A first look at Fred Perry AW10

Fred Perry's AW10 Look Book.

Another round of AW10 collections to slap in my tired face to snap me back in to a state of sartorial alertness was Fred Perry. Having only just celebrated its one hundredth birthday last year, this is an iconic brand that is far from resting on its laurels (pun intended, ha!). The brand continues to retain and develop its unique roots in the British history of street fashion and music. Its products have consistently been adopted as part of the uniform of choice for elements of our subculture. From Mods, Suedeheads, Ska/Two Tone, Punk, New Wave, Casuals/Perry Boys, Britpop, Electronic/Rave and the latest Indie revival - the Laurel has been ever present. Passed from generation as an understated timeless and collectible true classic. The press day gave me the opportunity to investigate the AW10 Laurel collection and the chance to sneak a peak at the next stage of the successful collaborations with Raf Simons and Stussy. First up, I thought I'd share the first look at the Laurel look book...

These two images showcase my favourite looks. Such simple layering but oh so effective. Left; Long sleeve indigo shirt. Right; Long sleeve indigo shirt worn with knitted blazer and pleated trousers.

I have been a fan of the Laurel Wreath collection for some time now because not only does it showcase the purity of the more heritage pieces but also offers a more contemporary look and feel based on authentic values. Below are a few of my favourite looks...

Long sleeve multi button collar shirt.

Long sleeve striped print shirt in liquorice (left) and ash (right)

In addition to offering reworked Fred Perry classics, the Laurel collection is branching out for AW10 and beyond by working with a number of British brands to create a number of key wardrobe staples. First up the duffle coat. Fashions come and go, but the duffle coat remains a staple in many a stylish wardrobe and Fred Perry have recognised this by working with one of the best makers around, Gloverall. Gloverall have been producing their famous duffle coats for over 50 years, starting in a London factory close to St Paul's Cathedral and still made in England to this day, the name Gloverall has always been synonymous with the duffle coat and it is great to see a brand like Fred Perry tap in to their expertise.

Twin tipped raglan shirt and Gloverall duffle coat.

As well as working with true British heritage brands in the coming months, the Laurel collection sees the brand use a number of truly British fabrics. Most excitingly, Harris Tweed. For AW10, they use the fabric for Harrington jackets, ties and weekend bags. It is the most iconic of all tweeds, woven by hand, and adored for decades the world over. Or it was. For such a burly and utilitarian fabric, Harris Tweed evokes an a great deal of romantically nostalgic feelings and this series certainly captures this. The reason being is that the tweed is still woven by pedal-powered looms in the homes of Scottish sheep herders on the outermost fringe of the British Isles, just as it has been since 1846. 2010 is make or break time for the tweed and it is great to see brands like Fred Perry use it throughout their collection.

Raf Simons' successful collaboration with Fred Perry continues into AW10. The collaboration started off positively and it has only gone from strength to strength.Again, the collection is strongly made up of Simons' own interpretation of the iconic polo shirt, the use of fine knits and great cuts working extremely well with the legendary brand and logo. Each season sees Simons rework the classic laurel logo and here he creates a boy scout badge. As ever, Simons has taken inspiration from the fabrics and textures of classic Fred Perry sportswear but has created a more complete offering with a number of interesting and colourful pieces. A great deal caught my eye as I wandered around the room but key piece that captured my attention was the the long sleeved polo knit (below centre). It is the item that I can't stop thinking about, I just love the knitted sleeve detailing and have never seen anything quite like it.

Raf Simons x Fred Perry Aw10 - I was particularly taken by the use of colour throughout the impressive and diverse offering.

In addition to being able to gaze in to the future season, the press day afforded my first opportunity to inspect the recently launched (and soon to be available to purchase) Blank Canvas collection. This collaboration sees two quintessentially British institutions join forces on a classic four piece range for Fred Perry. The series sees two iconic Liberty of London prints, 'Mark' (paisley) and 'Edenham' (floral) and sees reworked classic pique shirts, a black Harrington jacket, polo shirts and plimsolls. Now that the sun is out I just can't help myself from wanting to dabble with Liberty of London prints...

A closer look at the Blank Canvas collection.

Old Curiosity

The Old Curiosity Shop on Portsmouth Street was immortalised by Dickens' classic tale about a lovable old shopkeeper whose gambling threatens to ruin both him and his adored granddaughter, Nell. The building dates back to the sixteenth century, but this name was added after the novel was released, as it was thought to be the inspiration for Dickens' description of the antique shop. Regardless of the origins of the true Old Curiosity Shop, Patrick Grant has breathed fresh life in to the tale with the launch of the Tautz Curiosity Shop. At the end of a hugely successful year that has seen this distinguished sporting and military tailors secure coveted stockists and plaudits alike, most recently deservedly resulting in the award of Menswear Designer prize at the BFA's, Grant now dips his hand linked socked toe in online retail

The Tautz man has a classic English sensibility mixed with a kind of schoolboy humour; he likes to dress elegantly, but enjoys clothes with wit. This Curiosity Shop celebrates this vision.  The E. Tautz team have raided the tin trunk at the bottom of the bed and rifled through great uncle Peregrines attic to unearth a trove of gentlemanly treasures...

In addition to the unearthed nick nacks, they are offering the more usual Tautz fare; hand knitted woolies, fine stripey stockings, hand sewn ties and bows and so on. As you should all know by now, E. Tautz is a label which champions the notion of dressing properly and of men taking pride in what they wear. It creates simple cutting paired with bold accents of colour and pattern - cloths with scale and texture; big checks, fine flannels, and stripes. The shop is now open and consider my curiosity piqued.

Sibling's Comic Horror Shoot

For Aw10 Sibling took us on a creepy journey for their fourth collection. Last February, deep inside Somerset House's East Wing we were led down the staircase, round the corner and through the door and in to Dr Frankenstein’s laboratory and into a world of fright and fear. Creative agency This is Real Art worked with Sibling to publicise this ‘Comic Horror’ collection. The agency came up with the idea of photographing scared-looking models wearing the clothes. They wanted to capture moments of genuine expressions of fear. Of course, the best way to do this is to really scare the models.

Working with the production company COY! and photographer Sean de Sparengo, an eerie environment was created, using total darkness and a bespoke fright inducing soundtrack. The models were led into the studio, unable to see a thing and made to stand on a spot for several minutes. They were then scared using an incredibly loud horror noise. Simultaneously, the photographs were taken and the look book created.



The video brings backs haunting memories. A few months ago now, I went to Ghost Stories, a truly terrifying theatrical experience written and directed by The League of Gentlemen's master of the macabre, Jeremy Dyson, and Andy Nyman, co-creator and director of Derren Brown's television and stage shows and star of Dead Set and Severance. Had there been a video camera catching my squeals and moments of skin jumping, the evidence would undoubtedly have looked remarkably similar to the models here. I both shudder and smile at the thought and share each models pain.

With each season the design trio combine the wonderful craft of knitwear with an added sense of humour. In fact, when we interviewed them earlier this year they conceded that "Sibling is all about humour in a very English way that may come across as being a bit silly at times." This video certainly encapsulates just that. I'm looking forward to seeing what the design trio create next. Roll on next month and Menswear Day!

Advent - Day Twenty One

Like us, Fine and Dandy's very own Matt Fox has an appreciation for the well dressed gentlemen of yesteryear and is inspired by their unabashed use of accessories, so this is what he stocks in his marvelous online store. Fine and Dandy is a shop which provides all the finishing details to truly be fine and dandy. Here's what's on his Christmas list...

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VINTAGE FAIR ISLE

"For the last year or so I've been saying that I want more fair isle. There is something so festive about it, as if while wearing, one should be in a ski lodge by the fire sipping hot chocolate. Although I acquired a fair isle-inspired sweater last winter, I was reminded once again of my unfulfilled quest from a photo from Sergei Sviatchenko's Close Up And Private in which the model is wearing a beautiful fair isle sweater vest. The closest I can find to it is one from a past collection from Polo on ebay. Santa, are you listening?"

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ASOS' timely 'Best of British' collaborations

As the volcanic ash grounds Britain indefinitely it becomes ever more apparent that we are indeed an island. It seems that half of the people I know are stranded in some far away land, not least Susie who who is unable to return from New York until next weekend at the very earliest while those of us still left have a mere 93278 square miles to play with. This feeling of isolation could provoke cabin fever like hysteria but not on this blog, not at the moment anyway. Thankfully we are marooned on a land that has a wealth of craft and design talent. ASOS' soon to be fully launched 'Best of British' line sees nineteen brands combine for ten limited edition collaborations for SS10. Borne of a desire to work more closely with a selection of brands already stocked by the online retailer and from an aspiration to produce pieces that sum up the nation's wealth of design talent. The list of brands reads like a mouth watering catalogue of the very best British companies and designers. From two of my favourite designers in Tim Soar and Carolyn Massey working with Corgi and Slazenger respectively to unexpected unions in Bill Amberg and Southsea Deckchairs to Brady bags and Jas MB, there is just so much to covet for the warmer months ahead. I've selected a few of the very best collaborations with a little information on each for you below...

Bill Amberg and Southsea Deckchairs - This is one of the most unexpected collaborations but it encapsulates a very definite sense of British summertime. Everything created by Bill Amberg is unique; not just in sustainable materials and handmade quality, but in outstanding design and innovative production techniques. Made in England by West Country craftsmen, Bill Amberg bags are frequently made from hardwearing vegetable tanned leather, produced from one of the last remaining pit tanning operations in the UK. However, for this project Amberg has worked with Southsea Deckchairs utilising traditional deckchair fabrics for his bags. These bags take me back to summers spent making sandcastles.

Carolyn Massey and Slazenger - As you should all know by now, Carolyn Massey is one of our favourite designers while being one of the leading figures in pushing menswear at London Fashion Week. After having a good nosey around her workspace it was clear that Massey is at her happiest when researching something she has found, either an old picture or an actual garment. By taking elements from pieces she has seen and found while combining them with her personal vision for menswear she creates something new and exciting. For 'Best Of British' she has delved in to the archives of Slazenger and Wimbledon to help create her own classic tennis wear that transcends the courts.

Dr Martens and Ally Capellino - Dr Martens are synomous with youthful rebellion and here they've teamed up with the quintessentially British luggage and accessories brand Ally Capellino. Capitalisng on their strengths, the leather loving labels have combined to produce four style of DM, two shoes and two eight holed boots.

Brady and Jas MB - Two of the biggest names in UK bags have joined forces to produce two models that perfectly embody the very best of this island. Both are well know for their craftsmanship but their products normally mix in very different circles. Brady bags, renowned for their solid foundations with the fishing, hunting and shooting folk collaborate with Jas MB, a label known for their statement pieces that are beautiful and hand made in London.

Tim Soar and Corgi - Tim Soar always embraces a purist, modernist approach to menswear , creating classic clothing with unexpected fabrications. For his AW10 collection he shocked a few of us as it saw him collaborate with British heritage knitwear company Corgi. During our Menswear Day coverage we caught up with the designer and he enthusiastically declared that "Corgi are exactly what British manufacturers should be about, making an extremely high quality product that does not try to compete with the Far East on price." For 'Best of British' he has teamed up with the Welsh hosiery and knitwear brand once again to create a knitted sweater.

Grenson and the British Millerain Co Ltd - With a history spanning more than one hundred and forty years you would forgive Grenson for resting on its Goodyear Welted soles. However, when compared to other classic English shoe makers, they have been making the most positive and interesting moves in recent years. One of the clearest examples of this is their collaborations with well chosen brands from Rag & Bone to Albam to Tenue de Nîmes. These collaborations have reminded us that a classic English shoe brand doesn't necessarily have to follow one set path of shoe making and design. Here they have created an oxford, a lace up boot and and a desert boot which all showcase performance fabrics from the British Millerain Co Ltd.

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Being the style geek that I am, my only criticism of the project as it stands is that there is not enough information on how the products came to be. You all know how much I enjoy a spot of factory porn but sadly it is absent from the current coverage. I would have loved to have been properly introduced to the brands involved and to have been offered some insight in to the production. However, the fruits of this project remind us all that this island of ours is home to a great away of craft and design talent.

Introducing Huxley

Introducing Huxley

Normally I would not be awake before nine on a Saturday morning but the bright sunshine streaming through my blinds forced me to open my tightly clenched eyes and inspired me to haul my arse out of bed. Before I venture out and explore the outside world,I thought it apt to celebrate the glorious Spring day by introducing you to a colourful knitwear brand, Huxley. Two unanswered but seemingly simple questions were the catalyst for the brand to come in to being; Where has all the vibrant coloured knitwear gone? And why are we all so quick to eschew British manufacturing? In order to address both these issues Huxley has set out to produce high quality, brightly coloured, British-made knitwear. We should be thankful for their inquisitive nature.

In light of the somewhat depressing sea of grey, navy and brown that seems to dominate so menswear floors, Huxley’s rainbow coloured jumpers are a welcome change. Back in February 2009 a sartorial and ruthless whirlwind (also known as EJ) blew through my wardrobe for a spot of early Spring (wardrobe) cleaning. One of the most shocking findings of that day was the lack of colour in my wardrobe. Since that day I have taken it upon myself to experiment more with colour. I think we are all guilty of being drawn to a certain colour palette on the rails whilst shopping but why not take a risk or two and have a little fun with the way we dress? Thanks to polychromatic high street stores like Uniqlo and American Apparel men are now embracing significantly more optimistic and bright hues. It is great to see a brand such as Huxley emerge which balances its colourful range with a belief that provenance is as equally key.

The range of colour, my current favourites are the Coral and Cobalt Blue.

The provenance of their factories has always been of the utmost importance to Huxley. Their one hundred per cent merino wool jumpers are produced in Scotland by a fantastic knitwear manufacturer, one that can trace its heritage in Scottish knitwear right back to 1874. For their equally colourful socks, they rely on a family owned firm that has been in the business of sock making since 1895 and is now run by the third and fourth generation descendants of the founder. Huxley currently sell two styles of jumper, a v-neck and a crew neck. They like to keep things simple and let the jumpers talk for themselves. As for the socks, they sell them in eight of the brightest and best colours in the world. The jumpers are made from one per cent merino wool making them ideal for year round wear but particularly on these Spring days. The socks are made from luxurious cotton and can be worn for any occasion to add colourful character to a man's stride. As the sun becomes a welcome fixture in the sky, this is the time to add a little pomp and colour to an outfit. This is the time to have a little fun each morning...

Huxley offer a sense of fun with their use of colour.

Unpicking the seams of Menswear Day... Sibling

Sibling Aw10. Social Zombie Crew. Photo by Thomas Giddings

A few weeks may have passed since Menswear Day but our collective blogging mind is still full to the rafters with thoughts on the collections we discovered on that busy, busy day. For us, nothing represents the diversity of menswear design talent in the capital more than Fashion East's Menswear Installations and the latest crop did not disappoint. One of the real highlights of the day was walking around the East Wing of Somerset House uncovering the beautiful alongside the weird and wonderful. The bold and progressive knitwear label Sibling showcased both of these virtues and more. For Aw10 Sibling take us on a creepy journey for their fourth collection. Inside Somerset House's East Wing we were led down the staircase, round the corner and through the door into Dr Frankenstein’s laboratory. The label is a collaboration between Joe Bates, Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery and it really is all for one and one for all. The trio bring with them a strong heritage of experience with top name designers and have added a sense of humour and wit to the wonderful craft of knitwear. We've been meaning to catch up with the design trio for some time and jumped at the chance to do just that while learning more about their hammer horror laboratory. Here we talk to the them about balancing the craft of knitting with humour, here about the design dynamic of the brand, the importance of collaboration and their hopes for the future...

Pixelated Frankenstein Crew. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: Between you, you have worked with (among others) Alexander McQueen, Giles Deacon, Lanvin, Jonathan Saunders and Bella Freud. What have these experiences taught you?

Sibling: Well the experiences we have had collectively have naturally all shaped the existence of Sibling. Some are good, some are bad but all are to be learnt from, the main one being: don’t be afraid to go after what you want!

SS: What were your inspirations, your dreams and the driving catalyst behind Sibling?
Sibling: We are inspired by lots of different subjects as well as what is happening all around us which is no different to anyone else. We are really good friends so will chat about all kinds of stuff over tea and biscuits which may or may not turn into something. The driving catalyst is always to produce something that we are proud of, that makes us and hopefully others smile

Scary Fairisle V neck and tank top. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: What does Sibling mean to you?

Sid: KNITTING – what I do best.
Joe: Fun
Cozette: Freedom

SS: What were the first and last items that you designed under the Sibling name?

Sibling: The very first was the Ram’s Head sweater (sweater… it’s more like a sculpture) for stylist Jane How and the last would be the Knit Monster for Collection Four. Both pieces have had more press than Jordan.

Scary Fairisle v neck tank top in black and white. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: Talk us through the dynamic of the brand. How do the three of you work together?

Sibling: At the beginning of a collection Joe has ideas, Sid says no, Cozette says yes, Sid then says yes about something Cozette doesn’t like and all 3 of us then have more ideas… all of which we hate… or love. Sid then swatches and this could lead to something else, even to the dustbin… and on it goes. There are no properly defined titles for any of us: our characters are very similar in that ‘if it needs doing do it’ way.

SS: Hand craftsmanship is obviously a key facet of the brand. Everything is crafted and the pieces are ultimately a labour of love. Is this what makes knitwear so special to you?

Sibling: We are very lucky to be making a product that we enjoy and yes love. It’s nice that you pick up on that. All three of us have always been obsessed with knitwear throughout our lives. It’s funny when we are interviewed about our childhood or teenage wardrobes because 99% of the time the things we are most fond of have been knitted. That may make us sound weird!

Scary Fairisle scarf. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: I love the balance you strike between the obvious humour of the pieces and the craftsmanship behind them. For your fourth collection you take us on a creepy journey to Frankenstein's laboratory and sees you unveil your Scare-Isle knits, pixellated Frankenstein crews and the motley silhouette. Does this balancing act come easy to you as a design trio?

Sibling: Sibling is all about humour in a very English way that may come across as being a bit silly at times. And we do get silly in our gang, that’s what life is all about isn’t it? We’ll leave those moody grey V-necks to others thank you very much because we are just not that good at it. We giggle way too much.

SS: You are pushing the boundaries of knitwear to create total looks, for example top-to-toe cashmere Scare-isle knit, complete with Long Johns and a knitted raffia-Mohican Balaclava, demonstrating that there is so much more to graphic knitwear than merely sweaters. You are making men's knitwear exciting. How does it feel to have given it a much needed knitted clad slap to wake it up?

Sibling: Knit Monster was great fun to make and yes it is the first time we have ever done a ‘total look’. Frankly we have been fighting against producing a knitted trouser since the start but only because they just never sat right within the previous collections. Here it seemed very very right. We’d been looking at lots of tribal images of people totally covered in paint and fully constructed jumpsuits as well as kid’s Halloween costumes and just went for it. We could have stopped at the balaclava, crew and Long Johns but decided that Knit Monster needed a Puffa. It took a life of it’s own. Total nonsense but it works, this we know because of the chaos he (yes he) has caused since. It’s lovely to have had such a reaction.

Scary Fairisle Hand Knit Jacket. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: Have you got any anecdotes of making the collection that you can share?

Sibling: Oh we only share amongst ourselves! Anything interesting we can’t share, Sibling oath and all that.

SS: Were you able to see any other collections during Menswear Day? If so, who were your favourites?

Sibling: This season the menswear day we felt really came into its own. The quality and style of the collections moved away from club kids and that homemade whacky London trendyness which just makes us groan. Favourites would be Lou Dalton, Carolyn Massey, the shows at Savile Row, James Long… oh God between the 3 of us we’ll just list the entire schedule..! Honestly though it was a very strong day, one we were very happy to be part of.

Collaboration with Will Broome. Beware Hairy Hands. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: As part of FashionEast/MAN exhibition you presented a short film that saw you collaborate with both This is Real Art and COY! and Spider and Flies. How important is collaboration to the label? Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?

Sibling: Collaboration is really important, it’s like an extension of how we 3 work anyway: bouncing ideas off one another. And it’s been really successful, the Noah Skull Breton for example sold out in a store in Japan in less than three weeks. It’s been great working with This Is Real Art as they have really upped the anti with our films. The film they produced for Collection 3 literally hit every blog going. It was like a viral PR campaign. Where next? Good question. No idea. What about Shreddies.. now there is a tie-in that would work!

SS: How do you see the brand developing over the next couple of years?

Sibling: We are relatively a new brand and still finding our feet, our plan was to take our time and to stick around. That still is our plan. Tortoise rather than the hare (Mr Hare… we like his shoes too..)

Scary Fairisle Hand Knit Jacket. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

SS: If you could go back in time and experience any moment in style or fashion movement, what would it be?

Sid: I would love to have experienced the 1920s. I have a romanticized and stereotypical vision of being permanently dressed in a dinner suit and lounging around in smoke filled wood paneled London clubs with Inspector Poirot.

Joe: I have a very rose tinted view of male homo culture between the wars. I know that the reality was hateful and dangerous but I can’t help but think of that era and picture well groomed be suited men dancing together surrounded by rouged queens.

Cozette: I would be a proper punk, well a non-political version of a proper punk. An improper one? Because of my age by the time punk hit the posh girls of Woldingham my Miss Selfridges version was rather watered down and consisted of wearing Boots Country Born hair gel and a few studded wristbands to Catherham Youth Club. If I did it now I’d want to be an expensive Givenchy or Demeulemeester one. Again the politics go out the window. I’d be the shallowest punk on the planet.

SS: Finally, would you be able to share a few address book recommendations to our readers (hairdressers, tailors, cafes…anything you like really) which we will duly add to our map?

Sid: Hervia Bazaar - 40 spring gardens, Manchester, m2 1en.
Joe: The City Cobbler, 215 city road. EC1V 1JN

Cozette: M Goldstein on Hackney Road for clothing and artifacts. Ottolenghi (Islington or Westbourne Grove) for passion fruit meringues. Solange Azagury Partridge for gothic jewels. Jeanette’s on Club Row for Richard Nicoll, James Long etc. Artworld’s Book Shop (Rivington St) and Donlon Books, Cambrige Heath Rd.

Social Zombie Scarf. Photo by Thomas Giddings.

Unpicking the seams of Menswear Day... A Minute Silence

A Minute Silence. Anna, Odile and Arthur.

Last month, before we were sucked in to the craziness of LFW we introduced you to A Minute Silence and gave you a sneak peek at their debut capsule collection of graphic knitwear. For the benefit of you who might have missed out on that post, AMS is a creative collaboration that was just waiting to happen between two good friends, the artist Danny Sangra and Style Salvage's favourite knitwear designer, Lynn Cockburn (aka Lynnda Needles). Their colourful, progressive capsule knitwear collection was officially launched during London Fashion Week. Now that a couple weeks have passed and everything has calmed down a touch, we were eager feel the soft knits and marvel at the graphic prints. So, we met up with Lynn at her studio home last night and she talked us through the collection over a nice cup of tea. Here we discuss how the label came to be, learn more about the craftsmanship of knitwear, hear about her experiences working with British heritage brand Corgi and unveil what the duo are working on for SS11...

A close up of Luc. An all seeing pyramid jacquard cardigan.

SS: How did the collaboration come about between yourself and Danny? I know you are good friends with Danny so is AMS one of the projects that you've been talking about launching for some time...
Lynn: Yes exactly. Not necessarily as a knitwear brand though. Danny and I met when we were both studying at Central Saint Martins, we both worked at the same shop during our second year and we became buddies. We actually collaborated for my final degree show of my Textiles course, I was specialising in knitwear and I wanted to do knitted baseball caps which we screen printed with one of Danny's illustrations. We were always like "Hey we should do something when we leave' and the obvious thing for a textile and illustrative collaboration would have been screen printed sweatshirts, tshirts etc but at the time we just thought that this might've been a bit boring. We came up with the A Minute Silence name and there were a couple of other guys who we were going to work with and we even set up a website but then we all got busy and started getting jobs. So it never really happened but Danny and I were both really keen on working together. He's obviously had lots of gallery shows and on a few occasions we worked together on tshirts but that is it. Until one day it just clicked. I've always been inspired by his work in a textile way so it just made sense to work on knitwear. By this point, about two years ago now, I had been working as a knitwear designer for a few years and it all made perfect sense. Since doing this collection we've realised that we are older now and the timing is right. Everything is considered. There is a real attention to detail from the name labels which are woven with Danny's handwriting to the way we package the knits themselves when they are ready to sell. So, it is has been in the making for seven or eight years but it definitely worth the wait.

Meet Anna, she is a boiled washed lace pyramid cardigan.

SS: Where does the A Minute Silence name come from?

Lynn: It comes from a Jean-Luc Godard film called Bande a Part. In the film their are real characters; Odile who is played by the amazing Anna Karina, Franz (Sami Frey) and Arthur (Claude Brasseur) and we've actually named our pieces after them, along with Luc and Anna as well because we are such huge fans. Also, we named the blanket thirty six because during the film the three characters are momentarily stuck for conversation in a cafe and suggest a minutes silence but the silence on lasts thirty six seconds in the film. Finally, we have the Madison socks because the minutes silence takes place in the Madison Cafe. Both of us are really in to new wave French cinema and both really fancy Anna Karina, haha!

A close up of Anna's lace pyramid detailing.

SS: What makes knitwear special to you?
Lynn: At this stage in my career I love the craftsmanship and I've been lucky to work with British factories from Scotland to Grimsby to Wales and worked with people who are hand making these garments. The A Minute Silence garments are all hand knitted on traditional machines, someone has to cast on the stitches, move the carriage to knit and do all of the fully fashioning by hand, all the finishing is also done by hand. I love the whole traditional side of the knitwear industry. However, I've also worked with big factories in China so I've experienced both sides of the spectrum. In terms of myself I am into my braiding which is an ancient Japanese technique and pushing textiles, not necessarily just knitwear.

Luc and blanket 36

SS: For this collection you worked with Corgi, have you worked with them before or did you specifically approach them for AMS?
Lynn: I've visited them a few years ago now when I was sourcing factories for a label called Merlin, so I was doing the rounds, calling up and meeting people. I think when you are a small label in Britain it is hard to work with companies outside of Britain because they all have minimums. So now, I have strong relationships with British manufacturers. At the beginning it was necessary for me to work with them but now I am happy when I get to work with them, I enjoy telling people that that our product is 100% British made. So, I first met with Corgi for Merlin but we didn't use them at that time but I really wanted to use them for this project. The heritage of Corgi is just amazing and the point that they've worked with amazing brands like Comme des Garcons.

SS: What is the Corgi factory like?

Lynn: It is lovely, just a little train journey from Paddington, they come and pick you up from the train station and it just feels like a family the moment you walk in to it. Plus they have an amazing sample shop, my whole family got cashmere socks for Christmas that year.

The Madison socks and blanket 36.

SS: We see your knitted creations as investment pieces, even each purchase comes wrapped with care in a hand made tyvek bag. Do you see your pieces as investment pieces?
Lynn: That is certainly how Danny and I buy fashion. We're not loaded so we can't just go out and buy loads of things every season. If we do buy anything designer it is because we've really thought about it and seen it as something that is not necessarily on trend but rather it can be seen as timeless in some way. Our pieces are something than you can buy and hopefully wear forever. I think from the quality of the yarns we use to the manufactures we work with, the standards are high and should stand the test of time. I love how knitwear ages though. Thetyvek bags just help people store it away and help protect it. We've always wanted the pieces to feel very special. Each of the knits come with an original drawing by Danny just to make the buyer feel even more special.

The all seeing pyramid graphic of Luc is one of our favourites.

SS: Obviously the debut offering is a capsule collection, how will the brand evolve? What are your plans for SS11?

Lynn: I want to push it for SS11. We don't just want to be a knitwear brand but both of us want it to be our signature. We want to expand the offering though. We've had lots of ideas as to what would work really well with Danny's patterns and illustrations and have come up with a slightly tongue in cheek idea to do a cagoule and umbrella for British Summer time. We are going to evolve the brand slowly though, we won't rush in to a full collection but instead put out the products we really fancy creating.

A pair of socks that would actually make our Christmas. The Madison socks.

Unpicking the seams of Menswear Day: Carolyn Massey AW10

Patterns on display at Massey's studio.

As we've said countless times in recent posts, Menswear Day was a huge success as the diversity of menswear design talent on show was both staggering and exciting. However, now that a few days days have past and countless show reports have been penned and posted across the online landscape some would like to draw a line under the day and move on. Not us. As much as we enjoyed the day itself we felt a definite need to learn more about our favourite collections by speaking to the designers themselves and by getting up close and personal to their designs. Catwalk shows are pure theatre and rarely fail to demonstrate the emotions and themes of the collections but most of the time, both of us are left wanting more. With this as our driving motivation, over the coming couple of weeks we will seek out the designs that caught our eye on that hectic, frantic day and take the odd time out with the designers and their creations. Given our well documented sartorial love affair with Carolyn Massey and the fact that she kicked off proceedings at the day itself, it is only fitting that we begin this series of posts with her.

Carolyn Massey's AW10 collection takes its inspiration from a body of military patterns sourced from an anonymous donor. A few leading critics have made a real point of Massey using this archive of pieces but after having a good nosey around her workspace last year it soon became clear that Massey is at her happiest when researching something she has found, so this comes as little surprise to us. By taking elements from pieces she has seen and found while combining them with her vision for menswear she create something new. For this collection the initial inspiration came from the patterns which were toiled and fitted them and edited into a more contemporary story. A darker military aesthetic is explored in union suits, flight suits and smocks released exclusively for Massey's research.

In addition to the delicate detailing and beautiful craftsmanship we have come to expect from the designer, this season sees the label diversify in to printing techniques. Massey developed a wonderfully deconstructed print based on Ray Johnson's postal art and worked with print designer, Sam Cotton to allow the print to repeat and fade and ultimately mirroring the 'lived in' military uniforms and the nostalgic feeling running throughout this collection. You might recall that when Carolyn recently went to Tokyo she kept an image diary for us and that one particular entry confessed her love for the Tokyo morning skyline. For the AW10 collection the muted hues of the Tokyo morning sunrise inspire the colour palette and echo the rose tinted, worn and faded feel to the prints perfectly. At the show itself we were particularly struck by the layered and textured styling of the looks and to achieve this Massey has continued to build and develop her accessories line, knitted hats and scarves were presented along with lavish knitted balaclavas. Also, this season saw her unveil her collaboration with Tabio, the Japanese sock specialist and Style Salvage favourite, which has seen her produce a stunning men's collection.

Armed with a bag full of pastries and our camera we met up with the designer on Sunday morning to both congratulate her on a wonderful show and to learn as much as we could about the collection. Be warned, the result is quite a meaty post but it's definitely worth the read as we talk to the designer about her inspirations, her love of knitwear and the collaboration with Tabio and her hopes for the future...

A rail of utter temptation; a tale of textures and prints.

Style Salvage: The collection is entitled Obsolete Prototype C53 and takes its inspiration from a body of military patterns sourced from an anonymous donor. Were the patterns themselves the starting point?
Carolyn Massey: My work is always a continuing work in progress, it grows and expands with each season but yes, it was this encounter with the donor... well, actually it's an organisation. Due to my passion for reviving things from the past and bringing them in to a more contemporary light they saw that and wanted to help me and hence the donation of the patterns. We started working on them really, really quickly, toiling them up and creating looks we could experiment with. Some were awful and I always think that you have to be extremely careful when you are looking backwards to go forwards. As I've not been going sixty years and don't have an archive of my own, I am drawing on a archive of what I know.

SS: Someone like Kim Jones for example, he has a huge archive to play with at Dunhill, do you look at him with a tint of envy in your eyes?
Carolyn Massey: Exactly, I would love to work for an old house one day and that would be the first thing that I would do. I don't understand how designers can ignore the past; I think you have to contextualise where you are in order to move forward. So, for this collection, we started toiling up very early, fitting them and looking at things and binning a few things and going from there.

One of the prints designed in collaboration with print designer Sam Cotton. Massey had been to see the Ray Johnston exhibition at the Raven Row gallery and was inspired to create postal prints. The faded nature of them is reflected in the silk twill.

SS: Did you find any interesting or novel garment constructions, like you did with the cape from AW09 (which was cut in one piece)?
Carolyn Massey: There were some really great things actually. There was a coat which had a sword pocket in the back- it was all about the positioning of everything, we discovered an ergonomic line of where you would draw your sword from.

SS: There was one coat in particular that both of us loved- the voluminous grey overcoat, was this the one?
Carolyn Massey: Yes, that was the one. For me, elements like the positioning of pockets and how that changes how you stand in a garment fascinate me.

One of the grey overcoats that we both fell head over heels for!

SS: This season sees you experiment and play with the silhouette. A lot of the looks see a teaming of relaxed and loose tops with tighter bottoms...
Carolyn Massey: I think it was more balanced in regard to the collection as a whole but in terms of the styling for the show that was definitely the case. I am quite bored of this straight up and down skinny thing and I think that we are evolving beyond that and are pushing things forward.

SS: There was evolved way of layering and a sense of the clothes being lived in and a richness of subtle textures...
Carolyn Massey: The aged and lived in look is something that I really love. It comes down from my interest of handing down garments from generation to generation. One of the first projects I did as a student was to make a suit out of one of my grandfather's and how the shapes of his body had changed the shape of the jacket. So that has always been fascinating to me.

Exquisite soft, romantic tailoring.

SS: The colour palette was inspired by the muted hues of the Tokyo morning skyline. Looking back at your Tokyo diary for us we can see a great example and can see how it translates quite beautifully in to the realised designs...
Carolyn Massey: Ha, I'm glad you remembered! Whenever I go I am just so jet lagged and this combined with excitement to be there means I am often awake at three in the morning and not able to sleep. I am always inspired by the landscape and I'm up sketching in the early hours. It is just so beautiful. The soft hues also translate to the fabrics used as well.

A quick glance at the ever expanding accessories line

SS: The textures for this season are so interesting. The Lurex jumpsuit is particularly amazing and such a statement piece.
Carolyn Massey: Well a lot of people have said that it would be great for the weekend. For me, when you are showing, you have to have pieces which are interesting and light hearted. You can take it all a bit too seriously, at the end of the day it is fashion and you should be making a statement. The model who wore that, Mathieu, was perfect. If you do those types of pieces you have to ensure that the casting is spot on.

SS: With each season you are building on your accessories line...

Carolyn Massey: Yes, we did a lot more knitwear and as you can see from the table, I love knitwear! I love working on accessories and have grown this side of the line over the last few seasons. I'm always quite obsessed with building up a silhouette around the neck with scarfs and around the head and this is something that we will continue.

Aw10 sees the second collaboration with her comrade and luxury men's jewellery designer, Hannah Martin. Hand crafted new medals and badges, these symbolic objects were given a lustrous patina for new life.

SS: This season sees the unveiling of your collaboration with Tabio. How did the collaboration arise and how happy with you with the results?
Carolyn Massey: It was amazing and I'm really pleased with it all. I started working with them a couple of seasons ago when I was just borrowing items from the shop. During my Tokyo travels I've been able to have meetings with them. They are brilliant because they are obsessed with quality of make and a huge product development section. I've always loved the brand. I proposed this to them and they were really up for it. They've never worked with designer in this way before, they have in house designers in Japan and this is the first time they've collaborated with an outside designer. So I did some designs and set them off and they looked at them and they were like "wow!" I can't wait to see them on sale!

The fruits of Massey's collaboration with Tabio.

SS: Congratulations are in order, we've only just heard the news that you've been awarded Unica's On Stage project! Well done! What can you tell us about the award?
Carolyn Massey: Thank you! I am so pleased and honoured. It was awarded by a panel of people including Vogue Italia's Franca Sozzani, and Pier Luigi Piana, Chairman of Unica. Every season they select ten designers to receive the award which involves a trip to Milan where you will be able to meet with the mills and select your fabrics and work alongside the mills. I feel so honoured because not only is it awarded internationally but across women's and men's as well. It is such a lovely thing to do so I am extremely pleased.

SS: What can we expect from Carolyn Massey over the coming seasons?
Carolyn Massey: I'd really like to build on the success of what I do with Topman and the collaborative projects that I do by working with companies that I love. The collaboration with Topman seems to be going really well. When my sales are high I am always so inspired and it pushes me forward, I am quite driven by sales really because then I know I'm doing the right thing. The bottom line of all of this is sales. It is brilliant to do catwalk shows but the real boost comes from success on the shop floor. At the end of the day we are designing for people out there. I got really excited by one of the looks in the show because it felt as though it had come 360, I tend to be inspired by the people I meet or the guys I see on the street through people watching and one of the looks is genius because I can see it walking down the streets in Hackney. For me, it is a complete validation of what I am doing, it comes from there and will go back there.

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For those eager to get their hands on a piece of Carolyn Massey we have news of a Sample Sale Spectacular. We missed out on the last one but were told tales of absolute bargains, so if you are in town over the next coming days, we suggest you swing by and take a look for yourself...

Sibling AW11 Darn The Boozer

 

For their sixth collection, the ever bold and progressive knitwear label Sibling take us on a knitted pub crawl around East London as they invite us "darn the boozer". After all moving to the area, the design trio looked to the The Golden Heart, The Bricklayer's Arms, The Red Lion and the George & Dragon to quench their thirst for inspiration. During the presentation in Somerset House's Portico Rooms during Menswear Day, I was soon inebriated by the cocktail of texture, pattern and stitch as I stumbled through the design trio's favourite local drinking holes.

Throughout the collection their favoured drinking dens are referenced both in a literal sense with the use of pub insignia and iconography embroidered in and also in a more abstract way in pieces which reference George and in others which reference the dragon. Like all good pub crawls this is something of a drunken haze but I'm pretty sure pandas featured in it along the way.  I can remember the first intoxicating yarn pint being downed at The Golden Heart, in a crew neck featuring text, embroidered tattooed heart and spider web elbows, with a chaser of a Claddagh fisherman’s sweater in a heady cashmere mix. Moving on to The Bricklayer's Arms in an insignia zip up jacket before roaring through to The Red Lion in an aptly addorned sweater. I think we finished up at the George & Dragon in a fair isle knitted in Scotland featuring Saint George, crossed cigarettes and dragons.

With each collection, the design trio combine the wonderful craft of knitwear with an added sense of humour. In fact, when we interviewed them last year  they conceded that "Sibling is all about humour in a very English way that may come across as being a bit silly at times." Here however, they have struck the perfect balance and created a collection of covetable designs that still produce a wry smile. To supplement my drunken presentation shots, I can happily share the collection look book as shot by Thomas Giddings... 

Red Lion Crew.

35% Viscose, 29% Lambswool, 20% Nylon, 8% Cashmere, 8% Angora

Golden Heart Twinset. 

35% Viscose, 29% Lambswool, 20% Nylon, 8% Cashmere, 8% Angora

Bricklayers Arms Knitted Zip Jacket in 100% wool

George & Dragon Fair Isle Twinset complete with crossed cigarettes, beer bottles and not forgetting either George or the dragon. 100% wool.

Hand Knit Gorget & Army All In One Long. 

35% Viscose, 29% Lambswool, 20% Nylon, 8% Cashmere, 8% Angora

Fox Cable Hooded Scarf, Hauberk Hand Knit Zip Jacket & Army All In One Long. 

35% Viscose, 29% Lambswool, 20% Nylon, 8% Cashmere, 8% Angora

Pauldron Knitted Coat & George Army All In One. 100% Merino Wool.

Hauberk Hand Knit Zip Jacket. 

35% Viscose, 29% Lambswool, 20% Nylon, 8% Cashmere, 8% Angora

Dragon Stitch Crew in 100% Merino Wool.

Pure Evil Pandas Rock! Crew in 100% Merino Wool.