MWB Magazine October issue

ISSUE 216 | OCTOBER 2014 | £6.95 | WWW.MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

BEST FOOT FORWARD WHAT THE KEY NAMES IN FOOTWEAR HAVE TO OFFER FOR S/S 15 — ANYTHING BUT A GREEK TRAGEDY APHRODITE CELEBRATES 20 YEARS SINCE OPENING ITS DOORS — FROM THE BUSH TO BOND STREET AUSTRALIAN FOOTWEAR LABEL R.M. WILLIAMS REVEALS ITS FUTURE PLANS —

Spring / Summer ‘15 C

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(+44) 113 2402211 www.skopeswholesale.com

Quality Luxury Heritage Made in Scotland T: 01450 363100 E: sales@hawickknitwear.com www.hawickknitwear.com

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OCTOBER 2014 | 05

R E T A I L 13

David Harvey

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Online Insider

A tribute to one of menswear’s finest Advice, news and issues online

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Retail Insider The latest in-store news

G E N T 22

Product News

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In-season stock

Rounding up the key stories this month Parka and ride

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One step beyond The news and developments from mainstream footwear

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Starting from the bottom up

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Moda Gent

MWB’s seasonal footwear shoot Industry insiders reveal what’s new for s/s 15

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Classic gift guide Gifts, accessories and essential extras for your festive offer

D E N I M

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S T R E E T

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Product News

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In-season stock

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20 years of brotherly love

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Chippewa back on the supply trail

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Select

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Sole-searching

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Jacket Required

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Contemporary gift guide

Rounding up the key stories this month Pure jeanius Indie Aphrodite celebrates its 20th anniversary Profiling the classic biker boot label Highlighting the best from Moda’s contemporary zone News, developments and trends from denim, street and young fashion footwear Tom Bottomley’s picks from the London trade show Point of sale options including accessories, leather goods and tech extras

R E G U L A R S 7 8 18

Comment News Interview

56 59 62

Collective The Bottomley Line Last Orders With…

Hamish Turner

John Jarrett

Front cover:

Lacoste 01962 312803

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EDITOR

OCTOBER 2014 | MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK | 07

COMMeNT

Victoria Jackson victoria@ras-publishing.com — DEPUT y

EDITOR

Tom Bottomley tom.bottomley@btinternet.com — CONTRIBUTORS Isabella Griffiths isabella@ras-publishing.com Laura Turner laura@ras-publishing.com Christina Williams christina@ras-publishing.com — SUB

EDITOR

Amanda Batley amanda@ras-publishing.com — EDITORIAL

AS SISTANT

Rebecca Jackson rebecca.jackson@ras-publishing.com — DESIGNERS Michael Podger michael@ras-publishing.com James Lindley james@ras-publishing.com Clive Holloway clive@ras-publishing.com Richard Boyle richard@ras-publishing.com — SALES

MANAGER

Sharon Le Goff sharon@ras-publishing.com — SUB SCRIPTIONS Laura Martindale laura.martindale@ite-exhibitions.com — HEAD

OF

MENSWEAR

Jamie Harden jamie@moda-uk.co.uk — PRODUCTION

DIRECTOR

Gill Brabham gill@ras-publishing.com — PORTFOLIO

DIRECTOR

Nick Cook nick@ras-publishing.com — MARKETING

DIRECTOR

Stephanie Parker stephanie@moda-uk.co.uk — MANAGING

DIRECTOR

Colette Tebbutt colette@ras-publishing.com —

MWB is published 9 times per year by RAS Publishing Ltd, The Old Town Hall, Lewisham Road, Slaithwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5AL. Call 01484 846069 Fax 01484 846232 Copyright © 2014 MWB Magazine Limited. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of any written material or illustration in any form for any purpose, other than short extracts for review purposes, is strictly forbidden. Neither RAS Publishing Ltd nor its agents accept liability for loss or damage to transparencies and any other material submitted for publication.

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A Buyer Series Fashion Business Publication MWB is a fashion business publication produced by RAS Publishing Ltd. Other titles in the Buyer Series include WWB and CWB. RAS Publishing Ltd is an ITE Group Plc company.

With news that online clothing and footwear sales have topped the £10bn mark over the past 10 months, it seems shoppers are turning to the internet to find current-season clothing, as opposed to the high street’s new-season stock.

— A recent survey by e-tailer BrandAlley revealed 48 per cent of shoppers are frustrated with the high street after being faced with next season’s products rather than current season. From those surveyed, 44 per cent highlighted a difficulty in finding holiday clothing in the height of summer, leaving them no choice but to turn online.

It highlights the importance of reconsidering your buying tactics if you want to keep up with consumer demands, especially if you’re solely a bricks-andmortar business. Consumers, of course, will always enjoy the experience of shopping on the high street, but more and more will favour online retailers if they can offer relevant stock all year round.

This also rings true of the footwear sector, with a report released earlier this month by industry analyst Verdict indicating that consumers often prefer to shop in bricks-and-mortar shops for shoes, but are often frustrated by in-store offers that are out of step with the seasons.

Specifically, the report revealed that only 17.7 per cent of shoppers buy footwear online – an avenue that could be maximised by indies, although the unpredictable nature of the British weather teamed with the traditional model of fashion buying means that stores are all too often selling winter styles at a time when the UK climate is in the realms of summertime.

If you are looking to increase or strengthen your footwear offer, look no further than MWB’s seasonal footwear and accessory special. Bringing together the news, developments and trends for s/s 15 from some of the key names in classic and contemporary footwear, there is inspiration aplenty for those who dress their gents, quite literally, from head to toe.

Victoria Jackson editor

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OCTOBER 2014 | NEWS | 08

N E W S

AMAZON TOPS DIGITAL CUSTOMER SERVICE REPORT

THE HUB HITS HOME WITH THIRD EDITION The third edition of Hong kong trade show The HuB, which closed its doors in August, saw the event cement its position as the leading trade show in Asia for branded and designer fashion with a new central venue, reworked exhibitor mix and attendance from key buyers from across Hong kong, mainland China and the Asia-Pacific region.

The two-day event, which took place in the new venue of D2 Place in the heart of Kowloon’s fashion district, featured almost 100 international brands from the UK, US, Italy, France, Spain and Japan, as well as some of the latest Asia-Pacific design talent.

“The HUB is a really interesting show for us, and both the location and overall show environment have been greatly improved by the move,” says Tony Evans, managing director of Gola Classics, which also took part in the February 2014 show at The HUB’s previous venue at Asia World Expo. “We’ve seen a good number of the better-end retailers from Hong Kong, and a lot more visitors from mainland China than we did at the last show. I think you have to invest the time to come out here if you want to find out what the opportunities are, and there’s definitely an interest in all brands with a genuine heritage.”

Daniel Dunko of Hancock was also positive about the show’s performance.

“Hancock already does well in Japan, but we see Hong Kong as the gateway to the rest of Asia,” he says. “Our strategy for this region is all about making contacts and establishing a rapport. Nothing happens overnight, and I feel we need to take part at least three times if we’re serious about building the brand here.”

Leading Hong Kong retailers visiting the show included Lane Crawford, The Armoury, D-Mop, Kapok and Harvey Nichols Hong Kong, joined by around 200 buyers from Mainland China. Buyers also visited the event from Singapore, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Australia.

Richard Hobbs, who founded The HUB in 2013 with business partner Peter Caplowe, described the August 2014 event as a “breakthrough show”. “This has definitely been the best reaction we’ve had from exhibitors and visitors, and three seasons on from the launch we’re attracting the right calibre of brands and buyers,” he says. “The move to our new venue has been particularly well received, and the international brands we’re working with are really beginning to see the potential of the region.”

The fourth edition of The HUB will take place at D2 Place, Kowloon, Hong Kong, on 12-13 March 2014.

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Online retailer Amazon has topped the latest eChannel Retail Benchmark report examining digital customer experience, beating off department stores Debenhams, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer.

The report, undertaken by eDigitalResearch, which assessed the complete end-to-end customer experience across key digital channels, found that Amazon topped the report thanks to its accurate and fast predictive text on keyword search, extensive customer reviews and one-click purchase function.

“Amazon has long led the field with its multichannel customer experience, introducing ideas such as predictive search text and one-click purchases,” says Derek Eccleston, commercial director at eDigitalResearch. “While it still doesn’t lead the way when it comes to design or first impressions, Amazon clearly understands its customers.”

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NAT WEST ANNOU N CES EIGHT NEW BUSIN ESS HUBS National bank Natwest will roll-out its investment and mentoring scheme to eight new regional hubs, following a successful trail already under way in Scotland. The scheme aims to help would-be entrepreneurs to realise their business ideas through financial grants and mentorship programmes designed to give private sectors the help they need to grow.

The scheme – which is run in partnership with Entrepreneurial Spark in Scotland – will be rolled-out to Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester and Belfast, with two further locations to be announced next year.

“Our work in Scotland has had a positive impact on the huge upsurge in the number of new business incorporations,” says Jim Duffy, CEO of Entrepreneurial Spark. “Better still, those who go through our programmes have an 80 per cent survival rate, which is way above average.”

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OCTOBER 2014 | NEWS | 09

IN BRIEF

CONSU MER SPENDING KEEPS RECOVERY ON T RACK

NEW TOMMY HILFIGER CHIEF BRAND OFFICER

Consumers are keeping the economic recovery on track by increasing their spending, according to a survey by the Confederation of British Industry.

The survey revealed that only 17 per cent of retailers reported a fall in sales, compared to 48 per cent who said that sales had risen in the time period from September 2013 to September 2014. Sales of clothing and furniture were particularly strong, with the industry body describing clothing sales figures as having “shot up” in the year leading up to this month.

“It seems consumers are still active, but have eased back on their spending after splashing out at a strong rate overall during the first half of the year,” says economist Howard Archer from IHS Global Insight. “Elevated confidence, high and rising employment and muted inflation is supportive to consumer spending.”

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PVH Europe, parent company to lifestyle label Tommy Hilfiger, has announced the appointment of Avery Baker to the newly created position of chief brand officer for the brand.

Reflecting PVH Europe’s increased focus on the global alignment, evolution and elevation of Tommy Hilfiger, Baker will continue in her role as chief marketing officer with an expanded mission to sustain and evolve the label’s market leadership position. She will also help drive business strategies that enhance global coordination and alignment across product divisions, commerce channels and regional markets.

“Avery has incredible expertise in her field and a deep knowledge of the business,” says Daniel Grieder, CEO, Tommy Hilfiger. “She is uniquely positioned to drive the business forward and help us maintain and grow our leadership position.”

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CON T INUED GROW T H FOR SKOPES

L A BOU R TO COM M IT TO CU T IN BUSINESS RATES

British label Skopes has once again experienced substantial growth across its tailoring offer, with a 23.9 per cent increase in turnover for the first nine months of 2014.

Following a successful s/s 15 selling season, which saw a 100 per cent increase in forward orders at Moda in August, the brand is continuing to focus on the wholesale market (which has experienced a 43 per cent increase across the UK and Ireland), as well as the digital arm of the business.

“We’re trying to put more emphasis on our customer’s websites,” says Simon Cope, managing director, Skopes. “They take the orders, and we send them directly to the consumer for them. All they have to do is put our product on their website. We do the rest for them, and any returns come back to us. We’re encouraging independent retailers to take advantage of this through their own websites.”

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The Labour Party is set to commit to a one per cent cut in business rates if they win the 2015 elections.

The plans would see a reversal in the inflationlinked increase set to take place in April 2015, as well scrapping the planned increase in 2016 – a move worth £250m to businesses in 2015 and £540m in 2016.

“As well as leading the debate on fundamental change, the BRC has been strongly encouraging the continuation of an immediate package for retailers to suppose the high street and it is very welcome to hear it announced,” says Helen Dickinson, director general of the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

“UK business rates are the highest property taxes of any EU county and lead directly to vacant shops and job losses,” she continues. “It is widely agreed that the system is no longer fit for purpose and requires total reform.”

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CALL FOR BIODEGRADABLE CLOTHING Designers and retailers should create clothing from materials that are easily biodegradable, making them more ethical to dispose of at the end of their lives, says waste management company Business Waste.

According to the company, up to five per cent of all rubbish sent to landfill is clothing and textiles, which can take years to break down. And while some manufacturers are experimenting with biodegradable clothing, the effort is diminutive compared to the thousands of tonnes of textile waste, such as nylon and rayon, disposed of each year.

Figures show that the average life of an item of clothing is only three months before it is either never worn again, or discarded. Business Waste claims that making clothes out of easily degradable materials ensures the items can at least be shredded and composted afterwards.

“Around £140m worth of clothes – 1.2 million tonnes – goes to landfill every year in the UK,” says Business Waste spokesperson Mark Hall. “It’s an enormous amount of resource that becomes buried in the ground. If we can’t get out of the habit of binning old clothes, why not make them easily recyclable?”

— BOXPARK SCOOPS E-COMMERCE AWARD Boxpark Marketplace has been named as the best new e-commerce retailer in recognition of the launch of its ecommerce platform. The pop-up mall, located in London’s Shoreditch, launched the e-commerce platform in a bid to “connect the dots between the physical and the digital”, and to give independent retailers a true omnichannel solution.

The accolade for the launch came as the Ecommerce Awards for Excellence 2014 took place at West London’s Marriott Hotel on Grosvenor Square.

“I’m delighted to win the award,” says Boxpark founder Roger Wade.

“Boxpark Marketplace is a revolutionary omni-channel platform for small independents. It will hopefully allow the small retailer to compete with the high street.”

— RELOCATION FOR ALVANON Apparel size and fit specialist Alvanon has relocated to bigger premises as part of its ongoing development. The move will accommodate the company’s new fashion fit space, as well as its growing strategic consultancy and training requirements.

Previously based in London’s Notting Hill, the company is now located on Floor 3, 30 Queensway, West London. All contact information such as the firm’s telephone number remains the same.

Launching later this year, Alvanon’s fashion fit space will allow designers to fit their garments on Alvanon’s entire range of world class technical fit forms for a nominal fee.

Designers will also be able to take advantage of the brand’s consultancy and training facilities.

Founded in 2001, Alvanon is a global leader in providing full service integrated fit solutions to the apparel industry.

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OCTOBER 2014 | NEWS | 10

IN BRIEF

BOOMERANG FRIENDS LAUNCHES IN UK

K - WAY OPEN S FIR ST U K STOR E

Swedish label Boomerang has launched its Boomerang Friends programme in the UK market – a loyalty scheme designed to reward frequent customers.

The programme, which represents over 60 per cent of the brand’s repeat business in its native Sweden, offers customers monthly product updates and inspirations, bonus points on every purchase made in-store, two bonus vouchers per year, personal shopping experience and VIP invitations to sale previews.

“Boomerang Friends represents the next step in our customer/sales support,” says Daniel Cutler, UK and Irish distributor for Boomerang. “It’s a way for us to give back something to those that have brought into us and the brand over the last 10 months. It’s also a great way for us to connect and communicate with new customers, without being overtly pushy in our efforts.”

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French outerwear label K-Way has opened its first UK store in London’s Shoreditch, heralding a period of “aggressive expansion” for the brand.

Already stocked on a wholesale basis by 75 selected UK accounts including Urban Outfitters, Asos, Oi Polloi, Aspecto and Stuarts London, the men’s and women’s label will now aim to replicate its business models in France and Italy with the opening of a network of stores. Currently, the brand has 13 standalone stores in Italy and five in its native France, although these figures are set to rise to 14 and 10 respectively by the end of next year.

The brand will also seek to increase its offer of trend-led outerwear, combining its outdoor performance properties with an increased focus on aesthetic appeal.

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HOU SE OF FRASER TO EX PA N D

R ETA IL T RU ST A N N OU N CES T ER RY DU DDY A S N EW CHA IR

House of Fraser, which has 59 stores in the UK and Ireland, will invest £150m into its UK operation over the next four years, focusing on its online platform and store revamps.

The news comes following the announcement that online sales increased by 29 per cent during the first half of this year. The rise in online sales contributed to an overall increase of 4.2 per cent in like-for-like sales during the same period. Menswear sales specifically grew by 9.7 per cent – almost three times the rate of the retailer’s womenswear offer.

“We are very pleased with our performance over the last six months, which has been driven by the continued success of our leading multichannel offering and the strength of our premium branded proposition,” says John King, House of Fraser’s chief executive.

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Retail Trust has appointed Terry Duddy as its new chair, taking over the role from John Lovering.

Duddy, who recently stepped down from his role as chief executive of the Home Retail Group after 15 years, is one of the longest serving chief executives in the industry. In joining Retail Trust, he brings a wealth of experience including the journey from analogue to digital retail.

“I am delighted to be appointed chair of Retail Trust at a time when demand for our services is greater than ever,” says Duddy. “During John’s stewardship the charity has undergone significant change and the future is about evolving further our products and services to support the 4.5 million people who work in retail and the supporting services and related industries.”

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HUNTER APPOINTS UK & IRELAND COUNTRY MANAGER Jason Eames-Illingworth will join Hunter as UK & Ireland country manager in November, after spending time in similar roles at Tommy Hilfiger, Wrangler and most recently Replay UK. He will be responsible for the development and growth of the new brand category Hunter Original, which launched at London Fashion Week in February this year.

The label’s s/s 15 range was shown at London Fashion Week in September.

Eames-Illingworth says, “It’s a privilege and also very exciting to be a part of the Hunter team at such an exciting time for the brand, recognising the opportunity that exists to build Hunter Original. I am really looking forward to working with the team and with retailers to deliver the new and innovative product offering within the collection to the end consumer, while expanding the existing footwear business.”

— THE IDLE MAN SECURES $1.2M INVESTMENT The Idle Man, the online destination for “fashion-savvy” men founded by former head of menswear at Asos, Oliver Tezcan, has secured a follow-on round of investment of $1.2m. The online retailer has seen growth of 40 per cent month-on-month, since its launch in May this year, and the funding from private equity house Foresight Nottingham fund will assist with its continued growth and expansion.

In addition to the funding, The Idle Man has also bolstered its senior management team with the appointment of Amanda Minshull-Beech, former finance director of Amazon Europe.

The site has also just launched its first exclusive collaboration with Hype, one of the UK’s leading streetwear brands, on a collection of T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts, ranging in price from £25 for a T-shirt to £40 for a hoody.

The Idle Man will also launch its own-label range later this month, focusing on the key requirements for every young man's wardrobe, from Tshirts to sweatshirts and jeans to chinos, all at an affordable price.

— BENCH APPOINTS CHIEF WHOLESALE OFFICER Sebastian Prallet will assume the newly created position of chief wholesale officer at Bench in November. He will take charge of the company’s worldwide distribution via wholesalers, dealing with around 1,500 wholesale customers including 700 in Germany.

Prallet joins Bench from Switzerland’s Holy Fashion Group, where he has been head of international sales for menswear and womenswear for Joop! since 2010. Previously he has held senior sales positions at the Adidas group.

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OCTOBER 2014 | 13

DAVID HARVey Former MWB editor Nick Cook remembers the menswear and textiles journalist, who passed away on 2 September, aged 84.

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David Harvey, who died last month after a short battle with cancer, had already lived more than one life in journalism, textiles and menswear by the time our paths first crossed in the mid-90s.

Born in 1930, David started his working life as a teenage reporter on his local newspaper the Croydon Times, where from the ground up he learned the research, writing and networking skills that would form the foundation of a career which spanned more than 60 years. Fast-tracked up through the ranks, he went on to enjoy many years as journalist and editor on publications both in the UK and overseas, before a post at the Ministry of Information paved the way for public relations roles with Savile Row icon Hardy Amies, and the International Wool Secretariat. Menswear and textiles would be his passion from this point on and, when David returned to journalism in the 80s, it was as a menswear and textiles specialist on a string of titles including Drapers Record, Menswear and The Observer.

In the early 90s David took up the role of UK press representative for Florence trade show organiser Pitti Immagine, and it was through his work for Pitti Uomo that I was introduced to a man whose interest, enthusiasm, knowledge and humour I was fortunate enough to enjoy for the best part of the last 20 years.

I first met David at a Christmas press lunch, hosted by the trade show Premier Collections, at a time when exhibitions still had the kind of PR budgets that could bankroll a festive afternoon at The Ivy for a rogues’ gallery of trade and consumer journos and an accompanying cast of lively industry luminaries. Either by accident or design – I was the newly appointed editor of MWB – David and I were seated together. “I hear you’re running a rather interesting menswear magazine based in the North,” said David, demonstrating the curiosity and impeccable manners which dictated that he should always know at least something encouraging about any new arrival. “Perhaps we ought to invite you over to Florence?”

I made my first trip in June the following year and, over the course of each new season’s show,

and of the leisurely press lunches at San Lorenzo that preceded them, I got to know David as a wonderful storyteller, a mine of industry information, a consummate host, an expert at introductions, and a great friend.

David’s untiring interest in people, and his journalistic nose for a good story, made him perfectly suited to his work with Pitti Uomo, and David’s table in the Pitti press restaurant, or the lounge of the Beacci hotel, which was his home from home whenever he was in town, was the starting point from which so many of us British journalists would set out in search of a hot lead, an interesting brand, a new contact or a memorable night out in Florence. Like so many people in the industry, I’ll be forever grateful to David for introducing me over those years to amazing places I’ll always remember, and to people who remain friends to this day.

Dinner with David in Florence, or lunch with him at The Mill, the converted watermill in Cuxham, Oxfordshire, which was his home for over 50 years, was always guaranteed to be both an entertainment and an education. I’m sure I’m not the only person in the industry to have wished that David had turned his journalistic skills to the writing of his own memoirs – not so much for publication but rather to provide a record for posterity of the perfectly pitched stories that would pepper his conversations, but which I, for

one, could never recount with anything like the same style or sparkling turn of phrase. David had the most amazing memory for both history, in which he was incredibly knowledgeable and completely self-taught, and for events from his own fantastically varied and colourful life.

Countless mill visits, and numerous trips to Harrogate during its decades-long run as a venue for national menswear exhibitions, had fed in David a genuine love of the North, and he’d recount stories of travelling up to Leeds in a private Pullman carriage with Hardy Amies and his team, with the station porters staring aghast at the flamboyant attire of this group of peacocking London dandies. When the Hardy Amies brand was revived by a recent licensee, and I walked into its Edinburgh store to see a six-foot photograph of David, Amies and their finely attired colleagues displayed on the wall behind the counter, I could easily see why.

But although David could, if pushed, have easily recounted a personal history of the golden age of the menswear industry (with the odd tale of, say, emigrating by boat to Australia, or dancing with Grace Jones at Club Sept in Paris thrown in for good measure), he was never one to live on past glories. Even well into his 80s David was still adding new names of all ages to his ever-growing circle of friends, and I know that every one of us feels lucky, and privileged, to have known him.

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OCTOBER 2014 | ADVICE | 14

ONLINe INSIDeR Advice, news and issues online.

ADVICE: MANAGING THe SPeeD OF FAST FASHION ONLINe

TONy BRyANT is Head of business development at k3 Retail and can be contacted via www.k3retail.com

Retailers need to adapt to the ever-evolving needs of the consumer to remain relevant in a multi-channel marketplace that is dictated by fastmoving trends – fuelled by a heady mix of celebrity culture, catwalk couture and heightened demand for transitional pieces.

A single view of the concept-to-consumer process can create shorter decision cycles, improving responsiveness throughout the supply chain to get “hot off the runway” products to market quickly.

With such a fast-paced turnaround, the life cycle of fashion products is invariably short and complex. Timing these life cycles, especially when there are multiple items within the process, can maximise revenues and minimise risk. Integrated product data and life cycle management models are an important weapon in the fashion retailers’ armoury; getting products to rails faster, while controlling timely markdowns. This pull-and-push mechanic ensures a seamless flow of hot-to-trot stock is available at any one time, stimulating demand and encouraging repeat custom.

As the trend for transitional items grows, so will the need for retailers to adopt more frequent delivery drops throughout the season. A unified view of stock order management can increase targeted deliveries, based on historic sales data, while providing an “at a glance” overview of the availability of existing items and variants across different channels.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, retail technology embodies expression, without constraint or compromise. Ax|is fashion from K3 is a concept-to-consumer solution, built on Microsoft Dynamics for Retail and further enhanced to meet the unique and exacting needs of the fashion and apparel industry. Providing one solution that works across all the elements in the value chain, it delivers even more agility and insight for retailers who are looking to quickstep with fast fashion.

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WeB WATCH

WWW.HANCOCkVA.COM The British luxury outerwear company has redeveloped its website with the launch of its new e-commerce service and the addition of an innovative bespoke tool. The bespoke feature enables users to choose from two men’s and women’s silhouettes, as well as the ability to re-colour different elements. Shoppers will also be able to customise 16 different sections of the jacket such as collars, cuffs, vents, pockets and sleeves, as well as the choice of a variety of Hancock’s signature vulcanised cloths. Making sure the brand is at the forefront of technology, the new service is enabled to use on all devises including tablets and mobiles.

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NeWS

RASCALS LAUNCHES ONLINE Scandinavian streetwear label Rascals has made its first foray into e-commerce with the launch of its online retail arm.

Selling the brand’s a/w 14 collection, the website offers free shipping within Europe, tax-free purchases outside the EU and a $15 charge for shipping to North America.

In addition to complete collections four times a year, the Copenhagen label will also stock online-exclusive products in the current months.

— INDUSTRY DOUBTS OVER ASOS RECOVERY Online retail giant Asos may feel the effects of its recent profit warnings, according to a new report by industry analyst Finspreads.com. The retailer – which is one of the UK’s biggest purveyors of branded fashion – recently issued its third profit warning in six months after its shares fell by 14 per cent.

“The market is beginning to wonder if Asos is capable of making a comeback after being hit by so many troubles in such a short space of time; three profit warnings in six months and a fire which destroyed up to £30m worth of stock,” says Warren Ruhomon, market analyst at Finspreads.com. “The worst case scenario is that the brand or the shares could become an unsustainable proposition. In that case, we would expect a private equity or industry buyer – perhaps the owners of Boohoo.com – to come forward.

“However, most likely is that operations and revenues will stabilise in the second quarter of 2015,” he continues. “I do think Asos still has a lot going for it and its credit appears to be in excellent health.”

The news comes following reports that some of Asos’ key suppliers are threatening to pull out of partnerships with the retailer, following its heavy approach to discounting, which some brands see as too competitive against their own in-house sales channels.

Next’s newly launched Label channel – an online forum from which the retail will sell branded collections from designers such as Lipsy and Lyle & Scott – may be an alternative option for suppliers seeking an alternative sales platform.

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OCTOBER 2014 | RETAIL | NEWS & OPINION | 16

ReTAIL INSIDeR The latest news and opinion from the menswear retail industry.

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VIEWPOINT JOHN LAMBeRT is a partner in County Clothes menswear, which has stores in Canterbury and Tenterden. County Clothes is a member of the Fashion Association of Britain (FAB).

T IM BER L A N D U N VEILS N EW FL AGSHIP CONCEPT Timberland has revealed its newly redesigned Regent Street flagship store – a one-off concept design with aims to further cement its position as an outdoor lifestyle brand.

Set across two floors, the shop will continue to stock the full men’s, women’s and children’s collections, with a dedicated footwear area and brand experience room that will allow shoppers to customise their purchases on-site.

Speaking exclusively to MWB’s Tom Bottomley, Mike Connell, vice president of European Retail, explains who the brand is now appealing to consumer-wise. “We wanted to give solutions to our loyal consumers by showing our heritage, craftsmanship and quality, but we were also looking to appeal to a consumer who is on the go, enjoys the social aspect of the outdoor life in the city and the need to be ready for anything.

“We believe we are showing a younger and more lifestyle side of Timberland, and this how we want to move forward in the following seasons,” he continues. “The UK is one of the biggest markets for Timberland, and London is the city where trends start in Europe. It is definitely a strong brand statement to have our ‘re-imagined’ flagship store in London.”

— IN BRIeF THE CAMBRIDGE SATCHEL COMPANY OPENS NEW STORE The Cambridge Satchel Company has opened a new flagship store in London’s Covent Garden. The 3,239 sq ft shop on James Street features two designated retail floors and three further floors of office space for the brand, including a showroom.

The opening follows a $21m investment from Index Ventures in January of this year, as well as a number of new appointments including Mario Muttenthaler, who joins as CMO from MrPorter.com, and Jonny Wooldridge who joins as CTO from M&S. —

ACCENT CELEBRATES 30 YEARS Leeds indie Accent celebrated its 30th anniversary last month, with an in-store party and special brand collaborations.

Taking place on 25 September, the event included a customisation stand from denim specialist Replay, as well as a series of Anniversary jeans, numbered in a limitededition wash, with leather patches and Accent embossed logo. The independent retailer also showcased a/w 14 collections in a fashion show, as well as welcoming an appearance from Bez of The Happy Mondays.

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I was delighted to receive the Best Independent Retailer award at the IMC show in August. I actually received the same award a couple of years ago, but since then I’ve become a partner in the business and have initiated several changes, including a re-fit and a repositioning of the business.

On the back of those changes, it was especially rewarding to be recognised again. I have endeavoured to meet the needs of the younger customer by developing a younger department within the shop by introducing brands such as Digel Move and Olymp body-fit shirts. We already carried Digel, but Digel Move is a more fashion-led, slimmer-cut range dedicated to the 20-30 year-old customer. Interestingly, it has not sold exclusively to the customer we had in mind, and we’ve found that Digel Move and Olymp body-fit have developed a following among the older customer, too.

As an independent retailer, I think what marks us out, among other things, is our product knowledge and commitment to the trade. I’ve worked in the fashion industry since I was 17 years old and I dare say that the experience shows when you are served by someone who knows what they are talking about. Product knowledge and being able to talk to customers in a respectful way speaks volumes about your business. We pride ourselves on the fact that we know about the product we are selling. We know about the fabrics that are used; why they have been chosen for that garment and how they are constructed. I feel that it’s important. Product knowledge says a lot about the store; it shows you are interested in what you are selling, and that matters. www.fashionassociationofbritain.co.uk

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OCTOBER 2014 | RETAIL | NEWS & OPINION | 17

SHOPPED: uttER NuttER as a big denim retailer, what brands are currently doing it for you?

We’ve had a big sea change in our denim – beginning with this season.

We’ve dropped a few brands because the sell-throughs weren’t high enough, and because they stopped doing 30-inch leg lengths, which is a considerable part of our business. We are also seeing a return of big brands such as Levi’s, Diesel and Replay. Nudie continues to do well for us, too. Levi’s has also come back on and done amazingly well.

— what about in terms of price points and fits?

Jeans that sell between £80 and £120 tend to do the best. And the brands aforementioned are the kaShIF QazI, OWNER, UTTER NUTTER, strongest in that price category. Every jean is ROMFORD, ESSEX tapered these days, whether you’re talking about a slim-fit, regular or loose-fit jean. So there’s a large variety of blocks above the knee, but knee down it’s all tapered. The regular five-pocket straight denim has still got a market, and always will because of the older customers, but we’re even finding that some of the older customers want a tapered leg, too.

— do you sell the footwear to go with the jeans?

Absolutely – we merchandise the belts and the shoes to go with them.

And we also like to show them that they can wear the jeans out shopping on a Saturday with a pair of Converse, as well as a smarter shoe on a Friday night. This is Essex after all! Bass Weejuns loafers do very well for us, as do Reece James shoes.

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IN FOCUS: wood 55 oldham StREEt, maNchEStER m1 1JR

EStaBlIShEd: 2004 BRaNdS: PENFIELD. STÜSSY, SAUCONY, NIKE, PUBLISH, RAINS, HERSCHEL, ICECREAM, BEASTIN, THE HUNDREDS, 10 DEEP, NATIVE YOUTH, ASICS, GOURMET, TEN C, MONITALY, DELPH, CLAE, SOULLAND, BROOKLYN WE GO HARD, ELVINE, SCHOTT

CONTENT & CO OPENS ITS DOOR S Edwin Europe and independent retailer The Content Store have announced the opening of Content & Co in Exmouth Market.

Conceived from a mutual respect and friendship between Mark Batista, owner of The Content Store, and globally respected denim giant Edwin Europe, the collaborative shop will stock the broadest range of Edwin Europe’s denim and apparel, outside the brand’s existing standalone store in Shoreditch.

The contemporary retail space will also offer complementary labels including Our Legacy, Aspesi, Barena, Alden, Nike and Mismo.

Content & Co aims to offer a more directional approach to menswear than the original Content Store on Lambs Conduit Street.

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IN BRIEF

Now in its 10th anniversary year, wood on oldham Street in manchester’s Northern Quarter, formerly home to the infamous Factory Records, has been quietly championing original and directional menswear since its inception in 2004. It opened a second store in Huddersfield in 2008, relocating it in 2013 with a new shop fit – as well as putting new emphasis on its website business via www.ashopcalledwood.com.

The Manchester store is often at the forefront of breaking new brands. It’s described as a “crystal ball” for the Huddersfield shop, staying one step ahead, so the brand mix does vary a little between each shop, as does the customer base. Wood also championed the likes of Barbour jackets a few years back as more of a fashion garment, well before they enjoyed the mass revival of today.

It’s also a long time stockist of Stüssy and other American, or American-influenced, streetwear brands. The likes of 10 Deep, Beastin and Mishka are popular in-store, and Wood buys into the labels that industry folk love, such as Monitaly and Soulland, while also realising good numbers in terms of sales with the likes of Native Youth, Icecream and The Hundreds.

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NIXON MAKES UK DEBUT Watch and apparel brand Nixon opened its first ever UK store at the beginning of this month, following its latest opening in Paris in September. Located on Newburgh Street, in London’s Soho, the store features products from the brand’s men’s and women’s watch collections, apparel and accessories, including headphones and mobile speakers. The store will also feature Nixon's Customisation Bar – offering customers the opportunity to customise and create a one-of-a-kind timepiece, working from three styles and building their own identity including watch face, casing, strap and engraving on the back.

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OCTOBER 2014 | INTERVIEW | 18

INTeRVIeW

HAMISH TuRNeR Australia’s iconic “bush outfitter” R.M. Williams now has a much more fashion-focused offering while retaining its heritage appeal and craftsmanship. With new investment from L Capital, the private equity business sponsored by LVMH, there is also a new push on the uk and european wholesale markets, as well as plans for further retail, as Tom Bottomley discovers from CeO and managing director Hamish Turner.

— Tom Bottomley: What’s R.M. Williams’ history in the uk?

Hamish Turner: R.M. Williams the brand has been in the UK since the first store opened in Knightsbridge in 1989. But the man himself, R.M., which stands for Reginald Murray but he was always just known as R.M. – even by his kids – was making trips to the UK and Ireland to look for beautiful fabrics and raw materials for his products as far back as the early 50s. He landed in London, got in a cab, and asked if he could be driven to Edinburgh. For him, looking at the map, it was just a standard drive compared to Australia.

The cabbie looked at him funnily, asked if he was serious, but took him all the same. So the first immediate tie to the UK was for the supply of the raw materials back in to Australia. At the time, UK fibres, fabrications and even leathers were the world’s best.

— TB: What was his background?

HT: He was born and raised in Prospect, South Australia, where our factory remains today. We still own the original address, too, at 5 Percy Street, where we now have a store and a museum. It was originally his father’s house, and R.M. set up the beginnings of the first factory in 1932 – in an iron woodshed in the back yard. In Australia, R.M. is a true icon, and a figure that represents true Australian heritage. The Prime Minister named him a National Living Treasure when he was still around – an accolade awarded to exceptional

CeO AND MANAGING DIReCTOR R.M. WILLIAMS

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Australians with substantial and enduring accomplishments in their field. R.M. died in 2003, aged 95 – a good innings for anyone – and the federal government provided a national funeral.

— TB: How is R.M. Williams perceived in Australia?

HT: He created the products for what we call the “bush” and you call the Outback. A lot of people around the world have heard of, or bought, our boots, but sometimes the man’s status and legend isn’t always early understood outside Australia. His is a story of a true pioneer and entrepreneur.

— TB: How did the creation of the boots come about?

HT: His first products were pack saddles – for the second horse that’s not ridden but carries all the supplies. But then he met a fellow called Dollar Mick around a camp fire in the bush. Between them they worked out how to make a boot out of only one piece of leather, with just a seam at the back of the boot – which we still do today – so there were no other seams or edges where the stitching could wear away or break. A lot of the men in the bush at the time liked to wear socks, but there wasn’t really a way to repair them when out in the bush, so you needed to be able to have a totally smooth-fitting piece of leather on your foot. They also found at the time that, for heels on boots, when you pushed them up against a stirrup they could break – dangerous when in a gallop. So they worked out how to attach the heel so it was very strong and wouldn’t come off.

— TB: How did the business develop in those early years?

HT: They made the boots, started wearing them and sold a few pairs. R.M. was smart enough to put his name and address on the boot tug of each pair.

Word spread among guys out in the bush sitting around campfires as to how good the boots were, and with the name and address on the boot tugs, they could write to R.M. Williams and order a pair.

The rule was you had to send the money with the order. That’s how it started, and today we’re producing 150,000 pairs of handmade boots a year, exporting to 15 countries, and we operate a very large retail network in Australia.

— TB: What has triggered this new push for the brand into other markets?

HT: Over all the years of development of the footwear and apparel, in May last year it was

OCTOBER 2014 | INTERVIEW | 19

enough to attract the interests of the L Capital Asia group, a private equity business sponsored

by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy). They bought into R.M. Williams as a 49.9 per cent shareholder. That development has come about with Ken Cowley, who is the chairman and 51 per cent owner and was one of R.M.’s best friends, as well as having been Rupert Murdoch’s right-hand man for some 45 years. Cowley was 100 per cent owner of R.M. Williams for 11 years prior to this deal. With the LVMH background, L Capital obviously brings with it a huge amount of talent when it comes to brand building, as well as a massive worldwide network. The strategy was put in place to take R.M. Williams to a much bigger audience while still keeping the core brand DNA. The UK and Europe are being targeted first, to develop the label and the product there over the next two-three years. Once we have that acceptance and success in the UK and Europe, we will take the brand back into Asia, which is the largest emerging middle to luxury market.

— TB: Is it now so much more than about the famous R.M. Williams boots?

HT: Over the last 80 years, the company has always dressed people from head to toe. And we have over 360 people in our factory handcrafting our boots every day. There are 68 hand-held processes to produce a pair of our boots. They are a fully lasted Goodyear welt, and we use the finest leathers in the world. Our Craft Line, in terms of our belts, bags and other leather accessories is also big business – around 200,000 units a year, all hand-crafted in Australia. And we have a full jean production – and were the first denim-maker in Australia, as well as a big shirt and outerwear business. With the new push into Europe, we’ve expanded the line to ensure we’ve used the quintessential elements of the brand and its 80 years of heritage, as well as the design expertise of our creative director Jonathan Ward – one of Australia’s most prominent designers whose own couture creations have dressed the likes of Kylie Minogue, Elle Macpherson and Nicole Kidman. We also now have other senior designers in Europe.

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TB: What direction has the collection taken?

HT: The line we launched at the last Bread & Butter for s/s 15 has more of a UK and European appeal. There’s still a real sense of Australia, in terms of product delivery across both men’s and women’s, but we’re also now giving a European fit and feel to the product range – which lets us take that next step forward in the marketplace.

There are unique requirements to different markets in terms of design, fit, style, fabrications and colour choice, and now we can do it. The response has been great in the first season. Our accounts in the UK have doubled already. It’s not often that you start to look at the better-end retailers in your first season with a new offer, but we have been targeting the likes of Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Liberty, Harrods and Fenwick. The big plus is that Mr Porter has been secured on men’s, and will carry our footwear online for s/s 15.

Kurt Geiger is also taking it. But we still supply people in the bush now for their working requirements; in fact we sell more into regional Australia than we ever did. Outerwear forms an important part of that.

— TB: Is the outerwear requirement for europe different?

HT: yes – largely because of the climate. That’s where we can utilise modern techniques and fabrications. There’s still a sense of styling that ties it back to what we’ve created for our home market, but it’s higher end. For men, there’s the “panel” jacket, which has unique stitching and design elements and takes its inspiration from Australia. There’s also a reversible jacket called the Western Ridge Mac, which is a great piece.

— TB: What are the plans for your own retail?

HT: We’ve been on New Bond Street for nearly five years – and that shop will be getting a facelift for spring 2015. There is now a chance to bring the best of R.M. Williams into the UK and Europe – in a far more sophisticated way, and yes we will be looking at other retail opportunities. We will be doing that in the next 12-18 months, with select locations where we will create our new delivery of our R.M. Williams stores.

“Word spread among guys out in the bush sitting around campfires as to how good the boots were, and with the name and address on the boot tugs, they could write to R.M. Williams and order a pair”

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OCTOBER 2014 | GENT | CONTENTS | 21

G E N T

MakING a bee lINe Established by menswear designer Benjamin Crane in 2012, Bee was born from a belief that high-performance clothing can be fashionable as it is able. “It’s about creating clothing without compromise – believing that “performance” doesn’t have to be worn on your sleeve and that balancing function with form is what makes a garment truly wearable and covetable,” says Crane. Standing at the core of the a/w 14 collection is the label’s outerwear, with signature duffles, trenches and smock coats all making an appearance in Bee’s bright and colourful DNA. In terms of brand development, buyers – who currently include Number Six London, By-Walski and Best of British Store – can expect to see the introduction of knitwear and shirting, as well as an innovative waterproof pac-a-blazer and a secret collaboration with a key bag label. www.beeclo.com —

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Product News

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Starting from the bottom up

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Moda Gent

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Classic gift guide

Rounding up the key stories this month

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In-season stock

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One step beyond

MWB’s seasonal footwear shoot

Parka and ride The news and developments from mainstream footwear

Industry insiders reveal what’s new for s/s 15 Gifts, accessories and essential extras designed for your festive offer

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OCTOBER 2014 | GENT | PRODUCT | 22

radar

PrOduCt NewS

Spotlighting style.

Inside menswear.

O HW ? E XPANDS I NTO AC C E SSO R I E S Contemporary footwear label Ohw? has expanded into accessories for a/w 14, with the launch of its first backpack.

Following the brand’s signature “back to basics” design ethos, the backpack is made from grey wool and tan full-grain leather, wholesaling at £80, with an RRP of £200.

The size markers along the cut edge of the leather at the bottom of the bag are signature details that appear on the uppers of all Ohw? shoes, and are the traditional way that shoemakers indicate the sizes of cut pieces. The bag, meanwhile, has inside compartments and is fully lined in synthetic nubuck.

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kEMPES ESTABLISHED: 2013 — SIGNATURE STYLE: Garments in the label’s casual range feature an iconic sewn-on patch, identifying them as Kempes products.

— HISTORY: Co-founders Danny Passarella, David Pinder and Gavin Skelton created the brand’s first collection using inspiration from Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception, focusing on the quote, “There are things known, and there are things unknown. In between lie the doors of perception.”

After launching its first collection for s/s 14, menswear label kempes will feature different subjects that define each range going forward. The brand is the brainchild of Danny Passarella and a new direction for the designer, who has already made a name for himself in the industry.

Bright colour selections used in the new range shows a move away from the monochrome palette and casual styling of Passarella’s established T-shirt brand Passarella’s Death Squad.

Using specialist British craftsmen and Japanese-sourced fabrics, the label’s latest collection includes suits in crimson red and bright blue, featuring wide-legged pleat-front trousers and strong attention to detail. Psychedelic designs are at the forefront of the casual side of the collection, with garments featuring a distinctive pocket patch on T-shirts, shirts and sweaters. Japanese denim is used for three jeans styles including wide-leg, straight fit and loose fit. Wholesale prices average at around £90. www.kempesclothing.co.uk

J O HN PO U ND R E L AU NC HE S I NTO W HO LE SALE M AR K E T As the “oldest luggage brand in the world”, John Pound certainly has a number of archives to go through, and with its relaunch back into the wholesale market for a/w 14, that’s exactly what the label intends to do.

Starting life in the City of London in 1823, the brand designed and produced trunks and luggage for the gentry from its base in Leadenhall Street.

Designer Stuart Eggleton acquired the rights to the brand in 2013 from John Lewis Plc, and has revived the brand with a small but concise collection, with retail prices starting at £750 for a briefcase.

John Pound will donate 10 per cent of profits to educational charities, with Eggleton having a keen interest in this area due to his own battle with dyslexia.

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OCTOBER 2014 | GENT | PRODUCT | 23

ON TREND Seasonal extras: winter warmers

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F R E D BE NNE T T U NVE I LS NEW C O LLE C T I O N Fred Bennett, the British jewellery and accessories label, has unveiled the latest additions to its s/s 15 offering with the introduction of watches to its offer.

The Classic FB watch, crafted from polished and matt stainless steel, features a navy blue dial, offering a model and masculine style, while the Fred Bennett Sports Watch features a chronograph with day, date and 24-hour indicators displayed on a matt black dial with a distinctive orange second hand. Both styles are water resistant up to 200m. RRP prices range from £75 to £85.

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1: GUIDE £5.50 020 7481 1111 2: MERC £10 020 7495 8538 3: MINIMUM £10 07966 465456 4: SOXKS price on request 0116 236 2304 5: CAMEL ACTIVE price on request 0161 234 0999

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braNd tO watCh

CAMPBELL COLE designers Ian Campbell Cole and Felicity baggett created accessories brand Campbell Cole out of a shared appreciation for a minimalist look.

The brand’s Annex collection made its debut earlier this year. Inspired by modern living architecture, the range of contemporary bags and small leather goods are designed to act as a portable living space for belongings to allow easy organisation of daily essentials. Soft premium leather and the fine attention to detail embodied in the range reflect and promote the brand’s overall approach to design. With pieces made and designed in England, the result is products that boast sleek, luxurious exteriors.

Having a strong belief that accessories can enhance everyday life, products undergo a well-thought-out design process and are balanced with detailing and functionality. Both Cole and Baggett maintain a meticulous approach to design, which is reflected in the end product. Each piece is submitted to an intricate manufacturing process before being presented, including tweaking and refining, and finally finished in specialist Uk factories.

Cole and Baggett also feature the work of other British designers that share the brand’s ethos, and are keen supporters of independents. www.campbellcole.co.uk

ESTABLISHED: 2014 — SIGNATURE STYLE: A meticulous approach to design, exploring sculptural form and balancing it with essential detailing and effortless functionality.

— HISTORY: Designer Ian Campbell Cole started the brand with a small range of nylon and leather bags, which laid the foundations for a contemporary aesthetic.

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OCTOBER 2014 | GENT | PRODUCT | 24

CAMEL ACTIVE PRICE ON REQUEST 0161 234 0999

ANTHONY MORATO £84.00 020 7739 8560

MA.STRUM PRICE ON REQUEST 01268 564636

MERC £55 020 7495 8538

BOOMERANG £179 01252 725200

DOUGLAS & GRAHAME £47.95 033 34567777

GEOX £62.40 020 3227 0502

Parka aNd rIde Prepare shoppers for the elements this winter, with a comprehensive offering of investment outerwear. while padded down jackets are still present, it’s the parka silhouette that returns to reign supreme.

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G LAB £240 020 7636 6088

SPIEWAK £160 07773 775092

Unless stated otherwise all prices are wholesale

PARKA LONDON £97 020 7424 6887

www.gucinari.co.uk

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OCTOBER 2014 | GENT | FOOTWEAR | 26

ONe SteP beyONd while footwear remains classic in terms of silhouettes and popular styles, interest for the new season comes from pops of colour and a pared-down, casual offering.

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 LOAK E In its premium 1880 range, styles such as the Taunton brogue (pictured), a two-tone shoe with Goodyear welted soles, reflect British label Loake’s overall focus on updating classic styles with contemporary features for s/s 15. New material and colour combinations work together to create the main look of the season.

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 AI GLE Defined by modernity and simplicity, Aigle’s s/s 15 collection takes its inspiration from the garden and the lush flora and fauna within. The season opens with a focus on burnt orange shades and moss green accents, with sophisticated tones of grey and soft yellow emerging later. With details that are inspired by the brand’s heritage, fabrics reflect the season’s lighter mood and fine prints are contrasted with volume and military highlights.

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 BAR BO U R  BASE LONDON Unveiling a contemporary fashion look with a luxury edge, Base London uses ideas from around the word for its travel-inspired s/s 15 collection. Expect to see striking colours influenced by vibrant Eastern spice markets, leisure styles presented in woven and punched leathers, formal choices that blend classic British design with seasonal flashes of colour and lighter suede alternatives that update the look for warmer weather.

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Creating twists on the modern classic, Barbour upholds a diverse offering for s/s 15. In the brand’s Heritage range, styles such as Valiant (pictured), a trainer shoe with tweed fabric to the upper, reflect a fusion of relaxed and formal. Meanwhile, the International range features the Randall, a vulcanised suede shoe featuring a crepe effect sole and quilted profile stitching. The plain toe suede Farsley chelsea boot heads up the Lifestyle range, featuring dark green soft leather linings.

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OCTOBER 2014 | GENT | FOOTWEAR | 27

 F R ANK W R I GHT

 BAR K E R

Incorporating seasonal trends and classic styles, Frank Wright introduces distressed and antiqued leathers together with suede and waxed leather options this season for understated styling. key styles, such as Bognor in tan leather (pictured), feature contrast stitching, leather and and brogue detailing. Meanwhile, contemporary touches come in statement shades of caramel, rust, ocean and grey.

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Quintessential British footwear label Barker continues its love affair with heritage styling for the new season, and although tradition is at the core of its design ethos, s/s 15 sees the introduction of bold splashes of colour. Across the brand’s comprehensive collection of both men’s and women’s footwear, key styles include Barker’s signature brogues and Derbys, with vivid colour panelling and contrasting laces.

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 SE BAGO Sebago’s popular and iconic Docksides (pictured) return updated for s/s 15.

Available in new colour combinations with matching slip-resistant soles and laces, the hand-stitched moccasins maintain comfort and durability and come in a mixture of materials including premium leather, nubuck, suede or neoprene uppers.

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 J SHO E S

 GU I DE LO NDO N

J Shoes returns with its trademark classic and heritage styles, which form the foundation of this season’s look. key pieces include suede driving moccasins in tones of red, purple and yellow, while traditionally-styled brogues and chukkas continue to be strong alongside the Instructor range, featuring soft rubber soles and clean canvas uppers.

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This season Guide London offers a diverse range of footwear designs, with the aim of presenting an on-trend shoe for every occasion. Following on from the previous season’s success, key styles include brogues, suede driving shoes and slip-on espadrilles. key season colours burgundy, cobalt and brown bring a contemporary update to the look.

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STARTING FROM THE BOTTOM MWB SHOWCASES THE SHOE ESSENTIALS TO ADD TO YOUR FOOTWEAR OFFER THIS COMING SPRING/SUMMER 2015, FROM CATWALK-INSPIRED SLIP-ONS TO THE CLASSIC NEUTRAL DESERT BOOT.

Photographs www.chrisharveyphoto.com 07549 811066 Unless stated otherwise all prices are wholesale

COLOUR POPPING —

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1: CROFORD BY HENGST £17.25 01785 662102 • 2: ROAMERS £13.75 0116 240 3232 3: BASE LONDON £31.15 020 8532 0000 • 4: FRONT £23.90 020 8773 7800 5: HEY DUDE £25.20 01202 575394 • 6: PARADIGMA £54 07813 212416

SLIP STYLE —

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1: BRAKEBURN £14.58 01203 338500 • 2: BIRKENSTOCK PRICE ON REQUEST 020 7371 6554 3: BUGATTI £29.16 01604 686800 • 4: BEACH ATHLETICS £12.75 01633 271488 5: DR. MARTENS £37.50 0845 769 7178 • 6: MUSTANG PRICE ON REQUEST 07974 155274

DOCK OF THE BAY —

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1: QUAYSIDE £32.50 01275 392694 • 2: COTSWOLD £16.66 01452 727300 3: BRAKEBURN £18.75 01202 338500 • 4: CHATHAM MARINE £22.90 0845 270 0217 5: CAMEL ACTIVE £39.60 01642 677222 • 6: AIGLE £41.70 01608 813860

GOING GREEN —

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1: MOCCAMOCCA BY JOHN WHITE £29.95 01933 410584 • 2: CHATHAM MARINE £37.10 0845 2700 217 3: DJINNS £21.74 01202 575394 • 4: JUSTIN REECE PRICE ON REQUEST 020 8809 7052 5: PARADIGMA £40 07813 212416 • 6: BONNARUE PRICE ON REQUEST 0085 235639344 • 7: RM WILLIAMS £88 07774 722757

NEUTRAL TERRITORY —

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1: JUSTIN REECE PRICE ON REQUEST 020 8809 7052 • 2: BASE LONDON £31.15 020 8532 0000 3: CAMEL ACTIVE £37.50 01642 677222 • 4: BIRKENSTOCK £62 020 7371 6554 5: BARBOUR £50 0191 455 4444 • 6: FRONT £21.75 020 8773 7800

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OCTOBER 2014 | GENT | MODA | 34

MOda GeNt with a refreshed look and a revised layout, the mood around Moda Gent’s s/s 15 edition in august was upbeat. Mwb caught up with some of the show’s key exhibitors to find out how business is faring, and what plans they have for the new season.

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darIa POhlMaNN, uk exPOrt MaNaGer, Meyer hOSeN “As always, Moda has been a great show for Meyer – the new layout and look of the event indicates some real investment from the brands surrounding us which is an indicator of how the market is improving as a whole. We’ve opened six to eight new accounts and have had a growing number of returning stockists, which is just as, if not more, important to us as opening new doors is. We’ve seen a 10 per cent increase across the Uk market year-on-year and want to retain our position as the leaders in the country’s trouser segment. Growth to us has to be organic, so it’s about moving forward slowly but surely, rather than at a fast pace when potential mistakes could arise. An important thing Meyer has introduced, and it’s been a great decision to do so, is Uk sizes. Also our premium line – MMX – has seen its popularity in the Uk continue to grow.

We’ve only really pushed forward with a soft launch this season because we want customers to gain confidence in the product line so retailers are able to order a smaller quantity to test the water first.”

MarCO VaGhettI, head OF CreatIVe, GOOdwIN SMIth “Originally launched in 1928, Goodwin Smith was the brainchild of two rival shoemakers – Ernie Goodwin and Walter Smith – who decided to join forces to create their own brand. Myself and friend Tim Smith decided to relaunch the label with a soft launch last season. This season, however, we’re really driving forward with our presence in independents. We’re already stocked in the likes of Room 14 and Intro, with 80 accounts nationwide. We’ve found we’ve done really well with gentleman’s outfitters and, with the average pair of shoes in the collection wholesaling at £30 and retailing at around £90, we offer a good mark-up. Aimed at the 21-30 market, we’ve tried to harness the power of social media to get the end consumer interested in our product, so our Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram accounts all have the same “young and carefree” tone of voice. Linking up with celebrities and brand ambassadors has also been really successful for us with this demographic.

You’ll see Goodwin Smith on the likes of Calum Best, racing driver Oliver Webb and reality stars including Jamie Laing and Ross Worswick.”

www.Mwb-ONlINe.CO.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | GENT | MODA | 35

JONathaN keNyON, SaleS aGeNt, beNCh “There’s a massive peak in the Uk market right now for performancewear, and Bench is experiencing such a positive response to the s/s 15 collection. For us as a brand it’s about re-educating the end consumer about who Bench is now, as opposed to who we were years back. We certainly haven’t lost our roots, but we have developed and grown as a brand. It’s about building the confidence of the retailer and, even though we’ve opened new accounts here at Moda, it’s not about volume; it’s about maintaining our current relationships season after season. Bench has invested close to £2m with the aim of owning the market we currently sit in. We want to see Bench sit confidently next to the likes of North Face and Patagonia and, with our new multi-purpose collection, I think it’s something we can execute. To distinguish the two lines – City and Performance – we’ve kept the original branding for City and introduced a new branding for Performance, adding features such as safety reflectivity, versatility found in outerwear, which turns into a travel pillow and built-in sunblock throughout our T-shirt range.”

SIMON Parr, SaleS dIreCtOr, GIbSON “This season has been a really strong start for Gibson. Obviously a/w 14 is notably stronger, for Moda and for brand as a whole, but we’ve seen some key accounts and opened a number of new doors. I actually saw a retailer who I initially saw at Jacket Required earlier on in the season, and who flew in from Germany to specifically sit down and write an order here. We’ve also had a representative from Aston Villa Football Club looking for suits for the team, as well as online shop MyTuxedo looking for both full suits and jackets. In terms of product, our patch pocket, one-button linen and cotton-mix jacket (£55 wholesale) has seen a great reaction, as has our seeksucker three-piece suit, which features shorts – a new addition for us this season – and is really well-priced at £60 for the jacket, £22 for the waistcoat and £20 for the shorts. Although we haven’t pushed our accessories as much as we did last season, we’ve still kept the tweed hats and will be putting a bigger focus on this area of the collection for a/w 15.”

brIaN wINterbOurNe, uk SaleS aGeNt, SeIdeNStICker “This season Seidensticker took a step back and reassessed its position here at Moda alongside some of our counterparts and decided to really show what we’re made of – hence the impressive new stand build. We’re one of three big German shirt brands in the Uk market and, for s/s 15, we’ve made the decision to lower our prices. This is only for the Uk retail market mind, but with this slightly movement in price our aim is to attract new customers and help us stand out against the competition, while also giving our current stockists a better margin. It feels tremendously exciting at the moment at Seidensticker, with our collection really moving forward in terms of development and design.

The environment that we’ve set up here at Moda reflects how we’re evolving as a brand and, without tempting fate, it seems like retailers are feeling far more optimistic than they were this time last year.”

www.Mwb-ONlINe.CO.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | GENT | ACCESSORIES | 36

RICHARD JAMES £65 WWW.RICHARDJAMES.CO.UK

MINIMUM £30 07966 465456

SMART TURNOUT PRICE ON REQUEST 0845 129 2900

GUIDE £10 020 748 1111

ECCO £105.60 0808 101 7442

CAMEL ACTIVE PRICE ON REQUEST 020 7736 0230

ClaSSIC GIFt GuIde the new season sees a nod towards the sartorial gent in terms of accessories, with a raft of stylish essential extras on offer – ideal for stocking fillers and festive gifts.

— Unless stated otherwise all prices are wholesale

UNIVERSAL WORKS £6 STEPHANIE@UNIVERSALWORKS.CO.UK

MILLICAN £72 (BAG AND CAMERA CASE) 01768 778778

MARWOOD £48 07973 429177

www.Mwb-ONlINe.CO.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | GENT | ACCESSORIES | 37

JAS M.B £135 020 7739 1008

NOBIS £23 07885 066006

PENFIELD £18 020 7720 5050

SIMON CARTER £18.10 020 8683 4475

EDEN PARK PRICE ON REQUEST 020 3432 6387

BEN SHERMAN £10 020 7812 5300

MERC £8 020 7495 8538

ATELIER SCOTCH £32 020 3137 3901

BARBOUR £99.60 0800 009 988

FENDON 1919 £159 01273 202095

DENISON BOSTON £20 01273 202095

TRIWA £75 020 7377 9083

www.Mwb-ONlINe.CO.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | CONTENTS | 39

D E N I M

&

S T R E E T

a MaN aMONGSt MeN British clothing label Moniyang not only has an unusual name, but also a less than ordinary design ethos. With a brand name that translates from the Sudanese term “men of men” – taken from an indigenous tribe where the culture requires a boy to go through a rigorous initiation process to carry him through to become a man – this label also has some real substance. Founded by university friends Dennis Immanuel and Junior Agyeman, Moniyang is stocked in independent boutiques, including Vivachoo and Secret D’or. There is also an international presence with stockists in the UAE, with the brand’s DNA comprising loud prints, leathers and a relaxed, versatile fit. “The next season will see a much bigger collection from Moniyang,” says Agyeman.

“While offering our customers a greater choice, it will still retain the hallmarks of the label – which are originality and a rebellious streak in its design. Expect another exotic theme and more timeless yet versatile pieces which are still fashionable.” www.moniyang.co.uk

40

Product News

48

Select

50

Sole-searching

Rounding up the key stories this month

42

In-season stock

Highlighting the best from Moda’s contemporary zone

Pure jeanius

News, developments and trends from denim, street and

44

20 years of brotherly love

young fashion footwear

46

Chippewa back on the supply trail

Indie Aphrodite celebrates its 20th anniversary Profiling the classic biker boot label

52

Jacket required

54

Contemporary gift guide

Tom Bottomley’s picks from the London trade show Point of sale options including accessories, leather goods and tech extras

www.Mwb-ONlINe.CO.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | PRODUCT | 40

radar

PrOduCt NewS

Spotlighting style.

Inside menswear.

PE R F E C TO F RO M T HE I NSI DE O U T Schott NYC enters its 101th year with the relaunch of its iconic asymmetrical jacket, commonly known as the Perfecto. Taking inspiration from this, Schott has created a collection of premium jackets, all named Perfecto Brand, for s/s 15.

Sourcing only the best materials for its collections including Woolrich wool from the Woollen Mills of Scotland, and hand-waxed cowhide leather from Martexin Original Wax, the range embodies Schott’s heritage perfectly.

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PAWN FUTURE kINGS ESTABLISHED: 2014 — HISTORY: Conceived earlier this year, Pawn Future Kings was established by agent Chris Sykes after noticing a need for a young streetwear label in his offer.

— SIGNATURE STYLE: Strong graphics, ethnic prints and inspiration drawn from music influences.

“I was looking for a streetwear brand to add to my agency portfolio and as my background is in this area, I thought of a name and produced my own,” says established agent Chris Sykes. “The contacts I’ve made in the industry over the years have been really helpful in terms of advice, funding, sourcing and design – as well as great customers who are buying into the brand.”

And it’s easy to see why buyers have been keen to stock the Northern label, aside from their trusting relationship with Sykes. With wholesale prices ranging from £10 for T-shirts, vests at £16, sweats at £22 and hats at £8, competitive pricing is the core of the brand.

Drawing its inspiration from classic streetwear labels from the 80s and 90s through to the current day, the brand is designed to target the 18-30 year-old market and with the current trend for street-inspired clothing going through the roof, there’ll be no problem securing fans. www.pawnfuturekings.com

M AST E R O F I TS C R AF T Founded in 2013, Master Craft Union is a denim label that has the credentials of being hand-woven in a family-run mill in Okayama, Japan. The sewing and washing is processed in the mountains of Shimane, where hot spring water and volcanic pumice are used to create the denim via traditional non chemical techniques.

A key style for the season is the MCU paper Denim, which is constructed from exclusive fabric using traditionally milled Japanese paper within the weave of the denim. This aids comfort, breathability and 3D shape retention plus a shorter wear-in time than standard jeans. Stocked in Harvey Nichols and Selfridges, this is one denim label to watch.

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www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | PRODUCT | 41

on tRend Seasonal extras: Prints

GRAPHI C AL TRIO British tailor timothy everest, print designer eley kishimoto and creative agency new Future Graphic have collaborated to create clothing line tek – unveiled at the Best of Britannia earlier this month. the first project for the design trio is the shirt – a perfect starting point for printer and tailor to meet. hand screen-printed cotton shirting from the ek design studio in Brixton is shaped and detailed by timothy everest in london’s Shoreditch. the finished product has been manufactured and packaged under art direction from new Future Graphic, with the trio making a concerted effort to take a locally produced and crafted shirt to a global market.

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1

2

3

4 1: FYT & CO £15.50 01628 777 320 2: MI-PAC £4.15 020 7739 7620 3: NATIVE YOUTH £5.75 020 7739 7620 4: SCOTCH & SODA £24 020 7253 6404 5: SUPREMEBEING £8 01223 873359

5

Unless stated otherwise all prices are wholesale

brand to watch

luke made in the uk contemporary menswear label Luke 1977 has unveiled its first denim programme made on british soil. the collection, luke made in the uk, comprises two styles based on the bestselling silhouette Freddie, which has a classic regular rise, five-pocket styling and a gradual taper from knee to hem. there is a super-stretch selvedge version, which has been exclusively developed by the brand and features the company colours (black/gold/red) inter woven into the selvedge. the second style, also the Freddie five-pocket model, uses luke’s classic non-stretch raw indigo 12oz fabric, which is the brand’s British-produced entry point offer, with touches such as two copper piece rivets, donut buttons and classic five-pocket styling.

“From my early days at london’s Central St martins, where i worked with British fabrics and manufacturing for my degree collections, i have always promised myself that i would try to use local talent and manufacturing where i could, but scale and price have always been an issue,” says luke Roper, founder and creative director. “With the ever-closing production and price gap with China, i am excited to finally be bringing elements of our collection home.” www.luke1977.com

ESTABLISHED: 2001 — HISTORY: Coming from “lads” label Luke 1977, s/s 15 sees the launch of Luke’s first Made in the UK denim programme.

— SIGNATURE STYLE: Focusing on fabric, the collection encompasses the brand’s DNA of classic silhouettes with innovative detailing.

www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | PRODUCT | 42

EDWIN £88 020 7278 4494 FRANKLIN & MARSHALL £34 020 7488 1380

DUKE £12 0115 977 0009

WESC £40 01271 865600

Pure jeaniuS distressed finishes, patchwork panelling and irregular silhouettes are key to denim’s a/w 14 offer, while robust jean jackets offer a transitional piece into the colder months.

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WÅVEN £15 020 7739 7620

BELLFIELD £9 0161 230 7312

WEEKEND OFFENDER £26 01332 342068

EVISU PRICE ON REQUEST 020 7907 0977

VOI JEANS £24 01772 841973

Unless stated otherwise all prices are wholesale

SUPREMEBEING £10 01223 873359

www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | APHRODITE | PROFILE | 44

20 yearS of brotherLy Love for menSwear duncan and andrew mckenzie opened aphrodite in Sunderland in 1994 with just five brands. aphrodite may be the goddess of love, but it’s been the brothers’ love of menswear that has seen the shop reach its 20th anniversary this year – now with over 40 brands and further shop expansion currently under way. tom bottomley discovers how the business has grown.

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aphrodite is one of those menswear independents that seems to have been around for an eternity. Going from 500 sq ft and five brands – ted baker, john Smedley, armand basi, john tate & blanc bleu – in 1994 to over 40 brands and 3,800 sq ft of retail space 20 years later, signifies consistent growth and a dedicated following.

Customers are now more likely to be browsing and buying the likes of moncler, Stone island, Y3, Paul Smith, Folk, oliver Spencer, our legacy, Belstaff, hugo Boss, CP Company and Vivienne Westwood. and, whereas once it was very much a local Sunderland customer that brothers duncan and andrew mckenzie targeted, it’s now much more far-reaching. “Certainly in 1994 when we opened, our customers were mainly from Sunderland,” says duncan mckenzie. “now they come from Sunderland, newcastle, middlesbrough, durham, darlington and Yorkshire.” and that’s not including much further afield with the success of the shop’s website, www.aphrodite1994.com, which was originally launched in 2007 but relaunched as a much slicker operation in 2012.

“We came up with the name aphrodite after our parents had been on holiday to Cyprus in

1993,” says mckenzie. “the town they stayed in was called aphrodite, though obviously it’s also the name of the goddess of love.” they must have liked the sound of it, however clearly it was their love of clothes that was the driving force. “We’re happy to get to 20 years, for sure,” says mckenzie. “But we’ve never really felt the threat of any economic downturn to be honest.” that’s some statement, considering he was just 18 years old when he opened the shop in 1994, while his elder brother andrew was only 21. “our parents bought the building, and we bought it off them five years down the line when the business was more established,” says mckenzie, now 38. “our first full season’s forward-order buy for the shop was only £14,000, so it was very much on a shoestring budget, but with help from our parents. the first two years were really tough – a real learning curve. in terms of brands, apart from ted Baker there was no real money makers there.” it was in their third year that they got in duffer of St George, and things started to take off. “duffer took off massively, especially with the hoodies it did at the time,” says mckenzie. “the whole americana sportswear thing it did really helped us establish our customer base. in 19981999, we got in Paul Smith Jeans and things went

up a tier again. Following that, in 2000, hugo Boss came on board – and we were in our full momentum. once you’ve got brands like that on board you can start taking some decent money, and obviously it’s attractive to other big name brands in terms of wanting to be in your shop.”

Competition in Sunderland for menswear has also “come and gone,” according to mckenzie. “there was a bit of an influx around 10 years ago, with the likes of Van mildert and eleven coming into town, but they all seemed to fall by the wayside.” So newcastle and the metro Centre pose the biggest competition these days. in times of bigger boys moving into town – not just on menswear, but also across the retail board, and with it ever growing rents, it must be comforting to own the building they are in. and, considering what it will be worth now, compared to what their parents paid for it in 1994, also potentially very profitable should they ever decide to sell up. “having the freehold is a huge advantage,” says mckenzie. “in 2002 we bought the building next door, too.” Starting with 500 sq ft in 1994, in 2000 that increased to 1,000 sq ft with the opening of the first floor, and with the purchase of the building next door that went firstly to 1,500 sq

www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | APHRODITE | PROFILE | 45

“We came up with the name Aphrodite after our parents had been on holiday to Cyprus in 1993.

The town they stayed in was called Aphrodite, though obviously it’s also the name of the goddess of love”

ft in 2003, then doubling to 3,000 sq ft by 2010. this year’s new refurbishment work will see the store grow once again – to 3,800 sq ft. “there were two separate units that we rented out downstairs – to a barbers and a jewellers – for 11 years, and that’s what we’re extending into,” says mckenzie. eleven years of rent coming in must also have been quite a tidy addition to what the shop was taking. now with 25 staff, it’s also a far cry from just the two brothers that set up aphrodite. “there’s been a lot of progress,” says mckenzie. “twenty years of stress, but we still love it. it’s a good industry to be involved in, when you think we were at Pitti in Florence in June, then Paris, then milan in July, and we’re down in london a lot buying as well. myself and my brother still do most of the buying, and with me being 38 – soon to be 39 – and andrew still only being 41, we still consider ourselves relatively young to do the buying, though now we obviously have all the experience on our side as well.” however, he does stress that they take some of the younger guys working for them with them sometimes, to get a bit of a different input. “it gets them more involved in the business as well,” says mckenzie.

in 2012, the brothers also bought another freehold in the city, at the back of their store, which is now where all the web team is housed, all 12 of them – eight full-time and four part-time. “We do all our Search engine optimisation (Seo) in-house, to get higher up on Google, and we’ve got people specifically dealing with blogs, which has become a big part of our business,” says mckenzie. “if we can get some of the more limited trainers, say from new Balance, on hypebeast, then we can get a massive reaction from it. it’s how a lot of people find us online – searching for the likes of Stone island or moncler or whatever it is.” he says it’s important to sell online, but it’s also a great tool in terms of advertising the shop.

“When we opened, we would have put a shop ad next to the sports pages in the Sunderland echo, but now it’s all done online – and we get customers coming into the shop from all over the north east as a direct result,” says mckenzie. dedicated premises for the online business has made a massive difference to the website trade, so much so that they now need to upgrade their server due to the level of traffic going to the website. “it’s now 40 per cent of our business, and we expect that to one day overtake the shop, but we’ve been fortunate because the shop-floor

business just keeps going,” says duncan. “We’ve definitely not witnessed any downturn in footfall, and with the increased space there’s an extra draw to the shop.

“We’ve found the more you invest in the business, the better return you get,” he continues. “there are a few retailers who are a bit long in the tooth and who don’t spend money on their businesses – and they are usually the ones who are suffering.” to celebrate 20 years in business, the brothers are throwing a big party, inviting their loyal customers, as well as other retailers they’ve got to know and become friends with over the years, and various brand representatives.

“We’ve also got dual-branded product collaborations with oliver Spencer, Paul Smith, Barbour and Grenson,” says mckenzie. “and we’re running competitions in-store and online, including with adidas originals via our website, whereby a pair of trainers can be won every month for 12 months.” optimism from independent retailers can often be quite hard to find, even when times are meant to be good, but the mckenzie brothers’ love of menswear means they are not in the hands of the gods, as aphrodite keeps on giving.

www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | PROFILE | 46

chiPPewa back on the SuPPLy traiL heritage american outdoor and work boot brand chippewa is still manufacturing in the uS today, and now has a fresh impetus to supply other markets with its authentic products. tom bottomley gets the new plan of attack from the butler company owner david butler, who’s heading up the new supply for the uk.

—

anyone of a certain age will remember chippewa boots from the last time they had a real presence in the uk market – in the late 80s and early 90s, when every cool kid on the block had a pair of their engineer boots on their feet. either that or a pair of chippewa’s famous Logger boots. they just looked so good with a pair of jeans, and they seemed to last forever. however, as the cycles of fashion change, so did Chippewa slip happily back to its roots in north-central uSa. a supplier to engineers, builders, lumberjacks, the uS army and not to mention an army of bikers, Chippewa certainly had its work cut out for its home market as it was.

But now it’s back in the uk, via david Butler and his Butler Company agency – previously responsible for bringing in the likes of other fantastic heritage uS footwear brands such as Frye boots, Sperry, Pro-keds and Gh Bass with its Weejuns.

Butler says, “this is a reintroduction to the uk of another legendary american brand.

Chippewa is such a great name, coming from an old native american tribe.

“We’re in the process of establishing 10 key retailers to relaunch Chippewa in the uk for this autumn,” he continues. “american Classics, oi

Polloi and the hip Store have taken it so far. and mr Porter is on board with a 7-inch engineer boot we’ve done in collaboration with Jean Shop new York. it’s a real gem.” despite a good kick-off to uk business, Butler stresses that Chippewa has no urgency to rebuild the business too quickly here. it’s about measured organic growth and long-term development. he says, “it’s about getting the name out there as one of those great old forgotten about american brands. and one that still manufactures all of their boots in the uS, using the traditional methods and materials.”

Justin Brands acquired Chippewa Shoe manufacturing Co in 1984. Justin Brands is the largest, and one of the oldest, continuously run domestic boot manufacturers in the uS. it is also the recognised leader in Western and outdoor footwear. But to this day, the Chippewa Shoe Co has preserved a domestic manufacturing base with its uS factories as well. in 1999, John Justin stepped down from his role as chairman of the board of Justin industries inc, and in 2000 the board of directors for Justin industries approved the sale of the company to Warren Buffett and the Berkshire-hathaway Corp.

Buffett is an american business magnate and

investor. he is the chairman, Ceo and largest shareholder of Berkshire hathaway, and ranked among the world’s wealthiest people.

“Buffett has invested heavily into good old-fashioned american manufacturing, with Chippewa now one of those great old brands benefitting,” says Butler. “he believes in the regeneration of american manufacturing, and he also happens to have the biggest shares in CocaCola, which helps things.”

For Butler, Chippewa stands for “outdoors”, and as such they are not part of a fashion trend.

“We’re placing it with certain retailers who understand it,” he says. “We’re even supplying Silvermans in the east end.” Silvermans is a shop renowned for selling both new and used army surplus gear and workwear. So the brand’s new development in the uk market is not just about fashion and trends, but also about the practicality, functionality and credibility of the boots – as was originally intended when they were first created.

“We see Silvermans as a strong anchor into the longterm market that we would like to develop, avoiding the cyclical nature of the fashion business, too.”

Butler sees the engineer boot as one of the mainstays of the Chippewa brand, which has

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | PROFILE | 47

chiPPewa brand hiStory

apparently got one of the biggest collections of engineer boots in the world. it’s believed it was Chippewa engineer boots that marlon Brando wore in 50s cult biker gang film the Wild one. So they really are iconic, as well as being about traditional american workwear. “it certainly seems that Chippewa does ‘own’ the engineer boot category, or biker boot as it is more commonly known – in fashion circles at least,” says Butler. “But we’re also supplying motorcycle store Surrey Speed Shop (surreyspeedshop.com) with them now – which was set up for serious bikers, so again it’s about authenticity. it’s about rooting the product where it is not just about a trend, but about supplying the right guys with the right boots – for all the right reasons, and for the rest of their lives.” the price points are high, with the 11-inch engineer boots retailing at £235 at the Surrey Speed Shop, but you’re getting a lot for your money. they’re similar to a Red Wing price point. “oi Polloi and the hip Store are also buying into our lace-to-toe Bridgeman boot with the white wedge Vibram sole unit – which also retails at £235,” says Butler. “i believe Chippewa is the only brand to do a boot like that. it’s traditionally used in the american construction industry, but it looks

great with a decent pair of levi’s and a white tee.”

For Butler, the three signature pieces in the Chippewa collection are the engineer boot, the lace-to-toe Bridgeman boot and the Service boot, which is a standard american workman’s boot and again looks great with a pair of jeans. “those are the three boots where we’re seeing real traction. our counterpart in Paris has placed those three boots in some very good retailers, and it’s now happening across the rest of europe, too.”

Butler has his own initiative planned to get the brand “out there” on twitter, Facebook and other social-media sites. he’s bought a white toyota hilux Surf, produced in 1990, which he is turning into what he calls the Chippewaggon. a catchy name, for sure. “it’s a bit of fun to create some buzz for the label,” he says. “it will be quite heavily branded and i’ll be doing some ‘trunk shows’ such as Goodwood. “the interior has been decked out in pine wood,” Butler continues. “it’s a two-door, and i think it’s the only one in the uk of its kind. it was a Japanese production for the american market, and it just seems to fit with the brand. it will appeal to the americana purist.” if Butler has his way, it could also lead to a new customer trail in search of Chippewa’s famous boots.

In the same decade Ford Motor Company was founded and the Wright brothers took their first flight, the Chippewa Shoe Manufacturing Co was established by JB Piotrowski and John Andrejski in 1901. It was named after Chippewa Falls in Wisconsin, a small logging town located in the upper Midwest United States. Soon after the company’s inception, demand for the rugged boots from the local logging community increased, and the company relocated from the founders’ original workshop to a five-story facility on River Street in downtown Chippewa Falls that still stands today.

Timber was fuelling the industrial revolution at the turn of the century. A real demand was realised for dependable footwear that the lumberjacks needed to survive in the extreme outdoor work environment of the forests of the upper Midwest and Canada. The Chippewa Shoe Manufacturing Co introduced the first laced outdoor specific boot with the development of the Chippewa Logger Boot, making Chippewa one of oldest outdoor footwear brands in the world.

Chippewa is also credited for inventing the Engineer style boot. The Original Chippewa Engineer boot debuted in 1937 as a semi-dress boot that engineers preferred for field work. The classic 11-inch Engineer boot with logger heel was introduced in 1940. Its laceless tall shaft added maximum protection to the foot and shin while on the road.

During Word War II, the US Army’s 10th Mountain Division depended on Chippewa for the company’s expertise in the development of heavy-duty cold-weather footwear and ski boots. Chippewa would later use the same research and development to launch its legendary Arctic Collection. Chippewa’s Extreme Cold Weather Minus-40 and Arctic-50 boots were deemed the “finest, warmest, insulated Goodyear® welt boots ever made.”

In the 50s, the Chippewa Shoe Manufacturing Company was the first to introduce US-made mountaineering boots with the Italian-made original Vibram soles. And through Chippewa’s continuous research and development in the field, the company received approval on US Patent 3545107 in 1970 for the first padded boot collar. The Kush-N-Kollar was designed to reduce the stress of the achilles tendon while walking for long periods of time.

Justin Brands, a Berkshire Hathaway Inc company, acquired Chippewa Shoe Mfg Co in 1984. Justin Brands is the largest and one of the oldest continuously run domestic boot manufacturers in the US. And to this day the Chippewa Shoe Manufacturing Co has remained a true American brand, preserving a domestic manufacturing base, making high-quality, tough, durable and hand-crafted-in-the-USA product.

www.mwB-oNlINE.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | SELECT | REVIEW | 48

SElEct moda’s Select area always throws up a few surprises, but this time round it was a more tightly edited section focused on key brands – and key product. tom Bottomley discovered the best s/s 15 sellers from some of the brands that showed.

—  GLOVE RALL

 FAR AH 1920 The Rampton jacket has done particularly well for the seasonal sell, coming in five colours, with yellow and burgundy particular highlights.

It’s almost like a windbreaker and field jacket crossover with concealed hood in the collar, and is considered a good transitional season piece. Wholesaling at £38, and set to retail at £95, so just under that magic £100 mark.

The Haverford button-down all-over print cotton slub polo shirt has also ticked the right boxes with buyers, available in three colours – with navy and burgundy being the bestsellers.

A simple waffle cotton crew-neck knit also makes the grade, with small leather Farah “F” embossed patch branding on the left chest.

Burgundy again is the key colour.

The space-dye linen and cotton mix button-down long-sleeved shirt is another winner. It’s got a good heritage look to the fabric, a nice handle, and the wooden buttons give it class. The regular fit also means it’s not a shirt for beanpoles. It’s a little bit forgiving.

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Great to see a brand of Gloverall’s quality showing in Moda’s Select area, and one of its s/s 15 highlights is a simple car coat based on one of the brand’s archive pieces. It’s got a bit of a short and clean 60s look to it. Easy to wear and lightweight, it’s also showerproof and machine washable. Available in navy, stone and tan.

The coach jacket in a resonated cotton has been a big hit for the season, and it’s easy to see why; it’s one of those jackets that’s just easy to throw on for everyday use. Again simple in design, with a gingham check lining, it’s also made in England. Another big appeal for retailers is a wholesale price of £55, and a recommended retail price of £149.

A summer-weight duffle coat is something you’d clearly expect from Gloverall, and the brand has delivered a decent one in a British Brisbane Moss fabric, which is waterproof but also machine washable. It’s made in London, too.

A Gloverall branded pique polo shirt might not be something you’d expect to have won the attention of buyers, especially because they’re usually the reserve of other brands. But on the contrary, apparently. A decent “brand carrier”, so to speak, available in five colours, made in England, with single tipping on the collar and in a good quality cotton.

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 BE RTO NI W HI T E L ABE L The White Label is Bertoni’s more premium line. The double-breasted wool-mix check blazer has had a great reaction, very David Niven in his pomp, and certainly for the more sartorial customer. Wholesaling at £89 is also an appeal. A scissors logo appears on one of the sleeve buttons for a subtle bit of branding.

A subdued tartan check two-button jacket with patch pockets can be dressed up or worn more casually which is part of the appeal. It also comes with the option of matching narrow-leg trousers with turn-ups if you want a suit – though it’s sold as separates.

The “dress blue” two-button blazer (again which can be bought as a suit) is the brand’s statement piece, but also one of the bestsellers. The jacket is fitted with darts in all the right places, with a double-vent back. And the Liberty print of a matching shirt appears on the inside of the jacket. It’s half-lined, so also nice and lightweight for summer.

The cotton Liberty print shirts have apparently sold fantastically well, too, so clearly plenty more floral patterns will be around for s/s 15. Wholesaling at £40, for £110 retail, there is a good margin to be had.

—

www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | SELECT | REVIEW | 49

 R I DGE M O NT

 J U ST I N R E E C E

launched by the former owner of duffs, alex hall, along with former professional skater Stacy lowery, Ridgemont blends outdoor-style shoes with skate looks and vulcanised construction. the mid-top outback boot in waterproof leather, with d-ring fastening system as you’d find on a traditional walking boot, is among the bestsellers in the uS. the mesa tan chukka boot, in an oiled suede, is another style that’s winning plaudits. it’s also available in brown, charcoal and black. the ortholite insole is supportive, shock absorbent, retains its shape, and is moisturewicking. it’s all about mixing performance with fashion.

For a more skate-orientated shoe, there’s the Rover, which either comes in full-grain leather combined with waxed canvas, or an oiled suede with waxed canvas. the Crest low in a dry waxed canvas completes the current bestsellers. the water apparently beads off the olive canvas. there are alternative colourways as well as an oiled suede version.

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new for Justin Reece is the introduction of Goodyear welted footwear, in the form of a tan brogue boot, which wholesales for £46 and retails at £140. it could quite easily fit into that gap in the market below the high end, but above the likes of Base london and Frank Wright, while giving some competition to the likes of h by hudson. in the main collection, the dover brogue features in a full-page ad in Fhm Collections this autumn, which should not only raise the brand’s profile but also boost sales dramatically of that style – available in five colours, including navy, burgundy and green. Red laces (tonal laces are also provided) and a red line through the sole unit give a bit of brand identity. the suede tasseled loafer, available in navy and black, is another one that’s been picked up on by the slightly more directional buyers. it’s a lightweight shoe, but looks more sturdy, again with the eye-catching red-line through the sole. lastly the tan Chelsea boot (also available in black) with the commando sole unit is another style that’s been hitting some good numbers for Reece James, a brand that carries stock on all its bestselling styles, with good margin for retailers always a key focus.

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 WO LSEY the 100 per cent linen indigo revere collar short-sleeved bowling shirt has been picked up by quite a few buyers apparently, and has a classy 50s look to it. the sleeves are double clothed at the hem to give some weight and avoid the rising crease effect you can get with linen. a long-sleeved overhead henley top in white is about as simple as it comes, but a wardrobe staple, nonetheless. Wolsey, of course, has a history of producing such henleys or “grandad” tops, and this one is in a wearable linen and cotton mix herringbone. the three-button washed cotton blazer in navy blue, with heavy stitching detail on the shoulders and sleeves, is another piece of note. unstructured and easy to team up with a tee or, indeed, the aforementioned henley. the navy jacquard camo bomber jacket is more of a premium gem in the collection, in a nice Japanese fabric. the same camo fabric also appears in the form of a long-sleeved and short-sleeved shirt.

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www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | FOOTWEAR | 50

SoLe-SearchinG mwb highlights the news and developments from some of the key names in young, contemporary and directional footwear.

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 M EYBA Retro footwear label meyba was born in Barcelona and is a household name around europe. With a focus on penetrating the uk market for spring/summer 2015, the brand has extended its collection and drawn inspiration from “moving from the beach to the city”. Buyers can expect to find meyba’s successful jogger (pictured) available in more colours and in a partly mesh version, as well as the Warm up – a minimalistic shoe made from suede with an off-white sole.

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 ANT HONY MILES For spring/summer 2015 contemporary British footwear label anthony miles introduces yet another iconic sole, with the addition of a new translucent contoured wedge with coloured flecks in the forepart and a colour slice at the heel. to further the appeal of the crafted sole, the brand also offers full colour-blocked versions. the minimalist styling, meanwhile, is refreshed with the injection of new materials such as nubuck and a lighter colour palette.

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 LU K E due to the well-received response to luke’s eVa sole units in its footwear offer, the new season sees the brand expand this option, as well as adding new fabrications. key features include patterned digital and rubberised 3d geometrics prints, technical performance sports mesh, innovative non-stitch panelling and fabrications including suede, patent and leather.

Colour-wise, the collection includes shades of lime, pink, orange and blue.

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 DU C K AND C OVE R the footwear range from British streetwear label duck and Cover takes on a simpler and cleaner aesthetic this coming season by using subtle branding and a strong colour palette of black, white and graphite, with accents of red, green and blue running throughout. With nine styles available, the footwear range boasts four distinct silhouettes, comprising a low and mid-cut silhouette, using suede, canvas, ballistic nylon, denim and Pu. —

www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | FOOTWEAR | 51

 BE DRO O M AT HLE T I C S Casual footwear and slipper brand Bedroom athletics is driving its presence in the uk market further for s/s 15. a key category for the label is its harris tweed collection, which for the menswear range includes the Charles model – featuring a harris tweed upper, flannel check lining, leather logo attached to the cuff and a non-slip branded tPR sole. another key design is the edward, which is a moccasin style in harris tweed, but with a tPR driving sole.

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 NI C HO L AS DE AK I NS nicholas deakins builds its signature footwear collection around the retro trainer package for s/s 15. newness is found in the incorporation of full-grain nubucks and denim to give a vintage feel, while technology has been used to create woven and knitted sports shoes. another key silhouette is the moccasin, which takes inspiration from a back catalogue of patterns in full-grain leather. in terms of colour, buyers can expect hunter green, cobalt blue, charcoal and white.

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 BU C K E T F E E T Following BucketFeet’s successful launch into the uk last spring, the artist-designed footwear brand returns for the new season and has just finished its first successful run with footwear giant Schuh. the label is also championing one of the season’s most talked about casual footwear essentials – the slip-on skate shoe.

—  PALL ADIUM

 CAT

this season boot brand Palladium combines inspiration from its French heritage and military roots with modern, urban influences to update its collection with blended materials, slim silhouettes and new seasonal colours. linen and twill uppers bring a lightweight refresh to the line, without sacrificing classic Palladium elements, such as the brand’s signature lugged outsole and rubber toecap, while interchangeable laces and updated logo accents provide fashionable details.

—

iconic footwear label Cat unveils its latest collaboration for the new season, this time with acclaimed artist, set designer and print-maker Camille Walala. off the back of her work with companies such as nintendo, Pantone and koppaberg, Walala has created a set of prints exclusively for Cat to be used across its new spring/summer collection. For the brand’s menswear category this includes prints on the tongue of the Colorado Slouch boot, which also sees the rigidity of the classic Colorado cuff removed and replaced with a soft upper “slouch” design.

—

www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | JACKET REQUIRED | 52

jacket required an ever-growing show with a great industry buzz – despite the extremely warm weather giving London’s old truman brewery a bit of greenhouse effect this time around. tom bottomley picks some winners.

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A. F O U R Fresh for s/s 15 is this eye-catching new label from tokyo, boasting a four-piece collaboration (two jackets and two shirts) with designer kenneth mackenzie of 6876 fame, as well as a collaboration with legendary american sportswear brand Champion. interesting design details give the main collection an edge. a hooded gilet is a key piece, as it mixes “designer and street”, and the three-button jersey blazer is another fine example. a 50s-style terry towelling polo shirt adds something else into the mix, and there’s yet another collaboration, this time with Japanese vintage reproduction specialist neighborhood, on jeans. a.Four labs, a separate line, which features a fantastic rude boy all-over print shirt, cropped chinos and a harrington jacket, is also key.

— BR I XTO L the Swedish brand with more than a British influence is going from strength to strength design-wise, and owner Gustav kjellander is happy that his take on British street-style is winning an ever-growing customer base here in Blighty. So much so that 40 per cent of the brand’s own online business is coming from the uk, a sure sign of good things to come. all the waxed jackets are made in the uk, too, as is the knitwear. the most commercial piece in terms of volume sales is the hooded teflon-coated hoolihan jacket, a play on hooligan, so it’s got a bit of a terrace appeal, and comes in five colours. there’s also a technical field jacket with concealed hood, and some other shiny technical pieces that will ensure the wearer stands out from the crowd. the brand’s signature style is the parka, without a hood, and with more of an ma-1 type knitted collar.

— T I GE R J AY another Jacket Required debut, this collection from the netherlands has been created in conjunction with the reproduction of a J-Class racing yacht, originally made before WWii. an old 30s drawing of one of the boats, which was meant to be built for the king of Sweden at the time, was “acquired” by the mysterious owner of this label. as he set in motion the building of it, he also decided it needed a clothing line to go with it. a 50s-style pin-up print features – embroidered on a great zip-up hooded jacket, short-sleeved shirt, cotton shorts and also a waterproof duffle bag, which also says “a girl in every port”. a traditional “rainbow striped” rubber fisherman’s jacket looks like it would definitely keep you dry on the deck and there are some pretty cool high-top sneakers, though what they have to do with sailing is anyone’s guess.

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www.mwB-oNlINE.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | JACKET REQUIRED | 53

NOTCH LONDON Three years in the making, with a designer who counts Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger among his credentials, Notch London is aimed at a “slightly more mature crowd that appreciates premium product”, according Jon Poll whose Agent C is handling sales for the North – while the South is being covered by Index London.

Heavyweight tees with pocket details sell for £45 retail, and there’s printed shirting, a great two-colour Oxford shirt, but it’s the jackets that stand out. There’s a tasty little bomber jacket with contrast sleeves and slanted zip-up chest pocket, a simple but good-looking multi-pocket two-button blazer, and a six-button peacoat style – again with a slanted zip-up chest pocket. Psyche and Urban Outfitters are apparently fans.

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PU BLI SH Enjoying its fourth season in the UK, though another first showing at Jacket Required, Publish has been picked up by the likes of Size?

Urban Outfitters and Wellgosh. This LA streetwear label is best known on its home soil for its sportswear pieces, particularly its jogging bottoms – which literally hit the ground running due to excellent cut and detailing.

When we say “streetwear”, this elevates it, and makes it more grown-up and interesting. The quill logo is also a nice touch. There are also some decent patterned shirting, an MA-1 style green jacket, and tees and sweats featuring a print with London riot police. Read all about it.

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GOOD GUYS Designed in Paris by vegan Marion Hanania, Good Guys was created due to her passion for shoes, as well as a vegetarian lifestyle. Having worked as a footwear designer for brands such as Isabel Marant, Hanania set out on her own quest to make a difference by creating fashionable, but vegan shoes – that “do good, not harm”, and that’s the label’s motto. Even better, all materials are waterproof, non-toxic, breathable, durable and light, plus they can be cleaned to look as good as new with soap and water, even though some look like they are suede – traditionally a nightmare to keep clean. There are men’s and women’s, with moccasin-style boots and lace-up shoes, loafers and two-tone saddle shoes key. They don’t come cheap, with shoes retailing between £120 and £200, but they don’t half make you feel good about yourself.

— M AR SHALL ART I ST Perhaps perceived as an outerwear-focused brand, and therefore more inherently suited to autumn/winter, Marshall Artist has upped the stakes with this spring/summer 2015 line to bring a more balanced offering. Printed tees, sweats, polos, Oxford shirts and shorts all give the line a wider appeal, though it is still the jackets, albeit in lightweight fabrics, that shine through. The windcheater, available in four colours including burgundy and navy, which retails at £85, has particularly hit the mark with buyers. The camo story continues with venom, used for jackets and shirts, and the “blister wash” Teflon-coated, multi-pocket nylon field jacket gives a nod to Italian sportswear. The price points are where Marshall Artist really wins, as you don’t half get a lot of bang for your buck.

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www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | ACCESSORIES | 54

ASHLEY MARC HOVELLE £18 07425 848454

VOLCOM £29.54 020 7729 2744

SERGE DENIMES £17 PERRY@SERGEDENIMES.COM

NIXON £160 0808 234 7003

WEEKEND OFFENDER £9.26 01332 342068

DUKE PRICE ON REQUEST 0115 977 0009

contemPorary Gift Guide mwb’s comprehensive guide to the perfect christmas point-of-sale pick-ups across young denim, street and directional menswear.

— Unless stated otherwise all prices are wholesale

GARCIA PRICE ON REQUEST 020 3432 6387

BUFF PRICE ON REQUEST 020 3432 6387

FYT £6 01628 777320

www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | DENIM & STREET | ACCESSORIES | 55

MI-PAC £5.40 020 7739 7620

SUPERDRY £7.08 020 7440 5123

LE COQ SPORTIF £20.50 020 7636 4664

WESC £4.80 020 8959 3200

SUPREMEBEING £12 01223 873359

BJORN BORG £9 020 7637 1395

ELEMENT £23.40 0033 558730059

ELVINE £14 020 7723 3211

SCOTCH & SODA £12 020 7253 6404

NATIVE YOUTH £5.75 020 7739 7620

URBANEARS PRICE ON REQUEST 0046 766359081

HYPERGRAND £63.50 07802 252858

www.mwB-oNlINE.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | PEOPLE | 56

collEctIvE the people, the places, the products.

LITTLE BLACK BOOK aSIadoG maNhattaN, NEw YoRk

SIMON SAYS Years ago, I was favoured and blessed enough to have my shirt collection in Selfridges oxford Street. this was before they moved the department upstairs and began a relentless pursuit of international luxury brands and positioned themselves ever and ever higher. they asked me to come in and do a “meet the designer” event, along with a number of other brands and suppliers throughout the store.

It was great fun. I sold lots of shirts – and cufflinks – and met many interesting and enthusiastic customers. The whole evening was amiably lubricated by a generous drinks sponsor.

Just before the evening ended, and I was debating whether I could get away with another glass of freebie booze, when two young men in sports gear came up to my stand and began carefully going through the range. It became clear that they were ushers at a wedding and needed two matching shirts.

As any salesperson knows, common ground is the best way to start a conversation, and conversations lead to sales. I broke the ice by asking them what sport they played. “Ice hockey”, came the reply, and we chatted along those lines for a while. Then I mentioned that I play croquet, and was hoping to be selected to play for England up. We then spent the next half an hour discussing our respective sports.

Finally, they bought their shirts and cufflinks, and turned to go. As they did, one paused and asked me, “If you could be the best in the world at croquet, or the best in the world at shirts, which would it be?”

It was an excellent and profoundly thought-provoking question which took me a while to answer.

I was reminded of that question again last month as I was Captain of Dulwich Croquet Club, and my team was playing the final of the National Inter Club Championship. September also saw the first full day of trading at my new store in Brighton. Needless to say, I was checking my phone at every available opportunity. Fortunately, we won the championship and Brighton had an excellent first Saturday.

But the fact that I was playing a final in Woking, rather than welcoming customers to my new store, probably tells you what my answer was to that sharp minded young man in Selfridges.

Is that bad? I don’t think so. We all work so hard, and unless we have passions and interests outside menswear, we will become very dull, and lose sight of the old adage that we’re meant to work to live, and not the other way round.

And I didn’t get picked for England. In case you were wondering.

Simon carter is the cEo of the eponymous brand and retail stores.

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taking on the hotdog is no mean feat but asiadog did just that, giving this mighty american classic an asian twist. For street food with a difference, head to asiadog. Food just got fusion-y.

A wide range of customers, including downtown creative types and selfproclaimed foodies, flock to the store to try this relatively new food concept.

Bestsellers include one of the spiciest choices on the menu The Vinh, a take on the Vietnamese-style sandwich Banh mi, and The Mash, a topping consisting of sweet and spicy ketchup, jalapeño mustard and crushed potato chips.

Since launching in 2008 as a weekly pop-up at a bar, owners Mel and Steve have grown the business in size and following and have appeared at Brooklyn Flea, Central Park Summerstage and opened their first bricks-andmortar store.

— PlaN B

daNIEl cutlER UK and Ireland distributor for Boomerang of Sweden

when my father sold the uk Gant business back to Sweden in 2000, I didn’t know whether to continue as marketing director for a successful, albeit corporate brand, or take the opportunity to start my own business. I chose the latter. But, had my life taken a different course, I’d probably have landed up in Port Douglas in North Queensland, Australia, as a diving guide/instructor.

When I first met my wife, Allye, she was working for a diving firm, and the sport very quickly became our shared passion. Whether it was a weekend down at Portland Bill, a week in Sardinia or three weeks on the Barrier Reef, it was the greatest of hobbies. Could we have made a decent living out of it? Probably not, but nice to dream.

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www.mwB-oNlINE.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | PEOPLE | 57

TOP TWEETS

cloSEt coNFIdENtIal

HI Hostels @Hostelling "Do you guys have pizza in the UK?" was also one asked in the US. Could've broken the news to them but found it too funny to answer #ttot

tom tuRtoN uk SalES maNaGER, J ShoES

ASOS Menswear @ASOSMenswear But can it stop time a la Bernard's Watch? #AppleWatch

I currently cannot live without my Edwin jeans. I am a massive fan of the washes and fit of the Japanese denim brand. They get better and better the more you wear them.

I now have three pairs of them, and can’t see me changing brands anytime soon. Once you find your denim brand and fit you stick with it.

— I can’t wait for winter time to come around again so I can pull my Peregrine Summit jacket out of the wardrobe. I first came across those guys at Jacket Required a few years ago, and have become a huge follower of the brand. Their whole collection is made in England and, for me, they are one of the best kept secrets in the industry. My jacket is made from waxed British Millerain and it is ageing superbly. Everywhere I go people ask me where I got it.

— Everybody who knows me will say I am never out of a hoody. I probably have one for every day of the month, and the missus hates washing them! My obsession has got so bad I now have to sneak them into the house so she doesn’t see them.

— obviously for my feet it has to be J Shoes. Monday to Friday I am usually sporting our classic “Charlie” brogue or one of our casual chukka boots, not just because I work for the brand, but because they are so comfy as well as looking the part. When the weekend arrives it’s all about the trainers. I am a sneaker freak and, if it’s not a pair of Nike Air Max (like everyone else at the minute), then it’s my current favourite – Adidas Stan Smith’s - that are coming out to play. Recently I came across ITEM m6, a new German based sock company, and I am now officially hooked. And, due to the nature of my job, I’m constantly travelling so a good bag is essential. I’m a big fan of Forbes and Lewis at the moment.

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Patrick Grant @paddygrant Educating Essex. Why has it taken me so long?

London Fashion Week @LondonFashionWk Celebrate #BritishFashion & be a part of the 2014 British Fashion Awards on December 1st. Buy tickets online: http://bit.ly/16pVuMa #BFA Brook Taverner @brooktaverner This time of year feels a little bit like an episode of Game of Thrones, but sadly "Winter is coming" time for a new wardrobe The Modern Gentleman @TheMitchelli Wearing braces and a waistcoat seemed like the right thing to do this morning....

The Famous 1886 @thefamous1886 best #factoftheday today: Samuel L Jackson has a clause in all his movie contracts that allows him to play golf twice a week during filming.

BlackBook Magazine @BlackBook "Chance encounters are what keep us going." – Haruki Murakami

SOCIETY thE PaRtIES aNd EvENtS FRom IN aNd aRouNd thE mENSwEaR INduStRY.

 HRH THE PRINCESS ROYAL VISITED PRIVATE WHITE V.C LAST MONTH (17 SEPTEMBER) TO TOUR ITS MANCHESTER-BASED FACTORY AND OFFICIALLY OPEN THE ON-PREMISES NEW STORE TO THE PUBLIC.

 ACTOR WILL MELLOR AT THE ANNUAL LUKE ROPER GOLF DAY, DESIGNED TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE FASHION & TEXTILES CHILDREN’S TRUST, WHICH SAW CELEBRITIES AND SOME OF MENSWEAR’S FINEST INCLUDING VAN MILDERT, DIFFUSION AND ACCENT COME TOGETHER FOR A DAY OF GOLF WITH ENTERTAINMENT PROVIDED BY COMEDIAN RUSSELL KANE.

 GUESTS ENJOYED CANAPÉS AND DRINKS AT THE RECENT 30TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY FOR LEEDS INDEPENDENT ACCENT, WITH A DJ SET FROM BEZ (THE HAPPY MONDAYS) AND A FASHION SHOW HIGHLIGHTING THE KEY A/W 14 TRENDS ON OFFER ACROSS BOTH THE MEN’S AND WOMENWEAR DEPARTMENTS.

 

www.mwb-onLine.co.uk

OCTOBER 2014 | 59

the bottomLey Line

© Paul Mowatt

mwb deputy editor tom bottomley – our man on the inside of menswear.

FOR MORE OF TOM’S OPINIONS VISIT MWB-ONLINE.CO.UK

countinG the coSt of counterfeitinG the big brands have been used to their products being counterfeited for decades. But with the rise of the internet, the rise of counterfeit goods has gone through the roof. though it’s nigh on impossible to stop, there are big efforts going on to stem the flow. Some brands, eager to protect their brand values and reputation for quality, are doing more than others in the fight against bad copies. kevin Spreekmeester, senior vice president of marketing for Canada Goose, says, “it’s a huge issue – and a growing one. We actively work with the Canadian anti-Fraud centre and have international monitoring partners that sweep the internet twice a day for us. they try to take down counterfeit auctions, counterfeit websites and rogue websites around the world.” the counterfeit goods mostly come from asia, and sales are predominantly happening online. “it’s so easy for counterfeiters to set up an online shop that looks like Canada Goose, and trick consumers into placing an order that either never gets delivered or is a badly constructed imitation,” says Spreekmeester. What is alarming is the quality of the counterfeits that so many people are being fooled into buying. there is a lot of technology and innovation that goes into the making of a Canada Goose jacket and, while a real parka will be filled with the best down feathers known to man, and trimmed with coyote fur – which provides the ultimate protection to frostbite of the face – counterfeit jackets have been found to be trimmed with fur from dogs or raccoons. as for the insulation, counterfeiters will fill the jackets with any bird’s feathers they can find, bird poo included at no extra price. nice. there’s no standard pricing on counterfeits either. Four or five years ago, Spreekmeester says they saw counterfeit prices advertised at less than half of one of their coats (currently £750 for an expedition parka). But they’re getting smarter, as they know that can be a tip-off to consumers.

“We’re now seeing them get closer to prices that are offered by our authorised retailers.” in 2013, Chinese customs officials confiscated over 70,000 counterfeit diesel products exiting the country. in 2014, diesel initiated an online brand protection programme that has proved to be very successful. more than 120 infringing sites have been taken down, with more than 1,000 sellers blocked and around 400,000 items removed, though educating consumers is surely the most

 CANADA GOOSE CONTINUES THE FIGHT AGAINST COUNTERFEITS

 VINCENT KOMPANY AT THE RECENT PRO-DIRECT SHOP OPENING  GOOD FOR NOTHING’S LATEST COLLECTION

powerful tool in the fight against fraudulent goods. as Spreekmeester says, “if the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Good for SomethinG every now and then there’s a label or product that comes out of nowhere and goes “boom.” Jon Poll from agent C in manchester appears to be having that sales moment with a brand called Good For nothing. “it’s gone nuts since June,” says Poll. “and i mean nuts! the phone has not stopped ringing for re-orders. We’ve sold around 8,000 units of one tee – the kryptic – in the last couple of months alone.” and now with a collaboration, launched with Foot asylum and asos, with male model of the moment Stephen James – the face of asos, diesel eyewear and Ck one – things are going to get even bigger. “i think one of the biggest factors has been the general affection for the brand name Good For nothing, and the label’s distinctive butterfly logo, which has been spotted on all the cool kids in ibiza this summer,” says Poll. one of the two manchester lads behind it wanted to be a footballer, but was effectively told he was “good for nothing”, hence the name. now, it seems, he can’t stop scoring.

theSe bootS weren’t made for waLkinG the opening of the first Pro-direct shop on Carnaby’s Foubert’s Place (next to the brand new adidas originals flagship) recently sent football lovers into a frenzy. it’s boot heaven, from oldschool classics such as the adidas World Cup, to modern knitted neon numbers including the nike mercurial Superfly – as worn by Ronaldo. lit-up display cases even have signed boots from some of the world’s greatest players, old and new – Pelé and messi are prime examples. manchester City’s Vincent kompany even popped in to check out the selection and see how you can select your perfect boots on giant in-store touch screens. it really has completely visualised the original online experience (www.prodirectsoccer.com), and is a great addition to the one-off concept stores that make Carnaby a unique shopping destination. But, with so many lads and dads into their clobber and footy, it’s always struck me as a good idea for menswear independents to stock a small selection of the best boots in town too. adidas Gazelles for going to the game on a Saturday, and Puma king’s for Sunday morning’s attempted Pelé overhead kick, why not?

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OCTOBER 2014 | DIRECTORY | 61

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OCTOBER 2014 | 62

LaSt orderS with... john jarrett although now one of the uk’s brightest emerging talents in illustration, fashion and styling, john jarrett wasn’t always the sartorial figure he is today. victoria jackson speaks to jarrett about his path into fashion, how his style has evolved, and finally appreciating those hand-me-downs, which have, until now, remained locked away.

— D/O/B: 18/05/1989 Place of birth: London Now lives: London Instagram: _johnjarrett Website: www.individualism.co.uk can you give an insight into your average day? it starts off with replying to a barrage of emails – usually concerning ongoing projects and potential projects – and the occasional browse of style sites. i never really know exactly what i’ll be challenged with until the night before, neither do i realise how much time i actually really have. Some days my jobs consist of styling for shoots and films, while other days i dedicate to sketching concepts and storyboarding for films and personal projects. was fashion something you were interested in from a young age? i was never really into fashion when i was young. i wanted to be a character designer for games and movies, and studied animation and film at uni. i was super timid and wasn’t very popular, you see. it wasn’t until college and uni that i really wanted to change my image. Style was a way for me to be able to communicate with people without actually having to approach anyone. i kind of just fell into the industry, and realised that i could use my skills and knowledge for fashion instead of animation. and so i did. out of every creative area you’re involved with, which would you was your first passion? my first passion, and my favourite thing to do, is sketching. i love coming up with ideas, concepts and designs through drawing. Give me a pencil, paper and my itunes playlist and i’ll be happy for days. how would you describe your style? how has it evolved over the years?

Since high school i’ve tried lots of styles. i changed through experiences good and bad, mostly bad. You have to go through all styles to find your own. i don’t have a particular look; i mix together pieces according to how i feel that day. what was the last piece of clothing you bought? a corduroy western-style denim jacket from Gap in cream. i love the colour and the fit is perfect. what’s the most treasured piece of clothing in your wardrobe? an old Ben Sherman leather jacket – a mod-style jacket that my dad gave me when i was a kid.

who inspires you style-wise? i’m easily inspired, but the guys who have really opened my eyes to the possibilities of men’s style have to be hiroki nakamura, Pharrell Williams, nigo, nick Wooster, aitor throup, harris elliott, ouigi theodore and kpop-scene. what about in terms of work? i’m inspired by people who are not stuck doing one particular thing, and excel in other interests they may have. entrepreneurs. it just shows that there is so much potential in all of us to do what we love, and it all comes down to how much time, effort and passion you put into it. you recently collaborated with footwear label ohw? how did that come about? i did a few illustration projects at the beginning of the year, one of which was a collaborative project with ohw? and individualism, where i illustrated five of our favourite ohw? styles. thankfully, from that, they called me to work on this season’s ad campaign, and that’s where we’re at now. as this is our footwear issue, give us your top three footwear labels. oliver Sweeney for the classics with a twist, ohw? for its simplistic design, and Visvim for its modernbohemian image.

quick-fire round...

— Favourite book: The Art of Final Fantasy by Toshitaka Amano.

— Best piece of advice: Practice makes perfect.

— Biggest vice?

Eating out too much.

— What couldn’t you live without?

Music… good music.

— Early bird or night owl?

Night owl.

—



Garments that won’t hang about.

The steamer that will.

For more information Tel: 020 8417 0660

www.propress.co.uk