What can be said about Albam that hasn’t already been said before? For a company that only launched in 2006 they’ve already attracted more ink and screen space than any clothing company we can think of.

They’ve attracted workwear fanatics, club kids, fashionistas and regular blokes alike with their quality basics. In fact, it’s unfair to call them basics, so let’s call them cornerstones. To call them basic would be doing a disservice to clothes that form the cornerstone (see what we did there?) of every man’s wardrobe. You can have all the ‘statement’ pieces you like, but you need the clothes that Albam make.

And it’s because people need and want Albam’s clothing (as opposed to just wanting) they’ve been able to expand in what’s been an incredibly difficult year for retail. They have a made to measure suit store planned, as well as second branch in Shoreditch in the works.

We caught up with James Shaw, co-founder of Albam, to find out more about the process behind Albam’s clothing, his background and plans for the future.

Introduction by Jason Dike. Interview by Jason Dike and Nick Schonberger. Photography by Alex Alfaro.