Treasured items... Will Hudson

Few items of dress are as necessary yet neglected than socks. Far too often they are an after thought that all too easily can become undervalued and mismatched before the odd hole, wear and tear forces them to hide in embarrassment inside their leather incarceration. The festive season is one of the few occasions in which socks are given a stage to perform. Wrapped up in all manner of finery and fanfare, watching cousins hang proudly above fireplaces and prominently positioned on the edges beds, socks are presented to hard-to-buy-for friends and they-have-everything-already family members. Just when they think they're about to receive the recognition that they truly deserve, they are met with indifference, scrunched up and used as a protective cotton shield around more valuable items. Dependable yet derided, I feel for socks at this time of year. Thankfully, there are a few people out there who cherish them and Will Hudson, founder and director of It's Nice That, sits amongst them with Paul Smith's iconic, spectrum showcasing stripes peaking between the creative camouflage of his everyday uniform. With an eye ever scanning for niceties it pauses over the festive go-to gift. Here, he tells us why... 

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Will Hudson and the striped splash of something unexpected

"For anyone that knows me, you're probably surprised to find me invited to contribute any thoughts about fashion. For anyone that doesn't know me I should explain – I wear the same jeans and grey T-shirt or white shirt most of the year (even when not at work). This isn't because I'm not interested in fashion but because I sit slightly outside the average percentile that most clothes are manufactured for. I'm 6'4 and 'heavy' (this isn't the place to reveal certain information) and find it difficult to find clothes I feel comfortable in, let alone I'd leave the house in.

As a result I have always opted to play it safe. The little luxury I do have though comes in the 'one size fits most' category and the smallest of things can make a difference. As a result, Paul Smith socks, with all their colour, bring a smile even when paired with the plainest ensemble." Will Hudson

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Nicomede Talavera SS14

"As this is my first full season I wanted to move on from the Masters, to push myself and demonstrate just what I can do,” Nicomede Talavera excitedly explains as we’re both enveloped by the sculptural shake-up of the senses that is his spring/summer 14 collection. Confidently striding out from the Central Saint Martins classroom, beyond the realms of Louise Wilson’s omnipotence and the far-reaching ripples of applause that his graduate collection received, we meet a young designer ready to step onto a larger stage. Having watched him develop over the last four years, documenting his progression from eager second year design student to a fully realised label, he feels both familiar and forcibly fresh.

“I'm proud of my MA collection but I do feel as though I could have injected more personality into it,” he confesses. Moving on from a measured masterpiece of monochrome modernity that teased with its textural treats and proportion play we now see the blossoming talent delighting in the juxtaposition of the everyday, tailoring, abstract graphics and minimalist colour blocking. Free to produce precisely what he wants, on his own terms, Talavera has a grin from ear to ear because this collection is him. He has grown into his talent.

"As soon as I finished my MA at Central Saint Martins, I was exhausted and felt that I needed a break but a few weeks later I realised that I had worked so hard to build something, really enjoy designing and wanted to see what could happen with the label," he confesses as we sip instant coffee in his Bermondsey base. As he turned the page on one enthralling chapter, spring/summer 14 marks the beginning of the next. There's an undeniable promise that blank pages will be filled with all manner of exciting narrative in the coming seasons and beyond. However, like everything step he's taken previously, Talavera approached the latest leap correctly. When it is all too easy to be swept away in an ocean of excitement, this young talent paused and took stock of everything before diving into the inviting waters of possibility. “One of the first things I did was write a business plan, it was so beneficial to place my label in the market place and work out just where I wanted it to be.” Having visualised the future of his eponymous label, Talavera is now carefully crafting it by taking elements from his accomplished BA and MA collections, pushing them further and taking them in entirely different directions.

“I developed my previous research of Ellsworth Kelly whilst extracting fresh elements and at the same time I became fascinated by the business men of Canary Wharf, seeing them on the tube in their pinstripe suits, trainers and a backpack. I wanted to take the tailoring and sportswear influences of the modern man and it all worked back to Kelly and his own fascination with everyday landscape. I too began to see these squares,” he explains. The result sees him transform a canvas of sheer nylon oversized t-shirts and sleeveless tops with appliquéd leather graphic elements alongside re-imagined superfine suiting fabrics. Thankfully the sartorial awkwardness of crisp tailoring mixed with gym kits is waved away by the expert hands of Talavera. Flimsy synthetic gym bags morph into luxurious objects of desire as the designer continues his fruitful collaboration with Eastpak and dull, tired, bedraggled commuter chic comes to life and reverberates with youthful energy. This is the designer applying his filter over everyday sights, just like Kelly did.

"I like to work from things that I see, whether they’re man-made or natural or a combination of the two… The things that I’m interested in have always been there. The idea of a shadow and a natural object has existed, like the shadow of the pyramids, or a rock and its shadow; I’m not interested in the texture of the rock, or that it is a rock, but in the mass of it, and its shadows," Ellsworth Kelly confided to Henry Geldzahler in 1964 in a piece for Art International 1. Surrounded by walls of Talavera product, the influence of the painter, sculptor and printmaker is plain to see. His rails mirror the artist’s masterly interplay of form, colour, and space. Moved by shapes he found in reality, Kelly’s perception is inspired by an object's external characteristics, taking interest in shadows and the texture of surfaces isolated from their contexts. Talavera’s eyes were similarly searching. "For me, inspiration will always come from what I see around me. It has to be grounded in reality. I'm drawn to subcultures, youth movements and ultimately street wear." Nicomede Talavera had explained in our last meeting. Having previously looked to the sartorial sights and cultural diversity of his childhood home of Hounslow he now looks to the commuting rat racers. A true mixologist of menswear, Talevera balances tailoring with sportswear and artistic form with function. Take a gulp.

Detail photography alongside Nicomede Talavera's Andy Malone shot spring/summer 14 look book

From coated nappa leather cracking delicately to textural pinstriped suiting reinterpreted as long sleeved tailored tops and unexpected silk cargo pockets, the collection is rich in tactile treasure. Each piece has a sculptural quality. Everything has been masterfully realised by the creator's hand. Even the zips, so often uniform and ubiquitous are anything but here. "I contacted Lampo, a luxury zip maker, because they sponsored my BA collection and they expressed an interest in working together on an exclusive zip which was amazing. I looked to the work of Robert Morris because I've always been drawn to his square work, it was layering and de-layering, simplifying yet bold,” he animatedly explains whilst thumbing a puller. They provide the perfect functional finish to the outerwear and collaborative Eastpak accessories. Each and every detail has been carefully considered.

Looking through the Andy Malone shot look book alongside my own detail shots once again and having inspected the quality of the garments first hand, it is remarkable that this is Nicomede Talavera's first full collection. There's no limit to how far this talent can go. As ever, his own Van clad feet are fixed firmly to the ground.  "I’m looking to grow the label naturally, not to force it in the market before we’re ready. For this season, we're hoping to secure two exclusive clothing stockists, one London based and one in Asia," he declares. I'm in no doubt that he'll do that and more.

Treasured items... Dan Thawley

Whilst so many publications concern themselves with fleeting scenes from the conveyor belt of fashion,  A Magazine Curated By pauses before prospecting a creative's personality, propelling their whims and fancies. It is a course of clear, cultivated curation. Each issue is a collaboration between its editor and a talent that we long to hear from. The debut issue was curated by that intriguing enigma Martin Margiela back in 2004, the latest by Stephen Jones and we've explored the mind's of Yohji Yamamoto, Haider Ackermann, Kris Van Assche and the Mulleavy sisters to name just an inspiring handful. When you open its pages, time stops and explorations begins. As each is full of moments to treasure we couldn't resist asking its editor Dan Thawley to reveal his own cherished item in a spot of show and tell. Here, the currently Paris based Australian nomad averts his gaze from scanning all manner of cultural realm, focuses on his wrist watch and narrates its tale.

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Dan Thawley and the ticking memory

"It's my pa's Omega Seamaster Quartz watch. He'd wear it sitting listening to the radio in his den, sipping a beer with his two dogs at his feet. He died before I was 10 years old, and I was given it just after the funeral with an engraving on the underside dedicated to me. Wearing a watch can seem a little superfluous in today's digital society - but I try to wear it a few times a week - particularly at night. It's a very slim, sleek watch and I like the size of the band - it falls down the wrist just enough. I think it's the most masculine jewellery one can wear." Dan Thawley

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Treasured Items... Julian Ganio

The fashion shuffle, the procession from show to presentation to tradeshow (repeat to fade) can be a dull and even dour affair. Failing to mirror the excitement and energy of the collections, frowns are frequently fruitful on the FROW. However, there are a few faces that are positively beaming, ever positive and eager. Behind one cheeky smile is stylist Julian Ganio. Now, this London College of Fashion graduate first caused a wry smile and sent ripples of excitement through the industry when he sent a troupe of older, plumper, daddies down the catwalk for his graduate collection back in 2002. Having spent the last decade adding a little colour, texture, intrigue and fun to menswear, Ganio has made a name for himself working with Topman, Fred Perry and Dunhill as well as nurturing emerging London including Omar Kashoura, Agi&Sam and Craig Green. Whilst styling for your favourite style titles, he was recently made Fashion Editor of everyone's favourite, Fantastic Man. Buying him a coffee and a congratulatory slice of cake, I couldn't resist a spot of show and tell in a quiet enclave of East London. Here, with that omnipresent smile recounts the tale of two treasures.

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Julian Ganio and the familiar corduroy hat

"This brown corduroy hat is from Joseph. I don't even know if it belonged to my mum or dad. I just know that I've had it from around 1998 but the hat itself is much older. I've done some digging and I think it is from the label's autumn/winter 76/77 collection. I can't recall how it came in to my possession but I collect hats, I've got about eight hundred. There are so many hats that mean something to me but this one just feels really relevant for me at the moment. I've been wearing it loads this Winter, mainly because it goes really well with a corduroy Margaret Howell suit, and well with some other cord pieces from Engineered Garments. I remember first wearing it when I was going through a hip-hop phase at around fifteen or sixteen, it was my own take on a bucket hat. Then I hadn't worn it for years but it now feels appropriate again. I like how worn it is. It makes me feel like I've had a past and been wearing it for thirty years. It manages to be both smart and scruffy, a little beaten up. At the moment, I like wearing things that are quite tailored but lived in, unstructured, nothing too pristine. It's the type of hat that I don't have to be too precious about, I can just stuff it in to my bag and it's fine."

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.... and the Paul Smith paisley pair

"I've had the Paul Smith tie since 1999 and borrowed the scarf a lot over the years but didn't have it permanently until more recently. I've asked my Dad and he thinks they are from the mid 80s. As both of my cherished picks are so old, the memories I have of each of then have been developed from photographs. I remember them more as objects that I loved at home, finding them as I rummaged through the wardrobe or seeing them on the hat stand. I definitely think my parents had an influence on me and my interest in fashion. Both were very into clothes. My Mum use to work for Joseph back in the 70's and my Dad has been a hardcore Paul Smith fan from day one... and I used to get dragged round the Floral Street store in the 80's every Saturday afternoon when Covent Garden was quite different.

I don't wear them so much. I have moments with them where I will over wear them for a couple of months then move on but I always go back. I especially loved them when i was at LCF during 1998 - 2002 and wore them the most then. I've worn the tie more recently, it feels quite current and not vintage at all... almost like Agi&Sam could have made it... it could easily be their take on a paisley." Julian Ganio

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General Eyewear's Inner and Outer Space Collection

"Eyewear has gone from being a specialised niche product to being almost tediously ubiquitous – every brand and every designer has an eyewear collection. And this, along with a few other factors, has led to a general flattening out of what’s on offer," Fraser Laing fervidly expressed on one of my previous visits to his great gem of Stables Market. General Eyewear has concentrated on developing its own distinctive values and ideas without paying too much attention to what anyone else is doing. His wide, passion filled eyes are focussed on providing something more, something better. Now, as we sit inside his emporium of eyewear, he introduces me to the latest development, the Inner and Outer Space Collection. A long considered range that breaks free from the tedium and emerges on the recently unveiled Discover Boutiques.

Chatting over a concerto that echoes throughout the vast retail space, Laing becomes increasingly more animated as, one by one, he proudly places each of the nine frames on to the desk. As ever, his eternal enthusiasm and perpetual passion is as infectious as it is justified. From the 40s inspired but wonderfully contemporary Metz to the uncompromising Tanaka, each frame, which is handmade in England by their master spectacle makers using the very best components and finest vintage Italian acetates, is named after a Science Fiction writer. "We made a long list of science fiction writers and began honing it down to find the perfect fit for each style," Laing explains. Playing with the author's different characteristics, what they represent or conjure up and even just revelling in the name themselves, from phonetics to onomatopoeia. "For example. I know Lem quite well, he's a Russian science fiction writer and I just had this feeling of what a pair of glasses might look like, heavy and ponderous. For another frame, the Ostrander we just felt that they needed a strange name without knowing too much about the author, after a little research we found out that he penned the original Star Wars screenplays. The name just felt right because they appear older, mysterious and austere." Some of the names will be familiar, others might stump even the most arden of SF fans but what is certain, their latest incarnations are taking eyewear to new heights. Now, making use of the beautiful product photography that Discover Boutiques uses to present the stock from its partner stores, let me introduce the collection to you...

From the Lem to the Saberhagen to my personal favourite the Metz.

"The starting point was that they are built around classic shapes but evolved to become borderline unusual. We've been raiding our archives. From as far as I know, no one, in London at the very least, has anything quite like it. It is really coming in to its own now as we developing styles from it. None of these styles will be in people's minds, they are all slightly unusual doing slightly different things. It was about matching up the shapes we wanted to make with the right plastics. For the time being, we are sticking with one plastic per shape. The idea is that each frame becomes a brand in its own right because they are such distinct styles. Of course some might fade away but the hope is that these are a starting point and variations will follow, always looking to improve."

The considered collection has evolved from and takes advantage of the attributes that really set General Eyewear apart from anything else out there. The frames have evolved from an alchemy of form and function from favourites from the archive to the components, from the alluring acetate to the finest hinges possible, and craftsmanship that come together to make them. Laing's museum level stock consists of tens of thousands of unique pieces from the nineteenth century right to now. Inspiration is at every turn, inside every drawer and waiting to be found in an unmarked box.

 "We started offering custom made frames very early on but we were very limited by the lack of acetate available in the UK. I embarked on a mission to buy surplus stocks of acetate from the more historic factories that I knew about in France and Italy. The fact that I was able to find so much of it means that the selection of different materials we’re able to offer in the shop is unique. Today, there's only really one factory that produces plastic for everyone because it is highly, highly specialised but the history of it is so much more varied. Italy has always been associated with the development of plastics, it is of course a comparatively recent invention, reaching its peak in the 50s. This one factory that began in the early twentieth century were building everything up, providing all of thee amazing plastics for all sorts of uses, and then in the beginning of the 90s and it must've come as a shock to them, the world just stopped wearing plastic glasses. Armani, Ralph Lauren... every brand that you can think off was making little metal frames. Today, the current catalogue just doesn't have the same choice, the same variety. However hard you look, there's nothing in the direct line of those fantastic marbled ball point pens of the forties and fifties and it's such a shame."

Thankfully, Laing managed to accumulate close to four tonnes of the acetate that continues to excites today and give it a new home at General Eyewear. Some of it might be fifty years old but it is far more interesting than anything on the market now. Up until now Laing's vast collection of acetate has only been used for commissions but they wanted to do something more with it and the Inner and Outer World collection is one of the finest ways to breathe new life in to it.

"The reaction, even before we put them on the website has been great, we have put one of two out on the shop floor and they instantly attracted attention." The frames are limited. They begin with a limited run of just five and a number of the frames have sold out but with in a week or two more can be made and be on the shop floor (both in Camden and the virtual one thanks to Discover Boutiques).  "The aim is to continue to have this flagship collection made in the UK and we can be very ambitious with short runs, spinning everything around the acetate. The logistics have been tough. Very few people make anything in Europe because it is not easy," Laing reflects as a wide grin spreads across his face and a glint or two flashes in his eyes. The results, at least in this instance show that it is all worth it.