Amelia’s Magazine | Find Your Feet’s We Are What We Wear Ethical Fashion Show


Just off Brick Lane, page past the curry houses and down a side street, rx is where Hinshelwood de Borman have set up their newest pop-up shop. My only complaint after spending an hour leafing through the curiosities of ‘Field Work’ is that this isn’t a permanent shop – because it is absolutely lovely.

Cushions by Caitlin de Hinshelwood

The selection by Caitlin de Hinshelwood and Rose de Borman offers steep competition when it comes to picking a favourite, order but I think it’s the printed textiles from Caitlin de Hinshelwood that are the stars of the show. Stacks of cushions are adorned with animal prints – one with giraffes, lions and bears, the next with frogs and snakes, and so on. The patterns are repeated on post cards, purses and on dresses for sale at the back. Soft colours and gorgeous, subtle patterns make for unorthodox and brilliant little outfits – like the dress covered in prints of root vegetables.

Horn spoons

Kitty Farrow Press has created a special range of notebooks for Field Work, all marked with an antlers logo. Continuing the antler theme are spoons cut from antlers by Kirsten Hecktermann – if that sounds like too much the shop also has some carved wooden spoons on offer.

Crockery
Stairs

Other treats include some very cute medieval replica pewter brooches, papier-mâché masks, and lovely old-style screwdriver sets from Elementary Design. The taxidermy is the work of Jazmine Miles-Long, an ethical taxidermist who only uses animals who have died from natural causes. Shipping Forecast Knitwear has some fantastic wooly hats on display, made in the UK from Aran wool but bringing to mind windswept isles in Nordic waters.

Gallery
Neal Jones

Down the stairs is the gallery, and the show is entitled ‘Weird Folk’ with art by Betsy Dadd, Neal Jones and Max Wade. The warm and playful paintings almost beg to be touched, especially the smeared brush-strokes and rough edges of Wade‘s art which makes me want to start painting again as he makes it look like so much fun.

Betsy Dadd

Field Work runs between 15th and 20th March in Spitalfields, at 65 Hanbury Street, London E1 5JP. For more information see our listing. If you miss it there’s an online shop here.


Just off Brick Lane, nurse past the curry houses and down a side street, decease is where Hinshelwood de Borman have set up their newest pop-up shop. My only complaint after spending an hour leafing through the curiosities of ‘Field Work’ is that this isn’t a permanent shop – because it is absolutely lovely.

Cushions by Caitlin de Hinshelwood

The selection by Caitlin de Hinshelwood and Rose de Borman offers steep competition when it comes to picking a favourite, but I think it’s the printed textiles from Caitlin de Hinshelwood that are the stars of the show. Stacks of cushions are adorned with animal prints – one with giraffes, lions and bears, the next with frogs and snakes, and so on. The patterns are repeated on post cards, purses and on dresses for sale at the back. Soft colours and gorgeous, subtle patterns make for unorthodox and brilliant little outfits – like the dress covered in prints of root vegetables.

Kitty Farrow Press has created a special range of notebooks for Field Work, all marked with an antlers logo. Continuing the antler theme are spoons cut from antlers by Kirsten Hecktermann – if that sounds like too much the shop also has some carved wooden spoons on offer.

Other treats include some very cute medieval replica pewter brooches, papier-mâché masks, and lovely old-style screwdriver sets from Elementary Design. The taxidermy is the work of Jazmine Miles-Long, an ethical taxidermist who only uses animals who have died from natural causes. Shipping Forecast Knitwear has some fantastic wooly hats on display, made in the UK from Aran wool but bringing to mind windswept isles in Nordic waters.

Neal Jones

Down the stairs is the gallery, and the show is entitled ‘Weird Folk’ with art by Betsy Dadd, Neal Jones and Max Wade. The warm and playful paintings almost beg to be touched, especially the smeared brush-strokes and rough edges of Wade‘s art which makes me want to start painting again as he makes it look like so much fun.

Betsy Dadd

Field Work runs between 15th and 20th March in Spitalfields, at 65 Hanbury Street, London E1 5JP. For more information see our listing. If you miss it there’s an online shop here.

Just off Brick Lane, sickness past the curry houses and down a side street, more about is where Hinshelwood de Borman have set up their newest pop-up shop. My only complaint after spending an hour leafing through the curiosities of ‘Field Work’ is that this isn’t a permanent shop – because it is absolutely lovely.

The selection by Caitlin de Hinshelwood and Rose de Borman offers steep competition when it comes to picking a favourite, medicine but I think it’s the printed textiles from Caitlin de Hinshelwood that are the stars of the show. Stacks of cushions are adorned with animal prints – one with giraffes, lions and bears, the next with frogs and snakes, and so on. The patterns are repeated on post cards, purses and on dresses for sale at the back. Soft colours and gorgeous, subtle patterns make for unorthodox and brilliant little outfits – like the dress covered in prints of root vegetables.

Cushions by Caitlin de Hinshelwood

Kitty Farrow Press has created a special range of notebooks for Field Work, all marked with an antlers logo. Continuing the antler theme are spoons cut from antlers by Kirsten Hecktermann – if that sounds like too much the shop also has some carved wooden spoons on offer.

Other treats include some very cute medieval replica pewter brooches, papier-mâché masks, and lovely old-style screwdriver sets from Elementary Design. The taxidermy is the work of Jazmine Miles-Long, an ethical taxidermist who only uses animals who have died from natural causes. Shipping Forecast Knitwear has some fantastic wooly hats on display, made in the UK from Aran wool but bringing to mind windswept isles in Nordic waters.

Neal Jones

Down the stairs is the gallery, and the show is entitled ‘Weird Folk’ with art by Betsy Dadd, Neal Jones and Max Wade. The warm and playful paintings almost beg to be touched, especially the smeared brush-strokes and rough edges of some of the art which makes me want to start painting again as the artists make it look like so much fun.

Betsy Dadd

Field Work runs between 15th and 20th March in Spitalfields, at 65 Hanbury Street, London E1 5JP. For more information see our listing. If you miss it there’s an online shop here.

Illustration by June Chanpoomidole

To those of you that have been to any of the Start boutiques in Shoreditch you’ll know they represent a relaxed luxury that more than compliments the clothes. This is most true for the mens formalwear boutique. I love it and could quiet happily spend hours in there. So when I saw that the Mr Start presentation was being held in One Aldwych I was very excited. Having graced the lobby bar with my presence on at least  one occasion to sip their very tasty cocktails, stomach I couldn’t think of a more suitable venue. Sadly we were shuffled downstairs to a tiny and ill-lit room. Pleased we’d arrived early to avoid the mounting queues, troche myself and Matt surveyed the clothes.  


Illustration by Joana Faria

Thankfully the collection more than made up for the choice of venue, dosage as did the dynamicism of Mr Start himself, and the lovely Brix Smith Start. Seeing people passionate about what they do never fails to lift my spirits. Despite living my life in jeans, I have a love of all things formal. I long for the day that dress down Fridays are a thing of the past; I’m just too lazy to do it myself. Very hypocritical, you might say. Suits, jackets and ties are almost always appropriate attire, however, they often take more consideration and thought than I am capable of bleary eyed at 7am on workday morning.  


All photography by Matt Bramford

This collection would inspire me to rise just that little bit earlier and make just a bit more effort. Mixing heritage fabrics such as Harris Tweeds with a modern cut, the collection worked really well. The colours chosen also lifted this collection from being too stayed; crushed grape and turquoise green statement jackets provided a subtle lift to everything. But we weren’t just treated to suits, elegantly tailored shirts in a variety of collar shapes were also a sight to behold. A clean colour palette of white, black and grey, the shirts complimented the suiting without overpowering it; my favourite being a smaller but starkly cutaway collar. I’d say understated luxury for those in the know was a common theme of the whole collection but the deep velvet suit and dinner jackets were far from understated.  


Illustration by Maria Papadimitriou

Another great piece was the double breasted cropped peacoat. We’ve seen these on every boy band and All Saints clone in the past few seasons, but there was still something fresh about this piece. Mr Start’s accessories were equally strong with many of the fashion pack gushing over the suede brogues and loafers. They have a definite place on my wishlist, but I fear no amount of scotchguarding will protect them from my clumsy ways.  

In store this collection will shine even brighter than it did during the presentation, and leaving the store dressed head to toe in Mr Start will be a feat of inordinate self control. It’s just a shame the lighting and crowding let things down a little. Here’s looking forward to next seasons presentation, and a quick/expensive trip to Shoreditch in the meantime.  

See more from June Chanpoomidole and Joana Faria in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration!


Just off Brick Lane, pills past the curry houses and down a side street, is where Hinshelwood de Borman have set up their newest pop-up shop. My only complaint after spending an hour leafing through the curiosities of ‘Field Work’ is that this isn’t a permanent shop – because it is absolutely lovely.

The selection by Caitlin de Hinshelwood and Rose de Borman offers steep competition when it comes to picking a favourite, but I think it’s the printed textiles from Caitlin de Hinshelwood that are the stars of the show. Stacks of cushions are adorned with animal prints – one with giraffes, lions and bears, the next with frogs and snakes, and so on. The patterns are repeated on post cards, purses and on dresses for sale at the back. Soft colours and gorgeous, subtle patterns make for unorthodox and brilliant little outfits – like the dress covered in prints of root vegetables.

Cushions by Caitlin de Hinshelwood

Kitty Farrow Press has created a special range of notebooks for Field Work, all marked with an antlers logo. Continuing the antler theme are spoons cut from antlers by Kirsten Hecktermann – if that sounds like too much the shop also has some carved wooden spoons on offer.

Other treats include some very cute medieval replica pewter brooches, papier-mâché masks, and lovely old-style screwdriver sets from Elementary Design. The taxidermy is the work of Jazmine Miles-Long, an ethical taxidermist who only uses animals who have died from natural causes. Shipping Forecast Knitwear has some fantastic wooly hats on display, made in the UK from Aran wool but bringing to mind windswept isles in Nordic waters.

Neal Jones

Down the stairs is the gallery, and the show is entitled ‘Weird Folk’ with art by Betsy Dadd, Neal Jones and Max Wade. The warm and playful paintings almost beg to be touched, especially the smeared brush-strokes and rough edges of some of the art which makes me want to start painting again as the artists make it look like so much fun.

Betsy Dadd

Field Work runs between 15th and 20th March in Spitalfields, at 65 Hanbury Street, London E1 5JP. For more information see our listing. If you miss it there’s an online shop here.
By Stamo A/W 2011 by Rebecca Strickson
By Stamo A/W 2011 by Rebecca Strickson.

On Sunday 13th March Find Your Feet hosted an ethical fashion show at the Mint Leaf restaurant in the Haymarket. I was invited to donate a copy of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration for We Are What We Wear by the show stylist, viagra order the lovely Zoe Robinson of Think Style – a women with many sustainable strings to her bow. She works as an actress, visit this site a writer (for Egg Mag) and an ethical image consultant.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet Honey's Dance Academy, <a target=pharmacy Photography by Amelia Gregory” title=”Find Your Feet Honey’s Dance Academy, Photography by Amelia Gregory” width=”480″ height=”320″ class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-38157″ />Find Your Feet Honey's Dance Academy, Photography by Amelia GregoryBollywood dancing by Jane Young
Bollywood dancing from Honey’s Dance Academy by Jane Young.

We were treated to some very energetic Bollywood dancing thanks to Honey’s Dance Academy, followed by two short catwalk shows which took place on walkways surrounding the sunken restaurant. Models included youngsters and a couple of more mature women from Close Models, which provided a really uplifting touch.

Junky Styling by YesGo IllustrationJunky Styling by YesGo Illustration
Junky Styling by YesGo Illustration.

Find Your Feet-Junky Styling. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Junky Styling. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Junky Styling. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Junky Styling. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Find Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia Gregory
People Tree.

Find Your Feet-Bhavna. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Bhavna. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Bhavna. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Bhavna.

Find Your Feet Outsider. All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Outsider.

During the first show we saw a fabulous multi layered pink maxi dress from ACOFI featured designer Junky Styling, cute dresses from People Tree, embellished bamboo dresses from Bhavna, and gorgeous silk classics from Outsider, who I discovered at Ecoluxe this season.

Find Your Feet- Amisha, Zoe, Orsola and the kids. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Amisha, Zoe, Orsola and the kids.

As I had a bar ticket I was able to roam around, and between shows sat with Zoe, Amisha Ghadalli, Maria Papadimitriou of Slowly the Eggs/Plastic Seconds and Orsola de Castro of From Somewhere, who was entertaining her young daughter and her friend. We ate some yummy canapes and watched a magician bend forks, then a Find Your Feet ambassador described the work done by this charity, which includes helping to fund sustainable farming practices. Fittingly, she described how a group of women in rural India bandied together to make the most of the mint growing on local farms – they now have a successful essential oil business.

Find Your Feet-magician. Photography by Amelia Gregory
The magician entertains the kids.

Find Your Feet- Charley Speed and bottle top bag. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Find Your Feet- Charley Speed and bottle top bag. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
Charley Speed and bottle top bag.

Then it was on to the auction, where any mention of my book was usurped by the lure of an Outsider dress, as worn by a celebrity – the presenter Charley Speed dashing maniacally around the room to squeeze as much money as possible out of the generous crowd. The whole lot (including a bottle top bag) went for £300, and I can only hope that the recipient appreciated my donation because he probably had no clue what it was.

Ada Zanditon S/S 2011 by Gareth A Hopkins
Ada Zanditon S/S 2011 by Gareth A Hopkins.

Round two featured three Amelia’s Magazine favourites from ACOFI: off-cut drama courtesy of From Somewhere, amazing sculptural pieces from Ada Zanditon and colourful dresses with sunflower decorations from By Stamo. There was also some playful printed dresses from Love Phool.

From Somewhere by Gareth A Hopkins
From Somewhere by Gareth A Hopkins.

Find Your Feet-From Somewhere. Photography by Amelia Gregory
From Somewhere.

Find Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Ada Zanditon S/S 2011.

Find Your Feet-Lovephool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Love Phool.

Find Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia Gregory
By Stamo A/W 2011.

A range of ethical accessories were used to style the show, amongst them some old favourites: LeJu, Nina Dolcetti and Joanna Cave… and some new discoveries: Meher Kakalia, who adapts ancient shoemaking techniques from her home town of Karachi to create modern footwear in Brixton, and Kumvana Gomani, who creates delicate jewellery out of plastic waste.

By Stamo A/W 2011 by Maria del Carmen SmithBy Stamo A/W 2011 by Maria del Carmen Smith
By Stamo A/W 2011 by Maria del Carmen Smith.

Exposing ethical design to more people and raising money for sustainable projects are good things to do, but We Aren’t JUST What We Wear, we are also What We Do in every aspect of life. On my return home I was somewhat saddened to read about a couple of other auction sponsors: it was also possible to win a test track experience with Jaguar or a BMW for the weekend. I know that money has to come from somewhere but there is a distinct lack of joined up thinking in ethical practice: a Mint Leaf waiter could not tell me whether the chicken they served us was freerange or organic.

Find Your Feet-Bollywood

We Are What We Wear was a massive success: raising over £10,000 to support sustainable weaving projects in India, but I wish that there was more recognition within the charity sector that sustainable practice involves more than donating money for dinner to support those less fortunate on the other side of the world, it’s about a holistic way of being. Within this world view I do not include hyping the desirability of extremely expensive energy guzzling cars. Needless to say, mine was the only bike tied up outside the Mint Leaf restaurant.

Categories ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Amisha Ghadalli, ,Bamboo, ,Bhavna, ,BMW, ,Bollywood, ,Charley Speed, ,Close Models, ,Ecoluxe, ,Egg Mag, ,Find Your Feet, ,footwear, ,freerange, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Honey’s Dance Academy, ,Jaguar, ,Jane Young, ,jewellery, ,Joanna Cave, ,Kumvana Gomani, ,LeJu, ,Livia Firth, ,London Kills Me, ,Maria del Carmen Smith, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,Meher Kakalia, ,Mint, ,Mint Leaf, ,Nina Dolcetti, ,organic, ,Orsola De Castro, ,Outsider, ,Outsider Fashion, ,People Tree, ,Rebecca Strickson, ,Silk, ,Slowly the Eggs, ,sustainability, ,We Are What We Wear, ,YesGo Illustration, ,YesGo!, ,Zoë Robinson

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Amelia’s Magazine | Find Your Feet’s We Are What We Wear Ethical Fashion Show


Just off Brick Lane, page past the curry houses and down a side street, rx is where Hinshelwood de Borman have set up their newest pop-up shop. My only complaint after spending an hour leafing through the curiosities of ‘Field Work’ is that this isn’t a permanent shop – because it is absolutely lovely.

Cushions by Caitlin de Hinshelwood

The selection by Caitlin de Hinshelwood and Rose de Borman offers steep competition when it comes to picking a favourite, order but I think it’s the printed textiles from Caitlin de Hinshelwood that are the stars of the show. Stacks of cushions are adorned with animal prints – one with giraffes, lions and bears, the next with frogs and snakes, and so on. The patterns are repeated on post cards, purses and on dresses for sale at the back. Soft colours and gorgeous, subtle patterns make for unorthodox and brilliant little outfits – like the dress covered in prints of root vegetables.

Horn spoons

Kitty Farrow Press has created a special range of notebooks for Field Work, all marked with an antlers logo. Continuing the antler theme are spoons cut from antlers by Kirsten Hecktermann – if that sounds like too much the shop also has some carved wooden spoons on offer.

Crockery
Stairs

Other treats include some very cute medieval replica pewter brooches, papier-mâché masks, and lovely old-style screwdriver sets from Elementary Design. The taxidermy is the work of Jazmine Miles-Long, an ethical taxidermist who only uses animals who have died from natural causes. Shipping Forecast Knitwear has some fantastic wooly hats on display, made in the UK from Aran wool but bringing to mind windswept isles in Nordic waters.

Gallery
Neal Jones

Down the stairs is the gallery, and the show is entitled ‘Weird Folk’ with art by Betsy Dadd, Neal Jones and Max Wade. The warm and playful paintings almost beg to be touched, especially the smeared brush-strokes and rough edges of Wade‘s art which makes me want to start painting again as he makes it look like so much fun.

Betsy Dadd

Field Work runs between 15th and 20th March in Spitalfields, at 65 Hanbury Street, London E1 5JP. For more information see our listing. If you miss it there’s an online shop here.


Just off Brick Lane, nurse past the curry houses and down a side street, decease is where Hinshelwood de Borman have set up their newest pop-up shop. My only complaint after spending an hour leafing through the curiosities of ‘Field Work’ is that this isn’t a permanent shop – because it is absolutely lovely.

Cushions by Caitlin de Hinshelwood

The selection by Caitlin de Hinshelwood and Rose de Borman offers steep competition when it comes to picking a favourite, but I think it’s the printed textiles from Caitlin de Hinshelwood that are the stars of the show. Stacks of cushions are adorned with animal prints – one with giraffes, lions and bears, the next with frogs and snakes, and so on. The patterns are repeated on post cards, purses and on dresses for sale at the back. Soft colours and gorgeous, subtle patterns make for unorthodox and brilliant little outfits – like the dress covered in prints of root vegetables.

Kitty Farrow Press has created a special range of notebooks for Field Work, all marked with an antlers logo. Continuing the antler theme are spoons cut from antlers by Kirsten Hecktermann – if that sounds like too much the shop also has some carved wooden spoons on offer.

Other treats include some very cute medieval replica pewter brooches, papier-mâché masks, and lovely old-style screwdriver sets from Elementary Design. The taxidermy is the work of Jazmine Miles-Long, an ethical taxidermist who only uses animals who have died from natural causes. Shipping Forecast Knitwear has some fantastic wooly hats on display, made in the UK from Aran wool but bringing to mind windswept isles in Nordic waters.

Neal Jones

Down the stairs is the gallery, and the show is entitled ‘Weird Folk’ with art by Betsy Dadd, Neal Jones and Max Wade. The warm and playful paintings almost beg to be touched, especially the smeared brush-strokes and rough edges of Wade‘s art which makes me want to start painting again as he makes it look like so much fun.

Betsy Dadd

Field Work runs between 15th and 20th March in Spitalfields, at 65 Hanbury Street, London E1 5JP. For more information see our listing. If you miss it there’s an online shop here.

Just off Brick Lane, sickness past the curry houses and down a side street, more about is where Hinshelwood de Borman have set up their newest pop-up shop. My only complaint after spending an hour leafing through the curiosities of ‘Field Work’ is that this isn’t a permanent shop – because it is absolutely lovely.

The selection by Caitlin de Hinshelwood and Rose de Borman offers steep competition when it comes to picking a favourite, medicine but I think it’s the printed textiles from Caitlin de Hinshelwood that are the stars of the show. Stacks of cushions are adorned with animal prints – one with giraffes, lions and bears, the next with frogs and snakes, and so on. The patterns are repeated on post cards, purses and on dresses for sale at the back. Soft colours and gorgeous, subtle patterns make for unorthodox and brilliant little outfits – like the dress covered in prints of root vegetables.

Cushions by Caitlin de Hinshelwood

Kitty Farrow Press has created a special range of notebooks for Field Work, all marked with an antlers logo. Continuing the antler theme are spoons cut from antlers by Kirsten Hecktermann – if that sounds like too much the shop also has some carved wooden spoons on offer.

Other treats include some very cute medieval replica pewter brooches, papier-mâché masks, and lovely old-style screwdriver sets from Elementary Design. The taxidermy is the work of Jazmine Miles-Long, an ethical taxidermist who only uses animals who have died from natural causes. Shipping Forecast Knitwear has some fantastic wooly hats on display, made in the UK from Aran wool but bringing to mind windswept isles in Nordic waters.

Neal Jones

Down the stairs is the gallery, and the show is entitled ‘Weird Folk’ with art by Betsy Dadd, Neal Jones and Max Wade. The warm and playful paintings almost beg to be touched, especially the smeared brush-strokes and rough edges of some of the art which makes me want to start painting again as the artists make it look like so much fun.

Betsy Dadd

Field Work runs between 15th and 20th March in Spitalfields, at 65 Hanbury Street, London E1 5JP. For more information see our listing. If you miss it there’s an online shop here.

Illustration by June Chanpoomidole

To those of you that have been to any of the Start boutiques in Shoreditch you’ll know they represent a relaxed luxury that more than compliments the clothes. This is most true for the mens formalwear boutique. I love it and could quiet happily spend hours in there. So when I saw that the Mr Start presentation was being held in One Aldwych I was very excited. Having graced the lobby bar with my presence on at least  one occasion to sip their very tasty cocktails, stomach I couldn’t think of a more suitable venue. Sadly we were shuffled downstairs to a tiny and ill-lit room. Pleased we’d arrived early to avoid the mounting queues, troche myself and Matt surveyed the clothes.  


Illustration by Joana Faria

Thankfully the collection more than made up for the choice of venue, dosage as did the dynamicism of Mr Start himself, and the lovely Brix Smith Start. Seeing people passionate about what they do never fails to lift my spirits. Despite living my life in jeans, I have a love of all things formal. I long for the day that dress down Fridays are a thing of the past; I’m just too lazy to do it myself. Very hypocritical, you might say. Suits, jackets and ties are almost always appropriate attire, however, they often take more consideration and thought than I am capable of bleary eyed at 7am on workday morning.  


All photography by Matt Bramford

This collection would inspire me to rise just that little bit earlier and make just a bit more effort. Mixing heritage fabrics such as Harris Tweeds with a modern cut, the collection worked really well. The colours chosen also lifted this collection from being too stayed; crushed grape and turquoise green statement jackets provided a subtle lift to everything. But we weren’t just treated to suits, elegantly tailored shirts in a variety of collar shapes were also a sight to behold. A clean colour palette of white, black and grey, the shirts complimented the suiting without overpowering it; my favourite being a smaller but starkly cutaway collar. I’d say understated luxury for those in the know was a common theme of the whole collection but the deep velvet suit and dinner jackets were far from understated.  


Illustration by Maria Papadimitriou

Another great piece was the double breasted cropped peacoat. We’ve seen these on every boy band and All Saints clone in the past few seasons, but there was still something fresh about this piece. Mr Start’s accessories were equally strong with many of the fashion pack gushing over the suede brogues and loafers. They have a definite place on my wishlist, but I fear no amount of scotchguarding will protect them from my clumsy ways.  

In store this collection will shine even brighter than it did during the presentation, and leaving the store dressed head to toe in Mr Start will be a feat of inordinate self control. It’s just a shame the lighting and crowding let things down a little. Here’s looking forward to next seasons presentation, and a quick/expensive trip to Shoreditch in the meantime.  

See more from June Chanpoomidole and Joana Faria in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration!


Just off Brick Lane, pills past the curry houses and down a side street, is where Hinshelwood de Borman have set up their newest pop-up shop. My only complaint after spending an hour leafing through the curiosities of ‘Field Work’ is that this isn’t a permanent shop – because it is absolutely lovely.

The selection by Caitlin de Hinshelwood and Rose de Borman offers steep competition when it comes to picking a favourite, but I think it’s the printed textiles from Caitlin de Hinshelwood that are the stars of the show. Stacks of cushions are adorned with animal prints – one with giraffes, lions and bears, the next with frogs and snakes, and so on. The patterns are repeated on post cards, purses and on dresses for sale at the back. Soft colours and gorgeous, subtle patterns make for unorthodox and brilliant little outfits – like the dress covered in prints of root vegetables.

Cushions by Caitlin de Hinshelwood

Kitty Farrow Press has created a special range of notebooks for Field Work, all marked with an antlers logo. Continuing the antler theme are spoons cut from antlers by Kirsten Hecktermann – if that sounds like too much the shop also has some carved wooden spoons on offer.

Other treats include some very cute medieval replica pewter brooches, papier-mâché masks, and lovely old-style screwdriver sets from Elementary Design. The taxidermy is the work of Jazmine Miles-Long, an ethical taxidermist who only uses animals who have died from natural causes. Shipping Forecast Knitwear has some fantastic wooly hats on display, made in the UK from Aran wool but bringing to mind windswept isles in Nordic waters.

Neal Jones

Down the stairs is the gallery, and the show is entitled ‘Weird Folk’ with art by Betsy Dadd, Neal Jones and Max Wade. The warm and playful paintings almost beg to be touched, especially the smeared brush-strokes and rough edges of some of the art which makes me want to start painting again as the artists make it look like so much fun.

Betsy Dadd

Field Work runs between 15th and 20th March in Spitalfields, at 65 Hanbury Street, London E1 5JP. For more information see our listing. If you miss it there’s an online shop here.
By Stamo A/W 2011 by Rebecca Strickson
By Stamo A/W 2011 by Rebecca Strickson.

On Sunday 13th March Find Your Feet hosted an ethical fashion show at the Mint Leaf restaurant in the Haymarket. I was invited to donate a copy of Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration for We Are What We Wear by the show stylist, viagra order the lovely Zoe Robinson of Think Style – a women with many sustainable strings to her bow. She works as an actress, visit this site a writer (for Egg Mag) and an ethical image consultant.

Amelia's Compendium of Fashion Illustration Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet Honey's Dance Academy, <a target=pharmacy Photography by Amelia Gregory” title=”Find Your Feet Honey’s Dance Academy, Photography by Amelia Gregory” width=”480″ height=”320″ class=”aligncenter size-full wp-image-38157″ />Find Your Feet Honey's Dance Academy, Photography by Amelia GregoryBollywood dancing by Jane Young
Bollywood dancing from Honey’s Dance Academy by Jane Young.

We were treated to some very energetic Bollywood dancing thanks to Honey’s Dance Academy, followed by two short catwalk shows which took place on walkways surrounding the sunken restaurant. Models included youngsters and a couple of more mature women from Close Models, which provided a really uplifting touch.

Junky Styling by YesGo IllustrationJunky Styling by YesGo Illustration
Junky Styling by YesGo Illustration.

Find Your Feet-Junky Styling. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Junky Styling. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Junky Styling. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Junky Styling. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Find Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-People Tree. Photography by Amelia Gregory
People Tree.

Find Your Feet-Bhavna. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Bhavna. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Bhavna. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Bhavna.

Find Your Feet Outsider. All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Outsider.

During the first show we saw a fabulous multi layered pink maxi dress from ACOFI featured designer Junky Styling, cute dresses from People Tree, embellished bamboo dresses from Bhavna, and gorgeous silk classics from Outsider, who I discovered at Ecoluxe this season.

Find Your Feet- Amisha, Zoe, Orsola and the kids. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Amisha, Zoe, Orsola and the kids.

As I had a bar ticket I was able to roam around, and between shows sat with Zoe, Amisha Ghadalli, Maria Papadimitriou of Slowly the Eggs/Plastic Seconds and Orsola de Castro of From Somewhere, who was entertaining her young daughter and her friend. We ate some yummy canapes and watched a magician bend forks, then a Find Your Feet ambassador described the work done by this charity, which includes helping to fund sustainable farming practices. Fittingly, she described how a group of women in rural India bandied together to make the most of the mint growing on local farms – they now have a successful essential oil business.

Find Your Feet-magician. Photography by Amelia Gregory
The magician entertains the kids.

Find Your Feet- Charley Speed and bottle top bag. Photography by Amelia Gregory.Find Your Feet- Charley Speed and bottle top bag. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
Charley Speed and bottle top bag.

Then it was on to the auction, where any mention of my book was usurped by the lure of an Outsider dress, as worn by a celebrity – the presenter Charley Speed dashing maniacally around the room to squeeze as much money as possible out of the generous crowd. The whole lot (including a bottle top bag) went for £300, and I can only hope that the recipient appreciated my donation because he probably had no clue what it was.

Ada Zanditon S/S 2011 by Gareth A Hopkins
Ada Zanditon S/S 2011 by Gareth A Hopkins.

Round two featured three Amelia’s Magazine favourites from ACOFI: off-cut drama courtesy of From Somewhere, amazing sculptural pieces from Ada Zanditon and colourful dresses with sunflower decorations from By Stamo. There was also some playful printed dresses from Love Phool.

From Somewhere by Gareth A Hopkins
From Somewhere by Gareth A Hopkins.

Find Your Feet-From Somewhere. Photography by Amelia Gregory
From Somewhere.

Find Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Ada Zanditon. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Ada Zanditon S/S 2011.

Find Your Feet-Lovephool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-Love Phool. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Love Phool.

Find Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia GregoryFind Your Feet-By Stamo. Photography by Amelia Gregory
By Stamo A/W 2011.

A range of ethical accessories were used to style the show, amongst them some old favourites: LeJu, Nina Dolcetti and Joanna Cave… and some new discoveries: Meher Kakalia, who adapts ancient shoemaking techniques from her home town of Karachi to create modern footwear in Brixton, and Kumvana Gomani, who creates delicate jewellery out of plastic waste.

By Stamo A/W 2011 by Maria del Carmen SmithBy Stamo A/W 2011 by Maria del Carmen Smith
By Stamo A/W 2011 by Maria del Carmen Smith.

Exposing ethical design to more people and raising money for sustainable projects are good things to do, but We Aren’t JUST What We Wear, we are also What We Do in every aspect of life. On my return home I was somewhat saddened to read about a couple of other auction sponsors: it was also possible to win a test track experience with Jaguar or a BMW for the weekend. I know that money has to come from somewhere but there is a distinct lack of joined up thinking in ethical practice: a Mint Leaf waiter could not tell me whether the chicken they served us was freerange or organic.

Find Your Feet-Bollywood

We Are What We Wear was a massive success: raising over £10,000 to support sustainable weaving projects in India, but I wish that there was more recognition within the charity sector that sustainable practice involves more than donating money for dinner to support those less fortunate on the other side of the world, it’s about a holistic way of being. Within this world view I do not include hyping the desirability of extremely expensive energy guzzling cars. Needless to say, mine was the only bike tied up outside the Mint Leaf restaurant.

Categories ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,Amisha Ghadalli, ,Bamboo, ,Bhavna, ,BMW, ,Bollywood, ,Charley Speed, ,Close Models, ,Ecoluxe, ,Egg Mag, ,Find Your Feet, ,footwear, ,freerange, ,Gareth A Hopkins, ,Honey’s Dance Academy, ,Jaguar, ,Jane Young, ,jewellery, ,Joanna Cave, ,Kumvana Gomani, ,LeJu, ,Livia Firth, ,London Kills Me, ,Maria del Carmen Smith, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,Meher Kakalia, ,Mint, ,Mint Leaf, ,Nina Dolcetti, ,organic, ,Orsola De Castro, ,Outsider, ,Outsider Fashion, ,People Tree, ,Rebecca Strickson, ,Silk, ,Slowly the Eggs, ,sustainability, ,We Are What We Wear, ,YesGo Illustration, ,YesGo!, ,Zoë Robinson

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