Etre AW12: Honest-to-goodness.

It seems fitting to write about a brand that made its name with a pair of gloves when there’s a relentless blizzard raging outside (first Sandy, now blankets of snow). Etre, a label specialising in honest-to-goodness staples, started out life as an award-winning London-based design agency but made the transition from website-making to design, in a more hands-on sense, with the idea for Etre Touchy gloves in December 2007.

The idea was simple: design a pair of gloves that looked good and guaranteed warmth whilst also allowing you to operate your myriad mobile devices. Etre Touchy gloves proved an unprecedented success, prompting the brand to expand the empire in 2008, with the launch of Etre Shop.

October 2012, and Etre continue to charm with the launch of their Autumn Winter 2012 collection, celebrating all several aspects of British style, from Oxford-inspired college scarves to the Fisherman jumpers; an exploration of the sartorial leanings of several social strata.

So far, so boring, right? Another bloody workwear-inspired collection that references the wardrobes of labourers from decades past, but targets graphic designers in Hoxton and Williamsburg? Wrong. Etre puts its money where its mouth is, seeing that each piece is lovingly crafted in the British isles, using responsibly sourced British materials.

Take, for example, their workwear jackets which are fabricated from 100 percent Melton wool, manufactured by a 150-year-old family-run business in West Yorkshire. Or have a gawk at the Gansey sweaters, knit from the finest 5-ply worsted wool, spun and dyed in Yorkshire mills. The indigenous craft industry love goes on with the leather gloves crafted by a family business established in 1944 (one of the last surviving British glove manufacturers, to boot) and satchels and holdalls fabricated by a small Cornish leatherwork company.

So, now you can look great, and look much less of a tosser knowing this brand does exactly what it says on the tin.

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