Tis the season – Gifts for men

I haven’t started my Christmas shopping. I don’t usually even start thinking about it until after December 8^th, my little binny twinny sisters’ birthday. I’m yet to pick up their prezzies too! Since menswear is one of my passions, I thought it might be handy to put together a wee post of gift ideas for men this festive season, especially since a lot of girls I chat to find it pretty darn awkward to buy presents for men. There’s always aftershave, and whilst it’s one of those things , I thought it might be handy to put together a wee post of gift ideas for men this festive season, especially since a lot of girls I chat to find it pretty darn awkward to buy presents for men. There’s always aftershave, and whilst it’s one of those things you fully don’t want to buy for yourself I just think there are some slightly more thoughtful, useful or fun presents out there. Ok, here goes…

For the Hip-Hop head:

Get him this Bun B Colouring and Activity Book! I secretly want this too. Hours of fun.

For the trainer enthusiast:

I’ve seen the results! If he lives in his trainers but still wants them to look fresh and clean this is the gift for him – Jason Markk – miracle product. I also want this.

For your papa:

Take the old man on a tour of one of his favourite breweries. I would do this for my dad, and he would love it, but after the unfortunate incident of Father’s Day 2008 we don’t generally do anything that involves more than 3 units of alcohol per person. Will have to think of something else, however I would rather like this myself so maybe we can put our unspoken agreement on hold for a one off! Meantime Brewery Tours here.

For your super stylish pal:

I’d say most sartorially inclined guys would be rather impressed by something from Albam. Folk, Oliver Spencer, COS, Reiss and YMC are all a good shout too. Depending on how much you like them you can pick up a really nice quality basic at a reasonable price or ball out on a shirt, knit or jacket if you’re particularly fond of said stylish pal.

For the amateur chef:

This guide to where chefs eat is ideal for the man that really knows his cuisine and likes to eat out, looks dope on the bookshelf too thanks to it’s delightful hard cover. Alternatively, a set of knives. I’m not joking. If you’re a keen cook you’ll understand the value of a really good sharp knife, such a good present and will make him feel all manly and ‘grrrrrrrrrr’, plus it’s a gift that keeps on giving back as you’ll get treated to an array of delicious home cooked meals off the back of it.

And if I’ve not catered for the special man in your life please drop me a comment and I’ll use my less than comprehensive bank of gift ideas for all different dudes to try and think you up a great gift you might not have thought of. Merry Christmas shopping!

POLAND

I went to Poland.

It was very very cold. Minus 16.

We walked around the parks, ate dumplings and lard, drank beer and saw some art.

Lord Anthony Parkas

A while back I wrote a little piece about Snorkel Parkas (snoop here).

While I was doing a bit of research I came across a couple of old brands who used to manufacture those iconic jackets from the late 1970s, with their bright orange lining and faux fur hood.

Lord Anthony was one of the main brands of parka at the time, so popular, that style of parka was affectionately nick-named a ‘Lord Anthony’ for some time. I think there’s serious scope for them to make a comeback! Alpha Industries (an American brand who specialise in military outerwear and also rode the tidal parka wave of the 80s that swept the playgrounds of the nation!) are now stocked by ASOS and Selfridges again and there’s a retro fondness of the brand. Lord Anthony was the sweetheart of Parka Fever which was an epidemic from the late 70s to mid 80s for any boy aged 9 to 19, but like every trend, the parka fell out of fashion and Lord Anthony has just about disappeared off the planet, with only Vintage parkas trading hands on auction sites.

Everyone loves a comeback. They can do what Brutus Trimfit (who ALSO dabbled with this style of parka in the late 70s!) did with their checked shirts, but do it instead for orange lined, navy, nylon parkas.

Lauren Squires Jewellery

Lauren Squires is a Jewellery designer from London, her pieces are handsome and striking, commanding attention from everyone that spots a flash of her statement, silver works of art.

Lauren’s work is so original and is beautifully finished, real conversation pieces. Each piece is handmade to order or bespoke commissions and I can’t think of a better gift for a girl or guy with great style who’ll be able to carry off one of Lauren’s beautiful bracelets, rings or necklaces.

Make sure to visit Lauren Squires online.

Hackney E9

Last weekend I got a bit obsessed with looking at photographs of my neighbourhood online. There weren’t many from my estate and the places I see most so I thought I’d do a few snappy snaps to contribute to the wealth of Hackney Borough photography online. This is Trelawney Estate in Hackney during a snowy Sunday afternoon.

Please bear in mind I’m impatient and a very poor photographer with zero skills. Next time, must do better.

Uniform Experiment SS13

I really enjoyed this video for Uniform Experiment‘s SS13 range.

Having had a snoop on their website, stand-out products include the Leopard print shorts (no seriously, if a guy wore these i would heavy swoon), and the raglan tee (so simple, so underrated!).

Go forth and browse.

Cardboard Bicycle

Engineer Izhar Gafni has developed a bicycle made almost completely of cardboard. Production costs come in just under £10 for an adults bike. I will definitely pick one up when they come to market!

(Shout out to my bloggy, bikey, industry and manufacturing pal OB who will probably enjoy this video! Check out his site: Explicit Scrawl.)

Boxfresh AW12 Lookbook

Boxfresh. There’s a brand I hadn’t thought about for a while. After their 2004 stint on the bargain rails at TK Maxx they’d slipped off my radar. I thought of them as over branded, over priced and let’s face it, a little chavvy.

When Boxfresh’s owner founded Boxpark it opened the door for the clothing brand to access a cooler market. However, Boxfresh would need a facelift first. Enough time has passed for the consumer to have forgotten about the graffiti slogan hoodies and the harshly branded printed tees and so Boxfresh have seized the opportunity to bounce back into the British Streetwear limelight.

Here’s their AW12 collection video. It’s nicely shot, showing some of the detailing on the collection and it looks pretty premium. I recon they’ve pretty well smashed it.

You can tell if you’ve done an alright job on a reinvention of a brand when you’re featured on Hypebeast as they very much work with a tight network of brands which are in favour with the streetwear community or doing new and exciting things. In other words, not everyone firing out the dry press releases 10 a penny will fit the bill, so it’s really great news for Boxfresh that they’ve secured such a seal of approval in advance of the collection launch despite having a pretty dodgy product offering for SS12 which is currently available on their website.

Looking forward to seeing more of the cool, Britsh and streetwear-orientated Boxfresh over the coming years.

Grenson Shoes

Grenson shoes have been around since 1866, but despite their long history I only became familiar with them around 2 or 3 years ago.

The Grenson that I am familiar with is a luxury shoe brand, with years of experience, skill and craftsmanship in footwear. I think of Grenson as the brand you would buy as a 20-35 year old when you first feel grown-up. Perhaps you’ve just landed a new job in the city, best man at a friend’s wedding or you’ve out-grown those battered vans and you’re looking for a smart, stylish and youthful (not stuffy) shoe for every day wear. You’re looking to invest in a great pair of shoes, you want quality, perhaps a British brand with heritage. Grenson would be my go to brand.

Anyway, I hope that goes some way towards explaining how disappointed I was to see Grenson’s latest Facebook update. Noooooooooooo. It’s the dreaded brand cycle kicking into action. Grenson are on the verge of big success. They have some really premium stockists, a loyal customer base and now they are teetering on the cusp of mainstream. The FHM coverage is one of the first tests. Grenson failed. Just because a publication gives you some coverage it doesn’t mean you have to get into bed with them. Sure, publish coverage from GQ, Esquire, even Shortlist, but not FHM. It isn’t a premium publication and you are a premium brand. For every 1000 people that read the feature in FHM you may have caught the attention of 1% of those readers, perhaps 10% of those (the 1%) will go on to become customers. However what is the impact on your existing loyal social fans? How many of them, like myself, cringed when they saw Keeley’s  skank pose plastered in their newsfeed? It’s what I would have expected from a brand like Voi or Luke but not Grenson.

The same goes for the Pixie Lott picture. It’s great that celebrities are endorsing your brand but you don’t have to push it upon your existing customers. When i think of Pixie I see Lipsy. Velour tracksuits and cheap party dresses to be worn at the Lloyds bar in the local town on a Saturday night. I don’t want to associate a brand I like with that lifestyle.

Not wanting to be the miserable grumbling critic, which is all too easy, I’ve also gone to the effort of making some recommendations:

Team up with non-competitive adjacencies; work with a tailor, shirt maker, premium fashion brand (think Folk, Oliver Spencer, YMC, Universal Works etc). Cross promote each other’s products and services (see styled ‘look’ above, promoting apparel to team with shoes). Create an online guide through your blog for which shoes to match with which suit. Can I wear tan brogues with a navy suit? Do I match my belt and shoes? Which shoes are best for a wedding? Are slip-ons causal or formal? How can I wear my favourite Grenson’s with a casual look? What are the roots behind the Penny Loafer?

Grenson should see themselves as the educator of young men who are beginning to take an interest in the more refined side of style.

Join forces with a cobbler, someone who is also an expert in their field, a craftsman. Endorse them through your social media and educate your customers on caring for the shoes. For example when does a shoe need resoling? What polish should i use? How does suede protector work? Just little things that make for a quick five minute read but that reinforce the years of experience and knowledge that Grenson have over other shoe brands.

Team up with a grooming company. Introduce young men to the art of shaving. Maybe hold an event in collaboration with a barber shop which has a likeminded clientele. It may not be the most commercial option but it won’t damage the brand.

Maybe even set up an affiliate account and team looks with shoes. You can link to the online stores for the apparel and for every purchase made on the ‘friends of Grenson’ micro-site/blog, Grenson would make a commission.

It’s great to get a lot of press coverage, even in FHM, the more people who see your brand the better. Those that buy FHM think it’s great (or they wouldn’t buy it) so to be featured isn’t a bad thing. However don’t sell yourselves out to such press coverage or succumb to the lure of huge commerciality and compromise on the values that made you successful and popular in the first place. That way, once the brand cycle has made it’s inevitable loop, you’ll still have a tribe of loyal core customers.

That means no more tits on your Facebook.

Brand Watch – Percival

Percival was conceived in 2009 by two designers. By 2012 the business has grown and has a neat website and is carried by some premium stockists.

I love the illustrations to denote product category and the clothes are classic with the attention to detail twist which seems to be the overriding trend in menswear at the moment for those who fancy themselves a bit of a connoisseur. Most of the range is also produced in the UK. One frustrating thing about the category illustrations is that many of the categories are empty and it’s time consuming to browse that way.

One thing that really caught my attention was their Journal. Percival looks like a nice place to work. It looks like a team of genuinely warm, passionate and creative people. They’ve given the brand a very friendly personal face. It gives you a sense of buying into the brand and buying into the Percival club which they’ve portrayed as a fun club to be a part of.

Anyway, I’m a bit behind the time with this as it’s done the rounds, but here’s Percival’s SS12 campaign vid with a wee cameo from none other than Rick Edwards.

Look forward to seeing Percival grow and go places.