I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud
William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
Rehab
Amy Winehouse
They tried to make me go to rehab
I said, no, no, no
Yes, I been black
But when I come back, you'll know, know, know
I ain't got the time
And if my daddy thinks I'm fine
He's tried to make me go to rehab
I won't go, go, go
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
A modern Arts and Crafts ethos informs our design, production, presentation giving a focus on tactility, quality and relevance. It makes us focus on the impact our products have on the world around us.
We sweat the small details, are slightly experimental and not so hooked on the past and heritage that we ignore the future. We believe each of our products should add something new.
As streetwear designers, we work in the margins of product design. 75% of the work has already been completed by personalities and brands of the past: Levi, Lee, Champion, Army Suppliers, Addidas etc. Our challenge is to inject a vision into the proportions, shape and detail to create a product that represents our design philosophy and fits great. An Arts and Crafts ethos is not about a design it's about a complete lack of compromise from everyone in the design and production process in their enjoying what they do, wanting to do it to the very best of their ability and being fairly rewarded for it.
Heritage product. There is a code to the production of a great pair of jeans. It's written in the materials, technique and details. While we follow strictly some heritage techniques and details they are not absolute law they are more a guide as to best practice which we weave our product around.
SUPPLIERS
Our suppliers range from international businesses to one-man bands. They are both ages old and days young. Some are owned by inflexible 'we've always done it this way' managers and some by the most innovative flexible people you could hope to meet. They are all individual and different from each other in many respects except two: their desire to do good work and maintain a happy workforce.
MAKING
We hope to be transparent on all of the products, processes and design thought which goes into making our product. We use selvedge denim, chain stitch and tuck our waistbands, cast copper buttons and Union hem our legs. We use Selvage denim on Raw and Rinse style but not on finished styles. We believe that Selvage denim should be worn to fade and finished styles are more of a style/fashion product.
In 2019 we will move away from Japanese Denim for the product we make and sell outside of Japan. It just does not make sense to punish the environment by shipping materials so far when we have great selvedge product being produced in Italy and have our first authentic denim weaver in the UK for 50 years starting up in the shape of Hewitt Heritage Fabrics.
No animals are harmed in the making of our product and we don't use leather in any of my products. We have a desire not to hurt the planet and are doing our best to make sure we use organic and sustainable materials.
Our production partners are Denim: Kaihara Japan, Kuroki Japan, Niphon Menhu Japan, London Cloth Company (UK), Somebody and Sons (UK), Candiani Italy. Finishing: Nice Japan, Martelli Italy, Fimatex Italy. Accessories: Buttons - die-cast by YKK Italy, Tags fabric woven by Dawes Weaving (UK), Thread Gutterman Germany. Jersey Partners Discovery Knitting (UK), Chapman Group (UK), Dawes Weaving (UK).
Production: 241 Japan (Japan), Quadrifoglio (Italy), Machine Embroidery by London Embroidery Studio.
Hand Embroidery by London Denim Studio, Block Print by London Denim Studio, Made to Order by London Denim Workshop.
London Denim Studio / Workshop: We like to keep as much work to ourselves in the London Studio and Kent Workshop as possible. So all hand embroidery, printing, dyeing, macrame, block printing is completed in the London studio and sewing up is completed in the workshop.
