As our winter continues apace, keeping warm and dry when outdoors, with a touch of luxury, might be worth thinking about.
The good news? All it takes to elevate your winter walk from dark and dreary to warm and comfortable is English Utopia – a British luxury outdoor brand that offers up a range of gorgeous all-weather gear that will keep us all well protected from the elements.
They cut and make by hand in their York workshop, using only the best quality tweed, leather, cotton and cashmere from the world’s top fabric mills. All fabrics are sourced from within the UK, Austria, France and Italy. From robust and fashion-forward quilted coats to traditional tweed country jackets, English Utopia fuses style with comfort – without compromising on either – in a collection of outerwear, scarves and bags.
All of the brand’s design, pattern cutting and fabric cutting is carried out in-house by designer and founder Gary Newbold, with a team of talented coat-makers on hand to bring his ideas to life.
Gary, who launched the company in 2012, was formerly the head of design for Barbour, and found it to be an invaluable experience on the way to creating his own brand.
He says: “I think it’s important that we make locally and make well. Using fabrics from the best mills in the world and making here in York UK, makes us high end but this is what I believe we should be offering.
“We believe in transparency and traceability for all of our products, so our customers will always know exactly what they are buying and where the materials have come from. Each piece we produce comes with its own unique ID number.”
All items are bespoke and made to order to ensure that they are perfectly tailored to the buyer’s size.
Are you thinking about stocking up with the latest in quality high-end outerwear? If so, these are our top picks.
For her
Clifton waterproof pure silk quilt lined with goose down, £650
An extravagant made-to-order, limited edition piece that is one of English Utopia’s proudest achievements – and also happens to be one of the most luxurious jackets the brand has ever made. Made from pure silk both inside and out and woven from Olmetex near Lake Como in Italy, it’s a piece that is reminiscent of the classic Italian style and features a cosy Canadian goose down layer of insulation to keep you warm on those colder days.
Women’s ‘Emily’ knee-length wool tweed coat, £695
An elegant three-quarter length tweed coat made from 100 percent merino wool, this beautiful piece features a split waist for a flattering shape that adds movement as you walk, with just the right number and depth of inverted pleats.
Bespoke Titania women’s ¾ length wax coat, £545
Available in not one, but twenty different colours, this practical wax coat looks the part as well as doing the job – keeping you warm and dry with an elegant flair. Comprising a faux chinchilla fur collar and a 100 percent pure cashmere main collar and internal wrist warmers, it’s the extra details that make all the difference, adding a distinctive air of glamour that makes it perfect for a range of different outdoor pursuits.
For him
Men’s pure goose down lightweight jacket, £750
Warm, light-weight and waterproof all in one, both the outer and inner shell of this essential outdoor jacket are made from quality waterproof microfibres from Olmatex in Italy – one of the leading exponents for this type of fabric globally. Filled to the brim with pure goose down for added warmth, everything is beautifully trimmed with merino wool tweed from Lovat Mills of Scotland to finish, with nubuck leather from Tenneries Pechdo in France.
Moleskin custom jean with deerskin trim, £260
English Utopia isn’t just about beautiful jackets, and its English-made men’s moleskin custom jeans are just the ticket for those outdoor jobs in the garden or the countryside. Comprising two-ply long cotton staple yarns, they are hard-wearing and feature fully bound seams, with a brushed-cotton pocket bag by Dragoni of Italy and finished with a Scottish deerskin nubuck leather trim.
The Wyreman Extra Fine Merino Wool Coat with Lambswool lining, £850
A contemporary, slim-fit tailored jacket made from tightly-woven extra fine merino wool, sourced from Leichtfreide, Austria – which is famous for its Loden cloth. Featuring a warm lambswool lining, woven in Yorkshire, sandwiched between a gorgeous Italian microfibre membrane, it’s a piece that is guaranteed to elevate your outdoor wardrobe to all new heights.
Special reader offer: We have teamed up with English Utopia to give LLM readers an exclusive 5% discount off their next online purchase, visit englishutopia.com, shop for your favourite products and simply enter code LLM5 at checkout.
All imagery used in this article credit: English Utopia
