All Mix Blog

We received some very welcome post yesterday in the form of an envelope containing the new issue of Old Town's Evening Star newspaper. The editorial is both witty and informative - a rarity in these days of plenty it seems. After spending twenty minutes flicking through it last night our highlights include; Mystic Reg (he's seen the future, and it includes clothing featuring pylons and bi-planes), the return of Cooper (the heavyweight font is the 'new Gill Sans') and a feature on The Brilliant Sign Co . One thing that really struck a chord was the adverts - each one having its own appeal. Maybe its down to the vision of Old Town's creators that this is the case - they know their audience so well that they can be confident of the other brands they promote. If you would like a copy of the Evening Star then please do get in touch via the Manufacture & Industry Facebook page. True to form, they sent us a couple of extra copies. First come, first served. Thank you ...

We were delighted to receive this handsome box from Old Town , purveyors of traditional clothing made in England, earlier this week. Having visited the shop (in Holt, Norfolk) back in December last year, we stayed in touch with Marie and Will, the shop's proprietors, and asked them to answer a few questions that we sent by Royal Mail. We will be posting their responses shortly.

Back in December 2009 we had the good fortune to visit Old Town, a clothing retailer based in the quiet market town of Holt in Norfolk. During our brief visit we talked to shop-owner Marie about branding, ink stamps, Alexis Petridis' recent piece in the Guardian Weekend , manufacturing processes and the ridiculousness of certain brands attempts to create 'history'. Old Town's clothing is truly made in England . Marie told us that they source a great deal of their cloth from a mill in Burnley, Lancashire. Garments are cut in the workshop above the store. The visual merchandising of Old Town sits firmly on the right side of the fine line between twee and authentic. The ordering system, whereby you select your fabric from a swatch book and the garment is produced within four weeks, is a charming way to ensure that no deadstock is produced. We left with a pair of grey stovepipes in stout twill (fortunately they had a pair in stock that fitted perfectly) and hopes of returni...

Made in England, 1790. The only independently run lighthouse in Britain. M&I had the pleasure of a tour from Happisburgh Lighthouse Trust on a crisp winter's afternoon. During our short visit we learnt about the skilled craft behind the glasswork, the reasons for lighthouses' unique paintwork and how Anneka Rice came to help the village.