A.P.C. S/S11

Paulo Coelho once said: "It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary". The arrival of a box with the unmistakable bold text logo of A.P.C. would fill any shopkeeper with excitement. Despite being at odds with the understated nature of a brand that has pioneered simplicity since the brand's inception in 1988 (its older than me!), we agree with Coelho... the simple things make us happy.

In those twenty-three years, A.P.C. have created ready-to-wear pieces of effortless elegance. This has required a expert understanding and precision of material and fit combined with the subtle referencing of military and naval sartorial history. We speak endlessly about "wardrobe essentials" in the world of menswear but A.P.C. produce garments which transcend our understanding of seasonal style in favour of reproducing classic items every year with minor changes to material, fit and detailing. This label really does have Paris at its heart.

Our first drop from A.P.C.'s collection this spring includes all the classics (including a large selection of their esteemed range of denim) expected from the French outfit. We have received a number of classic t-shirts both long and short sleeve in the classic Breton style (it wouldn't be an A.P.C. collection without them), shirts in both long and short sleeve check and denim as well as a few of the best Spring outerwear pieces we've seen in a long while.

Just a few images from the collection:

A.P.C. Hooded Navy Jacket

A.P.C. Military Shirt Indigo

A.P.C. L/S Stripe tee

A.P.C. Navy Pocket Tee

A.P.C. Soft Twill Rucksack

Veja S/S11

We are very much from the school of thought which believes do few things and do them very well. However, Veja, originally a modest ecological shoe producer based in Paris continue to impress us with the expansion of their fair-trade range to bags and laptop sleeves whilst continuing to diversify their footwear collections.

Although they do not explicitly produce collections, there are obviously certain styles and colourways which suit the spring and summer seasons than others. All of their items, categorised by project numbers, follows the same principles as the one before it. Their aim:

1. to use ecological inputs into every product
2. Use only fairtrade cotton and latex
3. Respect the dignity of artisan craftspeople

All of this, whilst cutting out the unnecessary CO2 emissions from the transportation, organization, production, conditioning and consumption of their products (this includes zero air travel. The boats are sent by ship before reaching the port of Le Havre where they are transported by canal barge). They've got as far as to use a green electricity cooperative in their headquarters.

As well as still stocking the traditional Taua sneaker, Indigenos sneaker and the Acacia Bag we have expanded our range of Taua and added the laptop sleeve in both navy and graphite:

MAKR Carry Goods Delivery

We've spoken widely of our admiration for the work done by MAKR, and what a privileged it is to hold their only account in Europe. They're a brand we believe heavily in and one we are excited to continue working with. As they expand, we welcome new items with every delivery, and they never fail to carry the ergonomic, strong and tactile design that always attracted us to them in the first place.

By utilising existing production sites, and working alongside them throughout the process, MAKR have gone from producers of understated leather wallets to rucksacks via tote bags and key chains. Whilst not everything can be sourced in the UK, they place material quality at the essence of production. If it means sourcing from Italy or Germany, then so be it. The one thing that never changes, is the philosophy that design, manufacture and quality are not mutually exclusive and are integral to the production of high quality good.

Here is a photo of my Horizon Two wallet 5 months into its long life. The indigo staining looks great and the leather has taken on a life of its own whilst absorbing the scratch of my keys as part of the patina of the leather:

The new pieces we have in stock are:

Angle wallet in Sandstone leather

One wallet in Manhogany

Flap wallet Bark Chromexcel leather
Horizon Three Wallet HF Gunmetal Chromexcel
Farm Rucksack Brown Canvas