Garmology - A podcast about clothes, and stuff.

In this episode, my guest is Albert, NY residing classical music promotor and man of fine culture. At the weekends he heads to his secret upstate lair where he dons his heritage wear and becomes UpstateGuyStyle, another of the rare old dudes with a penchant for denim, boots and clothes with a story. Add into the mix that Albert also hosts his own podcast, Vir Vulnderabilis Vir, and the stage is se...

The guest this episode is Holly Swinyard, style chameleon in many a Cosplay getup. Holly is editor and podcaster for the Cosplay Journal, a contributor to Chap magazine, We talk about having fun with clothes, dressing for pleasure and self-confidence, conformity, ignoring rules and how cosplay intersects with dressing up in our daily lives. Oh, and a shared admiration for books the late Terry Prat...

This weeks guest is Gary Newbold, maker of premium, handmade British outerwear as English Utopia, and his non-linear career progression from life as a competition cyclist to becoming head of design at Barbour, and what to do after that. Pearls of wisdom are included, so pay attention! You can find English Utopia on Instagram as @englishutopia and on the web as englishutopia.com . Nick Johannessen...

This weeks episode sees Garmology regular Dachi back to discuss vintage opportunities for the coming cold and wet season. Topics covered include vintage sizing, cashmere loungewear, old quality brands, vintage weight Harris tweed, rainwear perverts, making for profit or quality, how flimsy modern workwear is and how hard-earned heritage is being sacrificed for quick cash, the difference between ho...

My guest in this episode is Thomas A Turner, acclaimed author of "The Sports Shoe - A history from field to fashion", the definitive book about the evolution of the sports shoe form the early days of tennis shoes, via trainers, technology, fashion, cult reissues and the current days' hypebeast mania of the collectable collaborative investment sneakers.  The humble sports shoe  Thomas can be found...

David Wilkinson has had a long and varied career in retail, from a small-town hardware store, via Harrods in London and major department stores in Doha and St. Petersburg, to currently in charge of Steen & Strøm, the Oslo department store that has been trading since 1797. We talk about David's early days in retail, how retail has changed over time and how the person to person interaction can never...

My guest today is John Sugden of Campbell's of Beauly, a traditional highland tailor and accessories shop outside Inverness with a continuous history going back to 1858. We get into his background in the garment industry, the place of traditional tailoring and fabrics in modern times, how workers on the Highland estates still use unique tweeds for their workwear, doing ethical business in times of...

In this episode, my guest is Holly Butterworth. Holly and her husband, Colin, have a combined 35 years in the vintage garment trade and now own a vintage clothes shop called Butterworth Vintage in Totnes, Devon, UK. We talk about the vintage trade, sourcing, picking and pricing stock, trends and fashion in the vintage world, and some tips on how to deal with the smell of old clothes. Naturally, we...

In today's episode, my guest is Ryan Mallinson, Yorkshireman and keen maintainer of the waxed jacket legacy. Ryan owns a small company offering repairs and rewaxing of classic waxed cotton jackets such as Barbour, Belstaff and John Partridge. We talk about the process of rewaxing, why it is a good thing, common problems, how to deal with smells, fashion versus function, which brands are better tha...

This episode finds Shaun back for another chat about, well, clothes and stuff really. More specifically the comfort we find in cloths, in which ways clothes may be comfortable and whether there is a  disproportionate relationship between comfort and style.  Underway a startling revelation is made (just what does Nick wear to collect his mail?), possibly spurious allegations are put forward (does S...

Many men find shopping for clothes both tedious, tricky and best left to a partner or mother. My guest today is Sarah Gilfillan, London-based style consultant, personal shopper and sartorial hand-holder through her business Sartorialab. We talk about how men shop, becoming aware of what suits you and not, how many clothes you need and how to get the most out of what you have. Oh, and the baffling...

It's easy enough to keep a narrow interest. We like what we like, more of the same can be a matter of "yes please!". Finding an interest in something we've not previously been very interested in at all? Now that takes the seductive moves of a true lothario. In this weeks episode, Dachi tries to make Nick see the light when it comes to wrist-mounted timepieces, or watches as we usually call them. ...

Today's guest is Martin Ridne of Swedish micro-brand Jernvike, literally a husband and wife brand from Stockholm. Jernvirke has been in business for around a year and I wanted to check in with Martin to hear about the experience of starting a clothing brand from scratch, what they bring to an already crowded table, being hands-on with the factory that makes for you, the trust-issues you face with...

For this weeks episode, I'm joined again by my pal Shaun for a chat about clearing out our closets. A kind of guys version of the minimal Marie Kondo rage maybe? Well, not quite, but we get into knowing what you have before looking for more, what sort of stuff should be discarded, and what happens to it after we say farewell to our unwanted garms. Underway there are the usual tangents taken, as fr...

In this episode, I talk to Sophie Miller, designer at traditional British maker Yarmouth Oilskins on the coast of Norfolk. The company will shortly be celebrating 125 years of continuous history within the business of workwear. Originally supplying fishermen with their working clothes, from sweaters to oilskins, to a wider field of clothes for workers. Three years ago the heritage brand was launch...

Today's guest is Jon Fowler, inveterate garmsman and collector of the weird, obscure, traditional and bespoke. We talk about Jon's background in clothes, growing up on a farm, his love for waxed cotton and tweed, going deep into the world of army surplus and how what once was cheap and available is now rare, collectable and super expensive. The conversation takes a turn into British Made, how a re...

In today's episode, I talk to Lewis Hull of online reseller Marrkt. We talk about the business of reselling high-end menswear on consignment, whether fashion is an aspect in this segment, the current state of the denim industry and whether old gold will beat fast fashion. You can find Marrkt on their website at Marrkt.com and on Instagram as @marrkt . Nick Johannessen is the host of Garmology , th...

In this episode, I talk to David Henderson-Stewart of the Russian watch company Raketa. Based in St Petersburg, Raketa is the only remaining maker of watches in Russia and their uniquely different timepieces have a long and interesting tradition. Made in their entirety in the small factory by a workforce that has seen much history happen outside. Used by Russian cosmonauts and Arctic explorers, th...

In this weeks episode titled "The art of the prance", my chum Dachi is back for another highbrow chat about a vital topic within garmology, prancing, or as some may refer to it, "pimping the fit", "gilding the garms" or even "peacocking". We're talking about adding flair to the mundane, mashing up the normcore and disobeying rules with a vengeance. At least that was what we set out to do, though w...

The guest in this episode is Bryan Shettig. Bryan owns the brand Rite-Stuff, specialising in the reproduction of early 1900's workwear. I wanted to talk to him about having garments made in Japan, whether the quality is as legends say and also about the challenges involved in finding a factory. We get into quite a lot of other stuff as well, so it made for an interesting hour-long chat. Bryan Shet...

The world of influencers is a strange and new one. On the one hand, it's one of the most aspired to jobs among teens today, on the other, it's clearly not without controversy. What exactly is influencing all about, and is it strictly above board? In this episode, I talk to influencer and social media guru Nik Speller and get the lowdown. Nik Speller is @nikspeller on Instagram Nick Johannessen is...

The title really does say it all. In this episode, Shaun is back for a chat and the topic is clothing we don't like. Garmental prejudice, if you like. There is even disagreement about certain items, so the tension is running high. Controversial topics are put on the table, only to be quickly snatched away. Some marginally sage advice is even dispersed. In a brief survey, 8/10 respondents rated thi...

Ant Hicks owns Assembly, a small menswear shop in the idyllic market town of Frome in Somerset. We talk about the reality of being small and local when faced with the online retail mastodonts, the value of where things are made and the importance of sustainability. Find Assembly on Instagram as AssemblyShop and the web . Nick Johannessen is the host of Garmology , the editor of the WellDressedDad...

Much is said about the environmental impact and sustainability of our clothes. Which fibres are good, which are not so good. Should we upcycle, recycle, downcycle, send to landfill or wear them threadbare? What role do chemicals play, and are they all good? In this episode, I talk with Norwegian Research Professor Ingun Grimstad Klepp at Oslo Metropolitan University. Ingun researches sustainable t...

In this episode, I talk to Iain Trickett of Trickett England. We talk about being proud of where you come from, being part of the local community, making good things for good people and is Made in England all it's cracked up to be? You can find Trickett England on Instagram as trickettengland and on the web at  https://trickett-england.co.uk/ Nick Johannessen is the host of Garmology , the editor...