CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

You can tell a lot about a man by the way he presents himself. In 2019, when the male grooming market is growing faster than you can say ‘carefully manicured nails’, the effort men are putting into their appearance is becoming a serious power move – giving them an edge in the arenas of business, romance and influence, among others.

Get Groomed eliminates the stressful travel to and from barber shops and every problem in between. By bringing specialised, professional barbering right to a client’s doorstep, Get Groomed is ensuring that a client receives a top class service, in the comfort of their own home – or even their office or hotel room! That’s the whole ethos of Get Groomed – wherever is best for the client, is where the barber will show up.

Get Groomed has access to a large team of professional mobile barbers who are well trained and vetted. The company connects its customers with the right barber for them, in their area, completely tailored for their individual style at a time and place that suits the client.

Today they share 5 things you can tell about a man based on his grooming regime.

1. A man who regularly visits his barber – too many men wait for the ear-tickling, lock-tugging stage before visiting their barbers. Every 4 weeks is the general rule, because if you can notice that your hair needs a cut, it’s likely that other people have, too. Man will well-cut hair is proactive and in control.

2. A man with a signature scent – scent should be a subtle part of your overall presence. It shouldn’t be loud and obnoxious, but a classy reminder of who you are. A man with a signature scent knows who he is and is not afraid to show it.

3. A man with fresh breath – a valuable man has valuable interactions. Make sure your smile is dazzling and your breath clean and fresh so you can easily project the best possible you.

4. A man with well-groomed facial hair – facial hair of any length should be tamed and maintained if a man once to broadcast to the world that he’s adept and in-control. It’s worth working your shaving habits into a skincare routine to minimise irritation and redness.

5. A man with tidy eyebrows – big eyebrows are great. Just think of Colin Farrell and George Clooney. But wild monobrows make you look just that – wild! Ask your barber to give them a trim next time you get your hair cut and let your sophisticated side shine through.

“There is pure Swedishness and Englishness to the collection that I think twists the look in an interesting way. I like how they are practical and you also want to carry them. It feels good to make bags that are desirable and that also have purpose,” says Jonny Johansson, creative director of Acne Studios.

I couldn’t have summed it up better myself. Sometimes, you’d love to see what some products would look like when two brands collide and collaborate together, I mean, we’d all love to see an Adidas X Gucci tie up and this is what Kim Jones must’ve have thought when he approached James Jebbia’s, for the Louis Vuitton X Supreme collaboration.

Acne Studios & Mulberry have revealed a lil collab they have collectively been working on. The collection of bags and small leather goods brings together the two houses, marrying stylish Swedish design with quintessential English charm. Key styles have been given a fresh twist in the limited-edition range.

“This is a collection about friendship and our freedom as brands to do what we want to do. It is like a conversation between Acne Studios and Mulberry, one that is founded in mutual respect and a desire to make great product,” says Jonny Johansson, creative director of Acne Studios.

Whereas, Thierry Andretta, CEO of Mulberry says, “The Acne Studios and Mulberry collaboration is a perfect manifestation of the spirit of both our brands. It showcases Acne Studios’ wonderful Swedish design ethos and celebrates both the British heritage and modernity of Mulberry”.

The Acne Studios & Mulberry collection brings together classic styles and signatures from the two houses to create something new. Mulberry’s celebrated Scotchgrain bags have been reimagined by the Acne Studios design team, with multiple leather buckle strap fastenings and oversized metal hardware. The bag comes in messenger and mini cross-body satchel styles, available in pink and black crocodile print leather, with the collaboration logo on the reverse: the letters of Acne Studios like leaves in the Mulberry tree emblem.

Acne Studios’ inspirational Musubi bag, with its signature origami knot, is combined with the,literally, iconic Mulberry Bayswater, bringing together two of the houses’ most loved styles. The wide leather knot is laced through the Bayswater in either regular or micro sizes. Alongside versions in oak and black, it is also available in pink, to cater for every taste. Throughout, detachable fabric straps come printed with the brands’ logos. Accompanying the bags is a range of small leather goods in either Scotchgrain or pink grainy leather. There is a laptop case, a medium sized pouch, a coin purse, a small zip-around wallet and a Scotchgrain lanyard.

Words by Cameron McLauchlan

This week we’ve created a super understated fit! Speaking personally, I tend to stick with the brands that I’ve grown loyal to over the years through tried and tested purchases — like many of you guys I’m sure!

What’s great about this series is that it allows me to share the stories of some of the cracking new brands I discover in-between writing these posts. Some of which you may already know, but nevertheless hopefully giving you some inspiration for future fits (Usually with a streetwear-ish theme). Let’s get into it…..

1. Billionaire Boys Club Fleeced Flannel Shirt 

An absolute essential for this time of year. This flannel over-shirt as-well as being a conversation piece, serves a purpose against this seemingly bitter autumn we’re having with it’s fleeced lining.

‘Billionaire Boys Club & ICECREAM’ —the official company name, is a joint venture between streetwear OG NIGO and multi-talented Pharrell Williams. Stationed in Japan, the brand was Founded in 2005 with the motto “wealth is of the heart and mind, not the pocket” — hence the metaphorical brand name. Production also started out solely in Japan justifying the premium pricing, rather unintentionally positioning itself  as one of the original street-lux brands.

One of the big highlights which aided ‘BBC’ to kick-on was it’s heavy feature in Pharrell’s music video for (Frontin’ ft Jay-Z). Pharrell rocks various BBC T-shirts with the signature spaceman logo imprinted on the chest. This gave the brand significant further  traction beyond a mere video prop, at a time when music videos were much bigger marketing tools than influencers on Instagram. Even more so when your Pharrell Williams and you have a smash song with Jay-Z.

Since the Frontin’ music video BBC has become a gigantic global brand being stocked here there and everywhere. Whilst for me personally it seems like overkill with a lot of Lazy designs whipped up to sell high numbers on the likes of ASOS, theres no doubt the brand still makes some Stellar pieces such as the shirt above.

2.  Gramicci Nylon G-Pants – 

The brand I was excited to share this week! Whilst searching for a quality but not too pricey pair of black trousers on Mr.Porter a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across Gramicci. Gramicci’s price point sits in the same region as the likes of Carhartt — if not cheaper!

The brand founded in 1982 by Mike Graham proceeded a decade long climbing extravaganza with a crew known as the ‘Stonemasters’. The Californian Stonemasters were active roughly from 1970-1980 and consisted of Graham along with his climbing buddies living, breathing and partying across the Yosemite National Park  for much of the decade. The Stonemasters along with many others were the rockstars of the climbing world, helping bring the sport to new heights, no pun intended!

The film ‘Valley Uprising’ is the perfect biopic showing how the group changed the climbing world forever. Making it not only cool to climb but saying a big and prolonged F you to anyone who tried to deny their lifestyle, even if it meant rather unsurprisingly clashing with the local authorities.

As Gramicci is a brand created by a climber. For climbers. The quality is top notch. For me personally I like slightly looser fitting trousers which the G-Pant accommodates perfectly. If you head over to Mr.Porter you can see the fit clearly on all of Gramicci’s trousers which I’ll link to below. 

3. Nike Air Tailwind 79 

The Air Tailwind is yet another example of how Nike has to become the king of sneakers.The shoes experimental design sparked a lineage which irreversibly changing the sneaker game forever and whilst the Tailwind itself may not seem that advanced to the eye, its internal construction was the first of its kind.

During the 1970’s, NASA engineer Frank Rudy was tasked with containing heavier gases in rubber membranes when he realised he could utilise this process to support the foot. It’s rumoured that Rudy took his idea to multiple footwear companies but was turned away until he met with Nike.

Nike along with the help of Rudy created the first shoe ever to feature an air unit, kept hidden in the midsole, to reduce the impact on a persons foot. The original Tailwind received a limited release prior to the 1978 Honolulu marathon in Hawaii— Selling out of course.

The shoe achieved a fully loaded release a year later in 1979. Since 79′ the Tailwind has taken multiple forms with new lines created in 1992,1996 & 1999 all with visible air units like that of the Air Max 1 & Air Max 95.

The Air Tailwind 79’ is available in multiple colour-ways at most high-street retailers currently. The 1999 iteration of the tailwind has also seen a retro return this year in seeing big collaborative link-ups with Supreme & London sneaker store SneakersNStuff.

If you want to know what wearing a sneaker from 1979 feels like hit the link below!

Thanks for reading another week os #SFTW!!!!!

The term hero is banded about all too easily these days. But one person who so very simply falls into this category and could be argued as being the greatest living Britishman, is Sir Ernest Shackleton. As a polar explorer he embodied the Heroic Age of Exploration, when men fuelled by a thirst for discovery pushed the boundaries of mental and physical achievement. Shackleton ensured his team had access to the very best kit when venturing into unforgiving environments and his Legacy and impact on modern society extends far beyond his death in 1922 and can be felt and seen in museums in his honour in Boston, USA and Athy, County Kildare and In 2002, Channel4  produced Shackleton, a TV serial depicting the 1914 expedition with Kenneth Brannagh in the title role.

With this spirit, drive and determination in mind, in 2016 a clothing brand was launched in his honour and supported by his grand-daughter The Hon. Alexandra. Shackleton’s mission is to inspire and equip a new age of exploration. From Business travellers and city-breakers to weekend adventurers and Urban explorers, the new collection from Shackleton is perfect to help men survive the winter in unparalleled luxury and comfort.  The outerwear and knitwear, as you’d expect,  is engineered for extremes, inspired by the determination and courage of polar titan Sir Ernest Shackleton.

Designed in London and made in some of the finest manufacturing factories in Britain and Italy. Fur-free extreme-weather down parkas and jackets. Four unique products, developed using only the very best performance materials and technologies. Shackleton uses RDS-certified 100% pure European goose down, the absolute best-in-class, making them the lightest, warmest products in their category making Shackleton a fur-free brand and all the down used in their jackets and parkas is sustainably and ethically sourced.

Shackleton’s expedition-grade apparel represents the pinnacle of performance and comfort, combining advanced technologies with supreme refinement. The outerwear and knitwear, as you’d expect,  is engineered for extremes, inspired by the determination and courage of a man of his stature.

Several of the core pieces – such as the Endurance Parka and Fortuna Gilet – have also undergone significant upgrades following extensive field-testing in sub-zero temperatures and other pieces within the collection have been named after key members of the Endurance expedition party include the Frank Hurley jacket who was the group’s official photographer.

The collection has been engineered for extremes and includes ultra-light, fur-free parkas, insulated with RDS-certified, 100% goose down – the highest quality of down on earth, making them warmer and lighter than any other jackets in their class whether you find yourself in the frozen tundra or the equally ‘harsh’ winter of the urban jungle.

Bleeding, inflamed gums are a strong indicator of gum disease and need urgent attention. Now, you should still brush gently over the gums to avoid a build-up of plaque that will worsen the condition.

With this in mind Dr Richard Marques BDS who’s client list includes Tom Daley, Rita Ora, Russell Tovey, Sadie Frost, Joey Essex, graduated with distinction from Guy’s, Kings and St Thomas institute of dentistry. Today he give us his TOP 10 TIPS FOR HEALTHY TEETH & GUMS.

Maintain a regular oral hygiene routine. Brush twice daily for two to three minutes in the morning and evening. Any more and you can wear the teeth away, any less the teeth and gums may suffer.

Visit your dentist every six months for a check-up, and your hygienist once a year, making sure they clean with protective fluoride to keep teeth in tip-top condition.

Don’t forget to floss! Make sure you’re cleaning between the teeth at least once a day with dental floss, interdental brushes or an electric air or water flosser. It’s not uncommon for gums to bleed a little when you do this, but if they bleed a lot it could be a sign of gum disease and you should see your dentist.

Rinse your mouth with an alcohol-free mouthwash to kill bacteria your toothbrush might miss. Use after brushing and whenever you need a quick freshen up.

Chew on some sugar-free gum for quick-fix to freshen breath, just be careful not to use this in place of brushing or rinsing as it won’t eliminate odour causing bacteria.

Don’t forget about your tongue! Use your toothbrush or a tongue scraper daily to remove bacteria and food residue left behind, keeping your mouth clean and your breath fresh.

Take Co Enzyme Q10, a vital molecule that’s every dentists favourite for overall gum health. It’s very difficult to get enough of this from diet alone, so I recommend taking supplements to boost intake.

Avoid sugary food and drinks. Bacteria in the mouth feeds on sugar, turning it into acid that can lead to tooth decay, so it’s best to steer clear on things like sweets and fizzy drinks. 

You are what you eat, so make sure your diet includes lots of greens like spinach and kale which are high in anti-oxidants, as well as vitamins including Vitamin K, which is an important nutrient for a healthy mouth.

Don’t ignore tooth pain or smaller issues with teeth or gums. Make an appointment to see your dentist at the first sign of a problem and avoid the risk of developing tooth decay, gum disease or any other potential health issues