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Topman Fragrance Video

Take a look at our brand new fragrance campaign video. Numbered 16 & 27 the two distinctive smells are set to bring you comfortably from day into night. With 5 years of deliberation and testing put into the fragrances, Topman have come up with the best product possible at a very reasonable price. Available in select UK stores, from the 22nd September.

Notting Hill Carnival

Yesterday we took a trip down to Notting Hill Carnival taking in the sights and sounds the day had to offer. It was an exciting afternoon with all sorts of food and costumes on show. We captured a small slice of the action which you can see below...

Topman Grooming Range - How to Wear Fragrance

Topman is set to launch a grooming range scheduled for release on the 22nd September. The initial launch will see 2 fragrances debut numbered 16 & 27, taking on a day and night feel to keep you fresh throughout the day. With this The Grooming Guide have put together some tips on how to wear fragrance and the DO's and DONT's when doing so. Check them out below...

DON’T apply fragrance to the face, particularly if it’s an Eau de Toilette as its high oil content will cause irritation.

DON’T ever apply a fragrance directly onto your clothing because not only will it not develop properly, you also risk damaging your favourite shirt, tie etc.

DON’T overload yourself. Your nose will adapt to your chosen smell and make it seem less potent. Also be aware of the words ‘intense’ and ’concentrate’ when connected with a fragrance, and approach these with caution.

DO layer up. If you have a favourite fragrance invest in the multiple products from the same range (shave foam, balm, deodorant etc). Many body products are over fragranced, and sticking to one fragrance will prevent you from wearing a heady cocktail of competing smells.

DO spray onto a freshly bathed (and dried) body.

DO apply in the right areas. Get to know your pulse points (wrists and neck). It is these places where the blood flows closer to the surface that will unlock the power of your fragrance.

The Unraveling of Mr Hare

Hypebeast recently caught up with Marc Hare of Mr Hare shoes to discuss his upcoming collection with Topman. Released Thursday 25th August, Marc Hare has joined forces with the Topman AAA brand creating a range of shoes with a rock 'n' roll edge. Read all about the collaboration and what inspired him to get in the shoe game below... 

In a short few seasons, footwear designer Marc Hare and his eponymous label Mr. Hare has made huge inroads in the world of quality Italian-made shoes. For Mr. Hare, despite the positioning of the brand amongst some of the footwear’s elite, the inspirations and background of Marc are decidedly much more humble and pedestrian.

The respect for the Air Jordan and the references to Wu-Tang paint a bit of a misaligned story as to how it all comes together through Mr. Hare’s footwear. Yet given the current generation’s openness to fashion and the ability to transcend numerous sub-groups, the once restrictive barriers offer great opportunity for those looking to flex their sartorial muscles.

An inherent interest in one of fashion’s footwear superstars led us to this talk, which speaks with the Jamaican and English designer about the inner workings of Mr. Hare as well as his impending collaboration with Britain’s Topman. Started by a man with no formal footwear training and conceived simply on the basis that no other current footwear offerings could hold his interest, we think the brand has done pretty good for itself.

If you look around, it seems many who have come through the ranks of men’s fashion inevitably had some initial love with sneakers. Regardless of age, should sneakers be embraced as a sort of gateway item into more mature footwear? 
I get asked these existential type questions a lot where shoes are concerned and as much as I am tempted to come back with some Obi-Wan type answer, I will say this: if you are a gummy bear in trainers, you will probably be a gummy bear in shoes too. It’s like sex really. Something your parents should give you a proper sit down talk about, just to lay down some ground rules. Invariably they leave it to you to experiment. Some people end up very straight and some very casual. I personally swing both ways.

Are we in a point in time where fashion no longer needs to follow one particular angle and people can just as easily keep a pair of Air Jordans alongside a pair of Mr. Hare Fitzgeralds? 
Totally! You only have to look at the public outrage caused by the hacking scandal or the sheer ground fire speed with which the Arab spring spread to see that people are not going to get with such archaic and grossly intrusive notions. People forget, but in my lifetime you could be refused entry to a club just for wearing sneakers. But since the emergence of help groups, like Hypebeast, people have been able to be more open about their chausseral persuasions.

How would you define your approach to footwear design?
Wu-Tang y’all. Proteck ya neck bitches. I bring tha rukkas!!!

Where do you find your inspirations?
I tend to visit all the big trade fairs look at what is happening in the market, visit all the stores, gather all the trend reports, print images from the blogs; then me and the team will collate and burn all that stuff in a huge bonfire, break out the peyote and mescaline, and drum and dance to the shoe gods. After three days of orgiastic reverie, we make whatever anyone has managed to scribble down.

Despite British heritage, you’ve manufactured the Mr. Hare line in Italy. What cements Italy as the world’s greatest footwear manufacturing country and why couldn’t the UK provide what you were looking for?
To be honest my two biggest considerations were climate and food. I have to spend a lot of time on factory visits so a good Fiorentina or spaghetti scoglio followed by a branzino al forno under a Tuscan sunset had me swayed. Both regions have long traditions of fine shoemaking. Britain’s is welted and heavy. Italy’s is every other construction and lighter. One day I will make a British shoe and hopefully never be asked this question again.

What is it like working with a different culture and what have you learned to integrate into your own workflow through your Italian experiences?
I am half English and half Jamaican so literally everything I do in life is with a different culture. I have always been a firm believer in having August off, so there are as many similarities as differences. At the end of the day though, my whole crew knows the sooner the shoes leave the factory and the fewer that come back, the sooner and more often we all get paid yo.

There has been talk of efforts with fellow designer Andrew Bunney. Aside from accessories, what else can you envision designing?
I have often envisioned designing a Mr. Hare Bristol Beaufighter, but this is the first time I have put it out there. Generally though, I am not one of those megalomaniacs who thinks the world would be a better place, the more products that have my name on. I am very happy with my little company making little editions of elegant shoes.

Your collection for Topman is meant to coincide with the brand’s rock ‘n’ roll AAA range, how easy was it to integrate your own aesthetic into the line?
It was easy. Mr. Hare shoes are generally designed in a “frontman” frame of mind. For AAA I just had to think about what the drummer, the bassist, the lead and rhythm guitars and roadies might want to wear. The hardest part was getting Topman to agree to my rider.

The usual retail price for a pair of Mr. Hares is several times that of your Topman collaboration. Was it difficult to make the offsetting changes required to meet the particular price point?
For anyone who might be confused, at Mr. Hare we choose the best materials available and let the price dictate itself. At Topman they choose the best price and let the materials dictate themselves. As long as I remembered who I was working for, it wasn’t so tough.

To get your hands on a pair of the Marc Hare x Topman AAA collection head HERE.

Marc Hare x Topman AAA Competition

Wanna win not one, not two but THREE pairs of our Marc Hare x Topman AAA collection? They can be any three of your choice, click HERE for more info.

Head HERE to take part in this excellent competition we have in collaboration with Hypebeast!

Chicago - Street Style pics

We were in Chicago for Lollapalooza a few weeks back and got some street style pics of individuals from the windy city. Topman have a store opening out there on the 8th September, so it was the ideal opportunity to let people know as we drove around in our ice cream truck! Check out some of the pics from our trip below...

Youth Club Exhibition - 'It's Something Hell's'

We took a trip down to the Youth Club gallery (London) last night for the unveiling of their latest exhibition. 'It's Something Hell's' is a celebration of all things Rockabilly, Rockers & Ted's style, past and present. The exhibition runs until the end of the month so get down there quick if you wanna see it!

For more info head HERE.

Congolese Sapeurs Exhibition

Award winning Congolese photographer Baudouin Mouanda presents an exhibition taking a look into the young people of modern day Congo. With their expressions coming through the way they dress, individuals of the SAPE community (translated: Society of Tastemakers and Elegant People) are attracting interest on a global level. A take on the Parisian dandies of the late 18th century is seen, where extravagance is shown through style, gestures and slang. The exhibition runs until the 18th September and for more info head HERE... 

Tinie Tempah - Topman / Topshop Lollapalooza After Party

Watch Tinie Tempah's excellent performance and interview at the Topman / Topshop Lollapalooza (it's a festival in Chicago!) After Party. With photobooths, DJs and a headline performance from the man himself attendees partied the night away! Check out all the action below...

If you're in the Chicago area anytime soon, watch out for our store opening 8th September.

Win tickets to South West Four...

'London's premiere electronic music festival' is rolling into town once again on the 27th & 28th of August with a line up that boasts an exclusive live London performance from Pendulum. Also playing on the bill are Topman CTRL / Underage favourites Annie Mac & Wretch 32 whilst dubstep giants Magnetic Man play another exclusive London live set for the South London festival. Click here to head on over to the SW4 website for more info...

So, the bit you've been waiting for...we're giving one lucky winner a pair of tickets* to attend SW4 on Sunday 28th August, 2011 at Clapham Common. To be in with a chance, simply tell us who is headlining South West Four on Saturday 27th of August?

*18+ only, winners picked at random no later than August 25th. Winner will be contacted by email.