The History of Three Stroke Productions – from A to Z
Would you like to know everything about Three Stroke Productions?
We associated a key concept to each letter of the alphabet so read on
Anniversary
Born in London in Dec 1997, Three Stroke Productions is now 24 years old. Well, it would be great to be 24 years old again, seeing as that was more or less our age when the three of us behind the brand started the company.
At that time we were all part of a “style conscious’ scene, but honestly, we didn t know a lot about the clothing industry. We’ve always had a passion for smart clothing from the consumer’ side, and the process to turn ourselves into designers has been a long one – and this journey is yet to be completed.
The team ‘s line-up changed a bit over the years, but after more than two decades we”re still around, thanks to the contribution of a few younger lads that joined us along the way delivering new energies to Three Stroke Productions.
So wherever we are, on every 7th Dec, we celebrate our Anniversary:
“Here’s to the guys who love us, the losers who lost us, and the lucky bastards that get to meet us”
A
C
Combat sports
Since day 1 “combat sports” have been part of our Three Stroke Productions DNA: from our East London Combat Studio in 2003 (MMA and BJJ) to the friendship with the current Super Bantamweight EBU Champion Luca Rigoldi, we are proud to support a “scene” that embodies some of the highest values such as courage, respect, and tenacity
D
Distinctive Clothing
It’s not about perfection. It’s about the effort and the aspiration we implement in the garments we make in order to deliver distinctive clothes.
Therefore distinctiveness is the consequence and not the objective of what we wish to achieve
Distinction is given by the quality of the materials used, by the attention to details, by the inspiring values, and by the overall look. A set of things that all together will bring you the right piece of clothing.
Three Stroke Productions: Distinctive Clothing Since 1997
E
Evolution
We wrote “Never forget where we came from” on one of our t-shirts, and this means being aware about our origins and of course about the origins of the actual brand. Having a distinctive DNA, a strong cultural background and a tradition of events and collaborations is something not all brands can claim to show, but at the same time we feel that as time changes the need to explore new territories becomes stronger and stronger.
We’ve always said that at the beginning none of the founding members of Three Stroke Productions were a professional of the clothing industry. For a few years our collections were limited to t-shirts and sweatshirts with our logo, gingham shirts, and harrington jackets. The brand was very young and the subcultural scene needed those garments.
Technical knowledge and new skills not only come from experience: over the years, enhancements and growth were also generated by encounters and collaborations with people of different backgrounds that helped us to become what we are today.
Our curiosity and eagerness to learn along with strong links with all our partners enabled us to cope with tough times, hard competitions and our mistakes.
Never forgetting our DNA we developed a desire to carry out experiments and to offer the public small avant garde capsules to enrich our range of “classic” pieces.
The “evolution” we pursue not only consist of raids in only apparently different stylistic environments, but also in a continuous research of new and better fabrics and treatments.
At the same time we’ve always felt the need to improve the quality of our graphic designs in the quest to express our ideas keeping at bay trivial and “easy” images.
So yes: we don’t forget where we came from but we also know where we want to head to
F
Fortis
Fortis is an old latin word meaning brave and strong.
Our first Fortis jacket was launched in AW2017. Feedback from the public was really good so we decided to include this jacket in the following collections until it was clear that there was the chance to develop a capsule collection under the “Fortis” name.
Our “crossed swords” symbol stands for the synthesis of tradition and innovation we aim for our garments to show.
G
Graphic design
As you well know, when it comes to graphic design t-shirts we definitely feel like we have the upper hand.
Over the years we explored and described dozens of subjects that in one way or another are related to our imagination, and since our very first graphic design t-shirt we released back in 2004 and which is still used today, we’ve worked on more than 200 graphic design projects.
T-shirts broadcast who we are and who we want to be.
H
Headgear
All our hats and accessories are made in Italy by family run clothing firms.
Apart from our stunning “Fjord” beanie hats, over the years we have explored all different styles of the English and Irish headgear tradition.
From all sorts of bucket hats to the various newsboy and duckbill hats, which were always loved and worn well before the arrival of the Peaky Blinders. They will always add and extra touch of class and quality to all of collections of Three Stroke Productions
K
The TSP Kids are alright
Some years ago we decided to start a project called the “Kids are alright” with the objective to raise funds and awareness at some of the various rallies and gigs that we used to sponsor.
The sole aim of this campaign was to help underprivileged children living in depressed areas around the world.
The first campaign in 2002 we took part in was the one launched by a famous London radio to gather Christmas gifts to give to some of the kids from south London.
Since 2004 Three Stroke Productions has taken part in a number of projects in countries like Brazil, Italy, and the UK. In November 2009 we sent 200 pieces of clothing, such as Harrington Jackets, Hoodies, and Polo Shirts to the areas of Roccalumera and Scaletta Zanclea in Sicily, Italy. Both of these places near the city of Messina were badly affected by the floods and mudslides that occurred on the 1st & 2nd October 2009.
Quality clothes were sent on several occasions to communities in Brazil and more recently to an organization supporting homeless people in the north east of Italy.
We don’t really like to showcase these events, but we thought it was just right to add them to our A to Z page. Just once and with a very low profile attitude.
J
Jackets
The main reason why we’re all here is because of our obsession for jackets.
We’ve been into jackets since we were kids and from Harringtons to parkas we just grew up collecting dozens of them.
Very soon we will launch a new page called “The History of Three Stroke Productions jackets” to share photos and sketches describing our journey over the years.
I
Italy
High quality raw materials, attention to detail, high manufacturing quality standards, durability, design: all this is Made in Italy.
Most of the garments since 2006 have been made by small independent clothing firms in Italy.
Firms that also share our outlook and mindset, as we believe that to succeed in this business is to be part of a trustworthy chain based on the values of quality and respect, which includes the brand itself, the suppliers, the shops, and finally the consumer as well
We are proud to say that all Three Stroke Productions sweatshirts, t-shirts, polo shirts, sweaters, and accessories, are all made in Italy
L
Lifestyle
At Three Stroke Productions we don’t pretend to teach lessons to anyone, but.. Yes, we do encourage a healthy lifestyle including sport: Mens sana in corpore sano (Juvenal, Roman poet)
We think sports are the best way to educate ourselves to know and possibly overcome our limits and embody the value of “Respect”
M
Movies
There are plenty of films we love, but this short list can give you an idea about some of our favourites:
Quadrophenia by Frank Roddam
The Football Factory by Nick Love
This is England by Shane Meadows
Sid and Nancy by Alex Cox
24 Hour Party People by Michael Winterbottom
Snatch by Guy Ritchie
The Warriors by Walter Hill
N
Notes
We’ve taken some of the favourite cds of our team members, we mixed them all together and here is a list of sounds you can hear when you get close to our place or you jump in the car with some of us –
Sherlocks, Stone Roses, Oasis, soundtrack of Pulp Fiction, Matrix, Metallica, Slipknot, Joy Division, New Order, Talk Talk, Twisted Wheel, Blur, Dropkick Murphies, Madball, Agnostic Front, Sick of it all, Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, Eminem, The Solution, Section60, Amy Winehouse, Shed Seven, David Bowie, Flamingoes, Subcircus, Rammstein, The Hives, Kaiserchiefs, Chemical Brothers, AC DC, Arctic Monkeys, Dead Idle, Daniel Portman, Kaiserdisco, Cosmic Boys, Ibiza Summer, Motorhead, Talking Heads, Kasabian, The Universal, Supernova, Skinner Brothers, Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand, Massive Attack, Muse, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, Goblin, The Crystal Method, Overseer, Adam Freeland .
P
Photography
We’ve been fans of photography for ages and every year we hire independent photographers and models from the scene to make our own photo shoots, which in our early days were mainly focused on subcultural themes.
In the last few years we’ve also enjoyed exploring new kinds of environments such as nature: especially mountains and all sports related to them, like trekking, skying, climbing
The idea to launch a Three Stroke Productions Photo Gallery came a couple of years ago after receiving photos from people who had purchased our clobber and wanted us to share them across our social media. We love receiving images from all round the world including different people, doing different things.
Q
Quotes
“Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn” – Orson Welles
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” – Oscar Wilde
“Keep your head up: never forget where you came from” – Three Stroke Productions
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for” – Albert Einstein
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” – Neale Donald Walsch
“The journey not the arrival matters” – T. S. Eliot
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go” – T.S. Eliot
“Every man’s life ends the same way. It is only the details of how he lived and how he died that distinguish one man from another” – Ernest Hemingway
‘It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to” – J.R.R Tolkien
“This is being a team of my lords, either we rise now as a collective or we will be annihilated individually” – Al Pacino
“Be thankful for the hard times, for they have made you” – Leonardo DiCaprio
“If you get all of us together, we ain’t got a gang, we’ve got an army” – Gangs of New York
“The difference between style and fashion is quality” – Giorgio Armani
“Hard times arouse an instinctive desire for authenticity” – Coco Chanel
“Mod is a shorter word for young, beautiful and stupid” – Pete Townsend of The Who
“Simplicity is the ultimate form sophistication” – Leonardo DaVinci
R
Reads
In time of quick web based news and messages, we still find books appealing so we picked a few titles from our collections to let you guys know about our reads:
Casuals by Phil Thornton, Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, England’s Dreaming by Jon Savage, Fight Club by Chuck Phalahniuk, Absolute Beginners by Colin MacInnes, Whaam!: The Art & Life of Roy Lichtenstein
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
S
Subcultures
Some say that after the explosion of the internet, subcultures no longer exist with the younger lads more interested in creating and looking after their online image rather than joining others with similar tastes and expressing themselves in the streets.
No need to write an essay about sociology or anthropology here: we’re just saying that especially in our early days the subcultural background of a couple of the main men behind Three Stroke Productions played a big role in the label. A vibrant music scene would attract people sharing the same mood, generate events, shape styles and influence fashion. That was the case of course in 1997 as well. We reckon that there are reminiscences of a subcultural past in many of our favourite brands.
The idea of Subculture has a lot to do with identity and with the concept of “don’t forget where you came from” but sticking obstinately to a certain style would mean forgetting that times change and so styles. In a way we can say that subcultures will always exist as we feel that the need of being identified with something is still strong especially in the global society, but they can make their presence felt again and have a real impact on style only when they are capable of generating new contents and new emotions and above all, when the mainstream will feel the need to capture and adopt some of their colours, symbols, and moods.
T
Three Stroke Productions
The brand was founded in 1997 but what many of you guys still don’t know is the meaning of the name Three Stroke Productions. At that time in 1997 we were all fans of motorcycles owning scooters and bigger bikes.
The name came from a compromise between a 2 stroke and 4 stroke engine: three stroke productions
U
Undercutting
This is what we really don’t like. The wrong approach to trade. An unfair way to cope with competition. We (and the other brands similar to us) don’t sell essential goods. There are other giants who are there to sell basic tops, trousers and tees.
We sell quality clothes to deliver style, emotions, and identity.
Cutting prices means not respecting those who are involved in the whole production chain, it means depriving dignity to decent pieces of clothing and encourage an overall quality downgrade in our segment
“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten”
V
Values
Style Identity Respect
No need to say any more
W
Wardrobe
We do love of course wearing the nice clothes we make, but there are lots of pieces of clothing in our wardrobes as well.
Some of the iconic garments we still own have been an important source of inspiration: this is what you could find in our wardrobes
Desert Boots, Doc Marten boots, Stone Island jackets, Harrington jackets, overshirts of all kinds, aquascutum accessories,
Barbour jackets, NB sneakers, Patagonia outdoors gear, CP Millemiglia (iconic !!), Adidas Hamburg, etc, Berghaus jackets, Trickers boots,
military clothes, Real & Empire, One True Saxon, Nigel Cabourn.
Z
Zeitgeist
Taken from the German zeit meaning time and geist meaning spirit, the term’s literal translation is ‘the spirit of the age’.
The Zeitgeist is the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time.
Knowing and understanding the Zeitgeist is essential for us because it allows us to be aware of the trends that effectively correspond to the current needs and aspirations of the public. We need to be able to interpret our time, remaining true to our dna but at the same time to project ourselves forwards.
Our task is not at all to pursue the trend of the moment, but to be aware of the ideals and the values of the era in which we live so we can best express our free individuality and give life to our projects.
