2016 is upon us and many great things are promised for us in this year, great films, great TV, great Sporting Events and what’s more great style. The first example of this being Associate. Content – The independent menswear retailer, which currently boasts two standalone stores in London, along with the Edwin collaboration store on London’s, Exmouth Market. Stocks a well curated selection of contemporary menswear and lifestyle products. 2016 sees them launching an in-house capsule brand by the name of ‘Associate’.
Founder of both Associate and Content Store(s), Mark Batista has been a key player in the menswear industry. His agency Brand Progression being the main focus of his career with nearly a twenty year history; as well as co-founding leading menswear tradeshow Jacket Required along with Craig Ford.
Associate, works on the common sense principle of, if it’s not broken it doesn’t need mending and consists of three staple colour oxford shirts, inspired by classic 1950’s style but renewed with Portugese fabric and fine detailing to integrate with the clean aesthetic of contemporary menswear. Future seasons will expand into a wider array of product to compliment the collection as it currently stands with simplicity, premium quality at an affordable price point. “We wanted to offer outstanding garments at an rrp (recommended retail price) that’s affordable. And the last, yet pretty much most important rule is that Associate had to be a brand/collection that we would all wear.” says Batista.
