Words

Heavy metal riff, pt. 1
The West Midlands is an area steeped in pioneering metalwork; heavy metal being the trade here long before Black Sabbath et al. came on the scene. So awful once was... More
Rope-dyed indigo, pt. 4
The one-man-mill wishes never to weave indigo cotton again so long as he lives. The issue is not so much the perma-stained blue hands, but that his Hattersley looms were... More
Down with collars
The collar. Lot of work goes into the collar. Making sure it doesn’t curl or fold up on itself, that it navigates the gristle at the back of the neck,... More
Anti-craft movement
"Weaving is an industry. It is not a craft." The one-man-mill is emphatic about this. Flanked by his clanking chain-powered friends, his is an avowedly craft-free environment, and he likes... More
Joined-up making
Joined-up making is a satisfying way to make. And the more makers you become acquainted with, as tends to happens over time, the easier it becomes. Joined-up making is probably... More
Rope-dyed indigo, pt. 3
Somewhere in north-east London today walks a man with bright blue hands. That man is the one-man-mill, who, over the past few months, has woven many meters of rope-dyed indigo... More
Consider the linen suit, pt. 2
The campaign to bring the linen suit back from the brink started exactly one year ago today. Back then, the stock of the linen suit could hardly sink lower. It... More
Youth and wisdom
Father-son duos can go two ways. There's the cantankerous arrested-development dynamic — casebook example being the Steptoes. And then there's the complementary youth-meets-wisdom tandem — nowhere better exemplified by the... More
Mac with detachable liner
"Spring," they say, "is just around the corner." But, these days, what does that mean? The seasons have fallen out of season. This season is last season. People are portending... More
Technical issues
You have to tread very carefully with "performance" and "function" lest you step into technical territory. Technical territory, see, is all about performance fabrics, zips and poppers; where "high-tech" goes... More
100% cotton
There's only one problem with the cotton cardigan. No one believes it's cotton. They think it's wool. Some sort of merino maybe. But no: the cotton cardigan is — honestly,... More
Open and shut case
Two years ago, the Leicestershire jersey maker went out of business. Over a century of hosiery and thermals came to an abrupt end; the thirty-odd workers out on their ear,... More