The world of fashion never stops!!

Here we are again the second trip away and this time it’s off to Berlin to the super show that is – Bread and Butter.

Each season Bread and Butter is a must see show for the Aspecto buying team searching for the next big brands and trends..

BREAD & BUTTER was founded in 2001, it has been held twice a year in January and July ever since. Following three events in Cologne, BREAD & BUTTER moved to Berlin in January 2003. With Barcelona as its second location from July 2005 on, BREAD & BUTTER took place both in Berlin and Barcelona, and from July 2007 to January 2009, BREAD & BUTTER was held exclusively in Barcelona.

In July 2009 BREAD & BUTTER returned to Berlin and has taken place at the historic Berlin-Tempelhof Airport ever since. BREAD & BUTTER’s long-term decision to remain in Berlin enables the international textile industry to plan ahead for the future.

In summer 2011 the BREAD & BUTTER – tradeshow for selected brands will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary under the motto “THE BREAD & BUTTER SUPERSHOW

The show is an ideal opportunity for us to see the brands we work with. The likes of Barbour, Grenson, Suit and Humor all eager to show us their collections for AW12.

After figuring out we had walked about 12 miles throughout the day we decided to let our hair down and attended the Barbour Black Streak party.

A great event which included a live band and special Barbour Black streak drinks!! After one too many drinks the night ended at 4am in a bar called White Trash which will be remembered for some time.

See the photo’s here and keep your eyes peeled for more news.

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Well it’s that time of year again and our buyer’s are busy sourcing the best collections for winter 2012. First stop Pitti Uomo in Florence.  A beautiful historic city that is hard not to fall in love with especially with all the breathtaking architecture.

 

 

 

 

The Fortezza da basso.                                                Sneak peek Barbour 2012 footwear.

The trade show was created in the 1970’s to promote different menswear labels and allow for new brands to be premiered to many buyers from around the globe. This without doubt is one of the biggest shows in Europe for men’s fashion and the place to pick up all the latest trends and up and coming brands.

The fair is held at Fortezza De Basso, for all off you that didn’t listen in history class here is a short run down.

A masterpiece of the military Renaissance architecture, the Fortezza da Basso was planned by Antonio da Sangallo il Giovane and commissioned by Duke Alessandro de’ Medici, and it was built between 1534 and 1537. The Fortezza da Basso has always been the main venue of the exhibition center in Florence since 1967 and it is strategically located in the historic city centre.

The fort and the connecting walls that surrounded the city of Florence were made out of thin, red bricks and a dark, grey stone called bugneto, according to Stephano Farina, a Florence history writer. Protrusions off the fort and walls (salienti) gave a wider angle range for gun men to aim, while small windows only big enough for the barrel of a handgun (feritoie) protected stray gun fire from entering the impenetrable structure.

Though equipped strategically, the fort was never attacked in 400 years. The walls, however, were destroyed in the 1860s when Florence became Italy’s new capital and the city needed to make room for new roadways.

 

Fashion Bloggers at Pitti.                                           Kanye West & Sam Lambert.

In terms of our brands at the show the usual suspects were there proudly showing off their collections, Engineered Garments, Grenson, Barbour, Penfield  and Edwin to name a few and of course some new brands which we will be keeping tight lipped about!! So pay a careful attention to our website and Facebook site for new updates and show details.

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Click above to see this weeks emailer

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After the warmest November since 1910 Winter has finally arrived.
(even the first bit of snow!)

Our range of winter accessories are flying out now the frost has set in and the snow has started.

Here at Aspecto we have stocked up on the best hats, scarves and gloves to keep you going through the next couple of months.

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We have been hacked off for some time with review sites out there on the internet where anyone can leave a review as too many of these sites offer corrupt data.  Unfortunately Company’s get their staff to write their own reviews or alternatively they make up fake experiences and review competitors badly so they achieve a lower rating.  It is time there was an overhaul of such sites.

Here at Aspecto we aim to provide a great online service for our customers and we felt it was important that we received genuine feedback from customers who have placed genuine orders.  This serves two purposes it gives Aspecto an invaluable insight into what you the customer think of the service we provide, whether it is good or bad, and it gives us the opportunity to correct any issues you may have.  Secondly it allows our potential customers to have faith in the service we provide and gives them peace of mind.

To this end we have entered into a contract with TRUSTPILOT.  Trustpilot have also been awarded a contract by Google such is the value of their service. On our behalf Trustpilot will email all customers who have purchased seven days after their invoice has been raised, asking them if they’d care to pass comment on their experience.  Aspecto can’t ‘vet’ the comments made so everything that appears is an honest and genuine review from a genuine customer.  Aspecto can however respond to individual customers in the Trustpilot structure.

Whilst we’d love to be perfect all the time things do go wrong from time to time but we will endeavour to rectify any errors as quickly as possible.  Why not see what our customers really think of us by clicking on the TRUSTPILOT logo on our homepage or clicking here

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Ugg Australia Offer

20% Off Ugg Australia + Free Delivery on orders over £75. Ends Midnight 19/11/11.

Simply enter the discount code ‘COOLFEET‘ during checkout!

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Winter at Aspecto

No sooner have we packed the BBQs’ away than autumn is upon us with Halloween and Bonfire Night rolling past in a flash.  I don’t know why the arrival of Christmas takes us by surprise each year but I find it very unnerving to be out shopping and to hear carols at the end of October.   In retail we At the end of September we faced record temperatures and we were ‘swanning’ around in shorts and have to get our personal shopping done pretty early as the opportunities in December are very few and far between with all the extra hours we have to put in over this busy period so the piped carol music does make my heart flutter in panic and I keep promising myself that I’ll get stuck into it very soon!

Here at Aspecto we have now applied our extended Christmas returns policy and anything purchased between 7 November 2011 up until Xmas Eve will qualify for this longer revised exchange/refund period but to qualify please note that any goods purchased in this period must be back with us no later than Monday 9 January 2012.  Any refunds/exchanges given outside this time frame is solely at Aspecto’s discretion.

We have a wide range of great gift ideas and stocking fillers for Christmas

For Him:

Bags from Barbour, Belstaff, Penfield.

Hats from Penfield, Barbour, Edwin, Carhartt, Norse Projects.

Slippers from Ugg Australia and Camper

Socks from Universal Works

Watches from G Shock

Scarves from Barbour

 

For Her:

Hats from Barbour

Scarves from Barbour

Slipper and Care Kits from Ugg Australia Slippers

 

If you are looking to buy a ‘big’ present for the woman in your life look no further than the International Polar Quilt from Barbour but be warned that at our current sale volumes demand will exceed supply and it is highly likely that we will be out of stock on this item before Christmas!   It you are after something for your bloke check out the Barbour Akenside jacket with it’s slim fit or the Penfield Kasson mountain parka jackets.

If you need any further assistance with Christmas gifts and ideas please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at Aspecto either via email buyonline@aspecto.co.uk or our dedicated internet hotline 0161 272 5431.  We take great pride in our levels of customer service!

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The buzz word around the fashion industry this season is ‘Heritage’ and like me, you may be wondering what this refers to; is it another of those nebulous airy fairy vacuous terms used by the fashion luvies?

In fact heritage labels are those where designs are either borrowed from the archives of the brand or from historical design. Alternatively the term can refer to the manufacturing process used in creating a product such as the use of traditional fabrics or methods of manufacture thus creating a legacy or tradition.  The great thing about having such pieces in your wardrobe is that they are never on the sharp edge of fashion and as such will have some longevity and lasting for years as a key part of your look.

Virtually all the Aspecto deliveries this week came from the cadre, of what we call, heritage brands.  Woolrich has delivered some of their iconic Arctic Parkas and as a Company their credentials date back to the US Civil War.  We have also received a hit from Belstaff which includes their Evolution and Urban jackets plus a selection of stunning bags and to top that off we have received some nautically inspired blazers and jackets from Cro Jack who use traditional methods of manufacture and Heritage Research have delivered a couple of their parkas and flannel shirts.

Both Cro Jack and Heritage Research use the traditional skills of UK manufacturing in both the manufacture of the fabrics used and the makeup of the garments.  Belstaff and Woolrich on the other hand have a wealth of historical designs which they can draw upon and tweak to bring up to date.  If you are desperate to have something new in your wardrobe, particularly in these austere times, these pieces will stand the test of time.

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Home Sweet Home



Aspecto are delighted to report that they have moved their head office and warehouse facility.  We had previously been on the second floor of an old Victorian Warehouse in Manchester City Centre, 10 minutes walk from Piccadilly train station, and whilst it was convenient for trips into the City at lunch it was far from ideal for our warehouse lads who were sick and tired of moving goods inward and outward to the second floor in an industrial lift. Our new premises are light, airy and spacious and we are still only 13 minutes walk from Piccadilly station but in the opposite direction.

From a logistical standpoint the move has improved our warehousing and our new, secure, ground floor location has put a smile back on Kev’s, our Warehouse Manager’s, face.  The real dividends of our move will become more apparent as deliveries ramp up for the Christmas period so let’s hope Kev and his team are still smiling in January! No more broken lifts….

The internet troops are also enjoying the move and we have expanded to cope with demands of our web business. We now employ more staff and have a larger designated area for picking/packing.  Not only do we answer email queries, as we have in the past, but we have also installed a designated telephone hotline for ‘internet only’ queries in an effort to improve our level of customer service.

The Accounts Department have also embraced the move to our new premises and instead of treating themselves shopping during lunch  the girls are now happy to save their pennies and do a little exercise in our onsite gym.

It was very difficult to find new premises which ticked all the boxes for our business but not only has the move improved our working conditions it should also make a difference to you….our customers.

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Norse Projects AW11


Here at Aspecto HQ Scandinavian streetwear brand Norse Projects is a firm favourite with our staff. Each new season the guys from Denmark provide classic well made garments.

Originally starting as a retail store in the Norreport distric of Copenhagen, the store quickly gained popularity and became one of the best streetwear stores in region.

In 2009 Anton Jull, Tobia Sloth and Mikkel Groemeback released the first Norse Projects collection.
This was an instant hit with loyal customers of the store because of the simple designs, which are constructed to
cope with the toughest Scandinavian winters.

With this in mind we think Norse Projects will provide some of the best outerwear this season for the (very) cold British winter ahead!

“I think a few brands can always be successful with just prestige. There will always be customers out there willing to pay for hype, a brand name or a logo. But Norse Projects have never been about prestige or hype. For us it’s about offering a good product at reasonable prices”. (Mikkel Groemeback).

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