Where and who are the British menswear fashion YouTubers (vloggers)?
"The trouble is", said David as we sat in a pub, "I'm not that into fashion but I do want style tips. And most YouTubers are either kids, or too eccentric. There's nobody doing funny and interesting menswear videos with clothes I'd actually want and could afford."
It's a problem I've heard many times during my suit tailoring appointments. Whether it's some of the UK's leading businessmen, hedge-fund managers, heads of investment banks, top barristers, entrepreneurs, CEOs; or if it's any Tom, Dick or Harry, more men than you may think tell me they are interested in looking good and learning about menswear style advice.
However, the same men enjoy English humour: dry, satirical, self-deprecation. And this is where there's a big disconnect on YouTube. Most menswear fashion YouTubers are loud, brash and American.
Videos of dry satirical humour and informative advice is a difficult combination. Done right, it's what makes British TV the best in the world: Top Gear and Have I Got News For You as great examples. So who are the British fashion menswear YouTubers or vloggers that achieve this? My brother Terry Church and I decided to go on a hunt.
What Terry and I found astonished us. There was only one British menswear YouTuber. Some British YouTube celebrities such as Jim Chapman and More Marcus occasionally did a fashion-related videos, but really there was only one: Steve Brooker.
Brands and organisations have YouTube channels - British Fashion Council, Mr. Porter, GQ, T. M. Lewin, etc., but we were looking for personal YouTubers with independent advice. Thousands of menswear bloggers exist - photo blogs mostly (I'm a big fan of the Grey Fox Blog) - but again, no YouTubers... Over Sunday roast, Terry made the decision to change that.
#1 British menswear fashion YouTuber: Terry Church
In this Friday Bargain themed video Terry goes to Oxfam to see what he can get for £15. He ends up with some Tiger of Sweden trousers and a black jumper.
Comedy strikes as Terry shows you 'how to walk sexy'.
The great British panama hat is featured as the ultimate menswear accessory, able to accompany even the most disastrous of outfits.
#2 British menswear fashion YouTuber: Steve Brooker
Steve goes to Westfields in London for some shopping and experiences a virtual reality store.
Steve Booker attends London Fashion Week and looks at some of the styles people are wearing outside the events, capturing the feel of the event.
Vintage fashion and design gets a visit at a car boot sale as Steve explores what's available to buy.
It seems strange that with YouTube as such a large platform and menswear growing larger and larger as an industry in the UK, there aren't many independent British YouTube personalities - if you know of any more, please comment below and add them here!
There are thousands of bloggers and photographers using things such as Tumblr and Pinterest, but what makes menswear different than most of fashion, at least from my suit tailoring experiences with customers, is that they want an informative experience too. Yes, men want to be stylish, but there's also a demand for knowledge of the materials, the manufacturing process, the trade and craft that goes into the clothes. YouTube videos provide an opportunity for this, and I hope many more Brits along with Terry and Steve take to the stage.