20/05/2022
This week’s guest is Molly Martin, author, illustrator and mender. Molly’s book “The Art of Repair” is a wonderful combination of techniques and illustrated garment stories and real garmology material. We chat about the historical necessity of repairing garments, how wartime and rationing made it important to be able to repair what you wore, the Japanese techniques of Sashiko and…
06/05/2022
This week Janelle of White Weft in London drops by to talk about her life in the denim industry as a designer, how she is now upcycling worn out denim into new products, the joy of repairing broken jeans, how stretchy jeans and elastane are the banes of recycling denim, designing fits, how the industry is a greenwashing nightmare, oh,…
12/11/2021
This week Neil Christopher stops by for a chat. Neil is known from underground legend ARN Mercantile, as well as being a sought after chap from all manner of companies. With a career starting in an unlikely and random way and pretty much continuing in the same vein, we get into the ethics of the industry, what needs to change,…
29/10/2021
This week Mohsin Sajid stops by for a bumper session on his 20 years in the denim industry (so far), a rundown on denim history, collecting vintage sewing gear, which vintage jeans are the best, zero-waste design, how denim is slowly moving from being one of the worst polluters in the fashion industry to something a little better and how…
10/09/2021
First out in season 3 of Garmology is Richard Tyler of Men’s Accessories company Tyler & Tyler. Tyler & Tyler comes from the stable of a British family-controlled business that has been manufacturing in Birmingham since 1908. They design and make all the extra shiny finishing touches such as cufflinks, tie clips, blazer buttons and lapel pins. They also offer…
14/07/2015
Summer time and the living is easy, or so the song goes. And sartorially so I think it really is. Easy, and perhaps a little less fun? If you’re a bit like me, where you like your thick tweed and heavy denim, some stout footwear and a good scarf, dressing to keep the chill out, then Summer poses a a…
10/07/2015
An expression came to mind last week whilst preparing a new pair of rugged Red Wing boots for use, “tough as old boots”. It got me wondering where such an expression might have come from, and also whether there was any significance in the “old” part of it. Were boots stronger in previous times? I have observed that there has been…
09/06/2015
Writing for the blog has taken a back seat in recent weeks, primarily due to other commitments, including getting my old Jag back on the road, getting the new greenhouse stocked and started, and this and that really. And it all comes down to seeking out that which inspires, and finding a way back into the saddle once you find yourself out…
14/05/2015
I’ve previously written about Realm & Empire and how they delve into the IWM archives for inspiration. Given that the weather around here of late has been dodgy in the extreme, I’ve had a lot of use of their waxed jacket I reviewed a while back. This time though I’m taking a look at their Artisan jacket and Demob shirt. The…
19/04/2015
I have a high level of natural curiosity, and when I wonder about something I want to find out more about it. It usually isn’t quantum physics or anything that would save the planet, though maybe every small thing helps? Heck, who am I kidding, I just notice small anomalies and have to scratch the itch. What was it that made…