2 Mar 2012

Aubin & Wills - Manchester Store Visit

Early Thursday morning a popped down to the Aubin & Wills store on King Street, Manchester after receiving an email a couple of weeks ago inviting me. I didn't know much about the brand but they said I was free to nosey around the store and get familiar. They also offered me a gift card to spend at my will. King Street is one of the nicest looking areas in the city centre it's a great location for a new store. They share the street with the likes of Hermes, Flannels, Whistles and Jaegar to name a few, so you can imagine it's quite the fancy pants area.
The store itself is really lovely, they occupy quite a small space but make good use of what they have. Everywhere you look there's something to keep you interested, these prints set the tone for the brand as you hike up to the menswear department.
The store had a modern feel to it, mixing dark wooden fixtures with a slight industrial feel. I really liked it actually, everything was well laid out with plenty of room to swing a few cats. The desk/study area above was rather ace.
The cheese man himself Alex James appears in their current campaign, which sort of gives you the feel of who they are aiming at. It's very British with a nice slice of humor thrown in. The image above reminded me of an old David Hockey photograph.
Cool idea for a display, I do wish they were in order though!
Foxes are key to their branding and appear all over the store and on their clothes.
Hand-printed tees were a nice touch, I was pretty taken by the tache chap.
And here's some pieces that stood out for me;
Racing green & white breton top with wooden buttons
Chambray 1-pocket shirt with subtle floral pattern.
Orange & navy pocket t shirt. This featured tons of little details and was in brushed cotton.
The foxy guy even gets in on the jumpers, this is one of their best sellers.
 This bright yellow lightweight parka was hard to miss and was definitely a stand out piece, perfect fitting for Manchester's gloomy reputation. Today was a warm day and I instantly regretted wearing a wool pea coat as soon as I left the house. I got in the jacket mood by trying the parka on.
The yellow lightweight park with the block colour jumper was a good combo. I did try a whole bunch of other stuff on too(the fitting room had air conditioning, is that rare?), the staff were really genuine and chatty throughout. In the end I took home the white/navy block colour jumper and the orange/navy striped t shirt. When I was in London I popped by the Shoreditch store and picked up a Made in England green leather key fob too. I really enjoyed this visit and hopefully I can cover some more Northern based stores over the next few months.

To find out more about Aubin & Wills click the link or visit the store at 19 King Street, Manchester M2 6AW.

22 comments:

  1. didn't think i'd like a yellow parka but somehow you pull it off.. i like xxx

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  2. The store looks pretty amazing. I like the foxes and the fireplace.

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  3. I love all the foxes!

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  4. Looking good in the yellow! Great photos!

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  5. The yellow coat is perfect for rainy grey british weather. You'll definitely stand out.
    I envy the fact that mens cloth always has better quality and a timeless look. Sometimes i get tired of trends :/
    Nice post and shop!
    xx

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  6. This looks like such a nice shop, it would've got to me as well that the national geographics aren't in order. May have to look on their website for bits for my brothers birthday!
    www.theorangewalls.blogspot.com

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  7. Looks great. I love simple design led t-shirts. No reason why a gal can't get in on the action eh!

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  8. Oh very nice! I love simple, design-led tshirts - no reason why a girl can't get in on the action eh.
    Like the items you picked, wise choices.

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  9. Anonymous21:35

    Found your review really interesting having walked past their shop on King Street quite a few times but never having ventured in cause I didn't know what sort of a brand it was. Don't want to appear stupid but it is an offshoot of Jack Wills, isn't it? Unfortunately, even just knowing that they are from the same company (like Abercrombie and Hollister) I am really put off shopping their because I really don't like the uniformed, follow-the-crowd aesthetic or the ridiculous prices either. From the photos seen here, however, it looks like Aubin and Wills is less bothered about having a massive label and branding on all it's items and is more bothered about the cut and colours which can only be a good thing! I love walking down King Street, though I'm normally stood drooling outside Jaeger!

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  10. Alex James and some urban foxes - what more could you want

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  11. ive got quite a taste for sharp yellow this season, probably marni inspired

    www.pinstripeprince.blogspot.com

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  12. Oh my, what lovely clothes and a beautiful layout. I will have to visit next time I am in Manchester.

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  13. Ohhh, Aubin and Wills seems so nice! And it such a fancy-but-nice shop. :O I like the foxes reappearing everywhere!

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  14. I have never bought anything from Aubin & Wills (yet!) but their stores always look so beautiful! Love the look of this one - and as always great photos!

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  15. Hey, nice clothes!

    Thanks for your sweet commentary, pardon my english too ^^ I try to practice! however I don't anderstand when you said "thank you for stopping by", what does it mean?

    Have a nice day

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  16. They do look like a really good shop actually - nice one! Also, the yellow parka looks surprisingly really awesome on you.

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  17. hey hey!

    reazlied i wasn't following you yet! :) Keep up all the awesome posts!

    xx,
    www.munrowe.com

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  18. Have you been to their cinema in Shoreditch too? The guys are incredibly nice and genuine which I was surprised about. Really nice store review.

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  19. The fox jumpre terrified me a little bit, but what a lovely shop! One of the prettiest windows I've seen. Loved the collection as well, oh the stripes. x

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  20. Nooiice :) Certain elements of the store actually seem very 'you' - they were wise to invite you along.

    I bloody love that fox cushion. So much.

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  21. Does that say £40 for the 'Dovedale tee'? I get annoyed when I see a 50/50 cotton/ polyester mix. What is wrong with 100% organic cotton. It is what my company uses and all the products are so soft, comfortable, eco friendly.
    But I guess if you are a 'sibling' company of 'Jack Wills' you can charge what you want.
    On a more positive note, the hangers are so nice!

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