A Corgi photo shoot

A few weeks ago we told you about a photo shoot we had planned to gather some new publicity and promo shots for the Corgi brand. Well, last week, armed with countless pairs of Corgi socks and piles of knitwear, we headed to remotest West Wales for the shoot.

Vicky from branding and design agency Smörgåsbord, who we have been working with on the project, had scouted out the perfect location – a traditional Welsh thatched cottage located in the beautiful Carmarthenshire hills, called Ty Unnos.

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The shoot location: Ty Unnos in Carmarthenshire

The cottage was quite unique as it had been built entirely from local materials, using traditional tools and processes and all during the course of one night, as per an old Welsh tradition. In fact, the cottage’s name Ty Unnos is Welsh for ‘one night house’ which refers to the age-old process by which it was believed that if a person could build a house on common land in one night, that the land then belonged to them as a freehold.

The cottage's owner was on hand to tell us all about the history of the building

The cottage’s owner was on hand to tell us all about the history of the building

Being inside the building was truly like stepping back in time as it was furnished entirely with antiques. The only modern touch was a fabulous, newly refurbished bathroom which became our wardrobe/changing room/makeup and hair room for the day.

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Spot the Corgi prop

In the days prior to the shoot, the weather had been typically Welsh – wet, windy and just generally horrible! So we were so pleased to see the sun shining and blue skies when the day arrived.

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A rare bright and sunny day in West Wales

As we’ve mentioned before, our photographer for the day was great lifestyle and interiors photographer Michael Sinclair. His previous work includes country and coastal living, hotels and tourism, food and people for commercial, editorial and advertising clients throughout the UK and abroad. If you haven’t already checked out his work, visit Michael’s website to take a look at his portfolio.

We had three models – two male and one female – as well as a little four-legged friend named Mr Wigglesworth who was determined to get in on all the posing action!

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Mr Wigglesworth, the wannabe model

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Mr Wigglesworth posing alongside two of our models

It was a very long day so snacks and drinks were essential – we were so grateful to photographer Michael’s partner who made this gorgeous lemon and poppy seed  cake to get us through the day!

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Team lunch

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Our saviour – the lemon and poppy seed cake

All in all it was a great day and we managed to get some absolutely brilliant shots that we look forward to sharing with you very soon.

 

 

 

Corgi at Paris Fashion Week

Paris Fashion Week is a jewel in the crown of the fashion calendar. And while Corgi did not have its own show at the highly prestigious event when it went ahead a couple of weeks ago, our socks and knitwear did make an appearance on the catwalk.

New York City-based fashion designer Thom Browne is one of our major knitwear clients Stateside and he featured a number of Corgi-made pieces in his Fall 2013 Menswear show.

Photo: Marcus Tondo/In Digital I Go Runway

Photo: Marcus Tondo/In Digital | Go Runway

We have worked with Thom Browne for some time now and regularly manufacture knitwear pieces for the brand’s collections. In addition to the knitwear, we were very excited to be asked to supply socks for the models in his latest show, especially when we saw the leading role they played in many of the looks.

The socks featured are our cable knit cashmere ones which, if you fancy emulating a catwalk model, are available for purchase in our online store.

A slideshow of images from the Thom Browne show can be found here – see how many pairs of Corgi socks you can spot!

A busy week for Corgi at the National Eisteddfod

Well, we’ve just about recovered from a very busy seven days at the National Eisteddfod at Llandow in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The week got off to a very soggy start as heavy rain poured down onto the Maes – you’ve got to love a Welsh summer! – but the latter few days of the festival saw exhibitors and visitors alike bathed in glorious sunshine.

We spent the majority of the week manning the Corgi tradestand, located in the event’s Exhibition Hall. The venue was shared by an array of professional, voluntary and charity organisations from across Wales, representing all aspects of the country’s rich and varied culture.

The event gave us the opportunity to meet and speak with numerous existing Corgi fans as well as a whole host of new ones. And a few famous faces even popped by to say hello!

We had a really great week and would just like to say thanks to all of those who came by and helped make it so enjoyable.

Here are a couple of snaps from the event…

The Corgi stand being manned by 12 year old Josh Jones – MD Chris’ son and Corgi’s newest salesman! He’s the sixth generation of the Jones’ family to join the Corgi fold.

Mr Go Compare himself, Wynne Evans – a self-confessed Corgi obsessive – clutching the latest additions to his Corgi collection.

Fellow exhibitor Mari Thomas made use of one of our luxury cashmere wraps to showcase her beautiful jewellery.

Corgi: the machines

 

Part 2 of Simon Crompton’s blog on his visit to Corgi, is a fascinating snapshot of the traditional machines and processes used at Corgi in the manufacture of our socks and knitwear. It helps explain why our products are truly authentic in the sense that only the genuine original article can be.

We think Simon enjoyed his visit to Corgi – he signed off  ”It’s nice therefore when you see old machines that perform some unique function. Like the single-beds or the hand-wound sock knitter. And even though hand framing isn’t necessarily better, it is certainly different – you can spot a hand-framed cable knit anywhere by the lovely openness of its weave.
Thank you Huw, Chris and Lisa.”

Thank you, Simon, we enjoyed your visit too.

 

Corgi: Factory visit

Simon Crompton, the UK’s leading men’s fashion blogger with his Permanent Style blog, recently visited our factory in Wales. His writing, as ever,  is tremendously informative, and if you’d like to know more of the secrets of Corgi knitwear, you’ll find the full article here.