French Trotters

Another amazing boutique in the form of French Trotters, which is a Mecca for everything beautifully crafted and designed showcasing some of the best brands, art, vintage furniture and own line of clothing. French Trotters is highly likely to become your favourite new shop with everything carefully, with no compromises on quality and craftsmanship.

The Unconventional

The unconventional is an independent online boutique showcasing some of the most exciting underground and emerging talent, offering a virtual space to house collaborative collections from around the world a fresh project of inspiration aspires. A juxtaposition of artisan craftsmanship and avant-garde collections creates the subtle foundations from which the unconventional was created. With an insatiable appetite for fresh perspective the unconventional is constantly looking for the next group of discerning talent to build on their dynasty of designers.

A History Of Horror With Mark Gatiss

It’s that time of year again where sweet sales rocket and goblins and ghouls are as far as the eye can see but if you’re like most people dressing up isn’t that much fun, without a drink in hand and as much as I would love to go door to door asking for sweets, I don’t feel it would be welcomed. Then there is the customary barrage of horror films, which they play every year much like how Back to the future is always on at any given holiday.....typical Halloween then.

Cue Mark Gatiss and his BBC documentary A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss, an entertaining and interesting series, with a true horror fan and connoisseur. Mark Gatiss begins his journey by celebrating the achievements of horror cinema, beginning by exploring the early era of Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, continuing his celebration of horror cinema by uncovering the stories behind the films of the 1950s and 60s, an era dominated by Hammer Films. He then ends his three part series with the US films of the late 1960s and 70s which dragged horror cinema kicking and screaming into the present with their uncompromising content.

A truly interesting documentary, which is still available to watch on iPlayer. 

Monitaly: AW/10 Collection

Created in 1997 by Yuki Matsuda of Yuketen fame, Monitaly takes its name from three of Yuki's biggest loves - his daughter Monica, Italy and the military. The result of this inspiration is beautifully constructed pieces that pay homage to a bygone era of craft and clothing. Full of soul and with a distinctive heritage feel, vintage shapes are updated with modern day silhouettes and a sense of the great American outdoors that permeates Monitaly collections.

Made from Plastic's favourites include:

Bleu De Paname

Bleu de Paname has stands for a vision of a French lifestyle. Putting forward a knowledge embodied in heritage but also a genuine desire to show a well-made and good product. Following its hybrid logic of creation, it is a textile range mixing functional and aesthetic, creating stunning results.

Made from Plastic's favourites include:

Ian Peggs (Peggs and Sons): Interview

Made from Plastic was recently fortunate enough to chat with Ian Peggs from Peggs and Sons, one of the best independents boutiques in the UK. Here’s what he had to say:

How would you describe your role within Peggs and Sons? 
Head chef and chief bottle washer..as a small independent we don’t have the finances or manpower to bring in ‘professionals’ to do stuff for us, so we all pitch in to make things happen. I love being on the shopfloor, as at the end of the day, we are a store and and we need to sell product, but when im not, I’ll be keeping the wheels on the bus dealing with admin etc, out buying collections when its that time of year and paying the bills..

What's your favourite clothing store other than Peggs and Sons?
It’s a great time for menswear right now- we have been plugging away in this area of clothing for 10 years now and rarely look to see what other stores are doing but you would have to be blind not to notice the tremendous (and well deserved) success of stores such as Oi Polloi and the great mix of clothing in the likes of Belfast’s The Bureau.

What's your favourite brand? 
I hate these questions. I find it tricky to pin down any one ‘thing’. One brand which we have sold since we opened over 10 years ago is 6876 and it would be no chore to wear anything produced by Kenneth.

What's next for Peggs and Sons?
We open our new store in the next few weeks…its only a stones throw from our current one but it’s a little larger and we can give the clothing the space it deserves.

What are your favourite pieces for next season?
There are a few… but basically next season I will be mostly wearing the new ARN mercantile collection.

Who are you personal style icons?
A fairly clichéd response im afraid but steve mcqueen was a fucking supercat. However, out of my contemporaries, Cathal Macateer of folk is an effortlessly stylish bastard. When I grow up I want to be a bit like him.

What do you think you would be doing if you didn't work for Peggs and Sons?
I would probably be another victim of brightons louche attitude to life. I hear its called the graveyard of ambition as its so easy to roll on through having a great time..

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start their own clothing store and get into buying?
Be prepared for a lot of hard work before you can even think of making a living out of it.. lots of dough, though not necessary, helps.. couldn’t tell you how to get into buying, I have always made it up as I go along. Its all worth it though- half the battle in life is doing something you enjoy..