SEH Kelly.

As soon as we caught sight of this brand we knew we had to interview them. Excellent quality, British made garments. What could possibly be better? They are a small, independent team based in London. Although, there are Northern influences on their garms. Some of the production process takes place within the mills of West Yorkshire. According to their website "Every step of the mohair’s transformation into luxury cloth — its dyeing, blending, weaving, and finishing — are undertaken under the one 1800s-built roof." That roof is a West Yorkshire one, and to us that's champion. The production and manufacturing process doesn't all take place in West Yorkshire though. The buttons for example, they are made in the Midlands and the shirt-maker based in Kent. We love the fact that we are able to trace where each and every item they do was made. You can read more about them in issue three, where we have an interview with the nice people from the company. Below are some pictures of the things they make and the places they are made:

The Pale-blue cotton pinpoint raglan shirt. Part of the production for this beauty takes place in Cumbria.

The West Yorkshire Mohair mill

Inside the West Yorkshire Mohair mill

The shirt above is probably one of our favourite pieces by SEH Kelly, but to be quite honest the whole collection is pretty special. Take a closer look at www.sehkelly.com and remember we have an excellent interview with them in issue three.

Badge number one. Coming soon...

On sale within the next couple of weeks. 

A t-shirt we wish we’d bought but never did.

In 2002 A Bathing Ape (BAPE) collaborated with Shawn Mortensen. On the face of it this collab seemed like another one of BAPE’s efforts to pointlessly increase their profile. However, when the t-shirt in question was released, it was clear that this wasn’t the case. With an image of Ian Brown looking as cool as ever on the front this shirt is one we all wish we picked up. Sadly though, it is limited to only 100 pairs and we don’t know about you but we don’t have 100+ quid to spend on a t-shirt.

Can it get any better?

England have just won the group and have managed to avoid Spain in the next round. The weather has picked up enough to allow us to wear our shorts and best footwear. And we can announce to you tonight one of the interviews we've got lined up for issue three. The Italian based Osti inspired clothing brand 12th Man. We were lucky enough to ask Fabio, the 12th Man creator about his clothing, inspirations and many more wonderful questions all which will be in issue three.

If that wasn't enough for you we can also announce that we have almost finished geting several designs sorted for some limited edition button badges due for release within the next couple of weeks. Featuring some fantastic artwork and design the button badges will be released in limited quanities and we should have some pics to show you next week...

Remember if you haven't purchased issue two yet then do so, they have been selling fast!

Minty's Stone Roses tee.

Our pal A Guy Called Minty has released a Stone Roses tee. Quality artwork on a high quality tee. Yes please. In time for Heaton Park too.

Out now in Sky Blue http://aguycalledminty.bigcartel.com/product/the-stone-roses-tee-sky-blue

And White http://aguycalledminty.bigcartel.com/product/the-stones-roses-tee-white

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Keep checking the blog over the weekend for some exciting news on Issue three and another project we've been working on...

New waters.

It isn’t often we do an article on photography but sometimes you have to dip your toe in new waters, or something like that.

At the age of 19 Julian Berman isn’t your average photographer. Rising to fame as the snapper to LA hip-hop collective Odd Future you’d be forgiven for thinking that OF were the key to Julian Berman’s success. When you take a look at some of his photos though, you will soon realise that this clearly isn’t the case.

Shooting on polaroid and medium format film, Berman is definitely a master of his craft and one to look out for. Check out his work here.

Buckets of hats.

Personally, we think bucket hats have had a bad press. When you think of the bucket hat you often think of those England flag emblazoned ones that every dick head and his mum chucks on around the time of a major football event. For a moment we’d like you to forget about that and imagine a world where the bucket hat isn’t the headwear of choice for a Reni-wannabe or the tosser down the pub, but an item of clothing that can complete the perfect summer look.

Now we’ve got you thinking about that it’s probably time to tell you about our favourite bucket hat this summer. The hat in question comes courtesy of the team at Ralph Lauren and can be bought from the ever on point lads at Oi Polloi. Featuring a mad floral print over a burgundy colourway this hat would look ace with most summer outfits. You could even watch the football in it, or pretend to be Reni. If you really wanted...

Five Reasons We Aren’t Excited For The Nike Air Yeezy 2 Drop.

So, the Nike Air Yeezy 2 hits the shops tomorrow. Here’s five reasons why we aren’t excited and why we won’t be buying it.

The Nike Air Yeezy 2

1. The excitement building up to a trainer drop like this is always bigger than the trainer warrants. When it was announced that the Yeezy 2 was finally being released the internet went crazy. Hundreds of bloggers showed their inner fangirl by immediately posting extreme amounts of pictures of Kanye West (Yeezy, if you didn’t know) and the trainer in question. This excitement hasn’t subsided and probably won’t for a week after the release, at which point everyone will forget about the shoe and stop wearing it.
2. Only Jay-Z can pull this shoe off. We’ve seen everyone wearing it pre-release, from Yeezy himself to Reggie Yates, but none of them rock the Yeezy 2 like Mr Carter.
3. If the trainer in question didn’t have Kanye West’s name on it nobody would be this excited for it. This probably says more about West’s status than it does about Nike.
4. They are £210!!! Think about it, over 200 quid for a shoe that nobody will care about in two weeks time. You could buy a decent jacket for that.
5. Last but most importantly, the trainer itself is ugly as fuck. With the spikes on the back, the strap on the front and the glow in the dark sole it looks more like a cross between a motorbike boot and bondage wear than a trainer.

Jay Z wearing the Yeezy 2.

Casualco "Teenage Kicks"

I recently picked up one of the first of the Casualco tee's, the awaydays inspired "Teenage Kicks". Great design and as we know their latest releases are equally as good, I'd love to get my hands on some of the first tee's they released. I was lucky to purchase this one brand new off a well known auction site but they are so hard to find. It'd be great if they'd perhaps do some reprints, if you are listening Casualco. Please. Who's with me?

Issue two - Available now!

Issue two is now available to buy from our stockists and we have a limited number of copies to sell as well. To purchase from Distant Echo please visit this link (http://www.distantecho.co.uk/products/northern-aficionado-fanzine-issue-2) or TRiCKETT via this link (http://trickett-england.co.uk/products-page/magazines/northern-aficionado-zine/). To purchase direct then please send us an email (northern-aficionado@hotmail.co.uk) with the title "Issue two - Order".

Issue Two includes:

- Part two of the Casual Connoisseur interview.
- A chat with both our stockists - TRiCKETT and Distant Echo.
- Closer look at MKI.
- A word with Terrace Production.
- Some sketches by A Guy Called Minty.
- Peaceful Hooligan shirt review and interview.

Plus much more...

Issue one completely sold out and as a result is now deadstock. Thanks to everyone who purchased a copy and thanks to all those that send us the great feedback, it means a lot to us and makes it worthwhile.

Meddling Loops.

Lecs Luther who we've previously featured on the blog dropped a new video today.

Luther under the alias 'Rejjie Snow' released the animated video for 'Meddling Loops' featuring Jessie James and Crave. The video is excellently made and Luther's verses aren't too shabby either. Don't take our word for it though, check it out for yourself: