As the rest of England hunkers down for a night of bonfires, cider and fireworks, TQUK is hatching a cunning plot.

On this day, like Guy Fawkes on that fateful night in 1605, TQUK is staging a stunt to completely change the landscape of our workplace.

And by workplace, we mean our upper lips.

All the lads in the office decided to grow out some wily whiskers to help raise funds for men’s physical and mental health with the Movember Foundation UK that funds prostate cancer research, testicular cancer research and mental health and suicide prevention. If you get a chance, donate to the TQUK team to sponsor the growth of our magnificent moustaches.

So today, we thought we’d pay homage to one of the most iconic moustaches out there, made famous by Guy Fawkes himself: the Van Dyke.

The Van Dyke

The Van Dyke was named after the 17th-century Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck and became very popular in Britain and Europe during the 1600s. The style consists of any growth of both a moustache and goatee with clean-shaven cheeks. Within those parameters, there’s loads of variation. You can have upturned whiskers and downturned whiskers, a soul patch or a balbo. The Van Dyke is a very versatile style, open to many personalities and interpretations.

Photograph by Jeremy Barker / Flicker / CC BY 2.0

Along with Guy Fawkes, other famous sporters of the Van Dyke include Charles I of England, George Armstrong Custer, Vladimir Lenin, Colonel Sanders and Johnny Depp. It is commonly known as a barber’s greatest challenge and a hipster’s fever dream.

It’s every man’s dream to have their facial hair live on in the cultural zeitgeist. Do you think the sumptuous soup strainers of TQUK will live on in similar infamy? We’ll let you decide!