Bespoke Blokes

What we do
As penurious sartorialists, we create one-off artisanal pieces by restoring, refurbishing, reworking, repurposing, re-imagining and upcycling salvaged objects and materials. Our focus is couture pour monsieur, because we find that there is not a great availability of unique and artisanal clothing and accessories for men; and we started out making outfits for ourselves. We do, however, b

uild in unisex attributes, as much as possible, so that everyone can enjoy our creations. Why we do it
Sadly, the majority of clothing (almost three-fifths, to be exact) is tossed out within a year of initial purchase. Upcycled fashion takes the clothes that would otherwise be thrown away and reinvents them. This circular fashion, also, means that we are not seeking out new, raw materials to start from scratch. The whole principle behind upcycling clothing is to take used garments and create new looks. As a result, clothing is given a new look, and new life, rather than adding to waste in a landfill. Reducing the amount of new clothing that is produced also has positive ethical consequences. Unfortunately, many brands, particularly fast fashion brands, have been found to select suppliers from countries with lower degrees of human wellbeing. When apparel manufacturing takes place in countries with low labour costs and where the awareness of environmental and human rights are often less developed, this commonly leads to exploitation. We all know by now that when we buy local, our money stays local, and it strengthens the local economy. Buying locally, also, reduces the processing of goods, packaging and transportation waste, which leads to less pollution. Additionally, buying locally means that you are supporting local entrepreneurs and innovation.