Toast and Hot Coffee with Huddersfield Fine Worsteds, the Director of the CIA and Long John Silver

It's important to have role models and heros. If and when we're ever interviewed and asked to cite ours I would put Toast way up top http://www.toast.co.uk/. One of my favourite companies, I think I can claim to have been an early adopter (once they had launched a full collection), and own lots of their clothes. Own and wear, year in, year out. They are distinctively dressed up bohemian, beautifully made and British. Then a couple of years back I read an article about the couple behind it, was totally forever smitten and keep it to hand to refer to for fortitude whenever things get tense or gnarly (say, like, now):

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG8018867/Spreading-Toast-a-fashion-success-story.html

If we could emulate the way they have grown their company we would be doing something right. Here's an extract to give you a sense of the achievement of scale but please read the whole piece if you can to get a sense of the achievement of spirit:

"Over 13 years the Seatons have turned their little pyjama company into a clothing and homeware empire part-owned by the French Connection Group, with 152 employees, nine shops, 160,000 customers and an annual turnover in excess of £13 million. The French Connection Group bought three quarters of the company in 2000, but Jessica says they have continued to do their own thing: 'It was just a funding issue. It wouldn't have worked with anyone bossy.'

So when I RSVP'd to attend a party at their Notting Hill store my heart nurtured a hope that maybe the Seatons would be there. All hopes were fulfilled and exceeded - not only did I get to meet Jessica (pictured below next to Mr. Wesley), who was charmingly indulgent of my fawning, but they also had in attendance gin guru Jared Brown from artisan distillers Sipsmith, the independent spirits of Battersea. He delivered a riveting masterglass on how to pour (NOT shake) a cocktail and then proved the superiority of his method by letting us drink a few  http://www.sipsmith.com/ 

That's the kind of win-win evening I'm talking about.

Mr Wesley next to Jessica Seaton with one of the ladies from their store and  Jared, master distiller from Sipsmith

There are only so many ways you can distinguish your product - the design; how well they are made; and what they are made from. We use the finest British fabrics. Faithful readers may recall from the previous post how we came to be offering John G. Hardy's famous Alsport range. Immediately we have had clients swooping on it, including the lovely Marina whose photograph concluded that edition. For some time we have been working on the design of a cape that was to be the final piece in her shooting ensemble. With that cracked, we presented her with the bunch of Alsport tweeds for choosing the fabric. Mr. Harrop of Huddersfield Fine Worsteds (that incorporates Hunt & Winterbotham, J. & J. Minnis, Martin Sons & Co. as well as John G. Hardy) then offered to motor down from Yorkshire and hand deliver it to us, in person, face-to-face hand over style http://www.hfwltd.com/a-jgh.php

To honour the occasion, we put on a pot of coffee and even got in not one, but several cakes: a smooth lemony one, a more rugged fruit cake and some chocolate brownies. Oh! And some Bakewell slices that took me completely by surprise they were so good. The coffee pot took us all by surprise too when Mr. Wesley plunged it a little too vigorously and hot coffee went everywhere. The good humour with which Mr. Harrop took this display of nerves, coffee grounds and eagerness to impress will be the building block upon which we hope a long and ruggedly (def. (2. of a machine or other manufactured object) Strongly made and capable of withstanding rough handling) fruitful relationship is built.

Not only did Mr. Harrop bring us heaps of their new suitings to offer but he promised to do his utmost to help us create the samples for a proper A/W2013 collection.

Mr. Wesley with Mr. John Harrop of Huddersfield Fine Worsteds

Mr. Harrop admires the Tectonic pinstripe suit

Mr. Harrop and Mr. Wesley pore over fabric

One of their mills, Broadhead and Graves, records how in 1932, H.R.H. The Duke of York paid them a visit. He was presented with some lengths of cloth and six years later, as King of England, ordered a further three suit lengths of the same cloth as he liked it so much - duly associated with him, it came to bear his name as it does to this day: "Prince of Wales check".

As well as having worthy role models, it is also important to have your clobber modelled by the right people, people who are something of a "face" and take the trouble to turn out nicely. So my delight at being reunited with my old RADA classmate David Harewood was only redoubled by the enthusiasm he displayed for our clothes. We are really very excited at the prospect of kitting him out as not only did he look properly gorgeous in everything he tried but he is on the moving stairway to the stars. This has everything to do with how good I made him look when I played Goneril to his Lear at RADA and a little bit to so with his currently playing CIA boss David Estes in the US show "Homeland" http://www.sho.com/sho/homeland/home. Not being much of a telly watcher, this had entirely passed me by, but we made a point of watching it the day after David visited us. It was impressive, having seen him so fresh and youthful looking in person the day before, how heavy, drawn and haggard he looked in the role. Hey, dat's acting kids!

I was looking particularly drawn and haggard too, but in pesky real life dammit, having been so caught up with tidying up before he arrived that I forgot to put any make-up on or even brush my hair. So you're not seeing any pics of me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Harewood

Mr .Wesley with David Harewood

David in the "Errol Flynn" jacket and waistcoat made in a John G. Hardy Alpsort tweed

David in a protoype denim jacket

You may, however, see a picture of the special US Secret Service pin that an ex-agent and client of ours presented to me that I did at least remember to pin on my cardie. I try to remember to wear it going through airports too.

Talking of slapping on the cuffs, with the lovely fabrics sorted thanks to Mr. Harrop, we ran up the road to London Bridge to create at last our own custom linings. Hatley Fine Print silk screened our signature motif onto gorgeous pure silk from Pongees - one in a steely, cornflower blue for the Town collection and another in a claret red for the Country set -  http://www.hatleyprint.co.uk/
In keeping with Bedlam's remit to reward close up inspection, what might at first be taken for the hackneyed horse bit / stirrup style of certain high falutin' fashion houses, is revealed as Victorian gaoler's handcuffs. This had been one of our earliest ideas and to see it fulfilled so immaculately by Dan & Louise Hatley was a great thing. We went in the nick of time - due to the development at London Bridge about to take over their arches they are about to move out to the Sussex countryside where they will continue but only with digital printing.

To celebrate, Mr Wesley and I tottered up to the riverbank. The sky was as crisp and blue as our lining and we thought we'd at last check out the jolly looking boat-bar the Tamesis Dock moored at Albert Embankment:
http://www.tdock.co.uk/
 We introduced ourselves to the barman-manager, Will, and said we'd just moved our business into the area. "What nature of biz would that be?" he enquired.
"Bespoke tailoring," we replied.
"What," he next asked, "would be your style?"
Together Mr Wesley and I chirruped our catch phrase, "Gangs of New York with an Oliver Twist!"
"In that case," Will announced, "you must make my wedding suit. My grandfather was Robert Newton who played Bill Sykes in the original film of 'Oliver Twist'!"

Not ONLY did he play Bill Sykes but he also played Long John Silver in "Treasure Island". And if it weren't for Robert Newton, no one would ever go "Arrrrrr" when playing pirate. He single-handedly invented what is recognised internationally the seven seas over as Pirate-speke:
http://www.sabotagetimes.com/tv-film/the-man-who-taught-the-world-how-to-talk-like-a-pirate/

Newton as Long John Silver

Robert Newton as Bill Sykes in the original "Oliver Twist"

Pirates waste a lot of energy trying to keep their powder dry, time that could be better spent grooming their parrots. We are most grateful to Eley Hawk for solving that problem aboard the Good Ship Bedlam by supplying the (decommissioned) cartridges for our shooting jacket loops. Like every association we try to make, they are the very best, world recognised across the seven seas as such: http://www.eleyhawkltd.com/
They swapped us cartridges for a Pussy Riot t-shirt! Many thanks to Brent and the team there. We look forward to seeing what we can do together.

Shiver me timbers is that the time? Thank you for yours as always. Until the next instalment, we're casting away on the sea of dreams.