03/07/2022
I’ll start off right here with a confession, though to the initiated it will be more like stating the obvious: I do like a nice waxed jacket. For those of a similar persuasion, the attraction is obvious. There’s the historical aspect, cotton fabric has been treated to make it waterproof for a long time now. While we may hear tell…
18/07/2021
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…
25/06/2021
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?…
11/03/2021
The Monitaly mountain parka is one of the finest jackets around. Released year after year, Yuki Matsuda gently tweaks the design, making it into one of the truly great pieces of outerwear. In this video, I walk through the design features of both the AW and SS version of this classic jacket and give some tips on buying one. I…
04/11/2020
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! And remember, while you can listen to the episode right here on the…
26/09/2020
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…
07/08/2020
There are a fair few companies around that claim a long and continuous history of making, some with a genuine history, others with what might, with more than a little good will be described as a “continuation history”. British makers that are still making in Britain are rarer still though, not quite of the hen’s teeth grade, certainly not at…
28/03/2020
I know, the moment you saw the rainproof smock and sewing as the title of this article, you thought one of three things: Hang on, I’m sure Nick announced that on Instagram ages ago Right, yes, another project started with lots of gusto and never heard of again Ooh, nice one, that will be interesting to read about! And yes,…
22/03/2020
I have a pretty long commute. I don’t do it every day, but 2-3 times a week. It involves cycling, the train, the metro and walking. This means exposure to weather and a lot of sitting around. Add this to a penchant for dressing up in fancy frocks and there is a certain type of weather conditions that is problematic.…
19/01/2020
In the world of tech fabrics, waxed cotton is the old curmudgeon sitting in the corner eyeing up the newcomers with a sceptical look of disdain. Waxed cotton has been around for ages, from the early use of improving the wind-retaining use as sails, to water-repellent outerwear. As these things go, it’s pretty environmentally friendly as well, there are no…