One of the most interesting aspects I’ve found since undertaking this odd concept of starting Clothes Make the Man, is how many interesting brands there are out there. Doing really interesting things that go completely under the radar of some of the bigger publications. One being Tails, Tails Clothing is run from a small premises just outside Cardiff by an entrepreneurial bunch with backgrounds as diverse as international relations, languages, photography and copy writing. What they all have in common is a shared love of sourcing of niche brands from around the world that speak to them because they have great style, but also because of their authenticity. On their website you’ll find pieces that you’ll invest in and wear for a lifetime. They pride themselves on tracking down manufacturers that have been doing what they do in the same place and in the same way for decades, if not hundreds of years.
Heading up Tails is Joshua, whose father Mark started the business in 1979 as Tails and the Unexpected Ltd., a vintage clothing stall in Jacob’s Antiques Market in Cardiff. Mark actually began trading while still at art college, out of the back of his 1961 Riley. This year though, has ushered in an overhaul of the brand identity, including a change of name to simply ‘Tails’. For winter 2013 the brand are developing the Place of Origin concept – that is where their clothing comes from. But also its about the journey to find it. The accompanying photography for the campaign strifes to capture the feeling of exploration and to some extent man’s relationship with landscape.
