Film | For The Record

Here at ACM we love our vinyl, and recently came across this rather cool project. A sixteen minute documentary produced by James Meharry and directed/edited by Gareth Moon. 

Shot over six weeks, travelling through Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the UK, discovering, learning, meeting and documenting the ideas and people behind the controls of vinyl record production.

London Collections: Men | Christopher Raeburn AW'13

Today we have some more highlights from when the guys at oki-ni visited London Collections: Men, this time backstage at Christopher Raeburn.

Harking back to a time of British sea power, the young English designer making waves in menswear presents his new AW'13 collection, S-I-G-N-A-L, which expands and develops his signature "remade" aesthetic. 

Military clothing has always been central to Christopher's vision, with an admiration for functional pieces and advanced military fabrics forming the spine of his work. For AW'13, Christopher turns his gaze out to sea, creating a range of clothing for the imagined inhabitants of the Maunsell Sea Forts – the abandoned WWII naval defences off the coast of Whitstable. Consequently, the range of weatherproof parkas, macs, and windcheaters are designed to combat the stern sea breeze. 

The worry might be that with so much function there might not be enough fun, but Christopher adeptly displays his playful side with a range of prints and graphics that add levity to the range – a semaphore print appears on shirting and t-shirts, while a superb all-over map print (first seen in Christopher's AW12 womenswear) references naval charts. 

Delivered with a sense of military precision and no small amount of style, Christopher proves with this new collection why he is regarded as one of the most intriguing and considered talents in British menswear.  

www.christopherraeburn.co.uk

London Collections: Men | YMC AW'13

Those good guys over at oki-ni have been immersed in the world of fashion; catwalk shows, models, designer clad puppies, and believe it or not space ships, the last week. Now the latest instalment of London Collections: Men is behind them, they have kindly shared with us their highlights, to share with you our readers.

The opening sentence of the press notes for YMC's AW'13 show sounded like Fraser Moss might be one setback away from a call to The Samaritans.

"'Dead Inside' is YMC designer and founder Fraser Moss' response to modern culture"

Yet, Fraser found refuge in nostalgic memories of the '90s and his new AW'13 collection is packed full of enough textured knitwear and rich autumn colour to keep anyone happy. The beret was the symbol of the collection, representing freedom, rebellion, and an affinity for lengthy subtitled films and strong black coffee. Indeed, it is this New Wave spirit that Fraser is so taken with, and his collection is a confident realisation of that utilitarian aesthetic. 

www.youmustcreate.com

Padmore & Barnes

We love a pair of well made shoes with a good history here at ACM, and this is exactly what we have here for you this evening.

Padmore & Barnes have a long and interesting history but in essence are an Irish company that has been making shoes of quality and distinction since 1934. Based in Kilkenny, they used to manufacture 25,000 shoes every week, which were then finished in the surrounding households; hand stitched with care and pride.

In 1967, they decided to work with their expertise and specialize in full moccasin, hand stitched shoes. Today, internationally recognized as leaders in the manufacture of casual shoes, Padmore & Barnes continue to push the boundaries in design innovation.

www.padmore-barnes.com

Rivieras | Leisure Shoes

Some more summer goodies for you this evening, this time in the footwear department with some rather classy and cool looking slip-ons.

The refined ‘Riviera gent’ style that struck a chord in the 1960’s film ‘Purple Noon’ and its remake; ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’, has never felt more current with the latest collection of premium slip-ons by Rivieras. Their timeless design has endured due to its classic simplicity, lending an air of upmarket class to the simplest of shapes. The versatile slip-on shoes exude the sense of off-duty luxury, which has no doubt attracted leading stockist such as Mr Porter, Liberty's and Start, to name a few.

Handmade in Spain, these quintessential dock side, slip-ons have been reworked time and time again since WWII. Now taking head from Riviera’s original 1950’s deck shoe, the marina inspired footwear has risen to fame once again and sparked recent partnerships with the likes of 'Baartmans and Siegel' at London Collections 'Men’s Fashion Week'. With a nod to Cuban culture, the Rivieras collection perfectly complements refined lightweight tailoring, with a colour pallet of rustic tones alongside muted sandy hues and classic white.

Each pair of Rivieras are crafted with notably high quality materials; featuring a soft towel interior lining and a cushioned nappa-leather inner sole. The outer sole has the durability of a hard wearing shoe, with a heel: rarely seen on footwear of this sort. Rendered in a breadth of shades and enhanced with a combination of textures and advanced fabrics, the latest collection makes Rivieras the ultimate stable to any refined gent’s wardrobe.

www.rivieras-shoes.com

MQT | SS'13

A little something to brighten up your day and banish those winter blues this evening, and get you thinking about your summer vacation away in a sunny country. Here is some perfect summer pieces from MQT that will have you looking smart, yet casual; and keep you feeling cool in the hot temperatures.

Created by three generations of manufacturing expertise, MQT have earned themselves a legion of fans for their raw, industrial chino and denim collections. This SS'13 sees the brand proudly showcase their arsenal of denim and chinos in select accounts such as Selfridges and Flannels. This British heritage brand is taking attention to detail to the next level.

This seasons collection sees classic designs manufactured with innovative details with variations of the traditional chino style and stone-wash denim being a key look. Distressed washes, light weight fabrics and twisted seams put the stamp on this MQT Spring Summer 2013 collection. Every piece is washed with a unique finishing treatment ensuring MQT denim and chinos are made using only the finest material as always with the intricate MQT trademark and detailing.

www.mqtdenim.com