CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

Premium British menswear brand Hackett London and London-born premium travel accessories brand Carl Friedrik join forces this season to launch a unique, sophisticated travel goods collection tailored for the modern globe-trotter of discerning taste.

Hackett London is renowned for seamlessly blending traditional values with contemporary trends and has been committed to quality and sartorial excellence since its inception in 1983 when Jeremy Hackett opened his first store selling second-hand clothes on King’s Road, Chelsea. It was here that he began creating his own garments by merging traditional styles with contemporary cuts, perfect for those seeking Savile Row expertise—without the associated cost. Inspired by quintessential British menswear, Hackett specialises in classic English tailoring for the modern man.

Honouring the same principles, Carl Friedrik  It is a travel goods brand founded in 2013 that stands for timeless design, understated confidence and the pursuit of quality. It empowers modern travellers with refined accessories that perform day-in-day-out, giving them the confidence to focus on the journey ahead. Over the past 10 years, Carl Friedrik has grown organically from an aspirational purveyor of small leather goods to a global-minded travel label with a committed customer base. It has sought to redefine the luxury travel goods space through luggage & accessories that combine timeless style with modern functionality.

Drawing inspiration from their shared heritage, the collection of premium travel essentials showcases each British brands’ expertise, fusing finesse with contemporary convenience and versatility. The collection’s understated style, travel-savvy functionality and underlying quality cater to the needs of the active, metropolitan customer, giving them the confidence to move around the globe with ease.

Craftsmanship is at the heart of this collaboration, featuring pieces created with premium materials and meticulous attention to detail. It includes standout pieces such as The Carry-on (40 L) and The Check-in (69 L), featuring hybrid designs crafted with TSA-approved aluminium lock frames and hardwearing polycarbonate shells for maximum durability and security. Additionally, the Compact Weekender offers a streamlined and versatile option for work, gym, and overnight trips, with a velvety smooth nubuck exterior; while The Luggage Tag allows you to personalise your luggage and prepare it for travel. From the Italian Vachetta leather detailing on the Compact Weekender to The Carry-on’s silent 360-degree Hinomoto spinner wheels, each product is crafted to ensure longevity and a seamless user experience.

The Hackett London x Carl Friedrik collaboration embodies the fusion of two iconic British brands, each renowned for its dedication to quality and design innovation. The collection is now available for purchase online and in-store, allowing customers to elevate their travel experience with timeless elegance and uncompromising quality.

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Brendan Murdock, founder of Anatomé, has an enviable résumé and a leading expert of Men’s grooming and general well-being.

The Anatomé brand enhances modern lifestyles by supporting sleep, movement, focus, hormonal health, and creativity with plant-based formulations and wellbeing practices, Inspired by apothecaries of the past, dispensers of health and wellbeing remedies.

Over the next couple of months they have a lot to crow about that will be having you feeling invigorated and giving you a new lust for life . Firstly, 3 Wellbeing Parfums will be launching in May- Energy, Balance + Expression.  And then 3 more for Summer – Order, Focus, Support, to concentrate and support your moods and emotions.

Then we have a new Sleep range which has been re-formulated and aligned to 3 core sleep challenges. The sleep collections combine the complexity of perfumery with aromatherapy, a science called aromachology, the power of scent to transform our sleep. The structure of each scent has been refined, accentuating the top note of each oil blend, Somali Frankincense for Overactive Mind, Roman Chamomile for Restless Mind and Cornish Lavender for Stressed Mind.

Then a new Bath & Shower Oil and a Scented Candle have been added to the Sleep range. The Chiltern Street store now offers bespoke sleep appointments and unique bespoke sleep oils in apothecary 100ml sleep bottles.

Now if that wasn’t enough and God knows when he finds the time but, Brendan Murdock, with co-author Gabriel Weil, has launched a book, The Modern Apothecary.  The Modern Apothecary is about holistic health and happiness and uncovers 5 pillars of wellness, Sleep, Balance, Movement, Focus and Diet revealing how improving these areas can alleviate common concerns such as stress, poor gut health and insomnia.  The book also spotlights today’s wellbeing “villains”, such as workplace anxiety or excessive screen time, and illustrates practices for optimising wellness.  Brendan and Gabriel traverse the realms of wellbeing, from Jane Fonda’s 80s workouts to Madonna’s yoga influence and ancient Greek medicine. The book delves into the evolution of the apothecary trade, the history of sleep, and millennia- old Chinese recipes. Despite scientific leaps, it illuminates a timeless truth: our fundamental wellbeing needs, unchanged, persist through the ages.Brendan’s passion for sharing luxury self-care and proven wellbeing practices with a discerning audience, both in-store and beyond, is nothing short of inspiring.

With the announcement of New York City FC’s ambitious project to construct a new stadium featuring a seven-story LED-lit entrance, the allure of football stadiums remains globally renowned, captivating fans worldwide. Amidst this fascination, which Premier League stadium tours offer fans the most rewarding experience for their investment? 

The experts at SeatPick created a points-based index system evaluating several metrics, including: average Google reviews, tour pieces, tour duration, number of trophies to see and cost per minute, to ultimately decide which teams provide the best value experience for fans.

SeatPick can reveal that City Ground, home of Nottingham Forest FC, is the best value Premier League stadium tour with an overall value score of 8.3/10. With two back-to-back European Champions League titles to their name (1979 and 1980), City Ground’s stadium tour is enhanced with even more history and value. The stadium benefits from a high Google rating of 4.7/5, which is 0.4higher rating than Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park Stadium (4.3/5), as well as impressive adult tour prices which start at just £15. This is half the price of Arsenal FC’s Emirates Stadium, where adult tour prices start at £30, with tours lasting 30 minutes less (60 minutes).

Liverpool FC’s Anfield stadium tour ranks second, with an overall value score of 6.9/10. Tours at Anfield last an average of 80 minutes with a standard adult ticket price of £23, which is equivalent to £0.29 per minute. Although tickets are £8 more expensive than a tour at City Ground, Liverpool have 68 trophies to their name — 77% more trophies than Nottingham Forest (15) — making the tour a worthwhile experience for fans. As well as this, fans visiting Anfield can benefit from free parking and take part in the stadium’s abseiling experience, where they can scale the venue and then embark on a 100ft descent down the stadium. 

Newcastle United FC’s stadium tour of St James’ Park is the third-best value in the Premier League, with an overall value score of 6.4/10. The standard adult ticket prices start at £20, which is 28% cheaper  than Manchester United FC’s stadium tour of Old Trafford (28%), at a cost of £0.22 per minute compared to £0.31. Recent reports reveal that Newcastle have consulted leading architect firm Populous, which designed the iconic Tottenham Hotspur stadium, to redevelop St James’s Park — which is sure to add additional value to the stadium’s tour.

Arsenal FC’s Emirates Stadium tour ranks tenth for value in the Premier League, with an overall value score of just 4.0/10. Tied with Burnley’s tour of Turf Moor, a tour of Emirates lasts just 60 minutes on average, which is the joint shortest offering in the top 10.  As well as this, the standard adult ticket price starts at £30 — the most expensive in the ranking — charging £2 more than a tour of Old Trafford, despite having more than half (32) Manchester United’s number of trophies potentially on display (69). 

The results: The best value Premier League stadium tours:

Reports suggest that gym equipment can harbour more germs than a toilet seat, with 70% of bacteria found in gyms found to be harmful to humans. But what about our own gym wear and towels?

You may be shocked to find out that new research by Live Football Tickets has found that one in eight Brits wear their sports bras and pants up to six times to the gym before washing them, and over 200,000 Brits only wash their gym towels every two months.

While guidance shows that workout clothes should be washed after every workout (if you produce sweat), Live Football Tickets surveyed 2,000 UK residents to discover exactly how often they wash their gym wear, with some rather grim findings. 

Key Findings:

• What equates to over 4 million Brits (6%) wear their sports underwear (bra/pants) for seven or more workouts before washing them.
• Over a third (36%) of Brits don’t wash their gym towels after each use.
• A quarter (25%) of Brits are not concerned about hygiene/bacteria when it comes to gym wear.

How many times Brits wear sports underwear (bra/pants) before washing

Through the survey of 2,000 UK adults, the research found that one in nine (11%) Brits admit to wearing their sports underwear up to FOUR TIMES before choosing to wash them.

One in five (20%) respondents wear their sports underwear 2-3 times before washing them. 

A further one in nine (11%) went as far as to wear their sports bra or pants 4-6 times during a workout before washing. 

Shockingly, six percent of Brits even admitted to wearing their sports underwear for over seven workouts before washing.

Men (24%) were more likely to wait 2-3 workouts before washing their gym undergarments, compared to women (16%). 

Men were also more likely (12%) to wear underwear 4-6 times before washing, compared to women (9%).

Most respondents (55%) admitted odour was the deciding factor in their decision to wash their gym wear, with less than half (46%) washing due to potential germs and bacteria.

How often Brits wash their gym towels after the gym

Survey results also show a breakdown of age, gender and location. For the complete survey findings, please view here.

An astonishing 36% of people (over a third of respondents) admitted to not washing their gym towels after each use, and roughly a third of that amount (12%) owned up to only washing their gym towels once a week. 

Less than a fifth (18%) of UK residents say they wash their gym towel after each use.

A further 3% of Brits admitted to only washing their gym towels every 2-3 weeks, and 2% either washed their towels once a month or never. 

How many times Brits wear running shoes/trainers before washing

A surprising 32% don’t keep track of how often they clean their gym trainers, while over one in five (22%) worked out seven or more times before giving them a wash. 

A further one in six (17%) worked out 2-3 times before giving their trainers a clean, with just one in seven (13%) washing their trainers after every workout. 

This is following concerning study findings from Health, which has revealed that you can contract skin infections through contact with different surfaces at the gym. Certain types of bacteria, viruses,and fungi thrive in warm, moist environments, including the insides of your running shoes, and the bottom of your gym bag.

Maintaining clean gym wear

To keep your gym wear in tip top condition, follow the steps below:

1. Wash your gym towel and any workout clothes separately from your other laundry to prevent cross-contamination.
2. The odour-building bacteria will build up on the inside of your workout gear, so washing inside out will give it a more thorough clean.
3. Use a detergent that’s specifically formulated to handle tough sweat marks and malodour. 
4. Ensure your washing machine is clean by regularly disinfecting it to avoid transferring bacteria to your gym wear, and avoid fabric softeners.
5. Air dry your gym gear and make sure clothes or towels are completely dry before use, as bacteria thrive in damp environments