Once Upon A Time, two founders with uncannily similar aesthetic & design outlooks, who made very different things, decided to say nice things to each other, and mean it.

Then we exchanged business advice, what we'd learnt, the struggles and the victories. It's always good to hear other folks go through what you do. It feels less lonely.

Then Alasdair said he'd be been cycling to work in a jacket I designed 15 years ago, and still wore it. There were...vibes.

We both hung back, thinking the same thing. We're both deeply protective of our designs and our brands. Then, one day, we went for it, and we quickly agreed.

FRAHM must do a new jacket with Wingback's take on it. Wingback does a set of accessories to go with it, with a FRAHM take on them.

But, what was the take?

That jacket is designed that Alasdair had worn for so long was a Harrington. I do love Harringtons.

A Harrington is simple, clean lined, light but strong, practical but beautiful.

Of course our Harrington Racer is our bestseller, with the highest demand, and running out earliest, of all the designs. You would likely welcome a new version.

It made sense to do a Harrington. Great.

We agreed it must be a significantly new take on the Racer though. Not just a logo change. That's not a collaboration, just a marketing exercise. Great. Onwards.

Here at FRAHM we always start with the body fabric. It sets the tone for everything. Comfort, performance, structure, shape, season, colour, use, more...

We went through piles of fabric cards, and quickly focussed on Halley Stephenson's ripstop dry waxed cotton.

Ripstop has a protective grid that matches the design equipment we saw around us in our offices. Square. Exact. Like the clean lines of the Wingback metal products, especially the knurling...

Ripstop, also stops rips - handy in a workshop. It all made sense. 

Here's a little secret - we couldn't decide on a second colour. We knew we'd do black, as both our logos use this. But what instead?

At first we were keen on a bright orange. It looked good in photos. We had a sample made. It wasn't right. Too bling and sporty. It was good, but we don't accept 'good'. The problem was actually solved when we found our lining. Read on.

How do we incorporate all this beautiful metal and leather, without making a Frankenstein? (Yes yes, Frankenstein was the Doctor, not the monster, literary pedants).

First, we knew we'd be using knurled ring pulls, that Wingback had created especially for us, even using kevlar to make them ultra tough. Yes, I may have squealed.

But what metal and finish? They had to match the Key Cache and Mechanical Pen we had planned.

Brass was out - not FRAHM at all. I'm a gunmetal and stainless steel fanatic. You may have noticed! Titanium was considered, but the cost is prohibitive and didn't make sense against our stainless steel custom YKK zips.

Stainless steel was the key, but we wanted a softer, quietly confident aesthetic, and after sampling many finishes, we all agreed the bead blasted steel was just right. Very tactile, grippy but smooth, soft but hard. 

Then, black Tuscan leather joint brand patches, that were then embossed on site. I was worried about them being too stiff, and couldn't believe how soft the result was. 

Lastly, we added inner pockets that perfectly accommodated the leather bound notebook and the pen. Everything in it's place. Literally.

The lining wasn't immediately obvious, until we got a sample in another grade of waxed cotton.

It was good, but not comfortable enough. FRAHM puts as much attention into the inside as the outside. We had to nail this.

Then it dawned on us that this is a workshop jacket. The lining must be really comfortable, but also really tough. What does that?

Moleskin. Made from pure cotton, not moles (they stopped that around about the 16th century). Wonderful hand feel, hard as nails.

Bingo. We could then use it on all against-skin areas too. Hand pockets, collar lining, cuff lining. Those details matter. Fun.

Lastly, it solved the colour question. The green moleskin was gorgeous, and went with the black so well. Thus, to keep things beautifully integrated, we picked the matching olive green ripstop and lined that, conversely in black moleskin.

It had all come together. Everything made sense. We wore them and we loved them. We were excited. We could launch.

And, having launched, it looks like you share our design ethos.

Thank you!

Nick