Strike it Lucky with Reebok X Maison Kitsuné

imageBoth sharing common interests in Music and Fashion, sports lifestyle brand, Reebok Classic and, well hard to define, the French Japanese brand who uniquely fuse Music, Fashion and Design so seamlessly well, in the way that Maison Kitsune does. This young and unique brand is the brainchild of Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki, co-founders and creative directors. Ever since then, season after season, they’ve been unveiling a contemporary vision of fashion influenced by Paris and Tokyo. Fans of the brand recognize the balance between tradition and modernity, comfort and simplicity, chic and laid-back. In the twelve years following its creation, the brand has consistently grown and increased its international influence with more than 300 sales points around the world, including four of the brand’s own boutiques in Paris, two in New York inside The NoMad Hotel and on Rivington Street, one in Tokyo, one in Hong Kong and four Café Kitsuné in Paris and Tokyo.

For the season we see the introduction of a debut capsule collection between the two brands , that presents an all-American preppy style with contemporary attitude and a distinctive baseball theme. Paying homage to the American past time, the collection draws inspiration from Reebok’s roots in baseball to inform a distinctive set of apparel pieces including a varsity jacket, t-shirt, sweatshirt and shorts, alongside a revamped Classic Leather Nylon sneaker, for both guys and girls.

Reebok Classic is known for its baseball heritage and applies modernized footwear and apparel technologies to archive styles, creating an upscale sport-lux look. Launched
in 2002 by Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki, co-founders and creative directors, Maison Kitsuné is a multi-faceted brand with Kitsuné, the record label, Maison Kitsuné the clothing line as well as Café Kitsuné, the brand’s coffee spots. The brand enjoys cult music status and cleverly fuses its founders’ shared love of music, fashion and unique architectural design. Maison Kitsuné’s philosophy perfectly complements Reebok Classic’s timeless, laid-back aesthetic.

Motivated by the uniforms of classic baseball teams such as the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Reebok Classic x Maison Kitsuné ‘Baseball League’ collection consists of a series of athletic, understated designs that celebrate the popular sport in sophisticated and fashion-forward style. A retro color palette of cream white, bold orange and navy features across the line, while branding is executed in collegiate lettering for an authentic all-American touch. Maison Kitsuné’s trademark fox is given a makeover for the collaboration, revamped with a baseball cap for a fun and unique play on the much-loved mascot.

The Classic Leather Nylon sneaker is given a discreet and chic colorway of crisp white and cream, with juxtaposing textures of premium pig suede, polyester and leather for added visual interest. Maison Kitsuné’s signature fox logo, complete with ‘Baseball League’ cap, adorns the sock liner for a discreet, playful finish. The collection’s relaxed t-shirts and long-sleeve sweatshirt are constructed with easy to wear crew neck cuts while a pair of loose fit shorts are simply detailed, providing a versatile wardrobe essential. The traditional varsity jacket, a menswear icon and staple of baseball culture, is given an eye-catching Reebok Classic x Maison Kitsuné update, combining a striking orange body with off-white sleeves and oversized logos.

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Essentially Paul Smith – Paul Smith Essential

imageThe Clothing of world renown Fashion Designer, Paul Smith, are both highly sort after and aspired to own, like collectable pieces of art.  His customers/fans are not only incredibly loyal but border on fanatical with their interest in all his projects.

A Paul Smith suit has long been an object of desire in every style-conscious man’s wardrobe, not all managing to achieve this sartorial goal, but now Britain’s foremost designer has created something for every man’s fragrance wardrobe too: Paul Smith Essential.

Taking its inspiration from the simple elegance of fine tailoring – and with an eye firmly on the details – this woody and aromatic fragrance is the very embodiment of Paul Smith style: effortless, contemporary, surprising and eminently wearable. “Essential is for the man who demands the same things from his fragrance as he does from his clothing,” says Smith. “He’s gentlemanly but contemporary at the same time. He knows who he is and is confident with his sense of style, which is classic with a hint of surprise and a sometimes sense of humour.” It’s this balance of confident and classic with a twist of surprise – the very signature of Paul Smith – that inspired Paul Smith Essential.

A contemporary take on a traditional woody aromatic fragrance Paul Smith Essential opens with a crisp, clean ozonic accord and an invigorating burst of yuzu fruit before a trio of intensely aromatic notes (rosemary, clary sage and lavender) emerge to give Essential its distinct and deliciously herbal character. These, in turn, give way to a warm, masculine and woody base while musk gives Essential an irresistible, sensual edge.image

The World in Union – The Rugby World Cup & a round up of Essential products

The countdown is nearly over to the long awaited Rugby World Cup , of course, taking place on the turf of the United Kingdom, all kicking off on 18th September. There’s going to be plenty of live action, tickets are in hot demand, and if you can’t get to a game, don’t stress, you can show off your national pride and ensure you dont miss a moment of the action by selecting any number of these essential little pieces of kit to make sure you stay tuned into the games and continued to look as stylish as ever in doing so.

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Superdry are encouraging us to show off our Country’s colours with pride as they have created 16 retro style jerseys to represent 11 countries who are participating in the tournament.

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Thomas Pink have produced a 48 piece ‘Rugby Edit’ comprising of Cashmere knits, polos, Cufflinks, socks, OHH and of course Rugby jerseys. All in a rather patriotic shades of Red, White and Blue.imageWhether you’re watching the games in the stadium or the armchair, House of Fraser have been hard at work scouring exclusive collections from brands such as Barbour Land Rover and Raging Bull, House of Fraser will be the place to shop for the dedicated rugby fan.

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The London Sock Company have launched a series of four Limited Edition box sets; one for each home nation. Each box contains 3 pairs of quality socks especially selected to reflect each nations patriotic colours. We have;

‘Scotland The Brave’: An elegant combinationn of Royal Navy and Highland Heather Purple
‘England: Carry Them Home’: A vibrant yet classic combination of Routemaster Red and Rich Burgundy
‘Luck Of The Irish’: A winning combination of Emerald Dark Green and Irish Gold
‘Welsh Dragons’: A passionate combination of firey Red and Valley Green

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Joules are celebrating the event with a range of classically styled rugby shirts, inspired by their rich sporting heritage.

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The Sports DAB2 from Roberts has a built in speaker and ear phone facility, so if you’re on the move, in the office, outside and desperate to find out what’s going on, the action is at your fingertips.

Doing its bit for the World – Agnès B’s TARA Expedition

Forget New York, Milan, Paris, ahh actually scratch that last one, we do need to remember Paris, because after Greenland, Stockholm and on its way to a very important conference on Climate change in Paris and three years after her last visit, Tara called into London recently.

imageSo who is Tara ? Well, Tara Expeditions, is a French non-profit organization active since 2003 in favor of the environment. A legendary boat built for extreme conditions, Tara is the platform for high-level scientific research missions. Her mission as sentinel of the Ocean and provides the first complete overview of the ocean’s plankton ecosystem. On the way to the next Climate Conference of the United Nations, the schooner is on course to alert the public, influencers and policy makers of the rapid changes in the oceans due to global warming.

imageThe uniqueness of the Tara Oceans approach is to have sampled the world’s oceans systematically across all domains, from viruses to animals and including a rich variety of vital environmental data. The data generated sets a baseline, on a global scale, to evaluate the impact of climate change on oceanic ecosystems in the future.

imageNow a fair question to ask is, what is Agnès B’s association with the Tara expedition ? What could Fashion have to do with Climate Change ? Agnès has always designed clothes that reflects the spirit of the age by creating a wardrobe that can easily adapt to every personality and can be worn without going out of style. But she is also the owner of Tara and personally the principal partner of Tara Expeditions.

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Textual Conversation – Freddie Flintoff


j08ks238004a_810b35fcTo put it mildly Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff is a busy man, not only is the phenomenally popular Sports panel Show ‘A League of their Own’, he shares with James Corden, Jamie Redknapp and Jack Whitehall back for season 10 early next year. While his new BBC series, ‘Special Forces-Ultimate Hell Week’, clue is in the name there, sees  29 of the UK’s fittest men and women pushed beyond their mental and physical limits by battle-hardened veterans from the world’s toughest special forces in the ultimate endurance challenge. Plus, we’re gonna see him team up with National Treasure Davina McCall for a new 21st Century take on a darts-based game show on Sky 1, called ‘One Hundred and Eighty’. Phew, and if that wasn’t enough, after being crowded King of the Jungle last year on the Australian version of ‘I’m a Celebrity get me out of here’, he has numerous TV commitments over there.

Yep there is no questioning that Freddie is no Idle man. If all that wasn’t time consuming enough, he also manages to design a range for Bricks and Clicks Menwear Retailer Jacamo. Now entering its 8th season, Flintoff is hoping that his collection performs as well as the Spring/Summer range which saw sales for it, up 15% on the year before, impressive.

j08ks711004a_810b3281As Freddie’s style has evolving over the years, the latest collection is a true reflection of his own wardrobe, incorporating wool and tweed blazers as well as a selection of chunky and fine knitwear.

Staying true to his simple approach to fashion, it also includes wardrobe favourites such as polo shirts, slim cut jeans and a versatile military inspired jacket.

The most stand-out piece is the 007 inspired slim cut classic black tuxedo, just in time for the October release of Spectre.

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Freddie explained when we caught up with him, “Working on this range with Jacamo I’ve really realised how much of a positive impact dressing well can have on confidence. I’ve always liked to play it safe with fashion, but I think I got in the habit of sticking to what I know without being open to try out new things…even if it’s just a different colour.

“As much as I love dressing casual, there’s certain times in every man’s life when you should smarten up.” Good advice Mr Flintoff, we couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

If you could’ve invented anything, what would it be?

Anything? The wheel, the telephone, I’d like to invent time travel. So I could go back in time

Where would you go?

I’d go to prehistoric times, before people

What is your biggest regret?

The one thing I should have done, was I should have given my mum and dad two tickets to Buckingham Palace to see me get my MBE. But I only used one ticket. I just took my wife. I was a bit embarrassed by all of it.

What would be the one piece of clothing you would rescue from your home in the event of a fire?

Underpants. Otherwise I’d be naked outside waiting for the fire brigade! But I like jeans; I’d get some jeans.

But you only have one choice; don’t you have one favourite piece of clothing?

Well, you know what I’d probably rescue my England cap. Even though it’s not something you would wear but I’d rescue my England cap.

Who is your style icon? 

I don’t really have a style icon. I look at people and think, “you’re smartly dressed”. But I quite like the way Will.I.Am dresses. Cause he wears what he wants, I think there’s a lot of sense in that. You dress to satisfy yourself.

Tell us something no one else knows about you ?

I like bacon, I also like Victoria Sponge. classic, cream and strawberries.

j08ts860010a_810b335eCan you tie a bowtie?

F: No, I don’t think I’ve ever worn a bowtie. Even if I go to a black-tie event I’d just wear a black tie. I’ve never really worn a bowtie.

What piece of style advice do you live by?

For me, it’s about feeling comfy in what you wear. Both as a fit and also when you’re going out, there’s nothing worse than going out thinking “I’m not sure about this outfit”

What piece of clothing should every man have in his wardrobe?

A blue jumper, a blue V-neck jumper. I like them. I like blue. It’s my favourite colour to wear. So blue V-neck jumper.

Have you ever bought a piece of clothing and regretted it? 

I bought an Armani jacket. It was a fortune was well, it was shiny. My mate said it was nice. And I went out and he just ridiculed me all night. Never wore it again.

What are going to do after this conversation?

I’m going to jump in a car, to film ‘ A League of Their Own’

What do you wish you were doing after this conversation?

I wish I could go home. Just going home and spend the day with the family.

What piece of clothing best describes you?

My slippers. The old comfy, relaxed, lived in slippers.

Who would your ideal dinner guests be? 

Elvis, I love Elvis. My mate Paddy, cause he’s my mate. Many people from music, Sinatra. Sachin Tendulkar as well.

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