Half the world seems to have a blog now. The vast majority are dead shit though aren’t they? There are many good ones out there and plenty of great ones too. It is these that inspired us to casually hop onto the blogging bandwagon (blogwagon?) and share our innermost thoughts with all you punters.
You may be aware of the magazine we put out at regular intervals (ie. when we can be arsed). At the time of writing we’re at that frustrating stage where we’re waiting on one or two bits and bobs to be finalised before we can go to print. And it’s issue 8 we’re working on.
Previous to the magazine appearing we ran a forerunner to it, in the form of a website called propertop.com. It still exists out there in cyberspace and has spent it’s last few years in semi-retirement, acting as the acceptable face of the magazine. Well, this blog is made to replace that. Good eh? We hope so.
Anyway, this is pretty much the first thing I’ve written so it seem a bit of a divvy thing to be welcoming visitors to the site when it’s only about 20 minutes old. But that’s what I’m doing so shut your smelly mouth.
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Ten things about the 80s that proper did my head in :: Issue 7
That soldier on a stretcher (1982) - As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a soldier. Throughout most of the late seventies I could be found running around a wooded area with a stick in my hand going “er-er-er-er-er-er” before bayonetting my best mate Robert Kelly to death, pausing only for some a massive wagon wheel and a can of Quatro. This all changed when the Falklands war kicked off and we saw the image of a soldier on lying on a stretcher, with what looked like a piece of roast beef sticking out of his upper thigh where the rest of his leg should have been. The reality of war hit me in one striking image. This had never happened to Action Man or anyone on the A -Team. Just like the fallen hero on that stretcher our dreams of an army career both ended on that horrible day.
The raising of the Mary Rose (1982) - So I'm sat there in me ‘jama bottoms and me vest, the saccharine sounds of Saturday Superstore theme tune is still ringing in my ears and the remnants of a bowl of shreddies are slowly drying in front of the Ferguson video-star. My young brow furrows at moribund the scene before me on the TV screen. I've been sat for hours waiting to see Henry VII's favourite battle ship dragged up from the bottom of the sea live on the BBC only to witness what can only be described as loads of massive Cadburys flakes nailed together.
This is a defining moment in my life. By the time the huge piece of disappointingly dog-eared driftwood is completely above the surface I have learned a valuable lesson.... That nothing in life is worth waiting more than a few minutes for. The whole morning was a total waste of time. No cannon, no skellingtons, no treasure and not even a crow's nest to be seen on that 'ship'. What a bloody swizz. Three years later I was to be even more overcome with rage whilst watching The Goonies at the Davenport cinema after seeing the impressive standard of treasure ships American kids got to re-discover.
Minipops (1983) - Even as a kid I knew there was something very, very wrong about a five year old girl in heavy make-up and high heels singing Sheena Easton's 9 to 5 on Channel 4 show 'Mini-pops'. I don't want to think about it any more. *shudders*
Muhlbach (1984) - The reasons why, as a fully paid-up vertigo sufferer, I asked to go on a school ski-ing trip are beyond me now but whatever the pull was, I got to go to Austria for a week. But as our school was run by (sadistic) Christian Brothers we had to go to church the first day we were there before they'd let us anywhere near a piste. Maybe it was the combination of Tachini polo shirt, Pierre Cardin jumper, C&A salopettes and Kappa jacket or just the power of Austrian Catholicism but shortly after the priest started swinging his smoky hand-bag around I made a desperate bolt for the door. I just managed to avoid the embarrassment of whiteying in front of my peers by escaping into the fresh mountain air outside.
Eventually we did go ski-ing and I fucking hated it. Fortunately my earlier hot flushes were the early signs of tonsillitis and so I managed to avoid the fun of going up and down a mountain repeatedly and spent the rest of my time in the hotel arcade (going up and down a motorway shooting people repeatedly) and throwing sugar cubes at Northern Irish kids, all to a memorable soundtrack of the Comanchero by Raggio Di Luna (youtube it), loads of Level 42 and that Rocksteady Crew record. The highlight of the trip for me did not include flying down a black run nor titting up an Austrian beauty. No. It was an en-masse shopping/robbing trip round the sport shops of Salzburg on the way back, with one of our group triumphantly displaying the Ellesse towel he'd recently liberated atop his shoulders whilst simultaneously head-butting a nearby wall as we sat and waited for our coach to pick us up.
The end was nigh (1984) - Without a doubt one of the scariest moments of my life was the time I sat at my school desk one sunny morning only to bear witness to a terrible, terrible sound.
For some reason I was uncharacteristically early and the class was deserted. My ears detected the unmistakable sound of the nuclear attack warning sirens screaming their way down the corridor. This was the paranoid cold war era where the ridiculous Protect and Survive leaflet, the scary Threads drama and Raymond Briggs' arse-twitcher ‘When the Wind Blows’ were all fresh in our minds and the threat of us all going up in a mushroom cloud one day was a frighteningly real prospect. So imagine what was going through my mind when I heard those evil sirens, stuck in a school room miles from home. It was an all boys school too so the idea of quickly trying to lose my virginity was out of the window. Well there was Mrs Edgar the French teacher but she was about 70 and had hairier legs than me. Rooted to my chair, I could hardly breathe. My hands gripped on to the desk as my whole short life flashed before me, whilst a scale model statue of Our Lady with her arms spread outward like a Chelsea head-hunter looked on, mocking my fear in a way that only statues of imaginary virgins can. “Where are you now God?” I thought to myself, in between some distracting flashback scenes of proudly getting my first Star Wars figure Greedo in Toy & Hobby and the sunny afternoon I repeatedly kicked primary school gobshite Steven Quin's head to a pulp on the rounders pitch. Oh no, the sound was getting louder, oh no! Oh no! This is it, oh no!
Oh it's a lad from the six form with a ghetto-blaster playing the 12" version of Two Tribes by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, oh, oh OK, shit I've got a geography lesson now.
Arthur Scargill's rubbish hair (1985) - When people talk about the miner's strike nowadays it's all 'What that bastard Thatcher did' this and 'those bloody coppers' that. For my sins the only thing that really riled me up about those riotous scenes was the sight of Arthur's terrible comb-over flapping in the Yorkshire wind. If any hairstyle would have benefited from having a truncheon across it, it was his. He made it even worse when he started wearing a baseball-cap and a blazer, like some kind of Costa Del Sol Grandad. This is class war mate not a Donkey trek round Mijas! I recently heard that back then lots of coppers (rich on overtime pay) used to taunt the impoverished miners by wiping the condensation from their mini-bus windows with fivers, what a load of fucking bastards.
Barbican Mike (1986) - I envy the youth of today. They're never more than two clicks away from the highest quality porn available in the world whereas back in the 80s we had to coerce a mentally ill, ex-alcoholic, gentle giant, graced with a child-like naivety to do our dirty work for us and go into the local newsagents to purloin a sacred copy of Knave or Fiesta.Not only were we irreversibly corrupting our own minds we were adding fuel the fire that 'Barbs' was a bit of a perv, as suggested by the local estate's rumour-mongering cognoscenti.
When I was thirteen, porno mags were like crack (excuse the pun). You'd sell your soul for ten minutes with a couple of readers' wives or reading all about a group of nymphomaniac air-stewardesses and a photocopier salesman from Cheam.
Teenage faux-pas (1987) - I'll never forget the day I bounced into my mate's girlfriend's house and glanced at the catastrophic scenes of womens faces pressed up against the fences of Greenham Common on the six o'clcok news. Merrily I said “No way! You're watching Day of the Dead I love that film!” only to notice that said mate's girlfriend's mum who was sat in the corner knitting a wicker cardigan (probably) and clearly not impressed with my comic entrance, partly because she was a veteran protester of the common herself but more by the fact that I'd also just walked a load of dog shit into her spotless flat. Believe you me it took a fair few bottles of Olde English cider to block out that one.
Hot-knives (1988) - I wonder who was the first person to see the potential of a nugget of sputnik resin, a milk bottle with the bottom smashed out of it, two butter knives and a naked flame? It was probably somebody who wanted to enjoy all the illicit thrills and spills involved in the elaborate drug paraphernalia based rituals of a heroin hit but without all the overdosing and burglary. Whoever created the hot knife phenomenon be it ancient Egyptians or Scouse urchins, they certainly knew how to get their money's worth out of a sixteenth. Listening to Soul Mining by 'The The' just doesn't sound the same without a good knife induced coughing session beforehand.
Having my heart broken for the first time (1989) - She was older than me (by about two years), she bought me an eighth for my seventeenth birthday, she got me into the Wonderstuff (only the first album), she smoked Embassy Filter and she worked in Boots. Yes indeed, this was love.
Despite us only going out for about a month I was devastated when she dropped the bomb-shell that it was all over. I was inconsolable and thought I would never love again. This malady went on for at least two weeks, though it seemed like four.
Years later she tried to snog me and I denied her advances purely on the grounds that I was a changed man and she was well below my standards plus now I could afford to buy my own cigs. Revenge is a dish best served accidentally.
Albam Clothing :: Interview with James Shaw :: Issue 5
Every once in a while someone comes up with a label that is fresh and new and appears to tick all the boxes. When Albam was brought to our attention a few months back we made a mental note to keep an eye on them. Their recent fishermans cagoule has been the talk of the interweb so it seemed a good time to find out more. We spoke to James, one of the founders of Albam.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO SET UP?
It kind of started for us about 10 years ago, we couldn't get the things that we wanted to wear, there are some great things out there but sometimes you just want something that is in your head and you can't find it. So we decided to see if we could do it. There was no great plan other than to make really well made clothes that we wanted to wear.
THERE ARE TWO OF YOU BEHIND THE VENTURE. YOURSELF AND ALASTAIR. WHO DOES WHAT AND WHAT ARE YOUR RESPECTIVE BACKGROUNDS?
In the broad sense we both get involved with everything, we have worked together for a number of years now so we just tend to know what to do. On a day to day basis, my time is spent a fair bit at factories and working on the garments and Alastair is making sure the wheels keep turning for the store and the mail order side. Before we had the store we could get involved a lot more with all aspects all the time but things seem to be getting busier so we've just taken on lose roles so we can get more things done.
Our backgrounds have been slightly unusual. Alastair spent a number of years at a really successful leisure group as part of a small team setting up operations and doing a load of things. I spent some time at a sizeable denim brand and then a sports company working on some collaborative projects for a couple of years getting involved in all aspects of a small clothing brand.
DESPITE HAVING A SHOP ON BEAK STREET IN LONDON YOUR MYSPACE MENTIONS NOTTINGHAM AND MANCHESTER - INDEED A LOT OF THE PRESS SEEMS TO SUGGEST YOU STARTED IN NOTTINGHAM. CAN YOU CLEAR THAT UP FOR US?
We both went to study in Manchester and stayed for 7 or 8 years so it is kind of where we grew up and got into things, clothes, music. We moved back to Nottingham when we set Albam up as it was in the centre of all our production so just made sense.
WHAT WOULD A TYPICAL DAY BE LIKE FOR YOU BOTH?
Busy! As things get more established with the store and mail order these get busier so Alastair is making sure everything works, keeping an eye on the store, the guys that work there. I spend 2 or 3 days at factories working on products, checking production, sampling and just making sure what we want gets done. The guys at the factories have become good friends over the last couple of years when we went to them with just an idea, so it is really important for us to always be talking with them and making sure they are happy and into what we do.
We'll meet in the evenings and in the store to go through what is selling, fits etc. And then we like to spend at least 2 days a week each in store to see our customers, get there feedback and a catch up. Then the store is open 7 days a week so there is never a quiet time!
ONE OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE ASPECTS OF YOUR CLOTHING IS THAT EVERYTHING IS MADE HERE IN ENGLAND AND IT'S STILL VERY LIMITED. CAN YOU SEE ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN THAT MIGHT CHANGE?
Making in the UK is really important to us and has been an eye opener since we started. Where possible we really want to keep production here, sometimes that isn't possible and sometimes it is. We have had a couple of factories here stop trading which is always a worry and sadly we are not quite at the stage where our orders can keep them going on there own. The way we run our business allows us to make in the UK if we can, we don't wholesale so we don't have a 3rd party margin pushing the prices up higher than they should be or the quality down to get price right.
The flipside is that there are some things that even the Brits can't do! When this happens we go to where it is done the best. Like our deck shoes and mocassins we work with an amazing family run business in the US and they are the last handsewer of deck shoes in the US so it makes sense. Some of our knitwear comes from Italy as do our trousers because they can just do these things so well it wouldn't be right to change it. If there is a chance to bring a product back then we try and do it, some things we are working on for winter 08 which is great, we are only a small company so everything is a push to get it right!
The limited thing is just by chance really. We have never wanted to have a product with the exception of the basics we offer to be made in such quantities that when you save up to buy is then in the sale a week later or you see the rest of the street wearing it. Small runs prevent us wasting fabrics and resources which is better for us and then our customer gets a product that has been made by an individual with care rather than a mass production line.
LIKEWISE YOU CURRENTLY KEEP DISTRIBUTION TO JUST YOURSELVES, WHICH ADDS TO THE APPEAL OF STUFF BEING LIMITED. CAN YOU ENVISAGE A DAY WHEN THAT MIGHT CHANGE?
The fundamental aspect of what we do is that we want to make great clothes and sell them at the price we think is right for that garment without sacrificing quality of fabric or finish. We always talk about how we could wholesale but there is something that would have to give either the price would have to go up to fit in a retailers margin or the quality would go down because we would have to get the garment made for less offshore. To do this would go against what we believe in. If we work with stores it has to be on the terms of the Albam brand and there are only a handful of stores in the UK with our mindset (and these are the stores that are doing well and giving the customers what they want).
IN YOUR INTERVIEW WITH MONOCLE MAGAZINE YOU SUGGEST YOUR CLOTHES ARE DESIGNED TO APPEAL TO CREATIVE TYPES. PEOPLE WHO ARE AESTHETICALLY MINDED. ARE YOU AWARE OF THE GROWING APPRECIATION AMONGST WHAT COULD BE TERMED FOOTBALL CASUALS?
We have heard about this and I guess we fit with the essence of their view on clothing. I'm not up to speed with how a Casual would describe themselves but they are into quality, provenance and a great product. I think the fact we spent so much time in Manchester has rubbed off!
THE FISHERMANS CAGOULE YOU'VE DONE SEEM TO HAVE GONE DOWN PARTICULARLY WELL, BEING FEATURED IN VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS. WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES IT STAND OUT?
This is just one of those products that you do and put in the range and have no expectations from and then it just flies! The fabric is amazing, it is a dry wax cotton which just wears like a vintage garment and then the colours we run give it something extra. Our style is pretty understated so to use burnt orange or bright yellow initially seems strange and then you put it on! Internally we tend to not put linings in unless absolutely necessary, we bind the seams to create what looks like a framework. It is more time consuming to do and a bit of a pain but it makes the inside as good as the outside.
WHICH OTHER DESIGNERS/BRANDS DO YOU RESPECT AND WHY?
There are so many and I will not have space to mention them all but some of the first to come to mind are:
DESIGNERS
Massimo Osti - cliche but he was doing it before anyone else was and you could bring it back and it is still great.Raf Simons - He's pretty elusive but his work on his own label in the early days was and is always standout for me and then his input at Jil Sander is impressive.
BRANDS
Patagonia - I used to climb a lot and this brand just ticked all the right boxes. Nothing is without purpose, the vision behind the brand is just amazing and it is one of the few outdoor brands that to me makes the cross over to casual wear without looking like I have just come out from the wild.Hermes - Completely indulgent and I have never bought anything from them, but this is kind of luxury that for those who can afford it is just normal. Their leathergoods I understand to be made in such a time consuming way that other luxury brands shun in favour of churning out products. They just stick to what they do, don't make a fuss and have absolutely no need to be showy.Loopwheeler - All they make is sweatshirts (well they might do T shirts now) and these are the best around at the moment. American knitting machines over in Japan and then the Japanese attention to detail. At the moment! nothing comes close.Persol - the best sunglasses out I think. If they are good enough for the Italians and Steve McQueen then they have my vote.Vans - Just the classic lace up style in blue, red. The best canvas sneaker.
The brands we are into are the ones that have stayed true to their vision and produce fantastic product. They move with the times by being what they are and that is the best at what they do. The others will know who they are.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM ALBAM IN THE COMING MONTHS?
We have styles dropping all the time. Of note is our outerwear, we are working with I think the best outerwear manufacturer in the UK on a number of styles. We have done this utility jacket in immersion cotton which is is really good. We have a new range of footwear coming out, this time all handmade in the UK. They are all great but for me the standout styles are the Desert boot and the Gibson shoe. Our denims aswell have had a tweak, we now have a new style with another on the way, All made in the UK from narrow width selvedge denim woven in Kobe, Japan. The new shirtings are being delivered soon which is good and then onto the Autumn and Winter ranges which is definitely a step up in terms of fabrications, and craftsmanship which we are really looking forward to.
We have just done a short rerun on the Fishermans cagoule in a couple of new colourways and some special orders so if you didn't get them first time round drop us an email.
Thanks to James from Albam for answering our questions.
View their stuff at albamclothing.com
It kind of started for us about 10 years ago, we couldn't get the things that we wanted to wear, there are some great things out there but sometimes you just want something that is in your head and you can't find it. So we decided to see if we could do it. There was no great plan other than to make really well made clothes that we wanted to wear.
THERE ARE TWO OF YOU BEHIND THE VENTURE. YOURSELF AND ALASTAIR. WHO DOES WHAT AND WHAT ARE YOUR RESPECTIVE BACKGROUNDS?
In the broad sense we both get involved with everything, we have worked together for a number of years now so we just tend to know what to do. On a day to day basis, my time is spent a fair bit at factories and working on the garments and Alastair is making sure the wheels keep turning for the store and the mail order side. Before we had the store we could get involved a lot more with all aspects all the time but things seem to be getting busier so we've just taken on lose roles so we can get more things done.
Our backgrounds have been slightly unusual. Alastair spent a number of years at a really successful leisure group as part of a small team setting up operations and doing a load of things. I spent some time at a sizeable denim brand and then a sports company working on some collaborative projects for a couple of years getting involved in all aspects of a small clothing brand.
DESPITE HAVING A SHOP ON BEAK STREET IN LONDON YOUR MYSPACE MENTIONS NOTTINGHAM AND MANCHESTER - INDEED A LOT OF THE PRESS SEEMS TO SUGGEST YOU STARTED IN NOTTINGHAM. CAN YOU CLEAR THAT UP FOR US?
We both went to study in Manchester and stayed for 7 or 8 years so it is kind of where we grew up and got into things, clothes, music. We moved back to Nottingham when we set Albam up as it was in the centre of all our production so just made sense.
WHAT WOULD A TYPICAL DAY BE LIKE FOR YOU BOTH?
Busy! As things get more established with the store and mail order these get busier so Alastair is making sure everything works, keeping an eye on the store, the guys that work there. I spend 2 or 3 days at factories working on products, checking production, sampling and just making sure what we want gets done. The guys at the factories have become good friends over the last couple of years when we went to them with just an idea, so it is really important for us to always be talking with them and making sure they are happy and into what we do.
We'll meet in the evenings and in the store to go through what is selling, fits etc. And then we like to spend at least 2 days a week each in store to see our customers, get there feedback and a catch up. Then the store is open 7 days a week so there is never a quiet time!
ONE OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE ASPECTS OF YOUR CLOTHING IS THAT EVERYTHING IS MADE HERE IN ENGLAND AND IT'S STILL VERY LIMITED. CAN YOU SEE ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN THAT MIGHT CHANGE?
Making in the UK is really important to us and has been an eye opener since we started. Where possible we really want to keep production here, sometimes that isn't possible and sometimes it is. We have had a couple of factories here stop trading which is always a worry and sadly we are not quite at the stage where our orders can keep them going on there own. The way we run our business allows us to make in the UK if we can, we don't wholesale so we don't have a 3rd party margin pushing the prices up higher than they should be or the quality down to get price right.
The flipside is that there are some things that even the Brits can't do! When this happens we go to where it is done the best. Like our deck shoes and mocassins we work with an amazing family run business in the US and they are the last handsewer of deck shoes in the US so it makes sense. Some of our knitwear comes from Italy as do our trousers because they can just do these things so well it wouldn't be right to change it. If there is a chance to bring a product back then we try and do it, some things we are working on for winter 08 which is great, we are only a small company so everything is a push to get it right!
The limited thing is just by chance really. We have never wanted to have a product with the exception of the basics we offer to be made in such quantities that when you save up to buy is then in the sale a week later or you see the rest of the street wearing it. Small runs prevent us wasting fabrics and resources which is better for us and then our customer gets a product that has been made by an individual with care rather than a mass production line.
LIKEWISE YOU CURRENTLY KEEP DISTRIBUTION TO JUST YOURSELVES, WHICH ADDS TO THE APPEAL OF STUFF BEING LIMITED. CAN YOU ENVISAGE A DAY WHEN THAT MIGHT CHANGE?
The fundamental aspect of what we do is that we want to make great clothes and sell them at the price we think is right for that garment without sacrificing quality of fabric or finish. We always talk about how we could wholesale but there is something that would have to give either the price would have to go up to fit in a retailers margin or the quality would go down because we would have to get the garment made for less offshore. To do this would go against what we believe in. If we work with stores it has to be on the terms of the Albam brand and there are only a handful of stores in the UK with our mindset (and these are the stores that are doing well and giving the customers what they want).
IN YOUR INTERVIEW WITH MONOCLE MAGAZINE YOU SUGGEST YOUR CLOTHES ARE DESIGNED TO APPEAL TO CREATIVE TYPES. PEOPLE WHO ARE AESTHETICALLY MINDED. ARE YOU AWARE OF THE GROWING APPRECIATION AMONGST WHAT COULD BE TERMED FOOTBALL CASUALS?
We have heard about this and I guess we fit with the essence of their view on clothing. I'm not up to speed with how a Casual would describe themselves but they are into quality, provenance and a great product. I think the fact we spent so much time in Manchester has rubbed off!
THE FISHERMANS CAGOULE YOU'VE DONE SEEM TO HAVE GONE DOWN PARTICULARLY WELL, BEING FEATURED IN VARIOUS PUBLICATIONS. WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES IT STAND OUT?
This is just one of those products that you do and put in the range and have no expectations from and then it just flies! The fabric is amazing, it is a dry wax cotton which just wears like a vintage garment and then the colours we run give it something extra. Our style is pretty understated so to use burnt orange or bright yellow initially seems strange and then you put it on! Internally we tend to not put linings in unless absolutely necessary, we bind the seams to create what looks like a framework. It is more time consuming to do and a bit of a pain but it makes the inside as good as the outside.
WHICH OTHER DESIGNERS/BRANDS DO YOU RESPECT AND WHY?
There are so many and I will not have space to mention them all but some of the first to come to mind are:
DESIGNERS
Massimo Osti - cliche but he was doing it before anyone else was and you could bring it back and it is still great.Raf Simons - He's pretty elusive but his work on his own label in the early days was and is always standout for me and then his input at Jil Sander is impressive.
BRANDS
Patagonia - I used to climb a lot and this brand just ticked all the right boxes. Nothing is without purpose, the vision behind the brand is just amazing and it is one of the few outdoor brands that to me makes the cross over to casual wear without looking like I have just come out from the wild.Hermes - Completely indulgent and I have never bought anything from them, but this is kind of luxury that for those who can afford it is just normal. Their leathergoods I understand to be made in such a time consuming way that other luxury brands shun in favour of churning out products. They just stick to what they do, don't make a fuss and have absolutely no need to be showy.Loopwheeler - All they make is sweatshirts (well they might do T shirts now) and these are the best around at the moment. American knitting machines over in Japan and then the Japanese attention to detail. At the moment! nothing comes close.Persol - the best sunglasses out I think. If they are good enough for the Italians and Steve McQueen then they have my vote.Vans - Just the classic lace up style in blue, red. The best canvas sneaker.
The brands we are into are the ones that have stayed true to their vision and produce fantastic product. They move with the times by being what they are and that is the best at what they do. The others will know who they are.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM ALBAM IN THE COMING MONTHS?
We have styles dropping all the time. Of note is our outerwear, we are working with I think the best outerwear manufacturer in the UK on a number of styles. We have done this utility jacket in immersion cotton which is is really good. We have a new range of footwear coming out, this time all handmade in the UK. They are all great but for me the standout styles are the Desert boot and the Gibson shoe. Our denims aswell have had a tweak, we now have a new style with another on the way, All made in the UK from narrow width selvedge denim woven in Kobe, Japan. The new shirtings are being delivered soon which is good and then onto the Autumn and Winter ranges which is definitely a step up in terms of fabrications, and craftsmanship which we are really looking forward to.
We have just done a short rerun on the Fishermans cagoule in a couple of new colourways and some special orders so if you didn't get them first time round drop us an email.
Thanks to James from Albam for answering our questions.
View their stuff at albamclothing.com
Are you....taking the country look too far? Issue 5
Have you started seriously thinking about joining the National trust? Do you try and round crowds of people up at the match by whistling and saying ‘come by, come by’? Are you on first name terms with the nice ladies in the Barbour shop? Do you look like the fifth member of the Arctic Monkeys?Take this test immediately to see if you’re turning into a bit of a cunt-ry gent
1. What do you look for in a hat?
A) Something warm, a bit different and it doesn’t make me look like Tweedle Dee.
B) A quality drawstring for when I want the flaps up.
2. When you’re watching Emmerdale what goes through your head?
A) Look at that scruffy get, she’s fit her, oh great it’s that gay one, she’s fit an all, is it nearly time for Corrie?, she’d get it too.
B) Bedale, Beaufort, she’s fit her, Durham, is that a Dry-Fly?
3. What are the predominant colours in your wardrobe?
A) Blue, Grey, Black, White.
B) Olive, Myrtle, Asparagus, Fern.
4. What accessories do you think finish off the perfect outfit?
A) An expensive watch, a nice scarf, designer shades, a decent bag, a cig behind the ear.
B) A crook, a black Labrador, a Rolls Royce, 12 bore, ruddy veined cheeks, the Cairngorms.
5. What would be your ideal Saturday?
A) Winning away twelve - nil, then onto a pub giving away free beer, followed by a coked up sex sesh with two Gucci models then tucking into a kebab that contains at least 50% meat before getting a taxi home where the driver doesn’t chat shit as he’s too busy skinning up.
B) Grouse shooting for 12 hours then lots of bitter/ gin followed by an argument about pig husbandry in the Strangled Woman.
Mostly As
Turns out you’re rather (sub)urban and boring, don’t come crying to me if a fox runs off with your wife, now get of my land or I’ll set the dogs on you!
Mostly Bs
Congratulations, you’re a proper countrified geezer, email us your address and we’ll send you the next copy of Proper printed on a limited edition tweed* *we won’t really.
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