“Cultural gypsies” is how the dapper duo behind the art collective Art Comes First (A.C.F.) describes they. “We take inspiration from subculture. Mods, rude boys, skinheads, punks - we pick parts of everything and put them in a melting pot,” says Sam Lambert, who, with Shaka Maidoh, forms the brand that encompasses everything from fashion design to brand consultancy and more.

Introduced outside a club eight years ago, the pair quickly bonded over their mutual passions for vintage clothing and vinyl records and A.C.F was born soon after. Both Lambert and Maidoh have spent time working on Savile Row - and the impact this has had on their designs is clear. Their clothes combine sartorial elegance with “punk-tailoring” - sharp suits, structured lines and cropped trousers that chicly meld influences from defiant British subcultures.

Lambert’s father was a tailor and he grew up surrounded by fabric; something he thinks has subconsciously shaped his current work. “I remember him being home and creating all these made-to-measure pieces - I realise that it’s the same thing we’re doing now,” he says. Maidoh, on the other hand, began adjusting clothes out of necessity. “Most of the vintage pieces we would buy from Portobello Market were either too small or too big, so I had to alter it myself,” he recalls.

The A.C.F front men have collaborated on an exclusive collection with Denham, fusing their impeccable tailoring and love for the colour black with the denim label’s innovative approach to jean making. We caught up with the pair, who shed light into their collaboration.

Lane Crawford: How did the two of you meet?

Maidoh: We met through a mutual friend. I was outside a club one night, trying to get in, but I was too young. My friend and I started talking about our interests and I was about to go home. But he said ‘”Wait, you need to meet someone!” and then introduced me to Sam. I thought it’d be cool to know him because maybe he could get me into the club, but we actually had a lot in common. We liked similar music and both loved vintage clothing and records.

Lane Crawford: Where do you draw inspiration?

Lambert: We consider ourselves cultural gypsies. We both have an African background but we live in London. Two years ago, I moved to Paris and I used to live in Sweden. Shaka used to live in Boston. We’ve lived in a lot of different places with a lot of different cultural influences. Music is also a big influence. Right now, I’m listening to a lot of Ethiopian jazz. Curtis Harding is another favourite.

Lane Crawford: How do subculture and street style influence your clothing?

Maidoh: It all starts from a classic piece. A classic biker jacket, which punks decided to put studs on, for example. We like to play around with our garments and add a little twist of rebellion.

Lane Crawford: Can you tell us about your collaboration with Denham and the items you’re wearing now?

Maidoh: It was an organic progression. We’ve known them [Denham] for two or three years and it was the right time. The pair of jeans I’m wearing now is called Shaka. We made two styles – Shaka and Sam. We wanted to make the collection look like our tailored pieces. So we added zips to keep the pants cropped and tight at the bottom. But they are also very stretchy and utilitarian so you can wear them to different occasions.

Lambert: We can be picky when it comes to wearing something that is not ours. But I still remember Jason Denham, who owns the brand, giving us two pairs of jeans - they were Japanese salvage and so well cut. We wore those jeans all the time. The plus side of the material is not just that it stretches - but that it's a waxy stretch. Stretch fabric can be slightly feminine but the wax we applied really brought it to life. They don’t look like stretch jeans until you put them on and feel yourself moving around.

Lane Crawford: How do you see A.C.F evolving?

Lambert: We're hoping to open a headquarters with an art space, a shop, an atelier and a pop-up school. We're doing a few talks in Amsterdam at the museums and at a university but we'd like to bring that to our space in the future.