon realised I wasn’t just helping to build the profiles of on-screen talent, but off-screen talent too. That really surprised me. I wasn’t just getting artists’ names out there, I was creating an alternative route for people looking for options beyond the typical. I’m talking about people who were stressed out at uni and were looking for different paths to take, for example.

It’s been amazing to fuel their passion and help them to develop their skills and carve out a totally different direction for themselves. It’s all about recognising talent. Full stop. It doesn’t matter if that’s on-screen or off-screen. Passion is passion.

YOU MUST HAVE AMASSED QUITE THE NETWORK WITH AN APPROACH LIKE THAT. IS IT EVER A CHALLENGE KEEPING ON TOP OF IT ALL?

The network has become vast, man. It’s almost too big! In terms of social media, I used to try to limit the amount of people I followed because it can all get a little overwhelming. I’m less precious about that now. The floodgates are open.

There’s an opportunity to learn from everyone, so that drives me to connect with people as much as I can. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing, depending on how you see it. But all the same, it’s helped me get to where I am today.

I THINK IT’S SAFE TO SAY YOU’VE COVERED A LOT OF GROUND OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. WHAT DRIVES YOU? WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR FORWARD MOMENTUM? 13

If I wake up and I don’t have things to do, my mind gets frantic. So I need to keep things moving. I look to my peers, for sure.

Seeing [rapper] Dave team up with David Attenborough for a special Planet Earth, for example. Or seeing Skepta collaborate with Havana Club. Watching Dua Lipa blow up. They all fuel me. The reason I get so inspired by things like that is because I’ve been along for the ride; I’ve seen these careers develop over time and it’s incredible. People only really see the highlights of people’s progress, so to see the challenges that these people have overcome - behind the scenes - never fails to inspire me. My team, too.

They’re amazing. They drive me. I wake up every day with new goals, new ambitions, new targets and it’s all thanks to the company I surround myself with.

HAVE THERE EVER BEEN MOMENTS IN LIFE THAT HAVE KNOCKED YOUR CONFIDENCE OR SLOWED YOU DOWN?

All the time! Setbacks are inevitable; it’s all about how you choose to deal with them that makes the difference. I take situations and I change my perception of them. It’s important to take a second to reflect in those moments.

There have been times in the past when I’ve been a little too quick off the mark, or a little too hot headed, and it’s never helped. Nowadays, I’ve learned to pause and plan. Because anything I do could have a knock-on effect for so many. So any time I can flip my perception of a situation on its head, I feel like I’m already halfway to solving the problem.

It’s during those times when it’s also especially important to appreciate the power of now. By that I mean living in the moment, being thankful for what you have, and being at peace with your progress and your process. You just have to check your mindset.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO CHALLENGE OTHER PEOPLE TO THINK 14

DIFFERENTLY - BOTH ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT?

It’s vital. Especially when it comes to younger generations. We need to give our kids a little more freedom when it comes to plotting their own course in life. It’s not all about uni. It’s not all about the nine to five. If you’re not happy doing what you’re doing, it’s important to know that you have other options. It’s important to be free. It’s not about ticking the usual boxes: getting married and settling down before you’re 30. If that’s you, then cool. But not everyone has to go down that path. I see so much pressure on people to have achieved so much by the age of 30. It’s madness.

OBVIOUSLY, THE SOCIAL MEDIA LANDSCAPE HAS CHANGED IN A MAJOR WAY OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS. HOW HAVE YOU HAD TO EVOLVE, INNOVATE AND ADAPT?

Yeah, it’s come a long way from all those cat videos [laughs]. It’s important to think beyond the platform. Never take it for granted, and always look for ways to innovate, even if that’s beyond the realms of YouTube or Instagram. You never know when those platforms could collapse and disappear. Above all, though, it’s important to be loyal to your audience. Never try to be something you’re not, and always try to give back to the scenes and communities that helped you get where you are. I honestly think a little honesty goes a long way in this industry, too.

ON THAT NOTE, HOW DO YOU BALANCE COMMERCIAL CREATIVITY WITH A SENSE OF PERSONAL AUTHENTICITY?

Authenticity is key. If you’re not being genuine, people will see right through you. I’m always looking to work with brands and people that are already in my life in some way; brands that have helped me along the way, or people that I have a genuine interest in. The likes of Google and Adobe make perfect sense, because they’ve provided me with the creative tools of my trade.

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By the same token, though, there are just as many businesses out there that are absolutely killing it, but don’t really fit with me in an organic way. I’ve got so much respect for them, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll work with them. It’s got to make sense. It’s got to be organic.

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY THAT SHAPED YOU?

Stay up to date with Jamal by following him on Instagram @jamaledwards

You know what they say: the youth of today are the rulers of tomorrow. Anything I can do to help that process along, I’m down for. I founded JED [Jamal Edwards Delve] to provide young people in Ealing with opportunities to learn, work and connect. I’ve got a few other exciting projects in the pipeline, too. So watch this space. Seriously though, you can’t reap all the rewards in this world and not leave anything behind for future generations to build on. You have to leave something. Or at the very least, you should create something that future generations can work with and make their own.

Don’t get greedy, play your position, know your role, and leave something behind.

YOUTUBE HAS MADE ANDY WORHOL’S CLAIM THAT IN THE FUTURE, EVERYONE WILL BE WORLD-FAMOUS FOR 15 MINUTES THAT LITTLE BIT MORE BELIEVABLE. ARE YOU A BELIEVER IN THAT KIND OF OVERNIGHT SUCCESS?

I’m torn on this one. I’ve seen people work flat out for a decade to achieve their so-called overnight success. Like I said before, people only see the highlights. Very few overnight successes are actually achieved overnight; people just don’t see the blood, sweat and tears that came before blowing up. On the other hand, the kind of overnight success that comes from a video suddenly going viral on YouTube is a different beast. It presents its own challenges.

You need to know how to roll with that kind of sudden momentum and that’s not easy. Michael Dapaah [Big Shaq], for example. He managed to launch his career off of that kind of internet momentum. He’s done an amazing job of building on it, too. There are just as many folk who’ll just fade into obscurity. It’s all about how you react.

YOU TURNED 30 LAST MONTH. KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR 20 YEAR OLD SELF?

It’s not very profound, but my advice would be this: ‘Jamal, look after your VAT receipts!’ Seriously though, it’s the most important advice that I can give to anyone looking to run their own business. Go pick up a couple of books on personal finance, you’re gonna need ‘em. Learn the fundamentals of finance, man. I learned it the hard way! I’m good now, but I wish I knew back then how tricky that stuff can get if you don’t keep on top of it. It’s ironic, really: my step dad’s a mortgage advisor and my mum used to be an accounts payable manager; she’s now a singer. You’d think I’d have had a better handle on this stuff !

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M A . S T R U M

BEH I N D T H E BA D G E What sets an outerwear brand above its competition? We get down to brass tacks with MA.STRUM, the latest addition to Tessuti’s hallowed rails words by Will Halbert

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t’s no secret that we’re a big fan of a deep dive here at EJ. What can we say? We’re excited by the smaller details that paint the bigger pictures. Which is why we’re particularly excited

by MA.STRUM, the latest brand to hit Tessuti’s shelves. Over the last ten years, MA.STRUM has quietly made a name for itself by doubling down on those all-important smaller details. And with that bigger picture now coming firmly into focus, MA.STRUM’s Johnny and Mo catch us up on both the story so far and the long road ahead.

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JOHNNY RIDLEY

Head of Global Sales and Marketing

MA.STRUM HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A LITTLE WHILE NOW. GIVE US A LITTLE RUNDOWN OF WHERE THE BRAND IS CURRENTLY AT. MA.STRUM started back in 2009 as a partnership between team MA.STRUM and the Massimo Osti Archive. We worked alongside those guys until 2014, when we became fully independent - at which point the entire set up for the brand came across to the UK. That was all headed by our CEO and owner, John Sharp.

John was previously a 50% owner of the brand. In 2014, he acquired 100% and decided to take it to that next level. Since then, we’ve been consistently developing the brand.

We’re known as a technical sportswear brand. We very much had a military origin in the first instance; our garments had that military backbone. Now, we’re trying to progress beyond those underpinnings to offer a greater spread of products. That’s where we are today.

WHAT DOES MA.STRUM STAND FOR? WHAT ARE THE BRAND’S CORE VALUES AND PHILOSOPHIES? We’re driven by form, fabric and function; all three are absolutely critical to what MA.STRUM produces. We look at the ways in which a garment may protect you; how you use it; how you engage with it. It’s essential that we nail all of those different aspects to deliver a product that’s got a distinct, utilitarian value. It has to work. A garment can be beautiful, elegant and considerately designed, but it ultimately has to serve some core function if it’s going to sit in the MA.STRUM range.

We have a very product-first mindset, in that respect. We’re not just sitting here trying to define some archetypal consumer. Obviously, it’s important to be mindful of the kind of guys that are buying into the brand, but that’s consistently secondary to the product itself.

YOU GUYS ARE FIERCELY INDEPENDENT. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU? For us, it’s a major push to show what we’re capable of. Internally, we now have the backing and the structure to do just that. It’s no longer a case of letting sales figures dictate that we re-run the same successful lines over and over again. It’s about re-engineering and asking ourselves how we can make a good garment better, not just what new colour we can make it in.

MA.STRUM isn’t fast fashion; MA.STRUM offers a series of ultimate investment pieces. Whether that’s a simple tee or a piece of outerwear, we want to make sure that these items feel special. In 10 years time, we want to still be able to pull out that MA.STRUM coat that you bought all those years ago, and for it to have some stories to go along with it.

WHERE IS MA.STRUM HEADED? WHAT’S IN STORE FOR THE BRAND MOVING FORWARD? Ultimately, we want to produce something that challenges perceptions, disrupts the market, and turns heads. That’s underpinned by the fact that each and every piece in the MA.STRUM lineup has a distinct, fit-for-purpose function. Aside from any aesthetic top layer, it works; it has a utility, a value. MA.STRUM is not a one trick pony. We’re putting pressure on ourselves by even saying that, but ultimately we want to be ever evolving.

We want to be as progressive as we possibly can.

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Shop the current MA.STRUM collection at Tessuti.com

PICTURED MA.STRUM QUILTED HOODY PICTURED PREVIOUS MA.STRUM DOWN TORCH PARKA AVAILABLE AT TESSUTI.COM

“ WE’RE DRIVEN BY FORM, FABRIC AND FUNCTION; ALL THREE ARE ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL TO WHAT MA.STRUM PRODUCES.

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“ CHANGE IS A FACTOR I CONSTANTLY OBSESS OVER. EVERYTHING CHANGES. SOCIALLY, WE ARE CHANGING. ENVIRONMENTALLY, WE ARE CHANGING. RETAIL IS CHANGING. E-COMMERCE IS CHANGING. SO WITH THAT, YOU ALSO HAVE TO BE OPEN TO CHANGE. YOU CAN’T BE STAGNANT. IT’S NOT A CASE OF SAYING ‘ACTUALLY, WE’VE HAD A PRETTY GOOD SEASON. WE’LL JUST CARRY ON DOING WHAT WE’RE DOING.’ YOU HAVE TO CONSTANTLY CHALLENGE YOURSELF AND BE OPEN TO EVOLUTION. YOU HAVE TO PUSH THINGS FORWARD.

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MOHSIN ALI

Creative Director

HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE CONCEPTS OF PROGRESS AND EVOLUTION TO A BRAND LIKE MA.STRUM. They’re fundamental. Change is a factor I constantly obsess over. Everything changes. Socially, we are changing. Environmentally, we are changing. Retail is changing. E-commerce is changing. So with that, you also have to be open to change. You can’t be stagnant. It’s not a case of saying ‘actually, we’ve had a pretty good season. We’ll just carry on doing what we’re doing.’

You have to constantly challenge yourself and be open to evolution. You have to push things forward.

The way I see it, as soon as you become comfortable, you become a lazy brand. We have to be on the forefront. We have to be progressive.

We have to look at new shapes and constantly try to develop new fabrications or research and see what’s happening, market wise.

TALK US THROUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF FABRIC WHEN DEALING WITH TECHNICAL GARMENTS. We constantly strive for innovation. Along with form and function, fabric is the most important route to that innovation. They’re my three Fs.

We want to source the best technical fabrics we can get our hands on. Fabric is at the forefront of what MA.STRUM is about. It always will be.

That importance will only grow as time goes on and we move forward.

I’m hoping that within the next six to eight months, we'll be in a position to develop new fabrics and explore new techniques. That’s what I find exciting. The design part is sometimes the easy part. It’s the fabric development that presents the biggest challenges. Because you want people to be wowed by it. You want people to touch the fabrics and be like ‘wow, I don’t even know what this is. I’ve never seen it before’.

HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT SOURCING AND DEVELOPING NEW FABRICS? It all comes down to research and keeping up on what factories are producing. After that comes the experimentation. That’s the fun part.

It can be pretty lo-fi too. It’s often a question of just getting some Dylon dye in a bucket in your back garden and dye testing technical fabrics to better understand what’s possible with a particular style of cloth. It’s about taking it outside and hand painting stripes to see how the fabric reacts.

People seem to think it’s a question of go-

ing to these massive dye labs and watching guys in white coats uncovering new and novel techniques. In reality, it could be as simple as a family in India, indigo dying fabric as they have for generations. That’s just as important. Innovation isn’t always a futuristic way of looking at things. Inspiration can come from anywhere.

WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING FROM MA.STRUM IN THE COMING SEASON? This autumn-winter season will be more progressive. It will have pieces that will challenge expectations, and it will be a huge step forward from where we’re currently at. Winter’s always an exciting season because you have the chance to play with outerwear. Ask anyone about designing for winter: technical outerwear is an amazing realm to play about in.

When working on a new season, you always look forward to working on what you class as the top tier. That’s the top 20% of a collection, the space for real experimentation. It will only appeal to a certain customer base. But you need to be able to show you can do it, so show that you can be experimental and progressive. Otherwise, your whole offering becomes very stale.

Expect to see a lot of interesting things coming out of that top tier.

PICTURED MA.STRUM MILANO KNIT CREW NECK PICTURED PREVIOUS MA.STRUM TPR JACKET AVAILABLE AT TESSUTI.COM

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CO UNT RY CL AS S, CI T Y CHI C words by Will Halbert photography by Thomas Sumner modelled by Johnny Sands

JOH N S M E DL E Y ’S N AT U R A L I CON S CO L L E C T IO N O F F E RS UP A S U STA IN A B L E , FA B R IC- F IRST F OR AY IN TO T H E C RO S S ROA D S BET W E E N C R A F T A N D N AT U R E. M A K E N O M ISTA K E , T H IS IS A V I S UA L A N D TAC T IL E O DE TO THE N AT U R A L L A N DS CA P E S O F THE B R IT IS H IS L E S W H IC H A LSO F I NDS ITS E L F J U ST AT H O M E A MI D T H E H U ST L E A N D B U ST L E O F T H E C IT Y ST R E E TS.

Johnny wears John Smedley Rural Classic Pullover Rush Jacquard Pullover Ridge Ribbed Mock Turtle Neck

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Going For Gold.

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Barbour’s Gold Standard is a ten-piece, bells-and-whistles display of exactly what the heritage brand does best

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ith its flurry of waxed cottons, quilted fabrics and patterns all hand-cut right here in the UK, Barbour’s Gold Standard Collection is a loud and proud celebration of the brand’s 125 year heritage.

We sat down with Barbour’s Head of Menswear Ian Bergin to talk classic fits, elevated fabrics and that oh-so delicate balance between form and function.

First off, do you remember your first Barbour jacket?

I think everybody does. I bought my first Barbour back in the early ‘90s. It was a Staunton Beaufort. I’ve always been a product-focussed person, so I already had a lot of respect for Barbour before being invited aboard. That always helps; it makes for a long day at the office in this industry if you’re not truly excited by the brand you work for.

Talk us through the philosophy behind Barbour Gold Standard? What was the goal of the collection?

Our drive was to create a range of premium, elevated investment pieces that truly sing of Barbour’s heritage whilst also pushing things forward. No compromises; no half measures; no expense spared. This is the story we want to tell. It’s a premium expression of who we are and where we come from.

One of the core tenets of the Barbour philosophy has always been that of value. Barbour has been making jackets for over a century. People didn’t have a collection of jackets back then; they made that one jacket go the distance. That jacket had to be tough; it had to do everything.

Times have obviously changed, but that idea of value and going the distance have remained.

The Gold Standard is an opportunity to celebrate that whilst also turning thighs up a notch.

[below left] Barbour Gold Standard Supa-Corbridge [below right]Barbour Gold Standard Supa-Beaufort

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Shop the Gold Standard over at barbour.com

Barbour has been around for over 125 years now. How do you explain the lasting appeal of the Barbour jacket? How does the Gold Standard tap into that?

The Barbour jackets as we know them now are the result of skilled craftsmen who, over the years, have been tweaking jackets from direct feedback from wearers. All of these iterative details and evolutionary tweaks have developed through use, and have very organically become a part of the Barbour jacket’s visual identity.

Barbour jackets carry very little branding, yet they’re instantly recognisable. The branding is in the details, whether that’s the wax coating; the chord collar; the chunky zips; the tartan interiors. It’s the full package. The Gold Standard really doubles down on those details.

What are some of your favourite features to be found within the Gold Standard Collection?

The convertible hood on the Supa Border gets my vote. I’m a big believer in taking notions of heritage and authenticity and making them relevant to contemporary needs. The Supa Border’s hood is a great example of that. From a design point of view it’s absolutely beautiful, and the nylon hood contrasts beautifully against the wax cotton jacket itself. But it also fits in with the Barbour ethos in the sense that it’s entirely functional.I think people will like how understated the jackets are. Wearing one becomes a voyage of discovery, in a way. There are details people might not notice at first but will quickly appreciate once they find them. Those details become serious talking points in the right circles.

Barbour has an impressive archive at its disposal. Is that often the first port of call when looking to design a new collection?

We’ve got about 250 jackets in the archive. And we call on a good 30 to 40 of those fairly regularly when we look to create new collections.

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Some are very specific to their intended purpose, though: hunting; fishing; motorcycle racing; there’s even a drayman’s coat in there somewhere. Now, there’s no sense reproducing those wholesale, otherwise you risk wandering into fancy dress territory. With the Gold Standard, we started with a simple premise: expressing pride in our craft without reinventing ourselves.

We’ve taken cues from the classics while also looking to push things forward.

Obviously questions of fit have evolved over the years. What kind of silhouettes can we expect to see in the Gold Standard collection?

There are those who prefer a fuller, boxier, more classic look, while others are into a sleeker, more tailored, contemporary fit. The Gold Standard takes cues from both camps to great a range for both tastes. Some take on a larger, fit-for-purpose silhouette, others have a more tailored edge to them. There’s never been one particular way to wear you Barbour; you just make it your own. The Gold Standard is a fitting reminder of that very fact.

Fits aside, the real star of the show is the waxed cottons. Were you able to play around in that respect?

We wouldn’t be Barbour without ‘em. You’ll see that we’ve mixed different weights, textures and colours of waxed cotton within the construction of any one garment. Mixing up 6oz and 8oz fabrics and experimenting with different waxing methods has added a totally new dimension to wearing a Barbour jacket. You begin to create a sense of depth in a piece that can only really be appreciated by getting up close and personal with the jacket.

Are there any challenges that go along with balancing Barbour’s traditional foundations with its more contemporary lifestyle offerings?

There’s always that balancing act that comes along with being a lifestyle brand and a heritage brand. There will always be the purists who want us to roll out the same six jackets. But nobody gets anywhere by standing still. We’re traders in the oldest sense of the word: we appeared in catalogues back in 1904, selling waterproof cart covers and hobnail boots. Of course we’re going to create new lines and grow. We’ve come a long way over the last 125 years, and we’ve still some way to go yet. The Gold Standard offers one hell of a story so far, though.

Do you have a personal favourite piece from the Gold Standard collection?

My Supa Border sees a lot of wear. It’s one of the fuller fits to so pretty much goes over everything. But I have a real soft spot for the Supa Beaufort. It’s got that lovely big pocket that runs all the way through the back of the jacket, and a detachable hood.

By far my favourite detail is the retention strap that’s put in place to let you keep your pocket flap open. Back in the day, it was used for easy access to shotgun cartridges when clay shooting. It’s such a tiny detail, but it’s the perfect example of Barbour’s iterative, function-first approach to designing a jacket. It’s something we don’t even advertise, it’s just another little detail you have to discover for yourself.

And finally, the age old question: to re-wax or not to re-wax?

I’m firmly in camp re-wax. I do love the sight of a beaten up old Barbour, but there’s something about the way the wax builds up over time that I find satisfying. Everytime you re-wax, you get this build up around the studs and stitchlines.

After a few months, you find that the wax has absorbed and dried to different degrees in different places. Patterns form around pocket lines and elbow creases. Each jacket takes on such a unique character. I love it!

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A LL T H AT JA ZZ. AS CLASSICALLY BRITISH AS THEY ARE TIMELESSLY STYLISH, CROWN NORTHAMPTON’S SHOES OFFER MADE-TO-ORDER LEVELS OF FOOTWEAR MASTERY. words by Mark Higgs photography by Alex Natt

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ootwear is to Northampton what steel is to Sheffield, and Shakespeare is to Stratford Upon Avon. Often referred to as the spiritual home of shoes due to centuries spent perfecting the craft, the town of Northampton has been built around the footwear trade and industry. Tucked away in the winding back streets of the town, set against the backdrop of huge former shoe factories, you’ll find the busy factory workshop of Crown Northampton Shoes. The moment you set foot inside, you’re greeted with the familiar local sounds of industrial sewing machines and clicking presses being put to work on the factory floor.

The company itself was founded back in 1908 by Earnest Woodford and proudly remains in fifth-generation family ownership to this day, currently under the control of Chris Woodford - the great, great-grandson of Earnest. Originally formed as E Woodford & Sons, Crown Northampton is now the company’s flagship brand. When reviewing their range, you can see what sets Crown aside from other Northampton made footwear brands who predominantly make Goodyear Welted, formal shoes, and boots.

With collections that focus on sidewall stitched sneakers made from the finest materials, classically made desert boots and derbys with natural crepe soles, alongside premium Jazz shoes with a minimal style and appeal. This approach has seen them gain huge popularity in Japan with Beams, United Arrows, and Haversack among their stockists in the country. Taking a deeper dive into the company’s guiding principles and processes, it’s easy to understand why.

Crown Northampton remains firmly committed to fully making all of its footwear in the UK. All products are custom made to order by skilled local craftspeople with orders placed online taking between 10-25 working days to make and deliver worldwide. With a bold company mantra of ‘Every Order, Made To Order’ setting the tone, this age-old method enables customers to choose from a wider range of colours and materials. They can add different coloured 36

Crown Northampton’s full footwear range can be viewed and ordered through their website Crownnorthampton.com

soles with the choice of a wider G fitting, and also there’s the option to request a handwritten personalised sign-off inside their footwear - all available online through the website. Further to this, there’s a unique full resoling and refurbishment service for their Sneaker and Stitchdown collections if and when required at a later date. By combining these traditional methods of construction and service with a progressive mindset, there is the perfect blend of past, present, and future that allows them to confidently move forward as a brand, whilst still drawing from over a century of shoemaking history and experience.

For design inspiration, Crown Northampton forged its own path by delving back into company archives. The original Jazz silhouette was selected and expanded, then fine-tuned specifically for the Japanese market where strong distribution links have been developed over the past two decades. The Jazz range is pared back, set on soft flexible soles, and carries an overall minimalist aesthetic with clean, flowing lines.

This straightforward design blueprint then set the foundations for all of the company’s footwear going forward. Made with precision and elevated to higher levels, where the fine materials and seamless finishing do the talking - where less is more.

With this solid platform set, the Sneaker Collection was added to the offer by drawing from the core DNA of the Jazz range, where minimal is key. The sneakers are classically British in design, with a purposefully timeless style that transcends any passing trends. The focus is firmly on handmade craftsmanship and traditional silhouettes with a current line up that features three main styles. The Overstone is the brand's bestseller in the collection due to its familiar silhouette that features a derby construction, commonly found on most sneakers and trainers. The Upton Wholecut is possibly the most striking in appearance. Made from a one-piece upper which provides a continuous, uncluttered finish, the construction is based on classic Northampton dress shoe design.

Finally, the Abington features a leather toe cap overlaid to the front part of the sneaker and carries inspiration from classic basketball and traditional dress shoes with capped toes. All three models are made on the same last, but offer something different due to their unique cut and finish.

All sneakers are fully leather lined and individually handmade to order, but only when a customer purchase is received. This ensures that processes remain sustainable as there is no overstock so, therefore, no need for sale periods to clear the end of line products. World-class quality materials are carefully sourced across the entire collection, utilising Italian calf, Horween Chromexcel leathers from Chicago, US and the finest Kudu suede from the C F Stead tannery in Leeds, England. With hi-top versions of the Overstone and Abington models now available in rich Horween leathers, the TL (Trim Line) Sneaker Series was recently added to further expand the range, offering the customer even more made to order possibilities.

The company’s most recent product drop focused on the relaunch of their updated Stitchdown Collection. Subtle updates to the collection included a slight pattern change to their Woodford Desert Boot leading to a more classic 1950's cut with two eyelets. Their Grove Derby Shoe also drops one eyelet down to four and there is a reduction to some of the decorative stitchwork on the upper, giving it an overall cleaner finish. Both styles remain fully handmade in England and utilise the dependable and traditional No 10 stitchdown sole process.

Further updates include a move towards unlined kudu suede and Horween Chromexcel leather as core materials for the collection, and the option for the customer to now choose the colour of side sole from natural, toffee, black and brown.

With more new styles planned before the year's end, Crown Northampton continues to add depth and variety to their collections whilst remaining true to company values and always respecting local tradition. EJ 37

OUR FRIENDS AT DAVID M. ROBINSON PROVIDE AN INSIGHT INTO THEIR FAVOURITE PIECES FROM ROLEX’S ALREADY MUCH COVETED 2020 COLLECTION words by

WILL HALBERT

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Luxury watchmaker par excellence, Rolex has unveiled its 2020 collection.

By all accounts, they’re a dizzying array of iconic styles, masterful iterations and truly spectacular design elevations that reaffirm what most of us already know: Rolex is a watchmaking institution in perfect command of its timeless craft.

ROLEX SUBMARINER ‘The Submariner has long been one of the most iconic families of divers watches in the world and this year’s refresh brings it back to the forefront of our minds,’ says Lee Chadwick, Showroom Manager at DMR Manchester. The Swiss watchmaker’s new generation of the now-legendary Submariner further exemplifies this historic link between Rolex and the world of diving. Boasting a slightly larger, 41mm case and remodelled bracelet, the Submariner also comes equipped with the superlative calibre 3230 with a 70hr power reserve. This is the picture perfect ode to the watch that conquered the deep.

OYSTER PERPETUAL

SKY -DWELLER

DATEJUST

‘Descended from the original Oyster, the world’s first waterproof watch released by Rolex back in 1926, the new Oyster Perpetual collection is a thoroughly modern suite of watches.’ says Hugh Pottle, Showroom Manager at DMR Altrincham. Completely revised for the 2020 collection, the Oyster Perpetual range welcomes a new, 41mm model which, like its 36mm counterpart, is fitted with calibre 3230 and 70hr power reserve. Chronometer wristwatches in their purest form, both versions of the Oyster Perpetual boast a beautifully domed bezel, an impressive Oystersteel case construction and a luminescent Chromalight display perfect for darker conditions. Also available in 28mm (new), 31mm and 34mm

‘The new Sky-Dweller has already stirred up lots of interest with our clients here at DMR Liverpool. This is the first time that the Oysterflex bracelet has been introduced to the Sky-Dweller collection.’ says Alisha Duffy, Showroom Manager, DMR Liverpool. At a glance, it’s easy to see why. Not only does the Sky-Dweller boast a unique fluted bezel, a bright black, sunray-finish dial and hands and hour markers set in 18 ct yellow gold, it’s also fitted with an Oysterflex bracelet. An innovative bracelet made of high-performance elastomer, the Oysterflex bracelet ensures that the all-new Sky-Dweller is as easy on the wrist as it is on the eyes.

Rolex describes the Datejust as the classic watch of reference. And with good reason, too.

A masterclass in iconic aesthetics, the new Datejust 31 comes in numerous showstoping variations, including four new white Rolesor models - combining Oystersteel and 18ct white gold. ‘My personal favourite piece in the Datejust collection,’ says Sandy Madhvani, Showroom Manager at DMR London, ‘has to be the Datejust 31 featuring a bezel set with 46 brilliant-cut diamonds. It displays time across an aubergine, sunray-finish dial and is lovelingly adorned with a diamond-set Roman numeral VI.’ Shop the collection at davidmrobinson.co.uk 39

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Barton Perreira’s 007 collection will be available from Silverberg Opticians silverbergopticians.co.uk

and we use the finest grade Japanese acetate and titanium. We incorporate filigree detailing which is etched by hand and some designs include enamel and foil inlays which require precision and time. Because of the processes and materials that we utilise, it takes about a year from conception to execution to deliver a Barton Perreira frame.

F O R YO U R E Y E S O N LY E L E G A N C E M E E T S E S P I O N A G E I N T H E B A R T O N P E R R E I R A X 0 07 C A P S U L E CO L L E C T I O N B OAST I N G A M AST E R F U L B L E N D O F T I M E L E S S D E S I G N A N D U N D E R S TAT E D E L E G A N C E , I T ’ S L I T T L E S U R P R I S E T H AT B A R T O N P E R E I R R A S H O U L D S H A R E A L I T T L E S C R E E N T I M E W I T H E N G L A N D ’ S M O S T- L O V E D SECRET SERVICEMAN. C O - F O U N D E R A N D L E A D D E S I G N E R , PAT T Y P E R R E I R A , G I V E S U S T H E L O W D O W N O N D E S I G N I N G I C O N I C E Y E W E A R F I T F O R A S P Y. INTERVIEW BY COLIN DORRICOTT

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE BARTON PERREIRA PHILOSOPHY? WHAT VALUES DRIVE THE BRAND FORWARD?

Design without compromise. We are an independent brand taking the time to invest in craftsmanship with the goal to produce the finest quality eyewear in the world.

BARTON PERREIRA FRAMES ARE MADE IN JAPAN - A COUNTRY WORLD-FAMOUS FOR ITS SUPERIOR EYEWEAR. IS THE SENSE OF HERITAGE AND TRADITION IMPORTANT TO THE BRAND?

We have relationships with our factories that go back decades. Our factories in Japan are multigenerational and produce the finest eyewear in

the world. They understand the level of quality that we want to achieve. The ability to execute every frame, every time to our expectations is difficult. I’m sure our factories think we are incredibly demanding, but at the end of the day, they are proud of the product that they produce for Barton Perreira.

WHAT GOES INTO THE MAKING OF A BARTON PERREIRA FRAME? TALK US THROUGH THE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION PROCESS.

It varies from design to design. It can start with a shape, a colour, a certain technology or even a mood. I am also a very visual person and I find inspiration in almost everything. A single pair of Barton Perreira frames takes weeks to refine

THE GLASSES FRAME IS SUCH A UNIQUE CANVAS. ARTISTICALLY AND AESTHETICALLY, HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT STANDING OUT WITHIN THE MORE FUNCTIONAL CONSTRAINTS OF THE FRAME?

My design process is quite instinctual. I prefer not to follow trends. When you go against the grain, it usually stands the test of time.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE 007 RANGE. HOW DID IT COME TO BE AND WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM IT?

The wardrobe stylist reached out to us requesting to purchase frames for Bond in the next film. We were thrilled they chose classic styles from our collection for Bond and, well, another character in the film. We then collaborated with their team to use the 007 logo which is featured on the special edition glasses and packaging.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO JOIN SUCH A PRESTIGIOUS LIST OF HERITAGE BRANDS?

It has always been our goal to build a brand that is somewhat classic and transcends time. We are humbled and honored for Barton Perreira to be listed alongside a list of other prestigious brands.

JAMES BOND ASIDE, DO YOU HAVE ANY BESPECTACLED STYLE HEROES THAT HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR STYLE/DESIGNS OVER THE YEARS?

I find inspiration in almost everything, but it is really the visionaries in art, architecture and music - those who remain true to their art form and don’t assimilate - that continue to challenge and inspire me. Jean Prouvé, Vladimir Kagan, Andy Warhol, Prince, Amy Winehouse, David Bowie, Yayoi Kusama, Jean Michel Basquiat, Banksy and David Hockney. They are all masters of their craft and they inspire me.

AND FINALLY, DO YOU HAVE ANY STYLING ADVICE FOR THOSE NEW TO WEARING FRAMES? HOW DOES ONE GO ABOUT PICKING THE PERFECT FRAME?

Although eyeglass and sunglass frames are worn for medical purposes, they are also an important fashion accessory and an opportunity for self-expression. Pick colours that compliment your skin-tone. If you have a cooler skin-tone, look for frames that are black, silver, grey, and blue. If you are a warmer tone, you will look best in browns, gold, tortoise and red. However, with that said, remember that style is what you create, not what you follow. Sometimes, it’s fun to break the rules!

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AS TATE LIVERPOOL PRESENTS A COMPREHENSIVE RETROSPECTIVE OF THE LEGENDARY BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHER SIR DON MCCULLIN, WE SIT DOWN WITH THE MAN HIMSELF TO TALK ABOUT MAKING PEACE, ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY, AND GETTING YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER INTERVIEW BY WILL HALBERT

DEATH OF THE PHOTOJOURNALIST

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Images - [left] Don McCullin: Boys in the book of Ibn Al-Mustawfi,

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f course I feel fear, I just don’t respect it. I suppose that makes me sound somewhat contemptuous.’

The words are shot through with a defiance so clean cut and crystal clear that they seem almost immune to our phonecall’s frequent drops in signal. This is hardly surprising, Don McCullin hasn’t made his name by mincing words, but by granting visual voice to that which would otherwise be hushed and hidden away. Don takes my call having just emerged from his dark room. By his own admission, it’s a solemn place full of nasty chemicals. Now 84, he knows there’s a good chance he’ll have to stop printing before the year is out. To that end, his final forays into the dark room, much like his upcoming Tate Liverpool exhibition, represent a pressing desire to see some order and peace emerge from the chaos and conflict that have come to define his career.

Arbil, Kurdistan. 1991 [below] Don McCullin: American Troops Looking

it shows violent things, necessarily, but because on each occasion it fills the sight by force. Would you agree?

I think that certainly used to be the case, but people have found ways to offset that emotional impact by simply dissociating. A lot of the evils I’ve captured are often attributed exclusively to the Cold War, for example. That creates an illusion of distance; it makes it easy to tell yourself that it’s no longer an accurate depiction of our reality. Which is nonsense.

It’s less obvious now than it was then, perhaps.

But these things are still very much happening.

We’ve got the best methods of communication we’ve ever had; the facts should be more in your face than ever. And yet, we’re all so detached.

Regardless of its content, I don’t want people to be able to simply disregard my photography. I want it to arrest you. I want the full weight of its meaning - whether that’s joyous or tragic - to come down on you.

across the Wall, Berlin. 1961

You have always seen photography as a form of communication above all else. Do you think we can still trust photography in an age of fake news, misinformation and digital manipulation?

You should never have trusted photography in the first place [laughs]. When I was a boy and I’d visit the barbers, there would be stacks of Illustrated and The Picture Post - both of which are long out of print now. I’d marvel at the photography. I didn’t know at the time, but they’d often stage out the photos for the purposes of propaganda. It was the done thing. Personally, I never felt in my life the need to do such things.

There’s only one time I ever came close to staging a photograph and you’ll see it at the Liverpool exhibition. It’s a picture of a dead North Vietnamese soldier - all of 17 years. He’s been shot through the teeth and he’s lying with all of his possessions in front of him. I collected those possessions myself, as they’d been scattered by

What do you consider to be the role of the photographer nowadays? Do you think that role has changed in any way over the years?

There was a role I was engaged in; some called it photojournalism. It’s all but dead now. The newspapers no longer want to see the kind of things I used to shoot. They don’t want to be reminded of the ugliness that exists in the world. War and famine are an inconvenience.

People want glamour, success and stardom.

Photojournalism has been killed off. We exist in a time of Netflix. We consume; we don’t reflect.

My role is all but finished. And not because of my age, either. I’ve outlived it. I’ve outlived photojournalism.

If photojournalism is indeed dead, then who or what killed it?

It’s simple: people don’t want to accept responsibility for their actions. They don’t want to accept responsibility for their inaction either, for that matter. They don’t really even want to accept their reality as it stands at all. They want to wallow in a diet of bad food and disposable entertainment. They don’t want the real world; they just want out. They’re defeated by it all, I suppose.

Roland Barthes once said that the photograph is inherently violent. Not because 43

American Soldiers. I was trying to show this man’s sacrifice. I was trying to recapture a little of his dignity. I tried to speak on his behalf. But that’s still a narrative, I suppose. Photography always has an agenda. You should always be wary of trusting it entirely.

Your exhibition at Tate Liverpool spans the full 60 years of your career. Was retracing those steps a daunting task?

I have to tell you this: my mind is tortured by my life’s work. But I can’t get away from it. That’s my lot. I have 60,000 negatives in this house. Even over lockdown, I’ve re-developed the entire chronology of my coverage of the civil war in Beirut. In amongst those pictures lies evidence of some of the worst atrocities known to man.

I have an entire museum of death and cruelty right here in my own home. I can’t bring myself, even now, to say I’ve had much of a career.

I’ve communicated certain facts to those that would listen. But that’s it.

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If that’s the case, then why retrace those steps at all? Do you think we have a duty to acknowledge the past?

Perhaps. But if you want the honest truth, I turn 85 this year. So I’m getting my house in order. I want to bring a little order to this chaos before I fall off the perch, as it were. 60,000 negatives, 10,000 prints - that requires a lot of organisation. But I want to leave my work in great condition, so that wherever it ends up, people can learn from it in some way. I’m panicking a little bit. You get like that as you get older. You want to create some sense of order before you disappear.

The Liverpool exhibition also features a great selection of your landscape photography. Is there a therapeutic or meditative element to that style of shooting?

The landscape photography allows me to live in a world of fantasy, in some ways. I’ve had quite enough of reality at times.

Shooting landscapes allows your mind to wander in any direction it pleases. And nobody can blame you for it. Photography has held me to ransom for the last 65 years. I’ve paid dearly. I’ve broken bones, been caught in crossfires, held at gunpoint and even shelled. It’s laid heavily on my family life, too. My mind is never at rest.

With the landscape photography there’s some peace. I’m perfectly happy to stand for three hours or more in the biting cold on Hadrian’s wall. If I come away without a picture I’m not at all bitter. It’s like fishing; you can come home empty handed and still have had a good time. Disappointment suggests that you feel you deserved to be rewarded. You don’t always have to be rewarded in life. Just being alive without pain or suffering is enough, the landscapes really drive that home for me. Though some people tell me that I even make Somerset look like a battlefield [laughs].

How do you feel about the state of photography today?

Everybody’s a photographer nowadays, aren’t they? Selfies used to make me angry, but my old age is kicking in now and things like that bother me much less. As I’ve said, the kind of photography I did is now long gone. You won’t see it around anymore. Newspapers are more hung up on entitled celebrities who can’t hold their drink. They want fantasies. The state of photography is very much in line with the state of society, in that sense.

If that’s the case, do you think the image itself has lost its impact? As the media offers a constant barrage of visual noise, is a drift towards desensitisation inevitable?

I think so, but I think Hollywood has a lot to answer for, in that respect. Hollywood has a way of making violence not only commonplace, but comical. Exploding little condoms full of fake blood. It doesn’t just lower the stakes; it makes

all that suffering seems oddly pornographic and exploitative. Of course, I haven’t done this for as long as I have without feeling somewhat exploitative myself. And the worst part of it all is that I fear I’ve done very little to change things.

The violence and the apathy will all go on.

You don’t think we have the capacity to change?

The word ‘change’ has been leaned on so heavily of late. It’s become quite the buzzword. And where has it gotten us? Very little has changed. I grow trees in my valley here in Somerset. It’s an amazing thing to do; plant new life and nurture it, ensure that it survives. We should be doing that. We should see to it that life has meaning, that each life has its chance to thrive. As it stands, we’ve got it all backwards. I get angry at times, thinking that my life’s work has had no meaning, that it’s brought about no change at all.

There hasn’t been a year that’s gone by that a new war hasn’t sprung up somewhere.

But surely, it’s photographers like yourself, those who bring these truths to light, that have paved the way for change?

Oh, but we’re so tiny in the grand scheme of things, aren’t we? We’re nobodies. We don’t rate on the scale. Anyway, I think that’s enough ranting from me. At the very least it’s been quite the journey, I must say. I have to get rid of that anger now, though. I have to concentrate on what a lucky sod I am. I have to give myself that one last injection of life before I float out like the old Viking I am, my ship ablaze and adrift.

The Don McCullin Retrospective is open now, and showing at Tate Liverpool until May 2021. Find out more at - tate.org.uk

Images - [overleaf] Don McCullin: Protester, Cuban Missile Crisis,

Whitehall, London. 1962 [above] Don McCullin: Liverpool. 1970

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ITTER UIDANCE itters are like the bartender’s spice rack; just a few drops can add subtle flavours and intrigue to your drink. Like spices, they will bring a little je ne sais quoi to your drink when used wisely and with restraint. You don’t even need to make a cocktail, they can be used to make a simple soda water or gin & tonic more interesting. I love Miracle Mile’s Yuzu Bitters in my G&T to throw a little exoticism into the mix. Bittermens Hellfire Habanero Shrub turns a Bloody Mary into one hell of a wake up call, too. And while we’re on the subject, here’s a few more suggestions to get you started on your own collection. TWE

The Whisky Exchange’s Dawn Davies serves up a few recommendations for those looking to build a better back bar words by Dawn Davies MW

SAINT JAMES AROMATIC COCKTAIL BITTERS £15.95 This Aromatic Cocktail Bitters from Saint James uses botanicals including gentian, wormwood, ginger, coriander and caraway. A perfect balance between floral, herbal, spicy and bitter flavours, it will give a unique edge to any cocktail. A fantastic bitter from an agricole rum which adds a herbaceous note.

ANGOSTURA BITTERS £11.45 Aromatic and herbaceous, Angostura Bitters are essential kit for bartenders and amateur mixing enthusiasts alike.

They are a vital ingredient in a string of classic cocktails including the Mai Tai, the Singapore Sling and the Old Fashioned, adding a layer of complexity and helping to counterbalance any harshness from the spirit or citrus in the drink. The team at Angostura will also be launching cocoa bitters - their first new release in 13 years - this quarter.

All featured bitters are available from thewhiskyexchange.com

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FLORITA BITTER ORANGE £25.95 Made with Citrus Sinensis, a bitter orange from the Cap-Haitien region, this traditional Haitian bitters offers bitter-sweet aromas of candied orange peel and Chamonix biscuits. The palate offers notes of bitter orange, vanilla and cinnamon.

LINDEN LEAF COCKTAIL ELEMENTS £9.95 A range of three molecular essence atomisers, the Linden Leaf Cocktail Elements range provides a sustainably-made alternative to a cocktail garnish that is perfect for the home bartender. A spray or two on top of a finished drink provides the intensity of flavour that would come from a lime, lemon or orange garnish without the need for fresh ingredients in the house.

S P I R I T- F O R WA R D T H I N K I N G Modern twists from the upcoming Spirited: Cocktails from Around the World (Phaidon, £35)

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oasting 610 cocktails that span 6 continents, 60 countries, and a dizzying 500 hundred years of bartending history, Phaidon’s Spirited: Cocktails from Around the World is, by turns, a history lesson and a reference guide. Here, we underline our favourite twists on a trio of much-loved cocktail classics. EJ

R E V O L V E R EMERYVILLE, CA, UNITED STATES Modern Coffee liqueur adds a rich, earthy dimension to this Manhattan riff by Jon Santer of Prizefighter in Emeryville, CA 2 oz (60 ml) bourbon 1/2 oz (15 ml) coffee liqueur 2 dashes orange bitters Flamed orange twist, to garnish Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir for 25–30 seconds, until chilled. Strain into a coupe. Garnish with a flamed orange twist VA R IAT IO N For a drier cocktail, increase the whiskey to 67ml

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S A K U R A M A R T I N I NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES Modern Created by Kenta Goto of Bar Goto in New York City, this is a Martini variation with distinct Japanese roots.

The namesake sakura (cherry) blossom adds a slightly salty note, similar to the brininess of an olive.

2 1/2 oz (75 ml) Junmai Daiginjo sake 1 oz (30 ml) London Dry gin 1 dash maraschino Sakura (cherry) blossom, to garnish N OT E You can buy salted sakura blossoms online or in specialty Asian markets.

Place the cherry blossom in a small bowl with warm water for about 10 minutes to dissolve the salt. Gently remove the blossom from the water and rinse with cool water. Set aside on a clean cloth or paper towel. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass.

Add a handful of ice and stir for 20–30 seconds, or until well chilled. Strain into a coupe or Martini glass. Garnish with the rinsed and dried sakura blossom.

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W H I T E N E G R O N I BORDEAUX, FRANCE Modern A herbal and distinctly lighter-colored take on the classic created by Wayne Collins in Bordeaux, France, and popularized in the United States by Audrey Saunders at Pegu Club in New York City 1 oz (30 ml) Plymouth or London Dry gin 1 oz (30 ml) Lillet Blanc 1 oz (30 ml) Suze Grapefruit twist, to garnish Combine all the ingredients in a rocks glass. Add large ice cubes and stir for 10 seconds. Garnish with a grapefruit twist VA R IAT IO N S * Use blanc vermouth in place of the Lillet Blanc * Make it a stronger, drier drink by increasing the gin to 1 1/2 oz (45 ml) and using 3/4 oz (22ml) each Suze and Lillet, or Suze and blanc vermouth * Instead of grapefruit, use an orange or lemon twist

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important for us to check on our friends and contacts to see if they’re okay, and to explore any possibilities that the current climate presents.’

Whether you’re in the business of cold beers, hot meals, or spectacular flat whites, 2020 has been one for the books. But by embracing the slow down and laying the groundwork for the long road ahead, there’s a distinct possibility that businesses will not only survive the current climate, but thrive.

‘This is a moment of great opportunity for the brave,’ says La Marzocco’s Paul. ‘For those looking to take advantage of lower rent costs for example. Or for those looking to see if suppliers are offering different deals in light of current events. There are windows of opportunity to be found here. We’re not talking about crisis capitalism, we’re talking about artisans seizing an opportunity when they see it.’ EJ

La Marzocco extols the unexpected benefits of slowing things down, thinking things through, and switching things up words by Will Halbert

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t’s no secret to anyone that the last six months have offered up their fair share of surprises, setbacks and outright slaps about the face. But for many small businesses, those months have also provided a singular opportunity to refocus, reassess and react.

‘If anything, lockdown has given people a chance to work on their business rather than simply do business,’ reflects La Marzocco General Manager, Paul Kelly. ‘This pause has given everyone a moment to readdress internally, and to play with ideas that they might not have ever pushed forward under normal circumstances.’

He’s not wrong. If the last few months have given us anything - aside from an encroaching sense of agoraphobia, an almost innate desire to hoard toilet paper, and a pathological obsession with banana bread - it’s the opportunity to switch things up. Resourceful and reactive by nature, it’s the small businesses that have truly seized these opportunities.

That’s certainly been the case for Rosslyn co-founder, James Hennebry. Having set up shop with business partner Mat Russell back in 2018, he’s had to act fast to protect both his business and the livelihood of his team during a time of unprecedented uncertainty. ‘Almost overnight,’ James recalls, ‘Rosslyn went from coffee shop to online store. We were selling coffee with the support of our friends, Ozone. We actually had our busiest ever trading day without even opening our doors.’

Tommy Banks, of the Michelin-starred Black Swan at Oldstead and sister site, Roots, shares a similar experience: ‘Truth be told it was an absolute nightmare at first as the cancelations just started pouring in,’ he recalls.

‘But slowing things down and working on the back end of the business has helped us address structures and procedures that were no longer working for us. It’s helped us hit restart, and even offer something new in the process.’

That ‘something new’ comes in the form of Made in Oldstead, a premium, at-home dining experience from Tommy Banks and the team.

It’s an elegant solution to the nagging problem of getting quality meals into the homes of those who can’t visit restaurants. ‘It wouldn’t have existed had it not been for lockdown,’ says Tommy, ‘but it’s here to stay. I don’t think it’ll go away once things gear up again.’

Beyond these opportunities, there’s a palpable, community spirit coming into focus, too. An in-this-together, in-the-same-boat sort of camaraderie that sees founders, makers and suppliers attempt to navigate hazy government guidelines and tough business decisions together. Perhaps unsurprisingly for a brand at the forefront of the coffee community, La Marzocco’s role has been fundamental in this coming together.

‘We’ve become a kind of support system as opposed to a supply system,’ Paul remarks.

‘It’s been such a trying time for everyone, so it’s

“WE’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT CRISIS CAPITALISM, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT ARTISANS SEIZING AN OPPORTUNITY WHEN THEY SEE IT”

For more caffeinated conversations, check out the rundown of La Marzocco’s online edition of their annual Out of The Box events over at @lamarzoccouk www.uk.lamarzocco.com

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OFF T HE T R ACKS. words by Mathias Le Fèvre photography by Colin Dack

‘O

ff The Tracks’ is a photographic essay inspired by the growing chaos that is our reality in 2020. A photographic essay where style is the narrative that locates a moment of peaceful self-expression amid the uncertain reality that we are currently living.

The location tells a story of its own; set on an abandoned railway in the deep forests of southern England, the derelict train coaches demonstrate that no material objects nor systems are constant, the only constant is change.

Read the whole article online at essentialjournal.co.uk

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‘If you are a menswear geek like myself, and if you are not yet familiar with the story of the Solaro fabric, I’d highly recommend looking it up.’

Mathias Le Fèvre.

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COLUM NISTS MANUAL LABOUR Addressing the Table with Jake O’Brien-Murphy

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’ve never really understood why certain people apportion so much personal value to a national flag. There are so many things in everyday life of individual consequence a person could waste their time on. A flag is nothing more than an elaborate length of fabric of which the designs are almost always artistically worthless. Special mention, of course for the Mexican flag which is strictly heavy metal in presentation. A Golden Eagle. Atop a cactus.

Killing a rattlesnake. Categorically the best bird in Top Trumps, perched on a plant that endures the harshest wastelands and is composed entirely of hypodermic needles, making the villain responsible for the most snakes bites in North America look like a piece of overcooked linguine. That being said, take it too seriously and you’re still singing about a jingoistic devotion to a bedsheet.

Then I was given a hammock as a gift and I began to rethink elaborate lengths of fabric altogether. A hammock is a portable piece of paradise. Easy to put up, perfect for a snooze and easy to dispatch. I’ve spent the past few months pitching my hammock about the Ribble Valley, a slumbering dimple of outstanding natural beauty that anchors heaven to the rest of the mundane world via the A59. This is the kind of scenery hammock owners rub their knees over. Wildlife teams about the place, often encroaching into the world of people and central heating; edging ever inwards towards the biscuit crumbs and bare feet. There’s a herd of meandering deer that eye me with daggers of suspicion every time I spoil their Elysian scene with my fat footedness and signature rattling wheeze. As if I’m abruptly going to whip out some cutlery and a handkerchief and set my canines into the youngest, frailest, fattest, oldest, stupidest, quick to trust-est or most asthmatic of them. They have a supernatural gaze that makes me feel a pang of personal

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@jakeobrienmurphy

guilt for the world’s eco-crimes and for that, I’m glad we eat them.

The work that brought me here is honest and hard. It requires a degree of manual, hand-operated, lift with your knees labour that doesn’t exist behind the poxy cocktail bars I usually inhabit. If I can manage to avoid the snares of the endless mud, torrential rain and simpering idiots, I’m head over heels in love with it. I can’t however, shake the feeling, I’ve stepped into someone else’s, well-worn, oversized wellies. Not a day goes by now, where I won’t exchange pleasantries with a passing farmer or distract the sheepdog from her duties with a knuckle behind the ear. Collect firewood, light fires, attach a trailer to a tractor and so on. It’s all a thinly veiled lie, of course, I still pay exorbitant rent to live in an envelope in East London. I drink tiny Italian coffees made by androgynous artists and I’m honestly coming around to the idea of a pair of Birkenstocks. I’m taking a holiday from myself and I’ve pitched a hammock in my own deception.

Regardless of the ongoing swindle, I’ve been here long enough now that a routine has been carved into my day. As with everything else in my life it hinges around the central question of what I’m going to eat next. For centuries on the very same fields I’m now play-acting, Lancashire dairy farmers have worked to make one of Britain’s quintessentially traditional cheeses. Part of what makes Lancashire unique is the way the cheese itself is made. Instead of completing the process in one day, cheesemakers would combine curds from two or even three days of milking. This arose as an elegant solution to a ballache of a problem: Dairy farmers could not produce enough surplus milk from a single day to produce an entire cheese, so the whole thing snowballed. Before you mutter all-knowingly to yourself; yes, it is “kind of ” like a sourdough. Well done you possess common knowledge.

Somewhere up the very same road, I’m temporarily calling home, is Kirkham’s Lancashire. A family of third-generation cheesemakers and the last raw milk Lancashire cheese being produced anywhere in the world.

It’s formally designated “succulent-yet-crumbly” by people whose overgrown ear hair threads into their cardigans. I have this to say, as cheese sandwiches go I’d consider myself a blackbelt. Of late, I’ve spent many happy afternoons, basking in the rugged panorama of the Ribble Valley, the breeze rocking me lightly in my hammock and in the short-lived company of a Kirkhams Lancashire, on a teacake, with salad and a ratio of near 1:1 English mustard to bread and every time it is touching perfection. JOB

DEATH OF A COCKNEY DINNER Chris Cotonou

@chriscotonou

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orthern readers might be able to relate to this: have you ever cried over a pie? I have. It was two Octobers ago, at Goddard’s Pie ‘n’ Mash shop in Greenwich, South London; after a long spell of bad luck (the less about that, the better). Hungover, tired, hungry - on one of those wet Autumn days that demands carbohydrates and central heating, I took a seat on one of the wooden benches. I’d been coming to Goddard’s since I was a child. My graduation party was upstairs, and like F Cooke’s in the East-End, or Manze’s in Deptford, these places are tied inextricably to my parents. For a Londoner, Pie ‘n’ Mash - drowned in green parsley sauce with a side of jellied eels (trust me, you have to be raised on it) - is like scouse to a, well, Scouser or a good Teesside chicken parmo. For centuries, it was the working-class comfort food; sustaining the city through poverty, war, and industry – and is now a beacon to cockneys looking for any semblance of themselves in the city’s fast-changing dining scene.

Since working in The City up till that point, I had perhaps stuck my nose up to it - having developed the kind of sparkling snobbishness that comes

ning, perhaps bittersweetly, a war waged over spilled gravy. I lament the end of Goddard’s because it fed me during University, and it was always a reliable date spot – the girl grinning as if she’d stepped into Reggie Kray’s living room. (How exotic the past is!) But Goddard’s owner Simon knew it was over when new arrivals began requesting ‘vegan pies’, and voila: shut. Customers hadn’t made a demand in a hundred years. They were too hungry to be choosy.

A bit more money and a lot more choice are all good things, but I get a pang in the gut whenever one of these shops close. Centuries of feeding people and no in memoriam - no blue plaque - nothing. The Pie ‘n’ Mash shop is destined to be the dodo of London dining; gasping its final breath until it’s too late. Perhaps we’ll mourn them. Maybe someone will come and make them cool again. Who knows?

Romford is an otherwise unexciting fringe town reaching for the M25 and Essex. But a short while ago, a new F. Cooke’s materialised - run by Mr Cooke’s daughter (she hopes to continue her family legacy). Each day, customers fight for seats. The family is so overwhelmed they’re now considering other outposts in Essex and Kent. So, perhaps it wasn’t a ‘London food’, after all - but a cockney one. And wherever they go, whenever required ( for that tear-inducing comfort), the pie – with a scoop of dry mash and eels – will follow. CC

from spending too much time in EC1. But then a thick porcelain plate slid over - a mouthful of salty gravy, bland meat, and the (even blander) mash potato wolfed down, and just like that: I was kaput. I bawled my eyes out.

Remember that scene in Ratatouille, when the wicked food critic is transported back to a glowing, happy childhood after a single bite of his meal, thus suggesting that within his bitter corrupted soul was a trace of immovable human joy? It was sort of like that. Or at least, the effect was similar. Spurred by a sense of revived identity and confidence: that pie made me leave an unhappy job, reassured me I was going to be OK. It might only be pastry stuffed with beef mince - but for many Londoners, these temples to democratic cockney dining (spit, sawdust, and all) are sacred. Because they are ours.

The most pilgrim-worthy of these temples, F Cooke, closed this January after 120 years of trade. It was considered the oldest in operation.

On trendy Broadway Market, wedged between an Aesop and an estate agent, Cooke’s never really had a chance; in this new kale and kombucha version of the East End - virus pending - the shop is more likely to see queues when it becomes an upscale fish restaurant in a couple of months.

‘MORE MONEY AND A LOT MORE CHOICE ARE ALL GOOD THINGS, BUT I GET A PANG IN THE GUT WHENEVER ONE OF THESE SHOPS CLOSE. CENTURIES OF FEEDING PEOPLE AND NO IN MEMORIAM - NO BLUE PLAQUE - NOTHING.’ I had one last visit before it shut. Dad lived nearby in the seventies, and my Cypriot grandfather considered Cooke’s to be his special treat. By January, it was more like a living museum; weathered, wedge-shaped Union Jacks, framed photos of the good times – a picture of patron saint Barbara Windsor (the cockney Bardot) overlooking the benches, and tourists poking their heads in to take a photo, before escaping to burgers and upscale whitebait. And I don’t blame them. It’s the London they imagine Sherlock Holmes or Jack the Ripper living in – just not the kind they’ll have lunch at, thanks.

Likewise, Deptford High Street in South London. After a hundred years of rivalry with other pie famiglia, the Manzes’, the first Goddard’s (the cockney Capulets and Montagues!) closed down in 2018. Manze’s hangs on, win-

LOCKDOWN LESSONS Tailored Thoughts with Matthew Gonzalez

@matthewmgonzalez

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ockdown didn’t affect everyone equally. Many amongst us suffered illness, poor mental health, economic uncertainty and of course far too many passed away. Given those appalling circumstances, I’m a bit embarrassed to say that I’ve been one of the lucky few who has thrived over the past several months. Since March, I’ve spent more time than I ever imagined I could with my wife and son; I improved my diet; exercised; built up my savings and organised my house. Lockdown changed how I view the world and what I think is important and valuable. While many people have pined for life to go back to how it was before the pandemic, I’d like to take a moment and consider what I’ve learned over the past seven months and think about how I want to live my life going forward.

If you would’ve asked me nine months ago to list my top five essential products, loo roll wouldn’t have been a contender. For a lot of us, truly essential things have been taken for granted. It wasn’t until I had to queue for a half an hour just to walk up and down empty supermarket aisles that I realised which products I actually needed. Now that grocery stores have been well stocked for a few months it’s more important than ever to not forget that feeling of elation when you saw there were a few bags of pasta left on the shelves to buy.

We need to appreciate what we have because we now know what life is like when the things we take for granted are gone. It’s even more important to recognise how easy it was to be wasteful. I used to be one of those people who overzealously filled up my fridge each week. Before I could eat my way through everything I bought, there was always a pack of tomatoes or a bag of lettuce that had to be thrown in the bin. These days, I try to use everything before it goes off because it’s just too valuable to let it go to waste.

Prior to the pandemic, it was all too easy to let social media replace actually meeting up with friends. Seeing their lives online allowed us to be flakey because we already saw their posts and gave them a like so we were pretty sure we knew what each other got up to. It was only when we 55

didn’t have any other option that we finally saw the limits of social media’s ability to connect us. By now, we have all experienced awkward Zoom calls where someone inevitably ends up talking over someone else or being besieged by the reverb from an un-muted microphone.

Social media was a great distraction, it helped challenge us to run a 5k for charity, make sourdough bread or work out with Joe Wicks every morning but none of those distractions were able to replace meeting up with our friends for a night out.

The images of overcrowded bars on the first night that the restrictions were lifted say it all.

After months of being kept away from others, all we wanted to do was get together in real life.

Don’t get me wrong, social media was a blessing during the lockdown. Without it, we would have been well and truly isolated in our homes.

It was one of the few platforms that we could use to connect to our friends and family but when we saw what life was like when we only had one option, it was pretty clear that all the likes, follows, hashtags and comments were no substitute for the real thing.

No one could have imagined that 2020 was going to turn out like it has, except maybe for the people who made the movie ‘Contagion’, but I’m not counting them. Too many people have paid a great cost for us not to learn from this experience. So far this year has changed how I value what I have, and I now know that ‘essential’ can actually mean ‘luxury’. I’ve learned that some luxuries I used to want feel a little vulgar now and that I would rather spend my energy building stronger relationships with my friends and family. I won’t let myself take anything for granted anymore, because life as we know it can change overnight. You may have learned some of the same lessons or something completely different. The important bit is that we all try to take something positive away from this experience and apply that lesson to our lives going forward. MG

‘I’VE LEARNED THAT SOME LUXURIES I USED TO WANT FEEL A LITTLE VULGAR NOW AND THAT I WOULD RATHER SPEND MY ENERGY BUILDING STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY.’ 56

CHANGE Architectural Thoughts with Róisín Hanlon @roisin_writes

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ne Friday evening mid April 2020, I’d already been outside once that day, so my only option to enjoy the sun and celebrate the end of a long week was a glass of wine on my balcony. It’s not even really a balcony, I have to climb out of my window to get to it and I’ve made a makeshift timber frame to sit on to ensure I don’t go crashing through it. And that’s what most of my neighbours have done, those who share this iron balcony along our terrace. We’ve lived alongside each other for about two years and never once spoken, but now, whilst all spreading out into these little borrowed spaces, we come face to face and chat, make friends, find similarities and shared connections we never knew we had.

This was one of my secret pleasures of the UK lockdown. Usually, so many people get home, lock their front door and turn their back on the street outside, but now, with our houses becoming no longer a refuge at the end of the day, but the place we spend our whole day, people started to look outwards instead of in.

Clearly this was not a common experience for people living in cities.

There seems to have been a growing trend over lockdown to want to flee the city and move to the countryside, with websites such as Rightmove reporting a surge in searches for rural properties from city dwellers. There are many reasons this is happening now: lower population density means it is so much easier to truly social distance; working remotely means there is little need to be located close to the office.

Should this make us also consider if our cities are failing us? For so many, the appeal of city living is tied up in the cultural, social and economical advantages offered. But with bars, live music venues, theatres, museums, and all the like closed, perhaps for some a city just becomes a place full of densely packed buildings now empty and useless. And without good outdoor public space this is at least partially true.

This has been a time when clever urban planning became vital, to ensure that cities offered urban public spaces that were usable. Domino Park in Brooklyn utilised a simple but elegant solution by painting a grid of 2 meter wide circles on the ground, giving a clear space to sit and use the park whilst maintaining a safe distance.

Many cities have taken the approach to pedestrianise streets temporarily. On Bold Street in Liverpool, the road has been reclaimed to create pocket parks, with planters which integrate perspex screens. This allows drinking and dining which is COVID safe but still creates the experience of being surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the city.

The advantage of the city is not purely in the institutions that had to close this summer. The wide range of amenities available within walking distance are also crucial to those without a car and those wanting to ensure reduced strain on the public transport system.

For those living alone, lockdown was a truly lonely and isolating time.

Living in the city and engaging with the streetscape was a way to alleviate this, the possibility of making new connections with neighbours helped to alleviate the strain. For many, the simple sights and sounds of life going on outside their windows helped.

For those of us living on old urban streets, this enforced pause made us use our streets in ways that felt old and traditional - the kind of thing people have been doing on terraced streets for years: filling planters with flowers and vegetables; hanging washing to dry; reading books in the sun; letting pets run around; allowing children to chalk the pavements; pulling up camping chairs and forming spaced-out circles with neighbours. When we start to leave our houses and return to our offices and locals, I hope that we remember these moments and keep the communities formed. RH

BLACK GARLIC On the Pass with Tommy Banks Stay up to date with Tommy by following him on Instagram @tommybanks

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he new normal doesn’t feel very normal at all, does it? For bars, restaurants and venues around the country, the new normal is, to put it lightly, a pretty frustrating place in which to find oneself. In the face of further operating restrictions and another possible lockdown on the horizon, I find a little peace in focusing on two simple factors: the things that make me happy; and the things I can control. It just so happens that food falls squarely in both of those categories. So in the spirit of keeping calm, let’s talk about black garlic.

That might sound like a strange proposition at first, but there’s an oddly therapeutic benefit to thinking of foods that emerge from their often less-than-glamorous confines somehow better than they were before.

Black garlic comes from keeping regular garlic heads confined in 60 degrees for up to 90 days. No additives. No preservatives. No interaction of any kind, really. In that time, the cloves turn black and take on a sweeter, date-like texture. Basically, they come out bloody delicious. I’ve been working with black garlic a lot lately because it’s absolutely phenomenal when used for painting some of the meat dishes currently on our menus.

‘I FIND A LITTLE PEACE IN FOCUSING ON TWO SIMPLE FACTORS: THE THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY; AND THE THINGS I CAN CONTROL.’ Back in the day, my dad would make black garlic at home by leaving a bag of garlic heads in the boiler cupboard. We have a much more refined and romantic setup at Roots and Black Swan, fear not. But the leave-it-be-andsee simplicity of the process does offer up some serious food for thought.

It’s probably that very same attitude that led to the discovery that fermenting soybean, milk and cereal grains results in the likes of soy sauce, kefir and good ol’ beer, respectively. Discovery, after all, is nothing more than a history of blunders, missteps and outright accidents. It’s a series of entirely unexpected wonders stemming from utterly unforeseen circumstances.

All of which makes me feel oddly optimistic about what our current, totally unforeseen, circumstances will have us discover in the long run.

And if that wasn’t calming enough, then there’s this little nugget of philosophical meandering to get you through our current crisis: Gastronomy has no lasting sense of confinement. Black garlic originated in Asia, and yet here it is being prepared and served right here in our restaurants.

Pasta is inherently Italian, yet our Yorkshire makers are up there with the best of them. The same goes for wine nowadays, too. Even the handpicked, lovingly-prepared meals on offer here at Roots and Black Swan can be now delivered to your door thanks to our Made in Oldstead food boxes.

On a long enough timescale, food knows no real borders or confines.

The same goes for culture. Culture adapts; it’s a living thing. It moves, grows and develops over time. And just like a bag of dry garlic left in a hot boiler cupboard for a couple of weeks - it’s usually all the better for it. It’s amazing what solace can be found in the things you love, isn’t it? TB. 57

OPERATION DOWNSIZE Coffee & Counsel with Adonis Michael

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don’t suppose there are many people who can say their life hasn’t changed considerably since March 2020. Every week there’s a new rule, a new fine and a new country on the quarantine list. The ways in which we work and socialise have, for many people, fundamentally changed. But at the moment, it seems that all we can do is adapt to that change, to the new landscape and new norms impacting nearly every aspect of our daily lives. In the main, we are learning to live with these changes because, as a species, we are nothing if not adaptable. But this isn’t a feature in National Geographic so I will resist the temptation to digress into lengthy discourse on anthropology, enjoyable as that may be…

Thinking back to my first column in The Essential Journal nearly two years ago, it strikes me now as ironic that I was writing about the evolution of the modern office space. One thing I certainly didn’t bank on was the monumental downsizing of offices now on the horizon – and so I find myself having to entirely re-evaluate much of my ideology in that domain.

WFH (working from home) was always a reality in most office environments, lurking in the background, as and when it was needed. Acknowledged but not fully embraced, offered but not fully trusted. It was often used as an emergency measure rather than a staple or a standard. But since the Covid-19 pandemic, WFH has been catapulted from a walk-on part to a lead role in the blink of an eye. It’s proven itself as a viable option for many businesses – an option that not only works, but works very well indeed.

‘SO INSTEAD OF BUILDING THE NEXT APPLE PARK, COMPLETE WITH GAME ZONES, GYMS AND THINKING SPACES... BUSINESSES ARE NOW THINKING: DO WE REALLY NEED ALL THIS EXPENSIVE OFFICE SPACE?’ So instead of building the next Apple Park, complete with game zones, gyms and thinking spaces — all framed around keeping employees in the office happier, healthier and in work longer — businesses are now thinking: do we really need all this expensive office space? The answer is a resounding no. Businesses might have had their hand forced, but the bottom line is: there is no change in the bottom line. Most have seen no real negative impact in terms of employee productivity. People are still getting the job done as effectively from home as they were chained to their desks. So why do we ever need to go back to how things were? Why do we need all of our people in the office all of the time? We have proven that we don’t.

Cue Operation Downsize. New lengthy leases that were about to be signed are being torn up, commercial building acquisitions shelved, and existing contracts renegotiated. Squeaky bum time for landlords and increased bargaining power for tenants, at least in the short term. The office landscape is changing, dramatically. The impact is going to be lasting and uncertain. Who will fill the voids left by these companies? Are we going to see vast swathes of derelict office space laying dormant in city centres? Or are we going to see new and exciting enterprises filling spaces that would otherwise have been out of reach to them in years gone by? At the moment, it’s anyone’s guess – but what we do know for sure is that a change is gonna come. AM 58

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