The Nigel Cabourn SS10 collection is inspired by his Father’s handbook, a diary he kept with him at all times during his time in India and Burma during World War II. The handbook contains a great many photographs – taken on a Box Brownie – of Nigel’s father and the people he served with and met, and these are the catalyst for the collection.

There are silhouettes that are mainly based on designs from the time, courier satchels and holdalls made from authentic India Khaki Drill cotton, actual deadstock from the 1940s, the bags themselves are hand-sewn in small Cumbrian factories. As we’d expect the jackets are second to none, the Rangoon is based on the Cameraman jacket, in lightweight canvas and beeswaxed cotton, with a hood based on British Military smocks, ideal for summer and already proving very popular.

This range yet again shows the considered expertise of Nigel Cabourn’s design, inspired by his childhood memories and his expansive archive, SS10 manages to be both true to the original and progressive while ensuring the production values are of the highest order.

Part I of the Spring 2010 collection is available online and at the Hunting Co. store now…

To celebrate 10 years in the business, Swedish trainer-masters Sneakers’n’Stuff have teamed up with New Balance to give us their vision of three of the most famous ’Made in England’ styles. The pack is based on RGB colours and each shoe is a vibrant reworking of a Flimby favourite. As we have seen from a number of previous SNS projects, Erik and Peter are masters of materials, and the RGB pack is no exception, the shoes vary in their fabrics from a premium pig skin and suede design through to an all vegan number. The range also focuses on the heritage of New Balance, the 3 shoes come from different eras of British productions, from classic vintage styles to modern future-classics.

The first shoe, Red, is a 577, which comes in all – erm red – colour way, made from perforated pigskin and premium suede, letting the great lines of the shoe do the talking. The red uppers are broken up with a flash of 3M as a reminder of NBs rich running history, and the overall look of the shoe is considered and high quality.

Green is based on the 1500, a more modern runner, but still a classic. The two-tone colour way is  green and grey, and the construction is a combination of top-quality suede and mesh. Again, the overall look is understated, with a very authentic feel, but with that little bit of Scandinavian flair to set it apart.

Finally, Blue, is a very modern affair. Taking the very forward-thinking 1700, the palette ranges from subtle to vibrant and the uppers are completely vegan, made from a combination of faux nubuck and ripstop fabrics.

We love the variety and attention to detail of this SNS x New Balance collection and feel that it genuinely does justice to both collaborators. The RGB pack will be in store very soon, and we’re definitely looking forward to it.

If you would like to pre-order and of the above styles please call us on +44(0)191 261 9237 to secure your pair.

This season has been one that us Novocastrians can be truly proud of, some of the great brands from our area have come to the fore, with hugely successful ranges celebrating their own rich histories. Berghaus Heritage and Barbour – particularly with the Tokihito Yoshida collection – have used their peerless insight and expertise to produce ranges that have been hugely popular across the world, adding to their already burgeoning reputations.

There is perhaps one other name in North East clothing that stands out even more. Nigel Cabourn is a name that is mentioned in the highest fashion circles, and for good reason. A fashion student during the 1960s ,Cabourn gained success almost instantly with his Cricket Clothing label, and from then on has gone from strength to strength. Cabourn started his now world-renowned eponymous business in 1982, here in his native Newcastle, and since then this proud North Easterner has gone on to work with the likes of Barbour, Next and Alpha, fusing his unique eye for design with his love of historical and military pieces.

Nigel Cabourn’s home-come-office-come-design studio is only 2 miles from our store and we have been lucky enough to have been invited over on a few occasions of late, to look at the huge archive of military and outdoor clothing . The collection spans not only decades, but centuries, and is accompanied by a veritable library of books on military design history, all of which form the catalyst for the Cabourn Heritage range.

The collection itself centres around British Military Mountain Forces pieces, as well as a range of jackets ands knits based exactly on those worn during Edmund Hillary’s 1953 Everest expedition. This comprises the cameraman jacket, which is a replica of the coat worn by the photographer on the expedition, the knit’s the team wore under there jackets and the very parka worn by Sir Edmund Hillary himself, complete to the final detail. The rest of the collection is made up of some truly fantastic bomber and flight jackets that incorporate fabrics from British legends such as Macintosh and Harris, as well as accessories that replicate the equipment of WWI soldiers.

Both ourselves and Nigel Cabourn are extremely happy to be working together, For us we get to work with one of the most respected names in fashion, while he gets the opportunity to deal with a store based in his home town, and regularly meet up to exchange feedback and ideas. This has allowed us the opportunity to take a number of archive pieces that are not on sale anywhere else as part of our AW09 buy, and working with Nigel we have selected the best pieces to go in our new Hunting Co store and on the website.