Since the inception of Think Boutique, sourcing all the lovely labels that we stock in our online boutique has been an ongoing and ever evolving process. We have now reached a point where the majority of our labels are made here in the UK and I recently took the conscious decision that going forward I would only seek out and stock labels made in the UK.
It has been well documented that the UK clothing manufacturing industry has declined over the past few decades as more and more brands source cheaper manufacturing from overseas. So it was with delight that I realised that with the ethics of Think Boutique shifting a little to focus on all things UK we could play our part in what is of recent becoming a move to begin a revival of clothing manufacturing in the UK!
An added bonus to this discovery was the fact that I could go and see the clothes being made without a long haul flight! So with that I headed off on a Think Boutique tour. On the way we stopped in Manchester to check out the new collection from recycled fashion brand Love Me Again. Gorgeous brights and cute shirt dresses all made using recycled t-shirts, shirts and jumpers from UK textile recycling plants and all hand made by the lovely Tracey right here in Manchester. Tracey was in the process of moving studio so we met up to have a look at her new collection in a cute independent cafe in Didsbury which had this amazing Aladdin's Cave of a vintage book store in the back.
Just out of shot here is the enthusiastic shop owner who was delighted that we were taking some snaps among his books! We could have whiled away a few more hours amongst the amazing selection of books, many with stunning leather bound covers that are beautiful to look at before you even get to reading! But we were off to our next destination, down to Leicester to visit Nancy Dee with a wee stop off in the cute Derbyshire village of Bakewell on the way. Yes we admit it was mainly for the baked goods that we chose this place to break up the journey, but it is lovely!
Bakewell looks cute even in the rain!
Bakewell puddings!
Nancy Dee moved production back to the UK recently and with their office right beside the factory where the clothes are produced they can really see the collection through from concept to completion!
Ladies hard at work in the Nancy Dee factory.
Skilled hands at work!
Dresses ready for dispatch to stockists. We got to take our pieces away directly from the factory! For sale on Think Boutique soon!
Next stop Leeds to visit Antiform/ Remade in Leeds. The studio has had a stunning makeover since our last visit, looking good!
A rainbow of yarn waiting to be transformed into some lovely Antiform pieces.
Out the back of the studio is a room packed floor to ceiling with gorgeous fabrics reclaimed from fabric mills, clothes swaps, knitting charities (yes really!) and people's personal collections to name but a few sources. Each one has a story to tell and is waiting to take the next step in its journey of fabulousness! I fell in love with this amazing fluro pink 60s swimming costume fabric, can't wait to see how that makes its way into an Antiform collection!
Antiform's pieces are produced by a small team of makers. Diverse in their backgrounds, they range from students to nanas, they find common ground working together on the collection and helping to preserve a skill set for which demand is rapidly fading in the UK.
Sheet music wallpaper in the Antiform studio, nothing goes to waste here!
Some of the Antiform pieces coming to {Think} Boutique for Spring/Summer 2012.
We filmed our adventures too so look out for the {Think} Boutique Made in the UK video coming very soon!
Love {Think} xx
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