Drapers’ Marino Donati talks business and trends with Aquascutum at menswear show Pitti Uomo.

Secret Forts turns us onto this briefcase from Filson for Apolis Activism’s Autumn/Winter 2009 Collection. “Produced with Ugandan canvas – sourced by Invisible Children, a non-profit organization. Apolis creates opportunities for developing economies by connecting them to the global marketplace through seasonal stories and products. Filson’s history of craftsmanship joined with Apolis’ union of trade creates an opportunity for Invisible Children to develop Uganda’s industry of manufacturing cotton.“

A more detailed view of the Filson for Apolis Activism Briefcase after the jump.

Howies is one of those small clothiers that does not look at clothing (nor fashion) as disposable. Their short line of jackets and bags are made for the purpose of passing down to others during the lifespan of the product. As founder, David Hieatt mentions,  ”To make something well, you know, the best you can do, means going that extra mile. Every stitch, every zip, every little feature considered. The weakest points made strong. Then, and only then, can we say that we have fully understood the responsibility of making something.”

Their classic cut men’s jacket is ventilated and lined with organic tweed and finished nicely in grey.

More views of the Howies Hand-Me-Down Jacket after the jump.

Changes in the economy have lead to increased production back to Europe than the Far East. Portugal and it’s strong textiles market, has grown greatly in the footwear segment. Danassa is an example of a solid brand coming out of the country famous for footballers and Port wines. Their boat/deck shoe offering in leather and suedes are some eye catching in character and price point. Available now from Museum Ark.

More views of the Danassa Boat Deck Shoes after the jump.

The A-Z Collection has now been re-branded to the Dana Lee. We wish we had more information as to why, but for now we can offer some previews of the coming Spring/Summer Collection. Be forewarned, some looks may change. The casual looks from Dana Lee move towards the sportier side of fashion with interesting takes on crew necks, boulce terry sweatshirts, and marl knitted jackets. Make sure and take a look at the parachute jackets – one of our favorites from Dana Lee. 

More looks from the Dana Lee Spring/Summer 2009 Men’s Collection after the jump.

Neil Barrett’s SS09 footwear collection has dropped in stores and there looks to be something for everyone (provided you like standing out from the crowd). The shoes in the collection are an electric blue pair of oxfords and a pair of laceless two tones (pictured after the jump). The grey trainers look like a pair of Common Projects at first glance, although a closer inspection shows that there’s studs next to the laceholes, perfect for anyone who’s been inspired by Prada’s AW09 showing.

The collection is available from The Corner.

Take a look after the jump for more pictures.

Liberty of London have been putting their liberty prints on everything from Steven Alan ties to Nike trainers and in their blog, they explain the reasoning behind their new liberty prints. In the post, they also explain how some of the prints came about, in addition to showing a genuine fabric board from 1960 (pictured above).

Read the full post over at Liberty.

Raf Simons continues to release desirable holdalls and this bag is the latest of his Spring/Summer 2009 releases. As the title of this post states, the bowling style bag is made of leather and small enough to suit any hand luggage requirements.

The bag is available from Oki-Ni.

Check after the jump for detailed pictures.

These are some of the best classic appeal cycling shoes I have seen in some time. When DYKC turned me onto them, I immediately thought 1920’s footballer cleats (the American football) but quickly discovered that Dromarti of London produces a trifecta of cycling shoes to appease the businessman who would rather look dapper on the bike than sport. Choose from three models – Sportivo (shown above), Race, and Storica.

We should also mention that Dromarti also develops cycling clothing and their own custom “bespoke” (I said it) Italian bicycles. An absolute must for the  tweed and trad cyclists who prefers clipless. Killer.

More views of the Dromarti Leather Cycling Shoes after the jump.

Something about these campaign shots from Burberry for Spring 2009 are appealing. Maybe it’s the black long coat with shoulder treatment and shiny piping in the photo above or simply the wealth of beautiful women wearing safari khaki inside a greenhouse. You decide. (via fashionisto>fashionspot)

More views from the Burberry Spring 2009 Campaign after the jump.