Letter from Japan

For those of you who met Gareth in the Beak Street store and wondered where he has gone, he has moved to Japan for the year to finish of his study. A strange place to go but he his learning Japanese so it kind of makes sense.

He loves his clothes and he loves Japan so it is a perfect mix, as our man on the ground he is feeding back information slowly so we don't get too excited and move over there! First installment is from Sophnet, really diverse, no detail spared and some things pretty hi tech. Looking forward to visiting and bringing a bit more of Albam to Japan.

Farewell Paul Newman

Albam Workwear sharpens up.

Just another image of the Tie going up on the site as part of a mini revamp. Bow tie, and new fabrics coming.

The Queens English

Some of our factories has a picture of Steve McQueen on his wall which is a great choice in the style stakes. But another one of our Great British factories has a grand picture of HRH. We re proud to make in this country and we think Steve is great so we are in good company when we are greeted by these images to remind us that style is eternal and keeping our manufacturing here is a great thing!

The Albam Tie

I don't think many of us have worn ties for a long time but sometimes there is a need to be just the right side of smart without trying to hard. This could be it. David found a tie he has had passed down through his family for the last 50years. Today he brought down to London the Albam version of this tie made by Ray in his "atelier/studio". Making something quite specialist in this artisanal manner has given us something quite special.

Slightly asymetrical end and made to be an exact replica of the original, the first sample is in our Chambray and there will be more additions to the neckwear range. They will be up here first!

RaceLite bike in store

One of our customers popped by the store with his new bike today. A RaceLite compact geometry track bike just looked fantastic! He was asking about Black selvedge denim jeans aswell, more and more of our customers are asking for these and this is something we are working on, so if there are any others who would like a pair, let us know and we can get some made up.

Swiss Army backpack in the store

Just as I was walking out of the Beak Street store, one of our customers popped in to say hi and he had on the most fantastic Swiss Army backpack, this is taster of our backpack we are sampling. Based on the same bag, kind of good fortune if one of our customers is wearing this.

His Albam Classic Slim jeans were also looking pretty good.

Albam SS09 Necklines

SS09 samples have just dropped into our HQ. We were showing our friends at Il store from Copenhagen and the collection has grown to include the styles that we have been missing. New necklines for Albam became apparent with the continuation of our workwear aesthetic but now we have worked an updated suit which is heavily laundered to give a suit like appearance with the feel of loungwear. Not to mention the introduction of the Explorer jacket with Western denim jackets styles in cotton drills.

Thins are looking good, thanks to David and all the extended Albam family producing the collection.

Albam accessories & Soho's finest Cappucino

Sometimes you need to see how things look in the right environment, and there is always time to get a cappucino at Fernandez & Wells. The lemon meringue pies are also pretty special.

We are now bringing our leather accessories back to England to be made. This is our credit card wallet, at this moment in time probably not the best time to be using a credit card but cash is just as good and you know where you are.

In the same way we price our garments to give our customers a real value for money these items will also be the same. Made by the same guys who used to make the British luxury brands before they went offshore, they are quite special.

Belts, bags and more accessories will follow and be in the store and online for Christmas 2008. Check out www.albamclothing.com

The Explorer

We found the original jacket in one of the archives of a factory we work with. The original is a mountaineering jacket from the mid 70's. Double layer ventile, grown on hood, two way zipper. It turned out to be a brand that is related to one of our families which was pretty cool. So it is making a comeback, certainly not as technical by todays standards but for everyday use, it will be well above par for the job and you won't look like you're trying too hard. No Gore Tex, just double layer cotton ventile or Spinker Drill for the summer. Here is the Explorer.

One of our bikes

London has gone bike crazy, and it seems like it is the only way to travel around the centre. We may not have the best bikes but we love the bikes we have and are definitely looking to improve our bikes and build up an ample collection. From fold up Bromptons which are getting fully specced to steel frame track bikes we are getting there and most definite;y on two wheels!

The Ultimate Icon

For those of you who know us, then you will have seen a number of Steve McQueen books and images in our store and office. I was having a cup of tea with the owner of the shears (see the image below) and there was this picture of Steve on his noticeboard, to this day he is to me anyway the Ultimate icon. Hard to put into any other words than Steve McQueen.

The Cagoule

The cagoule nearly didn't make it into the range. It was actually an afterthought and came out so well that we had to do it. For those who have the burnt orange this is the rarest colourway as we only produced 25 worldwide.

We have seen a few guys wearing them around town and it still puts a smile on our face to see people wearing Albam. Something most labels take for granted but for us I don't think we will ever get complacent of seeing people wearing Albam and enjoying the garments, it makes everything worthwhile when people like what we do.

There are some more colourways of this piece and from feedback with a number of our customers we are putting the finishing touches to some new additions to this range, some in the same fabric types and others in new fabrics. If you want to know more then register on our site: www.albamclothing.com and we can let you know when they come in.

Made in England

Our factory in Manchester has these chairs just inside the door as you walk in. Just a bit proud of where they are from. It reminded me of a tea party that had been rained off with them all huddled inside the door holding cups of tea!

Great people, some amazing stories and a great factory. It makes you quite proud that these guys are still going and willing to make the Albam garments. An unofficial stamp of authenticity.

The Albam Shoe Wall

We finally got some spare time to get the shoe wall sorted in the store. There is more to come for the 23 Beak Street store so we can display our growing range. The shoe wall will now allow us to display the Grenson and Quoddy collaborations in the way they deserve. There are some sneakers due out in February 2009 which we are still working on but are looking quite special.

The Shears of The General

These are the shears of one of our Generals! This is the guy that cuts the cloth of some of the Albam garments. He is a genius, more pictures from his space to come. Sadly he must remain anonymous but he knows who he is!

Modern Crafted Clothing

Well, we started with a simple blog that has turned into our press coverage and we also have the website for where we are at during the season. This blog is more about how we are getting there and a bit more of a behind the scenes look at the Albam life. Factory visits, store happenings, developments and just general ideas and likes of Albam. Always check out the website aswell at: www.albamclothing.com

Right I've got to go but keep checking back to see what is happening.

James