I love a brand that puts its money where its mouth is, for whom the dots are all joined up with a big dollop of purpose and good, honest passion.

Here’s a brand I love currently, and I expect to love a whole lot longer: the pioneer of all things organic and decent in clothing, Howies, whose base layers fill a whole drawer at home.

I had the privilege of meeting Ade (a Howies lifer) the other day. He was obviously just back from a post-train journey run, and about to speak to a gathering of brand and marketing types armed with nothing more conventional than a sewing machine.

The story of Howies is a local hero tale of strong principles, a lust for life, love of the environment, all the things that a mindful active chap might like in a brand of outdoor clothing. Entrepreneurial stubbornness and independence brought success, so much so that a big American company snapped them up. At which point their independence evaporated, and the brand could (should?) have become tarnished with corporate might and mainstream retailing dogma.