WEEKLY DIGEST

GF Smith's 'Beauty in the Making' show (Protein)

Patrick Grant on Savile Row and Abercrombie & Fitch (GQ)

Tom Dixon design talks (Nowness)

Photos of the Doxford engine factory (Retronaut)

A video on 'How a Bicycle is Made' (British Council)

A visit to John Smedley in Derbyshire (Cherchbi)

On Trunki's move to manufacture its children's suitcases in the UK (Channel 4)

Manufacturing returning to the UK (Telegraph)

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Photo from Retronaut

NEW 'MADE IN BRITAIN' SEAL OF APPROVAL?

According to the Financial Times, a new 'Made in Britain' seal is being designed to help consumers identify products that are genuinely manufactured in the UK.

The campaign is spearheaded by Stoves, a Merseyside cooker manufacturer. The FT article states that Stoves has found '40 per cent of Britons erroneously believe that HP Sauce is still made in the UK. In fact, HP Sauce abandoned manufacturing in Birmingham after more than a century in favour of the Netherlands five years ago.'

M&I agrees that there is a need for an official 'stamp of approval' for UK goods. There is a distinct lack of promotion and protection for UK manufacturers. On a luxury level members of Savile Row created a Bespoke Association in 2004, similar to the Chambre Synidcale de la Haute Couture in Paris (founded in 1973.) If UK products are to help the country grow once again, this new logo needs proper consideration.

A quick search however, provides some concerning evidence that this new logo is destined to fail. Stoves has outsourced design to student competitions and the entries are predictably poor. The prize money of £200 indicates that design is being seen as superfluous to the process, an additional bit of polish to an ill-thought through attempt that needs consideration and consultation across a larger body of manufacturers and craftspeople.

POSTSCRIPT: Following the publication of this article we received an email from the PR for Stoves, wanting to clarify the competition. In it they explained that the logos 'will be judged by a panel of experts including Designer Magazine, a director of a creative agency and Stoves' marketing director. There will also be consultation via Facebook with the public and businesses free to put their thoughts forward. The winner will work closely with a creative agency to hone the final concept.'

Image of Retail Trading Standards Association stamp from the Sunspel archive

BOOK OF THE MONTH : SAVILE ROW

We highly recommend this tome on the history of Savile Row by James Sherwood (Thames & Hudson.) Beautifully designed and impressively in-depth the book is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest shopping streets in the world.

(Pictures from Savile Row: The Master Tailors of British Bespoke - RRP £45 but available for a lower price on certain online retail sites)

NATIONAL WOOL WEEK: SAVILE ROW FIELD DAY

M&I joined a bunch of farmers, tailors and some hacks on Savile Row yesterday to mark the start of National Wool Week.

On a beautifully sunny day, the Row was turned in to a mini strip of countryside - complete with two flocks of sheep (Wiltshire Exmoor Horns and Bowmonts from Devon, if you're interested) and gents in corduroy milling about.

We were lucky enough to meet Patrick, chief cutter at Huntsman, who showed us the entire business, from stock rooms through to the tailors at the top of the building. During our tour Patrick told us about the democratic selection process of the season's Huntsman tweed whereby each sample is laid out on the floor for a month to be walked over and ticked with chalk when favoured. A simple way to cast a vote. We also discussed making suits for demanding Arabic customers, Millwall Football Club and Colin Hammick, the famous Huntsman tailor who passed away in 2008.

Thank you to the organisers of Savile Row Field Day and special thanks to Tom and Poppy who looked after us. We look forward to our next visit to the Row.

For more pictures please click here