Castaway couture, or wot?

Entrepreneurs, senior executives and trade bodies representing the luxury goods industry will meet in Barcelona tomorrow for the 12th Annual Prestige Brands Meeting.

Europe has always been considered the main producer and market for premium products, with European brands accounting for around 75% (approx. $229 billion) of the global luxury market, according to figures from the Boston Consulting Group.

However, the Financial Times reports serious concern regarding the erosion of specialist skills such as dressmaking, watchmaking and perfume creation in the European luxury goods sector, combined with a shift in production to emerging markets in Asia and eastern Europe.




Guy Salter, deputy chairman of Walpole, the British Luxury alliance claims that “All young people want to be designers and very few, makers." He says, "We want to try and change that by promoting craftsmanship in the luxury sector" adding, by way of example, "only a handful of small manufacturers in the UK are now making bags and leather accessories, compared to over a hundred factories only fifty years ago."



Some brave souls are already taking their own action to help preserve traditional skills and crafts for posterity, amidst a rapidly changing global marketplace. StyleCurious featured Mark H, a personal victim of UK manufacturing's demise, has made it his mission to turn adversity to advantage in a bid to save British craftsmanship from extinction.

Mark says, “There are still people alive, but only just, who remember England as the Workshop of the World, making everything from corsets to a silver condiment train for the Maharaja of Jaipur.” He adds, “We were busy making things: inventing, tweaking, fumbling, making fools of ourselves – the world’s eccentrics – in garages and small workshops all over this green and pleasant land. To achieve a Royal Warrant to supply members of the British royal family was a licence to export products to every part of the globe.”





In order to help prevent the UK’s industrial heritage from being totally “squandered”, Mark decided to establish his own curiously eccentric new luxury brand called OR WOT! to capitalize on ‘the finest components, skills and crafts that England can muster.”







The story behind OR WOT's ‘Castaway Couture’ collection is highly symbolic. Mark imagined the only survivor from a luxury British cruise ship, marooned on a desert island. Key pieces in the collection are inspired by the survivor's luggage, together with flotsam and jetsam from the shipwreck and the animal and reptile life on the island.












An eclectic range of handcrafted luxuries for him and her, plus a selection of beautifully handmade curious gifts and things for the home by OR WOT! is now available exclusively at ShopCurious.







Each product is made in England, has its own tale to tell and is intended to be a family heirloom that will last for generations to come. What’s more, the skill and craft involved in the making of every single item will be passed on to future generations too.

Curiously crazy, curiously clever, OR WOT?

I'm curious to know what you think.


Do you?

You've been Tesco'd...

I had no idea that much revered fashion house, Tesco, was a sponsor of London Fashion Week - did you?

One of my first memories as a young child is of a strong aversion to Tesco carrier bags. I instinctively disliked the dark blue stripes and the bland colour scheme, with its lurid red logo. By the time I was around seven years old, I was trying to persuade my mother not to shop at Tesco, as I didn’t want to be seen anywhere near ‘those’ bags…

I laugh at this now, but it’s curious how our tastes and style preferences are developed at such an early age.







I was amused by a post yesterday on worm’s curiously fascinating blog, ‘ruminant’, which lists all the things he deems to be uncool. Interestingly, most of the items listed aren’t brands, but are products and commodities – including coffee:

I suppose we’re over the whole latte thing and are now hooked on herbal teas… or is it tap water? But I was surprised there was no mention of Starbucks or McDonalds on worm’s list…does that mean they're cool?



Chain stores dominate the high street - and those specializing in fashion often provide well designed, cheap clothing and accessories – including pieces that look awfully like the ones we’ve just seen on the catwalk. These can be great, when mixed with vintage and unique things to create a totally individual look.

And, much as I dislike the way large organizations like Tesco have a ‘dumbing down’ effect on creativity and choice, it’s commendable that they’re helping to sponsor existing and/or emerging designers with the fruits of their monopoly over the market. However, it’s a shame that some smaller players will be held back, and many will go out of business as a result of the competitive advantage enjoyed by such large scale operators.



Anyway, ShopCurious would like to make a few additions to the list of things that aren’t so cool, namely:

Luxury brands
Mass produced designer label goods
Designer outlets
Shopping centres
Supermarket chic

Of course, it’s all a matter of taste and, occasionally - even in the midst of mediocrity, you’ll stumble upon something with quirky appeal, or a certain aesthetic charm. But, if you’re one of the Curious Cognoscenti, you know when you’ve been Tesco’d.

Do you?

PS worm, note the Tesco droid comes in non-human form!