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It's been 10 years since the publication of the seminal CASUALS by Phil Thornton, in that time the story of young lads in their 'Saturday Best' on the hunt for a spot of 'one-upmanship' has been told and then some. Yet DRESSERS has been much anticipated, legal issues (which may or may not have been due to a rather unfortunate photo opportunity and the subsequent reaction) which delayed it's release only added to the hype surrounding the book.
The compendium of all things Casual from the perspective of a group of lads from Motherwell was finally made available last month and the lads have since headed South to spread the word and I attended the London launch party in Soho this week. The venue was the Weekend Offender store on D'Arblay St, which was kitted out with Subbuteo figures, scarves, sticker albums and other football memorabilia, 'looking the part' even extended to the shop itself. An excellent mix of indie, ska, punk and Northern soul music was provided by DJ Mark Kerry who was fresh from his stint providing the music on the after-shows of Noel Gallagher's recent European tour. Free beers as they always do helped create a party atmosphere as people spilled out into the narrow Soho street. There were a few familiar faces in the crowd the majority of them wearing the famous three stripes on their feet.
The real star of the show was obviously the book, fittingly it looks proper smart, a great mix of pictures and newspaper reports coupled with extensive, interesting and entertaining testimony from those who were there. If you're reading this blog, I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say you're more than likely a person who takes pride in his appearance and who 'enjoys' himself at the weekend, even if those days are less regular these days! DRESSERS perfectly captures the thoughts and actions of a group of lads who did just that in the 80s and 90s. With this and the the upcoming 10th Anniversary edition of CASUALS, those who were there and remember or those who weren't and want to know more about 'this thing of ours', are being rather spoilt.Words and pics by Seb White.
It is with great pleasure we announce the release of this years first shirt offerings, working with the established Tuktuk brand we have combined forces with his expertise and knowledge along with the block we designed last year, to hand pick three very different shirts. East meets West, with nice subtle branding, button down collar, box pleat, really nice fabric, a flattering tailored fit, three utility pockets on two, and Mother of Pearl buttons on the other. All come finely packaged, carded and pinned as they would from a tailors. I love it when a plan comes together as Hannibal from the A Team would say!
'Raoul' is a fantastic handpicked psychedelic pattern, a bit mod, a lot Fear and Loathing. Features a two inch button down collar, two chest pockets with button flap, box pleat and locker loop and Mother of Pearl buttons. Only branding is on the inner neck label, less is more, the devil is in the detail. 'Raoul' is a bit like your favourite Grandma's old curtains, or maybe a Wild Turkey fuelled acid trip which we think sounds cooler, this shirt takes name an inspiration from the Good Doc's alter ego Raoul Duke.
Next up we have a 'fruity' flannel check in vivid shades of manly pink! Also features a button down collar, locker loop and box pleat and three utility pockets including the tiny hem pocket for your Connoisseur Zippo/Everton mints. We've called this one 'Richardson' as it reminds us of something the zany (and fruity) photographer Terry Richardson might wear whilst taking pics of oily pornstars.
Last but by no means least, this is a multi coloured hand woven Madras check, with button down collar and three utility pockets as per the above. As you've probably guessed we like to give everything we do a name, so we're going to call this one 'Ray' as it has that South of the border feel to it and reminds us of one Mr Winstone wore in Nil By Mouth whilst shouting the word c*nt an awful lot.
Released 10:00am Thurs 23rd from both ourselves and Tuktuk, highly limited we don't think these will hang around for long. YHN
The Roaches (from the French 'Les Roches' - the rocks) is the name given to a prominent rocky ridge situated above Leek and Tittesworth Reservoir in the Peak District of England. The ridge with its spectacular rock formations rises steeply to 1,657 ft. Along with Ramshaw Rocks and Hen Cloud they form a gritstone escarpment, which is very popular with hikers, rock climbers and freerunners and hastily organised Connoisseurs. Last week we paid it a visit, the plan was a photoshoot, set against the spectacular backdrop on a lovely clear day. Notably this year's 'Villain' hat as by name it ties in nicely to the place with the splendid memorial hut which is maintained there in honour of Salford born climber Don Whillans. To me personally, Don is an unlikely style icon, cool as a cucumber, a climber who achieved greatness along with the likes of Joe Brown and Chris Bonington, scaling Annapurna, Mount Blanc and of course Everest's southwest face. But I loved the fact he was a salt of the earth guy, loved a pint, the odd scrap and was at times comically outspoken. When climbing he wore the likes of Berghaus and Mountain Equipment anoraks and smocks teamed with goggles and of course his flat cap. It was here at the Roaches where he first got a taste and trained his way to the top.It wasn't until we got past Macclesfield I realised the dropping of a considerable bollock, no bastarding camera had been packed! Thankfully instagram was on hand for the catalogue poses.This is an amazing place, it's a popular climbing spot obviously, but also home to great wildlife like Buzzards and Wallabees, yeah, I shit you not. It also had trillions of hangin' little flies which completely covered us from face to foot once we got to the 'summit'. At the top you can see out for miles, there's a great view of the Tittensworth reservoir and on a clear day you can see right out across Cheshire and Lancashire's Winter Hill and even as far as the Welsh coastline up to Snowdonia. The 'Villain' hat (Mk II) will be released soon. CD
This week we received the Fujiko Mine doll from our boys way out East at Closer in Osaka, Japan. This is from the long standing Manga series Lupin III, as you can tell, she's a saucy little bugger. It'll go nicely on the mantle piece, cooler than a Clarice Cliff!
One of the biggest highlights of this thing we do are the people we meet and mix with. Forging friendships far and wide has been a genuine pleasure, whether it's like-minded lads, manufacturers or agents it's all part of the learning curve for us and making new contacts as we expand our brand. Be it Moscow or New York, Stockholm, Hannover or Berlin we've built up a cool network, not least a couple of new teams results to follow.Often when we deal with someone we'll exchange the odd gift or memento, 'send us something uniquely Swedish, German, American or Japanese....and we'll send you something from these shores' we'll say and it's kind of become a little trend. Snus from Stockholm, Beer from Hannover, beermats from Chicago, English made clothing from Trickett, Tee and 'Ghetto' shopper from Berlin, original old style cigarettes from Moscow etc A nice little collection has built up now...until we drink it or smoke it that is, not intended as any kind of ego massage, au contraire! If anything we're sharing and spreading the love. CD
