The Shape of Things to Come

The greatest jacket ever made.  As seen at the Design Museum.  A Football Casual stalwart, a quality engineered fashion icon, C.P. Company’s history has been well documented in relation to Football.

The Goggle Jacket is a studied example of functional innovation inspired by the practical requirements of long-distance car racing.  The jacket was originally designed by Massimo Osti, as part of C.P. Company’s sponsorship of the 1988 Mille Miglia – the Italian open road endurance race initiated in 1927.  To celebrate 20 years of the design Aitour Throup presented a detailed analysis of the original, culminating in his redesigned 1000m Goggle Jacket.  The entire structure of the garment has been constructed around a human form in a driving position.

This is a particularly special refix for the classic C.P. Company jacket by an acclaimed draughtsman and designer.  I want it! More images after the jump.

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Make sure you head over to Garbstore next Friday for this special spring celebration.  A sale will be taking place at the West London store throughout the week with an exhibition of four Japanese artists. The final event on the Friday will see shopping accompanied by music and Japanese food to seal the deal.  See in the cherry blossom season with style and cop a lovely Garbstore piece. You know it makes sense, easily one of my favorite brands around at the moment.

The wardrobe for the summer is certainly starting to take shape, I neglected my summer outfits last year, and I am buying pieces now in the run up to the short lived British summer.  These are three new purchases, and the Dockers are a secondary buy.  I’m learning to pick up staple items in pairs, especially in light colors due to the odd drunken spillage and the occasional mishaps.  Internet shopping is difficult and the two tops were very impulsive buys but I’m pleased with the outcome.  My first time shopping at End Clothing and both the experience and service were very satisfactory.  Having to pay for postage does annoy me when spending a reasonable amount of money, but with FedEx next day delivery giving you some peace of mind, it’s not so bad.

If you haven’t taken a look at the Newcastle based retailer you should, easily one of the best in the UK.

DM are exploring their musical heritage as a part of the new campaign celebrating 50 years of the brand, by Exposure the agency behind Tailored Umbro.

Many brands over the last few years have gone down the tried and tested, let’s do music route. Some to better effect than others, but Dr. Marten’s have played a huge part in British Youth Culture and if anyone deserves to play around with music as the driver than they certainly do. However in concept, picking 10 new bands to cover classic records works, only if the selection is right. With the Raveonettes covering the Stone Roses and the Pogues given the newbie treatment by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, I’m not convinced. However, for what Exposure lack in A&R they make up for by including Ace Norton and Rankin in the project, commissioning the pair to shoot music videos, now that is interesting!

After the jump check out some images and old DM ads courtesy of Marketing Magazine.

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These are my latest purchase, I tried to cop them in August at 1948 and they didn’t have my size, however on a trip way out west to Shepherd’s Bush, I picked them up from a spot that WASN’T Global Sports. A great little shop on Uxbridge road, opposite Stuart’s, unfortunately the name evades me.

I can’t wait to wear these during the summer with a nice blue wash Chambray shirt and a pair of Dockers.

Possibly the greatest two investments you will ever make in your life are a quality winter coat and a sturdy pair of boots. In the last couple of years I have made two such investments, Barbour and Red Wing provided the brand benefactors, two unrivaled names in their respective fields.  Here are my two pairs of incredibly worn-in, loved and cherished, battered and bruised Red Wing boots. I think they look better rough and ready, they’ve seen me through some tough and torrid times, my feet certainly have appreciated them. I’ll clean and dub them come the end of Winter, which really should be today. But this Spring sun will soon come and go, it’s flirting with us right now, the wind and the rain will strike, and you’ll be pleased you made that investment in a quality winter coat and a sturdy pair of boots.

And here is where they came from, courtesy of Complex magazine.

“Red Wing Shoe Company was founded in a small Minnesota town in 1905. A continuous commitment to quality, craftsmanship, durability, and comfort has led the brand to steadily gain popularity amongst American workers who had a pressing need for dependable footwear. Now with workwear-inspired apparel’s new role as trendy everyday wear, Red Wing has become one of the most respected and sought after companies in the market.”

More pictures after the jump.

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Coming on the 13th of February

“Stussy and Stones Throw Records have partnered for Raph Rashid’s classic pic of J Dilla on a limited-edition Stussy Tee. This will be released Feb. 13, 2010 in White and Black, available at stonesthrow.com and Stussy locations.”

To Ki To Bicycle Jacket Navy

Some incredible new Barbour product over at Oi Polloi so much choice but I’ve chosen this limited edition collaboration with Japanese designers To Ki To. Fans of ACL will already be familiar with this, as Michael Williams posted a mini-feature at the tail-end of January. He got the scoop, which already alerted fans of Barbour across the globe.

I’ve discussed Barbour a great deal in branding terms and have used them as a case study many times. They’ve retained their classic British heritage while introducing collaborations, new styles, new language and themes, without alienating either end of the market. These jackets are outstanding and if I didn’t already own a Barbour I would certainly be investing in one of these pieces.

My jacket is around 18 months old now and has been put through some heavy handed wear, I’ll be sending it off for a clean and re-wax for the first time this summer. I’ll probably blog that process as I’ve looked into re-waxing myself, and in all honesty it looks like a total hassle I really could do without.

More images of the To Ki To jacket after the jump and the rest of the collection at Oi Polloi HERE.

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Toomuchposse!

I’ve just been taking a look through the Garbstore site and came across this fantastic Parka, I think it looks a little lightweight for the Winter, but with Spring steadily approaching (hard to believe I know) this sort of jacket is more than a little handy. After doing some digging, I believe only 30 of these are available worldwide.   At £250 a fairly reasonable price when compared to the other great parkas and coats out there by Stone Island, CP Company and Woolrich all pushing the £500 mark, I think this is a snip.

If you haven’t ventured West (isn’t that a novel idea), I think you should, and go and check out Garbstore.

An interesting list by the people of Esquire, a couple of new spots have been brought to my attention, while some staples get duly noted for their great selection of brands and quality service.

Kiosk 78 – Leeds

Present – London

Badger Clothing Company Ltd - Brighton

Ideology Menswear – Sheffield

Oi Polloi – Manchester

Oi Polloi, for those of you who are regular visitors here, or know me personally will be more than accustomed to my outstanding praise for the Manchester clothing mecca. It truly is the best menswear shop in the UK. I hadn’t stumbled across Sheffield’s Ideology before, but it looks like another gem. The breadth of brands on offer isn’t vast, but each compliment the other perfectly, looks like a fantastic shop worth rearing your head at. As for Badger in Brighton, It’s a little disappointing they failed to choose Peggs & Son a far better spot on the South Coast.