Into the countryside

A handful of houses, one village store and a suitcase full of Begg x Co

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In paid partnership with BEGG X CO Photography by Ollie Ali

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Products pictured: I am wearing the ISLA CASHMERE KNITTED SWEATER in scarlet, KNITTED BI-COLOUR CASHMERE BEANIE in bare/white undyed and ARRAN REVERSIBLE CLASSIC CASHMERE SCARF in flannel oyster.

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Products pictured: I am wearing the KNITTED ALEX BEANIE in green, ROCKCLIFFE CASHMERE KNITTED HOODY and CROVIE LOUNGE PANTS in pewter (above), MUNRO CASHMERE KNITTED SWEATER in astrakhan and ARRAN SOLID CLASSIC CASHMERE SCARF in sapphire.

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Products pictured above: I am wearing the ISLA CASHMERE KNITTED SWEATER in pea green, VALE BRODEN LAMBSWOOL CASHMERE SCARF in vicuna, ARRAN FILM PLAID CASHMERE SCARF in charcoal camel. Right: FISHER SWEATER in sapphire and FILT LAMBSWOOL CASHMERE THROW in oak natural.

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Product pictured: ARRAN BORDER CASHMERE BLANKET in charcoal spruce. To view the full BEGG X CO AW22 COLLECTION click here.

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Imagine this, two creatives out in the countryside tucked up inside a small pub with a fire going. The photographer asks the waitress “where is good to shoot?” Only for the response to be locations to shoot game. Perhaps it was the chunky knit and plaid scarf that through her off the city scent. I couldn’t help but raise a smile when I twigged and my photographer hadn’t. Consider us assimilated.

Armed with Begg x Co 8-ply knitwear, cashmere and lambswool, Ollie and myself were in Wiltshire just as the seasons began to change. I get sheer joy of being out in nature. The etiquette and unwritten rule of saying hello to each passerby and their four-legged companions, the air, the quiet, the slow pace to life.

While we were taking in the Wiltshire countryside, Begg x Co calls Ayr in Scotland home. On the west coast of the country, they feed a lot into the local community and create product that the workers, the brand and its customers are proud of. While I want to make the journey up to Scotland soon to see exactly what goes on inside their factory (you can watch a video here which gives you a glimpse), I had to settle for somewhere a little closer to home.

Like many of the brands I take an interest in now, Begg x Co is conscious of their impact on people and planet. Recently sharing their 2022 responsibility report, they discuss the ongoing work they are doing. It’s certainly worth a read should you be interested in the considerations a brand has to take, but the top line for me is they are well on their way to becoming a B Corp, an incredibly high bar in how you need to conduct and maintain your business. It’s often processes we don’t get to see as customers, yet I feel moving forward we’ll be a lot more invested in the transparency of brands. Being able to learn about the design teams regular trips to Mongolia and the initiatives they are starting there, their development of recycled cashmere lines for next year, as well as being part of the Living Wage Foundation to ensure the company pays a real living wage is definitely things I want to hear about.

The document also touches on the factors they implement when sourcing materials, the extreme lengths of sourcing the highest quality wools and cashmere where the animals are well looked after and the research they are conducting when it comes to dyes. What I admire is that they are by no means the finished article, and do not claim to be, but an honest approach to making.

As we really settle into the colder months, knitwear, warm accessories and soft throws really do begin to takeover our wardrobes and bodies. As for the clothes themselves, they’re classic while being modern in cut and colour. Wiltshire could spot the scarlett red and pea green Isla crew neck sweaters from a mile off when I eventually decided to take off the cashmere rockcliffe set I chose to wear indoors. Throughout, the boxy cut was enjoyed and I took styling cues from Begg x Co’s lookbook, adding in the necessary wellies for the predictably wet winter weather (something we avoided capturing). And fyi, wrapping a blanket around you while outside is something I’d highly recommend, though I don’t think this would be suited to city walks.

So while Ayr is high on my list for next year, nearby countryside shall have to do. And certainly, no shoots.jbicon

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Photography by Ollie Ali

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