industribolaget

Thank you, everything is going quite well although very busy. We've been trying to get all of our wholesale orders out the door, launching our latest collaborations with Inverallan and Gitman Bros., and starting to write our features for INVENTORY Number 02, set for March '09.

The magazines have been landing in shops in Europe over the last week. You can find them at Albam, Garbstore and Monocle in London as well as Do you Read Me? in Berlin, Colette in Paris, and Tres Bien Shop in Sweden. We have several others joining the ranks and one hopefully shop-in-shop in the works for the holidays.

Sweden has done a very impressive job in the last few years in terms of retail and design. I'm always a fan of Our Legacy and their collections. We'll have an article with them in our next issue. Swedish fashion as a whole is quite interesting, it has both sides, the nice perspective from an the arts, as well as well designed pieces for wearing everyday. I'm definitely inspired by the design community of Sweden, the clean lines, white space and simple but functional mentality. The brands that use this approach are fairly appealing to me for the most part.

• Americana: One of the most exciting trends to hit North America and Europe - fortunately it has a proven track record in Japan, makes a lot of sense and will be here to stay for both trads and the new generation.

• Quality: Back to basics and a focus on quality, knowing more and building a great wardrobe rather than buying whatever's cool.

• Oxford & Chambray shirts: They are the new T shirts for a lot of people. Old and young, the aesthetic is great, they are diverse and they just look better than anything else - why wouldn't you wear them all the time?

I think 2010 will see a bit of an expansion of this "Americana" trend and brands like Yuketen and Engineered Garments will continue to forge the way. Brands like Red Wing and Gitman Bros. are being pushed to make some things they maybe haven't in the past, so the heritage brands that stick to their guns and stay on brand and quality will do well.

I hope to see a little more infusion from Japan's styling enter the North American and European market, maybe we'll stop sleeping on some of the secret factories and brands producing great items in our back yards.

The trend I'd really like to see continue, is just more people caring. The retails, designers etc - I think North America needs to realize that it's not leading the way and needs to be more open to outside influence and learning from the rest of the world when it comes to customer service and attention to detail.

Well, I wouldn't mind a pair of Ring Boots by Quoddy or Indy Boots by Alden, but my girlfriend will be away for a month, so I'll just be happy to have her back for a belated Christmas present, and my family of course.