Fashion Revolution Week 2022 has just finished, for those who are unsure of what Fashion Revolution Week is, it is an annual global campaign focussed towards creating a safer, more transparent and less wasteful fashion industry, one which empowers consumers to drive change and ask brands #WhoMadeYourClothes?
However, with a true Fashion Revolution comes all year round, and is a process of shopping mindfully, with purpose and making informed choices where possible and looking after your clothes and accessories so they last, diverting products from landfill for as long as possible. The fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, so we all have a responsibility to slow down the juggernaut of "fast fashion" where people and the environment are exploited to create billions of garments every year.
"Buy Less. Choose Well. Make it Last" - Vivienne Westwood
With that in mind, I wanted to share a bit more about my most recent collaboration, with the fantastic Scottish Textiles Showcase in Edinburgh.
The Scottish Textiles Showcase was founded in 2019 by Kitty Bruce-Gardyne, and is nestled just off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. The shop itself is a curated treasure trove of high quality, luxury curated Scottish textile design. STS are champions of Scotland's rich textiles heritage and they aim to celebrate not only this, but the makers themselves, and the stories behind the cloth.
From tartan, tweed, cashmere, linen and lace, Scotland's textiles are in a class of their own and have gained a world wide reputation for excellence.
The Scottish Textiles Showcase highlight the importance about the Scottish provenance of the products on their shelves, and the appreciation for the craftsmanship required to make each of their products, and how important it is to support the Scottish textiles industry, to give it the longevity to thrive into further generations.
I was absolutely delighted to meet founder Kitty last year, and this year was asked to create a special range of bags exclusively for the Showcase, that celebrate fabric, slowly made textiles and the story of the cloth.
Selected by the Scottish Textiles Showcase, the Harris Tweeds used in the collaborative bags are hand woven on the Isle of Harris and Lewis by master craftsman Donald John Mackay MBE. His weaving shed overlooks the bay of Luskentyre in the south of the island which is famous for its natural beauty. The two of Donald John's signature Harris Tweeds used in the collection are an earthy green with soft hues of browns, greens, greys and a sky blue with hues of lavender. You can really see the landscape in the cloth and it was an absolute honour to work with fabric woven by such a skilled artisan.
Each tweed was paired with the signature Fernweh waxed cotton, produced by Halley Stevensons in Dundee. The bold blue and navy bring out the hues of the Sky Harris Tweed, also giving a lovely base for the lavender hues to almost sparkle. The "Sky" colourway really makes me think of coastal sunsets, where the sea almost bleeds into the sky and you can't make out the horizon line.
The "Earth" colour way was paired with an olive green and a rust waxed cotton, to bring out the browns and deep greens in the tweed. A more muted palette to the Sky, but I still think it has a lot of impact and really helps tell the story of the tweed.
This year, the theme of Fashion Revolution is "Rights, Relationship & Revolution" which is examining the interconnectedness of the global supply chain, the relationships we have with our clothes, supply chains, each other and the planet, and how we can create better relationships to improve human rights and tackle the climate crisis. After 8 years of the successful #WhoMadeMyClothes campaign, Fashion Revolution has also introduced this fundamental question into the 2021 campaign; Who Made My Fabric?
Going deeper through the supply chains is incredible important, so we can connect with those who created the raw materials and the people who produce the fabrics we use. With this in mind, I was delighted to be in touch with Dot, who works at Halley Stevensons, my main waxed cotton supplier.
Halley Stevensons have a long standing history as one of the iconic textile manufacturers in Scotland. Located at the Baltic Works in Dundee, they were originally a jute mill when founded in 1864, before patenting their first waterproofing material in 1910. As one of the pioneers in waxed cotton, they've always put innovation at the heart of their business, and I was really excited to put together this interview, and find out more about their own supply chain and manufacturing process.
Here's my interview with Dot below;
Can you introduce us to Halley Stevensons and tell us a little bit about what you create?
Halley Stevensons are Dyers and finishers who specialise in manufacturing waxed cotton fabric. We are innovators providing sustainable fabrics and finishes to the apparel and luggage markets.
Can you tell us about the processes involved in creating waxed cotton, and as its Fashion Revolution Week, who made your fabric?
We import our cotton loomstate fabric from mills in Pakistan and India, mills which we have had long standing relationships with.
Once the fabric arrived with us it is processed all under one roof at our factory based in Dundee.
We have specialised machinery, some of which have been custom built by our in-house engineers, to create unique finishes, giving our fabrics their weatherproof performance and particular aesthetics.
How do you ensure you choose ethical and sustainable cotton manufacturers?
We specify the cotton yarn (USA spun), which we can trace through the spinning contracts provided by the mills.
All the cotton we buy is BCI certified* and all the organic cotton we source is GOTs certified. Having these accreditations place confirms that we a sourcing the best materials available to us.
*BCI is the Better Cotton Initiative
How has Halley Stevensons adapted and changed focus over the years?
We have been producing Textiles since 1864 from our Baltic works Mill based in Dundee. Originally a jute manufacturer we gained our first patent in waterproofing textiles in 1910. Today we continue to produce waxed cotton and weatherproof fabrics.
Why is transparency and environmental impact important to Halley Stevensons?
One of our USPs is our niche skills and ability to innovate and control our processes under one roof. This helps us manage the quality and continuously innovate and evolve the business efficiently.
It is important to the value of our products we product that the fabrics are properly sourced and audited.
What is your favourite thing about waxed cotton?
It is cotton with character! It is both fashionable and functional. It is adaptable and built to last.
What improvements and developments has Halley Stevensons made towards sustainable textile manufacture?
We continuously invest in new machinery in an effort to make processes more efficient and therefore more sustainable. Furthermore, we have a considered approach to innovative developments which sustainable factors are at the utmost importance. Recently we have launched our “EverWax” range which highlights our innovations in weatherproof finishes and sustainable fibres.
This year’s theme for Fashion Revolution Week is "Rights, Relationships, Revolution." What does this mean to Halley Stevensons?
We respect the fundamental rights of our supply chain and our employees.
In terms of relationships, we have long standing trusted relationships with all our suppliers.
We work in a collaborative manner with our customers and aim to deliver them the best innovations. We rely on our customer to have the same sustainable goals as us to choose well, combat fast fashion and avoid landfill with the products we offer.
Revolution is a team effort from all involved and we are excited to be part of it.
I really hope you loved this chat with Dot, I'm proud to use their fabrics where I know they are transparent in their whole supply chain, and they use in house processing to create quality fabrics which weather and age with the wearer, as well as supporting a huge part of the Scottish textile manufacturing industry.
If you want to learn more about Halley Stevensons, you can find out about them on their website at halleystevensons.co.uk or follow them on Instagram here
If you want to find out more about Fashion Revolution Week or how you can get involved, check out their website which is full of free resources at fashionrevolution.org
Don't forget to ask your favourite brands for more transparency, and ask them #WhoMadeMyClothes and #WhoMadeMyFabric?
Laura
Fernweh UK
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We find out about photographer Harry Renton, and share some images from our recent shoot with him.
]]>It's been a long time coming, but I've been looking forward to restarting the Fernweh blog since I updated my website earlier this year. I used to use an old Wordpress site, but I'm starting afresh for 2020, with lots of ideas for creative, unique content.
Instead of just a blog detailing what I made in the studio this week, I want this to be a space to showcase fellow creatives that share some of my ideals, share adventures and share information about fabrics and sustainability - and the occasional post from the workbench of course!
This first post of the new, improved Fernweh blog is just this, a guest post from a talented photographer that I was lucky enough to work with for a shoot last month, Harry Renton.
Let me introduce Harry Renton.
My name is Harry Renton and I’m a photographer originally from the Peak District but currently living in the city of Edinburgh. I moved to Edinburgh for university even though I was studying in Carlisle. The commute on the train was worth it I promise. I graduated in the summer of 2020 and now for the past 6 months I’ve been working as a part time freelance photographer.
From the very beginning I had always felt a deep connection to the outdoors. From a young age I spent most of my time with muddy clothes, scrapped knees and finding myself new places to explore at home. Photography came when I started to grow out of playing pretend with wooden swords and reciting stories from fantasy books. It was also my escape from school and collage which I never fully connected with. I found myself daydreaming out of windows most of the time unless I was in music class. From there it became an obsession, aside from playing drums I had never found a passion that I enjoyed more. It allowed me to be myself and at the same time continue to play pretend and drift to far off places I had never been before, all the while remaining in the Peak District. I guess my work is an extension of my childhood fascination with books about adventure and mythical landscapes. I studied photography for 3 years at university and graduated in summer 2020. Now I find myself pushing toward a career in photography supporting small, local businesses and those that have a focus on sustainability.
Now I tend to focus all of my attention towards working with brands that are supporting sustainability and making some kind of positive impact on the environment. I believe as a photographer I should be able to inspire people to make mindful decisions about what and where they are buying their clothes, backpacks or anything else for that matter. I want to help protect the landscape that inspires my work. I try to implement this mindset with how I live my life outside of photography too by getting a good proportion of my food from a local refill shop (@thegoodstore.scot), repairing the clothes that are a little too rustic and shopping on ebay for any new clothes I need.
I contacted Fernweh because they create, by hand products that are designed to last a lifetime. They are also a small independent business and is more important than ever to support them. Fast fashion is such a huge problem for the environment. If we as a collective could start shopping locally for products that are made with time and the environment in mind, then surely, we can make a difference. I resonated with the quote on their website that reads “Buy less. Choose well. Make it last.” It is an idea we should all be following and choosing to implement in our lives."
You can find more of Harry's work on his website or on Instagram at @a_diary_of _sorts
I hope you enjoyed this look into Harry's practice and ethos, and enjoyed the photos from our shoot last month.
Laura
Fernweh UK
Go Further. Stay Curious.
Fernweh UK has it's first official Fernweh sponsored athlete!! We are delighted to have Professional Climber and Route Setter Steve Gaspar on board with our brand, all the way over in the USA!
Steve is a Route Setter for the amazing Rockreation Climbing Centres based in America, and has already set routes for big competitions and national championships. Climbing is a sport that has boomed over the past few years, and its great seeing the different pathways that people choose to make themselves a career in climbing. Route Setting is obviously one of the most important careers of them all, as without great route setters, there are no challenging climbs and no way of sorting the 'best from the best'! Its fantastic to see Steve doing so great in his chosen field of route setting. Alongside that, he frequently climbs alongside the biggest climbers in the profession and is already endorsed by Adidas Outdoor & Primo Chalk. We are so happy to say that Steve is on board with the Fernweh team, and we hope we can help him reach his ultimate dream of route setting for world championship stages & also spreading the world of our little brand!
Fernweh World Domination yo!
Anyways, we caught up with Steve, just to find out a little more about his passion for climbing.
Hey Steve! Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Steve Gaspar, and I am a professional Climber and Route Setter.
I'm so excited about launching my first standalone e-commerce site tonight!
Fernweh has had so much support over the past few months and I am forever grateful to the early supporters of my little brand, you guys are what has made Fernweh what it is today, and I hope you guys continue to follow what I am creating in the future.
To say thank you, I am giving everyone who shops the new site a lovely 20% off this entire week! Just quote "FERNWEHISLIVE20" to claim the discount!
I plan on using this blogspace to offer everyone a behind the scenes look into the daily running of Fernweh, behind the scenes photoshoots, new collection updates - and possibly some general ramblings about cats!
I hope you all love the new site!
Laura
Fernweh Uk
Go Further. Stay Curious.
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