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COMMUNIQUÉ 005
C O L L E C T I O N 0 0 5
We salute the noble mudlarks! Along the banks of
the dirty old river, these resourceful scavengers
sift the silt for the buried remnants of a
hundredscore years. A clay pipe, an ivory button,
a Roman coin, a charred remnant of the city’s
first campfire – what fresh delights will the
ebbing tide reveal?
The repetitious cycles of the fashion mainstream
follow only the current, overlooking in their
arrogance all that is deemed washed up. This we
disdain! Arrayed in our exploratory uniform, we
champion the serendipity of the chance find.
Through fine-grade steel mesh we filter and sieve
the accumulated influences of these islands’
centuries. From abandoned yarns and threads we
knit knotty new designs. On interwoven hooks and
grommets we hang our trouvés, the treasures we
have found lying half-buried in the sediment of
our lives.
Inspiration
t h r o u g h r e c i r c u l a t i o n !
T O O G O O D
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005
THE
ACROBAT TROUSER
With vaulting ambition,
the capering gymnast
overleaps the stern
strictures of gravity.
A generous trouser.
THE
BOXER
THE
LONG
GARDENER
TROUSER
Breeding flowers out of
the dead land, the hornyhanded horticulturalist
reshapes and brightens
our environment. A wideleg trouser.
Beneath the satin finery,
the proud pugilist boasts
an unrivalled physical
prowess. A roomy short.
............P.17,33,42,45
.........P.12,14,24,35,46
THE OILRIGGER
COAT|LONG
COAT
Amid the surging waters
of the North Sea, the
offshoreman taps into
the planet’s prehistoric
essence. An enveloping
shroud coat.
............P.20,21,42,43
THE
THE
APPRENTICE JACKET
With studious diligence,
the ardent disciple
ensures the perpetuation
of centuries-old trades
and inherited expertise.
An oversized jacket.
COAT.....................
LONG COAT................
DOORMAN
COAT
THE LIBRARIAN SKIRT
Cataloguing and
classifying, the
resourceful bibliophile
curates the vast archive
of our inspirations. An
A-line skirt.
Be not fooled by the air
of decorum – the servile
façade of the front-ofhouse attendant conceals
boundless expertise and
an omniscient intellect.
A generous greatcoat.
..................P.10,39
.........................
.....................P.25
THE ARCHITECT SHIRT
From linear blueprints
back on the drawing
board, the master
draughtsman enconjures
the vast edifices that
shape our world.
A collarless shirt.
THE DRAUGHTSMAN
SHORT|LONG
SHIRT
THE
MILKMAN
JACKET
With simple strokes of
pen or cursor, the deft
delineator draws up brave
new worlds for us. A
precise shirt.
In blazing heat or grim
tempest, the daily
deliverer is there to
provide vital nourishment
to our very doorsteps. A
tailored jacket.
SHORT....................
LONG.....P.25,35,42,45,46
.........................
THE
PHOTOGRAPHER
J A C K E T
A simple click, and
a fleeting moment is
preserved for ever more
– the all-seeing lensman
frames our memories. An
easy-fit jacket.
........P.1,8,12,14,33,38
THE
POTTER
TOP
With fluent hands, the
worker of clay coaxes
form and function from
the most unassuming
sediment. A protective
smock.
..................P.13,14
T H E B E E K E E P E R J A C K E T Within a protective
cocoon of cloth, the
apiarist can coax
sweetness from the
wildest of swarms.
A hooded garment.
THE
EXPLORER
THE
COAT
TOP
On the daily grind,
the pioneer of fission
harnesses the energy
hidden within the tiniest
grains. A tabard.
Traversing uncharted
regions, the rugged
adventurer maps out
an ever more connected
globe. A hooded coat.
.........................
..................P.11,45
.........................
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MILLER
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...................P.7,13
T H E P R I N T E R
TOP|TUNIC|DRESS
A revolutionary
disseminator of
information, the heir
of Gutenberg multiplies
thoughts a thousandfold
via pure mechanics. A
round-neck T-shirt.
TOP............P.25,42,43
TUNIC....................
DRESS................P.34
THE
SCULPTOR
TROUSER
Within the unshaped
stone, beauty slumbers
– the chisel-wielding
artist can discern
the hidden grace in
the harshest forms. A
hardwearing trouser.
..............P.1,8,11,13
THE
SHOEMAKER TROUSER
Embodying a craft honed
by generations, the
contemporary cobbler
conjures up footwear
built to last. A slimline
trouser.
.........................
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THE
UMPIRE
COAT
What is in and what is
out? With Solomonic
wisdom, the sporting
lawgiver makes pitchperfect judgements. A
duster coat.
.....................P.24
THE WARDEN
JACKET|COAT|LONG
COAT
With eagle eye and
tempered power, the
staunch custodian holds
all the keys. A roundneck jacket/coat.
JACKET...P.16,17,20,21,22
COAT........P.23,26,28,29
LONG COAT......P.31,37,41
THE
MUDLARK
OBJECTS
From the settled sediment
of the mighty river,
the urban archaeologist
prises prizes for us all.
Cast objets trouvés and
knitted scarves.
NECK ROPE....P.7,12,28,37
LARGE BONE...........P.46
PIN............P.13,24,25
BONE CORD.........P.16,17
KNIT SCARF........P.32,33
RAG SCARF............P.34
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THE
ALCHEMIST
in 7oz canvas
made in england
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Down
in the mud
the plains of mud
the primaeval plains of mud
the primal mud that splashes and splats lapped by withdrawing
waves The storks stalk The farraginous foragers all go down
the strand in search of bygones bones pipes and coins and potsherds
The residue
of the city
mudlarks
UNEARTHED
wot larks!
The residents
of the city
search the riverbank vaults Recirculating Resurfacing Researching
step
stop
spot
stoop
pick it
pocket
TOOGOOD
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unpack it
unpick it
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MANIFESTO
W H E R E A S for too long we have witnessed the honest clothing
of working people being stolen and arrogated in the name
of so-called utility wear and industrial chic;
W H E R E A S in an age of digital reproduction the individual
is beset on all sides by the bastions of mercantilis m and
commerce, those false profiteers who prescribe with one
hand and proscribe with the other, while forcing all comers
into constrictive sartorial templates;
W H E R E A S the entrenched power bases of couture houses and
multinationals mete and dole grotesque sumptuary law s to
a compliant populace in the form of biannual ‘season s’,
weaving obsolescence into the very fabric of their g arments;
W E H E R E B Y reject and reprehend the cruel diktats of the
discredited fashionista treadmill: the voracious cyc le
in which spring/summer is devoured by autumn/winter, and
autumn/winter is in turn devoured by spring/summer. Let
them be rendered obsolete by the very inconstancy th ey
thrive upon — we want it to happen! We will create o nly
when we choose to create. Never again shall free thi nkers
be in thrall to the caprices of chainstore buyers or of
marketing consultants!
O U R A I M S are simple, our methods straightforward. W e shall
sweep aside the crumbling detritus of plutocrat desi gners
and clear the way for a new aesthetic rooted in indi viduality
and honesty, a liberating mode that is available to all,
male and female, old and young. We celebrate the cra ft and
the toil of the workers — not faceless serfs running up
disposable fads in farflung sweatshops, but named ar tisans
with pride in their labour.
W E S H A L L harness the techniques and forms of this m echanised
age and return them to the people. The inherent wort h of any
object lies not in the pronouncements of the self-ap pointed
arbiters of collective taste, but in provenance and the
craftsmanship of manufacture.
TOOGOOD
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THE
ALCHEMIST
in 7oz canvas
made in england
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WITH
THANKS
The Photographer
MARIUS W HANSEN
The Writer
STEPHEN PATIENCE
The Models
LORNA
BARNABY
The Hair Stylist
KARIN BIGLER
The Make up Artist
ADELE SANDERSON
The Shoes
SEBASTIAN
TAREK
The Mudlark
C hristian M I Z O N
The Workers
AGATHA, HALA, KATIE, MARGHERITA,
SHERYN, SOPHIE, WENDY
Craftsmen and Craftswomen
THE CUTTERS
THE DYERS
THE HAND FINISHERS
THE MOULD MAKERS
THE PAINTERS
THE QUILTERS
THE SEAMSTRESSES
CONTACT
[email protected]
+44 (0)20 7226 1061
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—
All
SHEETAL,
of
you...
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