All Mix Blog

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, un...

'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)

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 .

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

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

Two stories have caught the eye over the last week or so. The Financial Times reported that luxury goods houses are lamenting the lack of skills amongst workers. Meanwhile, Katie Allen in The Observer wrote about politicians competing to support the manufacturing sector . Allen's article touches on the lack of skilled workers in the UK today. Picture credit: Humphrey Spender/Getty Images (Employees at the Austin car factory in Birmingham in 1939.)

What with this fine weather M&I's mind is turning towards the great outdoors. We read about the intriguing work of Williams British Handmade last week and are particularly fond of the sturdy looking picnic hamper case.

South Londoner James Bowthorpe cycled around the world last year. He completed the 18,000 mile ride across 20 countries in less than six months, beating the world record by 20 days. He also raised a sizeable amount of money for What’s Driving Parkinson’s, a research clinic at King’s College Hospital in London in the process. Obviously, cycling over 100 miles a day for half a year requires a quality saddle so it was no surprise to read this in The Financial Times (Weekend of 19/20th September 2009): 'I'm sitting on a Brooks saddle that I have had for about 10 years. If you have time to wear one in and are prepared to do a minimum of upkeep (rubbing in a spot of dubbin every now and then) they're unbeatable.' Image from the fantastic website of Mr. Jim Langley (although we do advise readers to turn the volume down when visiting).

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...

' My clients want to know the provenance of a piece and who designed and made it. They’re interested in craftsmanship and the processes behind the making of a piece.' London-based interior designer Suzy Hoodless in the Financial Times.

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.

Ian McMillan enjoys the 'sonerous concentration' of The Whitechapel Bell Foundry, the makers of Big Ben. This BBC Radio 4 documentary includes a great interview with master founder Alan Hughes, who talks about visiting bell towers as a child with his father and his route to employment at the foundry. 'I decided to join the company in a moment of absent mindedness, it never occurred to me that I would do anything else.' Documentary available until Tuesday 10th November at 2pm on BBC iPlayer (click title to listen to the documentary.)

We highly recommend this short documentary on the manufacture of Brooks saddles. Founded in 1866 in Smethwick, Birmingham, the company embodies everything that we are looking for in the subjects of M&I. Having registered their first patent in 1882, the product remains nearly identical today - the B17 saddle was first produced in 1898 and is still available 111 years later. Eric Murray, an expert chamferer at the factory, believes the manufacturing process will remain, 'I presume it will always be the same, it's the way it goes.' Thank you to Anothersomething for bringing this video to our attention.