Welcome to the absolutely final review of this round of Trouser Tuesdays. Rounding off a full bakers dozen of reviews we today arrive at Scottish brand Common People.
Common People is the brainchild of Kestin Hare and is only some 4 years old. Still fairly small and under the radar, there is a single shop in Edinburgh and it’s available through a dozen or so resellers. Kestins claim to credibility is being a former head of design with Nigel Cabourn, which does strike a chord with me at least!
The trousers we’re looking at today are from the AW13 line and called the “Rubidium” trousers. Each collection has a different theme, and for AW13 the theme was obviously chemicals. I’m not sure if any of Rubidiums properties have been transferred to the trousers, but it certainly makes for a unique name, if not the easiest to spell!
Common People have a very timely focus on local production, with proud “Made in England”labels. They have been made in Manchester from an indigo-dyed herringbone cotton that has been woven to give a finish that looks knitted. Quite an airy fabric, so I find it works very well in medium heat Summer, and will likely work for at least the warmer days of Autumn. The knitted fabric will probably not be optimal for cycling on cold days though.
The fabric has similar properties to fine tweed, where the more you live with it and study it, the more you appreciate the character and properties of it. The patterns and colours are intricate and interesting, and change according to the light.
The style and fit is said to be inspired by 1920′ and 30’s railroad and workwear pants, with the traditional cinch back and the big back pockets that can often be found on the styles of the period. The cinch works as intended, though there are also belt loops if you prefer to use a belt. One downside of how the cinch has been designed is that there is no belt loop in the middle of the rear, which can make the trouser hang down at the middle of the rear.
The buttons used are quite strange, being rubberised. An interesting idea, though maybe better in theory than in practice. I admit this is the feature I like the least with these trousers, as the small buttons are a little too small and fiddly, and the large button is tricky to get into it’s hole due to the rubber. I find this so annoying that I will probably change all the buttons to correct this.
Interior seams are of good quality, with most being taped to avoid unravelling of fabric. Notice also the unusual Airtex fabric used for the pocket bags. A classic British fabric not often used these days. It makes for interesting and airy pockets!
What really strikes me about these trousers though, apart from the fantastic fabric, is the great fit. Really comfortable and the quality of the fabric means they fall nicely and without creasing. These aren’t trousers I feel work well with turn-ups, so a little hemming is in order to get the length just so.
In summary these are a very interesting and promising pair of trousers from a company I will be paying close attention to in the future. It’s really nice to see some fresh design at work and in addition to the proven quality of British factories both on the fabric and manufacturing side, I think it’s fair to say that Common People deserve to be a bit more widely appreciated!
Measurements (as supplied):
- Waist: Not marked, measures 34″
- Inseam: Not marked, measures 32″
- Fabric – UK
- Trousers – UK
Score (1-5, 3 being average):
- Assembly: 4
- Details: 3
- Quality: 4
- Value for money: 3
- Cool-factor: 4
We’v been loving your Instagram/blog here at Ruskin. If you ever come over to Whitstable Kent you might like to pop into Our new shop Ruskin, based around the fantastic common people and other made in Britain accessories. Catch up with us on Instagram ruskin_whitstable, I think you’ll like us!!