The Times today ran an article discussing how in the recession people want to have more control over their colour choices, and that this is fast becoming a very popular offering with brands and a great way to differentiate onesself. Huxley takes this on board. Due to our fledgling status we will not be able to offer bespoke colouring a la NikeID or the history of colours of someone like Hermes. But in no time at all we hope to offer enough colour choices that people will be able to find their favourite pink or that hard-to-find shade of green.

It certainly feels like people are yearning after some colour to perk them up in what are otherwise pretty miserable times. One thing I can ensure you of...we are surrounded by colour everyday at Huxley, and it keeps us pretty bloody perky.

I have always been intrigued by viral ads and their perceived success. This one from Cutwater in the US is certainly funny. But how successful is it in promoting Rayban? Anyway....something to think about but primarily to enjoy!

I tore this out of a recent GQ shoe supplement as I thought the colours were brilliant. These are the sort of colours that we will be seeing in the first collection from Huxley. I especially think the cobalt blue is a cracker of a colour, it will certainly be amongst the first colourways from Huxley.

I have always admired the label Acne for its willingness to push the boundaries colourwise. On a recent trip to Stockholm my close friend Ben Thompson @ Studio Ilse stumbled across this very Huxley-esque display from Acne. I thought I would post it up here to further give people an idea of the kind of brand identity we are striving to achieve with Huxley.

Below is a link to the Monocle web site and the most recent edition of their online podcast that they publish monthly. This particular episode is very relevant to Huxley. and includes Lord Mandelson, British secretary of state for business, enterprise & regulatory reform, sharing his views on how budding entrepreneurs should ride the waves of the recession. Also Ian James, co-founder of London's innovative grocery retailer Melrose & Morgan and Dr Sam Thompson of the New Economics Foundation discuss how small scale start-ups can revitalise communities and boost local economies. Very interesting and potentially exciting for Huxley.

Happy New Year. Huxley is back after an indulgent Christmas break...and I have a problem. Why are formal mens shoes (i.e. Brogues, Oxfords, Desert Boots) always limited to purely shades of black and brown? I was alerted to this conundrum whilst trying to find myself some classic shoes but in an interesting colour. I remembered reading last year that Prada had bought Church's the traditional British shoemaker, and had launched a range of brighter coloured shoes. Well could these shoes be found on the highstreets of London...no! And if I had found them they would have cost upwards of £200 anyway. I ended up getting some desert boots in a pretty traditional beige...which I am going to return in the continued search for a colourful shoe. What I would really like to find is a shoe in a deep purple or burnt orange...even a French blue would suffice! Albam and Pointer do stock some great shoes in more unusual colours and styles, but I want to go further. I am going to make it my mission to track down, manufacture and sell through Huxley a classic Brogue/Oxford and a desert boot in three great colours. That is a pledge!