The Very British… Brit-Stitch Leather Bags

We’re big on British. Simply put, if it’s made/manufactured/designed/produced or all of the above in Britain – we’ll probably love it.

Which is why we’re absolutely loving our new collection of genuine leather bags, by indie brand BRIT-STITCH. As the name suggests, Brit-Stitch design and make cute leather bags here in England. Inspired by the classic cash bag traditionally used by Milk Men across the country, Brit-Stitch have reinvented the quirky leather companion and come up with the perfect modern companion. In keeping with tradition, only the finest materials are used, and all bags are finished by hand. A touch of craftsmanship goes a long way…

Available in two sizes, the Brit-Stitch bag is the ideal size and weight for any modern follower of fashion. The first style, the insta-classic ‘Milkman’ (shown here in Skydiver Blue and Poppy Red) has already been a huge hit over at Kuji HQ:

With it’s handy magnetic buckle and adjustable strap, the Milkman bag’s unusual shape and ideal size make it a right treat. All the stitching is finished to the highest possible quality, and smart chrome attachments really set off the colours.

Check out our range of Brit-Stitch Milkman bag colours!

The second available style is the uber cute (and very necessary) ‘Half Pint’ bag:

Shown here in a beautiful Grayed Jade colour, the Brit-Stitch Half Pint bag has the same distinctive features as the Milkman style, but on a more compact scale. Perfect for nights out, a quick trip to the shop or a morning at Uni or work, this is definitely a bag for life.

The Milkman bag is also available in an array of fresh SS13 colours, keeping you bang on trend: Poppy Red, Purple Heart and Emerald Green are all looking great!

 

Have a look at the full range of Brit-Stitch bags, we know you’ll fall in love with them just like we did! Brit-Stitch don’t compromise on quality (as you can probably tell from the craftsmanship) and they have bags of soul, tradition and style.

Join us!

Just a quick update to let you know we have launched our brand new Affiliate Program!

This is exciting news as it means you can start working with us and earning some money just by doing what you love – blogging! 

If you like our products and enjoy writing about them, take a look at our Affiliate Program and join up – it’s easy and best of all, FREE. 

We’ll be updating the blog very soon with lots of exciting news (we’ve been busy working away in the background) but for now – cheers and happy blogging!

A Very English Tee Shop…

If you know Kuji Shop at all you’ll know that we like to support emerging fashion and design labels, but we also like to be as ethical and decent as possible (and we love puns). We have high standards of our labels and products…

Which is why we’re delighted to introduce the latest addition to Kuji Shop – womenswear label, The English Tee Shop! (A cheery pun already! This is going to be good).

The label was launched in London in 2012 and, simply put, The English Tee Shop is “all about English”. Garments are all designed and made in England using fabric manufactured in England… Rather excellent, don’t you agree?

“KEEP A LOW PROFILE and avoid doing things that will make people notice you”

The English Tee Shop do what we love most: fuse the English language with fashion, which means we have t-shirts and tops that are easy-to-wear and fun to look at. The collection of luxurious printed tees really do speak for themselves.

     Each of the designs are screen printed by hand and pay homage to the English language, serving as a cheeky reminder of things that are sometimes overlooked in our use of English. Offering a new take on the basic wardrobe staple, The English Tee shop is a love affair of fashion, English, simplicity and laid back luxury.

We have a great collection of women’s tops by The English Tee Shop, and a fun series of tote bags. Our fave has to be POLYGLOT! What a word.

    

At a time of much media buzz surrounding the importance of using British manufacturing and materials (did you see Mary’s knickers?) we think The English Tee Shop are a creative and apt addition to our online shop. They are a supporter of British manufacturing and pride themselves on using British suppliers for all their materials. What more could you want?

On twitter we have been keeping up with the #buyBritishbrands tag for sometime, and it’s great to to keep adding to our collection of British-made products.

What do you think of our new *very British* women’s range? Let us know in the comments… 

Introducing… Gordon Holden

If you’re into your art and photography, and follow some cool blogs and zines (VICE mag being one of them), there’s a chance you’ve already heard of Gordon Holden. If you don’t? That’s fine, here’s everything you need to know:

Gordon first introduced himself to us by saying ‘I like what you do. It is magical.’So naturally he was in our good books since any praise is a direct line to our heart/site.

Gordon is a conceptual artist from New York who creates art and art products. His work captures visual and tactile expression through the backwards mishmash of an osmosis of past and present pop culture and personally-derived abstract apprehension. This complex marriage of playful curiosity and cynical observation produces works that are both whimsical and thought-provoking.

After doing a bit of digging and throughly enjoying ourselves on Gordon’s website, we decided that his products and photography prints would be well suited to Kuji Shop. We are all about supporting underground/emerging artists, and try to pick up creatives from as many genres as possible. With that in mind, this is our first *foray* into photographic prints… Exciting stuff!

Gordon Holden’s photography is, aside from beautiful, almost documentary. Looking at his work makes us think of some sun-filled place where things happen and people constantly have parties. The type of place we’re jealous of really.

 

Gordon has a select range of items exclusively available at Kuji Shop – you can’t get these anywhere else in the UK at the moment. They’re hot stuff, they’re limited edition, they’re art, they’re… You get the point.

Above are two t-shirts from Gordon’s latest Heart Throb series, Cry Baby and Romeo. You know you’re officially a heart throb when your head is on a tee.

There is no doubting that these items are on the pricey side, but there’s good reason: What you’re getting here isn’t just a t-shirt, it’s a piece of art. Original art isn’t cheap, but it’s worth buying if you’re willing to splash a bit more money than usual on a top. Think of the investment!

We chatted to Gordon and asked him a few questions about his inspiration and his work, have a read:

How long have you been making art work?
I think i have been making artwork for a long time, longer than i am consciously aware of. But making things that people like to call art, probably about 3 years.

Where have you studied/worked?
I attended to the university of Vermont in the US for a bit. I have worked in multiple places. Some I liked some I didn’t.

How would you describe your style?
I’m not sure. I don’t really have too much of an opinion about the things I make. I don’t know if that is something up to me to decide. Sometimes I hate what I make and then people like it, and vice versa. I think everything I make isn’t necessarily for myself. Somethings are though.

How do you get inspiration for your work?
I wake up. I look at things. I think about things. I like to think about clothes and fashion and what to wear. I think that’s the hardest part of the day. And then maybe if I’m lucky enough to get that feeling, I’ll do something about it. I think inspiration can come from everything, it just has to be the right timing for it to inspire.

Why have you chosen to sell your work at Kuji Shop?
I like the concept behind the store and how they merge the idea of art and fashion together. Because after all, it is the same thing. Or at least I like to think so.

Be sure to check out our full range of Gordon Holden pieces… We’re loving the postcards. As always, let us know what you think in the comments…

Label Focus: CW3 Studio

If you’ve been following the Kuji Shop Facebook and Twitter pages you’ll have seen that we launched a new range of men’s tees not too long ago, as part of our new collections for Autumn/Winter.

The t-shirts come from a design studio based in Sheffield called CW3 which is, in their own words, a collective of designers and makers.

They make all kinds of cool, design-led products including prints, t-shirts, furniture, shelves and bike racks! From this collection we picked some great tees and prints and think they’re spot on (and our customers do too – these have been very popular since they landed!):

Easy to see why they’ve been so popular isn’t it. What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

If you’re interested in how the mind of a graphic designer works, you’re in luck! We caught up with Matt Willox from CW3 to chat about his work and what inspires him, have a read:

How long have you been designing?
I guess all my life – building legos as a kid counts as designing! I would say I got into design proper when we did it for GCSEs, my interest grew from there.

 

Where have you studied/worked?
I went to SHU (Sheffield Hallam University) and studied product design. I work there now as a product designer for Design Futures. Other jobs include supermarkets and kitchens, nothing grand.

How would you describe your style?

Geometric, abstract, technical. Lots of 45 degree lines and parallelograms! A bit of an analogue/digital mix.

What/who influences your work?

Design and art of all sorts! Calligraphy, typography, architecture, fashion, etc. it all plays a part.

How do you get inspiration for your work?

Google! Nah, it’s anything! I might see an interesting pattern in some brickwork when i’m walking along, or a nice scarf someone is wearing – could be anything.

Doodling around with a calligraphy pen has lead to a lot of my recent work.

Why have you chosen to sell your work at Kuji Shop?

I bought some Lomo cameras from there a while back and thought it was a cool shop!

They have been great in promoting the work and generally being awesome. I’m really grateful.

Well Matt, you’re very welcome! We love Matt’s work and ideas. Particularly enjoying this Geometree Tee too – it’s all about the puns.

If you’re interested in CW3 and what they’re up to, be sure to check out their site. Also, have a look at the full collection of pieces available at Kuji Shop; we’ve got both limited edition prints (signed and numbered) and t-shirts.

We’re big fans of the Sheffield scene here at Kuji Shop, so think these designs suit us perfectly. Inspired by geometry, rhythm and music, the linear quality of each piece holds a perfect balance of colour and space. Geometric and aztec print t-shirts are on trend at the moment, and will be throughout AW12, so stay up to date and get yourself one of these top tees.

We’ll be working with CW3 in the near future on a very special project, so make sure you sign up to the Kuji Shop newsletter to be the first to know.

FLASH SALE

For just 12 hours starting from NOW, you can get 30% OFF all pieces from our Brutal Jewellery range.

Brutal Jewellery is a handmade range of unisex jewellery inspired by architecture and modernist forms. Each piece has been carefully designed and finished with two types of silver plating. Add a piece to your collection and bring an edge to your outfit.

You don’t need to enter a code at the checkout, discount is already applied.

This flash sale will last for just 12 hours, so make sure you don’t miss out…

Introducing… Rebel Unlit

As we continue to bring you fresh, underground/emerging labels and brands, we’re excited to introduce a new addition to the Kuji Shop fambo… Rebel Unlit.

Producing quality, ethical and unique illustrated printed garments, Rebel Unlit, Based in Berlin, are an artist duo called Neil Butler and Shanney Mulcahy. The pair have been producing visually exciting and interesting apparel since 2011, and have quickly built up an array of excellent products that reflect their interests, as well as producing collaborative pieces with other artists.

Their artwork is translated into high quality clothing, using only fabric that is certified Fair Trade and eco-friendly. All items are printed using water based inks and all clothing is screen printed by hand.

Each printed t-shirt has a story behind it, as well as a cool, understated yet interesting finish. We love them!

We have new ranges of t-shirts for men (above) and tees for women (below).

As well as producing enticing, quality tees, the Rebel Unlit also collaborate with other inspiring artists under the umbrella PK Party. The first project ‘PK Party #1: The Great Beard of Joy’ saw them synergize with a London based artist called Claire Douglass. Luckily for you, The Great Beard of Joy is available on a t-shirt, brill.

The PK Party was introduced in January 2012 and has been continuously well received by t-shirt lovers everywhere, including us!

What we love about Rebel Unlit is that they’re about creating connections between artists and the public, creating stories through clothes and making pieces that all have a talking point. As well as producing killer clothing, obvs.

Which is your favourite design? We can’t decide but we’re particularly loving Eleven Julia’s – inspired by Miljenko Parserisas Bukovic and his Julia Roberts tattoos. Great stuff, who doesn’t want Julia Roberts all over their body?