An independent blog looking at ethical fashion, sweatshops, organics, sustainability, charity and the third sector.
The world of apparel and its worldwide impact, mixed with articles about fundraising and charities.
Written and produced by Rob Wickings.
Our relationship to the animal kingdom is a strange one. We like to feel that we care for the creatures that share our world. People often talk about how their pets are akin to friends or family. That is, of course, as long as we consider them to be cute and cuddly, and that's less clear cut than it might at first appear. Spiders and lizards may not be to everyone's taste, but they definitely have their fan-base.
Pity the poor shark, then. A supremely well-adapted predator that has become synonymous in the human mind with pitiless, unthinking aggression. Blame Peter Benchley and Steven Spielberg, who forever imprinted the fear of the fin in our minds.
With that fear, of course, comes aggression. We kill millions of sharks every year with a gleeful and un-necessary cruelty. The so-called delicacy of sharks-fin soup comes with a built-in cost–the dorsal fin is sliced off while the shark is still alive, before the poor creature is dumped back into the sea to suffer a long and painful death. It's the equivalent of killing an elephant for its tusks. If that's beyond the pale now, then surely we can do the same for the shark!
Our pals at marine charity Bite-Back have long campaigned against the mistreatment of sharks. Recently, founder Graham Buckingham was invited to speak at TedX, and his passionate defence of probably the most unfairly maligned creature on the planet is well worth fifteen minutes of your time. If you like sharks–and especially if you don't–this is essential viewing.
Ten o'clock on a Sunday morning, when all right-thinking people are contemplating a second coffee and a bite of breakfast. So, why then did I find myself...here?
What madness is this? Wait, though, there's a clue, way off there in the distance. Time to do a CSI-style zoom and enhance...
Aha, now that makes a bit more sense. Guru Ian dragged me and Pier Mascot Ali along to Printwear Live. It's the one point of contact in the year for the clothes customisation industry to meet, network and maybe do a little business. All the big distributors and brands are here, so it's important for Pier32 to get in and touch base.
Hall 20 at the NEC (for yes, readers, we were on the outskirts of Birmingham, the Midland's shining jewel) is stuffed to the gunwales with huge stalls and marquees, offering a ton of new clothing ranges and customisation technology. We were all pleased to see that organics made a strong showing this year. Well, we would be. It's how we roll.
So a visit to Stanley Stella would always be first on the agenda. A new kid on the block, they've gone all out for organic and sustainable fabrics. But they also have a keen eye on modern trends and designs.
I was especially taken with the tops made from Modal–a silky, luxurious fabric that's made from birch. It holds colour for longer than cotton and keeps that colour more intensely.
Ian also pointed out a clever design detail on a lot of clothes designed for the customisation market. Size tabs are offset from the centre of the collar or area designed to rip out, allowing you to put your own branding on the item. Neat thinking.
Another must-stop on the tour was Continental, who while independent are still able to make a big noise against the conglomos at the front of the hall. Their commitment to ethical and sustainable ranges has always made them a favourite here at The Pier. Their Salvage (made from recycled fibre) and Fair Share (paying above market price to the workers that make the clothes) ranges are tremendously popular with our clients. It helps that they've been pals of ours for years, of course!
It's always fun to wander a show and just soak up the weird and wonderful sights. If, like me, this is your first time at a particular show, there can be some real surprises. Take, for example, the guys at Oku, who had an honest-to-Betsy eagle on their stand...
Or the full-on, properly choreographed street-dance fashion shows that featured clothes from brands like Regatta and Trespass - you know, the mid-range brands you'd normally see halfway round the Snake Pass or in a tea shop somewhere in the Dales...
(OK, and AWDI, who do know their street wear).
A real eye-opener for me were the robot embroidery machines. Feed art in one end, and they'll kick into life and stitch that design onto pretty much anything. The end results can be insanely complex.
It was, to be honest, a pretty overwhelming day with lots to see and do. Guru Ian was in his element and walked away carrying his own body weight in brochures and giveaways. New trends for the coming season? Look out for retro styles that harken back to the 80s, with contrast-colours on sleeves and collars.
But the real big thing will be hexoflage–camo styles overlaid with a hexagonal grid in hot colours. Imagine future military livery. Blend in? No chance. This is the sort of colourway you slather over your Titanfall custom loadout before you stomp off to frag alien hordes.
A madcap day, then, but I walked away with a few treats (including a bottle of prosecco in a raffle–thank you, Pencarrie!) and a renewed respect for the complexity of the industry into which I dangle my writerly toes.
There are worse ways to spend a Sunday, that's for sure.
Exciting news from our pals at Hubbub, who are taking a leap into the unknown. They're launching a vlogging channel that will deal with all things sustainable–and they need your help!
The new channel, fronted by Sarah Duvall, will be looking at the way simple changes can bring you closer to a sustainable lifestyle. This has extra benefits, of course–not least saving money, which is something I think we can all get behind in these cold dark weeks before the February payday.
The keyword for the blog is lagom–another one of those Swedish terms that we seem to be falling for. It means 'just enough'. In practice, the lagom life entails finding a balance between too much and not enough. Obvious, and surprisingly easy to achieve by making small lifestyle changes. Like making your own lunches from extra portions of dinner, or changing your lights over to energy-saving LEDs. Marginal gains that over the course of a year can save you hundreds of pounds, and make you happier and healthier as well!
So where do you come in? Well, as I said, this is a new venture, and the Hubbub guys need all the feedback they can get. If there's a story they should be covering, or if the approach doesn't quite fit, they'd like to know. So why not subscribe, join in the conversation and get involved? Check out the first video below, and see how lagom can work for you.
With Halloween behind us, I think we can really feel the weather deepening into autumn. There's a properly frosty chill in the air. All of a sudden, the warm clothes are starting to move to the front of the wardrobe.
It's a great time of year to get knitting, if you have the skill–or even if you feel now it's time to learn. If you need a new pair of gloves or a nice scarf, or know someone that could do with them, then the inspiration is right there outside your window.
The Big Issue are hoping to tap into some of that creative energy this November, as they launch The Big Knitathon. They hope to raise funds from crafty folk to help out their vendors, who need to keep warm as the temperature drops.
Over the next month, you can set up events like knit-ins, or simply form a knitting circle to sell or raffle off goods. The Big Issue have a pack to help you get going, including knitting patterns, a collection box and even balloons!
They're also teaming up with Hobbycraft, who will be opening up their stores across the country on November 12th for a huge event day. It's going to be a big one!
If you're not a knitter, there's no need to feel left out. The Big Issue are happy to let crochet, cross-stitch and even paper-crafters in on the fun. If you have the yen to create and fancy helping out a really good cause this November, then this is the one for you. Louise and friends, who contributed last year, had this to say on the Big Issue Blog about their experiences:
"We found every free minute was taken up with knitting and the more we did it the more our passion for knitting was re-ignited. It was brilliant how much our nearest and dearest embraced our knitted goods and we were able to witness first hand the joy and warmth that handmade goods can give to others. We hope the money raised will go a little way to bring warmth to others."
For more information on the Big Knitathon, and to register for the Hobbycraft event on the 12th, get over to the Big Issue website. Needles at the ready, folks. Let's warm things up this November!
I'm going a little off-piste today, but there's an environmental message to deliver, so I hope you can bear with me just this once.
We're coming up on Halloween! For spooky-minded folk like myself, and indeed for millions of other people that break out the witch outfits and cobwebs once a year, it's a real fun time. But won't somebody please think about the pumpkins?
Sure, pumpkin-carving is a big part of Halloween-time. It's important to get your jack-o-lanterns out there. But it's not so much fun when you realise just how much needless waste is generated from all that knife action every year.
The problem is that people do their carving and then just throw away the flesh! Here's a dose of Halloween horror for you: 18,000 tons of edible pumpkin is simply thrown in the bin every October. It's a real shame. Pumpkin is delicious in soups, roasted, as mash, or in any number of delicious recipes. It's nutritious, cheap and incredibly versatile.
That's why our pals at Hubbub have set up Pumpkin Rescue. Started in 2014, it's an attempt to let people know that there's so much that they can do with all that tasty orange goodness. They're running guides so you can set up your own Rescue event, from a carve-and-eat party to a giant pumpkin festival!
Here at The Pier we fully support any initiative that gets us eating more of this cheap, easy-to-grow and versatile vegetable. Great pumpkin recipes are only a click away on the internet, so there's really no excuse. This Halloween weekend, get some pumpkin on the table!
Here at The Pier we're big fans of Bite-Back, the marine conservation charity that's serious about sharks. They've been instrumental in cutting the number of UK restaurants serving the controversial shark's fin soup, and do brilliant work to enlighten and inform us about one of the sea world's most misunderstood creatures.
Bite-Back head Graham Buckingham is a man on a mission, and he'll never face a challenge sitting down. Until now. Actually, it's probably better if I let him explain...
I’ve never asked for sponsorship before because I've never done a marathon, 10K or even a park run. And for good reason. I like sitting down.
So imagine my excitement at the prospect of completing a marathon-like challenge while sitting down?
The concept alone prompted me to sign up to the Prudential Ride London event in July and cycle 100 miles in one ...err ... sitting.
However, it turns out that the 100 mile course covers much of the 2012 Olympic route and will take around eight hours to complete. That’s eight whole hours pedalling at an average speed of 13mph. On a tiny saddle. Ouch.
Chances are that I won't be as keen on sitting down by the end.
He's a braver man than I am. The Prudential Ride London event takes places on July 31st, so there's plenty of time to drop him a few quid of sponsorship money. Your cash will go to help Bite-Back continue their work, and take shark off the menu for good.
At the time of writing, Graham's just at the halfway point to his £1000 target. Why not help him hit the finish line in style?
As the producer of a cycling documentary, and one of the millions who choose to use pedal power for their local journeys, I'm very happy to promote National Bike Week on The View today.
We're all agreed, I hope, that cycling is one of the healthiest ways to get around–totally sustainable, relatively carbon-free (short of using bikes to transport bikes to the bike shop, there's always going to be some manner of hit in that regard) and very good for you.
You may not realise, though, just how popular riding a bike has become in the UK. A new survey commissioned by Pier32 pals CyclingUK, the nation's biggest cycling charity, reveal that over 20% of respondents had used a bike in the last week. People are as likely to call cycling their top activity as football or going to the gym.
The theme for this year's event is 'Ride To Work'. This is an activity I can endorse wholeheartedly–although I have to catch a train to my day job in London, the trip to the station is undertaken on my trusty, battered Ridgeback. It's as quick as the bus, and parking is free. I've been heartened by the increase in cycling infrastructure in my home town of Reading–from a posh new secure cycle park at the station to an award-winning bike and pedestrian bridge over the Thames at Caversham.
For an increasing number of commuters in the capital, a bike is the obvious choice. And with the rise of proper, segregated bike lanes on some of the major routes, there's a big spike in riders choosing to ditch their cars and ride to work. Indeed, some figures suggest that bikes could outnumber cars at peak times in as little as five years.
The fact that cycling isn't just healthy and cheap but a useful activity shouldn't be ignored. Cycling UK Chief Executive Paul Tuohy said of the survey:
“To see that cycling is as popular as playing football is a real sign of the rise and rise of cycling in the UK. Of course you can’t ‘football to work’ – but what is striking from these figures is that while so many people are riding bikes for fun and for exercise, many people have not yet added cycling into their commuting plans. That is where Bike Week comes in. Cycling can really easily become a part of your working week. From buddy rides to bike breakfasts, Bike Week brings together a host of simple ideas to help make cycle commuting an accessible and attractive proposition.
“Nearly half of all working people in the UK live within five miles of their employment, but only 800,000 cycle in for their commute on a daily basis. We want to swell that number by half-a-million during Bike Week – and encourage them to keep cycling after that.”
Athlete and Olympic silver medal winner Colin Jackson has been beating the drum for Bike Week, making the point that it's remarkably easy to bring a cycle into your daily life. He says:
“Cycling is such a great way to build in exercise to our busy lives – if you can cycle to and from work then there’s less need to find time to head out to the gym or go for a run.
“With the chance to ride through quieter streets, alongside canals and off-road, you can get a real sense of freedom and more progress in the saddle than you do stuck in a traffic jam or on a bus or train. Cycling can really easily become a part of your daily commute and Bike Week is the best opportunity to start!"
Our View: of course, there's a lot of inflammatory coverage in the press about a so-called "war" between cyclists and drivers. This is a load of old hooey, frankly. We're all just trying to get around. Cycling UK is using National Bike Week in a great way, making it clear that jumping on a bike is a fun and easy way to get around with real, proven health benefits. What else can we say? Get on your bike!
We're happy to support our friends in the charity sector, and Delete Blood Cancer are a cause that is always worth bigging up. Their mission: to get people involved in blood stem cell donations with a simple five minute cheek swab, and help rub out one of the most pernicious forms of cancer.
A couple who are relatively local to the Pier32 compound are taking on a big challenge to raise funds and awareness for the charity. Tom and Mandy Giannandrea, who are from Caterham in Surrey, hope to raise hundreds of pounds for Delete Blood Cancer UK by walking from London to Brighton on the 28th and 29th of May.
A blood stem cell donation is the only chance of survival for many blood cancer patients who will die if a matching donor isn’t found for them. The problem is in finding that donor. If you're not registered, you could potentially be holding the key to saving a life, and yet no-one will know. A matching donor not being found doesn’t mean that there is nobody with a tissue type compatible with the patient. That's why Delete Blood Cancer UK works so hard to increase the numbers of people registered as potential blood stem cell donors.
Mandy tells us the story of why she and Tom decided to burn shoe leather for Delete Blood Cancer:
“We have been inspired to do this after watching a little girl I used to care for called Evie fight blood cancer. Evie has been fighting leukaemia and myelodysplasia since 2014, and last year she was told that in order to survive she would need a blood stem cell donation. Against all of the odds, a match was found in America and she received her donation. Evie has been through so much at such a young age, but amazingly, through it all she has always had the biggest smile on her face. This image will help us to complete this challenge!”
Jenny Clegg, Head of Communications at Delete Blood Cancer UK, is full of praise for the plucky couple, saying:
“It is fantastic that Tom and Mandy are walking from London to Brighton to help those in need of a blood stem cell donation. We are so grateful to them for fundraising for us. Not only will it raise valuable funds for the charity, it will raise awareness of the importance of registering as a potential blood stem cell donor.”
Just as importantly, why not consider registering as a potential blood stem cell donor? You can register in five minutes online and request a cheek swab kit. It will enable you to do your own tissue test and get on the database to maybe one day become a blood stem cell donor. Your first stop is the Delete Blood Cancer UK website:
The View is, as you'll note if you look to your right, sponsored by Pier32, the first and best ethical clothes customisation company in the UK. It's thanks to the unstinting support of Guru Ian and Gerry The Voice that we are able to operate and bring you the best in independent ethical fashion and charity news.
It's with a little sadness, then, that I pass on this note from Gerry Hayter, who started Pier32 back in 1994 as an ethical rebrand of his highly successful t-shirt printing business, Headline.
Take it away, Gerry...
No, this is not an early April Fools Day joke.
Pier32 (then called Headline) set sail 32 years ago and what a journey it's been. I've walked a 'Long and Winding Road', but it's time for me to take a step back. I'm having a career break and leaving Pier32's future heading and adventures to be plotted by Ian, our Marketing Director (and my son-in-law–we've always been a family business).
Ethical and environmentally produced custom printed and embroidered merchandise has always been forefront in my mind, as has customer service. I know Ian will continue my mission, and make sure Pier32 continues to do right by our customers and the planet. Don't think that you've seen the last of me. I'll help out with a 'Watch' from time to time and of course I'll still be keeping an occasional 'Lookout'.
Thank you to all my loyal customers and also my friends and ship-mates in the industry. It's been a pleasure working with you all.
What's next for me? Well, Dixie my wife and I are setting sail for the Caribbean for a while. Time for a grog of Rum and some well-earned R&R!
Excited? Very, and a little sad, of course. See you all in port someday.
Gerry.
Closing on a personal note from me. Gerry has always been an enthusiastic reader of the blog, and has been nothing but supportive of my efforts here at The Pier from day one. I know for a fact that we haven't heard the last of Gerry The Voice.
The streets of the city are always busy on a Friday night. But tonight they're going to be busier than ever. March 11th is the annual Big Issue Big Night Walk, and hundreds of people are going to be pounding the pavement to raise money and awareness for rough sleepers.
The walk is based on a distressing fact. For many forced to spend their nights on the street, it's actually very difficult to get your head down. You're either moved on by the police or private security, or you simply can't find a place that feels safe. For many rough sleepers, then, the night is spent wandering around in a half-asleep haze. You wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Tonight, teams and individuals will spend an evening in their shoes. Starting at midnight till five in the morning, volunteers will be walking a course that leads them around some of London's iconic sights. They'll also have the opportunity to meet with ex-homeless people who will be sharing their stories.
It's not too late to drop in a little bit of sponsorship to a volunteer team, and honestly every penny makes a difference–in surprising ways. £10, for example, can help a vendor get a birth certificate–a vital bit of ID that will make hostels accessible and gives them the opportunity to open a bank account and claim the support (including a pension) they are entitled to. Fifty quid will get them kitchen tools that are essential when moving into accommodation. Tiny amounts which can change lives.
The number of people that need help is on the rise. Last year the Big Issue Foundation helped 2000 people out of the hopeless spiral of homelessness, getting them the chance for a business and a renewal of hope. Almost a thousand of those were in London, one of the most prosperous cities in the world. This has to change.
This quote from Sam says it all:
“The day I started selling the magazine was the first day of the rest of my life. I now had a reason to get up in the morning. They helped me to find accommodation, helped refer me to agencies to sort out the other parts of my life and just a year ago they offered me a job. If I had stayed on the streets I’m sure I would have been dead by now.”
I'd like to highlight one volunteer team– Anna, Des and Emily. They're taking the late shift, working as Backwalkers. That means they're not just walking the equivalent of a half-marathon tonight, but they're bringing up the rear of the pack to make sure everyone is safe and healthy, and supporting 280 volunteers to complete the walk. That has to be worth a tenner of sponsorship, right? Here at the Pier, we're setting an example and putting our money where our mouth is. Good luck, ladies! Best foot forward!
For half of the world's population, it can be a tough life. Tough to find a job that pays fairly. Tough to get an education. Tough to be treated with any kind of respect or dignity. It's an awful truth that if you're a girl or woman, particularly in the developing world, your life is made more difficult based simply on your gender.
If you're a girl in a developing nation, you are much more likely to be expected to look after your family through childcare, early employment or arranged marriage than go to school. If you do work, without the education you were denied you don’t have the skills you need to earn a proper income. You'll be paid less than men for doing the same amount of hours, have no provision to worker's rights and face harassment. In some cultures, you're not allowed to work or own land or property so you'll have to depend on male family members for survival.
Meanwhile, you're much more likely to face physical or sexual violence, either at home, at work or even on the streets. Some cultures see nothing wrong in this, and wrong-doers go unpunished. Forced marriage and the awful prospect of female genital mutilation (FGM) mean that for many women and girls there is literally no safe place to go.
In a world where climate-driven disasters and conflict are becoming ever more common, women are hit hardest. It's tougher to get shelter, food and clothing for you and your children if you're a woman, and menstruation and pregnancy make it easier to pick up disease and infection in areas without sanitation or access to clean water. It's also been proven that in the periods after a cyclone or flood has hit, or in conflict zones, sexual violence against women increases.
All sounds pretty bleak, right? I'd love to say there's some magic button we can press to make all this horror go away. But we can, at least, support the organisations that try to help women worldwide. One of the biggest are our friends at Action Aid, who have been working for the last forty years to try to make a difference across the board.
They work with communities across the globe to help get girls into safe and secure school spaces, and more importantly keep them there. They campaign for women in the workplace, pushing for equal rights and pay and helping to get training in the skills they need to make a better life for themselves. They also offer support for women to get access to land and to farm it sustainably.
Action Aid campaign to curtail sexual violence against women in all its forms. They seek justice for victims of abuse, and fight for an end to FGM and forced marriage. Work continues at the community level to end domestic violence and child abduction.
Action Aid have been most visible recently in disaster and conflict zones, helping women to get the resources they need to survive in the most difficult of circumstances. Sometimes it can be as simple as ensuring access to sanitary towels. But Action Aid have also found that putting women, who often understand the needs of their community best, at the front line of local disaster relief efforts speeds the recovery of these often rural and isolated areas. Women community leaders actively enhance the rebuilding effort.
There is, unfortunately, no instant panacea for the way women are treated. You can't erase prejudices and cultural stereotypes that go back for centuries and are propped up by religion and societal norms. But you can push against them, as Action Aid do, and eventually that does start to make a difference. You can't just marginalise one half the planet's population. Here at the Pier, we're proud to support Action Aid, and the way they're helping to change lives. For Good.
Last week, yr humble author and Guru Ian took a trip to London, visiting a big outdoor show in London's ExCel Centre. It gave them a chance to meet some of their pals, and find out a little more about what's going on in their world. This week, I'm opening up the blog to them.
Our last visit of the week is to CTC, a charity with a long and storied history. It began back in 1878 as the Bicycle Touring Club. Originally, the club was a gathering of like-minded types around the ever-increasingly popular pastime. But over the years the remit has expanded. Along with a name change to Cyclist's Touring Club, CTC has become an advocate for everyone that believes two wheels and your own effort are a great, safe and healthy way to get around.
CTC are a big part of British cycling. They developed the first cycling proficiency test in 1936, one that has been officially adopted and is still in use today. CTC is still at the forefront of bike safety training and Bikeability.
All of this becomes obvious and important when we realise just how popular cycling has become in the UK as a sport, a healthy pastime and a great mode of transportation. Studies indicate that the majority of rush hour traffic in the next couple of years will be cycles. For most urban journeys, the bike beats both bus and car for speed, efficiency and cost.
It's worrying, therefore, to see the press, local government and even the courts appear to be actively against the notion of cycling on Britain's roads. The image of the lycra-clad lout is all-pervasive, and horribly inaccurate. CTC are working hard to change that. Recent CTC campaigns include Road Justice, which seeks a justice system that discourages bad driving, educates drivers to a higher standard and takes bad drivers off the roads, and Action On Lorries, pushing for an end to the slaughter on the roads that led to six cyclists dying under the wheels of lorries in just two weeks.
Of course, CTC are there for the fun stuff as well, and can help you organise ride-outs, gatherings and even cycling holidays. In short, if you think two wheels good, CTC is the organisation for you. You can support through donations, but membership gives you access to all sorts of goodies, from the bi-monthly magazine to third-party insurance!
Last week, yr humble author and Guru Ian took a trip to London, visiting a big outdoor show in London's ExCel Centre. It gave them a chance to meet some of their pals, and find out a little more about what's going on in their world. This week, I'm opening up the blog to them.
Today, we're chatting to a long-running friend of the blog, UK-based shark and marine conservation charity Bite-Back. They celebrated ten years in the business of keeping the seas safe last year. But that doesn't mean they're resting on their laurels. If anything, Bite-Back are angrier than ever.
Consider the shark. Nature's deadliest predator, right? A cunning and clever foe, who likes nothing better than to sneak up on scantily-clad girls on surfboards for a quick snack. They must kill hundreds of people every year.
Well, not quite. Shark attacks make for great headlines, but they're amongst the least likely things to happen to you if you decide to frolic in the waves. The genocide happening on the high seas is all one-way, and the victim is shark-kind. Our taste for shark fins and meat, as well as the thrill sports-fishing types get from landing their very own Jaws, means that we take 100 million sharks from the sea every year. If you want to do the maths, that's roughly two every second. That rate is simply unsustainable. Sharks, unlike most fish, don't reach maturity until the age of seven, and even then only birth a few pups a year. We're killing them faster than they can reproduce. At the last count, twenty different breeds of shark are on the endangered list.
This is where Bite-Back comes in. They actively campaign on behalf on our finned friends, aiming to slow and even halt the trade in shark products. There's hardly any restriction. For example, look at the limits on fresh produce that can be brought without charge into the UK. There are tightly controlled limits on almost everything. But shark fins? The limit for one trip is 20 kilograms. The Bite-Back stall at the London International Dive Show helpfully had a hold-all loaded to that weight limit. I could barely lift it. With no controls on how shark products are imported, it's not surprising that they are on the endangered list. Peter Benchley has a lot to answer for.
Bite-Back's latest campaign aims to redress the balance, urging us to think a little more about the creatures who have possibly the worst press on the planet. Over-consumption is the big problem. If we stop eating shark, there's no reason to trawl for them.
Thanks as ever to Team Bite-Back, who made us very welcome and even persuaded me to buy one of their cool new luggage tags. I'm convinced about the danger we pose to sharks. If you need a little more info, set your sails towards www.bite-back.com.
