This years visit was primarily to sit down with our lead supplier, Schwarz Etienne.  I have known Josef Ernst, Sales Manager, for a number of years and was enthralled as he walked me through the new Roswell and La Chaux-de-Fonds Tourbillon ranges.  The Company, established in 1902, has created a fourth calibre, the ISE (Irreversible Schwarz Etienne). This reverse movement was presented for the first time at Baselworld in the latest Roswell model.  In addition Schwarz Etienne has launched this most collectible of ranges featuring the Flying Tourbillon and the Petite Seconde Retrograde Tourbillon. 

 My congratulations to the craftsmanship of the team in Neuchâtel and I wish them every success with these collections.

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A family award winning business of three generations who, with great passion and drive, care enormously about quality, design and customer service, is unrivalled in luxury fine silks and cottons, producing the finest nightwear, loungewear and underwear.

Ranges are designed in house and handmade in England using only the finest fabrics and textiles. Silk garments are produced in very limited quantities and through hours of dedicated craftwork by highly skilled seamstresses in their Cheshire workshop.

Superfine threads, minimalist hemlines, superior streamlined fit and obsessive attention to detail encompasses their philosophy of ‘Smart Comfort’. Garments are lightweight, allow for movement, reign in supreme softness and whilst reliable and comfortable are contemporary and flattering. Exuding Cary Grant’s style, Derek Rose is classical yet stylish and completes the at home wardrobe.

The loungewear extends the label’s expertise making the possibilities for wear endless; range versatility means you can sleep in them, relax in them, go to the gym in them, or wear them outside with jeans for a casual, comfortable yet effortlessly stylish look. 

Farranoir offers a wide range of the Derek Rose collections to include underwear sartorial essentials such as the luxuriantly soft Jack and Lewis briefs and T-Shirts, classic Amalfi and Plaza Pyjama sets and contemporary sweat pants and hoodies. Stay warm and layer up this winter in style, with Derek Rose.

When introduced to the Satanic Mill luxury shirt brand my attention was immediately drawn to their strap line.. “we make our shirts all wrong”!  Jean Paul Gaultier springs to mind and I’m thinking what unique surprises do these fine gentleman’s shirts have in store for us.  As I learn more about the company I realise the strap line is all about quality.  Mass production in the Far East was not for them.  In their desire to guarantee quality they decided to take on the manufacturing themselves and in no place other than where the revolution started, the cosy town of Macclesfield, Cheshire.  They too went a step further with their obsession for quality and decided to source fabric from the finest weavers in Europe. The luxury stamp is now well and truly printed on these beautiful handmade pure cotton shirts and so production begins and the story is a huge success.

You only have to see them to know how much dedication has gone into this brand, there’s flamboyancy in every design, each shirt tells its own story.  All designs are fixated with colours and thankfully so, as this brand is all about bold brave patterns and creations that hold many unique surprises.  Gentlemen, if you love style and are individual enough to wear a shirt with a full on pattern these are certainly for you.  For those who want something more understated why not choose from an array of subtle pure plain cottons, although, in Satanic Mill style each has a hidden statement.  Hiding behind collars, cuffs and button fastenings are patterns that tell an interesting tale.  The themes are ingenious, for example, one design pays homage to the code of Human DNA another features the algorithm of Galileo’s theory of how the world is round.   

As for fit, its rare to find a shirt that everyone can wear, clever tailoring has achieved something between slim and classic. On wearing these shirts you soon realise style and quality are at the forefront.  Each one is truly individual, made for each client by hand.

 You won’t be disappointed!

At FARRANOIR we believe in giving our customers the right to choose from the best brands available.  Throughout the last month, with this at the forefront of our mind, we set up what is now referred in head office as ‘Competition Fever’. We have lived, breathed and digested our Scarpe di Bianco give away.  Entries were constantly pinging in and our e-commerce department was alive with frenetic activity…what great taste you all have.

We pride ourselves in the brands we carry, particularly the Di Bianco range.  It was apparent from the very start these superb Italian handmade shoes were going to spark a huge amount of interest.  Having been introduced to them a few years ago it made absolute sense to introduce them to our customers at FARRANOIR. 

This range is the epitome of quality with a clever design mix from classic to contemporary, the fusion between Italian and British craftsmanship is truly evident.  As for their exceptional quality, we are talking highest end of the Italian shoe industry.  Less than 15 pairs a day are produced at the factory in Southern Italy.  Our collaboration with the manufacturers to get Scarpe di Bianco to the UK has been a major cause for excitement, we do believe there’s little out there to compare.  They are pieces of art, hand crafted to perfection, comfortable to wear and get better with age.  

Scarpe di Bianco’s extensive range of designs will continue to define cool style for gents of all ages for centuries to come.

This fusion of the rubber industry meeting fashion is an explosion of state of the art fabrics and has forged a new standard of quality. 

Clothing ranges include innovative designs from bold branded t shirts to sweaters and jackets featuring tyre tread embossed sleeves and footwear is relaxed Italian style with signature tyre tread rubber soles.

Antonio Calabrò, Pirelli’s Senior Vice President says, “Making an enterprise means making a culture – working towards innovation in terms of products and production processes, but also in materials, the latest technologies, the language of marketing and communication, labour relations, governance, and relations with stakeholders in the various communities for an open, original, polytechnic culture, one that is able both to reflect on the past and look forward into the future. This is a common attitude in a multinational like Pirelli and always keeps pace with the times as they change."

 The Fair is cutting edge and continues to evolve towards a contemporary essence showcasing designs at the highest level.  We see it as one of the few shows where we can optimize our time for meeting new designers and researching new brands.  The Main Pavilion carries classic brands, it’s truly mind changing and what a pleasure to observe the amount of elegance injected into the attire on show in this area. 

Pitti Uomo is different from any other exhibition, it’s a unique experience, a place where we discover innovative designs which we can propose to our customers particularly those who are attentive to European styles.  With over 1,200 brands exhibiting a buying strategy has to be our main plan.  Our priority is to keep a keen eye on the market and be at the forefront with the latest trends and collections.