Archive for October 2010
What Lies Ahead For The Tramshed?
Saturday, 30 October 2010 Comments Off
Popped into the Tramshed the other day, just as some guys were breaking down an art show...
The Tramshed is a one of my favourite buildings in Shoreditch.
This atmospheric, Grade II listed, beauty of a building is in many ways a symbol of old east London right in the heart of the new east London.
For the longest time it’s operated as a meanwhile space – exhibitions, presentations, shoots. Nothing long-term.
It’s on Rivington Street. It's just off Curtain Road. It's between Liverpool Street and Old Street Stations and across the road from Hoxton Square.
And it's huge.
In short, it's prime real estate.
What will this place become? A retail outlet? A restaurant? A brand flagship?
I suspect all of the above. I just hope that who ever eventually puts their name on the front-door is worthy of this great building.
Bowtiegate. America vs Brooks Brothers, Inc
Saturday, 9 October 2010 Comments Off
In the US it's punishable for a company to falsely claim ownership of a patent.
They call it fraud.
If someone is found to be misleading the public by falsely printing on products or ads that they either own or have a patent pending they’ll be fined.
Heavily.
$500 for every ad or every item sold bearing the offending patent 'mark’.
That's 500 bucks per offence. Half the cash would go to the plaintiff, the other half to the US Government.
Pause
Brooks Brothers of course have been around for generations and have been pretty pioneering when it comes to menswear.
They introduced the button-down polo shirt....
...They introduced the repp tie...
.... and they introduced seersucker into the US...
.... and they introduced seersucker into the US...
They also innovated the iconic 'Number One' sack suit.
Pause.
And then there’s the "Adjustolox" bow tie device.
This allows the wearer to change the fit of the tie with ease and precision.
Today you can still buy bow ties featuring this Brooks Brothers patent mark:
The patent however expired in 1950.
Pause.
Enter Mr Raymond E. Stauffer – an American citizen, a committed bow tie wearer and a patents lawyer. He decided to evoke the 'false markings' ruling and take Brooks Bros to court.
At the initial hearing Brooks Brothers lawyers - no doubt bow tie fans themselves – argued that a lawsuit was unjustified since Stauffer had not been personally harmed by the alleged offence. Damages? What damages?
And besides, they said, the company who make the bow tie for them also make the same tie for other companies - Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor for example. So what’s the harm?
According to this law, replied Stauffer, ‘any person’ can make a claim, so why not him?
At the initial hearings the district court sided with Brooks Brothers.
Then on August 31, 2010 The U.S. Justice Department intervened. They argued that Stauffer’s claim was valid and the case should be heard after all:
Who knows, said The Justice Department , maybe the injured party here is the Government. This may even be a violation of The United States sovereignty.
Not only was Mr Stauffer unquestionably ‘any person’ but he was also acting in the Governments’ interest, they said.
Pause.
If Brooks Bros lose, it could cost them 500 big ones multiplied by every single bow tie sold (and advert) bearing the‘Adjustolox' patent mark since 1950.
Do the math; I dare you.
This promises to be a historic test case for all false patent litigation. For the record, Mr Stauffer describes himself as 'a sharp-dressed man'.
Stop. Exclamation mark.
Nanamica @ Present London
Thursday, 7 October 2010 Comments Off
Early last year I wrote a mag feature on high performance classics. Menswear at its best has always taken its lead from sports or the military or workwear; even the most unlikely pieces within a standard wardrobe like a tweed jacket, a polo shirt or a trench coat started off as one of these three things.
Even the bowler hat began its life as a piece of workwear.
The article was about how designers are taking technical fabrications and applying them to clothes which at first glance look like well-made classics -
Errolson Hughs' Shadow Project for Stone Island, Casely Hayfords' British/ Japanese collection alongside brands like Arc´teryx Veilence and of course North Face Purple.
Car designers have long been heading that way of course - a ton of hi-tech hardware packed within slick but very familiar looking cars. They figured out long ago that we like our technology sugar-coated by reassuring elements of the past.
All this came to mind when I saw the current Nanamica collection yesterday.
They have two stores in Japan and are now gracing the rails of Present London.
Their current product boasts very traditional silhouettes - parkas, duffel coats, windbreakers, down vests, field jackets - all in mature and subdued hues – colourways you could ask for in any Savile Row tailors without fear of embarrassment: Black Watch plaid, heather grey, mono-tweed, Glen check, black...
On the surface these are the sort of items you'd clock in the movies, classic films like In The Heat Of The Night and Bullitt; their cut is reminiscent of the mid-to-late sixties.
Packed within them however is a level of fabric functionality which was never possible back then, courtesy of Gore-tex, Pertex and Cordura.
Even their knitwear is loaded with gear. Their patchwork vest, shawl collar cardigan and argyle cardigan are all thermally enhanced using Proartec Thermal Pro fabric.
They term their design approach 'utility sports'. The overall feel is a kind of tailored tech, well made, rugged and adaptable - qualities which make them incredibly true to their all but forgotten sports, work and military origins.
This design approach of course is where outdoor brands like LL Bean, Patagonia, Filson, Woolrich and Pendleton can potentially maintain a contemporary relevance without obscuring their classic Americana roots - likewise British heritage brands such as Burberry, Aquascutum and Barbour.
It's no surprise that Nanamica have already worked with North Face Purple Label, Helly Hansen, Champion sweats and Woolrich Woolen Mills.
Fortunately for us when it comes to Nanamicas' own line we don't have to make any long expeditions to find them.
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