Corgi: These places give us the things we love
Speciale, with whom we make our wonderful cotton sweaters, recently made this film at the Corgi factory in Wales. It shows some of the making process for the knits, but more importantly brings out the lovely atmosphere of the place - something I alw...
Corgi: These places give us the things we love
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Indeed, it feels like yesterday we were there...
The culture and colour of Chennai
In the old areas of Chennai, you’ll often see a brightly painted deity on the corners of the streets. It’s not primarily an expression of piety, however - its main goal is to stop people pissing there. No matter how desperate or secular ...
The culture and colour of Chennai
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Thank you Affan, and yes that's certainly my impression as well! I continue to be aware of your shoes through Arterton over here Lovely to hear on the magazines...
Starting from scratch: The Whitcomb & Shafte...
One of the things that has impressed me most over the years with my Whitcomb & Shaftesbury tailoring is how consistent it has been. That might not seem like the most exciting thing to praise, but it happens surprisingly often that an Englis...
Starting from scratch: The Whitcomb & Shafte...
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I am a delighted customer of Whitcomb & Shaftesbury. What a wonderful article....
Campbell’s of Beauly: Keeping Scottish trad...
If someone were to tell you that there was an old tweed shop in the Scottish Highlands, Campbell’s of Beauly is exactly what you’d picture. An old stone building, worn wooden shelves, stacked with dozens of bolts. There are similar pile...
Campbell’s of Beauly: Keeping Scottish trad...
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I’ve bought a few items on line from Campbells. A Blackwatch bow tie, some Lovat Blue kilt socks. I’ll be staying next door for a few nights in September and will be sure to visit....
How cordovan is made, at Horween tannery, Chicago
Why should you care about a factory visit? Why care what the place is like where something is made - compared to say, the quality of it or how to wear it? Does it matter whether the place is clean or dirty, old or new? What the atmosphere is like,...
How cordovan is made, at Horween tannery, Chicago
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Hello, I'm a little bit late on this discussion, but I did spent a few years of my early childhood in a country where dog eating and cat eating is culturally okay (Viet-Nam) and where parts of the population is too hungr...
Yves Salomon: re-using, remodelling fur
Following our discussion before Christmas about waste in the clothing industry, I was interested to learn about the remodelling and re-use of fur at Yves Salomon. Yves Salomon is one of the best fur workshops in the world. Based in Paris, it makes c...
Yves Salomon: re-using, remodelling fur
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Hey Dmitri, very curious where you found the mink coat and the tailor for sewing the hiders. Would you mind sharing who and where they are? (Not sure you will actually see this question, given how old the post is, but wo...
Frank Clegg, Fall River: Factory visit
It’s not hard to spot an old mill town. Mills were large buildings and needed lots of light. In Britain, this often came in through so-called sawtooth roofs: a zig-zag shape that allowed windows to be placed in the top of the building, bringin...
Frank Clegg, Fall River: Factory visit
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I'd say Clegg is higher in my experience, but they are both similar makes, in terms of materials, machine stitching etc...
Paris: Lafayette Saltiel, Kenjiro Suzuki, Atelier...
Samuel Gassmann Last week I was in Paris for two days, catching up with old friends and artisans, and seeing a few new ones. One of the most interesting things was an interview with Lyne Cohen Solal, the new head of the Institut National Metiers d&r...
Paris: Lafayette Saltiel, Kenjiro Suzuki, Atelier...
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I don't actually Jonas - if you find one let me know...
Ring Jacket, Japan – Factory visit
Given Japan’s reputation for quality and craft - particularly in denim and bespoke menswear - it would be natural to assume its suit manufacturing was of the same level. But until recently, most factories in Japan produced at a fairly low qual...
Ring Jacket, Japan – Factory visit
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The Armoury was never exactly the agent for RJ in Europe, as it was done by Taiwa, which no longer exists....
The Dunhill archive
As 'heritage' has become more popular in recent years, brands have increasingly emphasised their longevity, their history and their traditions. This has several issues. Most obviously, the brands that push this hardest often have the least to shout...
The Dunhill archive
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Over the years I've bought a number of pieces from Dunhill and enjoyed them. That said, my experience of them since their acquisition by the Richemont Group has been at best, variable. There seems to be a lack of consist...
Johnston’s of Elgin: Factory visit
The following is an extract from my book Best of British: The Stories Behind Britain’s Iconic Brands , published by Prestel. Dedicated copies are available to buy here – Johnstons of Elgin It has survived two world wars. It has survived ...
Johnston’s of Elgin: Factory visit
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Johnston's of Elgin are simply the best! That's why I have entrusted to them the making of the new 'Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Khaki' Tartan for T E, 'Lawrence of Arabia' available soon in cashmere and lambs wool....
Sheep to shop – Private White in Manchester
This is a nice little video by Private White VC, the superb British brand and manufacturer. It’s heavy on atmosphere rather than craft details, but there’s a lot in there readers will identify with. It also reminds me how stark...
Sheep to shop – Private White in Manchester
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Ha. I write pieces for the Rake that I like - I don't think it really matters what I think about the rest of it...
Barbour: Factory and repairs
Barbour is not quite the level of craft or quality that we normally feature on Permanent Style. However, rather like US brand Filson that we covered recently, they deserve mention for the beautiful way they age and their commitment to service and r...
Barbour: Factory and repairs
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I quite agree: you want a historic texture with a Barbour not clean lines!...
Quality, embroidery and mechanisation – at ...
The video above shows the key aspect of quality control at most weaving houses. Workers quickly scan the cloth for faults, then either snip off the stray end or – much more laboriously – manually reweave the thread back in. The...
Quality, embroidery and mechanisation – at ...
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It's true, though a huge amount of it is the inertia of labour force...
Begg & Co: luxury scarves, Ayr
Begg & Co is not in the most prepossessing location. Ayr is far from a glamorous location anyway, but the factory itself is down a side street, opposite several blocks of council flats. Still, that’s often the way with British fac...
Begg & Co: luxury scarves, Ayr
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Ah, ok thanks...
How a Mackintosh is made
How is a Mackintosh made? With an odd, perhaps appealingly simple process: cut out pieces of bonded cotton and stick them together with blobs of glue, using your fingers. A few weeks ago Luke and I visited one of the two Mackintosh factories. This ...
How a Mackintosh is made
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I don't, sorry T...
Robert Noble mill, Peebles
We visited Robert Noble in Scotland last month on the strength of its archive. But while that was impressive, perhaps more interesting was the company’s history and perspective as a mill weaving almost exclusively for RTW brands. Robert Noble...
Robert Noble mill, Peebles
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Hi Eva, Yes, there are lots. I'd suggest you start with the Guide to Tweed article. And then look at mills such as Abraham Moon....
The inside line: Gaziano & Girling in How to ...
It has been a year since I began my column with How to Spend It looking at value in menswear. Nice as it was, we had covered most of the basics – so the editors and I decided recently to change tack. The new column, The inside track, wil...
The inside line: Gaziano & Girling in How to ...
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Sorry. My bad. Harrow it is....
John Smedley: the factory
Last week I visited the John Smedley factory in Matlock, and it has quickly become my favourite anywhere. The oldest factory in the world still in production, it is nestled in between Derbyshire hills, with a babbling brook (the Lea) running through ...
John Smedley: the factory
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Dear Luke, would it be possible to use your pictures of John Smedley for our display. We are a little store selling John Smedley. If yes, it would be great to have get them in higher resolution. Best regards Peter...
Barbour video: the factory and the aftercare
I love this video made in the Barbour factory and the homes of some of its long-term customers. Barbours are great for patination – a fancy word for ‘dirt’ in this case – and I didn’t realise how much...
Barbour video: the factory and the aftercare
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My father bought me one when I was sent off to school. I grew out of it and my brother adopted it, and then two cousins did the same. I have had the same one I purchased while at uni fifteen years ago, and it feels even ...
Alfred Sargent factory
I was recently contacted by photographer Steve Lancefield, who is in the process of visiting various British factories and took these of the Alfred Sargent factory in Rushden, Northampton. I’ve visited many in Northampton myself, but never ...
Alfred Sargent factory
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To be honest I'm not sure if they're still running or where they're making...
Corgi: The machines
There are three types of knitting machines at Corgi: old, domestic models; double-bed machines; and single-bed machines. All require hand framing – that is, the worker must pull the carriage up and down by hand. The domestic machines are whit...
Corgi: The machines
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I used to own a small handflat knitting firm,and was taught how to knit at 14 mainly to earn a bit of pocket money .We used mainly 4gge universal or 4.5 gge Dubied's and also 2.5 gge, my mum and dads knitwear firm also h...
Corgi: Factory visit
Corgi is a lovely little company, just outside Swansea in south Wales. It’s been around since 1893 and has the Prince of Wales’s royal warrant. But, more importantly, it’s one of only a few companies left in the UK doing hand-framed...
Corgi: Factory visit
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Corgi tend not to make to the same fineness, but they do some great thicker socks, and some great hand-framed pieces too - or at least they did when I was there...
Fox Flannel: Factory visit
When you approach the town of Wellington over a rolling Somerset hill, you are greeted by a row of chimneys silhouetted against the horizon. This is the outline of the old Fox Brothers facilities, which at its peak employed over 5000 people and prett...
Fox Flannel: Factory visit
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Sure. They've been covered a fair bit as the producers of pieces I've had made, and as featured in our pop-up shops. But another factory visit would be nice at some point. Let me know if you need links to those pieces...
Postcard from Spirano
At Bresciani today, in Spirano just outside Bergamo. Lovely socks, and some nice sheep too. They’ll be the socks chapter of my upcoming book. More photos on www.andybarnham.com
Postcard from Spirano
At Bresciani today, in Spirano just outside Bergamo. Lovely socks, and some nice sheep too. They’ll be the socks chapter of my upcoming book. More photos on www.andybarnham.com...
