Come on the Owls!

“I'm not going to lie, I have always wanted to design football kits. Especially like the best ones that I remember from the 90s," Sam Cotton confesses. Having dazzled, delighted and most importantly developed over the last three Topman sponsored MAN within London Collections: Men, the print princes of Agi&Sam have had this long held design dream realised by their long term supporter. In a couple of weeks, the design duo's colourful collection for Topman lands in store. With football kits at its heart, a twenty piece collection soon evolved to befit a sporting superstar and add a little much needed excitement to the high street.

"Gordon (Richardson) approached us after our spring/summer 13 show backstage and said 'we need to do something soon'. We thought it was him being his general lovely self, but then when we got an email from him actually confirming a meeting, we were pretty flabbergasted. We went in to see him and the team with Lulu Kennedy holding our hands. The team basically said they would love to do something with us, and explained how they wanted a full collection. We then basically went away after they had said design anything you like. So we were thinking of trying to produce something different to Topman and different to us, but in keeping with our ethos and style. 90's football kits just popped into our heads one day and we bashed out a load of designs, along with a tailored collection that fits beside it.

We wanted to produce that something that first and fore mostly wouldn't alienate our brand and our buyers from our main collection, so this needed to look different. We decided to revert back to our early forms of Agi&Sam and make it quite a youthful collection. Also range planning was alot different, as well as consolidating the prints to a small range. It needed to be concise."

The result is a collection that manages to balance their house signature with paying careful consideration to the Topman customer. A sensory shake-up that makes perfect sense. Approached at a time when the capital was in the midst of Olympic fever, the idea that sportswear kept creeping into their majestic minds should come as no surprise. Their pick of sporting era to focus on might be to some but not to the boys who lived through it. The football fanatic Sam explains:

"When you think of moments in football in the 90's you can picture the scene, remember the player, see the kit. For me, even when you see those kits now those memories come flooding back in a Pavlovian fashion. Now all the kits from the last 7 years have blurred into one for each team and though technically brilliant, it's a shame. Something has been lost and we wanted to return to it.

I loved the period of kits from 90-92, these were the best kits personally. Kits like the JVC Arsenal Navy and Yellow, the Chelsea away Grey and Orange Kit, or the Sharp Blue and White United Kit were all amazing. Plus the keeper kits were incredible, there was an amazing editorial by one of Agi's mates for Green Soccer Journal we found recently with all the old 90's keeper kits folded into poses from the famous keepers in those kits. Again this brings me back to those Pavlovian memories, I can literally see those keepers making those saves and remember most of the games. You could never do that now."

"Growing up my hero in football was definitely David Beckham, continues Sam proudly without hesitation. "I actually met him in LA at a dinner last year and literally lost my shit. Agi had to come and rescue me." Stepping into rescue Sam once more, Agi Mdumulla saves his design partner from any needless awkwardness by adding his own far more embarrassing experience - being a Spurs supporter. "I used to be a big Tottenham fan when I was younger, my bedroom at home still has Tottenham wallpaper. So my heroes were Chris Armstrong, Teddy Sheringham... and lets throw in a curve ball... Stan Collymore,"Agi winks and laughs with that admission before Sam takes over once more and introduces the collection.

"The muse for all of our collections have always been quite weird, we've said before that the Agi&Sam man was a confident ladies man with a slight problem with alcohol. Even though this was a joke, when we decided on George Best for this Topman collection, it took about 3 months to realise we had subconsciously picked this man exactly. We didn't delve that deeply, we got drunk a few times designing the collection but that's about as far as we went to living the George Best dream."

As you're dazzled and delighted by the Luke Stephenson shot look book, you should notice a familiar feathered friend flap throughout. With eggshell, feathers and the birds of prey themselves all featuring, there can be little doubt that the team's mascot is an owl. But why? Sam explains once more. 

"Well, when we first started the brand it took us about six months to name it. One of the names floating around was 'The Owls' as Agi bloody loves Owls. Then after we established the branding and art direction for Agi&Sam we noticed an Owls face in our font logo branding. This then become a logo and we've worked with this from the beginning. I then started designing a kit badge around the logo and just thought it would be a great to build it all around this. Then came the prints, nesting, feathers, owls etc. It all kind of tied in." 

Designed to make us run faster, jump higher and look cooler - we should all be fans of the Owls. Despite being drenched in nostalgia, the collection feels decidedly fresh. The reason is that we are seeing this time through Agi&Sam's kaleidoscope of clashing prints and refined tailoring.  Pressing their playful prism to this golden era of kit design and encompassing their early footballing heroes and memories, it rekindled some of my own. Given the wistful whiff that exudes from the collection's moodboard, I couldn't resist taking a closer look at the designs with the help of a few of my old favourite finger flicked friends. Now, I spent countless hours begging my parents to iron the theatre of daydreams that was my Subbuteo pitch. Games could be decided by an opportunistic tackle and intervention, not from an opponent but from a crease. Many more hours were spent replaying monumental moments from matches meticulously memorized. Commentary and all. 'Time is running out in this derby game. Arsenal need to do something soon to avoid a stalemate. Seaman throws it out to Dixon, Dixon carries the ball forward, spots the run of Limpar who controls well and bursts into the box with pace before taking a tumble. Penalty...' Starring my Subbuteo Art figures and the latest set I use pieces from Agi&Sam's collection for Topman as my pitch for a spot of fun-filled extra time.

The collections kicks off at Topman on 4th June.

Joe Casely-Hayford for John Lewis AW12

Our eyes often glaze over as the conveyor belt of incessant releases trundles on and on but when we do encounter a creative coming together that makes perfect sense, we leap to attention. Since its debut for SS10, Joe Casely-Hayford for John Lewis has always delivered. Now, you should recall how we fell for the charms of the debut thirty piece capsule collection back in January 2010. It was a celebration of the very best of authentic British design whilst providing an enticingly complete everyday wardrobe, encompassing everything from jackets to shoes. Who knew that the high street could be this exciting and fruitful? It was, not surprisingly, extremely well received and has only grown in subsequent seasons. Over the last couple of years, Casely-Hayford and John Lewis have worked hard to build, nourish and grow this concept of collaboration with the finest manufacturers to create a a highly considered range of future classic designs for contemporary men who appreciate, design, quality and attention to detail. With each season it continues to evolve and grow. In essence this is a collaboration that brings seemingly specialist products to a wider audience without losing any of the integrity that make their products special. It is a masterful balancing act. Having established a strong following through exclusive collaborations with some of the UK’s finest heritage manufacturers, Casely-Hayford continues to celebrate craftsmanship and home grown British manufacturing whilst working with a mouth watering lineup that includes Barbour, Liberty, Cooper and Strollband, Abraham Moon and for the first time this season, Gloverall.

For the soon to be fully launched AW12 collection, Joe Casely-Hayford looked to the counter culture of the 1950s for sartorial inspiration. As the world recovered from the immeasurable traumas of world war two, the decade dawned as an era at odds with itself. This was a time of early rock and roll and saw the emergence of motorcyclists havens like the Ace Cafe and the 59 Club which were ever filled with the scent of leather and a thirst for change. Much as Casely-Hayford explores, plays and experiments with the duality of English Sartorialism and British Anarchy for his own line, he does the same here whilst translating these twentieth century influences for today's man. The result is a thirty piece collection spanning knitwear, shirting, and trousers with prices ranging from twenty eight pound for a pique crew neck t shirt to three hundred and twenty five pound for a long bezique twill black coat. For both myself and Matt McCormack, Head of Menswear Buying at John Lewis, we are in simultaneous nodding agreement that one of the standout pieces for this season is without doubt the Berwick which encapsulates all of these elements. It is a well crafted overcoat that fuses traditional biker elements with the more formal Chesterfield overcoat. A happy marriage. Once again the collection exhibits Casely-Hayford's deft ability to create timeless pieces, with meticulous attention to detail at every stage of the design and manufacturing process...

JCH Berwick Twill Black Coat, £325 at John Lewis

JCH Flying Bird Printed Shirt, £85, and Pique Crew White, £28 at John Lewis

JCH Gloverall Duffle Coat, £299, Bonnier Yoke Fairesle, £99 and Vintage Denim Shirt, £85 at John Lewis

JCH Long Check Coat, £325, Washed Harringbone Shirt, £85 at John Lewis

JCH Pique Crew, White, £28 at John Lewis

JCH Ventile Mac, £299, and Bonnier Contrast Cardigan, £125 at John Lewis

JCH Vintage Leather Jacket, £450, Pique Crew, Navy, £28 at John Lewis

Regular readers will know that I'm rarely excited by High Street unveilings but this creative coming together has been ever fruitful. To be honest, I'm a little perplexed that other retailer's haven't tried to imitate this project on some level and have instead continued along the path of fanfare and hype to the ultimate detriment of the product. Oh well, atleast someone is doing it right. Following its initial success, it is great to see that Joe Casely-Hayford and John Lewis have been able to consistently evolve the collaboration to offer some of the finest collections available on the High Street whilst shining the spotlight on the British sartorialism, craftsmanship and manufacture that make us all so proud.

Style Stalking (Snapshot)... The Provoker

Yesterday saw a whole host of blogging talent drag suitcases and oversized shopping bags crammed full with potential bargains to our yard for a sale. With polite and orderly queues forming as early as 9:30, the pace was set and remained hectic throughout much of the day. From manning my trestle table to tending to the chicken satay, there was little opportunity for breathers but I couldn't resist style stalking one of my fellow market stallers, The Provoker (who was helping out Park&Cube). Clad in a heady mix of Tisci's rottweilers and Givenchy jewels, Celine sunglasses, a Proenza Schouler 'it bag', high street finds and Jeffrey Campbell statement creepers, the lovely Nathan deserved as much attention as the wares on Shini's table. Such an ensemble of fierce fashion isn't really conducive to shouts of "Roll up, roll up... two for a paaaaaaaound," but this was a very different market... 

Cab by Boutique, sunglasses by Celine, t shirt, necklace and earring by Givenchy, bracelets by Lanvin and Balenciaga (yard sale buys), Proenza Schouler PS11 bag, trousers from Zara, belt by Banana Republic and shoes by Jeffrey Campbell.
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Joe Casely-Hayford for John Lewis SS12

In recent weeks we have noted that in the tumultuous seas of spurious, pointless and head scratchily strange collaborations, a creative coming together that works on more than a mere press or cash cow perspective are most rare. Our eyes often glaze over as the conveyor belt of releases trundles on but when we do encounter a collaboration that makes perfect sense, we leap to attention. Since its debut for SS10, Joe Casely-Hayford for John Lewis has always delivered. The High Street just got that bit more interesting. Now, you should recall how we fell for the charms of the debut thirty piece capsule collection back in January 2010. It was a celebration of the very best of authentic British design whilst providing an enticingly complete everyday wardrobe, encompassing everything from jackets to shoes. It was, not surprisingly, extremely well received and has only grown in subsequent seasons. Over the last two years, Casely-Hayford and John Lewis have worked hard to build upon this concept of collaboration with the finest manufacturers to create a a highly considered range of future classic designs for contemporary men who appreciate, design, quality and attention to detail. In essence this is a collaboration that brings seemingly specialist products to a wider audience without losing any of the integrity that make their products special. Having established a strong following through exclusive collaborations with some of the UK’s finest heritage manufacturers, Casely-Hayford continues to celebrate craftsmanship and home grown British manufacturing by joining forces with a new collaborator (but long known to us), British Outerwear manufacturer, Cooper and Stollbrand.

Whilst last season’s collection took influence from Eric Newby’s seminal travel book, A Walk in the Hindu Khush, Casely-Hayford’s SS12 offering looks to one of the twentieth century’s greatest explorers, the British adventurer Wilfred Thesiger. Born in Ethiopia, educated at Eton and Oxford, he fought with the SAS and went on to become one of the great travel writers of the last century. Never content with the luxury of the known he was always looking over the next hill, mountain or desert horizon. He was every inch the English gentleman exploring and understanding alien lands. Throughout, the collection embodies Thesiger’s rugged yet easy going spirit with informal tailored jackets, tough washed cottons and relaxed summer knits...

“With a more relaxed attitude this season, jackets are cut with less structure, shoulders are softer, body shapes are slightly looser, and our tailored jackets have been constructed with lightweight materials– creating the ideal weekend wardrobe. The collection has been coordinated with the feeling of an international Englishman in mind and as always, the pieces are simple but never basic.” 

Joe Casely-Hayford on the collection

Orde Ventile Mac in collaboration with respected British outerwear manufacturer, Cooper and Stollbrand.  A technical summer macintosh that comes with heat sealed internal seams for increased water resistance and contrast leather pocket fastening detailing.

This puppytooth blazer from is a single-breasted design that's cut using traditional Savile Row methods.


A fusion of two great British design icons (the classic Barbour jacket and the original naval Duffle coat) the Chilworth coat has been developed as part of the successful collaboration with Barbour.

The double-breasted Amara Pique Blazer is an enticing blend of smart and casual. A laid back peaked lapel jacket with bluffed on patch pockets (applied without visible stitching) and made from fine two fold Italian shirt weight cotton, it can be worn either as part of a suit or a semi-formal blazer.

A hardy, practical jacket made in tough new waxed cotton which takes its colouring from the natural tones of the desert. In contrast to its hardy exterior, the Bedu jacket features a fun and vibrant contrast under collar and is half lined in an African influenced Liberty print - reflecting Casely-Hayford’s seasonal theme.

Collaborating with the famous British emporium for another season, the Samuli Jungle shirt takes its print from the Liberty archive.

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Following initial success, it is great to see that Casely-Hayford and John Lewis have been able to consistently evolve the collaboration to offer some of the finest collections available on the High Street whilst shining the spotlight on the British sartorialism, craftsmanship and manufacture.

The craft of Moon

As mentioned just over a week ago, this season sees sees John Lewis unveil its fourth yet first full scale exclusive collection designed by the great Joe Casely-Hayford. Recognised for his innovation and ability to produce definitive future classics, Casely-Hayford's range celebrates the best of British sartorialism through a series of unique collaborations with some of the UK's leading heritage companies. For AWll, Casely-Hayford continues to build on the strong foundations laid in the three previous capsule collections. Having established a strong following through exclusive collaborations with some of the UK’s finest heritage manufacturers. From key seasonal outerwear created out of fabric woven in England by the Abraham Moon Mills in Yorkshire to a great Fair Isle pattern Yoke pullover that is knitted in 100% Wool by crafts people in the Donegal Mountains and shirting showcasing one of the first ever Liberty prints to be digitally created, the collaboration celebrates all that these islands have to offer. Through this series of collaborations with specialists and true craftsman, the range showcases unique cloths whilst reintroducing a few updated British classics to the wider audience of the high street. During my excited ramblings I mentioned the fact that I was invited to watch the Moons craftsmen at work at their Guiseley factory. I eagerly followed and snapped away at each well honed and practiced process from start to finish. 

Before I offer an abundance of 'factory porn' and talk you through the processes of what makes Moon fabric so special I have to acquaint you with the brand and give you a little background. The name might not feel that familiar on first reading but I'm quite sure that you've seen or indeed worn their work without even knowing it. In addition to apparel, its textiles are used for growing accessories and furnishings arms. Abraham Moon and Sons is a family owned company that assures luxurious quality whilst continuously evolving to meet the ever changing needs of the industry. The current Managing Director is John Walsh, the fourth generation of the family which succeeded the Moon dynasty. Since 1837 when Abraham Moon founded the company, bales of raw wool have been arriving at their factory to begin the process of creating beautiful fabrics. Located in Yorkshire, traditional home of the English cloth mills, the company is unique in being a fully vertical mill, with dyeing, blending, carding, spinning, weaving and finishing processes all taking place on one site. State of the art manufacturing allied to a highly skilled workforce enable a wide diversity of fabrics to be manufactured at competitive price levels – a prerequisite to success in today’s market place. The craftsmanship and well honed skills are essential to the product and it was a pleasure to be able to watch it all unfold in a space that has seen the same processes come together for over two centuries. It is little wonder why Casely-Hayford partnered with them.

As a self confessed factory pervert, you can only imagine how many photographs I took as I was guided through the nooks and crannies of this well oiled assembly line of craftsmanship. I have managed to hone them down and will now use them to guide you through the main processes to turn fleece in to stunning fabric.

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From fleece to fabric

The first stage begins with the delivery of the finest raw wool which is from sought across the globe and delivered to their site in Guiseley. The merino lambswool is predominantly from South Africa and the Shetland quality pure new wool is from New Zealand. The raw wool then goes to the dye house, to be dyed using precise combinations and a secret cocktail of dye, pressure, temperature and time. They can currently dye their wool in over five hundred different shades and colours. Within the Dye House they keep a library of shade standards and recipes to ensure continuity of each glorious colour year and year.

Huge bundles of tightly packed fur are delivered to Guiseley.

I was infatuated with the texture of the fleece as I watched the men unpack it before on embarking on the dyeing process.

Part of me wanted to throw myself in to the dyeing cauldrons.

Just one of the hues that caught my eye,

Now, the real secret to creating beautifully rich colour is in the blend. During this stage up to seven different coloured wools can be used in the recipe for each yarn. It is this process that gives tweeds, heathers and plaids their wonderfully unique and rich texture. Moons prides itself on its arsenal of hues and I was dazzled by the spectrum on offer...

Once dyed it is transferred in to the blending rooms by this giant vacuum.

The blending process is particularly beautiful

Once blended, the mix is then transferred to the carding area.

The next process, carding is essential in producing soft, smooth fabrics. The blended wool lubricated with a little water and oil is run through a series of combed rollers that tease the fibres one way and then the other. Whilst providing alignment and conformity, the process also rids the wool of any last impurities and ensures the finished fabrics are smooth and soft to the touch.

A close up of the blended wool before it is passed through the carding rollers...

The carding machine

A close up of the candy floss like excess.

The carding process in action.

A sea of rollers teasing the fibres each and every way.

The rich web of coloured wool is then spun in to a huge range of dazzling yarns. Their six frames draw out the wool and put a precise number of twists per inch in to the wool, resulting in a fine but ultimately strong thread ideal for fabrics used in clothing and furnishings alike. The yarn is then wound on to cones going through a check to ensure continuity. Any faults are cut out of the thread and the ends are thermally joined together to produce a yarn that will weave in to smooth fabrics. The cones, holding up to sixteen thousand metres of yarn are then ready to be sent to warping and weaving.

The intricate movement of the yarn as it is fed from one machine to another is quite breathtaking.

The wool begins to take on a more familiar appearance.

The cones of yarn are then wound over a swift and a warp is made for weaving. This can be a complicated process depending upon the intricacy of the pattern in the finished fabric. I was treated to a to a variety during my time in the mill. Precise lengths of different coloured yarn can be required in a single vertical thread and up to two thousand threads may be required for a width of fabric. Mind blowing. These have to all be held in exact order to ensure accurate and uniform patterns and designs. The warping process is one of the most beautiful...

Feeding the yarn over the drum or swift.

The precise lengths of different yarn are fed on to the drum.

A spiderweb of yarn.

A close up of the warping process.

Exacting standards.

Warped fabric ready to be weaved.

The weaving process is the loudest and is where the real magic happens. The space is filled with a percussion of machinery. The work here might be less hands on than it once would’ve been but it is no less impressive and bewildering to the eye. It is here where many different yarns are woven together in intricate weaves to create stunning fabrics. The mill uses Rapier looms, to take the weft (horizontal thread) across the warp threads and they are capable of weaving up to thirty thousand metres of cloth per week. The machines work at a dizzying pace and volume but the below shots document the process in a much more peaceful light...

An array of fabrics were being weaved during my time in the mill.

Now, we are almost there. Newly woven fabric is then scoured, milled and dried. The oils that were used to aid manufacture of the fabric are removed. This is when the wonderful and luxurious feel of these fabrics begins to become apparent. The final step sees each length of fabric finished by careful pressing, using steam and specialised equipment to remove any shrinkage and complete the process of creating remarkable fabrics.

A selection of heritage fabrics on display.

As I walked through and looked on at each process of construction, the balance between old but proven techniques and machinery from various eras since the industrial revolution, really left a lasting impression on me. Quality begins on the sheep farms, the water used in the mill and Moons' honed processes from dye house to finishing. Each inch of fabric is inspected at the three main stages of the manufacturing process, when it comes off the loom, after finishing and again before it leaves the factory. With Moon you can be sure that you get nothing less than quality wool. I'll leave you a few close up shots of the finished lambswool fabrics used in the collaboration...

Moon is a company that continues to learn and strive for the highest quality. It was a real pleasure to watch them work and after spending a few hours there, it is obvious why Joe Casely-Hayford and John Lewis chose to work with them once again for this project. Next year Moon celebrates its one hundred and seventy fifth birthday, here's hoping to many more successful years of great British fabric production.