Label To Know Sebago Menswear
While you’ll know Sebago’s classic boat shoes or moccasins, the label has reinvented its menswear thanks to new license owners, the Italian BasicNet, who also own Kappa, Superga and K-Way.
The label is now super clean preppy with an injection of Italian style and make. All the preppy classics are here yet it feels contemporary and extremely wearable for all age groups. The brand hasn't really pushed its launch properly, prefering to keep it on the down low, which explains why the current sale looks so good with bargains in regular sizes.
Here are a few items I like atm:
Left - GRAFTON - Green Moss Yellow - £103.50
Left - MOOSEPOINT - White Natural Green - £135
Below - ROQUE - White Natural Orange - £45
Label To Know Cut&Pin
Cut&Pin is a new Yorkshire based menswear brand launched by Al Baker and Martin Parker, two male friends sharing one vision; to create a wardrobe of everyday pieces, using recycled cashmere, jersey and organic cottons - designed and made with integrity at the core.
Baker has worked in the brand marketing and digital arena across a multitude of mid-to-luxury brands for 20 years and Parker has worked in the fashion industry for 22 years as a designer, across menswear and womenswear, working with some of the biggest retailers on the UK high street.
Cut&Pin uses a three-pillared approach in the creation of its collection, which is produced from either deadstock piles (the pieces big manufacturers throw away), recycled materials and organic fabric. This low-waste philosophy is coupled with a particular attitude towards the design process, in which consideration is given to the shape, detail and fabric, ensuring a fad-free wardrobe is created that can be worn time and time again. All supply partners are low-scale, family run businesses that share the ethical Cut&Pin mindset and can make small, exclusive runs. Nothing is ever mass produced.
The debut collection takes its inspiration from David Hockney, another proud Yorkshireman. It includes oversized ribbed knits, long-line scarfs, rugby-striped cardigans and navy cotton trackpants. The range will also include chinos and denim.
TheChicGeek says, "Recycled fibres are the future for a sustainable and fully cyclical fashion industry. People want to wear new, but the fibres can be recycled or reused. Cashmere, due to its expense, is currently the only fibre it really makes economic sense to work with at the moment, but this will change when processes become cheaper and more common place.
These guys sound like they have plenty of experience, and looking at the images, you can already tell everything is going to be nice to the touch."
Available online at www.cutandpin.com plus Wolf & Badger, Generous Ape and Immaculate Vegan. Prices range from £35 for a T-shirt, to £170 for a cardigan or sweater.
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Label To Know Area Code
Founded in 2018 high-end streetwear label called Area Code hails from Stockholm, Sweden. The brand was born with the aim to facilitate opportunity for people living in developing communities around the globe through selling good quality fashion. The collections are inspired by urban trends, with an inspirational nod to the countries and the communities it is seeking to support via the Area Code Foundation. 15% from the sale of every item in the collection goes to its own charitable foundation. The Area Code mission starts with the building of the school, GOROM 3, in Bambilor, Senegal, progress on which is regularly posted on the brand website and Instagram account.
Each piece is named after a member of the community and comes in limited runs to minimise waste. Due to the limited availability, Area Code has created subscription only access to the website. The ethos behind this is to develop its own community of supporters; followers of the mission behind the brand but also of the unique style of the pieces it creates. After signing up, members are able to view progress on the current project, and to register for updates on new collection drops and news about the Area Code initiatives.
The debut SS21 collection takes its inspiration from the community it is currently supporting. Standout pieces include a multi-stripe kimono, named after 11-year old Moussou Kera Sane from Bambilor, the heavy-cotton piece exudes the spirit of Senegal and comes in various shades of warm orange and earthy browns. A green satin bomber jacket takes its name from 10-year old Gallo Dia, while 12-year old Cheick Niang, who dreams of being a fisherman, is the name behind a heavy-duty cotton gilet, in black, with white and orange reversible African print detail. There is also a selection of socks and canvas accessories.
TheChicGeek says, "It's clever marketing and a way of growing your database by making people sign up before they can even view your website. It's also clever to focus the charitable side on one project, get people continually updated and link it to individual people and name them. It all makes it so much more real. As for the clothes, it's good to reference African prints and fabrics, but not make it look too forced or contrived. The pieces here look contemporary and desirable."
Prices range from £18 for accessories, to £1400 for outerwear.
Left - Area Code - Reversible Waistcoat - £780
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Left - Area Code - Reversible Kimono - £1400
Label To Know William Wood Watches
William Wood is a British luxury watch brand up-cycling firefighting materials into unique luxury watches. Founder Jonny Garrett was inspired to create William Wood Watches in memory of his heroic firefighting grandfather and a percentage of sales are donated to firefighting charities.
Each watch contains a piece of firefighting heritage - part of a 1920s London Fire Brigade brass helmet is melted into every crown and the straps for each collection are made from hand-cut British fire hose that has served and protected the UK Fire and Rescue Service for over a decade, and you can still smell the rich smokiness in the red, yellow, blue or cargo green rubber.
Founded in 2016, William Wood has plans afoot to convert a closed British fire station into their showroom and flagship store. There are three limited-edition watch collections and a fourth - Triumph - due to be launched in March this year.
TheChicGeek says, “This is a fun and strong concept. I love the coloured rubber watch straps and where they all come from; London Fire Brigade Red, West Midlands Fire Service Yellow, Tyne & Wear Fire Service Blue and British Armed Forces Fire Unit Green.”
Below - William Wood - Triumph Collection - £2,150
From 1st March 2021
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Label To Know Hand and Jones
A stylish man never tires of quality basics. The skeleton of any man’s wardrobe, we all have our reach-for favourites. Hand and Jones is a new British men’s lifestyle brand specialising in premium men’s basics. Founded by Graham Hand, it is inspired by his life living between London and Rye in East Sussex.
Left - Inspired by life between Rye & London - Hand and Jones - Cashmere Intarsia Lion - £350, Colour Block - £245
Launch products include knitwear, accessorises and T-shirts with underwear following in the new year.
As part of the debut collection they have collaborated with Nicola Rowsell, an artist and illustrator based in East Sussex, to feature her striking lion and leopard illustrations on two styles in 100% 12-gauge intarsia cashmere sweaters.
TheChicGeek says, “What’s ingenious, and a really simple idea, each piece of their knitwear comes in a branded, clear, 100% recycled plastic zip lock
bag with a cedar wood block. Not just packaging, they recommend storing your knitwear in the bag, along with the block, at all times when not wearing to keep those pesky moths from devouring your favourite fibres.”
Left - Keeping those hungry moths at bay - Hand and Jones - Cashmere Intarsia Leopard Sweater - £350
Disclosure - A leopard sweater was gifted by Hand and Jones
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Label To Know Triumph Lifestyle
Drawing inspiration from 100 years of British history, engineering and culture, Triumph Lifestyle, is a new menswear brand providing clothing for those 'who appreciate quality of craftsmanship and iconic classics’.
A premium ‘moto -inspired’ clothing brand brought to you by the legendary Triumph Motorcycles, the new Autumn/Winter 20 collection, its second, offers a mix of reimagined wardrobe staples produced in the finest fabrics.
The collection combines iconic styles, incorporating staple vintage details from the original Triumph Motorcycle archives, such as original biker Talon zips and D pocket jackets.
This season features a selection of premium cotton jersey and tees starting with hand drawn designs inspired by the Triumph Motorcycles archives based on a 1950s Triumph Motorcycles instruction manual and moto track racing to include slub yarns, textural weaves, heavy twill and retro piques.
Left & Below - Triumph Lifestyle - Prices range from £25 - £650
TheChicGeek says, “When motoring brands move into clothing or ‘lifestyle’ it can often go either way. I saw this at a Berlin menswear trade show in January and I was instantly impressed by the quality. The prices aren’t cheap - it’s obviously chasing the Belstaff customer - but, neither is it crazy. Being privately owned, Triumph clearly want to do justice to the brand in this new enterprise and this looks like it has had careful thought and curation rather than just lazily sticking the name onto everything. *looks at Ferrari*
Moto-wear is very popular with an older, but want-to-look-younger-for-longer demographic of men and they have money to spend. While not groundbreaking, these are the types of clothes many guys want to wear and invest in."
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Label To Know Good Candles
Personal passions executed brilliantly are the key to any successful business. Olly Rzysko, CMO and Retail Advisor, has launched a new personal project called ‘Good Candles’.
Small batch candles designed and made by hand in the UK using high quality, sustainably sourced soya wax, Good Candles are safe and free of nasty stuff such as paraffin and carcinogens.
Donating to causes close to Rzysko’s heart, each 40 hours-long candle pledges
at least 10% of every single sale to projects such as tree planting, mental health, literacy and food banks.
Every candle has a personal memory and story from Rzysko and his associations for the scent and the reasons behind the good causes.
TheChicGeek says, "These are fun, stylish and coming from a truly good place. This is the kind of exciting and worthwhile type of brand we want to see coming into the beauty/lifestyle market post-COVID."
Left & Above - Good Candles - School Dinners, Forest Fire, Reading Books, Fred’s Garden - £35
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