What was I thinking closing the shop!
I thought it would be helpful to write a post and explain what the whole big idea was in closing the shop. A physical space had been so central to everything and I am a fierce supporter of independent retail so what happened? From the beginning it has felt like a case of winging it, the amount of factors that collided at the right time to get it off the ground still seams improbable. If anything our existence has been our ability to adapt to change and our confidence in the underlining beliefs that drive things forwards. Many things have changed since we began, and notably the quality of clothing in general has declined as costs of raw materials increase. Without disappearing down a rabbit hole, fashion like everything else in an increasingly digital world is becoming increasingly artificial, from the way trends are created to the manufacturing and online presentation. Over the past 13 years we have developed a wide range of items, from leather jackets to boots, shirting, denim and accessories with a range of workshops around the world. The starting point for everything is natural materials, wools, cottons and leathers, it’s like cooking the raw ingredients determine the result. We want to grow our output, with an honest small batch approach to production, and a independent mindset when it comes to style.
The spaces we have been fortunate to have occupied served the business beautifully, from the bustling yard parties in Stoke Newington, to the early all-nighters under the railway arches. The landscape in London has changed since we started and if we had remained as we had started we wouldn’t be here now . It was intended that following closing the store we would take on a new space, the biggest venture yet. The conundrum was that a forward vision for the space wouldn’t feature retail, rather it was envisioned as an event space for the automotive and sub cultural communities to come together. I wanted a custom motorcycle garage and a good coffee bar for the day to day trade, adding retail felt like creating a lifestyle brand, and that’s all been done and failed. More than anything it was to support a lifestyle at its grass roots. The positive in the doom and gloom of the current climate, is that things can be underground, out of necessity if anything else. The revival of custom motorcycles was a direct result of the economic crash of 2008, thankfully creativity thrives when all else fails.
My best memories are of the events we hosted, and much of the enjoyment was working with all the different people who collaborated to make things happen. Over the years we’ve become increasingly nomadic, from hosting our outdoor cinema events overlooking the Thames, to our monthly meet ups at All My Gods and mechanics courses at Ray Petty Mechanica. With this in mind it feels much more exciting to make retail part of the events rather than the other way around. We are now working with select independent stores in different cities and we will be looking to expand on these and improve our online.
As a one man band freeing myself from the responsibilities of the store will offer the resources to develop the new collection and to scale up our events. We have sourced some incredible new materials, from vegetable tanned leathers to British pure new wool, and will be releasing a lot of new garments over the next few months. It is great to making more, doing more and looking at new ways and places to pop-up. A few people have asked if I’m sad to close the shop, I am sad to miss many of the acquaintances I have made over the years, especially those that have come from afar, and the one that over the past decade has always brought a substantial gift of Belgium chocolate.