Kevin Baker, founder of Thomas Lyte

Kevin Baker launched English luxury lifestyle brand Thomas Lyte three years ago, with a collection of over 150 hand made silver and leather pieces. Since then the brand has gone from strength to strength. Under Kevin's direction, Thomas Lyte is a brand that is proudly dedicated to the promotion and protection of English craftsmanship and craftsmen. Today, Kevin will open the door to Thomas Lyte's first store in London's iconic Burlington Arcade.

KEVIN'S FAVOURITE SITES

BBC Sport - It is often said that the British cannot live without the BBC and many of us share this love affair. A day could not end - wherever I am in the world - without a 30 second fix of Football, Formula 1 or even Sports Personality gossip at the beeb.

Benchpeg - A vital source for the British craft industry, supplying an abundance of timely intelligence for the jewellery business and Allied trades. Enormously democratic and independent, it provides an array of links about people, suppliers, events and other invaluable sources.

Citywire - Addictive source for the smart investor. Citywire has a great team of financial journalists, one of very few sites with a licence from the FSA and provides a daily flow of hot tips. For those with all financial decisions already in-hand, citywire has a great news service for financial and economic headlines.

Berry Brothers and Rudd - Simply the best wine site available. The site is so well structured and offers a great facility to look-up practically any wine or vintage. Most wine reviews will do best buys from your local supermarket; my recommendation is look-it up at BBR first…you will be surprised at the bargains!

Permanent Style - While I have a little bias as Permanent Style has kindly reviewed the Thomas Lyte leather collection, workshops and distinctive skills, I have been a long-time admirer of Simon Crompton the founder of this blog. Probably one of the best blogs about Men's style and the distinctive craft behind it, the blog is always an education. The New York times rated Permanent Style as one of the most influential sites in mens tailoring and is a must read if you are involved in English luxury.

Jetsetter - A smarter version to lastminute.com , it offers some unbelievable locations, like Watermark Beach, in British Columbia. The catch is you do have to take-up the offer practically straight away. Sadly for immediacy in travelling, my wife and I had the unbelievable joy having having twin babies last year, hence most of our travelling is now enjoyed from the armchair.

Thomas Lyte - It would be rather difficult not to include Thomas Lyte's site in this short list as undoubtedly it is my most visited location. The site is the portal to a wonderful collection of exquisitely made leather goods including our own hand made luggage, leather handbags, playful purses and fun leather journals. There is also our silver vault which features some of England's finest pieces of fine silver objet. Ironically, with my earlier reference to BBC Sport, the Thomas Lyte site also houses some of the greatest iconic silver sporting trophies worldwide which are often designed, made or restored by our silver team. The site is the brand's flagship store and is joined this month by our first bricks and mortar location in Burlington Arcade, Mayfair. We hope our new London store will be as successful as our on-line location.

Win a £500 voucher to spend at Thomas Lyte by clicking here.

18 November 2010