Showing 2856 results

Soul II Soul is a British musical collective formed by Jazzie B (Trevor Beresford Romeo) (b. 1963). They opened a clothing and records shop in Camden in 1982. The Camden store was the first of three London locations that sold the Soul II Soul clothing collection. By the mid-1980s, the Camden store had developed into a mecca for Soul II Soul fans, musicians and DJs looking for Funki Dred (an illustration based on a cartoon by Derek Yates that became an identifiable image for the label) clothing, sound equipment and records. Soul II Soul expanded their retail business, adding a store on Tottenham Court Road and one in Camden High Street which sold the brand’s record and clothing stock. These included leather jackets, belt packs and long shirts with a drawstring hood made of a lightweight fabric. In 1990 the group's live shows would often start with a fashion show. In 1992 there were plans to expand the brand’s retail presence by launching a chain of franchise outlets, with plans to open another store in London and one in Manchester before expanding to fifty throughout the UK. However, the London stores shut in the mid-1990s.
The brand was relaunched in 2009 with a small capsule collection for Spring Summer 2010, consisting of T-shirts, sweats, jackets and accessories. In April 2013, Jazzie B launched the Soul II Soul ‘Classics’ Collection at Harvey Nichols in London. The

Classics Collection featured T-shirts and sweatshirts with Soul II Soul’s Funki Dred logo. In 2023 Soul II Soul continue to sell its clothing range online.
Sources: Design Week; Drapers; The New York Times; The Washington Post.

Simpson Piccadilly was an innovative men’s clothing department store that opened in 1936 in London’s West End. Alexander Simpson (1902–37) developed the store to sell the products of the House of Simpson founded in 1894 by his father, Simeon Simpson (1878–1932), a Jewish tailor and menswear manufacturer. Having launched a range of tailored trousers with a rubberized waistband under the DAKS label, Alexander Simpson was keen to establish a store in central London. He purchased the leasehold of the site in April 1935 and Simpson (Piccadilly) Limited was formed on 17 July 1935 as a private company, with Alexander Simpson as its sole director. On 29 April 1936, Simpson Piccadilly opened in a purpose-built structure spanning Piccadilly and Jermyn Street, with a ground area of 11,000 square feet. The architect was Joseph Emberton, and László Moholy-Nagy was responsible for the visual merchandising and interior displays. In addition to focusing on tailoring and formal wear, Simpson Piccadilly was designed to cater to sportsmen by stocking riding attire, golf suits, plus fours, sports jackets, flannel trousers, and shorts.

Alexander Simpson died in 1937, and Lord Barnby became the chairman of Simpson (Piccadilly) Ltd. In March 1947, Simpson Piccadilly opened a sports equipment department and began outfitting the England cricket team with DAKS trousers and blazers and presenting visiting teams with two free pairs of DAKS whites. Simpson Piccadilly developed similar relationships with sportsmen in golf, tennis and winter sports. In 1962 a new department catering to more youthful fashion opened called Trend for Men, with customers including Mick Jagger, Dirk Bogarde and Michael York. The store started to sell clothes by other designers and brands. In 1991, Japanese licensees Sankyo Seiko Co., Ltd purchased DAKS Simpson Group plc for £65 million. Simpson (Piccadilly) Ltd ceased trading on 30 January 1999 due to the DAKS Simpson Group’s decision to focus the group’s efforts on the DAKS brand.
Sources: David Wainwright, The British Tradition: Simpson – A World of Style (London: Quiller, 1996).

The first mention of the canoe society was through an advertisement in the McGarel in October 1979, encouraging students to join the newly formed club. In December 1979, the society had its first ever trip to the River Teifi, Llandyssul, Wales, where they competed in a white water race which was a 3 ½ mile course. Training for the society took place at 4pm on Wednesday afternoons at the Regent Street Pool. On Friday 16th May 1980, the society attended another trip to the River Wye in Herefordshire, which was ideal for beginners to canoeing to attend, due to the whitewater and because there was qualified instructors from the Riverside Canoe Club in Oxford.

In November 1980, the club focused on competing in slalom and wild water racing that took place on white water. The club also had opportunities of surfing and touring as well. 
During this time, the society had also become affiliated with the British Canoe Union, Cardiff Canoe Club and Riversdale Canoe Club in Oxford. One member of the society at the time was a Trainee Inland Instructor, who was qualified to teach basic skills to novices.

The first mention of the Exploration Society was in October 1973 through an advertisement of a meeting for students who were interested in expeditions to attend a lecture and film session revolving around this. At this time, members of the society had attended an expedition around West Africa and the Sahara. They had completed a ten week 10, 630 mile tour to Nigeria in which, members were able to collect nearly 3000 insects during this expedition. Another trip was planned during the academic year of 1973/74, for students to join the expedition to West Ethiopia from 10th July- 21st September 1974.

At the end of the academic year of 1975/76, the society had attended trips to Spitsbergen and the Tana River in Kenya. The aim of the Tana River Expedition was to undertake an ecological collection and medical survey.

In May 1977, the society was attending an expedition to Spitsbergen again.