Copenhagen: Frama Store

My only previous connection to Danish design house, Frama, is from them popping up in Monocle mag, my mate Dan discussing their delights on many occasions and seeing their very beautiful showroom-shop front space appear on my Instagram feed from time-to-time.

It's a store that's been in my "places to visit" folder for a while now, and finally, a couple of weeks ago I placed a tick in the win column while we were visiting Copenhagen for a few days. Planned out by the hour, but regularly straying - due to the fact we didn't realise the city basically closes between Sundays and Tuesdays - we made our way through a very quaint neighborhood of picture-perfect washed orange cottages to find the unassuming residence of Frama.

What can be said has probably already been said about this store, but it's far more impressive that the photos may suggest. Set in an old apothecary shop, Frama's furniture, lighting and skincare can be found across several large rooms and small nooks, joined up by slightly creaky stairs and dark corridors. The airy spaces compliment the lower lit rooms perfectly - showcasing the brand's Scandinavian approach to creating a mood, taking you through their kitchen, living room and bathroom set-ups. If these guys did a hotel!

I left empty-handed, but Jordan treated himself to a new fragrance, as he was fresh out of his carry-on. What I did take away from my visit to Frama - and the city in general - was the way these guys marry textures, fabrics and finishes to create a unique environment. It's playful, subtle and aware of impact.

Frama: Fredericiagade 57, 1310 Copenhagen, Denmark.

Copenhagen: Han Kjobenhavn Store

When visiting a new place or old I'll always reach out to the people with their fingers on the pulse for suggestions for new cafe openings, freshly drawn up menus, visiting exhibitions and other general cool stuff. I truly believe great things stuff can be found anywhere, and that's probably due to my definition of coooool being pretty broad. I get excited about loads of stuff - and that general steams from other people's passion for what they do (for example; a vintage wrestling figure collector, a dude that does ace things with ceramics or a bakery playing around with unusual combinations). These quirks are there to be found and to be enjoyed.

I had high hopes for our recent 4-day trip to Copenhagen, because on my first visit to the city I was left wondering, "I'm not sure what all the fuss is about". Circumstance hey, turns out I now know what I was missing the first time around. 

One trustworthy looking chap on Instagram mentioned that Danish menswear brand Han Kjobenhavn had recently renovated their stand-alone store, right in the centre of town. Without even looking it up I added in to our Google Map and pencilled in a visit for when we were close. As soon as we caught a glimpse through the traditional mahogany wood doors we knew we were in for a treat.

The punchy hi-shine powder blue floor, perfectly panelled oak wood walls and the swooshing white ceiling was equally matched with mid-century furniture, signature Scandinavian globe-like light fixtures and custom-build clothing rails which mirrored the pleasing shape of the store's layout. Phwoah! Mirrored panels both made you notice details that may have been missed at first glace, and the green tiles seen on the central display evoked a sense of the brand's identity.

For me what makes the Han Kjobenhavn shop so special is the jux between the store design and the clothes themselves; they have an edge, a self-awareness and youth about them, and sat within the mature and meticulous feel of the store-fit is what makes this gaff so memorable.

Han Kjobenhavn: Vognmagergade 7, 1120 København, Denmark

Store Visit | Albam, Henrietta Street, Covent Garden

Albam Clothing - Covent Garden, London

Henrietta Street, in the centre of Covent Garden, has slowly turned into one of the best places to shop for menswear in London. It was only a couple of years ago the street was packed with tired looking restaurants, cafes and unused units, but if you take a wander down the street in 2016 picture couldn't be more different.

This historical street is now its own close-knit community; with Oliver Sweeney, Fred Perry and The Real McCoys on one side, and Nigel Cabourn, Club Monaco, Edwin and the recently opened Albam store sitting opposite. The news of Albam opening its 4th store in the city prompted me to swing on by to see how they were getting on.

The store packs everything you'd expect from Albam; well designed, durable and fuss-free clothing. The current collection features sweatshirts and unstructured outwear in navy, grey, neutral and khaki, summer-weight shirts, jersey and chinos, selvedge denim and a few final bits from their successful collaboration with MR PORTER. There's also a small concession of Nike footwear and independent magazines, with the wall space decorated with print by local a local artist.

Garcon Jon recently went to meet the store managers that keep things ticking over, worth taking a look. 31 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8NA. See more of our Store Visits here.

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Store Visit | Save Khaki, Toyko

 Save Khaki - Toyko, Japan

It's been a good six weeks since I came back from my trip to Japan, and my heads been everywhere  and back since. Things moved so quickly, and before I knew it we were on our way to America, so I've only just got around to properly looking through my travel photos. We were keen to visit a bunch of stores while in Toyko, and we did hit a few belters, but we generally took Yasumi's advice of just going with the flow – exploring this vast city without a set-in-stone plan. 

Save Khaki was one of those stores we happen to stumble across. Endless rails, shelves and tables of modern Americana is what they're all about; over-dyed tees, laundered chinos, utility shorts and jackets, and a boatload of indigo goods taking centre stage. There was plenty of US + Japanese concessions stocked in this Shibuya location too, with New Balance and PF Flyers footwear, Owen & Fred office gifts, and AnonymousIsm socks, along with a jam-packed pantry of camping gear, homewear goods and kitchen accessories.

Every street you wander down in Tokyo seemingly matches the next for its intrigue and creativity; from coffee shops and local craftspeople, to independent clothing stores and tiny whisky bars. I'll be sharing a few more of my Japanese finds very soon.

Save Khaki United, 150-0001, 5 Chome-25-4, Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. See more of our Store Visits here.

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Store Visit | Universal Works, Nottingham

Universal Works - Nottingham, Rough Trade

With a few of my favourite contempoary menswear brands being based in Nottingham we couldn't visit the city without paying one a visit. Universal Works have become a familiar name on Buckets & Spades over the last few years – super wearable designs, consistency and an unpretentious approach to promoting themselves has created a much deserved loyal following.

It's been great to see UW become more recognised as each collection is released, and for the brand's latest expansion, David Keyte + co have set up shop right in the middle of their home city. Located in the Rough Trade building (along with a shiny new Aesop store, and cafe bar), this small but perfectly designed space houses the best of their latest collection. Japanese + British-inspired workwear offerings of casual and smart jackets sit alongside waterproof outerwear, British-made denim, simple shirts and jersey, the best fitting trousers you're likely to find and enough socks to sink a ship.

The store may be small, but when a place has got everything you need then, adding any more "sizzle" is just showing off. Opening a standalone store outside of London does come with its risks, but it just goes to show how much menswear has progressed in the past five years.

Universal Works, 5 Broad Street, Nottingham, NG1 3AJ. See more of our Store Visits here.

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City Guide | 24 Hours in Nottingham

It’s true that a little local knowledge definitely goes a long way. When we set off to Nottingham a couple of weeks back, we’d done a bit of research, asked a few folks where we should go and what we should do; but, at the end of the first day we were feeling a bit down.

Partly, it was because of the weather (after a sunny start, it rained almost non-stop). Partly, it was because we were struggling with the controls on an old version of FIFA, back at our Airbnb. But, mainly, it was because we hadn’t seen much of the city that really captivated us. Don’t get me wrong, we’d been to a couple of good shops and bars; we just hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary or anything particularly noteworthy.

Realm & Empire – a British brand, with roots in the Midlands, that we’ve known and loved for a long while now – had read through our other city guides and thought we could do something similar in Nottingham. This was a project for our friends and we really didn’t want to let them down!

Thankfully, on that first day, we also spoke to the right people. The guys at Waste Studio, a creative agency with one epic toy collection, and the folks at Ideas on Paper, a really cool magazine shop, stuffed full of every magazine you’ll ever want to read, pointed us in the right direction.

It turns out, Nottingham is a pretty cool place and, not only that, it’s small enough to visit more-or-less everything on foot. Win-win!

City Guide | Discovering Independent Leeds, with Converse

In collaboration with Converse, and their latest Chuck II collection, we spent 12 hours exploring Leeds, and discovering what unique shops, restaurants, bars, and sights one of the UK's most vibrant cities has to offer.

Leeds has been on our mind for some time. Everyone’s been talking about the creative goings-on in the city and, aside from a couple of quick visits, neither of us have really explored the place to its fullest.

When we visit it a city, the angle is generally on the independent offerings. Leeds was no different: we try to hit those places that are unique to the city, and although we worked the pavement hard, we left a lot undiscovered.

To get things started, coffee and lots of it. Laynes Espresso is a neat little place, tucked alongside the station. Here, we planned the day and waited for the sun to break through the fog. By coincidence, Laynes is just around the corner from Bundobust - the restaurant we planned to end the day in. A vegetarian Indian, they serve up the sort of street food inspired grub that’s become the norm in London - a host of small dishes, delicately filled with a mix of lightly and heavily spiced rice, cheese, yogurt, and lots of other ingredients I just couldn’t put my finger on. Damn delicious.

Wearing - ASOS Coat + Shirt | Reigning Champ Sweatshirt | Uniqlo Down Vest | Albam Jeans | Chuck II c/o Converse | Form & Thread Socks | Watch c/o Paul Smith

We were here to explore the city with Converse, to see how much we could cover in around 12 hours. Converse have just launched a new set of colours in the Chuck II, following its launch in July, and we were really excited to collaborate with them on a project like this; one that celebrates the creativity, style, and innovation inherent in a fast changing city. An update on the classic All Stars, the II have a new non-slip tongue and the Lunarlon innersole from Nike, making these a much more functional and comfortable trainer.