AVRE Friday Briefing #35

BATCH #2 Denim Smock - General Release 

Incase you hadn't seen Batch #2 of the 1941 British Denim Smock drops on 14th November.

As always with AVRE, it’s first come, first serve — no waiting lists, and no second chances. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. Every jacket is built with intent: 🇬🇧 made entirely in the UK, from the heavy Lancashire-woven denim to the solid British-made buttons and the meticulous stitching done in our Greenwich workshop. It’s a garment built to outlast trends — a faithful recreation of the smock worn by the Polish II Corps in the Second World War, remade stitch for stitch.

What sets AVRE apart isn’t nostalgia — it’s craft, precision, and respect for history. We don’t embellish. We rebuild. And we do it properly.

We’re also proud to continue our partnership with Re-Org, donating 10% of all profits from this release to support veterans rebuilding their lives through fitness, community, and purpose. This is heritage with a heartbeat — not just clothes, but a cause worth wearing.

Drop-In Live: Batch #2 Launch Event

For Batch #2, we’re doing things a little differently.

We’re bringing the drop to life — live, in person, and online.
Join us for the AVRE Live Drop — an evening where craftsmanship, camaraderie, and history come together.

📍 Location: to be announced shortly
📅 Date: 14th November 1800
🍺 What’s happening:

• A free pint for everyone who attends

• Raffle entry for one of our original production samples

• Tastings of AVRE Vat 1, our new limited-edition blended malt whisky

• Founders James Holland, Al Murray, Pete Reading, Jim Edmondson — all in person.

The evening will be streamed across our AVRE channels for those who can’t make it in person, but if you can, we promise it’ll be worth the trip. These events are what AVRE is all about: shared stories, shared history, and a chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people behind the brand.

Tickets will be limited, so keep an eye out — full details dropping soon.

Whisky Update — AVRE Vat 1

AVRE Vat 1 is a limited run of 265 bottles — one for each of the 265 Commandos and Royal Naval personnel who took part in Operation Chariot, the legendary St. Nazaire Raid of 1942.

Each bottle has been carefully blended and bottled in the UK — a blended malt whisky chosen for its depth, warmth, and quiet power, much like the men who inspired it. The whisky will be available in time for Christmas, designed for those who appreciate not just flavour, but meaning.

Every bottle tells a story — from the wax seal to the label, each detail has been created to honour one of the most daring operations of the Second World War. Operation Chariot remains a symbol of courage against impossible odds, and AVRE Vat 1 exists as a small but meaningful tribute to that spirit.

More details, including bottle design and pre-order information, will follow in the next few weeks.

On This Day — October 17, 1941

Every Friday Briefing, we look back at the moments that shaped the world our garments come from.

On October 17, 1941, the U.S. destroyer USS Kearny was torpedoed by German submarine U-568 while escorting Convoy SC-48 off the coast of Iceland. Eleven sailors were killed and twenty-two wounded — the first U.S. combat deaths of the war, months before America had officially entered the conflict.

The attack marked a turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic, a brutal contest for control of the sea lanes that kept Britain alive. That same week, German U-boats sank seven other ships from the same convoy. In response, the U.S. stepped closer to open conflict, quietly expanding naval operations to protect Allied supply routes.

Elsewhere, the U.S. Army Air Force established the Air Service Command, the backbone of its global logistics system — a reminder that wars are won as much through organisation and supply as through courage.

And across the Pacific, Hideki Tojo became Prime Minister of Japan. His first speech promised “world peace,” but also reaffirmed Japan’s determination to “settle the China affair” on its own terms — words that would soon echo into the wider Pacific War.

WW2HQ — This Week’s Episode

Our friends at WW2HQ have released another must-watch episode:

In this episode, James Holland and Al Murray explore the extraordinary contribution made by Polish and Czech airmen who escaped occupied Europe to join the RAF in 1940. They formed legendary squadrons such as 303 and 302, mastering the Hawker Hurricane and becoming the highest-scoring units of the Battle of Britain — though often at a terrible cost.

It’s a powerful reminder of how international the fight for freedom really was — and a perfect watch ahead of our Batch #2 release, which draws inspiration from those very same Polish soldiers who went on to fight in the Italian campaign.