Longside Leather Co. Handmade Belt

This is my new handmade belt, by Longside Leather Co. If you flick your minds back to last December, you might remember the name from our Ones To Watch feature. Well, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and purchase a belt from Ted's collection. He was kind enough to take some photos while he was making up my order - I went for the natural leather Casual Belt - and share the process on his Instagram account. Here's a short video of it being made too!

The idea of wearing a handmade belt from an skilled craftsman excites me. After receiving it in the post on Saturday morning I'm pleased to say that I couldn't be happier with the level of materials use and finish. I'd say it fits like a glove, but...

I've been searching for a slim natural leather belt for a while now,  and I also considered Tanner Goods + Makr. I feel I've made the right decision going with Longside Leather - especially now I can put a name + face to the company. It'll going to make perfect partner for my well worn Albam jeans I'd say.

  More Buckets - Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin' | Instagram | Pinterest

Ones To Watch | Takuro Apparel

Blogging is a mixture of push and pull. Some things you discover yourself - check these beer growlers - while other things people tell you about. It's a nice balance and one that yields some great finds. We always love recieving your recommendations and tweets. Takuro are one such 'push'. They introduced us to their brand and it's one we took a shine to straight away. 

Takuro are a young brand with a big heart; manufactoring mostly in the UK and with a percentage of their profits being donated to vulrable women in Nepal (Women for Human Rights - Single Woman's Group). This is a cause Takuro - which means 'The Summit of the Mountain' - and originally inspired the brand.

The Manaslu rucksacks are neat, tradional in its looks, and are that are clearly pretty durable too for both commuters and outdoors folk. It's a brand we'll be keeping an eye on, as I'm sure they'll be expanding the range soon.

See their full range here. Nik

You can find Nik at - Twitter | Instagram | Heavy Denim

Ones To Watch | The Longshot Experiment

"A long shot for success it may be, but the freedom to experiment with style and ideas means we can create whatever we like however we like...", is a refreshing statement which dropped into my inbox a few weeks ago. The Longshot Experiment is a new project by the Manchester-based brother + sister team of Mike and Jennie Holmes. Combining their experience in the graphic design and garment technology industries, the siblings decided to go about creating something, "for the insiders and the outsiders", which is a darn good motto in my books.

Each of their bucket hats has been individually handmade and number in their Manchester studio, with their inspiration slotting in somewhere in between the G.O.A.T LL Cool J's mid 80's look and the classic Al Pacino in Serpico get-up. 

We'll be keeping an eye on The Longshot Experiment's progress over the next few months, as we expect to see new styles of hats, bags and t-shirts added to their store.

  Find us on - Twitter - Facebook - Bloglovin' - Instagram - Pinterest

Ones To Watch | Longside Leather Co. Made in England

We’ve talked before on Buckets & Spades about how passionate we are to discover and show support for new aspiring brands/stores. It’s even better when you get chance to meet the people (or person) behind these start-ups, hear their story, and see their passion.

Longside Leather Co. is one such brand. Run by student and hockey player Ted Bennett from his Oxford based studio, Longside currently produce handcrafted leather belts and card holders. The designs are classic and simple. Just what you want from a belt really. 

We’ll keep a close eye on Ted and Longside Leather Co. In the sea of large corporations it's important to support the small guys where we can. Expect to see more great stuff in the future - Nik

You can find Nik at - Conrad's Beer | Twitter | Instagram