Mohair Magic

Ahhhh, the sun. It's food for the soul. A big Greg Wallace cuddle of warmth and positive energy.

No matter what the weather I always try and remain optimistic and my attitude to business has always been along the lines of Del Boy's, "He who dares, wins."

I love to do something different, and my chance to push the tailoring envelope further came when a customer set his heart on wearing a purple mohair suit for his wedding.

I had a cloth that was close, but ultimately, no cigar. So, in the hunt for something of Cohiba proportions, I opened my little black book and went to the beginning of the supply chain. The mills.

One of the luckiest things for my business is having the UK textile trade here on my doorstep in Yorkshire.

Whilst Rick Stein is plucking crabs from his own backyard, I can take a fifteen minute drive from HQ and come face to face with some of the finest cloth producers in the world.

Names like Bower Roebuck, Taylor & Lodge and John Fosters bring tears to the eyes of cloth connoisseurs throughout the world, and when it comes to Mohair, the Brits are without doubt the best.

My mill of choice for this mission was William Halstead & Co in Bradford. Founded in 1875, it's owned by SIL Holdings ltd and employs seventy staff at its Stanley Mills site.

After a quick chat on the blower with Philip Seal (Sales Manager) and Karen Whittaker (Designer) I jumped into the motor, put the roof down (Flash Git) and headed on over.



I love manufacturing businesses. There's something I find incredibly exciting about the smell and clatter of machinery. That sense of industry, people working together to produce something tangible.

I then sat down with Iain Milligan (pictured below), their Sales & marketing Director, who gave me an overview of the company.



Here is a man who is the master of understatement. His passion for textiles oozes out of every pore. In a lilting Scottish brogue he quietly showed me the work they are doing with Prada, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Dunhill, some of the younger tailors on Savile Row like Spencer Hart and Simon Spurr in the US.

How cool is that? Certainly cooler than a call centre. Seventy lads and lasses from Bradford providing the top of the global fashion industry with the finest threads on the planet. At the risk of sounding like David Cameron, that truly makes me feel proud and the fact that it's putting bread on the table for lots of Yorkshire families is even better.

Anyway, Mohair in the shade we wanted didn't exist, so we hatched a plan...

1) It started with piece of cloth, hot off the loom in its 'Greige state' (pictured below). This means it's unwashed and totally unfinished.



2) The loom had been set up with a black warp (black threads running North to South) and a white weft (white threads running West to East). This means that when the cloth was sent to Roberts the Dyers (also owned by the SIL group), only the white threads would pick up the purple coloured dye, producing a fabulous two-tone effect.

3) Once it had been dyed, it was returned to the 'menders' at William Halstead who after working their magic, put it on the 'perch' where it was inspected a final time for faults.

4) The final stage was for the cloth to be sent to the most exciting, progressive, tailoring company in the Northern Hemisphere (moi), and two fittings later the results can be seen below.



Here's Steven in his Michelsberg bespoke three piece suit. I particularly like the mother-of-pearl buttons we've used which add a touch of bling and compliment the characteristics of the cloth.

Mohair is a stiff fibre from a goat originating in Ankara and tailors very sharply. It's got a wonderful natural sheen or 'lustre,' is cool to wear and is very 'elastic' so it sheds creases quickly.

William Halstead sells 'Summer Kid' Mohair. This means the fibres are from the first and second shearing of the baby goat which goes on to produce the softest and finest yarn. It comes from the Camdeboo region of South Africa which is arguably the best in the world.

As a cloth, it was hugely popular in the 1960's. Here's a suit in Dormeuil tonik mohair as worn by Michael Caine in the film 'Get Carter.'



There's no doubt it's a firm Michelsberg favourite. I love its texture, the way it behaves under different lights and of course, the clean lines it produces when tailored properly.

I recently delivered my first 'Uber-level' fully hand sewn bespoke suit (from £2000) to Barry (pictured below) and the cloth of choice was a midnight blue Summer Kid Mohair cloth from Taylor & Lodge in Huddersfield.



My experience with Halsteads was utterly fantastic. I learnt a great deal about different designs, weaves, cloth in general and it's truly inspired me to keep pushing the boundaries.

I'm sure chefs get a buzz when they're making fabulous food using local ingredients and it's much the same for me. As far as I'm concerned, the larder of Leeds is looking good and that first Michelin star can't be very far away. Ca marche!

Mohair & No hair

When a client called to say he was heading to Vegas and wanted some new threads, inspiration came in the form of the character Sam "Ace" Rothstein, in one of my favourite films, "Casino."



When it comes to mobsters and gangsters there is one cloth that is de rigeur and that my friends is a sexy little lady by the name of Miss Mohair. When she rubs up against your skin, it's time to hit the spirits, light that stogie and party.

The magic of mohair is it's sheen and lustre. Made from the hair of the Angora goat, it is light yet exceedingly durable and when it's pressed, will leave a seriously sharp crease down the front of your trousers.

The suit we went for was a true Michelsberg classic - fitted, skinny notch lapels, cloth covered buttons with a metallic silver lining. I can just see the lights of The Strip reflecting off the back of his jacket as he steps into the back of a limo in search of fun and frolics.

One of my favourite parts of the film is when De Niro is in his office and is told by his secretary he has a visitor. He gets up from his desk to reveal he is wearing no trousers, walks over to a closet and slips on a pair straight from the hangar. This is a guy who doesn't do creases.



I'd also like to bring your attention to his socks, the downfall of many a man. It is my opinion that the section of flesh between the ankle and knee should be covered at all costs. A pair of socks does the same job for a guy as a bikini wax does for a girl. You know what I'm talking about - it's that moment when some bloke crosses his legs to reveal a flash of pale white shin covered in fluffy brown hair. Shocker.

The only time you can get away with going commando is when you have a tan and are wearing loafers - unless your name is Giuseppe, my advice would be to keep well clear.

Socks should be knee-length and like a tie (see my blog 'Ties and a trip to London), be chosen with care, the colour and pattern of which will be based on the rest of your outfit and occasion. White socks have often been ridiculed but worn in silk at the height of summer with a white linen suit are perfectly acceptable.

Personally I stick with plain, darker colours for work although I've nothing against introducing a splash of colour, perhaps to reflect the colour in a tie, hanky or pinstripe.

As far as material goes, natural fibres such as cotton and wool breathe better although a small addition of synthetic fibre such as Lycra will help them keep their shape. I've inherited permanently cold feet from my father, who has solved this problem by wearing bright red cashmere ones - slightly eccentric but what would you expect from a man whose hobbies include pimping up the boot of his Bentley with mirrors and crystal ornaments.

So here endeth the lesson - two key points - Mohair is great for dastardly deeds in the desert and unlike some we could mention, keep your hairy bits covered.