Classic Fashion Pieces You Should Own

Timeless, investment-worthy pieces that every man should have in his closet

One of the first positive aspects of the basics: you can be well-dressed without looking like someone who’s made a lot of effort

Leather Biker Jacket

Leather is in almost every winter because of its ability to keep us dry, warm and unashamedly masculine. This season’s styles lean towards biker cuts, ideally lined/trimmed with shearling for added insulation.

Don’t rely on hand-me-downs; vintage jackets are cut boxy, rather than in the slim fits that pair with a shirt and trousers as well as jeans and wet-weather boots.

Pattern Scarf

Some men have an aversion to scarves, earmarking them as a less-than manly accessory. That’s not an opinion shared by WWI fighter pilots, who used them to fight frostbite and enemy aircraft.

Men smart enough to appreciate the warm and stylish properties of a piece of wool, cashmere or silk will also know that it can be tied in multiple ways depending on the desired style, and coloured versions can be used to brighten up even the most pared-back of outfits.

Leather Boots

Harsh conditions can strike sporadically any time from around September, so a pair of smart, sturdy boots should always be on hand. But it’s when winter really hits that a step up is needed.

While it’s unlikely you’re readying for an expedition, a durable boot with a dense rubber sole or commando sole can make the quest to work a less slippery one.

Leather Tech Gloves

Aiden Touch Screen Leather Gloves for Men

Trends aside, no one wants to shake cracked hands. Put a (warm) middle finger up to the elements and keep your mitts happy with a pair of tech leather gloves.

Black is a touch Gestapo officer; dark brown leather or suede are a more versatile bet. Look for a pair lined with either cashmere, shearling or wool for an added touch of luxury and comfort. To keep connected to your digital life, we recommend a pair of Aiden Touchscreen Gloves from UR Powered.

Color Trends for A/W 16/17

Colour decisions begin at one of the first stages of the development cycle.

The ‘colour palette’ is what designers use to begin their first selection of experiments with colour.  The first initial selections of the colour palette are important because those colours define the personality of the collection. The colour story will then collaborate with the prints, yarn dyed fabrics and other accessories and finally, the garments.  On average approximately 200 pieces of textiles are used for one collection.

Clear, strong messages emerged as trends for A/W 16/17, leaving little doubt surrounding the importance of the key colours for the season. From core neutrals through to directional brights, the entire palette feels refreshed and reinvigorated.

• Cosmetic pink-cast neutrals evolve summer's sandy neutrals while a palette of rich amber shades emerges as the key browns message

• Red is a focal point for the season, spanning warming wine tones through to sweet, orange-cast brights

• Bolstering the brights message, a riot of vibrant colour forms a directional palette, with cobalt blue, sunshine yellow, fuchsia pink and regal purple driving the story

• Luxurious pewter, copper and bronze update the metallics palette

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Women’s A/W 16/17 Core Colors

The core colours for footwear and accessories straddle either end of the spectrum, sweeping from creamy, off-white neutrals to deep, bordering-on-black tones. Drawing-room red and burgundy brown serve as this season’s new oxbloods, while bramble green and intense blue stand out for their luxurious richness.

Men’s A/W 16/17 Core Colors

This palette builds on the foundation of classic bread-and-butter tones. Outdoorsy greens that are warm, rich and rustic bring a utility feel to the collection. Dark espresso and dark maroon provide depth and richness, while sandstone and green-toned stone grey present lighter alternatives.

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Color Pallets from the Catwalk

Winter White

refined white palette makes an impact for footwear and accessories this season. Shades range from icy, blue-cast whites through to softer, warmer tones. Colour-matched styling and mono-colour products serve to amplify the effect of this directional winter colour story.

Blush Pink

The soft blush tones that began to emerge for S/S 15 gather pace for the winter season. The palette ranges from the palest of white-cast pinks through to sticky, saccharine shades, their sickly sweetness emphasised with glossy, high-shine patent surfaces.

Cosmetic Neutrals

Summer's trend for sandy neutrals is evolved with a focus on cosmetic skin tones to create an essential palette for leather footwear and accessories. Smooth, unblemished surfaces are key in emphasising the luxurious nature of this palette.

Amber Browns

A warm palette of orange-cast shades evolves the tan message for the season. These colours work as the ideal canvas for gold hardware, embroidery, studwork and texture- blocking so integral to the all-important nomadic, global traveller trend.

Vegetal Greens

The season's core green palette is rooted in earthy, vegetal colour. It is divided into two stories: lush evergreen tones and muted yellow-cast tones. The latter is key for the bags category, offering a commercial alternative to the essential cosmetic neutrals, while the former is important for textural soft accessories.

Winter Wines

Rich, warming red tones emerged in New York before gathering paces across each of the subsequent cities. The palette spans deep, purple-cast shades through to softer blush hues and is an essential cross-category colour message for the season.

Sweet Reds

At the other end of the red spectrum, a palette of sweet reds emerges as an important directional colour message for A/W 16/17. Glossy surfaces, glittering gemstones and high-shine embellishment bolster the impact of this important seasonal colour story.

Carnivale

From regal purple through to sunshine yellow, bright fuchsia and cobalt, a riot of vibrant brights prevail on the catwalks this season. Exotic embossing, plush textures, high- shine surfaces and XXL silhouettes emphasise the energy that inspires this directional colour trend.

Powder Blue

This feminine palette of powder blues conjures up visions of Rococo opulence. Smooth, saturated leathers drive the trend, with felted fabrics paired with softened colour working as a more commercial buy in to this directional winter colour message.

Warm Metallics

After seasons dominated by cool silver and yellow gold, the metallics palette is reinvigorated with a whole host of warm tones. Surfaces are dulled for commercial appeal, with mixed metals applied through embellishment and hardware creating a more directional offering.

A/W 16/17 Color Reference Chart

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As a company that manufactures our own lines as well as those for Private Label, we strive to stay on top of current fashion trends, especially colour.  Like our US Patented UR Powered touch screen gloves and audio headwear.  The above mentioned color trends will soon be available in such styles as our Aiden men's touch screen glove and our Stella audio earmuff. View all Touchscreen gloves for her and for him or view all audio headwear for her or for him.

Glove Size Does Matter

How to determine your proper glove size

Gloves come in only a few sizes while people’s hands come in an infinite number of shapes and configurations. We can help you get the best fit for the glove. Take a look at these tips and get your gloves to fit well, like a glove, the first time.

Find your size.

Some sizes are indicated by number and others by letters standing for Small, Medium, Large, etc. Depending on the brand, we indicate the size of a pair of gloves both ways. Use the table below to translate between "letter sizes" and "number sizes".

Hand

Wrap a tailor’s measuring tape around your dominant hand just below the knuckles, excluding your thumb, and make a fist. Your dominant hand is the hand you use to hold a pen. If you don’t have a tailor’s soft tape, wrap a piece of string around your hand the same way as above, make a mark, and measure the length of the string with a ruler. This measurement is your “hand width” glove size.

Finger

Measure from the bottom edge of your palm – use the first crease at your wrist as the starting point. Measure to the tip of your middle finger. This measurement is your “finger length” glove size.

Options

Concentrate on the length data as the primary glove sizing over width. Hand length is more important because you don’t want glove fingers that are too long. If you have a heavy, muscular hand, using width can push you up a size, and the fingers may be too long, causing a loss in dexterity.

This chart above is the heart of the matter. As you can see, there is a lot of variation between the lengths of the middle finger, over a half an inch in the largest sizes. For small hand sizes, if your index finger is shorter than your middle finger by 1/4 of an inch to 5/16 of an inch, we recommend going down one size. And with larger hands, go down a size if your index finger is shorter than your middle finger by 1/2 an inch.

Some mays have heavy muscular palms and fingers. For these customers they might be tempted to choose a larger size as suggested by their hand width measurement and the glove sizing chart. We suggest that they consider the style of the gloves that they use. The way that a glove design can stay snug on a range of hand types is STRETCH. The more stretch in the glove material the better the glove will accommodate large diameter muscular fingers.  Glove leather is not the highest stretch material used in gloves. Knit textile has higher stretch than leather.

 So for users with heavy muscular fingers we suggest that you opt for glove types that have stretch knit on the backs and sides of fingers. Consider gloves that are not all leather. A really good option is a seamless knit glove.

As a company that manufactures gloves, we strive to make gloves that well, fit like gloves.  with almost  240 years of experience, staying on top of quality and fit are always a priority. Staying current with fashion and technical trends is a close second. Take our US Patented UR Powered touch screen gloves and audio headwear for an example.  Our UR Powered line offers touch screen glove for both men and women. Our newest mens glove is the Aiden while the trending women’s glove is the Sasha.

 

 

Fashion and Technology evolve, and your glove designs should too.

Consumers are influenced by what is in trend now and not what has been.

Notice trends early enough to get the consumers attention, do not be on the tail end where it fails to catch on or is out of date. Figure out what trend will be beneficial and exciting. This is exactly what we do with our diverse team of uniquely talented designers.

Staying on point.

The way we identify design trends is to look at what had success in previous seasons.  Are new styles better than old styles or vice versa?  We research trending colors, patterns, and types of materials such as leather and fabric. We also review and develop new technical innovations. We review retailers in other product categories for both influence and direction based on what is working for them.  We often ask ourselves, are there any new innovations that can be brought into our product lines?

After attending trade shows, talking to the material/hardwear suppliers, we are able to get a better perspective as to what is responding in the market. Specialty retailers, like outdoor sports, footwear, other apparel retailers, also often provide an insight to new trends. We try to develop innovative manufacturing techniques to incorporate these new potential elements into our designs.

Timing is everything.

Merchandisers analyze months and in some cases years in advance as to what accessories and apparel will sell and at what prices. This is why designers need to stay current with the fashion industry and it’s ever evolving trends. Depending upon the item and season, designers will began to develop merchandise 9-14 months before it’s sold in stores. Therefore, they must be able to anticipate fashion trends and consumer needs. In order for manufacturers as a whole to anticipate future trends, they familiarize themselves with current merchandise in the market place, organized within the form of a line sheet and travel to seasonal fashion weeks and shows to view new trending styles.

Patented US Technology is key.

As a company that manufactures our own lines, as well as those for private label, we strive to stay on top of current fashion and technical trends, like our US Patented UR Powered touch screen gloves and audio headwear.  Our UR Powered line offers touch screen glove for both men and women. Our newest mens glove is the Aiden while the trending women’s glove is the Sasha.

Two Major Glove Companies Working Hand-in-Hand

Two Major Glove Companies Working Hand-in-Hand to Create Privately Branded Technical Gloves and Accessories

NEW YORK, N.Y. (June 30, 2014) – Two well-known and highly respected companies in the handwear business have merged according to an announcement today. Joining forces are Tabar, Inc., a private label technical sport glove design and production firm which has built handwear for the outdoor and sports markets for more than 32 years, andFownes Brothers & Co., Inc., a 236-year-old company in the broader cold weather accessory retail market.   

Together they will serve both the technical outdoor and fashion sides of the glove and accessory business, from Fifth Avenue to Mount Everest and everywhere in between. 

Effective immediately, Tabar becomes a wholly-owned division of the Fownes Performance Group. The announcement was made jointly by Gary Schloss, president of Tabar, Inc., based in Bethel, Conn., and Even Dunlop, principal and chief operating office of Fownes Brothers, based in New York. 

The newly branded Tabar, Inc. can be seen at the upcoming Outdoor Retailer Summer Market trade show on August 6 to 9 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City.  They will be revealing some of their new product line at booth no. 62045.

Tabar, known as the "go to" company for the design and sourcing of leading edge, turn-key glove and accessory programs, will combine its strength in technical handwear for the outdoor, hunt/fish, cycling, industrial and tactical markets, with the support of Fownes Brothers’ extensive back office, sourcing, and production, including company-owned factories in Asia. 

Tabar will maintain its design offices in Bethel, Conn., and Bellingham, Wash., and plans to join the midtown New York Fownes Brothers showroom at 16 E. 34th Street, one block from the Empire State Building. 

“The line between technical sport and fashion has blurred over the years. Consumers expect both qualities when it comes to product. This merger makes this expectation a seamless reality,” said Even Dunlop of Fownes Brothers.   

“This merger combines Fownes’ leather glove heritage with Tabar’s technical expertise, allowing Tabar’s talented design team to expand into a variety of new categories.”

The two firms have collaborated over the years and saw this alliance as an opportunity to broaden the products it can offer clients. Fownes Brothers provides privately branded headwear, neckwear and handwear to retailers including Nordstrom, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Bloomingdales, American Eagle, and J.Crew. 

Tabar designs and manufactures handwear for retailers such as EMS, REI, Eddie Bauer, and MEC, as well as a wide range of manufacturers.

Adds Tabar's Gary Schloss, “Becoming part of the Fownes Brothers traditional resources allows Tabar the ability to be a truly vertical source within some areas of our product offering – a real benefit to current and potential clients. 

“Tabar will also have direct access to patented technologies such as touchscreen-friendly capacitive materials, and we are also expanding our technical abilities around heat retention and generation, audio and Bluetooth integration, as well as LED lighting and high visibility solutions for the technical handwear category," according to Schloss. 

Says Dan Ramos, senior product manager – equipment for The North Face in Alameda, Calif., “This is truly the best of two worlds. Fownes has been making dress and casual gloves for literally centuries. Tabar has been covering the technical side for three decades – gloves you can depend your life on. Bringing these companies together will ultimately benefit the end consumer with the best handwear available today,” Ramos believes.

Tabar was honored as a top 10 “Best Places to Work” in the outdoor business by Outside Magazine for four consecutive years, from 2009-2012. 

Fownes Brothers was established in the U.K. in 1777 and continues to be privately held by the same family for over 100 years.

 For more information on Fownes Brothers: www.fownesbrothers.com

For more information on Tabar, Inc.: www.tabarinc.com

FOWNES BROTHERS GRANTED U.S. PATENT

FOWNES BROTHERS & CO., INC. IS GRANTED U.S. PATENT

Fownes Brothers & Co., Inc., founded in 1777 and based in New York City, has been a premier glove manufacturer for over 200 years. Today, Fownes Brothers is at the forefront of the conductive leather and fabric industry with their U|R Powered branded products available at many major retail outlets such as Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdales, Von Maur, Nordstroms & Dillards. Products are also available for sale online at www.urpowered.com.

Fownes, a company with a storied history of making the finest gloves and other cold weather accessories, is pleased to announce that it recently received a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering colored conductive leather materials. U.S. Patent No. 8,507,102, which was issued to Fownes Brothers on August 13, 2013, covers colored conductive leathers that allow users to interact directly with today’s capacitive touchscreen electronic devices, such as most smartphones, without removing their gloves.

The colored conductive leather covered by Fownes Brothers’ patent represents a major step forward in touchscreen-enabled glove technology. While conductive textile gloves and gloves with conductive elements provided in the fingertips have been on the market for several years, the dream of high-quality colored leather touchscreen-enabled gloves remained elusive. Initial attempts at preparing colored conductive leather materials resulted in gloves that stacked up poorly against traditional leather gloves in terms of quality, durability, colorfastness, and were limited in regards to the range of available colors. Fownes Brothers’ patented colored conductive leather materials are crafted into gloves in a variety of colors that are virtually indistinguishable from their traditional leather offerings, with the added benefit of keeping smartphone tapping fingers warm.

For additional information regrading Fownes Brothers & Co., Inc., this patent or their products please feel free to visit www.fownesbrothers.com