Albam is one of the few brands to emerge out of the UK in the last few years to have a genuine positive impact on the scene.
Beginning life as a mail order only concern, Alastair Rae and James Shaw’s company quickly moved from its Nottingham base to London, where they opened their first store on Beak Street, giving their “Modern Crafted Clothing” access to a wide and appreciative audience. Their simple, minimal and classic designs offered the perfect look for men who wanted something different to the styles that dominated the London menswear scene of the time… more grown up than BAPE, and more masculine than the super skinny Libertine’s inspired style.
Albam’s clothes, although basic, offer some of the best quality and value on the market and whilst not perfect (some of their knit wear would fit better into my father’s wardrobe than my own) when they get it right the results are spectacular – their dry wax Fisherman’s Cagoule is a genuine modern classic. As their collection grows they have decided to focus on two distinct areas – the casual range which will feature stand-out pieces (such as the cagoule) and the Albam Wardrobe which will specialise in the basics that every man needs – dry denim, white shirt, white T shirt, handmade shoe, canvas sneaker, weekend shoe style, Parka, Rain Mac, etc…
The latest addition to the Albam Wardrobe will be their first ever suit. A two button, single breasted, short jacket in a grey flannel cotton/wool blend with oversized patch pockets. Its semi-structured nature means that it’s not too formal and would work well as casual wear, both as a suit, or by wearing the pants and jacket on their own. Its interesting to see that despite the current economic climate Albam feels that there is a more mature appetite in the streetwear and contemporary casual men’s clothing market to justify diversifying their brand in this direction.
The suit will be available in December from Albam.
