Authenticity, artisan, having a moral compass, actually giving a rats about your suppliers, a credible brand story ... the rest is just landfill really. Menswear label Albam is based on the philosophy of continuing to manufacture their products in Great Britain, and if this isn’t possible then they look as close to home as possible. Their goal is to enable British factories to grow and develop along side them. The web site says "There is no hidden agenda with this, but there is something that is great about making products in an area when people think you are slightly crazy 'because no one does it anymore'. In some respects there is an old mindset within Albam combined with a forward outlook".

According to the lovely lad behind the Albam counter, the sweaters in store were the last production run for Britain's The Stevenage Knitting Company (or maybe I've got this wrong? I'll check), which lead him to tell me about John Spinks’ book which launched the week after I was in London. Factories is a compilation of stunning imagery depicting the people, spaces, materials, machinery and tools that make up Albam. Not a bad effort for a brand that is only 3 years old. I like the way these lads are sticking to their knitting. This store is on Upper St Islington (right next door to Ottolenghi).