Greatcoat - coats made in England

I first came across Greatcoat at Jacket Required, a menswear trade show. They were still developing the business, but now have an AW14 collection of London-made coats to show. Although new to me, Greatcoat is a family business combining over 80 years of experience across the fashion apparel and accessories industry. Using these skills they have created a premium brand inspired by iconic outerwear styles updated for a contemporary look. 

I tried some on and was  impressed by the design, fabrics and fit. Greatcoat are proud of their British-manufacturing background; their coats are made in London.  They tell me that they use only the best available Italian wools and wool blends bonded with neoprene and British fabrics from Halley Stevensons (waxed cottons) and British Millerain (waxed wools) and Harris tweed. 

Retail prices vary from £275 to £400; scotching the view that British-made means high prices. See Greatcoat's website.

Jacket Required July 2014 - a few favourites

Jacket Required, a menswear trade show, took place at the end of July. I find events like this useful in providing inspiration for my search for style. Many brands attending sell streetwear or younger baseball-cap-type clothes; maybe not what most older men would go for, but there are many interesting and more classic styles to see. Here are a few of my favourites:

Sanders Shoes - an interesting brand making shoes in Northamptonshire for sale under their own and other labels. Many are classic designs, many have a colourful twist. Click here to visit Sanders -

Private White VC - Manchester-made, I wrote here about my factory visit earlier this year. Casual and outerwear with a difference, all with a very classic design basis. Click here for Private White VC -

Greatcoat - a fairly new label making outerwear and raincoats in London, England. Click here for their website -

Realm & Empire - casual wear brand, making some products (knitwear) in the UK. They base their styles on inspiration found in historic British artefacts and documents. See their website here.

Baracuta - although now Italian-owned, their traditional Harrington jackets are still made in the UK. See their website here -

Triumph & Disaster - I liked the humour and design of this New Zealand skincare, shaving and grooming brand. See their website here.