CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

愛; 熱愛; 愛戴 , Amor, حب, 爱人, Amour, Liebe, Amore, に忠誠心を感じている, Grà, Любовь, 사랑, Love. However, you wanna say it, the day of Lurve is nearly upon us. To mark this day and ensure we stay in our loved one’s good books we’ve created gift guide, that whoever or whatever your partner in LOVE is into should suit them.

Forget the dozen red roses or racy underwear, if you’re looking for something just a little different or individual head over to Etsy where a community of crafters and creative creators are in one online market place.

As we live in these uncertain times whisking the one you love off to romantic foreign climbs can be both problematic and prove to be a real let down if you are forced to cancel. So stay safe and stay closer to our beautiful home and take advantage of some of the brilliant getaways you can find on such websites as Groupon or Escapes.

The Palissy Weekend Bag by Carl Friedrik
A luxurious leather holdall with a firm structure to keep your belongings safe. Just the right size for a romantic weekend getaway away,  and is customisable too, making it an excellent personalised gift. 

Encased in the classic chassis we’ve come to know from its days as an amp maker, these Marshall headphones come with 6mm drivers, adjustable EQ settings via a dedicated app, IPX5 water resistance, Bluetooth 5.2, 20 hours wireless playtime with A.N.C, plus Transparency mode for whenever you need to let the world back in.

Make date night extra special with this luxurious champagne and charcuterie gift set. This jute bag is filled with goodies perfect for sharing. Enjoy a glass of Delacourt Brut champagne whilst savouring tasty nibbles including camembert en croute and a grazing box of charcuterie arranged in the shape of a red rose. Celebrate with two expertly pre-mixed cranberry and citrus cocktails; enjoy individually or combine to create the ultimate cosmopolitan to share. Finish things off with a sweet treat – choose from love heart macaroons or delicious truffles, of course from M&S 

Sweep someone off their feet and treat them to a super soft experience with the Be Mine Crew Sock 4-Pack Gift Box , featuring fun hearts and stripe patterns, made with a soft, breathable material that’s never too loose, or too tight. 

Not only that. but for every item purchased, Bombas donate an item to leading UK homelessness charity, St Mungos through their One Purchased = One Donated model – so you can spread the love to someone in need, aswell

5 Stages to Happiness Glasses from Kikkerlandeu.com – Enjoy your tipple with these fun drinking glasses. Comes in a set of two. Each glass has 5 stages: Sip, Ahhh, Smile, Chuckle & Bliss. Great to share with loved ones and friends Each glass holds 300 ml.

Streetwear has been a popular fashion trend for around forty years now. It has also changed a lot in the last decade or so. Streetwear used to be affordable, baggy clothing with graphics printed on it. Now, it seems to have mixed with several high-end fashion brands that have added a bit of luxury to streetwear.

Despite all of the collaborations, there seems to be a massive increase in streetwear brands each year. There are so many streetwear brands out there to choose from that it has altered the traditional style that we were once used to. Here are some of the newer streetwear brands that we have discovered in recent years and what to expect from them.

Bound

Bound was founded back in 2018, with the intent to mix contemporary menswear with streetwear. It is reasonably priced compared to the common streetwear brands that we know and see on the streets today.

Affordable streetwear is something that has been missing for several years now. However, when people see “affordable” they assume that it is designed with cheap materials. However, Bound is the complete opposite of that. They take pride in using premium materials for their contemporary streetwear and their custom cut & sew that makes every item feel original.

Mr Saturday

Founded slightly later than Bound, it is a much more expensive clothing brand. Their style is also a mixture of contemporary fashion and streetwear. Mr Saturday’s style of clothing is the typical oversized style that streetwear is used. Mr Saturday specialises in both men and women wear for their brand. Furthermore, their style is inspired by bomber and tench jackets from world war two. Including hoodies that have chainstitch embroidery.

Tier

QTier clothing was founded back in 2014 by Nigeria Easley, EsaĪe Jean Simon and Victor James. It is a New York-based streetwear brand that again, is on the more expensive side. Additionally, it is a brand that goes for the standard design of streetwear that we know. Think of the 1980s and 1990s streetwear fashion, especially Stussy. It has graphic tees, hoodies, and many other items that are inspired by that era of streetwear. At the moment, they have a great selection of jackets which are similar to those that off-white design, although they are much more affordable.  

Profound Co.

Going back to the more affordable type of streetwear, Profound Co is another American based streetwear brand. On their website, they admit to “not overthinking their designs and bouncing off moods and feelings”. Collections will quickly be made and designed within two weeks, without questioning their idea and making the design better than their last collection. It is slowly becoming one of the fastest-growing brands for contemporary streetwear, which seems to be the modern twist for this fashion trend.

82K Degrees

Back to the UK streetwear fashion brands, 82K Degrees is a unisex fashion brand that may be expensive to some people, but affordable compared to other streetwear brands. It was founded in 2019 by London based artist and entrepreneur Kojo Hammond. Moreover, it is much cheaper than Tier and Mr Saturday. However, it is expensive compared to Bound.

82K Degrees is not like most new streetwear fashion brands of today where they combine contemporary and streetwear fashion into one. It is solely just streetwear fashion, inspired by the 90s and 00s. With the typical graphic tees that are over the top with their art.

Thames MMXX

Thames MMXX is a brand that has a fantastic story behind it. Blondey McCoy’s brand was originally partnered with London-based streetwear brand, Palace. Ever since Blondey’s departure with Palace, he has collaborated with Adidas on several occasions. Sharing his designs with their Superstar style trainer. However, his brand is much different to those that are on this list. They have a more vintage style with their streetwear which seems to be a common trend in the United Kingdom.

It is safe to say that streetwear is thriving at the moment. Furthermore, there are hundreds if not thousands of brands that are adopting this streetwear style. It is safe to say that streetwear has become much more expensive in recent years, especially over the last decade. However, it has seemed to keep the same style in graphic clothing. Nonetheless, some brands like to combine contemporary with streetwear. That seems to be the common trend for streetwear in the United Kingdom.

Streetwear in the UK overall is slightly different to the rest of the world. For a couple of decades now, tracksuits is the common style with streetwear for men. Moreover, college t-shirts and hoodies, which are commonly worn in the US, are becoming a popular style in the UK.

International premium brand FALKE have teamed up with Mindset-led Fitness Brand; ROWBOTS, co-founded by professional footballer Gareth Bale, to create an AW21 mens and womenswear capsule collection of sportswear,

ROWBOTS, Gareth Bale and FALKE have joined forces to redefine the sports industry with a unique collaboration, bringing two powerful brands together to inspire the fitness community to move better, feel better and perform better. FALKE’s long-term research in knitting technology and biomechanics has led to create the perfect apparel for the ultimate sports performance.

The FALKE X ROWBOTS #SwitchOn collection features Socks, T-Shirts, Shorts, Pullovers, Sports Bras and Tights, all in smart black and grey colourways and branded with FALKE X ROWBOTS logos. A collection of technical clothing created for all workouts, designed with the body in mind to move with you as you perform. Made with performance fabrics that offer the highest level of comfort by effective moisture management and temperature regulation.

“Performance-oriented products for even more workout fun, that’s what the collection by ROWBOTS, Gareth Bale and FALKE promises” says Andre Brockert, Business Unit Director FALKE Ergonomic Sport System.

Are your eyes feeling more irritated, sore, and grittier in recent weeks? Winter and the early Spring months take a toll on our eyes, with many Brits suffering from ‘dry eyes’. The eye health syndrome is caused by a lack of lubrication in the eye, which is further exasperated in colder months. The drop in humidity, colder dryer air, and wind – coupled with central heating which further evaporates any moisture in the air – are known to worsen the condition for existing sufferers as well as cause dry eye in people who were previously unaffected.

Dry eyes can upset your sleep, make reading or looking at screens uncomfortable, and gets worse as the day progresses. Symptoms of dry eye are a particular problem for contact lens wearers as three quarters (74%) say they suffer from dry eye. Ageing also has an impact since our body produces less hyaluronic acid from our 40s onwards and this is key for retaining moisture in the eyes. Hormonal changes before and during menopause, and regular use of antihistamines, antidepressants, and diuretics, also affect the amount of moisture in the eye.

One product that can really help is you suffer with this condition is Rohto Dry Aid. It’s  designed to mimic natural tears and its ingredients work on the different layers of the tear film to stabilize it and restore its natural function. This alleviates symptoms and normal vision is restored.

Optometrist, Francesca Marchetti from Rohto Dry Aid notes, “Dry eye is not only very uncomfortable, if the problem is prolonged it can lead to corneal abrasions and irreparable damage to vision. Because it can make many vision-based activities, such as driving and reading, uncomfortable, it can also have a very negative impact on quality of life.”

Top tips to ease dry eyes

1 PROTECT EYES FROM THE ELEMENTS: We know that cold air, wind and sunlight are just a handful of the factors that can influence our eye health.  So even though it’s getting colder – get your sunnies out! Wearing sunglasses can protect eyes from the glare of the sun – which can cause tears to evaporate – as well as shielding them from the drying wind.

2 BREAK THE CYCLE: Francesca Marchetti, Optometrist from Rohto Dry Aid, says: “One of the most important things you can do to ease symptoms of dry eyes is to interrupt that vicious circle.  A product that addresses all aspects of the dry eye cycle is important, so a new, clinically backed product called Rohto Dry Aid, which relieves EIGHT symptoms of dry eye has been quite a breakthrough. It has special Tearshield Technology which provides soothing relief for up to 12 hours helping to hydrate, protect and restore the tear film.”

3 20 20 20 LOVE: Humans usually blink 20 times per minute but when concentrating on their screens this blink rate can drop to between just one and three times per 60 seconds. Marchetti advises: “Experts like me recommend that we give our eyes a break from screens every 20 minutes by looking at a distant object (20ft away) for 20 seconds and blink for 20 seconds – it’s called the 20 20 20 screen break rules.”

4 EAT FOODS TO BOOST EYE HEALTH: Diet can play a helpful role for good eye health. Two key eye nutrients – Omega 3 and vitamin A – are lacking in in many diets – so try to boost your intake if that’s the case.

5 CATCH SOME ZZZS: Marchetti continues: “It’s during the hours that we are resting, that our body can repair and recover. That goes for our eyes too as the time they are closed is a period when they aren’t being forced to focus. Getting 7 to 8 hours of shuteye can allow for tears to be replenished and eyes to relax.”

6 TAKE A BREAK FROM CONTACT LENSES: Ensuring you sleep without lenses at night is essential to help avoid symptoms of dry eye and taking occasional breaks to swap lenses for glasses is a good idea to avoid irritation.

7 AVOID HOT AIR: Be mindful that central heating depletes the moisture in the air. Avoid sitting too close to radiators and when in a car, avoid having the heating vents blowing hot air at your face. 

8 GET YOUR EYES CHECKED: The NHS recommend we visit the opticians every two years for a check-up. However, there are some cases where it’s advisable to visit the optometrist more regularly.

Dry eye problems can rapidly descend into a vicious cycle because anything which disrupts the tear film will also compromise the surface of the eye — and this leads to further interference to the tear film if left untreated. Breaking this toxic cycle is crucial to the success of any dry eye therapy. However, most dry eye products only hydrate and fail to restore and aid protection too.  The novel Tearshield Technology used in Rohto Dry Aid utilises eye-care science not previously seen in the UK and deploys multiple modes of action to hydrate, restore and protect areas of dryness and restore all the multi-layers of the tear film. As a result, this latest innovation from Rohto Dry Aid breaks the toxic cycle.

À Couvert is a new, luxury men’s outerwear brand that celebrates heritage and hell-raising in equal measure. Inspired by classic military cuts, each with a uniquely modern and somewhat disruptive twist, designer James Small has created a series of timeless investment pieces. James’ sharp and distinctive designs have been combined with outstanding tailoring to produce this ageless and aspirational line.

Small, Graduated from London College of Fashion in 2001 and starting his self-titled menswear label, James Small has since become eponymous within menswear design. James talent was recognised early at London Fashion Week where he was awarded ‘New Generation’ by the British Fashion Council. Previously Head Designer for Kim Jones, James’ creative and successful career holds a rich portfolio of collaborations with luxury fashion houses including Hugo Boss, Mulberry and Come Des Garçons.

“All of our limited-edition coats are hand made in England, using premium fabrics from mills that are internationally renowned and respected. The exceptional quality of the construction and materials generate a premium product with maximum emphasis on durability, design and detail.

These re-engineered contemporary versions of traditional military technical coats create the silhouettes of heroes from a time gone by for the modern wearer. Our coats are for the gentleman, not the everyman, for the bold and the brave, the radical and rebellious” James Small

Captured by Rankin, the first look into À Couvert AW21 is portrayed by a talent-fueled cast of artists including legendary music producers SKREAM & Route 94, and renowned Actors Warren Brown and Jonas Armstrong, reflecting the bold and audacious nature of the collection. Using complex, luxury materials, the collection represents the fine craftsmanship and rich textile history of England as AW21 consists of carefully curated pieces produced with and manufactured in Manchester. Introducing, Nylon Padded Trench with Olmetex Nylon lining, Nylon Cargo Pants and Technical Ventile Waterproof Pants with Olmetex Nylon Lining and Cobrax magnetic Zero press studs, all made with Majocchi Luxury Polyamide Nylon. Continuing its use of intricate detail, À Couvert launches the Oversized Fishtail Parka made with British millerain bonded cotton, Sheepskin/Shearling pockets, 3M reflective sealing tape and RiRi Zips & Cord Adjusters

Cobrax magnetic zero press studs. A Couvert’s cashmere range is of the finest quality and is produced in Scotland. The range has already been donned by outstanding British artists such as Skepta & Stephen Graham.