The Woolrich John Rich & Bros. collection gives us a mighty jump on their forthcoming pre-Autumn/Winter 2012 collection. Talk about being early to market – we don’t mind. The “Makes and Tradesmen” collection is a reference to the “makers,” like John Rich himself, who opened the door in Pennsylvania to manufacturing. “Tradesmen” thanks those in careers like carpentry, shoemaking, tailoring that kept the men properly clothed. Fans fo the John Rich & Bros. collection will find further re-boots of classic forms including conductor vests and chore jackets that use “a strong fall palette of muted colors mixed with tweed, suede, canvas and twill.” Fabrication is the game here from Woolrich John Rich & Bros for Autumn 2011.

Kim Jones has had an interesting few years. After taking the helm at Dunhill for a short period, the designer landed recently at Louis Vuitton and has clearly made waves that the industry is taking note of. Last night in London, Kim Jones walked home with as “Best Menswear” designer at the British Fashion Awards. His Spring/Summer 2012 collection for Vuitton, which debuted in Paris had everyone talking. The accolade handed at at The Savoy in London will put a smile on many.

Other notable winners from the British Fashion Awards 2011 include Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen as “Designer of the Year.” Paul Smith also took home an award for “BFC Outstanding Achievement in Fashion.” Congratulations to all the winners.

All these winter jackets are getting rather serious with their technical this and heritage that. If you’re going for that ‘climbing on the regular’ look or hope to give off the ‘wealthy European ski fiend’ vibe then that’s fair enough. However, sometimes you want something that will keep you warm but also bring a smile to your face with it’s upbeat detail and colourful ease. This number does both, a joint effort from Penfield and traditional Shetland knitwear manufacturers Jamieson’s, get happy over at Coggles.

Dazed Digital introduce us to the fantastic work of English photographer Andreas Laszlo Konrath. Currently residing in NYC, he recently took his 35mm to Finland to shoot the Perus crew, Helsinki skaters on a mission to ride every piece of concrete in the city. Konrath started out shooting subjects of a more ’street culture’ variety but after an appearance on PDN’s list of 30 emerging photographers, he soon found himself  working on large scale fashion, music and editorial projects. The ‘Back to Mystery City’ series will be released as a zine in collaboration with acclaimed independent booksellers, Dashwood Books. More over at Dazed Digital.

Luxury desk accessory coming your way… One for the Christmas list. If you’ve got a friend or relative willing to splash out on on something which, if we’re honest, shouldn’t cost more than the price of a pint then why not?  This is just about the best stapler on the market. El Casco make them ready to attach a couple of cars together. Formerly a revolver company in the 1920’s, El Casco’s  Juan Solozabal and Juan Olave turned to the stapler game as a consequence of the Great Depression. Today we can still enjoy their wonderful design. Get tooled up over at Kaufmann Mercantile

Another smart offering from Ally Capellino. The Richard satchel bag forms part of their ‘Conservative group’, nothing to do with the tories we assure you. This collection is a more refined, fancy pants selection of bags, or as Capellino describes them, “elegant investment bags in Italian veg tanned leather with contrasting bridle leather straps. Bags that age and soften beautifully, only improving with wear.” Contrast buckles, detachable cross body strap, top handle, constructed of veg tanned leather and Made in London. Find Richard over here.

Click for images

Freunde von Freunden talk to Akroe, the French Graffiti artist turned graphic designer, at his Paris studio. “Etienne Bardelli, the man also known as Akroe, first became famous for his graffiti and later earned esteemed success in the 2000s following his work with album covers.” Born in the small town of in France, “Akroe” moved to the Strasbourg Saint Denis area of Paris, where he still lives today. His choice of “heavy, monumental installations” over illustrations are inspired by his surroundings.

It is hard to pass up beautiful images. While this campaign shoot by photographer, Boo George, was presented for Wranger Australia, the images are impressively pleasant and nondescript compared to many. The takeaway from the Wrangler line is that their voices do not need to be so vocal. The garments speak for themselves. Boo George himself has worked with the big guns in fashion peridocials including “Love,” “L’uomo Vogue,” “Arena Homme +,” “Vogue,” and many more. He happened to also photographed the Wrangler Autumn/Winter 2011 campaign as well.

Photography: Boo George

More looks after the click.

“”Hey Sparrow” is taken from the album ‘936‘, out now on Weird World And Not Not Fun”

01. Bishop Bikes Jinbok’s Cyclocross

“Chris Bishop recently assembled a rare set of tubes by Italy’s Gilco Design, creating a cyclocross frame for an LA customer. The unusual profile lends a distinctive touch to the frame, to which Chris has also applied his individual style. There’s a fascinating DNA woven into the molecules of those tubes, inextricably tied to the Italian passion for design and a dynasty of high quality bicycle frames. Angelo Columbo formed Columbus Tubi in 1919, focusing on the burgeoning bicycle sector. However, during the 1920s and 30s, Columbus was also a leading manufacturer of furniture in the ‘rationalist’ style, creating pieces by luminaries such as Breuer, Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe.” (cycleexif)

02. Unpaved (above)

“Photos of the Vuelta a Colombia in the early 1960s, by Horacio Gil Ochoa.” Unbelievable men. (cyclinginquisition)

03. Conversations On the Coast (above)

“By way of example, allow us to introduce Nick Hand, who has spent some time on the road over the past few years, and has far more to show for it than just a beautifully broken-in B17. Between 2009 and 2010, for over four months and more than 6000 miles, he rode a leisurely tour of the coasts of Britain and Ireland. While making his journey, he sought out artisans and craftspeople living or working in his path, and spent some time taking photos of them at their work, as well recording what they had to say.” (brooksblog)