Ask most people where surf culture comes from and they'll say California. Hawaii. Australia. Somewhere with consistent sun and warm water and a coastline that looks like a film set. They won't say Cornwall. Or Wales. Or the north coast of Scotland. But they should, because UK surf culture has its own history, its own characters and its own distinctly strange identity — shaped by cold water, terrible weather and the particular kind of stubbornness required to keep paddling out when the...

There's a version of this conversation that sounds like snobbery, but bear with it because there's a practical point underneath it. Not all cotton is the same. The weight of a fabric — measured in grams per square metre (GSM) — has a direct impact on how it feels, how it wears, how it holds its shape and how long it lasts. And most of the hoodies and tees you'll find at the cheaper end of the market are made from cotton so light it barely registers as a garment. Here's why that matters and...