Vintage Button Cufflinks by Abi Insoll - Ideal for Father's Day

Abi Insoll makes bespoke jewellery. Some may recall that she made me some foxy cuff links for my daughter's wedding last year. She has now produced a collection of cufflinks made from vintage buttons - ideal gifts for Fathers' Day. I visited her recently at her studio on Eel Pie Island to see what she's made.

Abi reflects on her studio

The Eel Pie Island boatyard that houses Abi's studio

The buttons are in limited supply and only around three pairs of each pattern are produced - so these aren't a mass-produced product. They are mounted in sterling silver and have fixed bars for durability. The buttons are either glass or metal and from 13m to 19mm in diameter. Prices vary from £140 to £160.

I've shown a selection of what's available below. Abi can make bespoke cuff links from a client's own vintage buttons or to other designs. Please visit Abi Insoll's website for more information and to buy.

A visit to Hand & Lock embroiders and Alice Made This

I love visiting factories and workshops to see British-made menswear and accessories. So many of these businesses date back a century or more. Hand & Lock are no exception; they've produced the finest hand embroidery since 1767. 

Traditional military and ceremonial embroidery and gold work

Contemporary embroidery work

As with so many other UK manufacturers I've see, they haven't allowed the grass to grow under their feet. While they still produce military regalia and insignia, they do this alongside some very contemporary and fashion-oriented work (see above). 

My visit was arranged by Alice Made This whose cufflinks and lapel pins I've featured before here. Below I wear a borrowed example of Hand & Lock's work for  Alice Made This. 

Wearing the Alice Made This Milne lapel pin: £195

One significant difference to many of the other businesses I've visited is that the workforce is very young. It's a sad fact that most skilled hand manufacturing businesses seem to depend on migrant workers or those over 40. Why the UK cannot attract its youth to the glamour and satisfaction of making things is a much-discussed issue - but it was refreshing to see so many young people working away on the detailed, intricate and highly skilled work required of an embroiderer.

I saw examples both old and new of the goldwork and other embroidery for which Hand & Lock is famous. The company came into being when M. Hand and S. Lock merged in 2000. Before that date S. Lock worked on couture for the Royal Family and top design houses, while M. Hand (the original Mr Hand had been a Huguenot lacemaker from Flanders) focused on traditional military and ceremonial embroidery. This mix is reflected in the wide range of work being carried out, from high fashion to very traditional ceremonial embroidery.

I was shown how original designs are transferred from tracing paper by pricking round a drawing and then saw the fine work of cutting and placing the fine coils of gold thread (actually two percent gold) called bullions to make up the designs. A machine (called  bullion twist) twists the gold wire to make each bullion. Everything is done by hand.

The lapel pins of Alice Made This are each a celebration of the goldwork traditions and skills displayed by Hand & Lock for military and ceremonial wear. Each piece, made in London, uses skills applied for hundreds of years. To see more, visit Alice Made This. See Hand & Lock for more on the skills used to make their products.

Campbell and Aldringham lapel pins from Alice Made This (£205 to £220)

[Note: this is an unsponsored feature, I have received no gifts or payment].

Thrashion - men's accessories made from recycled skateboards

Thrashion recycle broken skateboards to make a variety of accessories, jewellery and homewares for men and women. 'Nuff said really: I love the idea and products; see the cuff links below. Go to Thrashion to browse, commission a bespoke piece or to find out more.

Best of British: Jessica de Lotz Jewellery

Jessica de Lotz was born into a large artistic family and this, fired by a love of collecting intriguing objects, has inspired her jewellery. Her studio in East London is a treasure trove of  objets trouvés. each of which, steeped in memories, has a story to tell. And these stories are revived in her jewellery, for men and women; charms, brooches, earrings, bracelets, cufflinks; all romantic, historical and full of personality and many based on her signature wax seal design. 

Jessica's work has been much recognised, won awards and appeared in countless magazines, including GQ, which commissioned a pair of cuffinks. To find out  more, or to buy, see Jessica de Lotz.

Cufflinks from The Justified Sinner

I came across these cuff links on Twitter and was so impressed I contacted the jeweller, Dauvit Alexander of The Justified Sinner and asked if I could feature them on Grey Fox.

They're made from old corroded nuts, washers, coins, clay and other objets trouvés. A bit different, they bring character and colour to a formal shirt. See The Justified Sinner for more information.

A few exciting brands for men of style - knitwear and jewellery

Over the last few weeks I've been invited to a couple of menswear trades shows - Kollective: Men at Wolf and Badger in Dover Street, London and Jacket Required. I went along to find brands that might be of interest to the man in search of style.

Inevitably there was much focus was on a younger market; contemporary fits, t-shirts, camouflage, street styles and the usual subversive edge. However, there were more classic products, fabrics and colours that would be suitable for the older man looking for something different. Here are a few of my favourites.

Fox Hunt make bespoke and ready-to-wear knitwear that is hand-made (some of these designs couldn't be made by machine). Their products are based on vintage designs and the colours and quality are superb. I hope to cover this exciting brand in more detail in a future post, but here are a few images. Inevitably, the models are young and I'd like to see some of these wonderful pieces modelled by older and more rugged gentlemen. I'm sure there's a huge market for such original and rare designs.

Smith Grey - Jewellery. I don't wear any jewellery apart from a watch, but I couldn't help being drawn to these products. Objects made in silver, sometimes oxidised or gold-plated, have a real sculptural quality to them. They are hand made in their London studio. Inevitably, the images don't show the superb finish and feel.

Howlin' - The riot of colours and designs of traditional knitwear attracted me to Howlin's stand at Jacket Required. I love Fair Isle and other traditional knitwear and it was here in profusion. There is an online shop and a showroom in Antwerp, but the website could better display the excitement of the collection.