Spoke launches new ‘Forza’ collection in pop-up at Carl Friedrik’s London store

Custom-fit menswear brand Spoke has launched a new eight-piece collection of Italian technical wool tailoring and outerwear, under the name ‘Forza’, at a pop-up in Carl Friedrik’s store at 27 Regent Street in London.

The pop-up will run for two weeks until 13 September, giving customers the chance to see and try the collection in person for the first time.

Forza has been built around Italian technical wool innovation and is shot through with Cordura fabric. It’s described as “resilient, crease-resistant and improbably luxe.”

The collection runs from outerwear to formal jackets and trousers. It includes ‘Jack’, Spoke’s signature unstructured jacket with patch pockets and visible pick stitching, available in 42 sizes; ‘Pleats’ - a higher-rise trouser with traditional British forward pleats and a “mid-century flow” through the thigh; and ‘Mac’ - a water-resistant coat lined in ripstop, with a snap front, extra room for layering and a locker loop.

On launching Forza at luxury travel goods brand Carl Friedrik’s Regent Street store, Ben Farren, founder of Spoke, said: “It's been years since we did a pop-up, beyond the occasional archive sale. As a direct-to-consumer brand, you're incredibly close to your customers and yet you never meet them face to face - so it's always gratifying when you do. With more serious retail in our near future, it felt about time we stretched our legs again.

“That collided with a long-standing admiration for Carl Friedrik. They've always felt adjacent to us: the same aspirational, professional customer looking for an elevated product that just works, without drifting into the absurdities of high luxury.”

It’s not the first time that Spoke has ventured into tailoring pieces, though it is perhaps a more elevated offer than previously available. Farren added: “It would be a mistake to call this our first step into tailoring. The construction of our trousers has always betrayed a concern for tailoring craft, we've been making shirts for years, and it's a couple of years now since we started our range of blazers.

“So, this isn't a fresh entry, but it is the culmination of our efforts to date: a rich, varied capsule of tailored pieces that work together as a modular wardrobe. And on the strength of sales since we launched the Jack blazer two years ago, the modern working wardrobe is very much at the heart of Spoke’s future product roadmap.”

Asked what his own favourites are in the new Forza collection, Farren commented: “I'm bound to tell you they're all great. But, if you force me to pick, I love the ‘Stormbreaker’ (a windbreaker with funnel collar and two-way zip), while the ‘Fridays’ (a drawstring chino) are an incredible piece of business travelwear - comfortable and resilient. Additionally, the ‘Pleats’ trouser is a little smarter, with a perfect silhouette.”

To promote the pop-up, Spoke will be running a localised out-of-home (OOH) print campaign targeting central London.