Desirable Objects 4 - Campbell-Cole key wrap, British designed and made.

This is the smallest of my Desirable Objects series so far, but it hits far above its weight. Some may feel that the humble key-ring doesn't deserve such quality or such sensual impact - after all, all it does is hold keys.

But we shouldn't underestimate this important task and neither did Ian Campbell-Cole, founder (along with his partner, Felicity Baggett) of Campbell-Cole. He has designed an object that is high quality, British-made through and through and ideal for purpose. He tells me that it is one of the things he is most proud of so far.

This is how he describes it -

"The wire rope unscrews for easy loading of keys (no more battling with a ring snap), whilst a Sam Brown stud keeps the Key Wrap securely closed.

The leather originates from Northern Irish cattle and is veg tanned in the Midlands in one of the last remaining UK based tanneries. The soft, waxy nature of the leather will ensure that the Key Wrap will quickly develop a unique patina through use.

The hand applied edge coating and embossed Campbell Cole logo are the finishing touches to a quality essential that no one should be without."

I agree - but would add that the wrap also smells lovely - luxury leather! The keys are held snugly and neatly within the leather wrap and it's clearly a well-thought out object - as is anything of good design.

Loving young and exciting British businesses as I do, I will be writing more about Campbell-Cole soon. Meanwhile see their website for more information.

For more in the Desirable Objects series, click here.

Desirable objects - Quarterre bicycle stands

As a keen cyclist and lover of well-designed objects, this bike stand by Quarterre was bound to attract my eye. What better and more attractive way to keep those beloved machines out of the way (and display them for admiration by your cycling friends)?

Quarterre is a London-based transport & industrial design studio that, as well as consulting to companies around the world, makes the Furniture For Bikes range of bike storage products. These have developed from their love of cycling and design - and a recognition of the difficulties of living with a bike in cities.

The range is made in the UK and has been designed to the sort of standards normally reserved for high-end furniture. See and buy here.

British weatherproof fabrics 2 - British Millerain

I hadn't been aware of British Millerain until quite recently, when I noticed that many suppliers and manufacturers are using this British company's waxed fabrics in their weatherproof garments.

Established in 1880, British Millerain describes itself as the world's premier manufacturer of waxed cotton. This material was developed from sailors' oilskins, water resistant clothes made from canvas crudely proofed with linseed oil. Waxed garments have been popular since their inception, companies such as Barbour and Belstaff supplied weatherproof clothing for field sports and motor sports enthusiasts. Where these two large manufacturers get their oiled cotton fabric from I have no idea, but many other designers and retailers are selling weatherproof garments which use waxed fabric made by British Millerain.

Here are a few examples -

Grenson Marske British Millerain brogue

Archie Foal waxed cotton Ansgar bike field jacket

Boden bike jacket

Boden reefer

Boden reefer

John Lewis Rally jacket

Dr Martens Lester - British Millerain

Next British Millerain bag

Schofield - wristwatches designed in Britain

A good classic watch is essential in any search for style. Regulars here will have guessed that I'm a wristwatch enthusiast. So, while at the Best of Britannia exhibition early in October, I was delighted to find a British watch designer. Giles Ellis is the enthusiastic founder and owner of Schofield Watch Company. Such was his love of watches that he founded a business to design a timepiece he would himself wear.

Talking to him, it was clear that he was motivated to produce a watch of the highest quality  As with any successful design, the devil is in the detail - the smallest elements of the watch have been thought out with the greatest care. The watch is based on very British elements - influenced by the design of lighthouses of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The watch is, at 44mm, slightly larger than I would normally wear, but having tried it, I would revise this view. The case is large and chunky, but so intelligently made, curved, angled and proportioned that it looked fine, even on my slim wrist. The GMT function enables you to keep time in another time zone without having to adjust the watch. There is also a power reserve indicator. The movement is a high quality Soprod Swiss automatic, beautifully finished (but the owner will never see this).

Everything about the watch and the accompanying accessories is beautifully presented. To continue the British theme, some of the straps are made from British materials - Moon Mills tweed, British Millerain waxed cotton and, to come, Ventile. All these materials I'm covering in other posts this month in the context of the best of British fabrics and fashion. (I'd love to see these produced in other sizes, 20mm and 22mm, for other watches - these are the sort of well-designed and attractive British product that deserves a wider audience).

Finally, among the accessories available is a mouthwatering (I never thought I'd use that adjective, but it's apt here) watch case that has been made in collaboration with Cherchbi. I was delighted to see that the Herdwick wool has been used in its construction. I mentioned this Cumbrian sheep in my post here. Farmers have sometimes had to throw their fleeces away due to its low value. Yet here we have a sheep that has been farmed in an area of England (which I love and visit regularly) since the Vikings lived there. So, to see a  product which uses its fleece was very welcome. We should support such collaborations and wear them with pride.

So, once again, a great British-designed product made with passion and attention to detail.

S.E.H.Kelly - Highest quality British design, fabrics and manufacture

I visited S.E.H. Kelly yesterday and came away wishing I could have bought almost everything they had on display. In my hunt for style I felt I had found the Holy Grail, for here are British-designed and manufactured products of highest quality, using British fabrics - cottons, tweeds, Ventile, knits.

Before arriving, I wondered if the styles would be suitable for a man of middle years. Trying the garments on, I found that, magically, S.E.H. Kelly's designs suit any age. They have done this by using classic, simple shapes with muted colours that, together, give an impression of quiet elegance and quality.

S.E.H Kelly Ventile mac

The designs have been given subtle twists by the designer, Sara (whose business partner is Paul) which skilfully impart a contemporary feel. The textures of the British-made fabrics show off the clothes to good effect. The details; placing of pockets, the British-made horn buttons, the shape of collars, warm soft linings - everything feels well thought out and just right.

Detail of green cord/wool cashmere jacket (with straps for carrying on a bike)

As you can tell, I was smitten, both by the clothes and by the enthusiasm of Sara and Paul for their products. They tell me that their customers are also often interested in the fabrics, their provenance and construction; it would be difficult not to feel passionate about such British-made quality. Sara showed me some trousers that were made from a roll of tweed found at the back of one of their supplier's stores, showing the lengths they go to to find cloths for their products. Most have a limited production run.

Many men are looking for classic, durable clothing, rather than worrying about transient trends - some have moved on to S.E.H. Kelly from the big brands for these reasons. Visitors to the Shoreditch workshop receive a warm welcome and cannot help being overwhelmed by the quality and passion that has gone in to the garments. These are clothes to buy, wear hard and then hand on to your offspring.

Businesses like this deserve to flourish; if they do then British tweed and cotton mills, weavers, knitters, seamstresses, farmers, shirtmakers, designers, etc. will also thrive - and that is what we want. The prices are reasonable, the quality is the highest; you'll still be wearing these clothes when others more costly have long gone or are looking sadly dated. Get over the S.E.H. Kelly now, but leave some for me. Website here.

The thickest, chunkiest, softest jumper you'll ever own. British wool, British made.

Reversible tweed jacket

Cream brushed wool cotton shirt

Dusty green cord jacket with cashmere/wool collar and cyclist's carrying straps

Pale grey green wool trousers

Grey horizontal cord blazer

Harris tweed jacket at John Lewis & Co - British manufacturing

In March I posted about a limited edition Harris tweed jacket I had bought from John Lewis. Recently browsing in my local branch, I found another successful interpretation of this classic, made from the famous tweed from the Outer Hebrides.

The John Lewis & Co range uses "British fabrics and manufacturers where possible, often making use of long-established techniques", according to their website. It's good to see the larger stores supporting British manufacturing, and selling the products for reasonable prices. With production costs rising in China, let's hope this is the start of a trend among larger suppliers.

The jacket has a contemporary slim cut, an attractive chambray lining and Corozo nut buttons (made from the very water-resistant tagua nut). Looking online, there are several versions, each varies slightly in details.

All photos John Lewis

While I love it and wear it frequently, I had a few minor concerns about the the jacket I previously reported on (here). Hopefully these problems have been sorted out with this range; I didn't notice anything amiss with the example I tried on. At prices around £225 these should be snapped up quickly. Available online (at the time of writing) [link removed as out of stock]