August | 2018 | The style Viking

A great partnership

The new chapter…Fatface and Folk

Two great brands, 50 years of know how

collaboration

kəlabəˈreɪʃn/

noun

1. 1.
the action of working with someone to produce something.”he wrote a book in collaboration with his son”

1.synonyms:

1.cooperation, alliance, partnership, participation, combination, association, concer

Collaborations come and go, some are memorable and some not so.

Pretty memorable right?

Head out to E2 in London’s ‘style’ suburb of Shoreditch and you’ll be rubbing shoulders with some of the most style conscious people on the planet.

In between the carefully placed graffiti and red brick former factories is an array of cute coffee houses and some of the coolest clothing brands on the high street..except, this isn’t the high street.

Get away from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street and the constant flow of shopping zombies and find yourself in a little oasis of calm, where you can actually walk in any direction you want!

You’ll have to forgive the beautiful people everywhere doing photoshoots, just take a bit of time to get used to your surroundings.

Shoreditch has some incredible architecture, the little boutiques are quite unique and even the better known brands like Club Monaco, Sunspel and Sweaty Betty have changed how their stores look and feel to fit in with the environment.

The amazing green brick frontage at ‘Labour and wait’

An emporium of delights, ranging from kitchen tools to candles to incredible workwear made in London!

There was a reason though why I found myself in the hipster capital and it wasn’t just to take in the sights…

I was here for ‘work’ (I’m using that term loosely), as work today consisted of a bit of shopping, coffee, more exploring, coffee and then a an exciting PR event at the ‘Folk‘ store on the corner of Chance Street.

It was revealed that the contemporary casual wear brand had decided to team up and do a collection/collaboration with Fatface, a brand that has 30 years of history and success under its belt.

I was excited to see what the collection looked like, but more importantly how it would work for what on paper are two quite different brands.

(Image courtesy of K.Summers)

Come in we’re ready for business!

What was instantly obvious by the number of people involved was that this was a project that both parties cared for dearly.

There was a sense of nerves, excitement and pride as we mingled with the main protagonists, which included none other than the founder of the brand Cathal McAteer.

He was overseeing the project, checking people’s thoughts on the products and offering his expertise and anecdotes to the onlookers.

He was asked a bit about how ‘Folk’ was created…

“Back in the day, I wanted to make nice clothes for my mates…well made, stylish pieces that were almost brand less, but that had a feel and fit that was timeless.

When we first started we literally used to buy our buttons from Oxfam and fabrics from wholesalers.

We pride ourselves on our fit, our feel and create signature pieces every guy should own”

How then did Fatface get involved?

Fatface has long been a staple part of the British high street (30 years to be precise!), they have a great reputation for quality, longevity and sell stylish clothes for the whole family.

Something though, has happened literally in the last few years, in that, the menswear range had become a bit ‘safe’ and a bit ‘samey’…totally outgunned by the huge growth of its incredible womenswear ranges…

Something had to give…us men are starting to shop differently, we no longer need to be spoon fed outfits, colours that compliment each other, or even which shoes to wear!

Instead, we have become dare I say it…more stylish?!

More independent?!

Whatever it is and however it came about (evolution) we need to embrace it and admit it that sometimes we do get a bit excited when we see a nice pair of shoes! (Just me then…)

That said, Fatface have adopted a new mantra…’try something different ‘

Which in the case of the collaboration with Folk is most certainly trying…a lot…of different!

This is going to be both interesting and exciting, the product launches late Autumn and will only be in 10 carefully selected stores and online…watch this space, it will not be around long, very limited numbers and only 16 pieces.

I’ll leave you with firstly some pictures of the incredible products and then a final quote from Cathal.

the collection consists of 16 pieces

100% soft merino wool cardigan £90, I loved the wool mix trousers too! (top pic)

My favourite piece! Totally awesome jersey lined Sherpa fleece £90

Its all in the detail, something both brands are synonymous with…check shirt with double stud pocket detail £65

The pricing is incredible!

Slightly more expensive than the normal Fatface range, but considering the limited number and Folk signature, finishing and detail and you get amazing, timeless pieces!

Cathal was asked what his favourite pieces were…

Firstly this beauty of a waistcoat! Wool mix high stand collar (look at the details on the back of the buttons!) £85

Indigo dye polka dot shirt, 3 contrast colour corozo nut buttons to collar (the detail!) £69

Cathal talked about his creations with an immense sense of pride, I asked him was he at all worried about the collaboration?

“At first, we had a lot of conversations, both parties have so much in common, I love what Fatface stand for and there was a mutual respect for what Folk are doing”

Were you worried that people might think you’ve sold out, was it like giving one of your children away, giving away your designs?

He smiled…( he would never give his kids away, they’re lovely, they too were at the launch!)

“This is an incredible collection, we both believe it will work…it will bring new customers to both Fatface and Folk”

That is the general thought here… if you think Fatface wasn’t for you, then you need to stop by and become part of the movement, both brands are about to go on an incredible journey…I for one will definitely want to go on it with them.

Check Fatface for release dates and product info, I’ll leave you with this quote from Albert Einstein