Sweetlime opens new shop in St Ives

So Sweetlime, a brand of unique and vibrant jewellery and accessories, has been lured to Cornwall and opened a new store in picturesque St. Ives.

Originally based in London, founder Elspeth Walker said her new lifestyle store, her first in the country, “reflects everything Sweetlime is about - travel, colour and a passion for adornment."

While she will continue on her globe-trotting mission to find something new, Elspeth said the Sweetlime collections will continue to evolve and grow. “We have expanded our brand and now stock homewares and gift items; together with our own collection of jewellery and bags, there will also be gifts and artwork from local artists.”

 

Shown here are some of the Sweetlime jewellery at a Best of Britannia show in London.

Having had worked in the fashion industry for many years, Elspeth set up a small studio in Highgate, London and began by assembling samples of her work and then targeted jewellery buyers at big stores as well as small boutiques.

 

All photos: Lucia Carpio

The name Sweetlime is based on a chilled drink made with fresh lime that she so often enjoyed in India (the recipe is found on her website and it is divine on a hot summer day).  “(The drink) was totally refreshing after a long flight and left a lasting impression,” Elspeth reminisced about her first trip to India to source local materials some 20 years ago.

A graduate from Edinburgh College of Art where she specialised in jewellery design and making, Elspeth had worked in New York in Manhattan’s fashion and jewellery district and gathered invaluable experience working with world-class designers before moving back to London to start her own jewellery business.

Drawing inspiration from her extensive travels within Europe; India and South East Asia, Elspeth's jewellery showcase her flair and creativity through an eclectic cultural mix of unique finds, featuring hand-made pieces, incorporating “materials and one-off designs that are out-of-the-ordinary". 

Elspeth invites visitors to meet her in her new St. Ives shop for “a unique shopping experience". 

The  address: Wills Lane, St Ives, Cornwall, TR26 1AF  

Amaryllis for Spring!

Support Fashion Revolution Day

Save the date 18-24 April 2016

Last year, in over 70 countries around the world, tens of thousands of people took part in Fashion Revolution Day and demand brands to be more transparent about where their clothes are made.

Join the Fashion Revolution.  

Support #whomademyclothes to show that we care and demand better for the people who make our clothes.

NEW FAIRTRADE TEXTILE STANDARD AND PROGRAMME TO PROTECT TEXTILE WORKERS

It has been almost three years since the deadly collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh; a tragedy that killed more than 1100 and injured 2500, and sparked demands for better protection for garment against dangerous working conditions and low pay.

Now Fairtrade has designed a new Textile Standard and Programme to tackle challenging working conditions by extending the Fairtrade approach to the entire textile supply chain. 

"By committing to Fairtrade, companies can now help improve the social and economic wellbeing of workers across the entire production chain," says Martin Hill, Interim CEO at Fairtrade International.

 The new standard is based on Fairtrade’s existing Hired Labour Standard and focuses on working conditions, living wages and workers’ rights, and is open to other sustainable fibres as well as cotton. It’s the first standard to require living wages to be paid within a set time period – six years - and brand owners will also be contractually responsible for fair and long-term purchasing practices - essential for implementing wage increases. Overall, the standard aims to empower factory workers and enable them to negotiate labour conditions independently.

According to Fairtrade, the new standard is the first step towards implementing a comprehensive Fairtrade Textile Programme to change textile supply chains and related business practices. The programme will be similar in concept to the producer services provided to farmers and workers, but will be specific to textile factories. Following an initial assessment, factories will be supported to meet the standard's requirements.

FLOCERT, the independent certification body for Fairtrade, will audit the textile companies. Workers in the textile industry participate in these audits through elected representatives who inform the workforce of the results. FLOCERT only uses auditors who are particularly familiar with the complex procedures in the textile production. "Our auditors are experts in their fields. They work together with the factory workers and management to come up with solutions to improve the workers' situation," says FLOCERT’S CEO Rüdiger Meyer.

Fairtrade is currently negotiating with interested companies and hopes to announce commitments soon. The standard is applicable from June 2016. "We’re inviting all textile companies to work together with their staff and with Fairtrade to create a fairer production process for textiles," says Martin Hill.  Once their entire supply chain has been certified in line with the Fairtrade Textile Standard, products will carry the Fairtrade Textile Production Mark. Product packaging will also indicate the brand’s progress towards achieving living wages in the product supply chain.

For further information on the Fairtrade Textile Standard, click HERE. 

Wearable art by Hayley Beckley

Award-winning jewellery designer Hayley Beckley chooses textile as the medium to express her creativity and to showcase art on the human body in a contemporary and wearable way. 

Each piece from her ‘Found in the Forest’ collection features silk that has been digitally printed with layered photographs of tree silhouettes against beautiful skies. 

The intricate prints are combined with delicate sterling silver embellishments.  

Uniquely hand-made by Hayley, who uses creative pattern drafting and precision sewing to produce the unisex collection of unique collars, cuffs and bow ties.

Having graduated from the prestigious Birmingham School of Jewellery in 2014 with a BA (hons) in Jewellery and Silversmithing, she is an accomplished craftswoman she aims to create a body of work that combines art jewellery, couture fashion accessories and sustainable design as are demonstrated on the unique pieces shown here.

Hayley describes herself as “a compulsive maker, discoverer and dreamer who seeks to explore the unique narrative quality of wearable art and its interaction with the human form.”

Through her work, she attempts to narrate the importance of stories and communication; express a delight in and respect for the environment; and sensitively create positive connections to the world and the people around her.  

Hayley has worked as a freelance costume maker and designer for several years and continues to take on freelance projects alongside her work as a jewellery artist.  She is currently an Artist in Residence at Birmingham School of Jewellery working with current BA Jewellery Design & Related Products students.       Details on Hayley Beckley's designs are available on her website. Click HERE.

Photography and Styling: Hayley Beckley

Model: Amy Peace Buzzard

Make-up: Hazel Clarrie Baker       

Floral prints in bloom at Textile Forum and Premiere Vision Paris

Prints for apparel are no doubt one of the key trends this spring and beyond.

At Textile Forum in London last week, floral prints with a Japanese sensibility were in full bloom.

Nunoya

Barcelona-based distributor Nunoya specialises in quality Japanese fabrics and offered a wide selection of prints and designs from Kokka, a Japanese fabric producer with over 70 years of history.

 

Nunoya

Kokka’s designs include traditional Japanese floral prints, abstract, geometric and the more quirky fun designs perfect for children. Base fabrics include 100% cottons, cotton/linen mixes, polyester, polyester and knits.

Nunoya

Another Japanese company at the London fair was Yuwa Shoten which showcased

fine quality cotton, linen or linen mixed fabrics printed in Japan.  

Yuwa Shoten

The designs ranged from vintage floral and roses, in modern and retro style to novelty children’s designs.

Yuwa Shoten

McElroy Fabrics

Elsewhere from British company McElroy Fabrics of Derbyshire was a selection of feminine florals from their “Lady McElroy” luxury range.  The designs have a painterly style in delicate strokes and soft pastels.

McElroy Fabrics

Details on these suppliers and others are available on the Textile Forum website.  Click HERE.

In Paris last month, the Premiere Vision trade fair  offered vivid reinterpretations of nature for a wide selection of fabric bases, in particular botanical lushness, herbariums, fresh watercolour gardens and bouquets gave designers much food for thought.

The most popular all-over prints feature wildflowers and floral grounds scattered with birds.

The meeting of flora and fauna is also popular in more tropical variations, in which jungle foliage and flowers are populated with exotic animals.  The passion for plants is also notable in laces, with a selection of designs that are leafier rather than floral.

To see a  selection of the designs, click HERE.

Première Vision Paris had conducted a survey on “The Best”, gathered from interviewing buyers for their reaction to solid and decorative fabrics for spring summer 17.  The PV teams interviewed 291 exhibitors representing every specialty: high fancy, embroidery, laces, knits, prints, silks, shirting, tailoring, lining, tech, premium relax and high-end jeanswear.

The survey revealed several themes for Spring Summer 2017.  The most sought-after attribute was lightness across all sectors. The desire for naturalness is moving away from rusticity in favour of a dry feel; a blast of technicality works itself into everyday wear and the apparent simplicity of visuals evoke a fresh, tonic and refined spring summer 17.

Details on the Best survey are available on the Premiere Vision website.  Click HERE.

Photos: Lucia Carpio

Nottingham Trent University exhibit Costume Design Talent

What a uniquely memorable experience it was to see the mesmerizing "Akhnaten" by the English National Opera (ENO) at London Colliseum currently on until 18th March.

Phelim McDermott’s new staging of Akhnaten, together with the orchestral conductorship of  Karen Kamensek brought a new dimension to Philip Glass' music score.
While the performance, the stage production, the choral singing and troupe jugglers, the imagery and lighting were superb and all went so marvelously well, the costumes by Kevin Pollard were astonishingly beautiful.

One of the country's most established institutes to help educate and nurture young talent in costume design is Nottingham Trent University.

Photos: Lucia Carpio

Showcased at the Textile Forum in London last week was a selection of course work by students of the university.

The BA (Hons) Costume Design and Making course at Nottingham Trent University develops performance costume design and making skills at degree level.  Using traditional, technical and bespoke techniques, students create portfolios and costume outfits which support their career aspirations.  Final year students select two projects which demonstrate how they translate their creative design ideas into professional finished costumes for use in theatre, film, ballet, television, commercials, events, festivals, concerts and historical contexts.

The outfits shown in the photos here evidence skills in areas such as corsetry, historical pattern drafting, tailoring, millinery, wigs, costume props and fabric exploration.

The students' work will be exhibited as part of the University’s Degree Show Festival in June  which showcases student work across all NTU’s Art and Design courses.