Mono Workwear Journal

Last night, looking through the photos of Nigel Cabourn that James Pearson-Howes took for the first issue of Inventory, I came across this one. It's a great shot but it also reminded me I meant to do a post about the magazine he's holding. Nigel showed us a lot of amazing things during our visit, but this was particularly good. Launched in the summer, it's an exhaustive guide to workwear in all its forms. The first issue pays particular attention to American garments and the meticulous culture of reproducing them that exists in Japan. The text is obviously in Japanese and as always, that can be frustrating. However, many of the old catalogues it features are in English, while the imagery and overall depth definitely make amends for not being able to read every word. It's far from cheap, but at over 300 pages it's an incredible resource and actually more like a book. The follow-up has now been released too. It's just as long, and the main focus is on British workwear and how this continues to inform modern clothing design. For me, things like this are an investment - something I can see myself referring to regularly in the future. Both issues are currently available from Superdenim, and aside from a little magazine I mentioned at the start, it's probably the best new title I've 'read' all year.

—