Dress Down Friday? - I don't think so

You remember 'Dress Down Friday' when city types lounged about in chinos and open necked shirts at the end of the week because, well, there wasn't that much to do and besides if a client called then they would just have to hang on until Monday? Well there is a theory that in today's harsher climate, the city types that remain have sharpened up their act. Clients have been put on the endangered species list. They are fought over by sharply dressed professionals once again. Business is booming here at English Cufflinks. Sales are up and so are commissions for hand engraved and one-off custom cufflinks so perhaps 'Dress Down Friday' has been postponed for now.

Our New Toy

We have a new toy which enables us to mechanically etch an image directly onto silver or gold cufflinks, which means we can transfer anything from a doodle on an envelope to a high resolution photo. The results are stunningly accurate and can also be used for engraving of any font. This does not replace beautiful hand engraved cufflinks but for some of the more contemporary angular fonts it has its place...

The Tail Wagging the Dog

Its the new year and usually we get a bit of a lull; time to recharge and step back to re-evaluate the direction of English Cufflinks for the next twelve months and beyond.... but not so. We have been so busy this January with one-off bespoke commissions and a surprising number of corporate designs for new product launches and conventions on both sides of the Atlantic that we have'nt had a moment to spare. I must'nt grumble I suppose; against the backdrop of financial pundits predicting a poor year its a great start - it just has a slight feeling of the tail wagging the dog.

The photo by the way is an example of Laser Etching - a very versatile way of transfering detailed artwork into the polished surface of gold or silver

Self Branding

We are making many many pairs of initial cufflinks at present, mostly in silver but a few in white gold, yellow gold and platinum.
Personalisation continues to be a really important part of peoples identity - a way of saying 'this is me'.
We are awash with mass produced items which are the same wherever we shop around the globe. Words like 'bespoke', 'handmade', 'one-off' and 'individual' are a refreshing antidote to all that is faceless and bland. And as for paying to display big companies logos for them (on our t-shirts and bags) - don't start me off!
Luckily there are plenty of individuals out there happy to put their trust in us to come up with designs that express just that - individuality.
...and for that I am genuinely grateful

Personal Taste

Its great to be creating one-offs this week in a number of different forms showing yet again how important it is to put one's mark on the world. English cufflinks are just the messengers in most cases as customers ask for all manner of messages, dates, names and initials to be engraved on our cufflinks. Long live personalisation - the antidote to drab uniformity!

Finally something the Web is good at

To be making and selling cufflinks is a ridiculously small niche. To find people who are looking for cufflinks is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Firstly, many people do not even wear shirts let alone double or single French cuff shirts. Then of the ones that do most are content with the 'novelty' end of cufflinks mostly gold or silver plated which we don't really get involved in. The Web is very good at focussing in on a small minority and talking directly to them, which as a maker (working in splendid isolation) is a boon. Now there are things the web is bad at but lets not dwell on the negative....

Tony Blair Undressed

I saw Tony Blair's monthly press conference a few days ago and shockingly he was not wearing cufflinks. This is the first concrete evidence I have seen that he intends to stand down at the next election. He is obviously a man who has lost the will to even dress properly in the morning - a man preparing for retirement. Personally I think he has earnt it. No more 9 - 5 Tony