Where North and South Meet

We would definitely say that place is somewhere in Central Europe - and if we were to be more specific, this fall and winter it would be here, in Katowice, Poland.

We blend influences; that shouldn’t come as a surprise. With our pre-Spring collection earlier this year, we even mentioned that we draw on different inspirations for different times of the year, suited to the climate - we look more to Italy during the hot summer, to the UK and Nordic countries in winter, and to the USA’s East Coast in the in-between seasons. The truth is, these influences mix more and more as the season progresses. As I recently wrote in our FW2024 press release:

We know very well that we are not a heritage brand and we don’t come from countries that have historically dominated the menswear industry; we all grew up in a world that looked up to the Western and Anglo-Saxon fashion traditions. But there’s an advantage to that - we can do things our own way, the Central-European way, mixing styles without boundaries. We take bits and pieces from here and there, recreating the looks we all know and love, but adapting them to the hot summers and freezing-cold winters that we - and our clients - live through.

So, in the end, we feel free to combine elements of the much-discussed Ivy Style, the quintessentially British old money country look, and minimalist Scandinavian aesthetics. All of this is merged with tailoring traditions from Southern Italy, which has been dominating menswear for years - frankly, unsurprisingly, as it’s also a comfort-driven choice - evident in our signature soft-shouldered, light-constructed, 3-roll-2 cut.

We don’t settle for the best of both worlds, we aim for the best of four worlds, at least.

For that, you need not only to blend aesthetics; you have to mix in the fabric choices as well. And that’s what we’d like to elaborate on here, taking a deep dive into our FW2024 fabric choices and the reasons behind them.

As we have already mentioned describing our sportcoats, we have featured British, Irish and Italian fabrics in our collection, but not necessarily to show the different ways and directions in which the tailoring can go, no - we are rather showing that if you have the right standard you are [dostosowywać się], there is a place for all of these. You can have the comfort and a versatile, everyday piece, no matter the fabric choice you make. Moreover, with the right base and styling, this vastly different fabrics can match each other perfectly - all fitting into the Everyday Classic style.

As we’ve already mentioned in reference to our sportcoats, we’ve featured British, Irish, and Italian fabrics in our collection - not necessarily to showcase the different directions tailoring can take. Rather, we’re demonstrating that all of these fabrics have a place and you can use all of them to your advantage, choosing just the right one for the job. You can have comfort and a versatile, everyday piece, tailored from any one of them -and moreover, with the right cut and styling, these vastly different fabrics can match each other perfectly, all fitting into the Everyday Classic style.

We appreciate British fabrics for their weight, durability and ruggedness (in a good way) - it's an old-school approach to weaving that values sturdiness over delicacy. Their colors are commonly associated with earthy shades of browns and greens, though it must be said that the British can surprise with strong accents - they just build contrasts differently than the Italians.

Irish fabrics are quite similar to British ones, which isn’t surprising given the shared climate and historical-cultural ties (though some Irish might bristle at such a direct comparison!). However, the Emerald Isle is also home to unique offerings, most notably the world-famous Donegal Tweed. Aside from its weight and durability, this fabric stands out with its nuanced texture and tiny, colorful flecks visible up close (which we love).

In Italy, apart from their summer fabrics (in which they are, with all due respect to the rest of the world, unmatched), we primarily seek surprises. This country leans more toward innovation than tradition, offering not only lightweight and colorful fabrics and their own versions of northern classics, but also experimenting with unusual, undyed fabrics or blends of fine fibers. That said, Italy does not forsake its heritage - regional specialties like boiled wool and Casentino from Tuscany still have their place.

Fortunately, when designing our collections, at the fabric selection stage, we don’t have to limit ourselves to just one choice - we can select favorites from mills in all these regions, as long as they fit our concept. In this selection, there are no better or worse options, just different ones; the final choice depends on the needs and individual preferences of the end user.

Let’s compare two examples above - similar at first glance, but distinctly different upon closer inspection.

On the left, we have a suit made of genuine Donegal Tweed, woven in Ireland by Magee - the midnight color is one of the most striking ways to showcase its texture, with colorful flecks on the surface creating the effect of a starry night sky. We tailored an entire suit from this tweed because its weight and density make it perfect for both a jacket and trousers—to be worn together or separately.

On the right is the Italian version - the so-called Knickerbocker Tweed by Lanificio Bottoli, from the Veneto region: lighter, with a less pronounced texture, but still adorned with multi-colored flecks. Its significantly lighter weight makes it ideal for an unlined jacket, perfect for transitional seasons or multi-layered winter outfits.

The comparison of two checks is equally interesting - at first glance, you’d bet both come from the British Isles, but on closer inspection, trying to guess which one is Italian, you might easily guess wrong.

On the left, we have a classic: a Gun Club check woven in Scotland, in a fairly typical color combination (with a modern addition of navy), but surprising to the touch - this isn’t tweed but delicate lambswool, soft yet dense and quite heavy.

On the right, we have an option from Italy: also a check, also in earthy (or forest) tones, but lighter and more loosely woven than it appears, while still retaining the rough texture of tweed. The difference is felt when wearing the jacket - the fabric behaves differently, more Italian.

On paper, everything checks out - yes, the British option is heavier - but sight and touch may suggest otherwise. I’ll summarize it this way: why not use these similarities as an excuse to try something new and reach first for the option you wouldn’t usually choose?

From the same checkered fabric by Leomaster, we also made quilted vests - and paired them with another body warmer, again creating a somewhat paradoxical choice.

The northern option, cut from Irish fabric, is indeed heavier but at the same time softer and more, shall we say, luxurious. This is thanks to the fibers used - Shetland-variety sheep's wool is enriched with soft alpaca and woven into an irregular diamond pattern called Gamefeather Tweed by Magee. Despite Donegal’s unmistakable abundance of red, blue, orange, green and yellow flecks, scattered on a cream-black background, this isn’t a fabric that immediately evokes the ruggedness or roughness of the north.

Let’s return to the sportcoats for a moment - there are a couple where the choice isn’t just a matter of taste but of need and practicality.

The biggest weight difference is between two gray options - 300g vs. 500g per linear meter! - which makes them the lightest and heaviest jackets in the collection, respectively. The first is perfect for the transitional season and heated (often overheated in Poland) interiors; the second can serve as both an autumn jacket and a winter sportcoat.

In many ways, they are the most representative of their groups - the heavy, thick, and sturdy British tweed and the light, soft, delicate Italian wool - so it’s no coincidence that in terms of weight, one opens and the other closes the range of fall/winter jackets. Both have distinctive visual features - the Italian fabric is made from undyed merino wool, showing off its natural beauty, while the British one is the typical combination of black and cream threads forming a large herringbone pattern, long recognized as urban tweed, traditionally rugged yet well-suited to color palettes beyond the British Country style.

Our interesting fabric choices don’t end with sportcoats range - we could go on and on about classic tweeds from Lovat, which we used for a hunting jacket and Easy Jacket, or about the already mentioned boiled wool, from which we made one of our ulster coats, the autumn version of solaro that we cut our suit from, and the flannels and covert wool, which are the basis of our trousers range. What’s particularly beautiful about our niche in the fashion industry is that almost every fabric and every cut has a story behind it, one worth telling.

That’s all for today, however - but next time, we’ll be talking about Irish wool, kicking off a series of stories from Donegal. The first part premieres next week, here on the Everyday Classic blog.

Stay tuned, see you soon!