London Collections:Men SS15 - Grey Fox's picks

I didn't get to any big shows at London Collections:Men, so was able to spend some time delving into the brands on display in the Designer Showrooms, both ready to wear and accessories. I find it very exciting seeing the creativity and enterprise on display among the smaller labels; some new, some not; some made in the UK, some not - all with great ideas.

There were many labels that caught my eye; here is a quick pick of their SS15 collections. I hope to write about many in more detail in future. Where possible, I have given the brand's website so you can contact them to find out more.

TOBEFRANK of England

A young brand priding itself on the traditions of British menswear. I met the founder, Frank Phillips, and a lady who knits her knitwear from wool from her own flock of Jacob sheep - what a great story, and one I'd like to cover in more detail soon. See Tobefrank's website.

INDEFINITELY WILD

This collection of British-made men's shirts will not appear until SS15, but the quality and design are superb. Again, I hope to tell you more soon. Meanwhile see the Indefinitely Wild website here.

JAEWAN PARK

I've spoken about this designer before - his beautifully tailored jackets, with clever and humorous twists on conventional designs, are a joy to behold. Look carefully at the lapel of this pinstripe jacket... 

UNIVERSAL WORKS

Well-established now, but a firm favourite of mine. See Universal Works.

GLOVERALL

An established British-made brand making a comeback - I hope to cover Gloverall in a future post.

MR START

I liked the clean lines and beautiful fabrics of this collection, about which I know little. I will remedy that and write more about them on the blog soon. I loved this wool and silk summer jacket (with matching trousers) in this rather poor iPhone shot, but hope you get the idea - it could have been made for me. See Mr Start.

MAKE YOUR ODYSSEY

An interesting young brand with some lovely beach/summer wear. I'm waiting to hear from them with more information and images, meanwhile, here's one from my iPhone that will give an idea. Website here, but seemed not to work when I last tried. 

MARWOOD

A favourite of mine and I've talked about them before. Outstanding design and British manufacture. See Marwood's website.

ALICE MADE THIS

Alice makes beautiful men's accessories, in particular cuff links and pins, like the exquisite example below, in England using traditional techniques and her product design experience. See Alice Made This website.

CAMPBELL COLE

Campbell Cole's leather bags and accessories are objects of design and manufacturing perfection; beautifully-made and presented. A young brand that we will hear much more of. For more information, see Campbell Cole's website.

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.