CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN
The extraordinary mens blog for the modern man
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Ted-tastic luggage – Ted Baker launch Luggage

imageDon’t you just hate standing at the baggage carousel, on a right downer after a great holiday and all the bag on it look like yours ?!?! Well those wonderful guys from Ted Baker have thought long and hard on how to solve this problem without you looking a right plum with some day glo yellow, stand out from the crowd, suitcase.

The have come up with both a men’s and women’s range of hard-sided and ultra lightweight polycarbonate trolley suitcases. The men’s range takes inspiration from herringbone. One of the oldest forms of woven linen, dating back over 2000 years to the Roman Empire, where the design was used in some of the finest textiles.

The Ted Herringbone pattern is featured across the framed front panel in either a masculine Navy or Charcoal Grey. The cases have clever little touches to them paying homage to Ted Baker’s quirky and unique style, for instance, the wheels on the case have been cleverly re-imagined as shirt buttons. Plus the organised interior, designed for optimum packing efficiency, and features the brand’s unique “Birds of Prey ” lining, with soaring Eagles, Owls, Falcons and Hawks.

After all we must remember, travel does broaden the mind, but as Ted, himself says, it’s how you travel as much as where you go, that makes the Journey one to remember.

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Ensure you’re looking good at the Nineteenth hole -Trickers X Wolsey

imageNow what do you do if your one of the oldest existing clothing companies in the world. Who during the 19th century quickly established itself as Britain’s premium manufacturer of finest quality hosiery and a champion of knitwear innovation, opening one of the first steam powered factories in 1859 and you want to produce a pair of top notch golf shoes ?

Well you turn to a 180 year-old family business, who’s a premium specialist of handmade leather shoes; based in home to Great British footwear, Northampton. This company is renowned for its heavy brogue shoes and boots and has supplied his royal highness, The Prince of Wales, for 5 years before being given a royal warrant.

I am of course talking about two sterling heritage brands coming together to produce one sterling product. Wolsey and Tricker’s have joined forces to create a special-edition Golf shoe, which marks the first time Tricker’s is offering an off-the- shelve model. For the collaboration, Wolsey envisioned a simple and timeless design, emphasised by a traditional welted construction. Authentic craftsmanship is evident through materials like calf leather uppers and linings, a leather insole and a stitched leather outsole.

Jamey Hargreaves, Chairman & Creative Director, Wolsey, says of this collaboration.

“Wolsey approached Tricker’s as we wanted to produce a hand-crafted golf shoe made in England. Our shoe is very clean and minimal with our signature Wolsey red as an internal pop colour, which conveys our overall brand aesthetic “less-is-more.”

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Ola Fashiola- The new way to search for style

International fashion search engine Fashiola launched in the UK recently – Fashiola, ‘The Fashion Finder’ is the new and easy online way to find products from favourite fashion brands from high street to high end designer.

imageAs the first website of its kind in the UK, it enables us to browse for fashion products from all brands at a glance – brands available at the website include TOPMAN, Farfetch, Scotch & Soda, Hugo Boss, Franklin & Marshall, APC, Paul Smith and Diesel with more brands being added regularly

imageInternationally Fashiola already offer over 3 million products from 500 shops to help sartorial loving shoppers, no matter what their budgets find the items they want with ease. In the Netherlands and Germany, Fashiola enjoys two million search queries each month, and 700,000 unique visitors. Additionally, Fashiola users can set product ‘sale alerts’ and be notified on price reductions instantly( we all love a bargain). Shoppers can also save products in their account and receive alerts when the size and style is back in stock!

imagePeter Langenkamp, Managing Director of Fashiola, had this to say of his product when we caught up with him recently.

“We believe that there is a great demand here for our service and commitment to providing a fast, easy and unique shopping experience. The strength of our brand is evident in our fantastic fashion brand partners in the UK. There are thousands of online fashion shops, but how are shoppers able to search for a particular piece of clothing quickly online? We
have solved this problem by giving a complete overview of all brands, prices, styles and availability of the goods in the correct size and for the best price in the market.”

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We are the Champions my Friend – HERSCHEL X CHAMPION for Urban Outfitters

imageOK so the Summer of Sport isn’t going quite the way we may have planned, we’ve still got Wimbledon and the start of the premiership is only round the corner plus we still have the Chess Boxing Championships to look forward to, honestly it exists. Now to mark the not so magnificent Sports led Summer Urban Outfitters have brought together two brands to produce one sterling range.

Herschel Supply Co, Founded in 2009 by brothers Jamie and Lyndon Cormack in their hometown of Vancouver, Canada and manufactures the finest backpacks, bags, travel goods and accessories. Now Champion, an American Sportswear brand with over 100 years of heritage are probably best known for inventing the Hooded & Full Zipper front Sweatshirts known as the “Side-line Sweatshirt, a hooded version of the original crewneck garment, targeting American Football players.

imageAfter that short educational lesson, we get to the crux of this post, in that Urban Outfitters had the foresight to bring these two brands together, to produce a range of backpacks and duffle bags exclusively for the retailer. Herschel Supply’s classic Heritage and Sutton silhouettes are infused with Champion’s athletic spin, making for a unique collection of bags that display both brand’s key materials. Herschel Supply detailing includes coloured pebbled leather zipper pulls and diamonds, internal red and white striped liner and 8-point plastic zippers. Complimenting these features are the application of Champion’s eponymous fleece to the front pockets and sportswear mesh to the bags internal pockets. The exterior of the Heritage and the Sutton feature both brand’s woven logos side by side, with an additional co-branded label on the interior. Five colour combinations are available, each designed with classic sportswear hues of red, navy, grey, black and white.

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Not just your run of the mill sorta Sunnies – Great Sunglasses brands you may not have heard of, yet.

June is but days away, the temperature is creeping up, and the sun has got his hat on, occasionally. Now wearing sunglasses isn’t the prerogative of just Rock Star, Scary Fashion Magazine Editors and mafioso types. Sunglasses should offer protection to our eyes from the harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun, prevents us from squinting, hence reducing the appearance of lines and wrinkles around our eyes and last of all if the right shape and colour are chosen for our face makes us look cool.

We’ve all heard of Ray Ban, Oakley and their pretty much isn’t a designer brand worth their salt that doesn’t produce a sunglasses range for you to buy into. But we’re gonna look at a couple of brands that may have gone unnoticed, as yet, by your good selves and in the process help you stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons. So whether lounging by the pool, dancing in the festival sun or just waiting to catch a glimpse of the Summer time, we’ve got a style for you.

imageFirst up is Ace & Tate who like to do things differently, every pair are hand crafted in Italy without costing the earth. A pair of frames by Ace & Tate is an accessory in the true sense of the word, to be switched up depending on mood. Just like a pair of sneakers. This quiet revolution in optics was launched in June 2013 by travel aficionado and die-hard music fan Mark de Lange. Mark sought to reframe the glasses-buying experience after questioning why it cost as much for new lenses as a pair of fancy new frames. After a crash-course in how to marry craftsmanship and design, Ace & Tate was born; so called after the acetate that the frames are made of. Ace & Tate’s secret is to cut out the middlemen that most optical brands depend on. Instead, the small and passionate Dutch design team liaises directly with Italian craftsmen to produce the boutique collection of high- finished frames.

imageNext is a brand with their first foray into eyewear and a brilliant collaboration in one. Camper have teamed up with Nendo, from the land of the Rising Sun, but inspired by the home of Camper, Majorca. A unique project with two results: this the first time the brand has developed a sunglasses range with a renowned designer and it’s the debut for Oki Sato, designer at Nendo. Created with minimum fanfare, taking the name, eclipse, they contain all the subtlety that characterises his work.

imageEye Respect have been make waves in the sunglasses world for few seasons, with collaborations with the likes of Oliver Spencer and A.Sauvage. The Brand is much more then a simple play on words, it offers a premium hand-crafted product at the correct price to market. The customer is able to choose from an assortment of high grade components that include cellulose options, colour and grade of lenses, hinge options and inside text personalisation service. All the while this level of service can be fitted to the customer on the spot, no less.

imageThan we have Triwa, back in 2007 four friend took the decision to quit their day jobs to focus on a shared dream. With the energy and conviction of true enthusiasts they dedicated themselves to producing a range of products that reflect real quality, design and style without over charging their customers. They built their offices within an old stable in the heart of Stockholm and set about creating their first range. The quartet have always prided themselves on looking outside the constraints of the industry to find inspiration, with the sphere of art proving as their best muse. For this season, Triwa has played around with vibrant colours, steel transparencies, heavy material thicknesses and bold shapes to add a little attitude to your summer disguise.

imageMore known for their brightly coloured timekeeping pieces, rather then their sun protecting properties Ice watch Eyewear. Part of a 20-piece collection – there are two truly iconic styles to choose from; Pulse, the brand’s fashionable design with a timeless shape, and Mood, a rounded model with retro detailing.

Perfect for the holiday season, the range of sunglasses from ICE-WATCH provide outstanding protection with category 3 anti-UV polycarbonate lenses, ensuring safety as well as comfort with its soft silicone finish.

The frames are ergonomic, lightweight and adapt to all facial types. They are produced in Europe without hinges and screws, so allowing them to withstand any deformation.

imageFinally, this season US brand Jack Spade known for their effortlessly stylish aesthetic have launched their first eyewear collection, included within it are a take on vintage classic shapes but all with that modern Jack Spade twist.