Menswear Style Podcast

ASKET is an independent online-only menswear brand founded in 2015 with the mission to slow down the fashion industry and change the way we manufacture, market, and consume clothing. Based on honest production, transparent pricing, and revolutionary sizing, they're perfecting a single, permanent collection of timeless essentials and restoring the meaningfulness of the garments men use the most.

ASKET believes the world doesn’t need another fashion brand. Garments, products of delicate labour and precious resources, have lost their value. We buy more and use them less than ever - packing our wardrobes, filling landfills and fueling incinerators. Their promise is to restore the value of garments by creating meaningful essentials: A permanent collection of zero-compromise pieces, their stories uncovered and told. ASKET doesn’t design for seasons, they create for forever. When something isn’t perfect, they improve it. When something is broken, they mend it. Their definition of progress is reduced clothing ownership built on pieces that will stand the test of time, both in craftsmanship and design. The brand envisions a world free of fast consumption, a world with less clutter and less waste.

In this episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we speak to ASKET Co-Founder, August Bard Bringéus, about the history and philosophy of his menswear brand. Our host Peter Brooker asks August about why this DTC online only business wants men to buy less clothing. They discuss August's background and how he met his business partner, Jakob Nilsson Dworsky, at business school in Sweden. They both had a passion and desire to create something from scratch that was meaningful and different. This brought them to sustainability and ethics in the clothing industry. Their solution to solve the fast fashion waste problem was to build a business model that would slow consumption and increase value within the supply chain. ASKET has a single permanent collection of classic menswear pieces, fully traceable, from farm to finish line.
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Humans Are Vain (HAV) is a contemporary eco-sustainable slow fashion footwear, accessories and apparel brand that believes in sustainability now not tomorrow. All their products are designed and engineered in Sweden, putting sustainable materials at the forefront of the design process and bringing together all the latest advances in sustainable and recycled materials into one place. All production is carried out in ethical factories in Portugal and they use recycled materials throughout, with a key focus on using materials made from plastic trash salvaged from the ocean in collaboration with The SEAQUAL Initiative, as well as making sure that all products are 100% vegan. They also operate a circular economy, so any unwanted items returned are recycled into new HAV products.

In this episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we interview Humans Are Vain Co-Founder Chris Margetts and discuss his new life in Sweden, a country which takes sustainability and recycling seriously. Our host Peter Brooker and Chris also chat about the motivations for starting a vegan brand, inspirations for the sneaker design aesthetics, what it takes to become Peta Vegan Approved, and the journey of the business to date.

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WAES Footwear are the world's only plastic-free shoe company. A collaboration of shoe designers, ocean advocates, surfers, scientists, and manufacturers committed to producing beautiful stylish footwear which leaves no trace. The WAES logo is derived from the alchemy symbol for earth and the name itself is an acronym of the classical elements of Water, Air, Earth and Sun which defines their manufacturing philosophy of combining science and natural materials. There are more than 24 billion pairs of shoes made each year from plastic compounds which go straight to landfill. This brand has a passion for the natural world and want to stop fuelling a system stuck on full-throttle and seemingly intent on burying us all under a mountain of plastic. Their vision is for a world of zero-waste shoes, one which promotes tree planting and works in partnership with the natural carbon cycle. Their ambition is to change the way shoes are manufactured and to prove it is economically viable to produce beautiful, durable, and ultimately biodegradable footwear.
In this episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we interview Edward Temperley, Co-Founder of WAES Footwear, and talk about his love for surfing and what first inspired him to start a 100% biodegradable natural shoe brand in 2019. It was seeing the ocean plastic problem first-hand which motivated him to investigate making plastic-free footwear. Our host Peter Brooker and Edward also chat about launching on Kickstarter, industry greenwashing, the problem with microplastics, new sneaker designs in the process, and the best materials to use for manufacturing sustainable and vegan trainers.
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Universal Works was inspired by David Keyte’s formative years growing up in a provincial midlands town in the seventies, part of a working class family that loved to dress well; seeing his Dad and Uncles in their work-wear and also when dressing for the weekend. Next, working as a sign-writers apprentice, whilst experiencing the development of eighties sporting and music subcultures. And finally, a thirty-year span in the fashion industry. From Paul Smith to Maharishi he gained an education from and worked alongside some of the best in the industry.
With David’s life work reading like a description of the company’s DNA, Universal Works is about the mixing of ideas; understanding heritage and context underpinned by contemporary needs and aesthetics. They champion skilled, small-scale production and produce garments in the right place, both in the UK and overseas, working only with factories they trust, admire and are proud to be associated with.
In this episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast, we sit down and speak to David Keyte, Co-Founder of Universal Works. Our host Peter Brooker finds out about the origins of the brand and when the idea was first thought up. We learn about Keyte's background, passions and inspirations for the brand which leans towards blue collar workwear with military and contemporary British tailored styling. With many years of working for other people David looked to start his own menswear brand, designing clothing he would personally want to wear. He also gives insights into growing a fashion brand and the difficult hurdles that arise along the way.
Whilst we have your attention, be sure to sign up to our daily MenswearStyle newsletter here. We promise to only send you the good stuff.

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