As a company who loves all things custom, theres nothing more flattering than when like-minded folk approach us to merge minds and create a custom bike.

&SONS are creators of quality sourced and hand crafted unique workwear clothing, built by and designed for craftspeople. Sourcing the finest of natural materials and working with artisan tailors who honour the practises & quality-led approach from the past, and apply them to modern, functional garments. 

To put it simply, &SONS make clothes for people cut from a different cloth, and that's a sentiment we can more than relate to.

We've known the guys behind &SONS for a number of years now, organically crossing paths and collaborating wherever we can. As a brand who values authenticity and craft as much as we do, &SONS have embarked on their Pioneer series, offering a spotlight to artisanal folks go against the grain and carve out their own space within their industry.

You’ve been selected as a Pioneer for &SONS - What’s your definition of the word Pioneer?

I guess the answer would be someone coming up with a new idea, new process or new way of thinking... I’m not actually sure if I fall into any of those categories. People have been doing what I do since the first engine was invented. Although, I suppose there is a certain element of pioneering in the way we work in the motorcycle industry, we do things our own way.

My background was actually in fine art, that was my chosen subject, I had a few exhibitions of my own work and had a short lived art teaching career but the love of two wheels was always there. I built my first chopper aged 15 and the chopper bug bit me hard and ran through the rest of my life. I started doing odds and some of custom work for people, when I was still working on narrowboats in my late teens, and, through my art training, the bike side of things eventually turned in a business that became Boneshaker Choppers. We did lots of custom work and turned out some 180 complete custom builds over a 15 year period, mainly 60’s and 70’s styled stuff – pans, knucks, lots of sportsters, that sort of thing. Then around 7 years ago we put the first Mutt 125 together, at the old mill Boneshakers was based in, and it kinda spiralled from there. The orders for Mutts quickly took over from the old chopper stuff and I got together with a friend of mine, Will, who took Mutt to where it is now.

'They are not modern, plastic covered, computer-controlled things that look like a piece of Tupperware, they are proper motorcycles with classic styling – that look and feel, in my humble opinion, like a motorcycle should' 

-Benny Thomas on Mutt Motorcycles 

Stay tuned to catch the &SONS custom Mongrel,

coming soon to the Mutt Journal.

Catch the rest of Benny's Pioneer feature here and read more Pioneer features on "The Almanac".

While you're over there, check out the &SONS apparel & accessories range too andsons.co.uk