Friday 31 December 2010

AD of the WEEK - MASSIMO OSTI



The Massimo Osti archives have been plundered in the last couple of years and the legend is sure to live on as the MA Strum collection goes from strength to strength. We have selected a few key pieces from this Springs designs and pics will appear here soon.
Our Ad of the Week appeared in the Arena Homme + magazine in the Autumn/Winter of 1995. Massimo Osti Production was the label Osti wanted to be available to as many people as possible. So much so that in March of 1996 a womenswear line was unveiled in Milan.
With the clothes still being of the highest quality, prices weren't exactly on the cheap side with jackets still approaching the £400 mark, but as with all of Osti's garments, quality was the key element. The 'Technowool' in the Ad was a creation of his which incorporated wool with nylon jersey to make it more durable without the wool losing its breathability and softness.
Massimo Osti Production ran from 1995 to 1998.
At the bottom of the list of stores is a website for the company. This at a time when the internet was still in its infancy, therefore showing Osti's perception of significance.


Wednesday 29 December 2010

HIGHLIGHTS 2010 - JACKETS


Here at 80s Casuals we saw many highlights during a very productive year. One of the most pleasing was the success of the Seafarer Jacket from February. Production was limited to just 100 of each colour and the deep red became an instant favourite with stockists asking for more of the same but we kept to our promise of only manufacturing the 100 stated. This exclusive policy will run throughout the forthcoming year.
The Seafarer was up-dated later in the year as the Seamaster with us re-working parts of the design including a new hood and differing the pocket shapes.
At the moment we are awaiting two new jacket samples for this Spring/Summer and a soon as they arrive we will immediately put the pics on here. Another jacket sample we expect in the next couple of months is our "Made in Japan" model. This may be a website exclusive but that depends on the manufacturing and import costs. More news to follow on this shortly.


Sunday 26 December 2010

SPRING 2011 SNEAK PREVIEW





Spring 2011 sees our first foray into designing a short sleeve shirt. Our stimulation comes from an era rich in style and character. The mid 50s American Ivy League look has captured the fashion world by storm in the last few years and its influence was also to be seen in the American Preppy and British Modernist scenes of the 60s. A key element of this look was the button-down shirt.
We love the finer details attired to this garment including a loop on the back of the shirt for hanging in a locker room and a back collar button which would keep a tie straight. The box pleated back gives a comfortable trim fit, whilst the breast pocket on the shirt became essential after the demise of the pocketed waistcoat during the 40s.
The 80s Casuals Short Sleeved Shirt due in Spring will come in two Limited Edition [100] colours of Navy and Blood Red/Navy Gingham. The shirt has a shorter point button down collar, a contrast coloured back collar button plus a leather back loop and a small leather patch on the pocket corner which will be embossed with the 80s Casuals logo reminiscent of the metallic Newman badge of the 80s. All buttons will also be embossed with 80s Casuals.
We will list all stockists as soon as we are ready to distribute the shirts in Spring.


SEAMASTER CAP - NEW COLOURS




As there seems to be no let up in the cold Winter weather, we thought it best to introduce a couple of new colours into our Seamaster Cap range. The initial run of Navy and Beige sold within days of going on sale and again these two new colours of Marl Grey and Black will be limited to just 100 of each. The 100% lambswool hats are due towards the end of January and can be a Winter wardrobe staple for many years to come. Again exclusivity is of the essence with the colours not being reproduced again after this initial run.



Saturday 25 December 2010

FIORUCCI MADE ME HARDCORE


This year saw a revamp of our website but in the process we put to one side a few interviews we had done over the previous few years. One such interview in 2006 was that of Mark Leckey, an eventual winner of the 2008 Turner Prize, whom we had attributed with the first piece of 'Casuals' related art. Mark grew up in a working class family and attended Everton games in the 80s dressed in his usual attire of Casual clobber.

In 1990 he exhibited alongside Damien Hirst but it wasn't until 1999s 'Fiorucci made me Hardcore' that Mark Leckey came to prominence. The video is a collective of British cultural references from Northern Soul in the 70s through to the late 80s Rave scene. The Casual era has a voice over of iconic brands associated with that period. Marks work often encompasses an eclectic mix of popular culture and this work has often been imitated with many 'found-footage' works now becoming common practice.

Here we have the video "Fiorucci made me Hardcore" in its entirety. Its only in the last year that the full video has been available to view fully again since a Tate showing almost 10 years ago.

THE ART OF EMBROIDERY



Here we have a video of the Embroidery process used on our T-Shirts and more recently our 'Challenge' range of Sweatshirts. The decorative art of embroidery has been around for many centuries and used to be a mark of wealth and status.
As can be seen in the video, this computerized machine embroidery uses digitized software to stitch our logo onto the T-Shirt. The process although time consuming still adds a unique personal touch to the finished product.
The music is "Don't ever let nobody drag your spirit down" by Delta Maid who is one of our ones to watch for the forthcoming year.
The E.P. "Broken Branches" is available to download from ITunes now;

Friday 24 December 2010

MERRY XMAS TO ALL

A very Merry Xmas to all of our viewers and customers.
A big Thanks for your support throughout the year, it is greatly appreciated.
We have a few plans in place for Spring/Summer 2011 which we shall preview
during the next few days of this festive period.

Sunday 19 December 2010

new CHALLENGE SWEATSHIRT





The latest in our line of 'Challenge' Sweatshirts has finally made it in store
just in time for the latest cold snap
Celebrating the 'Mille Miglia' Italian endurance race, the sweatshirt is limited to just 100 in total. Sir Sterling Moss takes pride of place as the only British winner of this Challenge in his Mercedes-Benz 300SLR. The number on the car 722 being his start time 7.22am.
The race was the inspiration behind the Massimo Osti C.P.Company goggle coat
of the same name.
This distinct design should be re-produced on a T-Shirt in the next couple of months also.

Saturday 18 December 2010

NEWS UP-DATE - MADE IN JAPAN

80s CasualsJapan is now very much up and running. The guys running the agency and looking after our brand hope to see a significant amount of growth in 'Casual Culture' throughout Japan in 2011, so much so that there is a possibility of the '80s Casuals' book being translated into Japanese.
Another plus side to this partnership is the opportunity for us to have some garments manufactured in Japan. The Japanese have an impeccable reputation for attention to detail using fabrics of superior quality. Their consumers are sticklers for these standards and Japan now leads the way in retail design and workmanship.
80s CasualsJapan are now collaborating with ourselves on an 'Adventure Series' of Jackets specifically for the Japanese market, although we will import a hand full for those customers of ours who require that extra bit of exclusivity.
The jacket will be manufactured using a body of Cordura 1000 fabric (Strongest material in the world ) with other parts (pockets etc) being made from Teijin one-up Tarpaulin [fire-proof and water-proof). Also all zippers are YKK Japan model. Totally 100% Made in Japan.
We are at present waiting for samples before going into production and will keep everyone up-dated here on these developments plus any other work with our partners.

Sunday 5 December 2010

WE ARE THE MODS


Our final new design of 2010 brings together the Mod culture with a cross reference to Kev Sampsons "Awaydays" book cover and the tagline "A Way of Life" from the Quadrophenia poster. Using original scooterists with their vintage customised scooters, Our inspiration comes from 1979 which saw the release in cinemas of Quadrophenia. Many teenagers took it upon themselves to dress in the sharp clothes of the Mods before the emerging Casual culture became the stylish alternative.
The T-Shirt will be on our website tomorrow and in stores this friday. Stockists include STUARTS, HIP, HENRY BRUMMEL,
80s CASUALCLASSICS, STONE, CAMISERA and PRIDE.


OUR FRIENDS IN THE NORTH - ABERDEEN


Known as the first club to take on the Casual Look in Scotland, Aberdeens lads were inspired by the visit of Liverpool in the European Cup during October 1980. From that day forward the fashions changed and before long the Aberdeen crew were known as 'Aberdeen Soccer Casuals', taking on a uniform of expensive sportswear.
After being in-undated with requests for their own personal T-Shirt we thought it was about time to produce one with an old image of the Pittodrie Stadium from the hill.
Available exclusively from our website from tomorrow.