Welcome to Season Six of HandCut Radio, our New York City Special. We’re kicking off the season with a creative heavyweight we’ve wanted to meet for years: Brendon Babenzien. Aleks speaks to the co-founder of Noah and creative director of J.Crew Men’s about why he thinks Preppy Style has been hijacked, how the Noah design team create for individuals rather than trends, and why the fashion industry’s attitude of “it’s not personal” needs wholesale change. He also hints at what we can expect from his first collection for J.Crew Men’s, which will be unveiled in the autumn.

If you enjoy listening, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @handcutradio, and get involved in the conversation.

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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, the London based creative office of James Allen. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.

HandCut Radio is proud to be sponsored by Thomas Mason, an historic mill that’s been supplying famous designers, shirtmakers and tailors with world class shirting fabrics since 1796.

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Show Notes:
Brendon Babenzien — Instagram | Website

[02:47] Noah
[05:49] “What to Watch: Is Streetwear Becoming Preppy?” [article]
[10:36] Ryuichi Sakamoto
[11:27] J Crew
[21:47] Barbour
[22:06] Supreme NYC
[33:29] Pervert Clothing
[36:12] Thrasher Magazine
[36:40] Red Hot Chili Peppers
[39:20] “Less is more: meet New York’s mindful menswear makers” [article]

This week is the final episode in our four-part mini-season with Portman Marylebone. Ending on a high, Aleks sits down with Charlie Casely-Hayford, the owner and creative director at esteemed British menswear brand, Casely-Hayford London. Fellow fashionistas will doubtless know that Charlie inherited the brand from his father, the late, great, Joe Casely Hayford OBE, who sadly passed away in 2019 and was one of the most influential British designers of his generation.

Today, Charlie is continuing to evolve the business in his father’s stead and speaks to Aleks about how the brand continues to be informed ‘by a conversation between father and son’. We also touch on the brand’s deft blending of high fashion and tailoring craft and explore how Charlie finds inspiration in both high and low culture – and everything in-between.

If you enjoy listening, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @handcutradio, and get involved in the conversation. Please do rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, or subscribe to HCR on Spotify – either action helps to boost us up the podcast charts and is very much appreciated by the HCR team!

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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, the London based creative office of James Allen. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.

This episode is produced in partnership with Portman Marylebone, an elegant central London retail destination that is home to many of the city’s most characterful restaurants, galleries and independent fashion brands. Portman Marylebone has been meticulously maintained by the Portman Estate for just under 500 years.

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Show Notes:

Charlie Casely-Hayford — Instagram | Website
Portman Marylebone — Instagram | Website

[03:45] FT | How to wear a suit now
[08:20] Dazed & Confused Magazine
[08:22] I-D Magazine
[08:48] Virgil Abloh
[08:54] Abloh-isms (book)
[09:35] Gieves & Hawkes
[22:24] Central Saint Martins
[22:58] The Courtauld
[29:03] ACNE Studios
[30:38] Mark Cho on HandCut Radio
[31:38] Jazziunf on Spotify

This week, Aleks sits down with Olivia Francis, the founder of luxury men’s underwear and loungewear brand, Hamilton & Hare. Olivia is on a campaign to elevate men’s undies, and to get men thinking about the importance of their underwear drawer in a very different way; valuing quality, longevity and comfort every bit as highly as you would in a pair of shoes or a handmade suit.

We hear about her decision to leave advertising to establish her own business, talk about the highs and lows of life as a sole founder, and explore the art of making boxer shorts without compromise. Thank you as always for tuning in, we hope you enjoy the episode!

Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @handcutradio, and get involved in the conversation. Please do rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, or subscribe to HCR on Spotify, either action helps to boost us up the podcast charts.

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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, the London based creative office of James Allen. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.

This episode is produced in partnership with Portman Marylebone, an elegant central London retail destination that is home to many of the city’s most characterful restaurants, galleries and independent fashion brands. Portman Marylebone has been meticulously maintained by the Portman Estate for just under 500 years.

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Show Notes:
Hamilton & Hare — Instagram | Website
Portman Marylebone — Instagram | Website

[04:20] M&C Saatchi
[06:20] SmileTrain Charity
[06:24] Mary McCartney
[19:48] Hamilton & Hare Wedding Boxer Short
[27:02] Walpole Brands of Tomorrow
[28:07] The Jackal Magazine [now defunct]
[28:30] Aleks’ Articles on Walpole
[28:58] Bremont
[28:59] Orlebar Brown

This week Aleks sits down with Paul Simons, co-owner of the iconic Ivy League style destination, John Simons on Chiltern Street in Marylebone. In the ‘60s, John was the ‘OG’ importer and populariser of the American Ivy League look in the UK and over the past five decades or so, John Simons has built up a cult following as a preppy menswear destination.

Today, Paul manages the business day-to-day, and we sat down together to hear the brand’s story from the horses’s mouth. We chat about John’s early years in business and the significance of the Ivy look, Paul’s experience of growing up as an ‘Ivy kid’ and we explore the cultural differences between American and English Ivy style too.

Follow us on Instagram @handcutradio, and get involved in the conversation. Please do rate and review us on Apple Podcasts too, or subscribe to HCR on Spotify — either action helps to boost us up the podcast charts and we really do appreciate the support!

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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, the London based creative office of James Allen. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.

This episode is produced in partnership with Portman Marylebone, an elegant central London retail destination that is home to many of the city’s most characterful restaurants, galleries and independent fashion brands. Portman Marylebone has been meticulously maintained by the Portman Estate for just under 500 years.

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Show Notes:
John Simons — Instagram | Website
Portman Marylebone — Instagram | Website

[05:40] Lee Morgan on Spotify
[07:58] And So Farewell, The Ivy Shop (article)
[10:36] John Simons, A Modernist (film)
[10:44] Jason Jules
[11:00] Paul Weller
[13:10] ‘The Knowledge’ of London
[14:07] Cadenhead’s (whisky shop), Chiltern Street
[15:25] Docksides
[15:30] Russell Athletic
[16:27] Paraboot
[16:40] Steely Dan
[21:28] Kevin Rowland
[21:53] The man who dressed the mods (article)
[23:48] Swiss M70 Came Military Jacket
[31:09] Harrington Jacket (Baracuta G9)
[32:15] Ryan O’Neil
[33:00] Carhartt

This week’s episode is the first of four produced in partnership with Portman Marylebone (@portmanmarylebone). We sit down with Rachel Wythe-Moran and Simon Watkins, the co founders of cult design store Labour & Wait.

Rachel and Simon began their careers in men’s style before opening what they call ‘their ideal general store’ in 2000. We talk to them both about why they left the seasonal world of fashion to move at their own pace, what they look for in a well-designed product, and why a slow, guarded approach to growth has served them well for all these years. We really enjoyed this conversation, and hope you’ll enjoy an interview with a slightly different kind of business this week.

If you enjoy listening, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @handcutradio, and get involved in the conversation. Please do rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, or subscribe to HCR on Spotify, either action helps to boost us up the podcast charts.

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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, the London based creative office of James Allen. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.

This episode is produced in partnership with Portman Marylebone, an elegant central London retail destination that is home to many of the city’s most characterful restaurants, galleries and independent fashion brands. Portman Marylebone has been meticulously maintained by the Portman Estate for just under 500 years.

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Show Notes:
Labour & Wait — Instagram | Website
Portman Marylebone — Instagram | Website

[10:00] TOAST Circle
[13:38] Edward Sexton
[13:39] Tommy Nutter
[17:08] ‘A Psalm of Life’ poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
[28:50] Dover Street Market
[31:50] Chiltern Street Deli
[31:58] Shreeji Newsagents, Chiltern Street
[33:57] HandCut Live with David Hieatt
[35:49] Enamel Lidded Bin

Jeremy Langmead is arguably one of the most influential figures in British men’s lifestyle media today. He began his career working in prestigious newspapers like the Sunday Times and Evening Standard, before editing Wallpaper and Esquire magazines, and of course he was the founding editor at Mr Porter, where we are about to pick up the story.

We quizzed Jeremy on just what it was like to launch the first seriously big multi-brand e-tailor, heard about some of his many challenges and learnings along the way, and we get his take on the perils of navigating digital media in this frankly crazy landscape. All that and more besides over the next 45 minutes.

If you enjoy listening, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @handcutradio, and get involved in the conversation. Please do rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, or subscribe to HCR on Spotify, either action helps to boost us up the podcast charts.

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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, the London based creative office of James Allen. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.

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Show Notes:

Jeremy Langmead — Instagram

[02:49] Wallpaper Magazine
[02:55] Mr Porter
[12:31] Esquire Magazine
[12:56] Paperboy Magazine
[13:55] Christie’s
[18:49] Orlebar Brown
[19:47] Loro Piana
[19:48] Brunello Cucinelli
[26:29] Soho Home
[26:53] The Modern House
[27:05] Inigo
[27:25] War Paint for Men
[28:35] Daniel Gray, CEO of War Paint for Men
[29:20] Vain Glorious: A shameless guide for men who want to look their best [book]
[30:25] Jeremy Langmead on the boom in male tweakments
[32:31] Elton John & Olly Alexander ‘It’s a Sin’ BRIT Awards 2021
[35:24] The New Craftsmen
[37:55] Soho House
[40:21] Arcteryx
[44:26] Central Saint Martins

Our final conversation of Season Four is a fun one. Lizzie Radcliffe is the Head Cutter at Lot.1 – Levis’ bespoke denim service tucked away in the heart of London’s Soho.

Whether you’re into bespoke craft, proper denim or luxury retail Lizzie’s story is a fascinating one; she joined Lot.1 following a bespoke tailoring apprenticeship with legend of the game Edward Sexton, and over a seven-year period, she’s taken Lot 1 from being just herself in the corner of a Levi’s store to a dedicated denim tailoring workshop with five craftspeople working on her team.

She’s also been instrumental in rolling out Levis’s bespoke service around the world, in cities like Paris and Toyko. We loved chatting to her, and thought this would be just the episode to sign off with this year. As always, we hope you enjoy, and we’ll see you for Season Five in the spring.

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Show Notes:

Lizzie Radcliffe — Website

[05:15] Edward Sexton
[05:48] Davide Taub, Gieves & Hawkes
[09:09] Brompton Bikes
[09:22] Rapha
[13:40] Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style [Book]
[27:00] Chris Modoo, S04 E07

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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, a London based creative agency. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.

This week, Aleks sits down with one of London’s most intriguing young tailors, Fred Nieddu. Fred is a freelance bespoke tailor, pattern cutter and head cutter at Timothy Everest, a fresh-thinking tailoring house in Shoreditch, east London.

Alongside his tailoring work, Fred also takes on a lot of work for big TV and Film costume departments, including all the menswear for Netflix’s The Crown. So, he and Aleks chat through his round-about root into tailoring, the strange world of movie wardrobe departments, and why Fred thinks it’s crucial that craftspeople don’t get set in their ways.

As always, we hope you enjoy listening. And, for more insight into Fred’ work, you can look us up on Instagram @handcutradio.


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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, a London based creative agency. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.

Thom Whiddett and Luke Sweeney are the co-founders of Thom Sweeney, arguably Mayfair’s coolest tailor; offering bespoke and made-to-measure suiting, as well as a luxurious ready-to-wear collection that spans everything from double-breasted blazers to quilted cashmere parkas.

The business is now 19-years-old, and Thom and Luke have built their brand from the ground up. In this episode, they talk Aleks through how they met and the winning formula they’ve developed over the years. As always, we hope you enjoy listening.

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Show Notes:

Thom Sweeney — Website | Instagram

[03:05] Timothy Everest
[05:24] LCF Pattern Cutting Course
[10:43] DAKS
[16:39] Graff
[20:49] Thom Sweeney on Mr Porter
[20:57] Toby Bateman
[31:24] #TrueCharacter Campaign with Matt Smith

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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, a London based creative agency. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.

In this interview, Aleks sits down with an old friend and long-time mentor, Christopher Modoo, who’s worked in London’s West End menswear scene for over 20 years.

From designing for Savile Row tailors to consulting for heritage brands, Chris has done the lot. He’s also the co-founder of ready-to-wear tailored trouser brand, Kit Blake, so the pair explore why Chris’s latest venture has made such great strides so quickly.

Chris isn’t short on an opinion, so this conversation is a curious romp through the sartorial world. As always, we hope you enjoy.

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Show Notes:
Christopher Modoo — Instagram

[03:12] Kit Blake
[03:52] Thomas Pink
[06:00] Edward Green
[06:18] Roderick Charles
[06:32] 40 Savile Row
[07:11] Richard James
[07:17] Cad & The Dandy
[07:17] James Sleater on HCR
[07:20] SuitSupply
[07:58] Ede & Ravenscroft, 1689
[12:12] Chester Barrie
[12:21] Edward Sexton
[13:52] Richard Wheat
[15:22] Kit Blake, Aleksander Trouser
[16:49] L’Etiquette Magazine
[26:53] Ozwald Boateng
[28:06] Adret
[35:03] Richard James

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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, a London based creative agency. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.