CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

The extraordinary mens blog for the modern man
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It’s Spookily good for you – Snail Gel by Amanda Lewis

Screen Shot 2014-10-31 at 08.56.23This is no Halloween tall tale, Dr Organics actually harvest snail slime to create a eco conscious beauty range that is amazing for your skin. Seriously though I have been wondering how you harvest snail slime, answers on a postcard please?

Snails make Helix Aspersa Muller, which enables them to regenerate its shell and skin if damaged.

Snail slime has long been known for its amazing healing and soothing properties, once the scientists got involved they discovered that it contains super high levels of allantoin, collagen and elastin all things that does your skin good.

So, time to try it out. First impressions were good, it’s rich, non-greasy and smells very botanical and fresh, not snaily whatsoever. Skin looked brighter and felt firmer.

As its organic it’s free from any nasty substances – such as petro chemicals, parabens and additives or snails! What more could you ask for !

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125 years in the Making – Lee Jeans 125th Anniversary

Screen Shot 2014-10-27 at 16.24.11To mark this milestone anniversary Lee are producing a series of special projects, bound up in one yearlong celebration. To kick proceeds off Lee have asked designers at the helm of Lee’s four favourite labels who have helped the iconic denim brand re-imagine its most popular fits and finishes.

These friends of Lee bring their own left-field take on style, creating four distinct facets to the collection. With each designer already the founder of their own successful brand, they perfectly embody Lee’s worker-doer aesthetic. The line-up is, drum roll please, Donwan Harrell, creative director of luxury denim brand Prps; Emma François of womenswear brand Sessun; Swedish denim king Orjan Andersson, and Belgian design trio Sarah and Carol Piron and Gregory Derkenne of Filles à Papa.

For us Men, Andersson’s DIY alternative approach to design is perfect to bring a contemporary, upbeat character to the project. Clean pared-down washes is combined with patched and repaired black denim with a rock aesthetic look. Örjan celebrates Lee’s trademark denim with a simple slim unisex silhouette. And genius denim connoisseur Donwan Harrell of US-based luxury menswear outfit Prps adds his own brand of design magic, bringing confident finishes and exciting visual washes to the party.

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A SPEZIAL Collection from adidas – adidas Originals X SPEZIAL

Screen Shot 2014-10-27 at 14.44.25In 2013 adidas held an exhibition to celebrate all things Adidas and showcased the product collections of some of its most passionate fans. It was a major success and it’s ‘SPEZIAL’ title has since come to represent the very essence of the adidas brand to fans and collectors alike.

The project was curated by long time, 3 stripe devotee Gary Aspden, honestly what Gary doesn’t know about adidas isn’t worth knowing, trust me. After the overwhelming response to the exhibition he put forward an idea to work with the adidas team in Herzogenaurach, birth town of adidas, to come up with a new, archive inspired, adidas Originals capsule collection of clothing and footwear. From this proposal the adidas Originals x SPEZIAL range was born.

Screen Shot 2014-10-27 at 14.45.19The adidas Originals x SPEZIAL range is not solely about the engineered science of performance sportswear, the cross over of high fashion luxury brands and sports wear or the nostalgia for one to one vintage reproductions. Whilst adidas is fundamentally a sportswear company, it has always had a rich history in leisurewear dating back over 40 years to the era of Adi Dassler himself. The adidas Originals x SPEZIAL collaboration is a modern collection that pays its respects to all these areas without being solely dedicated to any one of them. It offers a range of clothing and footwear range that provides an updated, contemporary and premium vision of adidas.

The collection includes twelve iconic vintage adidas apparel pieces (e.g. the Beckenbauer tracksuit) that are re-designed and re-invented in premium fabrics and modern cuts. Plus, the footwear takes four classic adidas silhouettes and tweaks them whilst retaining the brand’s DNA. The upper patterns are re-worked and new hybrid shoes marrying up different elements of much loved iconic styles are created.

Aspden says of the collection; “Growing up in the north west of England in the 70s and 80s adidas was (and still is) the brand we all gravitated towards. I have been a fan ever since. I grew up loving the sophistication of European sportswear brands.The adidas Originals x SPEZIAL collection is about identifying and utilizing those elements (beyond the three stripes) of the adidas design personality that are unique to this brand.”

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I think I’m turning Japanese – John Smedley X Comme des Garçons

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To say British, heritage knitwear brand John Smedley have invented themselves, is a bit of an understatement, along the same lines as describing the Great Fire of London as a bit of a contained bonfire. In recent years its turned its image and fortunes round from being a traditional knitwear manufacturer to being a go to brand, showing as part of London Collections:Men and this latest venture only strengths their style credentials.

The much loved British luxury knitwear brand is built on over two hundred years of craftsmanship and quality, their second and ultra limited collaboration with pioneering Japanese super-brand, Comme Des Garçons for Autumn ’14.

Limited to just 40 pieces worldwide, so better be quick, acclaimed designer, Junya Watanabe, has reinterpreted John Smedley’s  iconic design, the Bobby pullover, creating a fusion of classic British style with typical Japanese innovation.

Woven into panels at John Smedley’s Lea Mills factory, believed to be the oldest in constant production in the world, the premium New Zealand merino wool is then sent to Japan to be hand embroidered and finished by Comme Des Garçons, themselves, leaving a slight detail of the raw seaming. Available in two colourways, charcoal and navy, each design has been embroidered with Junya Watanabe’s signature plaid Union Jack.

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Wanna join this Crew ? – Crew Clothing

IMG_1804Sick of the urban Rat race ? Long for the more relaxed country life ? No we’re not talking about retiring, but escaping once in a while to an rural retreat, you know rolling fields, the great outdoors, country walks and a roaring open fire waiting for you on your return. One brand who have the attire for this idyllic lifestyle down to a tee, is Crew Clothing.

Way back in 1993, a young man called Alastair Parker-Swift, was living an idyllic life – running a thriving windsurfing school during the summer in Salcombe, Devon and spending the winter months in France as part of the England freestyle ski team, you know as one does.

IMG_1802Now this was all good and well and you could argue, what is there to complain about, but Alastair had ambition and a great business mind an to indulge Alastair’s entrepreneurial spirit. Plus not being one to miss an opportunity, Alastair sourced some navy and white rugby shirts and using a local supplier created the original 93 patch rugby shirt, which was to go on to be synonymous with the brand. This first foray into the retail world proved an instant success with stock selling out within days, and after only 10 days of trading in Salcombe, Alastair decided to try and find premises in Cowes in time for the start of the annual yachting extravaganza of Cowes week.

Within the week the shop did in fact open in time for Cowes week and generated sales that exceeded all expectations, and the Crew Clothing Co. brand was born. In 1995 the first London store was opened on the New King’s Road and the first hand drawn catalogue was mailed to just 2000 customers. Today, celebrating it 21st Anniversary, there are over 60 stores across the UK and over 3.2 million catalogues mailed every year.

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During this time Crew Clothing has sponsored some of the most prestigious social & sporting events in the sporting calendar, as The Whitbread Round the World Race, the England Polo Team and Masters Tennis at the Albert Hall. They have been the official clothing supplier to the England Polo team for over 5 years, and provide all of the kit for National and International matches including The Cartier International Event – the pinnacle of the polo calendar.

Parker-Swift, himself describes the appeal of the brand as,
“Crew is a British lifestyle brand with a coastal heritage. We are passionate about dressing people in beautiful clothes in great colours with fastidious attention to detail.”

For Autumn 14 the range offers a a durable, outdoor inspired collection with a real balance between wearable pieces and enduring wardrobe classics that will not only get better with age but the more adventures you have while wearing them.

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