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.

Summertime Sales

As the sunshine has been replaced with grey clouds and drizzle in recent weeks we have often found ourselves day dreaming about dressing for the season ahead, Autumn. With exposure to look books and press days it is quite easy for us to get ahead of ourselves. However, we should remember that sunshine lurks behind even the darkest of skies and there will be opportunities to dress accordingly. We should all be used to the great British summertime and we should not fall in the trap of purely dismissing it as a wash out every year it rolls in to town. There are glorious moments where we remove our coats and jumpers to allow our pasty white skin to turn a shade of reddish pink as we celebrate with childlike enthusiasm in the wonders of summer...

A moment in Broadstairs in summer but it could be any seaside town in the UK. Any hope of sunshine attracts the hoards who soon fill up every inch of sand.

An ice cream begins to melt in front of a Broadstairs beach scene.

We are only in mid August so these moments will surely come again. There will be moments where our toes get sand in between them and ice cream will melt unbelievably quickly to leave us in a mess. These are the summer's that we love to moan about but always wring out as much sunshine as we can from every beach towel. We also love a bargain. Now, is the moment to take advantage of the plethora of reduced items on offer, online and beyond, that would add so much to any summer wardrobe. We have selected just a handful of bargains to reinstate our own sense of excitement over the current season...

Clockwise from top left...Mattalini 2 jacket by Post Overals (Garbstore), Jupiter striped t shirt by Velour (Steven Alan), Red swim trunks by Steve Alan (Steve Alan), Reverse seam shirt from Steven Alan (Garbstore), Joe trousers by Hentsch Man (Garbstore), Selvage stripe launch bag by Bill Amberg (Bill Alberg), Sky blue espadrilles by Hentsch Man (Hentsch Man), Recycled flat pack leather slippers by unu (Beyond the Valley), Spinnaker tote by Woolrich Woolen Mills (oi polloi), Hartford striped shorts (Liberty).

Steve's legs on a rare outing in Westgate-on-sea. This shot was taken by his eighty six year old nan. It is framed perfectly.

Take advantage of the sales and then...to the seaside!

A look around Oi Polloi's new store...

Peering through the window of Oi Polloi's new store.

Since opening its doors back in 2002, Oi Polloi has offered an antidote to the mass of bland, uninspiring men's fashion stores lining the high street. As their website puts it: "with a vision of putting together the ultimate selection of classic, functional outerwear with innovative contemporary labels and a serious arsenal of casual footwear, Oi Polloi was born". Over the subsequent years, one of our favourite independent stores has managed continued growth without sacrificing any of its identity or core values. Whenever Steve came up to Manchester we always made the trip to the Tib Street store.

The main window display

The major drawback to Oi Polloi was how teeny tiny the store was. Politely and in true Estae Agents speak we'd call it cosy. Bluntly though, it was just too small. Much of Oi Polloi's business comes from their excellent online shop, but sometimes you just can't beat a bricks and motar store. On the back of their continued and obvious success Oi Polloi moved to a new 1,600 square foot space just before Easter, providing double the size of the previous store. So, when Steve came visiting last week we just had to take a look around...

It was great to see that Action Man and his trusty sidekick had made the trip to the new store. Here they take pride of place on the Brooks' cabinet.

The large cabinet of Brooks' saddles and accessories. A Brooks saddle is a British design classic and it takes centre stage at the new store.

A glass cabinet showcasing the handpicked look of the season. The choices reflect the ideal sartorial arsenal for a weekend getaway...

We were both taken by this display of Fjallraven Kanken bags. A classic lightweight day pack in hard wearing vinylon fabric in a Spring/Summer friendly selection of colourways.

We particularly took our time over this rail. Nigel Cabourn's clothing for obsessives, with production split between England and Japan, using only the finest British materials and fabrics. The detail is phenomenal.

Another well stocked rail of delights

This workbench sat in front of the huge denim wall and features fabulous knits from Folk.

One of our favourite features of the new store is the full shoe wall. Everything from Yuketens to Clarks, moccasins to brogues is on display.

A closer look at the Sperry Top-sider and bucks by Sander. The Topsider blueprint for the American boat shoe, and the cornerstone of Classic Nautical Style.

And what a change it's made. Still stocking as many great brands as before, it is now easier and more enjoyable to browse (did we mention that the staff are really friendly, knowledgeable and happy to chat? Though we should warn you that the Manc accent seems to be infectious judging by the way so many of their customers speak once they step through the doors) and you realise just how wide ranging and varied their stock is. As you can see from out excitedly snapped images above, rails of the latest pieces from Nigel Cabourn, Our Legacy, Heritage Research, Engineered Garments, Oliver Spencer, Folk, Saint James, Barbour, Lavenham (oh the list goes on and on) are accompanied by glass cabinets showcasing cycling and outdoors accessories. Although it is so much larger than the intimate Tib street store, the new location just feels right and you get the sense that the guys are loving the extra space.

At the risk of sounding cheesy, Oi Polloi seems to be more than just a clothes store, bordering on a lifestyle. The Brooks cycling accessories are beautiful enough to make us want to enter the Tour de France just to have an excuse to buy them. Along similar lines they mentioned to us the desire to have kayaks and a couple of tents in store as well. Perhaps if Oi Polloi have their way by this time next year we'll have all have taken up (very stylish) camping? We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime the new store gives an even bigger reason to make the trip to Manchester.

Advent - Day Six

Daniel Jenkins has been running a menswear store solely based on young British menswear for over three years now. As a retailer, Jenkins has a clear vision on menswear and the designers he wants to sell which is why we chose him to take part in our advent calendar (and why we like to hang out with him and talk fashion). With Christmas Day fast approaching, Jenkins dreams up the ultimate way to reward his four legged friend...

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Daniel Jenkins' whippet Hector out enjoying the snow.

"I would love Lucien Freud to paint my whippet Hector, which would be wrapped up with brown paper and tied with Carolyn Massey all black Kumihimo style dog leads for my spaniels.

Thinking about it. All I really want under the tree this year is for those that I love to be happy and healthy."

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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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Advent - Day Five

Apologies for the delay in revealing what's behind door number five on our advent calendar of commercial desires. However, today's treat comes from a true menswear personality, Glenn Kitson. Kitson is a figure that has seen it all. His current CV details his successful contributions to the likes of 6876 , Penfield and oi polloi while producing his own fabulous publication The Rig Out. With the cold weather well and truly upon us, Kitson looks to an amazing piece of outerwear for protection...

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RALPH LAUREN COAT

Mandator Lined Utility Jacket from Black Label Ralph Lauren...
...so, Glenn actually selected a different coat but I couldn't find it anywhere. Sorry all!

"I'm actually quite lucky and tend to be given a lot of stuff and If I really want something I buy it. If we're talking clothes (which we obviously are..) then at Xmas it would have to be an amazing piece of outerwear. There's a lovely Ralph Lauren duck canvas barn coat/chore jacket in Liberty's at the moment, its £800 and a bit out of my price range right now, that would be quite nice"

*Looks up to the Christmas gods in heaven*.

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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.

Hickoree's Hard Goods

It is rare when both of us here at Style Salvage are stopped in our virtual tracks by a website. When EJ clicked on one of Little Doodles' Gimme Gimme Gimme posts this week she soon fell in love with Hickoree's Hard Goods online store and I wasn't all that far behind. Carefully selected products. Simply but beautifully presented. Both of us love how the site keeps a straight and narrow line of uncomplicated, timeless design which elevates the important facets of the store, the products. We soon wanted to fill our shopping baskets as we screamed in unison, "Must have everything!"

One hundred and ninety two temptations.

Hickoree’s Hard Goods is run by two brothers, Emil and Sandy Corsillo, who also happen to be creators and owners of The Hill-Side. As there own small label produces neckties and handkerchiefs in New York City’s garment district, Hickoree's similarly leans towards offering American made products while getting excited about the provenance of both new and old items. Both have a keen interest in selecting seemingly uncommon goods for their online store, merging both new and old items together to create a retail environment full of interest and discovery. The vintage clothing is mixed in as a way to lend some context to the new products on offer. Everything makes perfect sense.

"We are constantly striving to make Hickoree’s a place where you don’t expect to find all these particular things together, but when you look at the store as a whole it really makes perfect sense."
Emil and Sandy Corsillo speaking to oneeightnine earlier this year.

The store currently offers one hundred and ninety two temptations, below are just a small selection of our favourite products...

S13-004 Selvedge Chambray Small Handkerchief (Pocket Sq.), Kyoto Violet by The Hill-Side.

"Raspberry" Recycled Cotton Socks by Solmate Socks.

Old Hickoree's. 1950s-60s Boy Scouts Bandana

Type 200 Oak Bark-Tanned Leather Belt in Tan by Tender.

Conveyor Belt Tote Bag by Stanley and Sons

Old Hickoree's. Sweet-Orr "Tug-O-War" Match Box.

The mark of any good store is seducing the customer in to parting ways with their hard earned cash. As soon as this post goes live we would have purchased a good number of these items. Maybe even the match box. Now, neither of us have any real use for this product but both of us would probably kill for it. With the recent discovery of Hickoree's Hard Goods Store our online shopping habits, which tend to amount to little more than afternoon procrastination fodder, have now turned expensive and a little dangerous.

Seventy Eight Per Cent

Back in March I unearthed a gem of a retail space in the Wanchai area of Hong Kong. Kapok showcased products by younger labels, those whose work has not previously been available in this bustling, shopping obsessed city. The stock presented a well curated selection of European and Asian brands. It was great to find a store which had such an obvious desire to showcase products that see a happy marriage between craft and design. It included a mouth watering array of old favourite labels but also introduced me to a few new ones. Local accessories label Seventy Eight Percent was certainly the latter.

Seventy Eight Percent's passion for bags was clear and contagious the moment my eyes fell on their much loved Back to School collection. Here, the label managed to meld the functionality and performance of outdoor equipment with the craftsmanship of couture and the edginess of urban street-style. The bags are engineered to fulfill people’s practical needs and are built to last. Unsurprisingly, I wasn't the only one impressed and the label has since been featured in Milk, Monocle and most recently Wallpaper. With the recent launch of a new collection, Harrison Fold and a plethora of new products, we caught up with the man behind the label, Shai Levy to discuss the evolution of the brand and to take a closer look at the latest designs...

A close look at the leather notepad.

SS: What were your inspirations, dreams and the driving catalyst for launching in to the world of accessories?
Shai Levy: I have always loved bags. I love travelling and being mobile and I think that bags are intertwined with these experiences. My launch into the world of accessories was therefore driven by my love of the product and the fact that I could not find bags that I really liked.
Running my own brand was not a calculated decision; rather, it was an emotional one. I had to do it, to create something from scratch and take it as far as possible. Had I thought about it too much I would probably still be working for someone else, I am glad I didn't.

Among the people who inspired me to go out there and start my own gig are Sir Paul Smith and Sir Richard Branson. Both are highly creative spirits who built successful brands that are different and cheerful. They also managed to do so while keeping a healthy family life. Being a father of four, I find that very inspiring.

Dreams? Many. If there is one dream that sums it all up, it has have my grandchildren run around the sample room playing with pieces of leather.

An aged Fritz Card Holder

SS: What does Seventy Eight Percent mean to you? What can you tell us about the story behind the name? How has the design philosophy of Elad Klein influenced your brand?
Shai Levy: 78% is a conceptual design manifest created by Elad Klein, an artist, designer, musician and an uncommon creative spirit who was a very good friend and creative partner who died in a kayak accident in Hong Kong. In short, the manifest calls for designers to embed intentional flaws in their designs, thus creating products that are less than 100% functional. The idea is to force the user to develop new ways in using daily objects and adjust his behaviour to compensate for the product's flaw. Elad figured out that 78% is just the right amount to flaw an object. More than that would not create the desired impact and less than that would result in a useless product.

Naming the brand Seventy Eight Percent and using the whimsical logo, which Elad designed, gives me a constant reminder of Elad’s restless creativity and joyful, energetic spirit. More than the philosophy of the Seventy Eight Percent manifest, it is Elad’s spirit that influences my brand and creative path.

Two Fritz Card Holders side by side, one aged and one new.

SS: How would you describe your style and your own design philosophy?
Shai Levy: My design philosophy is very simple: Things should work, last and be desired. They should connect with us, users, in an emotional manner. They must be innovative. I see no point in doing the same old. I do not design towards a target price but a target value. That's about it.
It is a bit harder for me to define my style, as it is rather intuitive. I stay away from trends but to create timeless products. It is very much about proportions too. Function aside, good proportion is the most important aspect of any object. I will never compromise on that. I also like to celebrate with diverse colors, as they set the tone of the products, like soundtracks do for movies. I am lucky to be married to a woman with great understanding of style. She is a great advisor and a tough critic.

The srecently launched Small Leather Goods collection

SS: I recently read that you spent two years sourcing the right materials, could you tell us about this search and how you arrived at the perfect combination of vegetable tanned Italian leather and Egyptian cotton canvas dyed and woven in Japan?
Shai Levy: You should not take everything you read for granted. I was a bit misunderstood on that point. It took me two years to develop the first collection; finding the right materials was only one part of it. The quest for the right materials started very methodically, then eventually, luck kicked in. I had a very clear vision of the bags from the get go and knew exactly how I wanted them to look, feel and age. I knew that to achieve that look and feel I had to combine cotton canvas and vegetable-tanned leather and that the materials must be extraordinary.
With the leather it was somewhat simple. It had to be Italian. No one else does vegetable-tanned leather as well as they do. I searched for quite awhile until eventually, in a trade show, I found what I was looking for. There were these skins that were like nothing I have seen before. The natural feel, the smell and the vivid colours were amazing. They had beautiful natural marks. It happened to be that they were made by one of the top vegetable leather tanneries in Italy. One box was ticked.

The canvas took a bit longer. I checked canvases from many quality suppliers but their canvases, albeit very nice, lacked the X-factor. I was than introduced to a Japanese bag designer called Mr. Sato. He showed me his beautiful bags, made of leather and canvas that looked and felt like no other cotton canvas. Hearing the story behind the manufacturing of that canvas it made me want it even more. I hesitatingly asked Mr. Sato to introduce me to the canvas manufacturer and to my surprise he agreed. It was very kind of him. He really liked what I was doing and realised that although we are both bag makers, my style is very different to his.

Made from Japanese canvas and Italian leather.

SS: What were the first and last item you remember designing?
Shai Levy: I was designing and building things since I was a kid. I am not really sure what was the first item. The first Seventy Eight Percent item I designed was never produced. It kept evolving on the drawing board for quite a long time and ended up as Dimitri, the first Seventy Eight Percent bag.

It is hard to decide what is the last item. Ideas keep on flowing and we are working on so many product at the same time. There is one that we are about to launch. It is a wallet made of 100% leather and it is very unique. Very functional and like no other wallet that I know of. We named it Vax.

The Gustav messenger from the new Harrison Fold collection

SS: As all of your designs are expertly handmade, craft and local manufacture are obviously very important to you...
Shai Levy: Craft is indeed very important for me. I think that this is a pivotal factor in making products desirable and valuable. The fingerprints of the person who makes the bags, the fact that each bag is slightly different, that means a lot to me. The same goes for local manufacturing. I need be very close to where my products are made. I am quite a control freak this way. I cannot send drawings and wait for the sample to get back with a courier, I need to be there when the product is actually developed. Many design decisions are made on the production floor. I have to be there to feel the materials, see how they work together and what does it take to actually make them. Same goes for production - I am there on top of the craftsmen and women, checking each one of the products in person, to make sure that it meets the standards of Seventy Eight Percent.

Some people are put off by the fact that I make my bags in China. However they miss the fact that I live in Hong Kong which is two hours drive from the workshop. That's as local as it gets. Not to mention that the level of workmanship in China can be very high. As high as in Europe.

A closer look at the Gustav

SS: Each bag is hand made by up to three craftsmen and women that spend as much as fifty hours to assemble one bag. Can you talk us through some of the process involved in creating your accessories? What can you tell us about the workshop?
Shai Levy: The workshop itself is pretty simple. A hall with tools and equipment. It does not look like a renaissance-period library as it appears in some brand’s advertisements. It is the people that makes it tick. A mix of people with various skills: leather craftsmen, fabric seamstresses and more. I have been working with them for three and a half years now, during which they got to understand my style and expectations, and I also got to learn their abilities and strengths. They used to think that I am crazy and tough but now they are happy to see me.
Some of my bags are indeed very complicated to produce. It is really mind-blowing to see the bag come together in so many parts with so many processes involved. Lots of steps, which all have to be executed at the highest level.

One of the most interesting step is cutting the leather. Each skin is different and within the same skin there are lots of variations. The natural marks, the thickness, mosquito bites and scars. We use rather large pieces of leather and finding the right piece of leather for each bag is very challenging. We have to make sure that the marks work well with the silhouette and that the thickness is right. We also have to bear in mind that the leather we use is very expensive , so cutting it right is very important to reduce wastage. If you see several of our bags together could see that each of them is unique.

Another amazing step is making the internal three-dimensional pockets of the Back To Old School Collection. Each pocket is made of several pieces of fabric and a strip of leather. Every time I see a bag being made it strikes me how many steps there are and how much time it takes to assemble one single pocket, and each bag has three of these 3D pockets. I can keep on going for hours as there are so many steps and challenges in building our bags right. I plan to film it one day, when I have the time.

The Jurgen

SS: Now on to your latest collection, could you talk us through Harrison Fold and the inspiration behind the pieces?
Shai Levy: Harrison Fold was an interesting collection to design in several aspects. Firstly, it was a collaboration between myself and Harold Poon, a young talented designer who joined Seventy Eight Percent after graduating design school in Australia. Secondly, it had to meet high expectations following the success of the Back To Old School Collection but at the same time be different. The pressure was on!

The inspiration initially came from waterproof outdoor bags that have roll top closures (hence the FOLD), and was influenced by Indiana Jones' shoulder bag.

The Dirk

SS: Do you have a typical type of person in mind when designing and if so does this evolve with each season?
Shai Levy: The person I have in mind is pretty much like myself. Creative, professional, urban, international and alternative. My products are designed around my likings: I like objects that are functional. I like things that people can fix rather than throw away and replace. I like things that age well and tell a story. I like things that make me feel special and unique. I like to keep things as simple as possible and to make them well, from the best materials. There is not a single Seventy Eight Product that does not meet all of these characteristics.

The evolution is not seasonal but depends on my personal development and on the people who join Seventy Eight Percent. Harold, for an example, is pretty much a Seventy Eight Percent type of guy. He is 15 years younger than me and comes from a different background. You can sense it when you compare the Back To Old School Collection to the Harrison Fold. They share the same DNA but are evolutionary.

A closer look at the Jurgen.

SS: What bag did you carry with you today? What was inside it?
Shai Levy: I carry the same bag that I carry for almost two years (apart from testing new products) - the Schults. I love this bag. It is big as I always carry a lot of stuff with me. In it: 15" Macbook Pro with its charger, Moleskin notebook, Emile notepad, Lumix LX5 camera with its spare battery, SD card reader, USB memory stick, online banking pin generator, Monocle’s November issue, sunglasses, reading spectacles, chewing gum, Tylenol, lots of papers from my accountant, earphones, iPhone with its sync cable, wallet, keys, Magnifying glass (for my nerdy leather inspection), passport, business cards and an avocado and cheese sandwich.

The other side of Dirk

SS: Finally, how would you like to see the brand evolve over the coming seasons?
Shai Levy: Firstly, I want to see more shops stocking my bags. I get a lot of enquiries from people around the world that wants to see the products and I want to have shops where I can send them to. Secondly, I would like the brand to gain global recognition and to be associated with strong creativity and high product quality: I want people to know who we are and what we stand for. Thirdly, I would like to include more creative spirits in Seventy Eight Percent. I enjoy working with people and hope to have enough staff to have small corporate parties. I want to have a full time DJ working in the office, a DJ would probably have been our first employee if Elad was running the brand.

Seventy Eight Percent's Harrison Fold collection is now available to purchase from online and from Kapok, Lane Crawford and Cumulus.

ASOS Ma}ke

At the beginning of the year, the first crop of fashion design graduates showcased their work with the LCF MA show taking place in the ornate Raphael Gallery at the V&A. As mentioned previously, I was fortunate enough to take my seat to watch it all unfold and I was utterly blown away by the menswear design talent on show. From the nineteen students who were showcased it was the menswear design graduates that really shone through. Among them was Domingo Rodriguez who went on to enjoy a hugely successful 2010. Since showing his widely acclaimed MA collection back in January, he has presented his SS11 offering in Paris as part of Esquire's '7 Brilliant Brits' and has now collaborated with ASOS.

The enticing fruits of ASOS MA}ke, Domingo Rodriguez and Yong Li Lee's capsule collection.

As part of its continued commitment to nurturing and supporting emerging designers, ASOS selected one menswear and one womenswear designer from crop of MA graduates to embark on MA}ke. Ma}ke is an exciting mentoring initiative which culminates with both designers creating capsule collections to be sold on the hugely popular and ever growing site. The successful 2010 graduates selected to be part of MA}ke were menswear designer Domingo Rodriguez, and womenswear designer Young li Lee. The two graduates joined ASOS in April and have since worked closely with the different functions of the business to help create their capsule collections. Each year there are a handful of extremely talented graduates from each of the main institutions but the question of how best to develop this raw talent in to success (commercial or otherwise) is an intriguing one. This initiative is ASOS' answer and the results are extremely promising. To mark the imminent availability of Rodriguez' understated cool capsule collection, we sat down with the designer to discuss the initiative, to look back over a remarkable year and also to look forward.

SS:Describe the moment you realised you wanted to be a menswear designer?

Domingo Rodriguez: I've always had a desire to do fashion - I started off studying art and graphic design but was very daunted to admit it! It’s a very women’s dominated area at college level but I quickly got over myself and started my BA in Fashion Design and Textiles. I quickly realised I didn't connect to a woman’s form, womenswear comes easy but I was stuck on... boobs! I moved over to menswear and everything just clicked. I haven't looked back since!

SS: How did you become involved with ASOS Ma}ke?

Domingo Rodriguez: I got involved with the project after the MA show, they came to the V&A catwalk and then we met up and I got to show them the collection up close. My MA collection is very subtle so I was able to show them all the soft detailing and pattern cutting details in person. After working tirelessly on the MA collection for months leading up to the show and to be recognised for all the hard work was fantastic!

SS: Along with Young li Lee, you joined ASOS.com in April and have since worked closely with the different functions of the business. The experience must have provided invaluable insight into the business of fashion. What have you learned over the last seven months? What advice would you give to a prospective menswear design student?

Domingo Rodriguez: Working with the design team has been one of the most eye opening and freeing experiences of my career so far. I got to go through the whole design cycle, from inception to tech packs, pattern cutting, fabrication, samplings, fittings, I got to see how the real creative commercial world works. The amount of detail and the quality of the MA}ke collection is fantastic, we've done things technically that I can’t produce for myself so its been exhilarating! My advice for students is to get experience in the real fashion world, just seeing how it works means you can make that leap from dreaming of fashion to understanding and realising it.

SS: What was your starting point for this design brief and how did it evolve in to the capsule collection we see today? How did the ASOS team help realise your creations?

Domingo Rodriguez: I have tried to build upon the world I created for my MA collection. So the core vision; the design, cut and pattern-work are all extended from catwalk show. I reworked my signature styles, translating my distinguishing details such as J-shaped sleeves, drape fronts, chevron textures and grosgrain details. Tonally I slightly tweaked the colour palette from the show to make it more accessible, mostly because I want to be able to wear them everyday! We have some amazing details like the flat suture stitch and magnet fastenings!

SS: I love the beautifully cut, soft tailoring pieces crafted in luxurious fabrications but how would you describe the collection in your own words?

Domingo Rodriguez: I think soft is a key word, soft progressive menswear. My pieces feel very familiar, echoing on traditional men’s pieces but up close subtle details become apparent. Bias rib going down the spine or rib cage, one piece cutting around the body and waterfall drape fronts with a very tonal and homogenous colour palette.

SS: What type of man do you envision wearing your designs?

Domingo Rodriguez: I hope it appeals to a broad range of men. I've tried to create a balance of more familiar pieces and more accessible progressive pieces so that there is room for it to fit into any wardrobe.

SS: 2010 has undoubtedly been a pivotal year for you. Since showing your widely acclaimed MA collection back in January, you have presented in Paris as part of Esquire's '7 Brilliant Brits' and have now collaborated with ASOS. Are you working on anything else in the near future? What do you hope 2011 will bring?

Domingo Rodriguez: I hope to carry on the momentum of the past year into the future and slowly build something in my name. I'm currently working on my next collection for AW11, and I have some exciting collaborations with Kopenhagen Fur and PHI-NOM in the works to look forward to. I'm very excited about the future and the launch of the MA}ke project!

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Through MA}ke, ASOS want to give their customers access to beautiful, considered pieces whilst giving young designers a vital leg up in the industry. Both Rodriguez and Lee were designers to watch the moment they unveiled their MA collections but with the online powerhouses help, we have been afforded an early opportunity to support their talent.