Margin London has been kindly invited to contribute to HideYourArms. We’ll be posting some news about up-and-coming labels that will be exhibiting at Margin in February 2013, which takes place on the 10th & 11th, but firstly we think we should introduce ourselves.

Started back in 2002 as an affordable platform for new designers, Margin is the longest-running independent trade exhibition in London. The show presents designer women’s and men’s tailoring and accessories, as well as streetwear for men and women, to invited store buyers and press.

The humble tee has long been a starting point for numerous labels, and we’ve seen many an exhibitor start off with a t-shirt offering which has grown over the seasons to include a full range of clothing. Supremebeing, Lazy Oaf, Seventyseven, Dephect, YourEyesLie, and many others all started at Margin with tees before growing their stockist base and extending their range to include clothing, bags, jewellery (or jewelry for Americans!), and hats.

Margin has been providing a launchpad for brands to meet with key buyers and press for 10 years to date, and 2012 marked a decade of exhibitions.

To commemorate the occasion, a limited-edition 10 year book was printed for visitors to the show, but it’s also available to download as a PDF or as a super-interactive book for iPad. The iPad version features extensive galleries of previous seasons, as well as videos, and can be downloaded here.

Here’s the link to posts where HideYourArms mentions Margin including brand updates from when they last visited (well overdue for a revisit but Andy & the HideYourArms London correspondent are returning in February 2013!).

Margin is an intimate showroom exhibition in a white gallery space in the heart of Central London, and the only tradeshow in the UK where buyers and press can discover new & emerging design talent (most making their debut launch).  When we say “NEW”, we don’t just mean new to Margin, we mean brand-spanking, never-been-seen-before, new!

Since the exhibitions first started back in 2002, Margin can lay claim to providing the successful trade launch-pad for many brands such as Chateau Roux, Your Eyes Lie, Supremebeing, Dephect, Emily & Fin, Miyson, 1 in a 100, Missmilne, Worn By, Ashley Marc Hovelle, Humdrum, Worn Free, Sugarhill, King Apparel, Terratag, Lazy Oaf, Famous Forever, and Ruby Rocks, as well as the UK launching point of overseas brands including Silas, Upper Playground, Tank Theory, Eastpak Apparel, Loreak Mendian, Syndrome, Al & Alicia, Gama-Go, Mimobots, Double Goose, Stereo Sound Agency, Diamond Supply Co, Urban Originals, and Uzi amongst many others.

Margin has welcomed key stores to the exhibitions since first launching in 2002; from online players like ASOS, My-Wardrobe, and Urban Industry; multiples such as Ark, Joy, Beams, and Ships; department stores, such as Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Liberty, House of Fraser, Psyche, Fenwick, El Corte Ingles, Galleries Lafayette, & Engelhorn Trendhaus; as well as the key independents Margin is renowned for, including Colette, Hip, Sakis, Wood, Royal Cheese, Natterjacks, 290sqm, Coggles, Market, Atoo, My Yard, Donuts, Caliroots, and Get Cutie, to name a few.

Margin has welcomed numerous stylists and fashion editors from magazines including Vogue, Wad, Elle, Wallpaper, Arena, i-D, FHM, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Vice, DJ, Flux, WWD, Drapers, Sportswear International, and Sport & Street; as well as contributors from directional blogs such as BNTL, Coolhunting, Hypequest, Slamxhype, Hypebeast, and, of course, Hideyourarms.

For more info about Margin, visit the website here, find us on Facebook or Twitter, and we’ll be back soon to post about some great new labels that will be exhibiting at Margin in February 2013.

Dualta from Irish brand Project A Apparel got in touch to let me know that their latest collection (which, as those images attest, is a pretty big release) is up for pre-order now ahead of the full drop on November 10th.

Dublin-based streetwear label Project A Apparel showcases its Autumn/Winter 2012 collection “Departures and Arrivals”. Continuing a tradition of themed drops, this collection crosses classic travel imagery with horror graphics. The new pieces feature Project A’s first forays into outerwear with a flecktarn camouflage jacket, and “deadliest catch” style coach windbreaker. The rest of the collection features tees, zip ups, crews and hats.

I’m impressed, it’s great to see how much this brand has developed from the first time I head from them years ago, seeing that kind of progression is one of the nice things about HYA being around for as long as it has.

Costiness=£45 Available from Urban Retro (and in blue too)

Disturbia Clothing

Friends of the mustache can rejoice, because Fuzzy Ink have put all the tees from their first series on sale at just $9.95 a pop. They’ve also released some very cool looking belts, and a track jacket with their name on it.

Fuzzy Ink

Have no fear, I’ll get back to posting about stuff that is printed by some dude in a poorly-ventilated garage, but sometimes I’ve just gotta post this stuff.

Natterjacks are selling two very limited edition Adidas tracksuits, the first is a black and red leather (yes, a leather tracksuit) number based upon the 80s original, which would be perfect for completing your Run DMC cosplay outfit if you’re happy to hand over £550 ($1010) for it. Up next, a track jacket that actually has stainless steel woven into the thread, which is fairly clever, but rather pointless and gaudy. In their product description Natterjacks say they they only have a couple of these so they’ll go quick, but I get the feeling that they might be hanging around for a while with a £400 pricetag, unless I have seriously underestimated the amount of disposable income that rappers in the UK have going spare for bling.

Since I wouldn’t want you to come away from this post thinking “that was fun, but why not point I out something I should buy Andy, you handsome devil?” I’ve found (ok, that’s a lie, I got sent an e-mail about them, blogging is so easy sometimes!) 3 tees from the Adidas Originals range that are about as retro as their track suits cousins, but you might actually want to wear them. All three are available from Urban Industry for £24.50, which is probably a bit pricey for our buddies in the States, but actually pretty good going for a UK shop.

I don’t really know what you guys think of a t-shirt with a photo of a girl in her bra, but I kind a like it, although I’m sure it would receive a few less-than-complimentary stares if I wore it to go shopping, and a few unwanted stares from drunk guys on a night out.

More pictures after the break (I haven’t done a ‘more’ for months, have I?)

Wrongwroks

A superb collab between the infamous Z-Spot (of Strange Famous Records forum fame) and Zagadka- two Z’s in full effect.

Z-Spot has hand illustrated a Polynesian inspired design which is printed atop a cloud of lime and cream. A removable green fabric covered button is yours to place wherever you’d like!

Jacket is 100% cotton in a light weight french terry full zip up with cadet collar.

Costiness=$36 Link

I think that if I was to wear this in the UK, I would be labeled a chav, and with good reason too, I can imagine a British teen wearing this track jacket whilst sat at a bus stop slanging abuse at whoever walks past. But I’d like to think that in areas that aren’t teeming with loutish youths that wearing this jacket wouldn’t cause old people to immediately fear you, and instead allow you to enjoy it for what it is, a nice throw-back to classic Adidas styling without going to overboard with the retroness.

Costiness=$80 Link

Costiness=$86 Link