The suit maketh the man: Masculinity and social class in Kingsman: The Secret Service (Vaughn, 2014)

This article outlines the ways in which suits are synonymous with masculinity examining the, sometimes paradoxical, nature of suits worn by men of all social classes, and for different reasons. For example, hegemonic men wear suits in a bid to convey power, arguably, by rendering the wearers uniform in appearance so that the focus is on what hegemonic men might say and do, rather than how they might look. Moreover, the uniformity of suits is a means by which men of a lower social class demonstrate aspiration to a higher social class and might affect hegemonic power through wearing them. While much has been written about masculinity and suits, with many authors agreeing that the bespoke suit is at the pinnacle of the hierarchy of men’s clothing, yet there is a little attention paid to the way in which the bespoke suit is represented in media or popular culture. This article examines the role of clothing of the main characters in the film Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) with a particular focus on the contribution that the bespoke suit makes to the masculinity of the bodies of the individuals within the film. Principally, the bespoke suit elevates the body of the wearer from quotidian to tailored, the fitting of which allows for better representation of a man’s body

Providing value to a business using a lightweight design system to support knowledge reuse by designers

This paper describes an alternative approach to knowledge based systems in engineering than traditional geometry or explicit knowledge focused systems. Past systems have supported product optimisation rather than creative solutions and provide little benefit to businesses for bespoke and low volume products or products which do not benefit from optimisation. The approach here addresses this by supporting the creativity of designers through codified tacit knowledge and encouraging knowledge reuse for bespoke product development, in particular for small to medium sized enterprises. The implementation and evaluation of the approach is described within a company producing bespoke fixtures and tooling in shorter than average lead times. The active support of knowledge management in the company is intended to add value to the business by further reducing the lead times of the designs and creating a positive impact to business processes. The evaluation demonstrates a viable alternative framework to the traditional management of knowledge in engineering, which could be implemented by other small to medium enterprises

Bespoke controllers and their impact on game feel

This project explores the role and effect of bespoke game controllers on game feel and accessibility. The project aims to develop a range of custom controllers and associated games, designed to tightly couple the user interaction with the game execution. Player analytics will be collected to quantify, explore and improve the user experience.Game feel encompasses a wide range of definitions including intuitive controls, physical interaction with virtual objects, and the appeal of playing. Game feel is subjective and therefore challenging to quantify, but something every player instinctively recognises. There is a growing niche of games utilising bespoke hardware to deliver a unique player experience, such as games played with Unicorn horns or by shouting, rather than the traditional controller. The project seeks to push the boundaries of games and explore how game design, user experience and accessibility are affected when the limitation of traditional input systems is removed. The project has developed four bespoke controllers, utilising creative technologies and physical sensors. The controllers are based on inputs using force sensitive sensors, flex sensors, distance sensor and orientation sensors. Prototype games have been developed for each controller designed to exploit the controllers unique form of user interaction. The next steps are to evaluate the player experience and explore how the various controllers are utilised using a data-driven approach.The project proposes that the bespoke controller could widen engagement and improve the user experience by delivering a more intuitive interface and improving game feel. The project will provide insights and design guidelines for both of the development of the custom game controllers and how they can be linked to certain game mechanics in the associated games

Bespoke Discovery

The U.S. legal system gives contracting parties significant freedom to customize the procedures that will govern their future disputes.\u27 With forum selection clauses, parties can decide where they will litigate future disputes.2 With fee-shifting provisions, they can choose who will pay for these suits. 3 And with arbitration clauses, they can make upfront decisions to opt out of the traditional legal system altogether.4 Parties can also waive their right to appeal,5 their right to a jury trial,6 and their right to file a class action.7 Bespoke procedure, in other words, is commonplace in the United States. Far less common, however, are bespoke discovery provisions. Potential litigants rarely agree to alter the scope of discovery prior to a dispute.8 Once a lawsuit is filed, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure encourage parties to work together to develop a joint discovery plan but parties rarely negotiate such agreements ex ante. Nor are bespoke discover agreements common in arbitration. Even when parties agree to arbitrate their claim, they seldom negotiate the scope of their discovery rights once they get into arbitration. Scholars examing the empirical record have deemed discovery provisions so rare as to be mearly mythical

Personalization, customization and bespoke: Increasing the product offer

It could be said that true luxury products are defined through skill, connoisseur- luxury ship, rarity, craftsmanship and innovation. Luxury brands on the other hand are customization defined by illusions of luxury, fashion, authenticity, lifestyle, aspiration, the global fashion market and profit. Increasingly luxury brands have introduced options to custom- manufacture ize and personalize their products to enhance their offer and thereby creating technology the perception that the customer is purchasing something individual. However, branding these options within the realms of the luxury brand do nothing more than offer craftsmanship variations on a theme. Component pieces within an existing product range are retail produced and offered for sale as part of an existing product category. Offering a customized product changes the perception of the consumer. They believe they are buying something different, but this is far from the reality. Luxury brands offer customization to attempt to diversify and add value to their product offer. If one considers craftsmanship and innovation as core components in creating differentiation between luxury and luxury branded products, it could then be argued that traditional crafted products and the integration of digital technologies challenge the status quo. As customization and personalization are already occupying a place of growing significance and include viable modes of industrialized production, the product offer lacks the integrity that would be associated with a handmade luxury product.Peer reviewe