A good clothes shop can introduce you to something you would never have searched for. You go in for jeans and notice the texture of a jacket on the next rail. A shirt looks unremarkable on its hanger, then becomes the best thing you try on. Sometimes a familiar outfit only needs one different piece.
Universal Works, Wax London and Hiut Denim offer three distinct approaches to everyday clothing. There is relaxed, workwear-influenced menswear from Nottingham, colourful shirts and textured layers from London, and jeans made in West Wales. Each has a recognisable identity, with plenty of scope to wear them together.
For anyone looking beyond the usual high-street choices, they are worth getting to know.
Universal Works: relaxed clothes with practical roots
Founded in Nottingham in 2009 by David Keyte, Universal Works draws on the practical clothing and working-class surroundings of his upbringing. That influence comes through in its jackets, shirts and trousers, with useful pockets and shapes that allow room to move.
The appeal of Universal Works clothing is easy to understand when you start putting outfits together. A workwear-style jacket can sit over a shirt during the week, then go over a sweatshirt on Saturday. Comfortable trousers offer an alternative to jeans without suddenly making an outfit feel formal.
The range stocked by Unit 17 includes denim fatigue shirts, wool fleece cardigans and bombers, alongside chinos and longer outerwear. There is enough variety to choose a single useful layer or build several combinations around the label.
A grey fleece bomber, for example, gives dark jeans a softer, more casual finish. Wear it over a pale shirt with leather shoes, or use a plain T-shirt and trainers. The same jacket can accommodate both without looking out of place.
Wax London: colour and texture you can wear every day
A patterned overshirt is one of the easier ways to introduce colour if your wardrobe is mostly navy, black and grey. You can leave the rest of the outfit alone and let the fabric provide the interest.
That is a good entry point to Wax London. Its selection at Unit 17 includes the Whiting Pike Check overshirt, the Mount reversible bouclé wool overshirt and the Tristan knitted polo. Checks, textured surfaces and warm colours give these pieces a different feel from a conventional cotton shirt.
The Whiting in rust and multicolour would work with dark indigo jeans and a simple cream T-shirt. There is no need to find an accessory in every colour of the check. Keeping the trousers and footwear straightforward gives the shirt enough space.
For a quieter option, a chocolate-brown knitted polo brings texture without a large pattern. Wear it with charcoal trousers for dinner, or with jeans and a light jacket during the day. A collar can make that small difference when a sweatshirt feels too casual.
Hiut Denim: jeans with a connection to place
Hiut makes its jeans in Cardigan, West Wales, a town with a history of denim manufacturing. That connection gives the brand a story grounded in the making of the clothes, with local skills central to its identity.
For those interested in Hiut Denim jeans, Unit 17’s selection includes the Jerald in Japanese selvedge denim. It is a useful introduction to a specialist label whose attention is concentrated on one part of the wardrobe.
The first consideration should still be fit. Try jeans with the shoes you expect to wear, sit down in them and check how the waistband feels. An interesting fabric or manufacturing story will not compensate for a cut you find uncomfortable.
Once you find the right pair, dark denim offers plenty of freedom elsewhere. A check overshirt, a wool cardigan or a simple cotton shirt will each produce a different outfit. You can spend time choosing the jeans carefully because they are likely to appear in far more combinations than any individual top.
Putting the three together
There is no reason to stay within one label when getting dressed. These brands offer different elements that can work alongside each other.
Start with indigo jeans, then add a textured overshirt and a plain outer layer. If the overshirt has a strong check, choose a jacket in one subdued colour. If the jacket has a fuller shape or a distinctive fabric, keep the shirt underneath simple.
For a weekend away, pack the jeans, a pair of chinos, two tops and one jacket with enough room for a knit. Brown, navy, cream and grey give you several combinations without requiring a separate outfit for every plan. Change into the chinos and a collared knit for the evening, then return to denim and a T-shirt the following morning.
Trying these pieces together is where a shop earns its place. At Unit 17 in Cardiff’s Morgan Arcade, the three labels sit within the same selection, making it possible to compare fabrics and proportions in person. You might arrive with a particular brand in mind and leave with a combination you had not considered.
