PAUL SMITH ON MANUFACTURING IN THE UK

Last night M&I had the pleasure of attending a discussion between Sir Paul Smith and Mr Colin McDowell at Selfridges department store, London.

Over a fascinating 74 minutes the gentlemen discussed Sir Paul's childhood, his father's humour, his (brilliant) lack of 'business model' and the importance of being genuine.

The highlight for us came in the Q&A afterwards though. We asked Sir Paul to expand on his recently reported lament on the decline in craftsmanship in the UK and whether his eponymous company was doing anything to help the situation. Here is what he had to say:

'Masses of British manufacturers have fallen by the wayside, many in the 1970s, during the period that the government and many people were thinking that the new way was to do with the service industries; to do with the computer, the mass produced, robotic way. So a lot of the mills just didn't have the money to reinvest because there wasn't the tax incentives to do so. Also, unfortunately a lot of it was their fault, they had gotten complacent and sat back.

We lost our motorbike industry because Japan reinvented the motorbike by doing something called the 'moped' which young people could ride around. Triumph, AJS, Norton, all these struggled, luckily Triumph survived. Some of it was our fault, some of it was the situation.

Therefore there's very few manufacturers left. We make shoes here, we make ties here, we make tie fabric, Yorkshire tweed, Worcester and Scottish tweed. But there's not a lot personally that I can do about it. What I do do is work largely in Europe, as opposed to China. I make things like trainers or jeans in China but basically we work in Britain or Italy.

A lot of it was complacency. If you want to be in this game, it is about today and tomorrow. Nobody cares about how good you used to be.'

ERCOL - MARGARET HOWELL REISSUES

'It is the combination of quality and craftsmanship and a straightforward, yet elegant approach to the design that attracts me to this particular period of Ercol furniture and has led me to re-evaluate Ercolani's original designs' (Margaret Howell, 2004)

REDESIGNING DESIGN, REMAKING MAKING AT LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL

M&I was lucky enough to attend a fascinating talk on manufacturing and its future on Friday afternoon at The Tramshed.

First up was Luis de Oliveira, principal of Portugese company De La Espada who talked about ‘decentralised companies’; using local production, small runs and frequent innovation. Oliveira believes this business model to be ‘a decade away.’

Furniture designer Matthew Hilton then told a story about one of his early products - a candlestick made in Charlton, packaged in felt bags from Hackney, sold through the UK retailer Joseph. (If anyone would like to give us one of these, do feel free.)

Hilton now works for Habitat and has a global perspective on manufacturing. He illustrated his experience with a video of some Sri Lankans making a chair to his specfications. Being versed in more traditional methods, the Sri Lankans couldn’t quite create the modern style required. ‘Older manufacturing is more forgiving than new methods’ concluded Hilton.

Theo Williams, creative director of Habitat gave a compelling talk on bridging the gap between design and development, stating that it is ‘essential.’ Williams suggests that we need to move closer to the Italian design model - quicker reaction times, locally produced products.

‘Communications need to get stronger and more focused. We need to understand better what the consumer wants,’ Williams said, warning of giving over too much power to the consumer, ‘There needs to be a parameter for consumers to work within.’

‘Customisation to customerisation’ is taking hold and this is partly due to design, development and manufacturing moving closer together. Williams also gave examples of Habitat making certain products in the UK. Sadly there were no illustrations of this but he referred to a ‘small guy in Cornwall.’ He rounded off his section mentioning that Robin Day can get on a train to his supplier - ‘a big thing.’

Thanks to the parties behind London Design Festival for bringing such a good group of speakers together.

Picture from Matthew Hilton Tear Sheets - De La Espada

SAVE THE WENLOCK

This fine pub is looking likely to be taken over, or worse demolished.

As the Save the Wenlock Facebook group says:

'The Wenlock Arms is a thriving pub and an institution. Whilst those involved in its sale and threatened closure may have perfectly respectable reasons for doing so, were this house to close a large community will lose an amenity and some their jobs.'

Picture from Matthew Ogle on the Save the Wenlock Flickr

OLIVER SPENCER & ANOTHER COUNTRY

Another Country? No, still very much to do with products made in the UK, fear not. M&I attended a tastefully modest event at Oliver Spencer's shop on Lambs Conduit St, London last night. On display was a fine array of understated furniture from Dorset based Another Country. We couldn't hang around for long but enjoyed what we saw and appreciated the hospitable nature of the hosts.

Thanks to Oliver Spencer (lovely shop with some excellent clothing on a very pleasant road in WC1N) and Another Country for the invite.

The image above is from the excellent Another Country gallery. We took some pictures that are not quite as good and they can be found here.

BRITISH FASHION: WORTH LOTS OF MONEY

"This is just the first step," noted (Harold) Tillman (chairman of the British Fashion Council.) "I am committed to driving this forward and to ensuring that we come together as an industry to work with government to discuss forthcoming challenges and agree the support required to overcome them."

Read all about it here in The Guardian

Full report here

Picture of Harold Tillman from the BFC

THE LONDON BREWERS ALLIANCE SHOWCASE

M&I spent Friday evening drinking many fine ales from across the capital. There's plenty to say about our experience but right now the words are being quelled by the locally brewed hangover.

For more pictures please click here

MANUFACTURE & INDUSTRY'S FAVOURITE RETAILERS IN LONDON AND BEYOND

View Manufacture & Industry's Favourite Shops in London in a larger map

Please feel free to get in touch with suggestions.

ONE TO KEEP A TIE ON...

We're keeping a close eye on developments at Marwood. Of great interest is this recent work documenting a visit to Berwick-on-Tweed and the studio of a tie-maker named Frances. We look forward to seeing more soon.

(Image from Callum Toy)

MEENA PATHAK IN THE GENTLEWOMAN MAGAZINE

The second issue of our favourite womens' magazine, The Gentlewoman, is out this week and we were delighted to come across an interview with Meena Pathak of the eponymous (minus the 'h' for ease of pronunciation according to the article) curry sauce brand. What really caught the eye was the images taken (by Daniel Riera) inside the Patak's factory in Leigh, Lancashire (see pages 122-123 of the magazine.)

A WEEKEND TREAT: THE FESTIVAL OF BRITAIN

For images of this handsome programme in full see our new Flickr

'LEARN TO LABOUR AND TO WAIT'

A PSALM OF LIFE

Tell me not in mournful numbers,

"Life is but an empty dream!"
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
"Dust thou art, to dust returnest,"
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us further than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act -- act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labour and to wait,

By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882).

(This post was inspired by an interview by Charlie Porter in COS magazine with Simon Watkins and Rachel Wythe-Morgan, owners of Labour and Wait)

Picture of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Julia Margaret Cameron

A GOOD QUOTE OR TWO FROM NIGEL CABOURN

'I've got a real integrity to what I do. I make everything in England, which isn't easy these days. It's a labour of love.'

'I'm not really interested in doing things that don't work in the long term. All of the fabrics I use are really wonderful, really practical. It's clothing for men, after all.'

Taken from a short piece featuring Mr. Nigel Cabourn in GQ Essentials / Autumn+Winter 2010.

Image from Journal de Nimes

LOCAL REAL ALE KEG BOOM

Meanwhile, in the Midlands, Kammac, the only manufacturer of giant 100 litre casks is reporting brisk business. Due to small real ale breweries popping up all over the land, demand is the highest it has been for some time.

Speaking on the local BBC news, (what M&I presume is) a spokesman for Kammac said, 'any publican who is not selling a local real ale could be missing out on a real business winner here.'

According to the BBC report almost 2,500 British pubs closed last year, at the rate of 39 a week.

However, brewers are reporting positive results: a 17% increase in turnover last year and a 4% increase in production during the recession.

Can the UK's real ale boom mirror the craft beer revolution in the US? We sincerely hope so.

PAUL SMITH LAMENTS THE 'DECLINE IN CRAFTSMANSHIP' IN THE UK

Nice interview with Sir Paul Smith by Simon Usborne in The Independent on Monday. Here's a small extract:

"I look at this bike (a Mercian) and see something that was handmade in England by a small business," Smith says. "And that's something I mourn – the fact that there are now so few small companies like that. I worry about the pressure young people feel to earn a certain amount of money or to achieve a certain status. To be a stonemason and only to carve as much stone as your hands can manage isn't attractive anymore."

Image of early 1980s Mercian catalogue cover from Chris 531 on Flickr