New Buxton Jacket - The Origins
The Hikerdelic Buxton Full Zip Jacket takes our popular Conway Smock and remodels it into something completely different. Sure, it boasts a hood, a similar fit, shape etc, but the full zip and two front pockets make it altogether more utilitarian.
And as for Buxton, well, we admire the Derbyshire town of spring water fame, it's the only water we'll drink if given the option. It takes of something close to home. But alas, this is not named after said place. It's merely coincidental.
No, it takes its name from a native of the small corner of the world in which our HQ is rooted. We aren't always proud of our last minute approach to naming garments. We spend so much time debating the merits of pocket positioning and where the branding should go, we forget to add meat on the bones of our overall seasonal message. Luckily, without much serious research, we found a man whose name lends itself perfectly to our theme for AW21. We're encouraging people to get out more after a prolonged spell of isolation and lockdown. In a certain Mr Buxton, we have someone who worked long hours yet found time to indulge enthusiastically in an unlikely yet popular working class pastime - Botanism. Jut in case you're not sure (we weren't) that means looking at flowers and plants, mainly.
Richard Buxton taught himself to read at 16 and worked as an apprentice shoemaker on Port Street, Manchester. We could walk there in about 4 minutes. Most of his life was lived in relative poverty in the Ancoats area of the city. He lived close to what is now home to Escape to Freight Island on a largely obsolete road called Bond Street. Later, he lodged with his sister on the fantastically titled Gun Street, here in the heart of Manchester's industrial district.
When not working his fingers to the bone, he found pleasure in studying and documenting nature, in particular the plants in the region.
Through this, he eventually authored of a book called '𝘈 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘎𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘍𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘴, 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘨æ, 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘔𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳'.
Which really, is quite brilliant as book names go, isn't it?
The information about Buxton isn't thick on the ground, but what exists paints a picture of someone we're proud to honour with the naming of our latest jacket release. That is, an honest, hard-working self-starter who has a thirst for knowledge, a love of nature and a yearning for new experiences.
In a season where our message is to connect with nature and Get Out More, here's a guy who was doing it nearly 200 years before us. And he lived and died 100 yards from where we work today.
See more of the Buxton Jacket here
Image via Herbology Manchester
