Saxon sheep and ladys of the loom

What a month. I've been out and about more than Paris Hilton or a Tory politician.

It kicked off with an evening at the Bradford Club, watering hole to Yorkshire's textile community since 1857.



Gone are the days when the Rollers would line up outside waiting for the mill owners to finish their port and brandys, but it still regularly plays host to the great and the good of Huddersfield's finest.

Tonight was drinks and a presentation by Peter Ackroyd, head of the British Escorial Guild.

'Escorial' fibre is to cloth what Petrus grapes is to wine. It's very rare, and rather expensive. It started off when a sheep loving member of Spanish royalty nicked a flock of beauties from North Africa in 1340 and brought them back to the El Escorial palace in Madrid.

Then, in 1765, the Spanish King gave some to his sheep loving cousin, the Elector of Saxony, who in turn agreed to sell some to a cunning Scottish lady in 1830. She then shipped them off to the sunshine of Australia and the rest, as they say, is history. Today there are only three remaining flocks in the world - two in Oz (Tasmania and Victoria), and one in Mount Arden, New Zealand.

Pundits talk about it's 'three dimensional helical crimp' which acts like a natural spring, creating light, crease resistant garments.

Whatever, the rules dictate that the fibres must be less than 16 microns in width (about a Super 150's quality) which means it feels seriously luxurious and does have a magnificent handle.

It was a great presentation by Peter and lovely to chat with people from the trade. Not a bad pint of Boddingtons either.

Then we said our goodbyes and met up the following evening at a celebration of Yorkshire Textiles hosted by Harvey Nichols!

Here, beer was substituted for elegant flutes of champagne, and as I swanned around the bustling bar in my new suit, talking shop and meeting a wealth of new contacts, the world seemed a better place.

Yorkshire textile folk are notoriously reserved. In my opinion, they don't shout out enough about the fact that they supply the biggest brands in the world with truly incredible cloth. The demise of many UK textile companies has been well documented by the press over recent years, and now the strong remain. A 'lean and mean,' passionate group of niche producers targeting the uber-luxury end of the market.

I was the proverbial pig in shit, whose sty only got deeper and smellier when I was invited to visit one of the finest mills in England 'Taylor & Lodge' by Ed Waterhouse, whose family own the business, and their Sales Director, Robert McQuillan, pictured below.



And that's were I've been today. Now, part of the Bulmer & Lumb Group, they've been based here for 125 years and are arguably weaving some of the most divine shmatter money can buy. For example, their pure Vicuna collection costs well over a grand a metre and they made the Summer Kid Mohair & Cashmere blend for Daniel Craig's 'Bond tux' in Quantum of Solace.

I've warbled on about the weaving process in previous blogs so rather than bore you with the pros of their Karl Mayer Warping machine and Dornier rapier looms here's some of the people behind the brand:

There's Andrea Bellwood in the patten room who sends out samples to the likes of likes of Brioni, Burberry, Dunhill, Lanvin, Richard James and James Michelsberg :-)



Here is Carol and Trish having a tea-break, who inspect the cloth after it's been woven for faults.



And my last lady of the looms, Margaret King, Queen of the inspectors, who gave a good bollocking to Robert for selling too much white cashmere which is a nightmare to keep clean.



What a warm, cheery bunch of people who will no doubt continue to take the company forward for another 125 years of weaving wonderment.

Yes, it's been a hectic month but I've enjoyed every minute. Business has been brisk, the sun's shining, and I'm off to Spain in two weeks, providing good volcanic behaviour.

Legal Eagles

I'm buzzing. Last night was the the inaugural "Michelsberg Debating Competition" and if I say so myself, it rocked.

All the biggest law schools in Yorkshire took part including BPP Law, College of Law York, Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds University.

After running internal competitions to select their best debaters, the finalists congregated at the Malmaison Hotel in Leeds to do battle before an audience and an esteemed panel of judges.

These included David Knaggs, Managing Partner of Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, Andrew Stubbs QC of St Pauls Chambers, and David Parkin, Editor of TheBusinessDesk.com

The motion was simple - "This House Believes in Style over Substance."

Whilst the contestants had fifteen minutes to prepare, the rest of us munched canapes and tucked into the booze before settling down to let the games begin.

What followed was everything I'd hoped for and I have nothing but admiration for all the participants. To stand up on your back legs, with minimal preparation, under the glare of a TV camera's lights, whilst your opposition is doing everything it can to make you stumble and look like an idiot, takes confidence, a cool head, quick thinking and an impressive pair of cojones.

The debate was recorded and can be viewed if you click here.

The best speaker was Edward Duncan-Smith (pictured below) from College of Law York who received the prize of a three piece bespoke suit. Not bad for a nights work.



Best team was College of Law York, which also fielded Rupert Oldham-Reid. They were in support of the motion and as I might have guessed, style won the day! Runners up were Leeds Metropolitan represented by Tom Royston and Stephen Dudley.

So what did I get out of it? Well PR aside, it was great fun and an incredible rush to make something happen and see people enjoying themselves. The plan is to run a regional heat in the South and then host the Grand Final. North versus South. Bring it on!

The Science behind the Suit

My name is James Michelsberg and I'm a suit-a-holic.

It's a nightmare. Every time I open the wardrobe door, she's there. A sultry toned temptress from Narnia who flashes her legs between the pinstripes and whispers in my ear - "just one more James. Just one more."

This time I've gone for a double-breasted number, with a side order of oomf, smothered in extravagance. It's going to feel like a second skin, with peak lapels of such size and magnitude that I could throw myself off a cliff and use them to go hand-gliding.

Here I am at first-fitting stage.



At the moment it's just a shell. There's a little canvas in the chest and some pads in the shoulders and that's about it. You'll see I'm missing a sleeve. That's so that we can check the armhole is nice and high, which provides greater ease of movement so I'll be able to waggle my arms around in the air without it causing the coat to ride up.

But that's not the half it. No Siree. Because this newest addition to the Michelsberg stable is all about the cloth and I kid you not when I say it is seriously special.

Designed by myself and good friend Andrew Knight (the chap on the left in the picture below) of John Cavendish Luxury Fabrics it is a classic Prince of Wales with a lilac over-check. Fourteen ounces in weight it's a ballsy cloth with some serious meat to it.




Whilst I have a soft spot for mid-weight Super 120's / 130's and noble fibres, I think this 'luxury' thing is getting out of hand. Isn't all this scouring the planet, hunting for rarer and rarer animals to catch and shave becoming a bit twee and rather effeminate?

I wanted something tough, rugged, masculine, built to last and so the Michelsberg "Bulls Wool" House Cloth was born. But here comes the best bit...

Working in partnership with the Yorkshire Textile community and scientists in New York (James Hayward, CEO of ADNAS), we are the first company in the world to impregnate cloth with botanical DNA to protect it's authenticity and provide traceability.

We plan to only produce very limited runs of each design, so wanted to provide re-assurance to our customers that the cloth is in fact woven in Yorkshire and the garment is a Michelsberg original.

Much of the credit for this initiative must go Peter Ackroyd, Director General of the British Wool Textile Export Corporation and in particular, Bill Macbeth, Managing Director of the Textile Centre of Excellence. They helped identify suitable partners, co-ordinated the project and even provided some funding.

After we had bought the yarn and produced the weaving ticket, it was off to Pennine Weavers, one of the most modern facilities in Europe. They weave about thirty five thousand meteres of fabric a week, reinvest ten percent of their turnover back into the business every year and employ seventy two people who do one hundred loom changes a week. Here I am with the Managing Director Gary Eastwood.



We introduced the DNA marker at the 'warping' stage of the process. Watching our sample length come off the loom was incredible - right up there with the birth of my daughter!

After weaving it was off to the finishers in Huddersfield, WT Johnsons. All cloth, no matter what the quality, feels rough and is dirty once it comes of the looms. It is their job to clean (scour) it, and then work their magic to give the cloth the finish the customer wants.

Here I am with Paul Johnson, their Managing Director, who gave me a masterclass on how the process works and what could be achieved through a combination of 'milling' and 'cutting' the cloth.



I wanted a softer, more 'flannely' finish (also favoured by Ralph Lauren) and so the cloth was 'milled blind' and only cropped a little. Cloth with a harder handle and silkier finish, like their 'London Shrunk' quality, is cropped closely or 'clear cut.'

Big respect to Alan Dolley (pictured below), their technical manager, who is a guru when it comes to finishing cloth and gave me exactly the handle I was looking for.



As a final gesture, we also added their 'Nanoblock' coating to the cloth which makes it water (and wine) resistant. The perfect suit for drinking in. Now there's a selling point..

It's been a real journey and I am incredibly proud of what 'Team Yorkshire' have achieved. Andrew Knight of Cavendish has been a particular legend and his enthusiasm has been infectious. I now have my first house cloth and plan to showcase this made up into a finished garment in Italy and Japan later this year.

Costa del Couture

Another year begins and it's started off in style.

Location: Puerto Banus, Spain.



Taken there as a child on holiday, I remember watching in awe as wannabees with mullets cruised along the port in Porches, peroxide blondes by their side with a-ha's "Take on Me" blaring out of the radio.

Not much has changed. It's still as flashy as a Russian mistresses ring finger and a place where botox and cash rule the roost. Slightly tacky? Yes, but sipping a cold beer with the sun on your shoulders, watching the world go by against a backdrop of mega-yachts and sparkling blue water is a tonic that will revive the most weary of tailors.

All that spending power attracts the luxury retailers and so a stroll along the front was the perfect place for me to check out the competition. And who better to kit out the newly wedged than Tom Ford.



Here I am with Laurent Lapied who runs the Puerto Banus outpost. It's an air-conditioned bubble of velvet, steel and mirrors that showcased the threads quite beautifully.

Tom is a sharp cookie with a degree in architecture and when it comes to marketing and attention to detail, he is up there with the best of them. Lauded as the saviour of Gucci he turned a failing brand into an operation valued at $4 billion.

I tried on a two thousand euro off-the-pegger like the one Laurent was wearing and it felt fabulous.

Made in Italy the construction is very soft and I loved the roped shoulders and peaked lapels. I was told it's made entirely by hand and was very impressed by the way the collar had been attached with a fine mesh and the handmade button holes were finished beautifully.

The highlight was a dinner jacket in a brocade silk with velvet detail that was simply stunning - it even warranted it's own crystal display case and swirly patterned artwork behind it. Perhaps a tribute to Tom's disco days at the infamous Studio 54 nightclub in New York?

Tom has thrown down the gauntlet and it's landed with a serious thump. When it comes to merchandising I could certainly learn a thing or two and so retired to my sun-bed to reflect and plan my continued quest for world domination.

Friends Reunited

It's two fingers up to the world of work and hello Christmas holidays. Yesterday was my last day in the office for 2009 which culminated in the delivery of this rather divine overcoat to one of my best customers.



Isn't she a beauty? It's possibly one of the most dapper and dashing coats we've ever made and would bring a tear to the eye of Arthur Daley himself.

That chocolate brown velvet collar and trim just ooze style and sophistication against a backdrop of cashmere and wool loveliness. The cloth is so soft, you could line your underpants with it. Indulgent? Most certainly, and that is what Christmas is all about.

It's a time to say sod it to living sensibly and tuck into all the things that we shouldn't. You can almost smell the excitement in the air as people take to the streets, abuse their credit cards and load their shopping trolleys with booze and rich food.

So with this in mind it was straight to Ha Ha's bar for a sharpener with old friends to get the festivities underway. And that's another thing I love about Christmas. It brings people together and is the perfect time to say thanks to people who have helped and supported me throughout the year.

After that, it was back to my family home for canapes, fine wine (thanks to my brother Edward who is over from Oz), a roaring log fire and then out to dinner.

Pete was over from Amsterdam and 'The Bainer' even made an appearance. We were the last to leave and as the girls jumped into a taxi and headed home, we drank beers in the street and had a snowball fight. Perfect. A truly wonderful evening.



In fact, it's been a truly wonderful year. I've become a daddy for the first time, business has been great and there are some seriously exciting plans for 2010.

In January, I'm launching a line of Michelsberg Accessories (available 'online'), my own 'House Cloth' (can't wait to tell you more) and a level of construction that is second to none. Then we're going international. Oh yes, I've got a good feeling about 2010 but now it's time to switch off and relax.

Here's wishing you all a fabulous Christmas and a smashing new year.

Enjoy!

Dare to be different..

One of the great things about my job is getting to know people from all walks of life.

From the great and the good, to the bad and the downright dodgy, a passion for bespoke tailoring can be found. This means that I often get to deal with some of the more colourful members of society which is often fun and very illuminating.

It's particularly enjoyable if they like to do things a bit differently and that was certainly the case with one of my customers whose wedding was based on the elegant and glamorous 'Art Deco' period which peaked in the Roaring Twenties.

Introducing Steve - one of the most enthusiastic and eccentric characters I've had the pleasure to make a suit for.



He's a psychiatric nurse, part time DJ, drives a V12 6 litre Daimler and wanted some threads that would cut a dash on his big day. I think we did rather well and I love the pocket watch. It's a look somewhere between Lord of The Manor, Bugsy Malone and Ming The Merciless.

Many of the suits I make are timeless classics and there's nothing wrong with that at all, but it's great when you get to sit down with a client, get on a level, throw ideas around and come up with something unique.

It's a team approach to getting it right and in this case it ended with a happy customer. In fact, he's just informed me he now wants something making-up for a forthcoming trip to Dubai which illustrates an important point.

One suit is never enough.

Consider yourself warned - bespoke tailoring is highly addictive, rather expensive and in extreme cases, such as myself, can even change your life.

It's all about me...

I was recently asked by the Editor of "Twist" magazine to pen some words for their regular "My Day" feature, which provides an insight into the daily grind of those of us who toil in the rag-trade.

If you're interested, you can read the article here.