Spring is here at last! Here is our round up of Easter fashion to celebrate, with bunnies abound. Happy Easter everyone x #easterfashion #kidsclothes #organiccotton
I have been working on branding ideas for the Boy Wonder brand for well over a year now so I can get a trademark registered. A trademark according to the Oxford dictionary definition is; a symbol, word or words legally registered or established by use as representing a company or product. So this made me ask how do I represent everything the Boy Wonder brand will be through a symbol or words? What are the most important aspects about the brand that need to be represented in the trademark? I would say there are three key things to be expressed; that it's a boyswear label, that it's made in Britain and last but not least that it is a green/sustainable brand.
So I started looking at what other logos are out there and thinking about what works and at the moment there is a lot of nostalgia in graphics & branding. This harking back to 'better times' is maybe a bit of a comfort blanket but how long will this trend last? A logo and trademark needs to be classic and stand the test of time, so I feel that trends need to be avoided. Hand drawn elements also seem to proliferate and suggest an artisan feel which might work for my brand. However if not done carefully it could look childish and unprofessional. My instinct is that a combination of a modern sans serif (plain) and a handwritten or calligraphic typeface with the logo would work well. So what should the logo be? While trying to capture the essence of being a green brand I looked at the idea of a tree or leaf logo but didn't feel it expressed the idea of children enough. Animals can work well as they can capture the natural world in a playful way. Some animals however, seemed too young for my brand such as hedgehogs or squirrels. I did dabble with idea of a wild cat too, but felt that it needed to be a British wild animal to show the British aspect. With this in mind a fox seemed to work for me. It is a beautiful and clever animal that in some way epitomises the natural world's fight for survival against human abuse. This appropriately reflects my reasons for establishing an environmentally aware company. Another part of the trademark that needed some consideration was the strapline that accompanies the brand name and logo. The fact that it is boy's clothing is already suggested in the brand name, so the British-made part could be stated here. But how is this best done? I already know that I won't be able to source every fabric and component from the UK at this stage so it can't be said to be a 100% British product. I have involved several creative friends and family members in the trademark's design process. At one point a sketch of a boy hugging a fox was sketched which seemed to be the ideal concept to me. The boy embodies the brand, the fox embodies the natural world and the friendship evoked portrays our hope to be as eco-friendly as possible. So now I have decided on the design at long last I just have to get it registered and hope it will be approved. Fingers crossed! Let me know what you think Ismay x #brandidentity #fashionstartup #independantlabel
Since I have become a more ethical fashion consumer I have begun to realise that, the second-hand, pre-loved or vintage market has so much to offer. Not only are you saving clothes from landfill, you are more likely to get something original that no one else is wearing and if it’s from a charity shop you are helping the needy too – triple win! However, charity shops and the like can be quite overwhelming, so here is some handy advice and tips for how to get the best out of your experience.
Where There are many places to purchase second-hand fashion, but be aware that vintage and retro sites and stores will be pricier than auction, online sites or charity shops. Many of these have online shops too now like Oxfam, so check them out first to see what to expect. Local charity shops will have lower prices than larger national charities and look out for their sales too. You could get friendly with the staff and they may let you know when the next sale will start. Locations for charity shops can be an important factor too as a more affluent area will mean better quality and more expensive pieces. When Often people get rid of excess wardrobe pieces when the seasons change, so this can be a good time to shop, especially spring. However, try out charity shops regularly as you never know when good stock is going to be donated. You will soon be able to spot something you like the look of quickly. What Start with knowing your preferred decade, or if you follow trends what decade or pieces that are trending right now. (Vintage is classed as 1970s and earlier and retro is 80s & 90s). Most clothing pre-1960 will be tailored and made to a much higher standard than post 1960s. Lots of synthetics also came in in the 1960s & 1970s, which are not great against the skin, so always feel the texture. Good quality will show in the feel of the fabric too, so will often come from higher end pieces and bear in mind that natural materials tend to last longer. How · Take a list to find what you need rather than browsing. · Take your own bags, hand sanitizer or wipes. · Always try it on, as sizing has changed a lot over the years and will often be much smaller than you think or may even have shrunk. Or take a tape measure and know your measurements or hold it up to your hips or shoulders. Most charity shops will accept returns but check first. · Have a budget and ask for a discount if buying more than one item. · Wear something that’s easy to change in and out of or wear something that you want to find a matching item for. · Check for; bobbles, cracking, pulling, fading or stains that can’t be covered, dyed or washed out easily. If you find such faults that can’t easily be fixed you should leave it. · Check for missing buttons and that zips work, these can be replaced if necessary but may get you a discount if spotted. · Check for moth, beetle and other insect damage. You don’t want to infect your own wardrobe. · Check the labels: I have spotted a Dolce & Gabanna jacket for sale on my local high street which disappeared from the window display very quickly! Vintage stores will know what they are doing much more so you are less likely to spot a designer piece for next to nothing but they will still cost you much less than new. · Look out for timeless classics that are versatile and durable and keep your eyes peeled for that amazing buy. · Feel the quality, as they are older pieces you need to make sure they still have plenty of wear in them and aren’t going to fall apart as soon as you get them. · Get good quality as there is no point in buying something that wouldn’t have been much less new. · Be patient, it can take time to find something you like. · Keep an open mind, as it may be a lovely item that just needs a hem taking up and shoulder pads can be removed. · Use your imagination! It won’t look as good as it would styled on a trendy model with the latest accessories. · Embrace smelly, it can be washed! · Don’t buy things that are too small and hope to lose weight to get into them, be realistic that they probably won’t get worn. · Remember to look at other sections. There are often some great belts or oversized knitwear in the men’s section, vintage jewellery and also coats. · Give them a good wash when you get home or spray dry clean items with vodka to get rid of any nasties before wearing. Other places to look at are; Ebay, Vinted, Depop and Clothes Shack, Facebook selling groups, Instagram influencers pre-loved pages, dress agencies and car boot sales for kids clothes. There is a list of links below to get you started and my Pinterest board might help too. Good luck! x Nationwide: https://thevintagefair.com/events/ http://www.judysvintagefair.co.uk/events/ https://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/vintage https://marketplace.asos.com/boutiques/vintage https://www.freeindex.co.uk/categories/shopping/clothing_and_accessories/vintage_clothing/ http://www.thestellarboutique.com/ https://www.farfetch.com/uk/shopping/women/vintage-archive-1/items.aspx http://itsvintagedarling.com/ https://www.depop.com/ London: https://popupvintagefairs.co.uk/ http://www.clerkenwellvintagefashionfair.co.uk/ https://www.camdenmarket.com/ http://www.rokit.co.uk/store-locator https://www.beyondretro.com/pages/store-locator-uk https://portobellomarket.org/ https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/shop/marys-living-and-giving-shops https://www.capitalcarboot.com/ bang bang berwick street North: http://www.britaindoesvintage.co.uk/vintage-fair-dates/ #secondhandclothes #vintagefashion #preloved It's 100 years ago since women got the vote in the UK. Activism is growing in different areas as people are still fighting for hard won rights and it's exciting to see this expressed in some great kid's fashion brands. Here is a celebration of the power of fashion to change things for the better. W.I.M.A.M.P. (Worldwide Inventive Minds against Monsters of Pollution) is a not for profit collection by Bobo Choses that features drawings from children around the world about how to stop sea pollution. $25,000 dollars are to be donated by Bobo Choses to an NGO Ocean Conservancy to support ocean conservation through this social project.
#votesforwomen #fashionactivism #feminism
GUEST WRITTEN BY SHEILA WILKS
Since very young I have always sewed in some form or other. I also enjoy talking with others and have been part of a women's group for thirty years. So, when someone mentioned to me a project run by Oxfam in central Brighton, that consisted of a group of (women) volunteers getting together on a Monday evening to sew and generally play around with donated clothes, I decided to investigate. In the basement of an Oxfam shop are several 'mountains' of plastic sacks filled with donated items. Spare a thought for the volunteers whose job it is to sort through these. There is a long bench to work at and two sewing machines, bought by Oxfam for the project. Spilling off the shelves are baskets and tins of motifs, lace, buttons and selections of more unusual pieces of material. On a Monday evening our project co-ordinator has already sorted, or had given to her by shop staff, items that need either repairing or altering in some way to make them more likely to sell. Brighton, having both a large student population and “arty' reputation, has a long history of selling vintage and second hand clothes. I still remember, in my first year as a student here in the 1970s, daringly buying a second hand, sapphire blue velvet waistcoat and matching flared skirt with velvet insets. Bees knees! The project is a form of heaven for those who love fabrics and enjoy chatting, whilst sewing and drinking tea. Some of the volunteers have brilliant ideas for how to jazz up a dull jacket or dress. It could mean taking a patch from a T-shirt and sewing it onto the back or front of an item. Shirts can be converted into skirts. Long tops can be cut down into mini ones, have lace added or a series or buttons. You can be as imaginative as you want, though it pays to keep an eye on fashions/trends in the local main outlets. The project has it's own label 'Better the Devil you sew' that is sewn into an item that has been adapted (see photo).
I find the work satisfying on so many levels:
- it feels good to support Oxfam - I support the idea of recycling cloth and clothing, that otherwise might be thrown away into the huge mountains of clothes waste (I know some goes abroad but there are issues then about the local manufacturers losing out when clothes are exported to developing countries) - I learn new skills and practice old ones - I meet other women who share an interest in material and dressmaking So, check out your local Oxfam and, if you enjoy sewing, talk to them. You don't know where it might lead. #fashioncustomisation #oxfamfashion #upcycledfashion It’s that time of year when we look back and reflect on the previous year and think ahead to the new one. For many of us, after the indulgences of the festive period, that often means setting ourselves stringent resolutions which often don’t last. Are resolutions not the right solution then? Changing the way we live in the longer term is possibly more sustainable if done in small, considered steps.
Last New Year I embarked on three changes in my life all based on becoming a more ethical consumer. The major one was the start of my own slow fashion journey, which I’m happy to say I have done pretty well with. I have spent less, been more thoughtful with what I have bought and my purchases have been second hand and from two ethical brands; People Tree and Hiut Denim. I did buy one item from the high street (after much exhausting of other options) and I know I will get the very most out of them. I will admit though, that it was quite tempting after Christmas to see lots of lovely things for sale but I didn’t miss the Boxing Day sales madness! Secondly, after living on a tight budget for some years I had being buying cheap toiletries and cosmetics but I wanted to switch to only buying cruelty free products. Through this I have discovered some exciting cosmetics brands including Arbonne and Barefaced Beauty and gone back to some old favourites such as Neal’s Yard and Weleda. They don’t always have to be expensive either as UK supermarket own brands are also cruelty free. I have listed these any many more on my Pinterest board. Lastly I did Veganuary too, which at first seemed quite hard. Already being a vegetarian I was interested in the ethical and environmental benefits to veganism and throughout the year discovered more about its health benefits too. I managed to maintain a mainly vegan diet throughout the year, apart from my Achilles heel, cheese! So this year I have decided to ditch the cheese wherever possible. I have been excited to find this year that there seem to be more vegan options available when out and about. And of course the more it gets requested, the more it will be catered for. Here are some of the recipes I will be trying out. This year I am adding a couple more life changes that I have been investigating for some time. Firstly, after watching Blue Planet 2 I felt even more motivated to reduce my own plastic and household waste. The Zero Waste movement is gaining momentum right now but I do feel the name is not especially helpful as it is unachievable. However, it will mean changing the way I shop, especially for food due to the packaging and avoiding disposable plastics. I have compiled a Pinterest board on ideas to help any of you who are interested in joining me in this. Secondly, having a more non-toxic home will also help with reducing waste. Our grandmothers would have been very familiar with using household ingredients such as lemons and bicarbonate of soda for cleaning. Nowadays, we are exposed a multitude of different chemicals that help us clean our home but are also very harmful to our health. I want to go back to using some of those old fashioned recipes to reduce my toxic footprint and also save money. Why not give some a go yourself with some ideas from my Pinterest board? I would love to hear about what ethical life changes you are making in 2018. Happy New Year! #slowfashion #crueltyfree #veganuary #zerowaste #nontoxic It's that magical time of year again when we don our cheesy jumpers! But maybe this year try something different for your kids. This carefully selected edit has ethical or sustainable credentials that will make you feel good amidst the rampant consumerism and gluttony that is Christmas! They are also the antidote to the riot of colour the supermarkets have to offer, with a more subtle and sophisticated style and palette. Hope you like them :-) #Christmasfashion #organiccotton #madeinbritain #ethicalfashion
Ever since I started out as a teenager doing a summer job in a designer lingerie factory in my home town, I have wanted to manufacture in the UK. Local production boosts home industry and creates a much lower carbon footprint. However, as I have looked at manufacturers to produce my launch collection this year, I have become aware that not all UK garment factories adhere to the ethical standards that I would want. British sweatshops in the press In January the Channel 4 Dispatches programme ‘Undercover: Britain's Cheap Clothes’[i] exposed extremely low pay and unsafe conditions in factories in Leicester. In August these problems were highlighted again in an interview with the CEO of New Look which unhelpfully the Times turned into sweeping statements: ‘Many of Britain’s clothing factories have worse ethical standards than manufacturers in China, Bangladesh and Burma, the boss of one the UK’s biggest fashion retailers has claimed.’[ii] As I have worked at a fashion company in Leicester which is just down the road from me this feels very personal. It is unfortunately true that Leicester does have it problems: ‘Typically, the workers being exploited are women from different countries who speak little English. Some come to UK on a six-month visa and work every hour they can before returning home…women who were being paid as little as £1 per hour.’[iii] A widescale problem? The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) investigated the area and found that 26 businesses were issued with a Notice of Potential Liability or a Referral notice between February 2008 and August 2014[iv]. This can be put into perspective with regional industry figures: ‘Leicester has the largest amount of garment workers in the UK – there are 1500 garment manufacturing businesses in Leicester employing over 10,000 people.’[v] It seems to me that this is a small minority who have aroused press interest, which tars others in the industry. Kate Hills, founder of Make It British feels passionately that such generalizations about ethical standards in the UK are damaging. “I've been to hundreds of garment manufacturers in the UK and contrary to what The Times has reported, the MAJORITY are ethical and above board.”[vi] The claims were also rebutted by Nigel Lugg, Chairman of UKFT, the sector skills body for the fashion & textiles industry. “Whilst it is true and deeply regrettable that there are companies in the UK that break the law, there are hundreds and hundreds of factories who offer a safe working environment, pay their staff well and value their staff as their most valuable asset.’ [vii] Who is involved? Many UK retailers now use on-shore manufacturing units to support their global production operations and that number is growing rapidly. M&S employ 317 workers in 4 clothing factories in the UK, including 2 in Leicester. Arcadia Group has 54 factories in the UK[viii], Debenhams has 26 factories employing over 7000 UK workers and ASOS source their products from 28 factories employing 1015 people. Jenni Holloway is Director of Fashion-Enter, a social enterprise making garments for high street retailers including ASOS, M&S and John Lewis and who are SEDEX Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) approved which means its factory is fully compliant. She says: ‘Producing ethically and transparently in the UK is possible and cost effective now. Our factory based in Haringey, North London is proof[ix] What is being done? Ethical issues are being addressed by retailers, the home office and other bodies including the ETI who called for a collaborative approach[x] and coordination of all those involved. A tough new audit for domestic garment manufacturing called Fast Forward was created in 2015 by a group of retailers including ASOS, House of Frazer, River Island and Debenhams. ‘The Fast Forward Programme is an industry initiative to look at social risks in UK manufacturing. The in-depth audit assessments through this programme cover key areas such as right to work, national minimum wage, contracts of employment, tax, mistreatment and health & safety in line with the UK labour law requirements.’ [xi] In March 2015 the UK government legislated the Modern Slavery Act that requires large companies to produce statements identifying risks and showing what steps they are taking to prevent slavery and exploitation within their supply chains. Furthermore, the British Fashion Council launched the High-End and Designer Manufacturers Database in March 2017 ‘which aims to make it easier for designers to gain ethical supply chain certificates and facilitate successful relationships between designers and production units.’[xii] Is enough being done? In my opinion much more needs to be done by all those involved. Some of the legislation and initiatives don’t go far enough as there are clearly still serious ethical issues throughout the industry. But rather than apportioning blame, maybe we all need to take some responsibility? As a designer I will be using Fashion Enter for my manufacturing as I trust them to be an ethical factory and will continue to scrutinize ethics throughout my supply chain. And as consumers we all have a big role to play. Don’t assume something is ethical just because it is made in Britain. Check whether your favourite retailer is part of ethical initiatives like ETI and Fast Forward. Ask them if their factories are audited to SMETA standards. And most importantly, question why a garment is cheap, because there is no doubt that somebody, somewhere is paying the price for it. This post first appeared as a guest blog post for Roberta Style Lee. You can read more about why ethics is important in fashion and how to ask the brands who made my clothes on Roberta Style Lee’s blog. And check out some of the British made ethical brands like Antiform, BRM and Laura Zabo at the Ethical Brand Directory. #ethicalfashion #madeinbritain #uksweatshops [1] Sweatshop Britain: Factory workers on £3 an hour 'making clothes for River Island and New Look' by Laura Lambert 23/01/2017 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4146648/Workers-make-clothes-major-brands-3-hour.html#ixzz4zFXQEX2i
[1] British factory standards ‘worse than Asia’ by Philip Aldrick 09/08/2017 https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british-factory-standards-worse-than-asia-6txnv7bl8 [1] Did You Know Sweatshops Exist In The UK? By Tamsin Blanchard 23/08/2017 https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/sweatshops-exist-in-the-uk-leicester [1] A New Industry on a Skewed Playing Field: Supply Chain Relations and Working Conditions in UK Garment Manufacturing by University of Leicester 2014 https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/for-journalists/media-resources/Leicester%20Report%20-%20Final%20-to%20publish.pdf/ [1] Can Leicester get back to it’s garment manufacturing heyday? October 2017 https://makeitbritish.co.uk/made-in-britain-news/leicester-garment-manufacturing/ [1] THIS ARTICLE IN THE TIMES IS MISLEADING AND MAKES ME SO MAD! By Kate Hills https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article-times-misleading-makes-me-so-mad-kate-hills/ [1] Fashion and Textile Manufacturing in the UK 07/09/2017 http://www.ukft.org/newsletter-details.php?page=news&psub=newsletter&nlid=269&perpage=10&nlyear=&nltype=1 [1] Returning fashion manufacturing to the UK - opportunities and challenges by Hannah Gould 10/06/2104 https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-fashion-blog/returning-fashion-manufacturing-uk-opportunities-challenges [1] The Times Business Clinic with Jenni Holloway 01/08/2017 http://www.fashioncapital.co.uk/services/press-cuttings/15985-the-times-business-clinic-with-jenny-holloway [1] A New Industry on a Skewed Playing Field: Supply Chain Relations and Working Conditions in UK Garment Manufacturing by University of Leicester December 2014 https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/for-journalists/media-resources/Leicester%20Report%20-%20Final%20-to%20publish.pdf/ [1] http://sustainability.debenhamsplc.com/ethical-trade-programmes/ [1] Positive Fashion http://www.britishfashioncouncil.co.uk/About/Positive-Fashion The last few months have been very difficult for me to keep going with the business. Keeping your spirits up and having the drive to soldier on is really hard, as most small business and start-ups will know. This is compounded for me by the fact I am doing it all entirely on my own.
The financial side of business is of paramount importance, but being a creative person I know this is not my area of expertise. However, I have plugged away at the financial planning so that I should feel prepared for what I am investing into. After months and months of getting manufacturers quotes and suppliers prices in, I now have informed estimates of what my garments are going to cost to make. However, these costings are higher than your average garments due the premium nature of the product, using organic/eco fabrics and making in Britain doesn't come cheap! After contacted several independent boutiques with a mind to stocking my clothes with them, I checked what their mark-up would be. Adding this 250-300% mark-up on top of my own costs and tiny profit made my prices completely unsellable. So I have had to completely go back to the drawing board in regards to my route to market strategy. It seems to me that really my only option is to have my own website and retail myself. I have spent weeks redoing all my financial planning to work out whether this will be viable. The garment costings are thankfully now coming in with workable price points but my cashflow and income statement spreadsheets don't look good! The big difference between going wholesale and retail is that I will carry all the risk and have to invest into a large amount of stock to sell on the site without really knowing if anyone is going to buy it! One idea to help create interest and generate pre-orders is through a crowdfunding campaign. This seems to have worked well for other fashion start-ups so could be worth a try. Although, even with a large cash injection such as that, I am struggling at the moment to see how I can balance the books and be able to ever make a profit. I am undaunted though and shall keep working at it until I find a solution, through perseverance or expert advice. I really believe in what I am doing and have put so much into it already that I will not let it go to by the way-side. There will be an answer somewhere, I am sure, to how I can set up the brand without completely over stretching myself at the start. So wish me luck, and please keep reading to show your support and follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest too. It all helps! Ismay x #FashionStartup #smallbusiness #mumboss Read my guest blog post on this subject here: https://robertastylelee.co.uk/is-ethical-fashion-reserved-for-the-wealthy/
I am aware that the Boy Wonder name could be wrongly seen to be reinforcing gender stereotypes so I wanted to write about my position on this subject.
My son watched the BBC's documentary 'No More Boys & Girls: Can Our Kids Go Gender Free?' with me and was incredulous at the suggestion that girls were not as good as boys and that boys can't express their emotions. While this made me feel that I am possibly getting something right as a parent, I am also aware he's not your average 'boy's boy'. For example some of the books he has recently enjoyed are 'My Adorable Kitten' & 'The Boy in the Dress'! I have always tried to encourage these traits, which are seen to be more feminine, as a way to counteract any overtly male stereotypes he may be exposed to. However, I do worry that he could face some ridicule for his softer side by his peers as he gets older. In my opinion, gentler sensibilities in boys should be nurtured to create loving and empathic adults and how we treat and dress our children is all part and parcel of this. I do want my boy to grow up believing in himself, but also believing in others equally too, regardless of gender. 'Let Clothes be Clothes' are a campaign group challenging gender disparity in clothing. They highlight the many products in stores such as Asda, Gap, Tesco & Mothercare that are not gender equal. So I believe John Lewis's decision to remove gender specific labelling from their own brand clothes is a big step in the right direction. 'Girl' and 'Boy' sections are being removed from their stores and they have also launched a gender neutral range. Hopefully other major retailers will follow their lead. The Boy Wonder brand was created to offer more choice to parents of boys amongst the vast array of girlswear. For me, the brand is not about defining gender, but celebrating individuality because every boy is different! The collections will not have the stereotypical 'boy' colours of black, navy and brown nor will they be covered in tractors, dinosaurs or cars. The garments will be unisex in style and shape and will look equally as good on girls as boys. I want to see more boys wearing bright colours including pink (which needs to be reclaimed from the princess squad!) and not looking like mini men but the beautiful children that they are. I hope you will join me in helping this happen! Some of the brands that I love to champion on social media are gender neutral and all the better for it. My pick of the best are shown below. Ismay x #unisex #genderneutral #boyslovepink A special, spook-tacular fashion edit for Halloween! These creepy clothes will look frighteningly fab on your little ones and are far more sustainable and ethical than cheap costumes from the supermarket. Bats sweatshirt by Mini Rodini in GOTS organic cotton and made by workers that are paid a living wage. Wilbur's web romper and super batty leggings by Tobias & the Bear Made in the UK with organic Oeko-tex certified cotton Wow, So it's been a year ago since I started on my Boy Wonder journey and have written a staggering 50 blogs! At times it's been a real struggle but when I get positive feedback about what I am doing it makes it all worth it!
You can have a look back at some of the best ones here: Vive le Difference Woollen Wonders Ethical Fashion for kids Long Live Clothes The Fashion Image However I have been finding it harder and harder to come up with a different subject matter every week. I don't want to compromise on the quality of what I am writing because of this so I have decided to reduce my posting to every fortnight. This will also give me chance to concentrate more on getting my collection done too. I will be guest blogging in October and December for the Ethical Brand Directory so you can check me out there! I am on the lookout for other sustainable fashion bloggers to write some guest pieces on here too, so if you are interested please let me know. I have now set up my first newsletter that you can sign up to on our contact page. This will give you early bird offers and news and sneaks peeks of exciting things, so do please sign up. This first one has exciting news of an upcoming event so don't miss it. The latest news on the collection front is that I am now talking to manufacturers. I am hoping to start my pattern drafting next week and to be going into production before Christmas. I have had to make a massive business decision over the last few weeks about my route to market. As my product will be premium, organic and made in the UK the high costs make it impossible for me to sell to buyers. So I will now have to retail through my own website instead. This is great news for you readers as it will make my brand more easily available to you. So watch this space! Over the next six months I want to give you a behind the scenes look at the collection being made. This will highlight the skills our British factories and makers have and the high quality they can produce, but also you will be able see the love that is going into the clothes they are making. I also plan to create some useful infographics and how to guides on sustainable fashion as well as hosting some fun events. Remember you can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest too to get your Boy Wonder fix! Ismay x #BrandBirthday #BoyWonder #Celebration Quality counts
A great way to embrace slow fashion is to buy less and of better quality. So how can we do this I hear you ask? Ok readers, so here is the low down on how to assess garment quality. Fabric The first thing to do would be to feel the fabric, does it feel good? How thick is it? Does it wrinkle easily? Does any stretch return to normal properly? Then look at the fabric composition on the wash care label. Natural fibres such as cotton, linen, wool and silk will last longer and wear better on the whole than synthetics which tend to pill and fade. Even fabric with a high percentage of natural fibres such as 60% or more will ensure the garment lasts longer and better. When trying the garment on does it fit well and not feel like there has been any scrimping on fabric which affects the fit? Do the seams sit smooth and straight and does the fabric hang well? If the garment has been well cut it should sit nicely on the body without it pulling anywhere. The grain of the fabric should be straight unless it’s cut on the bias- meaning that it shouldn’t look wonky or wrinkled in the wrong areas. Also if the print matches at the seams, then more care has been taken over the garment. For children’s clothes also look for more length in the body, arms and legs to allow for growth spurts. Construction The quicker garments can be made the less they will cost so cutting corners on construction is a common in fast fashion production. Most are not meant to last more than a few washes to encourage us to go out and buy more. So next, turn the garment inside out and have a good look. Pull lightly at a seam on both sides and check for strong stitching and that there are no wonky lines, snags, puckering, gaps or loose threads. Even and generous seam allowance is another good indicator, as is a good hem allowance of at least 1 ½ inches to allow for letting down. Make sure there are no raw edges and look at how the seams are finished. They should at the very least be overlocked which is where there are thread loops around the raw edges of the fabric. High quality items however would have French, flat felled or bound seams. Here either the seams are turned in on themselves so you cannot see the cut edge of the fabric or covered (bound) with another fabric making them stronger and more attractive. Look at the stitching to see if there are any broken stitches or clumping, this is an indication that the sewing machine tension was wrong so the garment will not be as durable. The more stitches there are and closer together the better especially for finer fabrics. Are there reinforcements such as bar tacking or top stitching where needed for extra strength? The finer details of a garment such as whether it has lining or not and how well the corners and points are finished are another giveaway. Collar points and cuff corners for example should have had the seam allowance trimmed so there are no lumps and bumps. Components Metal zips will always last longer than plastic ones and are less likely to misalign. Are the buttons good quality and sewn on well? Do the buttonholes have tight stitching and a neat slot? Lastly is a spare button or thread provided? This is a great clue that the garment is meant to be looked after and loved. A final suggestion is to go and look at some high end designer clothing. Of course we can’t all afford to buy such luxury goods but try some on and you will be able to feel the difference. It will then be easier to spot good quality. Great bargains on designer pieces can always be nabbed on online auctions & in second hand shops if you are willing to have a good hunt around. Ismay x #GarmentQuality #SlowFashion #ExpertAdvice It is London Fashion Week this week so I find my eye drawn to lavish images of beautiful skinny white women appearing online and in the press. Now we all know this is not representative of us mere mortals and is nowhere near showing the wonderful ethnic diversity of Britain either. There have been some inroads on the catwalks in recent years to use black and Asian models but we need to see more and of all different shapes and ages too. As adults we can shrug this off with a jaded cynicism about what sells papers etc etc. But how does it affect our kids who are less savvy about the world?
My son isn't interested in fashion magazines so is little affected by glossy airbrushing and impossible waistlines but he is part of the younger generation that is exposed to social media as we never were. This frightens me. A lot. I use social media for the business and it is invaluable for that, but I notice how much people’s lives online are edited to unreality. (I am guilty of this too, so I hold my hands up to it!) But looking at people's feeds I sometimes wonder how I can ever live up to their happy, fun and glamourous lives. I am aware that people only project what they want us to see but I believe this plays into our insecurities as we think we are somehow not as good (or maybe that's just me!) Many teenagers now judge their popularity on how many 'friends' or followers they have on their social media channels, how many likes their posts get and so on. How much do these ideas of popularity and perfection effect things like body image and well-being? According to the UK charity Beat, eating disorders are on the rise and have risen 34% since 2005. 6.4% of adults in the UK are now diagnosed as having an eating disorder and 25% of those are male. Shockingly, as young as just 6 years old. To give social media it's due, there are some people out there in the online space challenging these ideas. Some models are now posting alternative photos to show their wobbly bits etc., which is just amazing! The make-up free selfie has also gone viral showing us all that beauty is often just smoke and mirrors. These platforms are helping to change the face of fashion itself and get more diversity and individuality on the catwalks and in the press. It gives us power to shout about what we do and don't like so the big fashion houses, high street brands and magazines now have to listen or suffer the indignity of losing credibility. To me fashion is about self expression, personality and individuality that should be celebrated and never judged. We are not all the same, we all have bits we don’t like but we are all deserve to be happy. This is what I would wish for my son and to all of you out there. Ismay x #Fashion #Beat #SelfImage Where would we be without the t-shirt? This comfy and versatile garment is a now worldwide staple, and comes in a huge variety of forms from V-neck to long sleeve. Some 2 billion t-shirts are sold around the world every year and the average person owns 27 of them. The majority of t-shirts are made from 100% cotton and it takes six miles of yarn to create just one.
In 1913 crewneck t-shirts were issued by the U.S. Navy to be worn under uniform. It was then taken up by dock workers, miners and farmers who preferred the lighter weight fabric for hot weather conditions. This inexpensive and easy to wash garment went on to became the play gear of choice for mums to put their kids in (and still is today!) By 1920 the word t-shirt became official as it was added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. It was defined as a ‘collarless, short sleeved or sleeveless usually cotton undershirt: also an outer-shirt of similar design’ It’s iconic name comes from it resembling a letter ‘T’. By 1932 the t-shirt had become so sought after that students would steal them from their football team so they had to be printed with ‘property of USC’. The ‘Gob’ shirt was then introduced in 1938 by Sears and sold for less than a quarter. The earliest printed t-shirts are thought to be ones made to promote the Wizard of Oz in 1939. The cover of Life magazine in 1942 showed the first photo of a printed t-shirt and Mickey Mouse starts to adorn the ubiquitous garment a few years later. By 1948 t-shirts are already being becoming political statements when New York governor, Thomas E. Dewey runs for president. However it was in 1951 when Hollywood truly sealed the iconic status of the t-shirt when it was worn by Marlon Brando in A Streetcar named Desire. Since then the t-shirt has traveled the world, shouted political slogans and had smiley faces, always loved and often ironic. I remember squeezing into my little sister’s t-shirts as a teenager to try to get a cute cropped look – I must have looked pretty silly! Ismay x #T-Shirt #FashionHistory
One area in sustainable fashion that is much talked about is zero waste. 15-20% of fabric gets wasted and discarded due the expense of recycling scraps, according to fashion industry experts. Lay-planning systems such as Gerber have been around for a while and use computers to work out the best way to lay the fabrics out on the cloth prior to cutting. This clever optimisation still doesn’t totally eradicate waste however and therefore some fashion designers are now challenging themselves to leave nothing on the cutting room floor.
Although inspiring, designing the whole garment around the idea of zero waste is time consuming and highly skilled so therefore won’t affect mainstream fashion in a big way. This is one reason why I don’t believe that the zero waste initiative should be a focus nor is really achievable or sustainable. Most designers could probably improve on waste reduction, but it doesn't seem sustainable to use up all the fabric to avoid waste but rather to use less of it in the first place. Any scrap that is left can always be utilised elsewhere anyway, such as shirt waste for pocket bags, or at the very least recycled for insulation or some such. So why waste (sorry, excuse the pun!) so much time on it? The issue of cutting room scrap fabric really pales into insignificance in comparison to the 600 million garments that fashion giants like H&M sell every year all over the world. This is driving the 2.5 billion pounds of clothing that ends up in landfill every year because customers now see fashion as disposable. Sustainable fashion needs as many champions as possible to try to combat this so any disruption or innovation to the standard models of working is a good thing. But surely prevention is better than cure? So wouldn’t encouraging people to reduce their consumption of clothes and make better choices about what they do buy have a far bigger impact? The concept of a circular economy does incorporate the idea of waste reduction but also challenges us to rethink our mentality on waste, like Will.i.am says “it’s not waste until you waste it”. The circular concept is what slow fashion is all about and offers real hope for the future of the industry and the planet. It involves designing fashion with longevity, repair, recycling and also biodegradability in mind. Furthermore, by creating a high quality garment to enable multiple users to wear it, via swapping, renting or second hand sales, thereby extending it’s lifecycle as much as possible. Minimal waste in the design process becomes part of using less resources in the whole of the lifecycle and trying to close the circular loop. What circular fashion ideas inspire you the most? We would love to hear from you x Related Posts Making Fashion Circular #ZeroWaste #CircularFashion #SlowFashion Humans have been making cloth for hundreds of thousands of years. The earliest type of fibres for cloth would have been flax, wool, silk and cotton. Since those early days of textiles we have developed and invented so many different types of cloth to be used in a vast variety of ways not just for fashion.
However have we created an environmental monster with some of the synthetic fabrics we have created? There are of course ecological pros and cons to any type of fibre or material proceeded from it as they all have an impact on our planet and people. Synthetic As the Boy Wonder is getting older (he is now 7 and a half, I don't quite know how that happened!) and more exposed to the wider world around him I begin to consider how much to make him aware of. As a mother my instinct would often be to protect him from the nastier side of life, but having lost his dad at a young age I know this isn't realistic. With so many terror attacks happening all around us these days, I imagine many of us are struggling to know what to tell our kids in order to explain such things while not frightening them. I have the same quandary in some ways with what I tell my son about fast fashion and my work in fighting against it.
Many of us mums have probably said to our kids when they won't eat their dinner that there are starving children in Africa, but how much of that can they really understand? I know I didn't when my mum said it to me as a kid and I would tell her to post it to them! So, maybe that distance and separation will help me to protect him a little from the worst horrors of my industry, but it could also make it very unreal to him. Having been brought up a vegetarian the Boy Wonder is maybe more aware than some on ethics in regard to animals so maybe this is a start. As a middle class, white boy growing up in the western world I want him to be fully aware of his privilege and to know there are many others less fortunate. Therefore, I believe that openness and honesty is the only way to stimulate empathy and understanding in him while maybe steering clear of the more gruesome and complicated areas. So, how could I explore ethical fashion and yet engage my son? I have come up with a few ideas for this based on the Fashion Revolution course I recently did. 1) Be curious: Firstly kids are naturally curious, so getting them to investigate like a detective will become a fun task. Getting them to find out about their own clothes - maybe the ones they are wearing or a favourite of theirs? Looking at the labels to find out where they are made, and what they are made out of is a great start. Which country are most of their clothes made in? How many are made from polyester? Asking in shops where the clothes are made or whether they have organic cotton. 2) Find out: Then delving deeper into finding out who could have made them, what the countries are like where they live and where the raw materials come from. The difficult part is making it real to children, for example, finding out that a child the same age as them could have made their clothes makes more of a connection to them. What can they find out about the materials used and their impact? Researching, imagining and maybe drawing the journey their clothes have taken to get to them will make them aware of the resources and carbon footprint involved in the fashion industry. How many miles has it travelled? How many litres of water used in production? How much pesticides and their affect? Your local library, school and of course the internet will have all sorts of resources. 3) Do something: The concluding part could be to work out how to change the way you shop together for clothes. They could try out different ways to make our clothes last longer by repairing, revamping, reusing or swapping them with friends. Look at donating and also buying from second hand shops or finding out what clothes you can buy locally? Maybe even considering hiring clothes for a special occasion and explaining the reasons why all these things matter in relation to what you found in your investigations. Obviously this has to be age appropriate and younger kids would need more hands on help with it. Don't forget to ask your kids their thoughts and ideas at every stage, you will often be surprised by their insight or practical ideas. By the age of 7 most kids already have a fixed idea of the world, however these ideas can be challenged and changed. So for me and the Boy Wonder that time is now! Ismay x #FashionRevolution #EthicalFashion #WonderKids Related Posts Wake up to Child Labour Who Made my Jeans? Pt1 Who Made my Jeans? Pt2 As denim is such a reliable favourite in our wardrobes and brilliantly functional for our kids I thought it would interesting to find out about it's history.
The name denim is derived from 'Serge de Nîmes which was originally made by weavers in Nîmes, France who were trying to recreate a cotton corduroy from Genoa, Italy. The famous twill cloth we know and love from jeans to jackets was developed from this. It's distinctive nature comes from the warp being dyed indigo and the weft white, giving it the blue outside colour and white-ish interior. Indigo is the original type of organic dye that was used for denim and came from an Indian plant called Indigofera tinctoria. Indigo dye sits on the outside of the cotton thread rather than penetrating it, thus creating the fading effect that happens over time. Natural indigo was later replaced in the 19th century by a synthetic indigo dye that far cheaper. Levi Strauss started selling denim in the US. in around 1853 and a Nevada tailor, Jacob W. Davis, started to use this durable fabric in his new 'jeans' that he sold for work wear. Labourers, miners and farm workers of the American west needed something easy to wear yet strong and functional. He made these new trousers stronger using copper rivets. When they become sought after he made a deal with his fabric supplier Levi Strauss and hence Levi Strauss and Co. were created. Their first pair of jeans sold in 1879 and had only four pockets, just one on the back and two on the front along with the very small one. This small pocket on the right hand side is called a watch pocket and was just that, to hold a man's pocket watch. It is too small for much use today but is a nice touch of history that we all wear without realising. Initially made in denim and cotton duck it soon became apparent that it was the denim jeans that were more popular. Originally they were sold 'raw' meaning the fabric was untreated and unwashed but as time went by people realised they could shrink them to fit. Marlon Brando turned jeans into casual wear in the 1958 film 'The Wild One' followed not long after by James Dean in 'Rebel without a Cause' They represented a counter-culture that appealed to many teenagers (especially when they were banned from schools!) which later spread to GI's stationed abroad who wore them as a symbol of home. American college students adopted them during the 60's to show solidarity with the working classes. Since that time nearly every generation has had their own style of jeans and denim has spread to every garment imaginable. I remember wearing ripped Levis during my Bros days as a teenager! Ismay x #Denim #Jeans #Levis #FashionHistory
So I continue on from where I left off last week looking into who made my River Island skinny jeans.
Our investigations turned at this point from the garment workers and factories, or tier one to tier two, which is where all the materials and components that go into the product come from. As I have still had no response from River Island on where the cotton came from that my jeans are made out of I had to make some educated guesses. The largest exporter of cotton is the United States but the second largest is India. I presume this is the more likely country of origin for my jeans fabric as their cotton would have been cheaper. India is again well known for using child and forced labour according to the United States Labor Dept. In 2014 Mani, was working in the cotton fields of Karnataka aged just 14. She spoke about her abusive employer to the United Nation's Children's Fund. “He scolded us with bad words and would strike us on the legs, back and shoulders,” Mani said. But because a farmer had loaned her parents 20,000 rupees (about $326) in exchange for four years of their daughter’s labor [sic], she could do nothing." “We have a lot of poverty. That’s why we sent her,” said Mani’s mother, Sundamma. “I don’t want her to work. After the fields, she has red eyes, her hands are sore, and sometimes she vomits and gets dizzy from [the] sun. I do want my daughter in school. She’s happy there.” In every stage of the cotton process child workers are reported, from seeding, picking and onwards in all major cotton growing countries; China, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Brazil and Turkey. They are at high risk of developing Byssinosis or brown lung disease from the cotton dust and are exposed to high levels of toxic pesticides with no protection, as well as being vulnerable to sexual abuse and even fatalities. The BBC spoke to Mr. Katiyar, a campaigner for labour action, about the child workers who reported that "there have been cases of them (the children) falling asleep through exhaustion and suffocating in the piles of raw cotton." Another child worker in the cotton fields of Gujurat talked to the Environmental Justice Foundation ‘The owner used to beat us if a single plant got missed. He used to beat us with pipes. We would get up at 4 in the morning and work for 12 hours a day…The partner of my farm owner used to switch off the lights at night and forcibly carry the girls sleeping on the floor, on to his cot.’ The cotton growers of India are also victims themselves . The Daily Mail reported how farmers were encouraged to buy expensive genetically modified cotton seeds that promised bumper harvests and more pest resistance. They would then become severely indebted after frequent crop failures and subsequently hundreds of thousands of Indian cotton farmers have committed suicide 'We are ruined now,' said [Suresh Bhalasa's] 38-year-old wife. 'We bought 100 grams of BT Cotton. Our crop failed twice. My husband had become depressed. He went out to his field, lay down in the cotton and swallowed insecticide.' These stories are very hard to hear and of course I have to add the caveat that I don't know for certain that my jeans and the cotton they are made from were made by the hands of children or grown by impoverished and indebted farmers. I don't know because River Island can't or won't tell me but there is a possibility and that makes me very sad. I do hope that by doing these investigations for the Who Made My Clothes course that I have encouraged some of you to ask more questions about where your clothes comes from too. Demanding transparency from our fashion brands is an important way to shed light on the lives of the workers and bring about positive change. I hope reading these stories hasn't put you off following my blog, I don't want to brow beat anyone into submission simply just tell you a little more about your clothes. #WhoMadeMyClothes #FashionRevolution #RiverIsland #IndianCottonWorkers
During the last month I have been taking an online (free!) course called Who Made My Clothes through futurelearn.com and the University of Exeter. Having watched The True Cost film on Netflix which investigates the Rana Plaza tragedy where over 1000 garment workers died during a factory collapse and subsequently getting involved with Fashion Revolution week back in April this course appealed to my interest in ethical fashion.
We were asked to choose some of our own clothes to investigate and try and uncover stories about the people who made them. I enjoyed playing super-sleuth, but it wasn't an easy nor happy task. I thought I already knew a lot about the rotten core of the fast fashion industry having done a lot of research on the subject for my business. However I still found myself shocked and tearful when faced with the human stories I uncovered. I chose three different garments to start with but then had to focus on one which ended up being a pair of black skinny jeans (92% Cotton, 6% polyester & 2% elastane) from River Island which were made in Turkey. I focussed on these mainly because River Island customer service was initially quite helpful when asked where the cloth came from. They actually responded whereas French Connection when asked about my white dress didn't bother and stayed ominously silent. River Island stated through Twitter that they would contact their production team and look into it for me. However I have had no answer on this now for a month and don't imagine that I will. Many of the other course participants had similar problems so we were asked then to investigate the countries of manufacture for information about garment workers and then what we could find out on the countries that were likely to have produced the materials involved. Furthermore what was the track record of these chosen retailers on ethical issues? This way we could uncover likely or possible stories that the brands are not keen to tell us themselves. As my jeans were made in Turkey it became obvious from news articles such as this one from The Guardian that they could have been made by Syrian refugees. (NB. This is a guess not a fact) "On this weekday morning most Turkish children are in school, but this Syrian boy is busy supplying the 15 sewing machines producing clothing mainly destined for the European market. Shukri, a Syrian Kurd who fled with his uncle from Qamishli in northern Syria 10 months ago, often works 60 hours a week earning 600 Turkish lira (£138) to help support his family. “I can’t go to school here because of work,” he says ". "The factory’s supervisor agrees that 12 years old is very young to be working so many hours, but shrugs off responsibility. “It’s not our fault that they need to work,” he says, “the state failed to provide for them.” In the Fairwear Foundation's 2016 report on the clothing industry in Turkey it states "Syrian families who are trying to survive in Turkey end up in the lowest paid and most precarious segments of the workforce, due to economic pressure. Since Syrians often lack the residence or work permits that would allow them to work legally in Turkey, without any official sources of income they have no other choice but to accept to work in very hard conditions" In February 2016 The Independent reported that The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) asked 28 major brands about Turkish suppliers and what strategies they had in place to prevent Syrian children and adults being exploited within their supply chain. Ten companies including River Island have yet to respond. So as I am already feeling rather ashamed of my River Island purchase and only covered half of what I found I shall save the rest until next week! I just hope you have to stomach to stick with me and read on! #WhoMadeMyClothes #FashionRevolution #RiverIsland #FairWearFoundation #FutureLearn
I am wary about writing about too many negative things in my blog posts in case it puts people off reading any more. However as the fashion industry is rife with horrors this is difficult to avoid and such issues need to exposed and discussed before anything will change. So while this will be hard to read (and hard to write) I believe it is necessary, I hope you can bear with me.
Being a mother of a young child myself I find the exploitation of child labour within my industry particularly shocking and sadly it is still very prevalent even today. Child labour is defined by the UN as “work for which the child is either too young – work done below the required minimum age – or work which, because of its detrimental nature or conditions, is altogether considered unacceptable for children and is prohibited”. Global estimates are that 168 million children aged 5-17 are engaged in child labour across all types of industries. These numbers are the highest in Asia and the Pacific and are stated to be nearly 78 million or 9.3% of the child population according to the International Labour Organisation. Many of these children work in garment manufacture. Most highly sequined and embellished garments that often people will assume are done by machine are actually finished by children as their little fingers are more deft. This kind of time consuming and precise work is often contracted out by the factories who received the orders and completed in the families homes, out of sight. Children work in all parts of the fashion supply chain including in the fields picking cotton, which is particularly hazardous due to the pesticides and cotton dust which causes lung disease. These vulnerable kids are often exposed to many hazards including toxic chemicals used in the various processes such as dying, without any protective safety gear. Industrial machinery operated by untrained children often leads to terrible accidents leaving them unable to work and forced to beg on the streets. Physical, emotional and sexual abuse is also sadly very common and used to manipulate or discipline. Children are often chosen as workers as they are more compliant and as they are afraid to question the authority of their bosses. Child workers miss out on the benefit of an education as the need to provide extra income for their family is far greater. This however leads to less opportunities for them as they get older creating a poverty trap that feeds into another generation. Many children are also forced to work to pay off family debts and become bonded to employers. This means they work for no pay and often have to pay their employers for food and accommodation becoming virtual slaves. Fast fashion demands cheap labour and quick turnarounds which creates such systemic exploitation of all workers, children in particular. To combat this we all need to slow down our consumption and be more aware of what we buy. Purchasing from ethical brands that do not use child labour can make a big difference but also demanding more transparency from others about their suppliers and practices. The Fair Wear Foundation has a list of over 120 companies that have signed up to it's code of practices which does not allow child labour and other certifications like Fairtrade and GOTS help consumers to know they are buying an ethical product. #ChildLabour #FairWear #Fairtrade #GOTS
Renting clothes is a great way to have a more sustainable wardrobe and reduce that fashion foot print and there are more brands around now who offer this.
It started off in the high end designer sector with companies like Rent the Runway and now Dream Wardrobe and Girl Meets Dress offering styles from over many designers including Roksanda Ilincic, Stella McCartney and Christopher Kane. Why fork out hundreds of pounds for something you may wear only once and will then just take up space in your wardrobe? Some offer a free back up size in case it doesn't fit or a try on service and all have free returns. Sounds good doesn't it? The rental concept could be a great antidote to a fast fashion addiction, enabling the buyer to regularly wear new styles without harming the planet at the same time. Le Tote offer high street brands and even style your look for you. Some hotels in Europe and the US now offer clothing rental to guests allowing them to pay on check out thus allowing for less suitcases needing to be sat on to fit in all those sensational holiday outfits! This idea is now moving into children's clothing with websites like Rainey's Closet doing a similar thing but with less expensive girlswear brands that you can hire for a specific time period - perfect for a wedding or party. Rentals are insured for that disaster moment too and there is no need to wash them either (always an added bonus for busy mums!) As all mums will know having a baby is an expensive business. There is so much stuff you need and we all want the best for our little bundles of joy. Vigga is a Dutch brand who have been working with my old friend Ellen MacArthur on their circular concept babywear. Parents pay a subscription and receive a bag with a range of eco-friendly clothes made by the company themselves which are then updated as the little one grows. The same clothes are then worn by other babies and toddlers (after washing and repairing of course!) creating far less waste and energy to create more new garments. I did come across several other, now defunct, kids clothing rental sites which makes me wonder if the demand for this is not quite there yet. What do you think about the idea of renting clothes? Does it work better for women's clothes than kids? Would you consider it for yourself or your kids? Would love to know your thoughts x #ClothingRental #Vigga #EllenMacArther As I am hoping to include the most classic of coat shapes, the dapper duffle, in my launch collection I thought you might like a potted history of Paddington's favourite attire.
A long frock hooded coat with toggles is seen in the Polish military in the 1820's which may have influenced the design of British classic. In 1887 John Partridge, an outwear specialist, designed and sold a toggle closure overcoat. This looked somewhat different to the ones we know today as it was shorter and roomier but had the characteristic toggle fastenings. A few years later this was adapted by the British Navy to protect their servicemen against the inclement weather at sea. They were then worn on military ships all round the world. At this point the duffle was a large one-size-fits-all so that one could be worn by any sailor over other clothing and also have the maneuverability needed for ship work. The toggle closures were used to make the coat easy to fasten with cold, wet or gloved hands. The two piece hood was cut loose to pull over a woolly hat or cap and the cloth used was generally a heavy course wool which was water repellent. It became most popular during world war 2 thanks to General Montgomery, allied commander of the British forces, who created a signature look worn with a beret at a jaunty angle - hence it's pet name the 'Monty', As the coat saw more service at sea, design changes were made to suit the sailors and their working lives. These included shoulder yokes, throat tabs on the front of the hood and a cross over front, thus becoming the style we recognise today. Army surplus duffel coats and fabric were sold on by the Ministry of Defence in 1951 to wholesalers Harold and Freda Morris who sold them to camping and leisure wear shops. This was such a huge success with the general public that H&M Morris set up the company Gloverall to produce and sell duffle coats alongside other outerwear. Gloverall still make duffle coats today which are loved around the world particularly by the Japanese. In the 1960's these army surplus duffles were snapped up cheaply by students, artists and intellectuals, most notably the poet Jean Cocteau, and became the staple garment of the counterculture movement. Paddington bear first appeared in the duffle coat in 1958 and it has been a favourite of children ever since. #DuffleCoat #Monty #Paddington |
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