Our friends at Eastman Leather recently invited us to a top secret bunker in East London to get up close to the Autumn/Winter 2012 Buzz Rickson’s and Eastman collections. The two brands work closely in Europe and you’d be hard pressed to find a more perfect pair to sit side by side.

We start off today with Rickson’s. While they’ve long be regarded as masters of the repro, a cult label, there’s always been something accessible about the brand. The lines are a mix of pieces exact to the originals; military outerwear, flying leathers etc, all of which tend to attract the vintage-head crowd. Alongside this, easy to wear sweats, t-shirts and footwear that wouldn’t feel out of place in any modern get-up. In the same vein, we we’re particularly impressed by Rickson’s sub label, Aviation Associates. Ever the creative bunch, the designers felt they wanted more room to produce pieces which weren’t strictly reproductions but took elements of classics to make something familiar. We point you towards the incredible Number 7 leather sleeved jacket and the canvas Mackinaw coat.

While we stare for an inappropriate amount of time at the patch heavy, olive nylon L-2 and MA-1 jackets, take a look through the gallery for more of the good stuff. Carry on over at Buzz Rickson’s.

Images: Ross Trevail/Selectism.com

The good folk at Eastman Leather and Buzz Rickson’s send us this fantastic exclusive. Combining forces to present Autumn/Winter 2012 a little unfair; this much goodness in one lookbook seems mocking. As you’ll no doubt already know, Eastman make world class military and civilian repros with an incredible eye for detail where it matters – zippers from the likes of Crown and Hookless (latterly known as Talon), stamps, labels and hides all correct to the original.

Equally, Buzz Rickson’s commitment to getting it all just right is legendary – making decades old designs feel wearable without compromising on the basics. Yeah, we’re pretty enthusiastic about this one. A closer look at both these collections coming up soon.

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Some more excellent collaborations from ACE hotel and BEAMS. Presenting; Beams/Ace/Buzz Rickson’s Bandana, Beams/Ace/Buzz Rickson Deck jacket, Beams/Ace/Buzz Rickson Chambray Shirt, Beams/Ace/Sanca Tee, Beams/Ace/Buzz Rickson Chinos, Beams/Ace/Churchill’s Gloves and finally Beams/Ace/Buzz Rickson’s Railroad Cap. Now, if that isn’t enough American hotel meets Japanese store goodness for you then we give up. Find them at Ace.

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Buzz Rickson’s offer up an excellent gift idea with this USN Watch Cap. They tell us it’s named after sailors keeping watch, presumably in need of some head warming gear for those long nights out on deck. The nearest we’ll ever get to this is hanging around waiting for the night bus but cold ears are cold ears. We’re not going to go on too much about the details, this is Buzz Rickson’s so expect all original features to be present and correct. Stenciling, anchor label, worsted wool and ‘a unique 6 petal crown design to ensure a neat fit and appearance which hugs the contour of the head’. We’re sold. Catch yours here.

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The Original Store show us their lookbook or ‘Style Guide’ as they’ve named it. Shot by Ryan Johnson and styled by Glenn Kitson, UK pro-skate legend Garry ‘Woody’ Woodward takes to the streets of Manchester to showcase labels such as Patagonia, Buzz Rickson, Tellason, Reigning Champ, Patagonia, Heritage Research, Carhartt and Red Wing. Their first venture into lookbook territory, the focus is on keeping it wearable and gimmick free.

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As much as we love military repros, many of the more authentic pieces look great on the hanger but put them on and you end up feeling a like you’ve hired a costume for a historic reenactment. This USMC shirt from Buzz Rickson is so innately stylish, perhaps by accident, perhaps by design, that it allays all our fears and makes us want to immediately part with our hard earned cash. Herringbone twill cotton, USMC donut buttons and breast pocket stamp. Sign us up.

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“You can’t go wrong with a peacoat,” the familiar refrain of the serial peacoat wearer. But those guys are right. There’s something about this naval classic that just works. They go with everything, they’re warm, smart, sturdy and when you button them up right to the top you just feel like everything’s going to be ok. The closer to the original USN model as possible the better though. No fancy epaulets and contrast buttons for us please. That’s why we turn to the ever reliable Buzz Rickson on this one. 36oz melton wool, star and anchor buttons and they’ve even lined the pockets with corduroy just like they did in days of old. Grab yours at Mr Mudd and Mr Gold.

More looks after the click.

Finding Lone Wolf footwear (a Buzz Rickson sister brand) outside of Japan is quite a task, luckily via Eastman and the wonders of the internet this amazing line is just a click away. The Wireman is based on a 30s/40s work boot and rather reminiscent of the monkey boot. Sturdy, leather stack heel and sole finished with the Goodyear stormwelt and the Famous Cat’s Paw. These are hardcore.

More looks after the click.

Luckily owning a pilot’s helmet isn’t a prerequisite for purchasing this superb bag by Buzz Rickson’s. Originally designed for use by U.S Air Force crew the bag was constructed with the same fabric and insulation as flying jackets in order to protect expensive equipment. Unsurprisingly Buzz have cut no corners, using military grade materials and a smart Crown Sprung Auto Lock zipper to reproduce this amazing piece. Find it online at Buzz Rickson’s.

More looks after the click.

This season, a plain white shirt can officially count as a curveball (the world’s gone mad, etc etc). But this is a chambray, so there’s a bit of a twist there, right? If nothing else, you can always throw paint on it if you feel it’s missing some colour. (Mr Mudd & Mr Gold)