Best of British: Jessica de Lotz Jewellery

Jessica de Lotz was born into a large artistic family and this, fired by a love of collecting intriguing objects, has inspired her jewellery. Her studio in East London is a treasure trove of  objets trouvés. each of which, steeped in memories, has a story to tell. And these stories are revived in her jewellery, for men and women; charms, brooches, earrings, bracelets, cufflinks; all romantic, historical and full of personality and many based on her signature wax seal design. 

Jessica's work has been much recognised, won awards and appeared in countless magazines, including GQ, which commissioned a pair of cuffinks. To find out  more, or to buy, see Jessica de Lotz.

Buying a British-made shirt: a selection from TEK, Smyth & Gibson, Grosvenor and Tripl Stitched

TEK

TEK is a collaboration between New Future Graphic, Timothy Everest and Eley Kishimoto. Drawing on the best of British design and manufacture, these shirts are made in London.  Hand screen printed cotton cloth from the Eley Kishimoto design Studio, Brixton, is tailored by Timothy Everest tailors in Spitalfields. The finished product is manufactured and packaged under art direction from New Future Graphic. I had a quick look at Best of Britannia recently and they seem nicely-made from quality fabric. I hope to have a closer look soon and, if I do, I'll report back.

TEK has other projects planned for the future, so watch this space. 

The first range is scheduled to hit selected stores in Jan 2015. 

Smyth & Gibson

I recently received some beautifully-made shirts from Northern Ireland's Smyth & Gibson, based in Derry, Londonderry. It's good to see the products of such a manufacturing heritage. The cut, fabrics and construction are of the highest standard.

The shirts can be bought online here.

Tripl Stitched
I've written recently about these London shirtmakers, whose products are of such high quality. Here's how I reviewed their shirts. Watch out for a beautiful AW14 collection with indigo-dyed shirts.

Tripl Stitched

Go to Tripl Stitched to buy or for information.

Grosvenor Shirts

This is another brand of British-made shirts I reviewed recently. High quality and, in general, bright and colourful.

Grosvenor Shirts

See Grosvenor Shirts for more information.

There are many more suppliers and manufacturers of British-made shirts appearing and it's good to see this revival of traditional skills appearing all over the country. Do you have any favourite British-made shirts?

Best of British Friday - Harry Stedman menswear, Tyler & Tyler cufflinks

To celebrate Buy British Day, here are two more brands manufacturing here in the UK. This forms part of my Best of British Menswear Week.

Harry Stedman

...is a contemporary menswear brand named after the father of the brand's MD. A great traveller, Harry soaked up the culture and style of the many countries he visited after escaping Liverpool to join the army. In the same way, the label fuses many influences, particularly US and British from the fifties and sixties, to produce very modern classics.

Much of the collection is made in the UK, and I picture a few of these below. You may recognise some of the British names on the labels.

This is a brand to explore; see Harry Stedman's website for more.

Tyler & Tyler 

...is a menswear accessories brand with its origins in the British manufacture. Their collection includes wide range of men's accessories, from underwear to socks, ties, pocket squares and key rings.

I'm focusing on their Birmingham-made Capsule collection of cufflinks today. Each is named after a Birmingham engineer, celebrating the city's engineering heritage. This heritage and skill has been used in the design of these cufflinks which are made from aircraft-grade aluminium with various technical coatings.

Available soon from Wolf & Badger. See Tyler & Tyler. 

Best of British Menswear Week: British Boxers, UK-made underwear for men

British Boxers have launched their new website british-boxers.com and added a new range of super comfortable stretch trunks (see my recent post here) to their original range of British-made traditional cotton woven boxer shorts. 

Deborah Price in the ring fighting for British menswear

They've also added a men’s and ladies nightwear range, using the finest two-fold cottons and cosy cotton flannel, and called it Double Dapper. This sleepwear range (which is made outside the UK) uses the best quality fabrics, including two-fold cottons and brushed cotton flannels. I'm told its exclusivity means it's only manufactured in small runs - so act quickly to buy.

Owner of British Boxers, Deborah Price, a former nightwear buyer for a leading luxury nightwear company, says: 

"British Boxers were launched in 2013, but I have worked in the nightwear sector for over fifteen years and just couldn't leave it behind. That’s why we have designed our Double Dapper range; it really is a labour of love. The launch of british-boxers.com is the culmination of two years of sheer determination and hard work. We have used stunning fabrics and workmanship to bring you these collections."

British Boxers and Double Dapper are available at british-boxers.com from October. 

Best of British Menswear Week: Realm & Empire "cardigan, khaki wool, other ranks" AW14 military archive inspiration

Realm & Empire is a British brand that relishes the heritage, look and feel of historical menswear, updating their finds for the modern wearer. Finding inspiration in the archives if the Imperial War Museums, they have created a collection for AW14 that takes details and from historical garments, photographs, documents and artefacts.

Grey Fox wears Duxford Cardigan and wool slim-leg Officer Trouser from Realm & Empire.
Brogues by Loake, shirt by Smyth & Gibson, tie vintage. Hair and teeth model's own

Their knitwear collection is made in the UK from British wool, so I'm focusing on one key and favourite piece for this review. The Duxford cardigan is modelled on a First World War piece found in the military archives at IWM Duxford in Cambridgeshire. Made for use by other ranks, it must have been an essential part of the layering needed to keep warm in the trenches. 

Archive image of Cardigan, khaki wool, other ranks - image IWM

The cardigan has a good substantial feel and the pockets and collar are reinforced with cotton webbing, as was the hem on the original. The colour is Loden green and every garment has its own unique issue number, revealed behind a little tear-off strip in the collar label. This is my first ever cardigan and I'm enjoying it. However, never let it be said that it's a garment exclusively for the older man; this will look good on young and old alike.

The trousers are made of Huddersfield-manufactured wool (although are not themselves made in UK) and half-lined with a deep red jacquard print. They have a slightly slim fit.

I hope to revisit this interesting brand at a future date, meanwhile, see the Realm & Empire website for more of the collection, or to buy. For more on the Imperial War Museums, see here.

Best of British Menswear Week: Barrington Ayre, tailors & shirtmakers

Barrington Ayre Shirtmaker & Tailor Ltd pride themselves on their luxury bespoke and made to order clothing, all made in England in traditional ways. 

Somewhere in this image is hidden a clue that Barrington Ayre make clothes for women too. Can you spot it?

Tom Wharton, Managing Director, told me more:

"We make everything from classic suits to house shoes, from polo shirts to shooting suits and from tartan trews to boating blazers and pretty much anything in between! We make for men and women and have a classic showroom in the Market Place, Cirencester as well as offering a visiting tailoring service in London, across the South West and UK wide by appointment".

Tom adds, "Your imagination really is your only limitation". I've only seen images of their products, so cannot say much more; go to their website for more information.

The Dandy Lab: Support the store of the future and British menswear manufacture - on Kickstarter

With Buy British Day coming up this week, now is a good time to launch The Dandy Lab Project on Kickstarter. The Dandy Lab is an innovative shop which will feature the best of British-made menswear and accessories. The project already has some impressive backers, who recognise the future shape of men's shopping in the highly-interactive technological experience which will be offered.

Please take a moment to watch this video and consider pledging to support a great idea and British menswear design and manufacture. See The Dandy Lab on Kickstarter.

Best of British Menswear Week - Men's accessories from Holdall & Co, The Gentle Fox,

HOLDALL & Co have appeared here before as designers of high quality English-made leather goods. I wanted to update you on the recent addition of a large (16") briefcase to the collection.

Rai Navickaite, founder and designer, told me:

"I’m really proud of this new addition to our collection; it’s actually my favourite product! I have been working on it for almost a year (it all started as a bespoke briefcase project for a customer), designing, prototyping and perfecting the design with our craftsmen. Every briefcase is made individually, each piece cut by hand using traditional knives from one single bridle leather hide (to ensure consistency with colour, texture and thickness). As ever, we use traditional techniques and, of course, there's lots hand finishing and stitching".

Go to Holdall & Co for information and to buy.

THE GENTLE FOX makes cravats, bow ties and pocket squares in England. Like many people in her position, Gill started by sewing for herself and friends and found there was a demand for her products, so started to sell them. She uses organic cotton and thread and reuses or recycles as much as she can. She takes commissions for her beautifully-made accessories.

The Gentle Fox

Go to The Gentle Fox for more information, or to buy.

Masters of Style: Mark Powell Bespoke: a very British tailor

To mark the start of my Best of British Menswear Week, I've been to see Mark Powell.

Historically, much of Great Britain's success has been based on the contradictions it displays to the world. Its toughness and belligerence hide the essential kindness that drove the British to pioneer parliamentary democracy and fairness. Mark Powell, London-based bespoke tailor, is just like that. He's very British - in appearance a hard East Ender; in reality a highly creative, humorous and generous man. 

Mark Powell

Like many men in their fifties, life's experiences bring focus. This clarity of purpose shows in Mark Powell's tailoring and it's easy to recognise his work. But there are contradictions; is his style classic or modern, nostalgic or cutting edge? In reality it's a bit of all these things. Nothing is ever truly original; it's how he uses inspiration that makes a man an artist.

Maybe the best approach is to see how Mark Powell sees himself. He describes his work as follows:

"Established in 1985, Mark Powell is one of London's most iconic and influential bespoke tailors. Renowned for his nostalgically and classically inspired tailoring, combined with experimental cuts and styling, he was one of the first to successfully bridge the gap between the traditions of Savile Row and contemporary street style".

The Mark Powell bespoke stamp is unique and widely-appreciated by the many big names he has dressed from the worlds of film, television, music and sport from George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Mick and Bianca Jagger, David Bowie, through style giants such as Bryan Ferry and Naomi Campbell to The Killers, film director Joe Wright, Keira Knightley, Sean Bean and most recently, Paul Weller, Martin Freeman and Bradley Wiggins.

Nostalgia is there, but not in a mawkish way. I saw tailoring influences from Edwardian through every decade of the intervening century; most recently the mod look has been seen on Bradley Wiggins and Paul Weller. Essentially it is sharp tailoring with brightly-described details in buttons, cuffs, collars, taking ideas and colour from earlier looks and adding a very contemporary feel. And yet somehow Mark captures the essence of the wearer, not imposing a style on anyone.

Despite, or because of, the celebrity links, Mark has worked with more establishment organisations like Marks & Spencer and the DTI to bring his style, and that of Britain, to the high street and to the world.

I really enjoyed my meeting with Mark Powell. He was informative, friendly, passionate about is work and generous with his time. Several people had described him to me as 'scary' - what nonsense. If you want a garment that reflects your personality, rather than shows you up as a tailoring clone, go to Mark Powell. This makes him ideal for the man confident about what and who he is; in general that means the older man as, despite having its roots in nostalgia, this is a very mature style.

To pigeon-hole his work is impossible - the most accurate description is that it's Mark Powell. 

Mark Powell, 2 Marshall Street, London, W1F 9BA.
Telephone +44 (0)20 7287 5498
mark@markpowellbespoke.co.uk