Dizzee Rascal is back, with Bonkers, a track which sees him collaborating with Armand van Helden. The naysayers have been saying it’s half-arsed or a bit cheesy but I like it, whether I’ll still be saying that come summer when I’ve heard it more times than I’ve seen checked shirts on the tube.
Acne Outlet: get the Wide Dots Liberty shirt for a bargain price!
Acne Outlet store, where have you been all my life? Selling prime pieces from the beloved label at discount prices Acne Outlet instantly made onto my bookmarks.
ACDC at the O2: Angus Young is a trailblazer for shorts
We all know that by now shorts have staked their claim on the fashion map, and rightly so, until men can wear skirts in the street a la most recent Fantastic Man issue, the options are fairly limited.
Garbstore, our new labelcrush
At the Store press day recently I came across an unfamiliar brand, Garbstore. Their ethos is ‘unfamiliar vintage’ and it fits right in with What We Like on Brandish as well as being bang on trend with the workwear feel. Garbstore have a store in Portobello which stocks labels like Bedwin and Rittenhouse as well as their own label.
Sander Reijgers interview, Brandish talks to the creator of the sex doll hoodie
Photography by Isolde Woudstra izzyphotography
Sander Reijgers’ sex doll hoodies have been a mini-internet phenomenon and it’s not hard to see why. The hoodies are witty, but sympathetically so, which probably goes some way to explain their popularity, but we spoke to Sanders himself to find out more.
Poll: Russell Brand still a fan of ruched leggings, are you?
There was a time when it seemed like Russell Brand could have been a saviour of men’s fashion. His Dickensian witticisms and gothic-lite get up were a breath of fresh air, but lately Brand has let things slide a little. His favourite ruched leggings leave very little to the imagination, and teaming them with flip flops? Rookie mistake!
Maxim magazine folds
Maxim magazine are publishing their June issue this April and announced it’s to be their last. Dennis Publishing pulled the UK edition of the mag which debuted in 1995, riding high on a wave of lad mags which included FHM and Loaded. Chief executive, James Tye said: “The Maxim brand remains the bestselling men’s lifestyle magazine in the world, but Dennis Publishing must move with the times and recognise that the future of the brand in the UK is online.”
Topman’s White Tee project with Philip Lim, JW Anderson and Henry Holland
With a roster of designers which includes big names Henry Holland, Philip Lim, as well as Richard Chai, Juun J Topman are really keeping on their toes as far as getting new design talent in is concerned. They’ve also got LFW MAN designers JW Anderson and Christopher Shannon in on the act as well as the Topman Design team so we’re looking forward to seeing it instore on May 28th.
Raf Simons teams up with Doc Martens
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Another day, another Raf Simons collaboration, this time with Doc Martens. We can’t wait till this one hits the stores, the metallic tones work so well with the hardwearing DM leather and I’m sure they’ll look even better with wear.
Luke Treadaway appears in madras at the Empire Film Awards
Most people use the date the clocks go back as the official start of Spring but at Brandish we pay attention to altogether more stylish markers.
Umbro England kit modelled by John Terry
If you’re interested in seeing the England kit then you’re probably down the pub watching the match against Slovakia, but here is the image waiting for you to pore over with a kebab when you get home.
Brandish speaks to the team behind the Umbro England kit: David Blanch, Charlie Allen and Aitor Throup
Today marked the launch of the Umbro England kit, with a special preview for press. The kit is being officially unveiled tomorrow at the England vs Slovakia match, but take my word for it when I say it’s pretty special!
We caught up with the trio behind the innovative design today and grilled them on the creative process behind this launch. David Blanch is the creative director for Umbro and an ex-footballer but his love of fashion runs deep. He has worked at the RCA which also was home to Savile Row tailor Charlie Allen for a while before he launched his own label.
Brandish speaks to Fantastic Man’s Gert Jonkers pt2
Here is part two of our interview with Fantastic Man Co-Editor In Chief Gert Jonkers, along with Jop van Bennekom they produce one of our favourite fashion mags, click here to read part one.
Funk Brothers dummer Uriel Jones passes away
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Sad news today as we hear that Uriel Jones, (pictures centre, with James Jameson) one of the Funk Brothers has passed away aged 74. Jones was the last remaining drummer in the group which only gained notoriety fairly recently thanks to the award-winning documentary ‘Standing in the Shadows of Motown’
Brandish speaks to Fantastic Man’s Gert Jonkers
Current issue, pictured above, out now.
We were lucky enough to speak to Gert Jonkers recently, who, along with Jop van Bennekom head up the team at Fantastic Man. It’s no secret that we’re big FM fans at Brandish, and one look at the magazine’s clever art direction, witty articles and embedded fashion editorials will show you why. Nowhere else can you read about Beryl Woodsware crockery and Tom Ford in the same magazine so it was a real privilege to speak to Jonkers, stay tuned for part two of this interview tomorrow.
Franz Ferdinand enlist Christian Westphal for tour costumes
Ever since their inception into the pop charts Franz Ferdinand have been pretty fashion savvy, but now they’re stepping things up a notch as they’ve enlisted Danish designer Christian Westphal to come up with costumes for their upcoming tour. Promoting their latest album ‘Tonight’ their tour takes them across Europe and then to the US including an appearance at Californian festival Coachella.
Jorg Gray watches get Barack Obama seal of approval
We’re all aware of the implications of Barack Obama’s style choices and now he’s landing a little presidential sparkle to watch company Jorg Gray.
Alexander McQueen talks to Numéro Homme
The Spring Summer issue of Numéro Homme is out, and for the non-francophones among us they kindly include an English translation of all the interviews at the back of the mag.
Philip Utz spoke to Alexander McQueen who, with typical forthrightness called Utz up on his interview skills, called fashion journalism a “thinly-veiled exercise in marketing” and then proclaimed that “the British Fashion Council doesn’t know what the fuck it’s doing.”
Sebago celebrate their 40th birthday with limited edition shoes at Colette
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You may have noticed I’ve been away, I’ve just come back from a great trip to Burkina Faso where Sebago shoes are totally the in thing (stay tuned for an East Africa fashion round up). The shoe company is celebrating their 40th birthday with a limited edition range in conjuction with Colette and Parisian agency La MJC.
Arena Magazine Closes Down
The sad news yesterday was that Arena magazine has been closed down by publisher Bauer Media. The magazine has been running for 22 years and it has always been BOT (Bang On Trend) despite rapidly falling circulation figures in recent years.