Aspinal of London – Spring and Summer 2014 preview (SS14)

To host next season’s collections inside the grand and truly magnificent French Salon and Drawing Room at Claridge’s was like a match made in heaven. I have long been a keen admirer and a loyal fan of the brand. It embraces bold colours and makes truly beautiful bags, cases and accessories – not just for women but men as well. They are built to last too. My first purchase was 4 years ago. Frustrated by the sight of cheap looking Oyster card wallets – I bought the Aspinal of London ID and Travel Card case, in brown croc, to use as my Oyster card holder and have loved it ever since. It swipes quite flawlessly over the ticket barriers without a problem at London Underground stations, railways and buses. I have used it multiple times every day for all of those years and it is still in a delightful condition. It is always re-assuring to know you are paying for quality.

The spring and summer 2014 is influenced by the hazy British summer of our childhood, the English countryside and the posh but naughty film adaptation of The Go-Between, Aspinal of London is bringing country to town. In addition to the brand’s heritage products: The Marylebone, The Berkeley and The Brook Street, it is creating new families of bags and accessories carrying the iconic hardware and featuring the brands signature silhouettes.

It was fun shooting these photos with Mariya, who was glowing with pride as she took me on a tour to talk to me about the new pieces. When you attend press days and view new collections, sometimes you are pleased, sometimes you are disappointed. So far, Aspinal of London has never disappointed me. The look for SS14 is very strong and refreshing.

One of my favourite bags for men is the multifunctional briefcase which can be born on your back as a backpack. I love highly functional pieces. It is made by hand in Cumbria. Great to see some tweed in there too.