Bread and Butter Berlin 2014

This week I have been in Berlin at the Bread and Butter trade show. As it was my first year present I couldn't comment on the heritage/urban/sport ratio but certainly their was a heavy lean towards jeans brands and sports. However, I was excited to see some of my favourite brands there; Inish Meain knitwear, Croots, Toms and Gloverall to name a few. I also discovered some others which I really liked and had a high provenance too. You can check out all the brands present in the heritage section here.

The above image is from High Snobiety who have a great image gallery from the show.

Harris Tweed 101

•  Harris Tweed represents tradition, luxury and high provenance. 
• Harris Tweed is woven in the Outer Hebrides

• Harris Tweed is the only fabric in the world presided over by its own Act of Parliment.
• It became popular when the Countess of Dunmore had the Harris weavers weave her clan tartan in tweed. She was so impressed she championed and marketed the Harris Tweed beyond the little islands.

• The Harris Tweed Association Limited was set up in 1906 to protect the tweed from poor imitations.
• The iconic Harris Tweed logo of an orb and Maltese cross that certified the genuine cloth was registered in 1910

• 1934 saw a change in Harris Tweed rules. The islanders were now allowed to make cloth from yarns that were mill spun as opposed to hand spun. This meant more cloth could be produced!
• The 90s saw changes for Harris Tweed with more rigorous quality testing, new looms and The Harris Tweed Authority came into being.
• The cloth is now exported to over 50 countries.

• No part of the process of creating Harris Tweed is done anywhere but the Outer Herbrides.
• Some of the processes involved are; shearing, dyeing, blending, carding, spinning, warping, weaving, darning, finishing and stamping.

Great three part video doc with Vic Reeves discovering Harris Tweed! Part one above.

WANT MORE?

5 min video by The Guardian

The Harris Tweed Authority Website

Image Sources: The Guardian and unknown.

Made in England-Luxury Leather Brand Pickett.

When you walk through The Burlington Arcade you cannot help but to glimpse lustfully at the wondrous windows of Pickett. Full of visual delights; jewellery, pashminas, luggage...Pickett has been resident in the arcade for 25 years (and previously under the name of The Unicorn Leather Company, also at the arcade, since the 50s). Representing the best, most luxurious, artisanal leather goods, Pickett has all its leather products made in England. "we are one of the last remaining stores to ensure our leather goods are made in England from start to finish. We take great care to produce our ranges with small specialist workshops and individual craftsmen, some of whom we have worked with for more than the 23 years."



Pickett's work is thoughtful, traditional, classic. It's the place to go if you are looking for a sensational present or if you want a classic piece of luggage that will last a life time. Here are my favourites:

For Him:

Belt-£169

Canvas Holdall- £299

Men's Turkish Slippers-£149

Briefcase-£549

For Her:

Pashmina-£125

Canvas Tote-£225

Visitor's Book:£225

Leather Handbag-£375

Style Icon:Edward VIII/Duke of Windsor.

I am a just little bit obsessed with Edward VIII. In my third and fourth year in fashion design at uni I centred a main project around him. Of course it had to be a knitwear project, as Edward was known as the man who put fair isle on the fashion map.

He was also responsible for many a fashion innovation. He wore and popularised plus fours for playing golf, he pioneered a new type of shirt collar (called The Prince of Wales collar after him), he also created a new version of the silk tie.

 I'm particularly drawn to the beautiful suits he was often photographed in. The large checks are, I presume and please correct me if I am wrong, the Prince of Wales check as worn by his father. Edward added stylish flair to these very traditional, British fabrics, and to this day, his style remains a wealth of inspiration.

WANT MORE?

More Images on Miss Merten's Flickr page

A potted history of Edward VIII's wardrobe

Fan site

Designer Spotlight-& Daughter-The Perfect Aran Jumper

I came across & Daughter in the January issue of Vogue. It was love at first sight! I'm a big, big fan of the aran jumper. Living in Ireland means that I'm almost continuously cold and so the classic wool knit jumper is a wardrobe staple. At the moment my go-to is from Avoca Handweavers but after stumbling across & Daughter I find myself to be surrounded by temptation.

 Aran Cable hat

When I read & Daughter's About page on their website I knew I had found a kindred spirit. This brand is a believer in provenance, heritage, tradition. The three things TTF is all about. I love this description of their brand's ethos, "A desire for authenticity because authentic things last, because authentic things don’t define you but in time, you define them." They are also fans of navy, grey marl and cashmere...Could I love & Daughter any more?!

The Patchwork Aran Jumper

Set up by daughter and father, Elizabeth was a Central Saint Martins graduate, had a background in PR and marketing and was constantly on the look out for the perfect aran jumper. Her father had over 50 years experience in the knitwear industry, and his contacts within Donegal and Scotland made their collaboration a perfect business decision.

&Daughter has only been up and running since October this year but I can see an amazing future for this brand. Their designs are young and fresh but still hinged firmly in tradition.

READ MORE: 

The Telegraph

Vogue

& Daughter-Facebook

& Daughter-Twitter

& Daughter-Instagram

All images from the & Daughter Website

Short History of the Duffle Coat

The original Duffle coat "the monty" worn by Sir Montgomery.

What better time to look back at such a classic staple than on a cold, gloomy January morning? The duffle coat has, for a longtime, held a fascination for me. It's part paddington bear, part indie boy and looks wonderfully warm.
Burberry has reinvented it, Gloverall has kept it alive and every high street store has a version.

The duffle coat first came into existence in the 19th century. It got it's name from a town called Duffel in Belgium which produced heavy, coarse wool (black) and passed it namesake onto the coat. However, it's interesting to note that the fabric from this region wasnt actually used for the Duffle coats we know! The British Navy demanded that all fabric to be used had to be domestic (British made) and so a thick, double faced, boiled wool was used instead. It had a twill texture on the outside and was originally made in camel.

Photo aboard HMS Iron Duke in November 1919. 

Credit for the photo to Brian Wollaston and www.maritimequest.com-
Source - Gloverall website

The first designs of the Duffle Coat were thanks to John Partridge and due to it's hard wearing construction and fabric the British Royal Navy adopted the coat. In the image above you can clearly see in the original design. Similar to the pea coat in length, with a very generous fit and dropped shoulder. It also had three toggles as opposed to it's later adaption with four.

During WW2 the duffle was commissioned by the Navy. This version saw slight adjustments in the details. The length was increased, the width narrowed and shoulders reinforced. The image above shows an original Naval duffle from WW2 (made in 1944). It was worn by many including Field Marshall Montgomery (see first image).

Gloverall Original Monty (women's version) inspired by the original WW2 Duffle.

After the war the military released the surplus coats to the public resulting in students, artists and general public getting a chance to wear the Duffle coat. Suddenly the Duffle reached it's popularity peak. Even cartoons featured the coat, with Paddington Bear being created in 1958 wearing a blue duffle coat.At this time, a brand called Gloverall bought the now unwanted fabric and coats for the Navy and  sold them. They re-designed the Duffle at a later date with a newly improved fabric (Loden) and a variety of styles. 

The duffle coat is now seeing a bit of a revival. Alexa Chung and other celebrities are often see in this coat and character Oliver has a magnificent one in the 2010 movie Submarine.

Alexa Chung in a fashion version of the Duffle coat.

Movie Still from the film Submarine. 2010

Personally, I would love to get my hands on an original WW1 or WW2 duffle. I know they would be absolutely massive but from a fashion history perspective, it would be fascinating! If you are looking to purchase a duffle it seems as though the closest to the original is Gloverall. What is particularly great about his brand is that they are part of it's later history. It is a shame that the fabric they use is no longer British but they seem to really hit the nail on the head with the design.

Other Websites with Duffle History:

Lark About

Gloverall

Gentleman's Gazette