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

AN ETERNAL FLAME?

Over the bank holiday weekend we headed out of town to Kent for many a pint of Harveys and plenty of fresh air. Amidst the relaxation, some time was made for retail exploration and we reacquainted ourselves with labyrinthine kitchenware shop Trevor Mottram of Tunbridge Wells. The shop is worth the train fare to the spa town alone and sells an extraordinary array of quality items.

Among the tempting pots, pans and Cornish red tea mugs we found these irresistible candles from Price's. At first glance it would appear they are from Bedford but, upon closer inspection, they are a product of Italy. It turns out that the history of the company is rich in detail and theirs is a tale of adapting with the times yet remaining true to the traditions of the brand. Admirable stuff.

Address book:

Trevor Mottram Kitchen Shop, 33-41 The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells (01892 538915)

FAIR ISLE JUMPERS ON BUSINESS OF FASHION... WELL I NEVER

'FAIR ISLE, United Kingdom — On the most remote inhabited island in Britain, 24 miles south of the Shetland mainland, 27 miles north of the Orkney Islands and 250 miles west of Norway, it’s always sweater season. With 600-foot cliffs overlooking the North Sea, thousands of acres of peat bog and a climate that’s perennially cool and damp, Fair Isle is a rugged place where wool is a way of life.'

So starts an informative piece on the usually luxury brand-centric fashion site Business of Fashion. Briefly covering the history of the remote island's knitwear industry, the article discusses the 'missed opportunity' that some of the natives believe has passed their unique product by.

'Classic design, quality and authenticity matter,' the article continues, 'At the same time, increasingly informed and selective shoppers are asking more and more questions about where and how their products are made. They want to know that the whole life of their product was thought about and guided by the same care and attention as the finished piece.' Hear hear.

Image from Fair Isle

SCRAPBOOK PT. 7 (BRITS ABROAD)

JOURNAL DE NIMES : THE BRITISH ISSUE

Open publication - Free publishing - More tenue de nimes

Whilst away this week I was handed the latest issue of Journal de Nimes. Focussed entirely on garments made in Britain, a brief flick through has whetted my appetite and I will soon get round to reading it from cover to cover.

More to follow but in the meantime it can be read in all its (digital) glory here.

SUMMER HOLIDAY

Whilst Manufacture & Industry takes a short break, please enjoy this spread of fine fabrics from holiday enablers British Rail and Cunard. Weaved by Marianne Straub, these vivid textiles featured in the QE2 lounge and on Midland Region trains, among other interiors.

Image from the highly recommended VADS archive.

A IS FOR ALLY

Thanks to Mr David Pinder for alerting us to this fine silent film of the manufacturing process of an Ally Capellino wallet.

SCRAPBOOK PT. 6

TRUMANS BEER, SINCE 1666... REBORN 2010

Roger Protz of The Morning Advertiser (officially the 'pub trade's favourite') reports that Truman's, the brewery formerly based on Brick Lane, is producing beer once again. The motivations of the gentlemen behind it are admirable and an M&I source tells us that 'Truman's Runner is an easy drinking and well balanced pint that is refreshing whilst retaining a depth of warm flavours.'

Protz's well informed article is well worth a read if you are so inclined. It also includes a list of London based pubs that Truman's Runner is stocked at.

Image from Truman's

HOORAH HENRY

'In the last quarter of 1997, manufacturing accounted for 21% of lending from British financial institutions while the property business (building, buying, renting) took up 16%. In the first quarter of 2010, the figures were 8.5% to manufacturing and 43.4% to property.'

This stark fact appeared in Mr. Ian Jack's piece in The Guardian on Saturday. It was not all doom and gloom however - Jack reported that Numatic, the Somerset based company that makes the oddly charismatic 'Henry' vacuum cleaner, has enjoyed 40 years of growth without a dip in turnover.

See the article in all its glory here.

(Images © Numatic International Ltd 2010)

PRODUCTION LINES

Images of the production lines at the Savoy Biscuit (top) and Colmans Mustard (above) factories. Taken in the 1930s. More here.

RAPHA VISITS BURFIELDS AND CO.

A real treat courtesy of Mr. Joe Hall at Rapha here. He visited Burfields Glove Factory in Martock, Somerset and has produced an informative piece on his findings.

Photo courtesy of Kasper Daems/Joe Hall