Our mates at Hebtroco are going from strength-to-strength. I've known Ed, one of the founders - the beardy one, for a few years. He bought a Triumph Speed Triple off me a couple of a years ago and plans to race his rare Danish Nimbus at this year's DirtQuake. With his friend, Brant, they decided to try revive the dying trouser-making industry that used to dominate the Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge.
They started with one style and material of moleskin trousers, and found a following through friends and people who admired what they were trying to do, namely, make a UK product in a UK factory. The Moleskins are heavyweight trousers, slimcut, and do have a feeling of being made to last. They're £110, which could be thought of as a lot for a pair of trousers, but isn't compared to 'designer' jeans made in sweatshop-style factories.
Hebtroco introduced needlecord material for their trousers, then brought out shorts, handmade belts and now made in Britain boots. The boots are produced in one of the last remaining shoe factories in the UK and are, like the moleskin trousers, heavyweight and made to last. There are two styles of Hebtroco boot, Moto and Chukka. The Moto is made from Yorkshire oiled suede and has a shift patch on the left boot, to protect the upper from ten thousand gear lever nudges. The soles can be replaced, so they're likely to last for decades. At £250 they're the antidote to modern disposability. Even cheap, modern, mass-produced in the sweatshops canvas plimsolls cost £50-60 and last one summer if you wear them regularly. Hebtroco are making clothes to invest in.
Watch the video below and find out more at Hebtroco