Heritage is a strange word these days and it's something I have battled with since we started creating our own clothing. 

Our first range featured the Union Jack, inspired by the sweats seen in 60s boxing gyms and even earlier Olympic uniforms but in recent years it has taken on a whole weight of unpleasantness. My formative years were peak Britpop where you couldn't turn the page of the Melody Maker (or the Sun) without seeing the flag as a stage backdrop, guitar print or anywhere else they could wedge it into view. 

In the 00's is became synonymous with the far right groups that deserve no more words on the internet but if you grew up in England you know who I mean. It did weaken over the following decade though but in the way that a strong continental lager may weaken in strength if left for a good while but regardless they still taste of piss in the end. From the far right to the angry Facebook profile pictures, it's fair to say that the flag has still some way to go in redeeming itself as a symbol of something we can be proud of. 

Through lockdown we saw the tumbling of statues and monuments as people started to question everything and our heritage was something to not only question but often something to hide. 

We call ourselves a heritage brand so how does that fit?

We want to create our own heritage. For my son, my family for our town. We can reset the course on shape the way we want to be viewed. My own opinion is to not tear down our historical reminders as they often serve to help us remain conscious of some truly terrible events that can't be replicated. 

Our hometown of Ossett is a typical West Yorkshire town, unremarkable, market precinct and all of the hallmarks of forgotten small towns across the UK. But dig a little deeper and there's a whole bible of history that built the town. We want to retell these stories, some truly fascinating, and celebrate the people that made them happen. From the boatsman who ferried people across the Calder to the youngest soldier to die in WWI, this is the heritage we want to celebrate. 

You can see in our most recent releases the beginnings of where we're heading but you can expect lots more through 2023. 

Ryan