CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

Craig Nicholas Tate, whilst studying for a BA Honours degree in Fashion and Textile in London established Nicholas Deakins in 1991. An initial collection of only four styles was then made in England by, the historic Northampton based, W.J Brookes to exploit a niche in the market and the brand quickly became a favourite with the sharply dressed ravers of legendary nightclubs of the time including the Hacienda, Cream and Renaissance plus the well turned out residents of football terraces around the country, this earning a loyal and dedicated fashion savvy following.

Now based in Tate’s hometown of Leeds, the Nicholas Deakins collection includes a full line of clothing and footwear, with the brand’s flagship store situated in the city’s uber trendy shopping location The Victorian Quarters. Nicholas Deakins continues to evolve, introducing new materials and production methods, whilst holding true to the classic British styles on which the brand has built its name upon. Recently we’ve seen collaborations with British Stalwart brands Harris Tweed and British Millerain, plus with the likes of The View, Devlin and Rizzle Kicks all fans of the brand, not bad for starting as a sideline while your studying, hey Mr Tate ? Anyway enough of me what has the man himself got to say ?

If you could collaborate with one brand (Who you currently aren’t) who would it be and why?

New Balance, a market leader who is immensely proud of its British heritage and continues to have a manufacturing base here in the UK.

If you could live anywhere where would it be & Why?

Easy, New York ! Such a creative, dynamic city with fantastic restaurants, bars and museums. You can lose yourself in the different neighbourhoods as each one offers a completely different vibe to the next. It also has 4 distinct seasons a year with extreme variations of hot and cold.

If you could give your teenage self advice, what would it be?

Listen to your elders!

How did you get into the industry, what was your big break?

The Nicholas Deakins business was started in the recession of 1991 during the summer holidays whilst studying a BA Honours in Fashion and Textile. I guess the big break was selling the first four designs into Strand (Leeds), Life (Manchester) and Psyche (Middlesborough) which just about launched the business overnight.

What track would always get you on the dance floor?

Playing with Knives – Bizarre Inc, brings back those Hacienda memories, happy days!

What piece of clothing best describes you?

A slim fitting three piece suit in navy blue.

What piece of clothing would you relegate to Room 101?

Juicy Couture tracksuits.

Have you ever bought a piece of clothing and regretted it? If so what & why?

Yes, far too often I’m afraid which is the disadvantage of being an impulse buyer – sometime it comes off and sometime it doesn’t! I cant remember a specific piece but do try to avoid being suckered into a purchase just because of a massive discount, remember there’s a reason it’s in the sale!

Who is your style icon? Why?

Steve McQueen, have a look at some of his photos…no further explanation required.

If you could only wear one brand/Designer (other then your own) for the rest of your life who would it be? Why?

Ralph Lauren, has everything you need.

Preview of the Autumn 13 Nicholas Deakins Collection

Filippa K is yet another, can you believe it, of those ultra cool and chic Scandinavian brands, what is it with those fashion savvy Swede folk, which focuses on high quality with a timeless and pure design. The company was established in Stockholm in 1993 by Filippa Knutsson and Patrik Kihlborg and 1998 saw the launch of the company’s first menswear collection.

Although 20 years have passed since Filippa K was established, the company remains true to its ambition of creating garments with a simple and sophisticated design that stands the test of time. Garments for style- conscious men and women who live contemporary lives and who place high demands on quality and fit. Their ethos can be summed up in the words style, simplicity and quality.

For Autumn 13 the collection continues to explore the needs of the modern man, promoting functionalism and minimalism. The collections focus is on a smart; stripped down interpretation of classic army pieces, clean of details and with a distinctly urban look. The signature look of the season is epitomised in their signature coat with welded seams, this season made out of recycled heavy nylon with a detachable wool lining. Worn with a tonal shirt and sharp cut trousers, it offers a professional look for the office or simply relaxed feel for the weekend. It is essentially an intelligent way of dressing that supersedes seasons and trends.

For the first time the collection both explores classic sportswear such as fleece lined, raw edged hooded sweatshirts and then also applies the new material to more constructed pieces; such as in the lining of a bonded wool jacket with sharp cut edges.

Filippa K is present on some 20 markets around the world. The products are sold via 50 Filippa K stores and more than 700 retailers. For this season’s campaign the brand sort the talents of the amazing and highly sort after photographer Lachlan Bailey, whose portfolio of work includes numerous International editions of Vogue, Marc Jacobs, Burberry and DKNY campaigns. For this shoot he was teamed with the equally creative and fellow Swede, stylist Mattias Karlsson, whose body of work includes The New York Times T Magazine, Interview, Dazed & Confused, plus working with brands including Kenzo, Lanvin and ACNE. They manage to capture the true brand message of Filippa K, style, simplicity and quality all in striking Black and White.

For over a hundred years now, since its origins in Boston, Massachusetts, New Balance has invested in the development of the some of the finest sports footwear and employed skilled craftsmen to create said running shoes, that are pretty much unrivalled in the world of sport.

New Balance is the only global athletics footwear brand to manufacture in the UK. The New Balance factory, located in, in that ‘sporting macca’, Flimby, Cumbria, employs more than 230 people and produces approximately 1.4million pairs of shoes each year !!!

The brand was started by British immigrant, William.J.Riley back in 1906, who stated to make arch supports and prescription footwear to alleviate foot pain for people with problem feet, ahhh music to my ears. Im 1938, he designed and manufactured the first New Balance running shoe for a local running club, in Boston. Made of lightweight kangaroo leather and a crepe-sole, Riley sold six pairs to the club for $7, what a bargain ! Riley’s commitment to helping people through improved shoe fit has been the foundation of New Balance ever since. In 2006, to celebrate its centenary it produced three limited edition trainers to honour three of its longest serving employees at the Flimby factory – Audrey Stewart, Ian Byers and Victor Dixon, what an accolade.

Some of New Balance’s best selling styles include; THE TRACKSTER, the first running shoe available in multiple widths was introduced in 1960. The Trackster epitomized performance, and for its day, had style.

320, By the mid-70s, running for fitness was becoming an increasingly popular trend, so New Balance designed the 320 – a light, colourful shoe that delivered performance.

620, in 1982, the lightest shoe in the market place and the first to break the $50 price barrier was produced. The 620 paved the way for the success of the 420 and 730 soon after.

801, a rugged all-terrain shoe that captured the imagination of younger athletes, the 801 was designed in 1998 and remains the best-selling series today.

But this month New Balance launches its latest limited edition Made in the UK shoe pack, the ‘Tea Pack’. Taking inspiration from the quintessential English beverage, the ‘Tea Pack’ includes three shoes, each a variation on New Balance’s 576 heritage model, originally launched in the 1980s.

The three classic shoes take three classic teas, English Breakfast, Fresh Peppermint and Earl Grey as its muse. Handmade by the craftsmen at New Balance’s Flimby factory, each shoe is made with colours capturing the flavour, taste and look of each tea. Other unique details such as a string tea bag, containing spare laces for the shoes add a nice little finish touch. Take a look at the film below.

Firstly, I have an apology
to make I really did intend to post this, particularly interesting
story, last week in time for the first event in its Tour, but all I
can say is due to circumstances beyond my control I couldn’t
unfortunately and apologises to readers in Scotland, foremost
Edinburgh and anyone who was in Edinburgh and would liked to have
attended this event, sorry ! OK, swiftly moving on, if you find
yourself in either of our Northern Bastion cities of style this
week, I am of course, as if I need to explain further, talking
about Leeds and Manchester, please pay particular attention to your
state of dress. Another UK style icon, known the world over as an
Embassy of sheer sartorial taste, Harvey
Nichols, has gathered together the cream of the UK
crop in design talent and has whisked them off on a magical mystery
tour to some of their stores. Edinburgh was last week, sorry again
and now its the turn of the Leeds store on 7th August and
Manchester* on 8th.

Harvey Nichols will showcase their
buyers’ edit of the most important new British menswear brands from
London Collections: Men Spring/Summer 14. The evening will showcase
the exceptional design, impeccable tailoring and exciting new
visions for the future of men’s fashion, with the opportunity to
meet the designers behind these rising stars of mens’s fashion.
Designers involved include Bernstock
Speirs, Casely-Hayford, Christopher Shannon, James
Long, Katie Eary, Lou Dalton and last by
no means least Mr Hare. The
evening will offer customers the opportunity to shop the latest
collections, while sipping on complimentary drinks, always a bonus,
whoop, plus the chance to be styled by the designers themselves
!!!! Harvey Nichols has embarked on the tour to emphasise the
changing nature of our Menswear business and demonstrating their
ability to spot and nurture the very best of young British fashion
talent, with an emphasis on both the creative and commercial
aspects of the collections. Remember that RSVP is essential. Stay
updated and join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag
#HNLCMTour *Please note
that the Manchester date will not be taking place instore, but
instead will be located at 2022NQ, Basement, 20 Dale Street,
Manchester, M1 1EZ

The Summer holiday season is well and truly upon us, whether your jetting off for Ibiza, aving it in Ayia Napa, taking it in, inThe Hamptons or High Rolling it in Las Vegas. A DJ in demand, or aspiring one, relies on a bag that not only gets the job done, but is in sync with their style. Splitting time from trendy lounges and airport lounges around the globe is just part of the job, but ensure your tool of the trade endure the riggers of, not only international, but domestic travel.

To answer this problem, luggage genius brand Tumi and music mastermind DJ Vice have mixed things up to come up with the ultimate in DJ Bag musthaves. Vice, an native Angelinos, who cut his DJ teeth, mixing his brother and sisters records including Madonna and Morrisey, with more dance based tracks.

In 2002, he saw new opportunities emerging in Las Vegas at the huge clubs that were starting to open and left his radio job. He began with a residency at Body English in the Hard Rock Hotel and later moved to the mega-club Tao, where he still has a residency. The move to Vegas has been a huge game-changer for him, exposing him to an international audience. DJ Vice has now played all over the world, including Shanghai, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Norway, Germany and Istanbul.

When travelling from venue to venue, Vice requires one carry-all that he can pack on his back, jet- setting direct from the plane to the club. Propelled by the lifestyle led by this nightlife occupation, Tumi tapped into Vice to amplify the Tumi Alpha T-Pass Business Class Brief Pack, the chosen travel companion within the DJ fraternity. The Tumi x Vice Brief Pack bag illustrates design elements tailored to this A-list, or wannabe, DJ’s needs.

The limited-edition piece packs in added enhancements that the elite of music makers can appreciate, all the while commanding attention with pops of Vice’s signature electric green colour. While spinning a set inside a dark club, Vice found it problematic to dig into his bag to find belongings successfully, so he worked with Tumi to engineer a LED-lined interior. With the click of a button on a small remote, the inside of the bag gleams electric green, for ease of searching for personal items when lighting is scarce. From business class to the DJ booth, Vice demanded a transitional bag tailoring to his needs, both large and small. A compact option was therefore incorporated into the design, allowing for the rear of the bag to zip-off into a slimmer backpack. Vice has mastered blending his belongings seamlessly into each pocket of his Alpha backpack: the side pouches hold items such as a mini surge protector with dual USB ports, a small roll of gaff tape, a GoPro camera and a few DJ cables. The “goldmine of this bag”, as Vice puts it, is the main pocket housing equipment from two pairs of headphones and a needle case, to the essentials while taking flight: magazines and a thin sweater.

CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

Craig Tate – Nicholas Deakins – Textual Conversation

Preview of the Autumn 13 Nicholas Deakins Collection

Nordic Appeal – Filippa K Autumn 13 preview

New Balance, its all a matter of Ying and Yang – New Balance

In first place in the Fashion stakes is Team GB – The Harvey Nichols/LC:M Tour

Last night a DJ Bag saved my life – Tumi X DJ Vice team up for the ULTIMATE DJ Bag

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