Eden Park, the official formalwear supplier of the England Rugby Team, has announced the signing of starting number 10, Toby Flood as an official ambassador for the brand. Flood will be seen in England’s PR campaign’s sporting the stylish collection of shirts, polos, chinos and scarves.The collection is housed and retailed at the brand’s flagship store in Richmond-upon-Thames. With the sartorial world cup well and truly won by the brits, all they have to worry about now is getting the ball over the line!

Shop online at uk.eden-park.com

You know fashion is your life when it takes two hours to “get ready” for the gym. But long gone are the days when a wife-beater and board shorts were enough – now it’s all about the D&G satin-trim jersey jogging bottoms and Armani kit bags…

Basically, we like to look good while we work on looking good!

Launched with these tri-athletes, cyclists, swimmers, yoga fanatics and gym-heads in mind, Suka Sport is a new sports clothing boutique opening on Beak Street in the heart of Soho. It’s the answer to sweating with style and Sartorial Male is looking forward to seeing a fashionable side of exercise.

We’re expecting to see some brands like ZeroRH, 2XU and Seil Marschall on the rails and new brands to the UK Aether Apparel and Thoni Mara will also be fighting for our fashion attention. Suka Sport are also launching their own line of specialist yogawear, so look out for suckers like me jumping on the better-body badwagon with all the best gear!

I caught up with Suka Sport owners Yolanda Hinchliffe and Alexander Neumuller, who mentioned that the store will aim to offer clothing that scores highly in aesthetic and performance…

“We’ve sourced products that we genuinely believe in and trust in. We identified European fabrics, we visited factories, we slept in recovery wear, we ran and trained hard and tested our way to the first full Suka collection.

“Our products are aimed at people for whom sport is a lifestyle – aspiring athletes, professional sportsmen or the super-motivated! We want to provide personal, sound advice based on our experience, and in an environment that makes being there being a pleasure.”

Suka Sport launches on 14th April at 47 Carnaby Street, Soho.

Whether you are on a half-day finish or an over-time venture, Friday should always arrive with the comfort of refreshment.

The simple knowledge that the weekend is eventually arriving was not something that made your day any better on Monday, but with these words comes gratitude on the fifth day, so keep in mind that you have upon you a full 48-hours to relax with.

Or if this is not the case, and like most people working in the current climate, you couldn’t even consider taking two days off work, then I have just made your day even worse…But hey, no harm no foul. Here’s today’s Banter Bomb, so get down! Well don’t, because you need to read this. Ah, the clarity of text-format jossling.

Story 1 – Lapland con artists finally charged

In 2008, a promise was made. A promise of light, and sounds, and Christmas entertainment, that attended children would capture through their watery eyes of astoundment, and love for their parents for taking them. Instead, what they got was mild trauma, angry parents and the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity of having a go on a broken ice rink.

Thankfully, the two men who had promised this Lapland oasis have finally been convicted for their devience. The architects of this farce, Victor and Henry Mears, were found guilty of misleading customers to their Lapland New Forest, even though they had the balls to deny all charged initially. I say balls, because the sheer candidness of the brothers was brave to the point of admiration. Here is a list of things they promised; Snow-covered log cabin’s, a nativity scene, husky doggs, polar bears, a Christmas Market…the list continues.

The chaps were charging £30 per adult, with a whole host of ridiculous add-on’s, including a £5 postal charge for online buyers. Unless the ticket came in the form of an actual elf, which you would take to the park (which was a muddy car park with a few cheap lights hanging off the trees), no way is that a fair price.

Story 2 – Christian themed easter eggs

Now, although I am completely non-religious myself, I can’t help but feel pleased that, for the first time, we will now be seeing Easter eggs on sale for something that isn’t about marketting and chocolate sales.

The Christian belief has been rejected entrance to the Easter bunny holiday for quite some time now, as supermarket’s fail to see that Easter is more than just an opportunity to cash in on confectionary purchases. The Real Easter Egg will be the only product that will describe any details about the origins of Easter, which, however way you look at it, is surely a good move.

The egg will be stocked by Morrison’s, Co-op and Waitrose, so even out of principle, we say buy one.

Story 3 – Greeks have sense of humour, where Mancs don’t!!!

I think it is fair to say that an attempt for banter was completely failed Tuesday night, as well as any chance of creating important contacts. It seems that, upon producing the match programme, the guy’s from Greek Side Aris Thessaloniki, who were at their computer’s, decided that when they were conducting the Man City squad page, they would have a little fun.

Instead of posting the standard image of the blues, the editorial team had used a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ Photo-Shopped picture of the City squad, which had pretty much every footballer worth his salt in a Man City kit. The picture, which had over 60 squad players, included the heads of Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Mezut Ozil, Wayne Rooney and Lionel Messi on top of Manchester City bodies, in an attempt to poke fun at the blue half of Manchester’s transfer policy.

This did not go down well, as the programme was pulled from the masses. Hopefully the Greek’s will learn their lesson.

Oh my word gents, thank the skies that the doves have finally left your over head and the gold, scrunched up balls of foil that lie at your bedside are no longer harbouring chocolaty goodness.

Cupid has left the buliding for another year chaps, as he calls his minions back from the doorway of evey pub in the UK, rejecting entrance to all males who had replaced female company for the guys.

So now the love-mist has cleared, tonight my fellow Sartorialists, you SHALL go to the bar. And don’t forget to pack your banter…

Story 1 – Olympic tickets on sale.

With all the recent banter over what happens to the Olympic Stadium come the closing ceremony, it seems that the Olympic committee have been panicking that our interest is slacking from the actual Olympics itself. It comes as no surprise then that after a few weeks of hustling, bartering and haggling, that the details have been released. Ticket prices and schedules for every discipline can now be accessed.

Like a lot of you, I have no reference point of how much a ticket would set me back to watch an Olympic event, but at first glance at the list for the ‘Track and Field’ schedule and it really isn’t that expensive, considering you are in the same stadium as the biggest sporting event on the planet. For a seat that won’t force you to burst your own eyes in a strain to see a glimpse of anything, you are paying £65 for the majority of qualifying rounds and £150 for a seat to the final heats. But if you just want to be a part of this event, you can pay as little as £20 to get a seat.

Click Here for a full break down of the Ticket Prices for London 2012

Story 2 - Baldwin and Costner argument spills over

When I saw last year that ‘The Bodyguard’ was going to save the Gulf of Mexico, I kind of felt that the major disaster had been cheapened by the mention of Kevin Costner. But as people started to talk, the sinicism began to wain, as it emerged that  the original Robin Hood himself would be swooping in with his cleaning device, which was proclaimed as a possible revelation.

But the success of the ‘Costner Solution’ has come with quite a hefty burden, as former shareholder Stephen Balwin has filed a lawsuit against Costner in a bizzarre turn of Hollywood events. Baldwin held a stake in the holding company, but has claimed that he was pursuaded to sell his share and step back from the movement. On July 11th 2010, Baldwin was out, but curiously enough, the next day BP sank a lot of money into the cause. This hasn’t pleased Balwin, and now he is suing his fellow LA pal for a lot of dosh. With Costner claiming that he isn’t actually involved in the distributing side of his own business, expect a law suit to take quite some time.

Story 3 – Ronaldo retires

As a 22 year old, I started my love affair with football in about 1998, and even at that tender age, I understood his brilliance. As one of the most powerful and clinical Strikers ever to play the sport, Valentines was not an embrace of love for myself, but a time to grieve, as Brazillian Striker Ronaldo decided to call it a day. Even during his food-loving swansong at Corinthians, where the reason he could not see his feet was not because of his speedy footwork, but as a result of gorging, he was still excellent.

Ronaldo is not just a footballer, but a force of nature, bursting through defences with the grace of an eagle and the destruction of a wrecking ball. He leaves behind him a legacy of countless silverware, brilliant goals, and a goofy smile that endures so much love from fans of football world wide.

With talk over his future career being tossed around the place, I feel that, even today, it is too soon to talk of where he will go next. So instead, let us reminisce over his brilliance. I will post a video below of his World Cup goals, but please, feel free to waste your day scrolling through his YouTube offerings. Tonight’s beverage should be a toast to one of the most exciting sportsman of the modern age.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=200UXfWgMQM[/youtube]

Well, after a small sabbatical, we are back chaps with our funnel of banter- fuelled ammunittion that will cater for both the busy and the lazy. Incompetence to the daily news will no longer be a hinderence on your level of topical talk and interesting conversational value.

So where have we been, you ask? Well, we came across countless accounts of our readers calling in sick for work because their arsenal of lyrical prowess was now so great, the pub trips became daily. We have actually been sued by fired employee’s, been given ear ache from Alcoholic’s Anonymous, and to be frank, we just couldn’t be dealing with the hassle anymore. Our once good deed was a growing monster of despair, like the copious consumption of Thornton’s chocolate; the taste is phenomenal, but the guilt is worse.

But, let us diverse from odd metaphors and get down to our mission brief; to gift you a short round-up of everything you might need, or could want, to take to the table of chat.

Story one: New York smoking ban

In a move bound for controversy amongst New York smokers, the city have pushed through a law that bans smoking in all public areas, with a $50 fine being slapped on any perpetrators. In last night’s debate, the notion of putting a stop to smoking in areas such as Time Square, was passed by 36 voters, three times the amount of delegates who opposed the move.

This latest method of saturising the city does not come as such a surprise, as the 9 year tenor of Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been fronted by moves to improve the health of the Big Apple. Visitors will now be able to enjoy, or endure, a smoke-free trip to one of the most visited cities on the planet.

Although this would be obviously beneficial for the environment, many have criticised the ban, claiming a breach of civil rights has been placed on the public.

“I truly believe government is being too restrictive in this particular matter. It’s a totalitarian society that’s going to have this type of restrictions”, stated the Democrat member of Harlem, Robert Jackson.

Story two: Supermarkets demand slaughter surveillance

With Channel 4 devoting a whole campaign to investigating the animal cruelty that goes hand-in-hand with mass-produced food products, it seems quite fitting that the trend of this sort of behaviour is being shon a light on, for all of us to see.

Video footage of gross animal cruelty captured by Animal Aid, and released by The Guardian last year, caused more than a stir within the production world, and even if it has taken a while, 5 of the UK’s major supermarket chains have demanded the introduction of CCTV cameras in all of their abbatiors.

Although the video footage captured was both disgusting and, at the very best, inhumane, it was also unlawfully obtained by a freelance journalist who ‘allegedly’ sneaked into the slaughter areas and fitted secret cameras. Because of this, the video evidence could not be used in the court of law, therefore leaving any chance of prosecution hopeless.

M&S, Sainsburies, Co-op, Waitrose and Morrison’s have all demanded a reinviguration in surveillance, as concerns rise to action.

Story 3: The Six Nations Championship

Let’s face it, not everyone likes Rugby. But, with this in mind, as we are on the verge of the second largest Rugby Union tournament the sport has to offer, what better time to get involved, and more importantly, show off some fake knowledge.

England start their campaign tonight at the Millenium Stadium, where a Welsh team will be looking to recoup the same form and brilliance of 2008, where they won the tournament. Although we are fully endorsing everyone to follow the match, we do urge you to follow our guidelines, as a win for England would be a ttough feat to accomplish.

Although England have won this tournament 25 times (since 1883, where it was formerly titled the Home Nations Championship), they have not won this competition for 7 years, and if form has any bearing, it looks like they will be waiting at least 8. Injuries to major players Lewis Moody and Courtney Laws have hit England hard, but in Mark Cueto and Ben Foden, England have a Venus Fly-trap of a back line, which will snap at any loose offerings.

Tonight, Wales will be vicious, as they will put a lot more emphasis on stopping England coming forward than they have done in the past. Realistically, it would be a major coup if either of these teams can go on to win the tournament, but with Wales’s leaky defence, they will struggle to plug the gap. Attackers like Jonathan Davies and Shane Williams will give Wales a little more spice up front, but expect this opener to be a low scoring affair, which will be stolen by Wales.

As Martin Johnson’s career relies on a minimum 2nd place finish, be expected to see the England Coch sat on a BBC sofa in a suit, as a pundit very soon.

German fashion house, Hugo Boss have teamed up with The Independent newspaper in support of budding sports photographers. Time to Click allows happy snappers to upload their masterpieces and be in with a chance of winning some incredible prizes. Read more →