Ben Farren has an agenda. His online retailing business, specialising in the chino, is dedicated to creating good quality product and making it available to men everywhere.
Why? "I'd wanted to do something in menswear for a while. It seems to me that the major fashion labels are so preoccupied with staying on trend and churning through 250 piece collections that they are dropping the ball on the things that matter".
And the things that really matter to Ben: fit and price. SPOKE, Ben's brand, avoids seasonal trends by sticking to a staple item and making it worthy of your capsule wardrobe. At the moment, that item is the chino.
"We got started earlier this year. I can code (a bit), so I built a simple website while finding the talent I needed to design and make some trousers. With help, I made 50 pairs in a factory in Hoxton, sold through them quickly, and decided I was onto something".
Now onto much larger batches, SPOKEs come in a sizeable (forgive the pun) range of waist and leg variations, as well as different builds to fit men of every proportion. There's even a whole section of the website dedicated to "fit", where you can enter your dimensions and be pointed to the perfect pair of chinos for you.
"By tightly editing our range, and cutting out the retail rents and the middlemen, we can offer more sizes, and make clothes with real craftsmanship - and still beat many high street brands on price". Ben is obviously proud of his chinos, and rightly so: made of 100% Larusmiani cotton, with premium zips and buttons, there is some pretty serious work going on here.
The emphasis on quality and style over fashion also plays well with the SPOKE demographic, who Ben describes as "the 30-50-something professional who is aesthetically engaged - interested in design and cares about how he looks - but who approaches the style pages of GQ with a mixture of skepticism and bewilderment".
And there's a bit of Ben in there too. "I guess there are ties to my own personal style...I tend to keep it pretty simple. I like sharp, modern tailoring with a twist. I think Paul Smith is a genius". And you can certainly see that Paul Smith influence coming through in some of the details such as the cotton pocket linings that are designed to complement each SPOKE shade (currently: taupe; olive; navy; maroon; grey; and black).
When discussing the future, Ben is clear that there is still plenty of room to develop and hone his craft. "We're firmly in the 'do one thing well' camp - so expect more trousers, in more fabrics: some stretch is in the pipeline, and something more technical. And we'll launch a more casual 5-pocket style in the Spring."
It is this drive for perfection (which is mixed with Ben's natural self-deprecation) that makes SPOKE stand out. "Everything is a test...Our designer Adam brings years of experience...and has some great products in the pipeline - but ultimately we'll let our customers pick the winners".
So get picking! SPOKEs are only available at http://spokefit.com and are priced at £79.00.
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