Find your own groove…
Greetings friends…
Now that I am in my 46th year of existence/existing on this beautiful planet, I’ve been thinking a lot about my legacy…(don’t worry, I’m not planning on going anywhere just yet!)
I’ve pretty much been doing the same type of job for over 25 years (yikes!) and in that time have seen many businesses go under, two recessions and still find the energy and passion to keep doing what I’m doing.
What drives me on?
Good question.
Thanks 🙂
Back in the late 80’s (probably before most of you were even born!), I fell in to the fashion industry.
As a young man, I’d joined the armed forces hoping to follow in my father’s footsteps, it all came to an abrupt end through injury, I got into retail as a stopgap.
That’s one looooonnnngggg stopgap!
I’m actually a big fan of khaki, just not all over!
There has been several occasions when I almost quit the industry, the aforementioned recessions (the first one was a lot worse and I don’t mean the one in the 1930’s!), then there was the time when shops first decided to open on a Sunday (yes, I really am that old, that I remember the days before Sunday opening!) and there has been times when I felt that I was probably ‘doing it all wrong’ because I cared too much about colleagues and customers.
In fact, I wasn’t doing it wrong, I was just working for people who really couldn’t care less as long as they made profit
I took a sabbatical, after 25 years, I took myself away from it and tried to find my own groove.
I loved fashion, style, shopping, writing, and prior to my epiphany had worked very closely with buyers and press teams to advise and showcase products.
I appeared on live ‘Google hangouts’ about men’s style and also wrote online magazine articles about the same, I’d really made a big impact with one of the high streets big players.
That said, it was also becoming quite apparent that despite all of my extra curricular effort, at store level things weren’t great.
Product quality was suffering and the cost saving exercise was really affecting the morale of my people.
Two years down the line and the very same company have announced a fall in Sales and profits, blaming lower footfall and excessive discounting on the high street (a bit of a cheek when you consider that they are one of the worst for constantly discounting and running offers!)
I have always been really interested in fashion, men’s style in particular has always intrigued me. Especially when you consider that in most cases, it’s menswear that has the biggest growth potential.
In the olden days there were no such words as ‘metrosexual’ or ‘hipsters’, guys definitely didn’t care about their skincare regime and bought clothes when the holes in their pants became obscene!
It’s interesting then to fast forward 20 years, and men’s skincare has gone from half a shelf to a whole aisle in your local pharmacy, and barbershops are popping up everywhere!
Dudes are really starting to think more about their appearance, whether it’s the way we dress or how we groom ourselves.
This guy has never even heard of Nivea for men!👆🏿
Now, you’ve probably guessed that I take my style quite seriously, or more that I’m serious about what I consider style.
I’m not a sheep.
I don’t follow fickle fashion fads (try saying that with a mouthful of wine gums!), I dress how I like, I’m not trying to impress, I’m not obsessed and to an extent don’t really care what people think about the way I dress (trust me, I get comments!)
So, where is this going?
I’ll tell you…
My style comes from loving what I do, it comes from years of experience, it comes from trial and error (yes, I even had a pair of boot cut jeans!), but mostly it comes from being comfortable with who I am and how I look.
Joking apart, I don’t have too many hang ups, we all have bad moustache days right?
Our ideas of what is ‘fashionable’ is primarily dictated by advertising and labels, the high street is awash with fad fashion, trends come and go in a flash, what was considered cool one week, is soooo ‘last week’ the next.
Charity shop chic? Wrong! This was taken at one of the high street behemoths prime locations! Seriously! Look at the outfits?!
Ok, some folk might consider the above image cool, horses for courses right?
Not for me…
My wardrobe is made up of items that I can wear year after year, ‘classics’.
I’ve also invested well too, I have bought a few ‘key’ items that can make your wardrobe versatile ( I’ll go into that more at a later date 😉)
What am I wearing?
I’m a big fan of Japanese denim and Japanese style, and also love the simplistic style of the Scandinavians ( I am a Norseman after all!)
You don’t have to break the bank and buy overpriced labels either, I’ll show you in my next blog how to achieve cool looks on a budget, I’ll also show you how to create a capsule wardrobe that will take you through a whole season!
Until next time…
Peace and love.
The Hatman meets…the strange clothing co.
Hello and welcome to the first in a series of what I’m calling “the Hatman meets”.
My new website is almost upon us, and it will be a fusion of all things cool about UK independent clothing brands, grooming product manufacturers and barbers!
My mission is to create a ‘movement’ in which we all start to support the smaller more personal brands and move away from the ‘big’ high street brands that are monopolising the fashion industry.
The small indie brands are all hard working, passionate, and very creative people, whether they’re designing capsule clothing collections or toiling over cauldrons of wax and oils to create that perfect blend to make exquisite beard oils, and moustache wax.
My first interview is with the designer, creator, illustrator, photographer, head of marketing, packaging and PR (he pretty much does it all!!) of the newly formed ‘street wear’ label that is strange clothing co…Patrick Currier
Firstly we need to discuss the man behind the product, then the product itself…trust me it’ll all make sense in a few minutes!
Patrick is not only all of the above for his fledgling apparel company (it was literally born in May 2014…still wet behind the ears!) but unsurprisingly for a man who oozes creativity, he’s also the frontman, guitar playing , vocalist , and songwriter for the brilliant (and somehow unsigned!?…really??) Red Crow.
In fact, if he wasn’t such an affable chap…you’d probably hate him!
From a music point of view just check out this video they shot for “City Riser” it’s just brilliant!
I defy you not to be humming along for the rest of the day!
Patrick speaks with a distinct American accent.
He explains “I was born in the UK, my mother is English and my dad was an American Airman”
At a young age he moved back to the US and spent a good 10 years in California, then Oklahoma, then Boston…and then back to the UK.
Quite a journey.
“My heart is here in the UK, my time in Cali was great, I loved being a kid there, wasn’t sure if it was Cali, or just that I loved being a kid!…and still do!”
When asked what he meant by that, he simply explained that kids have no inhibitions with their creativity, anything goes, he went on to explain that from a young age he had the desire to become a great artist.
“I guess I have no inhibitors in my brain!”
Patrick is clearly a passionate guy, his brain is whizzing and like me, sometimes he’s thinking so fast that his words can’t catch up!
When asked what he was most passionate about, his music or his clothing brand he answered quite simply “Music has it’s hooks in me,I can never let go”
Pre Red Crow his interest in music wained, he found solace in illustration.
At first he says he used to draw for himself, then after some rave reviews designed a couple of t-shirts for bands, and even did some cartoon strips and became a creative illustrator for huge brands like Dr.Pepper.
So to sum him up…he’s a brilliant singer songwriter, fantastic illustrator, creative genius (childlike genius he calls it!) and in my opinion…he’s a bloody nice bloke too!
All this at the tender age of…(now here’s the funny bit…) “My age is a closely guarded secret” he laughs…”my age is irrelevant, I find people are too quick to judge you if you’re from a certain era”….
You disliking him yet?…
He’s actually right, as stated in one of my earlier posts, age is just a number, your own style shouldn’t be defined because you are of a certain age.
What is relevant though, is that Patrick says that he gives value to any creative thought.
So you can pretty much guarantee he’ll put everything into it, he’s driven and has incredible self discipline.
“When I’m drawing a design I know how far to go with it, when the tweaking stops and I’m 100% happy with the final article.”
This can be seen below, where you will see one of his designs from start to finish, from pencil sketch, ink version, to final T-shirt.
incredible detail…and yes that really is Billy Huxley modelling it!!
What about the name “Strange Clothing Co.?
“It’s dark and ridiculous”…his sense of humour is coming through.
Dark due to the nature of some of the designs, skulls, Octopods, rams heads…a bit of gothic horror influence?
He’s certainly a fan.
Ridiculous?
Take the ‘Octopod’ design for example, Patrick explains that his influence came from late 19th/early 20th century posters about amazing creatures that nobody actually ever saw or probably ever even existed…all just from someone’s imagination!
again check out the amazing detail in the design, through to the finished article!
Actually funnily enough the first thing Patrick designed was the logo, which again has an explanation for the font and style used.
“I wanted the logo to look like the writing you’d see on the old travelling salesman carts that used to sell all kinds of crazy medicines and elixirs to the unsuspecting townsfolk in the old west”
Told you…very active imagination!
“nailed it though!”
Patrick knows where he wants the brand to go, he’s already designed the next collection, he’s introducing more products too, including accessories, hats and leggings.
The beauty of buying from a great indie clothing company like strange clothing co
Is that you probably won’t bump in to at least 10 other guys wearing the same top as you in a pub!
“All designs are limited in number, I’ll retire some them to make sure I keep the brand fresh.”
“If you order before June you even get a limited edition numbered ‘Octopod’ print”
“you’re not just buying a shirt…you’re buying art”
Love it.
Look at some of the other amazing designs on offer…
Not forgetting the ladies…
Patrick wants to create a definitive range for girls too, he’s already working on funky ‘tie dye’ t shirts and leggings…
When asked what do you want to achieve with the brand, Patrick answered…
“Loyalty, from genuine fans of the brand”
Then came his best quote yet…
“It’s not about being creative, it’s about having the vision, that’s more important”
Amen to that!
Now you’ve read about strange clothing co.
Click the link and get buying!!
Just look at the beautiful package you will get!!
Big thanks to Patrick, love the brand.
Look out for more from me over the next few months when I’ll be reviewing more amazing UK indie brands!
Until next time…
At least my beard is better!
Stay safe and keep it indie!!
Gentlemen it’s all in the beard…
When I say it’s all in the beard…I don’t mean my last meal!
I’ve taken to Instagram and Twitter recently, and have posted a few ‘beard selfies’.
The response has been really good!
It seems that there are some big beard fans out there, and some fans with big beards!
Followers from all walks of life, tattooists, beard product companies, (from all over the world!) , bearded fellas from all over the world, ladies from all over the world (bit of a theme going on there…)
I have to say though that I was most happy that I came across a couple of independent clothing lines, that upon liking my photos got me fully hooked on their products…(damn it! That’s exactly why they did it!!) good marketing guys…
One of my favourites was Mundane Attire
Their product is awesome!
front and back printed raglan
‘Sold to the man with the exceptional beard’ in black and white…my favourite!
The products I’ve featured are all from the Unchained collection and are available online now at www.mundaneattire.com they also ship worldwide so there’s no excuses!
It’s not just t-shirts either,on the website you can pick up a nice beanie hat, there’s sweatshirts, ladies t-shirts, and the amazing ‘Unique’ product.
Loving this coat!!
And finally this cracking t shirt,with a brilliant back print…
That’s it for the cool clothing, now on to to my latest beard grooming product.
Oliver & Jenkinson beard oil
I briefly mentioned it in my last post, I didn’t really give it enough praise!
Kudos to the creators of this awesome product.
Not only does my beard feel softer and well conditioned, but it smells great too!
3 great fragrances, Arctic Ice, Original and Cedar & Lime
There are loads of companies that produce men’s grooming products online, they can be quite expensive.
Oliver & Jenkinson are not only inexpensive (3 bottles for £15?!) ,but they’re also made in the wonderful city of Manchester!
Home of course to my beloved Manchester City!!
Available online beard oils by Oliver & Jenkinson
If you’re a bearded chap, you need this oil in your life, in fact, if you are a bearded chap and you don’t use oil to condition your face fuzz, then shame on you!
Trust me when I say this, but if you’re other half isn’t a fan of you rough wiry facial hair, crack out the beard oil and feel the difference.
Another tip here…don’t wash your facial hair with ordinary shampoo,it’s not designed for your face, so it dries your beard out!
Use a specifically designed beard shampoo and conditioner ( you’ll thank me…) then apply your beard oil whilst your beard is still damp.
Then use a nice wide tooth comb or brush to tame it.
That’s the beard done…don’t even get me started on the moustache!!
Peace and love to all.
Some things get better with age…
A good bottle of wine,steak is generally better the older it is,even some actors seem to get better as they get older!
Where am I going with this?…
Well,having just celebrated (and I use that term very loosely!) my 42nd birthday,I have taken several moments to reflect on things a little…
When I was a lot younger I hated eating my vegetables (what kid actually likes eating vegetables?),but as I get older,I’ll eat any vegetables?!
Has my taste changed,or is it the fact that as i’m older, I now understand the benefits?
Don’t worry I’m not about to write a whole blog on vegetables,that’s not really my area of expertise,instead I’m writing about how as you mature,your sense of style and how you wear it changes…
I was recently asked by a good friend and journalism student about my sense of style,my influences,what you need to pull off an ‘English gent’ look,and even about men’s grooming due to my quite wonderful moustache and beard (even if i do say so myself!!)
So that’s what I’ve done…
The high street is awash with ‘Downton Abbey-esque’ styling,all stores seem to be getting in on the act too,I’ve given you several choices,from the value retailers right up to the ‘splurge’ retailers (I can only dream about spending that type of money!!)
Men are definitely ‘getting’ the look,we just need coaxing in the right direction and showing ways to wear the different products…
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Staples for achieving the ‘English Gent’ look are…
A stiff upper lip is not a necessity,nor do you have to have facial hair to successfully pull off the look!
Topman have got a very strong offer on smart casual looks at the moment,they are selling genuine ‘Harris Tweed’,at £150 a piece for the blazers and £50 for the waistcoats,they’re a little bit more expensive but well worth it.
Both blazers featured are ‘Harris Tweed’,all products available at www.topman.com
Total cost of both outfits are £260 each…
Double breasted Peter Werth blazer available at Topman.
River Island have also pretty much nailed the look too…
gt;
River Island’s ‘Holloway Road’ range is superb,with conversational print shirts,to bright tweed jackets,and excellent accessories,it’s a ‘one stop’ shop!
Outfits priced from £250-£270 available at www.riverisland.com
If you want to achieve this same look on a budget,then New Look is the place for you!
It really is quite amazing how they can offer very similar styles of products that are excellently priced and still not skimping on the quality!!
Both outfits come in at under £150!! and are available in selected stores or online at www.newlook.com
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Now prepare your tastebuds for something quite exquisite!!
I’ve long been a fan of classic British Tailoring,and Savile Row in particular (see my earlier posts for evidence!!)
I couldn’t possibly write a feature on the heritage look without including products from those who occupy the the No.1 spot on Savile Row (that’s actually their address!!) Gieves & Hawkes
Now admittedly we haven’t all got the budget for the following products but,if you had,then you definitely would splurge!!
Stunning Prince of Wales check suit,teamed with all the trimmings,including a quite beautiful pair of Loake brogues…total cost is over £1000!!….ouch
Houndstooth tweed blazer,silk pocket square,shirt and tie all available from Gieves & Hawkes
The only Brogue you should splurge on…Loake’s, made in England,using the finest leather and around £200 per pair
Then comes the cherry on top,and my personal favourites from Holland Esquire
Not only are these blazers and waistcoats beautifully made,and sumptuously finished off,but they are also a great example of English eccentricity…”check the lining!”
At almost £500 each for the blazers and £150 for the waistcoats,they’re not cheap,they are however,investment pieces…
Styling of the garments is also very important.
The jeans almost certainly have to be rolled up short to show your natty socks,and the shirt (button ups for my American friends) must be fastened all the way,with or without a tie or bow tie.
Remember the 3 F’s…Fit,Fabric and feel
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Style isn’t expensive…it’s priceless!
and now for the grooming section…
As I have little or no hair on my head,I really don’t bother with hair products…hence the hats!
My face fuzz however is a different story…
Let’s start with the mo’…
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“Remember,the mo’ is for life not just for ‘movember’”
I personally use Fat Jack’s Tash Wax,it’s a fantastic product and it does exactly what it says on the tin!
as for my beard…I’m not at the stage yet where it requires conditioning oil to keep it soft and smelling nice (even better when you don’t find remnants of your last meal in it!)…sorry
Instead, a good comb and a trim every now and then to stop it going too wild,is enough.
When it does grow thicker and longer (providing my good lady doesn’t shave it off whilst I’m asleep!!) I’ll then have to invest in ‘Captain Fawcett’s beard conditioning oil,an awesome product recommended by some of the top barber’s in the country.
Beard influences…
Hope this helps…
Until next time…
Stay safe and don’t shave!!
The style Viking 