Season 5!

We’re staying in Scotland for this week’s episode, with Dr Lynn Wilson, currently of the Centre of Circular Design. Lynn has had an incredibly long and varied career in the clothing industry, including working in vocational art and textile training in a high-security prison, helping communities in Africa build a textile business, public policy and Zero Waste Scotland. There is mention of moths, and we may also agree to disagree on how great an idea the leasing of jeans actually is.

This week my guest is Sofi Thanhauser, professor and author of the book “Worn – A people’s history of clothing”. We get into the history of the various fibres, the implications on society and the development of clothing technology through the ages. The evolution of our clothing has been a very mixed joy, depending on your position, so expect som insight you might not be aware of. Oh, and we hear about the Dumptique and thrifting Norwegian sweaters in Budapest?

You can find Sofi’s website and info about “Worn” on the web here.

Today’s guest is Jamie Bartlett of Banton Frameworks, a small, independent maker of optical frames outside Glasgow in Scotland. Jamie tells the fascinating story of their bumpy start, making frames from random materials in a car, how they’ve since built the business frame by frame, collaborating with similarly minded brands and how rewarding it is to have loyal fans of their work. We also get a crash course in German hinges, varieties of acetate and why eyewear is an important part of our personal expression.

You can find Banton Frameworks on the web here and on Instagram at @bantonframeworks

Garmology is researched, booked, hosted, edited, published, paid for and everything else by Nick Johannessen. There is no advertising or sponsorship, but you are welcome to support the podcast at buymeacoffee.com/garmology

This week’s guest on the pod is Alec Leach, former editor of the product hype website Highsnobiety and author of the book “The world is on fire and we@re still buying shoes”. We talk about how he got started in Highsnobiety and what the work there involved, how streetwear brands have changed the way brands market their goods and how tough it is to change the way we consume clothes. Oh, and how a luggage brand brashly proclaimed their handbag could save the planet.

You can buy Alec’s book on his website at alecleach.com

For the first episode of season 5, and the milestone 100th episode, my guest is Aoife Long, a slow fashion writer from Ireland. Aoife is dedicated to seeking out the stories and craftspeople of her country, putting the spotlight on mainly small, independent makers with a conscious approach to their surroundings and what they produce. We get into the situation for Irish wool and how the old breeds are seeing a renaissance, the reality of Irish linen, how gold is not great, the need to share and more.

You can find Aoife’s newsletter at aoifelong.substack.com, the monthly Slow Fashion print and digital magazine Spirit and Luxury and on Instagram at @a.long.ireland

Garmology is researched, booked, hosted, edited, published, paid for and everything else by Nick Johannessen. There is no advertising or sponsorship, but you are welcome to support the podcast at buymeacoffee.com/garmology

Season 4!

In the season finale of season 4, I’m visited by Philippa Grogan, sustainability consultant in Eco-Age, an agency for sustainable business strategy. Since graduating, Philly has been on a fascinating journey (literally) through the garment industry of Asia, before working in Eco-Age to help companies lower their impact on people and the planet. Our conversation covers the recent developments in the Higg MSI situation, fossil-based fashion, greenwashing and intentions to become sustainable, how recent vintage isn’t all that sustainable, how easy it is to blame consumers and using celebrities to help bring focus on the issues at hand. It’s not all doom and gloom though, expect banter and laughs as well. Oh, and a washtub full of urine.

You can find Eco-Age on the web here and Philly’s own story here.

Professor Becky Earley guests Garmology this week to talk about making the industry of fashion more circular, and what circularity actually means. We cover topics such as how much we wear our clothes, the problems charity shops face, the pros and cons of user to user reselling, how the production of clothes has been steeply increasing and the interest from the garment industry in making in a better way, the ways materials need to change to enable recycling, how nothing can replace polyester and why garments workers can’t just be paid a proper wage. And how it feels to have been working on the same problems for the past 30 years.

You can find Becky on the web here and on Instagram as @becky_earley

The magic school bus of Garmology stops today in rainy Manchester to take onboard Joe Schindler for a salty chat about denim, small-scale production, how to stumble and keep going in business, how being your own boss means working all hours and the value in making only stuff you really like yourself.

You can find Joe & Co on the web here and on Instagram as @joeandcodenim

This week Genevieve Sweeney stops by to chat about the easy path of starting her knitwear brand. Or rather, how wanting to start making knitwear led her on a tour of discovery of discarded and obsolete machinery, meeting contacts in run-down pubs, locating expert knitters that had been put out to pasture, her husband becoming a trojan horse to get a foot inside the factory doors and be taken seriously. Oh, and how satisfying it is to succeed!

You can find Genevieve Sweeney Knitwear on the web here and on Instagram as @genevievesweeney

Today’s guest is Alice Sherwood, author of the new book “Authenticity: Reclaiming Reality in a Counterfeit Culture”. We have a fascinating chat about the counterfeit goods and how brands are actually helping the fakers, storytelling in marketing, how almost all fashion design is an incremental process, influencer culture and how AI is making is both enabling the theft of information and helping catch the thieves at the same time. Oh, and who really invented the tuxedo, Yves St Laurent or Ralph Lauren?

“Authenticity: Reclaiming Reality in a Counterfeit Culture” is available from all usual sources, or direct from the HarperCollins here

Garmology is researched, booked, hosted, edited, published, paid for and everything else by Nick Johannessen. There is no advertising or sponsorship, but you are welcome to support the podcast at buymeacoffee.com/garmology

This week’s guest is David Courtney of Courtney & Co, arguably the last of the traditional button makers in the UK. I was keen to invite David for a chat about how he happened into what is a rather unusual business, requiring as it does both a plethora of machinery and some rather special source materials. Not to mention the skills and knowledge to make buttons actually happen! A challenge indeed, not least when customs officers get in touch to ask about the box of white stuff that’s arrived from South America…

You can find Courtney & Co on the web here and on Instagram as @courtneycobuttonmakers

Garmology is researched, booked, hosted, edited, published, paid for and everything else by Nick Johannessen. There is no advertising or sponsorship, but you are welcome to support the podcast at buymeacoffee.com/garmology

When you find yourself having a crisis of career and decide that taking on a garment factory from 1853 in the heart of Manchester sounds like a great idea, you’re clearly not faint of heart or work shy. James Eden visits the podcast to talk about how he came to start Private White VC, as a tribute to his heroic great grandfather, the difficulties in moving from being a maker for others to becoming a brand, the history of Manchester as the birthplace of the industrial revolution, the challenges of working in an old factory and making the very best garments you can. Oh, and trying to change the pricing structure of fashion retailing!

You can find Private White VC on the web here and on Instagram as @privatewhitevc

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

Today’s guest is Chris Hewitt. Chris started out in 2008 wanting to make a pair of sustainable jeans. He’d been dealing in vintage for a while and had a mate that had briefly worked in the fashion industry, so how hard could it be? Harder than he’d imagined, as it turned out. Tune in for the twisty tale of trying to find fabric, spending all your money on strange samples, having some denim woven in the UK and then trying to sleuth who actually wove this denim, striking deals over a mug of tea and a biscuit, and… This is a tale of true endurance.

You can find Hewitt Denim on the web here and on Instagram as @hewitt.denim.mills

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

In this episode, I’m visited by Tim Little, owner of traditional shoemaker Grenson. We chat about how Tim initially planned to be an accountant, took a turn into marketing, found his passion for shoes while working for Adidas, and went on to own one of the grand old names of Northamptonshire shoemaking. Topics include the need for considered progress, taking care of your staff, vegan leather and how difficult it is for traditional goods to stay relevant in modern times.

You can find Tim Little and Grenson on the web at grenson.com and on Instagram as @grensonshoes

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

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 Boro, how visibly mending is a political statement and how some brands are now teaching their customers to mend.

You can find Molly on the web here and on Instagram as @molly.a.martin

Continuing down the path to the doors of small makers, today we find ourselves sharing time with Becca and Ben of Pajotten. Established in 2016 as a midlife change of pace and direction, Pajotten makes workwear inspired garments one at a time, to order and size, building a loyal customer base along the way. We chat about their background and inspiration, the process of making and the joy of repeat customers. And get stuck in the odd rabbit-hole underway!

You can find Pajotten on the web here, and on Instagram as @pajotten.

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

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, and how almost none of the indigo dye we adore is actually from natural indigo plants.

You can find Janelle and White Weft on the web here and on Instagram as @white_weft.

After graduating with a Masters’s Degree in Fashion and Business, Niamh wanted to start her own company, based on her own principles, values and way of doing things. We talk about studying fashion, how the obvious path goes into fast fashion, the difference between making things quick and easy versus taking your time to do it properly, how a career in garment making could be an attractive route for young people and how even a small and conscious business needs to be viable in the long run. Oh, and how making a single style to order at a time makes life a little easier for a solo maker.

You can find NeemCee on the web here and on Instagram as @_neemcee

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

Today’s guests are Barbara and Nick, the due behind the small Hackney-based brand, A State of Nature. Heavily into the small-scale, well-crafted, detail-oriented, natural fabrics and direct sales school of business, building the business from the ground level with a focus on longevity and happy customers. We talk about the joys and frustrations and how coming from luxury fashion means setting high goals for your own crafted product.

You can find A State of Nature on the web here and on Instagram as @a_state_of_nature

When you start a brand based on your admiration for the last great hero of exploration, you want to make sure you live up to the legend. Martin Brooks of Shackleton guests to talk about his decades-long obsession with Ernest Shackleton and his Antarctic quest, his values and leadership, the understated heroics and achievements. Oh, and how they are going about making functional outerwear to last a long time, inviting customers to experience extreme conditions and keeping the legend of Shackleton and his men alive.

You can read more about Shackleton here.

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

Nick Johannessen is the host of Garmology, the editor of the WellDressedDad blog and WellDressedDad on Instagram. You can email Nick as Garmology (at) WellDressedDad.com.

This week I have the pleasure of talking to someone I’ve enjoyed countless hours of seeing on tv, Patrick Grant. Known to many as one of the judges of The Great British Sewing Bee, Patrick has many more things going on, such as owning a traditional Savile Row tailor and a Lancashire garment factory. He’s also working to revitalise manufacturing in the UK with Community Clothing, creating a community of makers to contribute to increasing jobs, keeping a stable production and encouraging investments. Patrick talks passionately about quality and craftsmanship, sustainability and the importance of proper socks!

You can follow Patrick Grant on Instagram as @patrickgrantism

Check out Community Clothing and Norton & Sons

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

Journalist Symeon Brown visits to talk about his new book about the world of influencers, “Get rich or lie trying”. We cover the rise of the modern influencers, how social media has enabled new ways of guerilla marketing using young fans, the fashionable surgery and Brazilian butt lifts, the dropshipping and financial trader scams and at the end of the day, who is actually exploiting who?

You can find Symeon on Instagram and Twitter and more on his Linktree.

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

After getting busy writing during the lockdown, Holly Swinyard returns to talk all things cosplay. We get into the history of cosplay and how while the name is recent, it has much older origins, how humans have maybe always been into dressing up, the potential benefits of taking on a character, the work that goes into costumes, how things changed up with the golden ages of cinema, comics and more recently the Japanese manga and anime. There’s even a mention of the cringeworthy “Tweedman” (regular visitors will recall this…).

You can find Holly Swinyard on Instagram as @lilistprince and all relevant links on her LinkTree!

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

Following up on last week’s Japanese theme, this week I’m joined by Ian Haydock, Lancashire born, Tokyo resident. We talk about his family history in the Lancashire textile industry, the joy of sifting through the Tokyo second-hand shops, especially finding forgotten British brands, how the ecosystem of vintage and secondhand garments works in Tokyo and the collector mentality.

You can find Ian’s wonderful photos of Tokyo on Instagram as @tofu_hed97

Today’s guest is Takè Sato, former fashion editor of Smart magazine in Japan and fashion editor of Monocle magazine. Today Takè is based in London and works as a creative director and fashion stylist. He recently published “An obsession made in Japan”, about the “happy victims”, fashion victims, as documented by Kyoichi Tsuzuki. We talk about the Japanese otakus (aka obsessives), loyalty to fashion designers, why secondhand shopping in Tokyo is special, social media and influencers and subcultures.

You can find Take on the web as takeharusato.com and on Instagram as @takeharu_sato

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

This week we venture down a more scientific route with Dr Joshua M Bluteau, aka @anthrodandy, and his field studies within menswear and social media. Adopting the persona of @antrodandy, he went deep into the field to study how we present ourselves on social media, what we might gain and lose from it, what it does to us and how he got to know tailors.

You can find Joshua on Instagram as  @anthrodandy

My guests this week are Marie and Will from Old Town, micro makers of contemporary clothing with references to the past. We talk about the Blitz scene of the ’80s and the twisty way Old Town started off, why they’re not about nostalgia, where the inspiration comes from, how their customer base has evolved over time and the celebrity gardener who has become their biggest promoter (and the wives who want their husbands to dress like him!).

You can find Old Town on the web here and on Instagram as  @oldtownengland.

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

My guest today represents tradition, resilience and doing what you do well. Hillary Bacon is the marketing director of Cordings of Piccadilly, a clothing establishment that has been basically unchanged since 1839, although the world around has changed fundamentally. We talk about how Cordings started and those important first products, how society has evolved, appreciating that some things don’t have to change, being able to replace your old with the same new, how Eric Clapton saw the window display and bought half the shop and keeping traditions alive.

You can find Cordings of Piccadilly on the web here, and on Instagram as @cordingsofpiccadilly

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

Today’s episode is another insight into the world of vintage, courtesy of John Gluckow from New York. John got into the world of vintage sourcing and selling at a young age, moving on to working for Ralph Lauren, sourcing vintage for RRL, studying menswear and starting a vintage-inspired menswear brand in Japan. Some interesting tangents are taken, and we even got round to dating clothes from knowledge of zippers!

You can find John Gluckon on Instagram as @johngluckow_ancientandmodern and @strongarmclothingandsupply

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

In this episode, I take a trip down to Dandy Avenue with my guest Nathanial “Natty” Adams, journalist, author, suit designer and gentleman of taste. Natty is the author of the acclaimed books “We are dandy” and “I am Dandy”, documenting distinctive gentlemen across the world, with photos by Rose Callahan. We discuss what clothing can mean, the reasoning and purpose of dressing differently, subcultural styles, the heady days of #menswear, convalescent robes and more.

Find Natty on the web here and on Instagram as @nattyadams

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

Today we swing back to the business of fashion and my guest is Amanda Lee McCarty, producer of the Clotheshorse podcast and Instagram. With her own experience in the business to draw on, Amanda goes deep into the world of decoding and demystifying the world of fashion, both fast and slow. We cover a wide range of topics in our chat and also call out many of the moves the fast fashion companies use to entice us into consumerism.

You can find Amanda’s Clotheshorse podcast on all the usual apps and streaming services, on the web at ClothesHorsePodcast.com and on Instagram as @clotheshorsepodcast.

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

Season 3

By popular demand, the garmsmen gather again for the now traditional Yuletide festive episode. Shaun and Jon join Nick for a wide-ranging chat about men’s (lack of) fashion, bungled costumes in TV drama, finding rare tweed in Russia, Jons obsession with leathergoods, Shaun’s obsession with comfy shoes, when a brand loses its way, what real farmers vs faux country gents wear and what is designer clothes anyway? Described by Gentleman’s Quarterly as “A laidback and comfortably paced chat perfect for accompanying the preparation of sprouts”.

You can find Shaun on Instagram as @these_rough_notes and Jon as @heavyjon.

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

Today Norwegian journalist and sustainable fashion advocate Tone Skårdal Tobiasson guests the pod to talk about wool, other fibres, the issue at hand and the initiatives pointing forward. Tone’s career has seen her quite dramatically change sides of the fashion table, going from being a fashion magazine editor to being one of the countries most vocal critics of the industry. We start out talking mainly about how great wool is, then we go into darker places and learn some hard truths.

Link to some of the places and initiatives Tone mentions:

https://clothingresearch.oslomet.no/
https://lasting.world/
https://concernedresearchers.org
https://www.facebook.com/sheepsolvingglobalissues
https://www.facebook.com/nordicinitiativecleanandethical/
https://www.facebook.com/LettkleddLettsteltLettfiks/

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

The Heritage Post magazine is celebrating 10 years of publication and writer Mathias Lösel drops in to talk about gentleman culture, denim and tweed, subcultures, individuality and rugged guys, that Florian Schneider cover, Churchill and how they work on expanding the minds of their readers.

Find The Heritage Post on the web here and on Instagram as @theheritagepost.

The free English edition of the latest issue is here.

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

This week designer Cristiano Berto of 1st Pat-Rn drops in to talk about his years in Italian fashion design, his early inspiration from American styles, meeting Massimo Osti back in the day, making clothes that work together and don’t expire when fashion changes, finding joy in fabrics and their makers, finding success in Japan and how to him sustainability also includes treating both suppliers and customers with respect.

You can find Cristiano and Sylvia on the web at 1stpat-rn.it and on Instagram as @1stpatrn.

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffee!

This week my guest, sustainability and fashion writer Melissa Watts, takes me down the primrose path of fast fashion and the problem of sustainability. We talk about the fast fashion pulled a fast one with their Higgs index, how the science of marketing is making consumers take on the industry’s guilt, the problem of agreeing on some actual numbers and facts, the recent trauma porn landfills of garment waste in Ghana and Chile and the frustration of campaigning in echo chambers.

You can find Melissa’s newsletter “Not what it seams” on Substack.

In a quest to lighten the mood a bit, fashion historian and national esthetician Ragnhild Brochmann visits the pod this week to talk about historical peacockery, why teens have more fun, revisiting your younger self, the codes of accessories, how the 1940s had the best garment, why finding your style isn’t the way to go and much more!

Ragnhild writes a weekly column for the Norwegian newspaper Morgenbladet, she is also on Instagram!

You can watch Ragnhild and Nick on “God Morgen Norge” here (Norwegian breakfast TV).

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, the business of making proper clothes, keeping your footprint minimal, why Red Wing soles are worse than they used to be, and the predictable topics of fast fashion and true sustainability.

You can find Neil on Instagram as @arnmerc

This week Richard Ince is my guest. Richard is the sixth generation Ince making umbrellas in the family firm. James Ince Umbrellas has been making their wares in London since 1805, a whopping 215 years. We talk about how the industry has changed, how umbrellas have evolved, having faith in your product, flamboyancy and sustainability.

Find James Ince Umbrellas on Instagram as @inceumbrellas and check James Ince Umbrellas website.

If you would like to support the podcast, feel free to buy the host a coffe.

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 Tencel is doing good stuff, hemp making a massive comeback, spanking a lot of industry and sustainability myths!

Find Mohsin Sajid on Instagram as @mohsinsajid and check Mohsins Linktree for more info on his many endeavours.

This week my guest is Leigh of The RE:DIRECTORY. After 20 years in High Street retail, Leigh reached a point where she could no longer stand behind the values they worked to, mainly going for a quick profit and short-term gains. As an experienced buyer she has seen the inner workings of the fashion business, from top management to the shop floor. She now promotes small, ethical businesses through her web platform, The RE:DIRECTORY. Topics include how fast fashion played Pied Piper to the traditional fashion business, the lies we are told through marketing, how quickly items go from shop floor to secondhand platforms and how the concept of retail therapy needs to be thrown out. Oh, and the problem with slow fashion. And a lot more, naturally!

You can find The RE:DIRECTORY on the web here and on Instagram as @the_redirectory

Andrew Groves is Professor of Fashion Design at the University of Westminster, London and curator of their menswear archive. He pops by to talk about moving to London as a young man, working with Alexander McQueen, being a  student while working in a sex shop, moving into academia as a lecturer, the one-upmanship of terrace culture, why bad taste needs to be collected and shopping for the Menswear Archive with a sack full of cash. Oh, and some more ideas on what makes a cherished garment!

You can find Andrew Groves’ website here and on Instagram as @prof.andrewgroves

This week, Sam Binstead is back for a laidback chat about the world of slow fashion, local makers, mending, vintage, bond villains, the outdoorsy life, promoting the susty message on Instagram, the real way forward and making shoes from odd materials.

You can find Sam Binstead on Instagram as @SamBinstead and on YouTube here.

This week bespoke tailor Nicholas Simon visits Garmology to talk about the future of suits, how he was pushed into pushed tailoring, why Savile Row is still the epitome of suit-making, the difference between a good suit and a bad suit, bespoke vs made to measure, why it makes sense to own a really well made and well-fitting suit in a great fabric. And, Nicholas attempts to describe the smell of Patrick Grant.

You can find Nicholas Simon on the web here and on Instagram as @nicholas_simon_tailoring.

Ella Grifee is a solo maker based in Cornwall, UK. From her small studio, she crafts shirts to order, from organic fabrics and shipped in recyclable wrapping. Inspired to start the company after being furloughed from a large fashion company, it seemed the perfect time to pivot into doing her own thing. We talk about life as a sole employee, working from home, the joy of making, Ella’s favourite stolen goods and how cherished garments are sustainable.

You can find Ella Grifee on the web here and on Instagram as @ellagrifee_studio

After a long career in textile design and fabrication, Sam Goates set up shop as a solitary weaver in the port of Buckie in the North of Scotland. Bringing a down at heel bitsa this, bitsa that Hattersley single-width loom back to life to weave custom cloths for discerning customers worldwide. We talk about Sam’s time in Australia, how she is not weaving Harris Tweed, the frustrations of keeping a vintage loom running right, employing family members and how there are never enough hours in the day. Inevitably we also get into sustainability, buying better and less and try to find an answer to what contributes to a garment being cherished.

You can find Woven In the Bone on the web here and on Instagram as @woveninthebone

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 a swathe of ties, leather goods and more. We talk about the making, the using, the reasoning, design, sustainability and more.

Keen waxer of waxed jackets, Ryan Mallinson, is back for a follow-up. We get into a few of the ideas behind slower fashion, buying what you actually need instead of what is available, taking care of your kit, repairing and improving, building a business from scratch, taking risks, creating a brand and building a community, being genuine in business, and more!

Gary Newbold returns for this episode to talk around the topic of “buy better, buy less”, what choices we make in how things are made, which fabrics we use, what it’s like to work in the clothing business and more. There is a lot of talk of which fabrics and fibres we should avoid, but which should we seek out? This is probably the most ASMR episode yet, for those in the know.

One of the most fundamental pieces of human knowledge is tying knots, and even more so when it comes to our footwear. Lacing and tying shoes is something we learn at an early age and most of us use this knowledge daily all our life. My guest today is Ian Fieggen, self-styled Professor Shoelace, inventor of better knot and keeper of the definitive website for lacing and tying. We talk about how this came about, what knots mean to him, which knots for what purpose, why it matters how you lace your shoes, teaching knots to children, and how even James Bond can’t tie his granny knot right.

You can find Ian on Instagram as  @profshoelace and Ian’s Shoelace Site at www.fieggen.com/shoelace/

An icon of men’s style, fashion business guru, the face of #menswear, a voracious collector of garms and a non-fungible digital Lego figure. Nick Wooster is the guest of this weeks Garmology!

We talk about his early days longing for a cashmere sweater in Salina, Kansas, moving to New York and eventually scaling the grades within fashion, the randomness of becoming a style icon and what it’s like to still be in it for the clothes.

This weeks guest is Mark Larese-Casanova, an old friend of mine from the head days of menswear forums. Mark is a fellow fan of well-made, well designed and interesting menswear, so much so that he has recently changed from being in front of students to becoming a student. We talk about making garments and how knowledge changes your perspective on what you wear. Oh, and designing and making your own clothes.

My guest in this episode is Jack Millington, founder of Billy Tannery, a business that started with the plan of using the otherwise discarded hides of goats. We talk about the inspiration to start a new business, the reality of bringing a crazy idea to fruition, the situation for goats and how collaborations make it possible to create a viable business.

The wife and husband team of Sarah and Paul have been running SEH Kelly since 2009. Quietly designing, making and revising a stream of garments that have found appreciative owners. All made in the British isles, from British cloths, and all backed by Sarah’s tailoring and Paul’s prose. From their HQ, which is basically a cold shed in Shoreditch, they are a great example of doing things well and being happy staying small.

It has been said that if you don’t notice the clothes used in a film, the designer has done a good job. Sometimes though, the clothes, like the music, the sets and props, become more than just background. For me, the films of Guy Ritchie embody this, so to have a good chat about precisely this subject, I sat down with Christopher Laverty, author of “Fashion in film”, the Clothes on Film website and an utter anorak when it comes to what is being worn on the big screen.

Arguably, one of the most compelling television shows in recent years is The Great British Sewing Bee, a fierce, yet friendly, competition between keen hobbyist sewers, with warmth, humour and great opportunities for learning. I can only imagine countless new sewers being inspired to thread their machine and start creating. My guests are Matt Gage and Liz Grylls from the 2020 season and we talk about getting started, applying for the Sewing Bee, what it was like on set, appreciating clothes you have made yourself, and the murderous nature of transforming the unexpected into marvels in only 90 minutes. Oh, and what are Patrick, Esme and Joe really like?

You can find Matt on the web at keepbritainsewing.com and on Instagram as @mattgagesewing and Liz on YouTube here, on Instagram as @x_sewingpunk_x and on LinkTree.

Tanmay Saxena has enjoyed an unusual route to where he is today, from studying IT in India to starting Lane FortyFive in London. We talk about how he got started, being noticed in Japan, how making to order allows a unisex and made to measurements approach slow fashion, sustainability and how people should think of dressing more as art than a way to merely hide their bodies from sight.

Sam Binstead enjoys the good things in life. Coffee, wine, cheese and now, a slow fashion style. We talk about what slow fashion entails, where to find the good stuff, the issues in how we dress and ultimately, is “slow fashion” a good name for it? Sam vlogs about a considered lifestyle and buying better and less on YouTube. You can find Sam Binstead on Instagram as @SamBinstead and on YouTube here.

David Evans, otherwise known as Grey Fox, has been blogging about menswear for 10 years. Championing menswear for the older man, be it classic suits, vintage denim or outdoors tweed, David has built a wide following. We talk about the madness of social media, the problem of both liking new clothes and being pro sustainability, how old cars fit in with heritage brands and enjoy a good laugh.

A popular guest from season one makes a welcome return! Sara from Sartorialab is on the pod for a light chat about fits, fails, hairstyles after hair loss, hats, the fallacy of buying the same stuff over and over, dressing for weddings and quite a bit of this and that!

Daniel Harris started the London Cloth Co, a micro-mill in London in 2011, with one ancient and broken loom. Since then he has accumulated and restored many more, woven for many illustrious customers, mingled with gangsters and aided the International Space Station. Oh, and helped dress Han Solo.

Award-winning British fashion innovator Christopher Raeburn joins the podcast to talk about how he got involved in upcycling military surplus, creating high fashion from vintage escape maps and parachutes, how change is happening even in huge companies such as Timberland and how the spread of ideas and inspiration is as valuable as producing a saleable product. We also get into buy better/buy less, sustainability, the reuse of fibres, greenwashing and whether the high volume/low-cost business model is viable going ahead. And as a treat, we end up with The Lads, Christopher’s home worm farm/food waste recycling effort.

Find out more about Christopher and the various Raeburn divisions here:

Christopher Raeburn Instagram

Raeburn Design website / Instagram

Raeburn Lab website / Instagram

A slight diversion guest-wise today, as it’s my sister Emma, a psychologist, that picks up the phone for a fly on the wall style chat about topics within the Garmology sphere. We talk about the psychology of social media, why retail therapy has become a thing, peak hipster, why women get poorer clothes, the issues and pitfalls of ordering online, where the real deals can be done, our mums’ taste is outed and much more. Unusually, I get to talk more in this episode!

This weeks episode is all about Harris Tweed, a legend among cloths and arguably the most socially significant of fabrics. My guests this week are Lorna Macaulay and Rebecca Hutton from the Hebridean Islands. Lorna is CEO of the Harris Tweed Authority, promoters and protectors of the tweed, and Rebecca Hutton, independent single-width weaver at Taobhtuath Tweeds. We talk about the history of weaving, life on the islands, how actual Harris Tweed came to be, the significance of the Orb symbol and the legal protection, life as a weaver, the ups and downs of Harris Tweed and more. Lots of good stories, solid information and more than a few laughs.

The guest this week is Rebecca Perkins, acclaimed author and midlife coach. We talk about confidence in mid-life, finding your purpose, not being limited by labels, being ourselves, learning to sew and write and the problems of living your life through social media.

Rebecca’s links:

• https://themidlifecoach.com/
• https://www.recoveryfromwithin.life/
• https://fourwomenfourdecades.com/
• Best Knickers Always: 50 lessons for midlife
• Recovery from Within: a mother and daughter’s journey through anorexia
• Dan’s sewing Instagram 

My guest this week is Jason Kirk, director of the family firm Kirk and Kirk eyewear. We talk about how we go about buying glasses, why they can be so expensive, the differences in the material used for frames and the varieties of lenses, whether it matters where things are made, buying from the behemoths of the optical world versus an independent shop, how glasses fit and whether you should use a stylist or find your own expression.

Sheffield was the birthplace of stainless steel and pivotal in the Industrial Revolution. Cutlery and knives have been proudly stamped “Made in Sheffield” since 1871. My guest today is Michael May, an independent maker of knives in the old Portland Works in Sheffield. Michael keeps the old craft alive, in one of the buildings from when it started, having his previous Damascus steel hammered out in the original forge from back then. We talk about how becoming a knifemaker was a non-obvious, but necessary career evolution and the craft that goes into his knives.

A new year and a fresh season of Garmology! In this episode, my guest is Sophie, co-founder of Stanley Biggs Clothiers and total enthusiast for the roaring ’20s. Stanley Biggs a heritage clothing brand, unashamedly inspired by the past, in style as well as in spirit, taking a firm stand against fast fashion and offshoring by producing hats, knitwear and more in the UK.
Sophie and I talk about the route from living history to reenactment and on to the possibility of Cosplaying a full-on vintage menswear style. Underway Sophie regals me with tales of derring-do in an 80-year-old Austin Chummy and how the comfort zone is challenged, speed limits inapplicable and long-distance travel actually possible. A big question arises as to how the sense of smell may be impacted by having racks of old clothes in your living room, and how do you actually make that happen?

Season 1:

By popular demand, we have recorded a special festive bonus edition for your enjoyment. Featuring regular co-hosts Shaun, Dachi, Jon and Nick. We reached out to listeners to ask for their questions and suggestions for topics, so what is delivered here is clearly the pinnacle of what committed listeners of Garmology want to hear more about! We get into what we’d wear as a Santa, whether wool knitwear should be itchy or not, modern tech fabrics versus old favourites, style icons, celebrities with their own stylists, the problem of trench coats and more.

This is an unusually long episode! Normal service will be resumed in season 2, starting early January.

It’s time to call it a wrap and close season 1, so I gathered three of the regular guests for a free-form chat about this and that, the problem of vintage rags, the siren call of the unfindable, why we are the nightmare of retailers, finding rabbit holes, pencil-sharpeners, how Britpop killed UK fashion, dads in parkas and the question of what Patrick Grant really smells like.

In this episode, my guest is Albert, NY residing classical music promotor and man of fine culture. At the weekends he heads to his secret upstate lair where he dons his heritage wear and becomes UpstateGuyStyle, another of the rare old dudes with a penchant for denim, boots and clothes with a story. Add into the mix that Albert also hosts his own podcast, Vir Vulnderabilis Vir, and the stage is set for a good hour of oldish dudes talking about their pants, or trousers, as the case may be. And more.

The guest this episode is Holly Swinyard, style chameleon in many a Cosplay getup. Holly is editor and podcaster for the Cosplay Journal, a contributor to Chap magazine,
We talk about having fun with clothes, dressing for pleasure and self-confidence, conformity, ignoring rules and how cosplay intersects with dressing up in our daily lives. Oh, and a shared admiration for books the late Terry Pratchett.

This weeks guest is Gary Newbold, maker of premium, handmade British outerwear as English Utopia, and his non-linear career progression from life as a competition cyclist to becoming head of design at Barbour, and what to do after that. Pearls of wisdom are included, so pay attention!

This weeks episode sees Garmology regular Dachi back to discuss vintage opportunities for the coming cold and wet season. Topics covered include vintage sizing, cashmere loungewear, old quality brands, vintage weight Harris tweed, rainwear perverts, making for profit or quality, how flimsy modern workwear is and how hard-earned heritage is being sacrificed for quick cash, the difference between hoarding duplicates and being a serious collector, cleaning and repairing wool garments and is there more vintage clothing available for women than for men? And that’s only the first 20 minutes!

My guest in this episode is Thomas A Turner, acclaimed author of “The Sports Shoe – A history from field to fashion”, the definitive book about the evolution of the sports shoe form the early days of tennis shoes, via trainers, technology, fashion, cult reissues and the current days’ hypebeast mania of the collectable collaborative investment sneakers.

David Wilkinson has had a long and varied career in retail, from a small-town hardware store, via Harrods in London and major department stores in Doha and St. Petersburg, to currently in charge of Steen & Strøm, the Oslo department store that has been trading since 1797. We talk about David’s early days in retail, how retail has changed over time and how the person to person interaction can never be replaced by online shopping. Underway names are dropped, experience reminisced and tales told. Such as how you go about selling crime novels to Michael Caine. Oh, and of course we talk about sustainability.

My guest today is John Sugden of Campbell’s of Beauly, a traditional highland tailor and accessories shop outside Inverness with a continuous history going back to 1858. We get into his background in the garment industry, the place of traditional tailoring and fabrics in modern times, how workers on the Highland estates still use unique tweeds for their workwear, doing ethical business in times of fast fashion, the role of profit margins, Royal Warrants and in general running a business far from the madding crowd.

In this episode, my guest is Holly Butterworth. Holly and her husband, Colin, have a combined 35 years in the vintage garment trade and now own a vintage clothes shop called Butterworth Vintage in Totnes, Devon, UK. We talk about the vintage trade, sourcing, picking and pricing stock, trends and fashion in the vintage world, and some tips on how to deal with the smell of old clothes. Naturally, we also touch on the topic of sustainability, and how actually using up clothes is clearly a better option than continuously making more. Also, Holly brings up one of her most remarkable finds…

In today’s episode, my guest is Ryan Mallinson, Yorkshireman and keen maintainer of the waxed jacket legacy. Ryan owns a small company offering repairs and rewaxing of classic waxed cotton jackets such as Barbour, Belstaff and John Partridge. We talk about the process of rewaxing, why it is a good thing, common problems, how to deal with smells, fashion versus function, which brands are better than others and being a fan of James Bond and “that jacket”Oh, and how taking care of your stuff and using it a long time is sustainable.

This episode finds Shaun back for another chat about, well, clothes and stuff really. More specifically the comfort we find in cloths, in which ways clothes may be comfortable and whether there is a disproportionate relationship between comfort and style.
Underway a startling revelation is made (just what does Nick wear to collect his mail?), possibly spurious allegations are put forward (does Shaun really have a Spice Girls t-shirt?) and a pause in conversation is prompted when Magnus, the keeshond puppy, decides to cause domestic havoc.
Best enjoyed with a mug of tea, or a woodland walk, or even both at the same time, according to Garment Gazers Gazette (a made-up publication that provides the best promotional quotes).

Many men find shopping for clothes both tedious, tricky and best left to a partner or mother. My guest today is Sarah Gilfillan, London-based style consultant, personal shopper and sartorial hand-holder through her business Sartorialab. We talk about how men shop, becoming aware of what suits you and not, how many clothes you need and how to get the most out of what you have. Oh, and the baffling concept of “smart casual”, so often mentioned and so rarely quite understood.

It’s easy enough to keep a narrow interest. We like what we like, more of the same can be a matter of “yes please!”. Finding an interest in something we’ve not previously been very interested in at all? Now that takes the seductive moves of a true lothario. In this weeks episode, Dachi tries to make Nick see the light when it comes to wrist-mounted timepieces. By weaving tales of history, bravery, luxury and values, Dachi pulls out all the stops. This is without a doubt another unmissable tet a tet.

S01 E21: Today’s guest is Martin Ridne of Swedish micro-brand Jernvike, literally a husband and wife brand from Stockholm. Jernvirke has been in business for around a year and I wanted to check in with Martin to hear about the experience of starting a clothing brand from scratch, what they bring to an already crowded table, being hands-on with the factory that makes for you, the trust-issues you face with your suppliers, and what sustainability means when you’re still a young business. We get into all this and more, I hope you enjoy it.

PS: The title of the episode? You’ll need to listen for the explanation 🙂

S01 E20: For this weeks episode, I’m joined again by my pal Shaun for a chat about clearing out our closets. A kind of guys version of the minimal Marie Kondo rage maybe? Well, not quite, but we get into knowing what you have before looking for more, what sort of stuff should be discarded, and what happens to it after we say farewell to our unwanted garms. Underway there are the usual tangents taken, as fruitful conversational alleys are discovered. We even get to disagree about denim: comfort or cardboard?

S01 E19: In this episode, I talk to Sophie Miller, designer at traditional British maker Yarmouth Oilskins on the coast of Norfolk. The company will shortly be celebrating 125 years of continuous history within the business of workwear. Originally supplying fishermen with their working clothes, from sweaters to oilskins, to a wider field of clothes for workers. Three years ago the heritage brand was launched, remaking designs from the archives. We talk about the history, making in Britain and being an important local business with dedicated employees.

S01 E18: Today’s guest is Jon Fowler, inveterate garmsman and collector of the weird, obscure, traditional and bespoke. We talk about Jon’s background in clothes, growing up on a farm, his love for waxed cotton and tweed, going deep into the world of army surplus and how what once was cheap and available is now rare, collectable and super expensive. The conversation takes a turn into British Made, how a real history counts, and how faking up a heritage works against brands, ending up in fast fashion. In a final twist we’re introduced to a high-end brand very few have heard about, and Jon bumped into the eccentric designer on the street in Brighton. Clearly this episode is another unmissable hour of quality chat!

Find Jon Fowler on Instagram as @heavyjon and read his Garmsmans Dozen here

S01 E17: In today’s episode, I talk to Lewis Hull of online reseller Marrkt. We talk about the business of reselling high-end menswear on consignment, whether fashion is an aspect in this segment, the current state of the denim industry and whether old gold will beat fast fashion.

S01 E16: In this episode, I talk to David Henderson-Stewart of the Russian watch company Raketa. Based in St Petersburg, Raketa is the only remaining maker of watches in Russia and their uniquely different timepieces have a long and interesting tradition. Made in their entirety in the small factory by a workforce that has seen much history happen outside. Used by Russian cosmonauts and Arctic explorers, the story of Raketa is both intriguing and fascinating.

S01 E15: In this weeks episode titled “The art of the prance”, my chum Dachi is back for another highbrow chat about a vital topic within garmology, prancing, or as some may refer to it, “pimping the fit”, “gilding the garms” or even “peacocking”. We’re talking about adding flair to the mundane, mashing up the normcore and disobeying rules with a vengeance. At least that was what we set out to do, though we may have experienced topic drift underway. Still, a vital chat featuring two opinionated guys. Possibly unmissable.

S01 E14: The guest in this episode is Bryan Shettig. Bryan owns the brand The Rite-Stuff, specialising in early 1900’s workwear. I wanted to talk to him about having garments made in Japan, whether the quality is as legends say and also about the challenges involved in finding a factory. We get into quite a lot of other stuff as well, so it made for an interesting hour-long chat.

S01 E13: The world of influencers is a strange and new one. On the one hand, it’s one of the most aspired to jobs among teens today, on the other, it’s clearly not without controversy. What exactly is influencing all about, and is it strictly above board? In this episode, I talk to influencer and social media guru Nik Speller and get the lowdown.

S01 E12: The title really does say it all. In this episode, Shaun is back for a chat and the topic is the clothing we don’t like. Garmental prejudice, if you like. There is even disagreement about certain items, so the tension is running high. Controversial topics are put on the table, only to be quickly snatched away. Some marginally sage advice is even dispersed. In a brief survey, 8/10 respondents rated this episode as “quite ok”, so clearly it’s unmissable!

S01E11: Ant Hicks owns Assembly, a small menswear shop in the idyllic market town of Frome in Somerset. We talk about the reality of being small and local when faced with the online retail mastodonts, the value of where things are made and the importance of sustainability.

S01E10: Much is said about the environmental impact and sustainability of our clothes. Which fibres are good, which are not so good. Should we upcycle, recycle, downcycle, send to landfill or wear them threadbare? What role do chemicals play, and are they all good? In this episode, I talk with Norwegian Research Professor Ingun Grimstad Klepp at Oslo Metropolitan University. Ingun researches sustainable textiles, clothing, laundry and leisure consumption and has written numerous articles and books of these themes.
The answers to the questions above are both startling and uncomfortable!

S10E09: In this episode, I talk to Iain Trickett of Trickett England. We talk about being proud of where you come from, being part of the local community, making good things for good people and is Made in England all it’s cracked up to be?

S00E08: Pretty much everything we do is influenced by what is around us and what has gone before us. Here is another rambling chat with Shaun and Nick, including a parasol that keeps toppling over and references to various subcultures.

00E07: In this episode, my guest is Miguel de Almeida, owner and creative director of British footwear brand Marcus de Shoes. Miguel takes me through the necessary and vital steps in keeping your quality footwear in good shape, so it can be enjoyed and used for its full potential lifespan. It’s both less involved and more involved than you might think, but at the end of the day, with quite a little effort, tools and products, you too can do it. Marcus de Shoes can be found on Instagram as @marcusdeshoes and the web as https://marcus-de.com/

S00E06: In this episode, my co-host is my friend Dachi from Brighton and we enjoy a Sunday morning chat about brands that find favour with us, and why that is so. We ruminate upon what may make a brand interesting and whether a designer working on his own may be more interesting creatively than design by committee.

S00E05: In this episode, I talk tweed with Rebecca Hutton, an independent weaver of Harris Tweed on the Isle of Harris on the Hebridean Isles off the coast of Scotland. We talk about the history and social significance of the tweed, what it entails to be an independent weaver and what the future of Harris Tweed looks like.

S00E04: In this episode, I talk with Nick Hussey of FRAHM Jackets about his philosophy when it comes to designing garments for his brand. We talk about jacket design, the influence of classic jackets, what needs a jacket needs to fill and more.

S00E03: In this episode, my co-host is my friend Shaun from Glasgow and we talk buying decent clothes, getting value for money, at what price point you might find “peak value” and why “buy better, buy less” may not be entirely sensible.

S00E02: In this episode, my co-host is my friend Dachi from Brighton and we talk about the various ways we look at the value of clothes and heritage, vintage and reproduction clothing. Is there a valid point to reproducing items that are still widely available?

00E01: In this episode, my co-host is my friend Shaun from Glasgow and we talk about heritage, provenance and branding. Where are things made, what is the brand history and does it really matter?