Trading fast fashion for a slow future

Anyone who has read the post preceding this will be aware that I have officially quit my job. I've shared my reasons for making this decision and have drawn a line underneath it ready to start a new and exciting chapter of my life. So what am I going to do next? 

A while ago I posted about my trip to Ghana and the 100%recycled glass beads I bought while I was there(http://textilecandy.blogspot.ch/2017/02/krobo-odumase-market-traditional-bead.html) I shared a few photos of the jewellery I had created from the beads and then nothing more(http://textilecandy.blogspot.ch/2017/06/my-reasons-for-blogging-abandonment.html). Since then I have delved a little deeper into jewellery making and designed my first Textile Candy jewellery collection. Half of the collection will be made from handpainted wooden beads and the remaining half(which I am so very excited about) will be made from the handcrafted Ghanaian beads. 

I have decided to really fully commit to trying to start a business and believe that making and selling jewellery is a good launch point. One day I would love to branch out into home accessories and clothing, but that's a little further down the line.

Above are some of the products that I have been working on: statement necklaces, simple necklaces, earrings and keyrings. They won't be available to purchase until I launch the Etsy store on 1st November but if you do see anything you love I can stick a reserve note on it so just send me an email at textilecandy@gmail.com or a facebook/instagram message!I am also doing some custom orders for people so if you see something you like but would prefer in a different colour combination just let me know.

Now is as good a time as any to provide you with some more information about the products and the process.

The wooden items all start out as unfinished, unpainted and unvarnished wooden beads made from a Samak/China berry tree from a Chinese supplier I have found on Etsy. He delivers really promptly, gives me a great deal on pricing and always throws in a few new samples for me to check out. 

After receiving the beads I play around with structure and figure out what new pieces I can make and then the painting begins. I use acrylic paint for the wooden beads, I tried experimenting with some inks, oil and water based paints but the wood is quite porous and soaks up a lot of the colour, this doesn't allow any margin for error as once a bead is painted in ink it is very difficult to repaint- I have learnt this the hard way. 

One of the things I love about the wooden collection is that it has enabled me to be really experimental with colour. I've tried to paint all of the necklaces and earrings in quite an abstract way as I think these make them easier to wear. There are also a few different necklace styles in the mix as I want to use my first collection to test out which designs people find the most appealing. Some are on chain, some suede chord and the larger pieces are on satin ribbon.

Statement earrings are a huge trend at the moment, filling out retail stores and taking over the runway shows so I have added some tassel earrings to the collection. I also have some more simple handpainted studs and drop earrings.

The Ghana bead half of the collection is still in its development stage but I can share a few of the pieces I have been working on! It will be made from the 100% recycled glass beads I have sourced while on my trips to Ghana combined with some metal fixtures I have bought from a Turkish supplier(also sourced on Etsy). 

One of the reasons I am so excited about the Ghana collection is because I finally feel like I am able to do something good and have a positive impact on the world. The items in this collection promote recycled goods and raise awareness about the Ghanaian beadmaking artisans and traditional craft. Also I have decided that, for every item from the 'made in Ghana' collection, I will donate 10% of the profits to the Baobab children's' foundation (http://www.baobab-children-foundation.de/). 

From the offset I knew I wanted to make sure this business was socially conscious with a completely transparent production line. After working in fast fashion for most of my career I now want to do some good in some way, however small that may be. My first visit to Ghana introduced me to the beadmaking process and I realised how painstaking it is to create something so beautifully handmade. It is my firm opinion that we need to start celebrating traditional crafts like this and support the artisans involved in making them. So I decided I wanted to use some of the profits to give back to the communities that create the products I will be using. As can be imagined there are a lot of charitable organisations based in Ghana and, as much as I think what they're doing is great, I am only a baby business/small start up at the moment and so I want to build a relationship with a small foundation. I want to know who the money is going to, I want to know what it is being used for and I want it to go to a cause I feel really passionate about. This is why I chose Baobab School of Trades and Traditional Arts.

They are a small NGO registered in Freiburg, Germany(which is actually conveniently close to Basel), it was founded in 2001 and now has around 100 pupils at the school it supports. I first became aware of the Baobab school and childrens foundation on my first trip to Ghana in February. I was volunteering and living in Cape Coast at the time where they have a guest house and restaurant which helps support the school. They also sell all the products created at the school in their Cape Coast store including, batik fabric and garments, jewellery and paintings created by the students.  

The Baobab school is an extremely special place as it focuses on a creative education and teaching the children vocational courses that they will be able to use to provide for themselves in the future. The thing that makes it even more fantastic is that it is a school for disadvantaged children from lower economic backgrounds, orphans and children with learning/physical disabilities. Outside of this school these children would struggle to stay in education and learn to be self sufficient.

The children are still provided with an academic education and have morning lessons in English, Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Entrepreneurship but in the afternoon they focus on 2 vocational courses that combine well to ensure they can earn money post education. Vocational courses include: 

carpentry, bicycle repair, sewing, batik, cane and bamboo furniture making, kente weaving, beadmaking, painting, basket weaving, organic farming, oyster mushroom cultivation, production of medicine from medicinal plants and catering. 

I am currently in conversation with the founder, Edith de Vos, and am hoping to find out more information regarding the prices of equipment for the students at the school, the cost of each child's education and how much it would cost to sponsor a child's education. Should any of you lovely readers want to get involved- I will keep you all updated with the information I receive.

This half of the collection will also be packaged with a FREE wax print cotton gift bag. The fabric was hand printed in Ghana using the traditional batik process, half of the fabric used in the gift bags was created at the Baobab school and the other half has been created by the independent batik mamas employed by Global Mamas. While in Ghana last week I contracted Debora, a local seamstress in the Cape Coast area, to sew the gift bags using the fabric I had selected. This was important for me as part of creating a transparent production line.

Left to right: Baobab batik fabric, Debora sewing the gift bags, one of the gift bags in the fabric purchased from Global Mamas.

Hopefully this has been a useful update for you all to see what I'm working on and what I have quit my job to do. I'm really excited about this and am praying extremely hard that it goes well. Please check out the Etsy store when it launches on 1st November, until then I am posting product updates and inspiration images on my business instagram: @textilecandy 

It would be really great to drum up as much support as possible for this baby business of mine, especially while it is in it's initial growth stage so please feel free(No pressure at all) to share this post/share images on pinterest/facebook/instagram I would love to be able to sell most of the 'Made in Ghana' collection and raise some money for the Baobab Childrens foundation!

Gone is the van plan of last November, this time it's for real.

Farewell fast fashion

It will come as no surprise to many of you that I have, once again, made the decision to quit my job. As Facebook and LinkedIn have both kindly reminded me my career seems to be cyclical. I sub consciously work on a 6 month tolerance cycle between March and August- I start new jobs in march and quit them in August. Maybe 6 months is my standard length of time to figure out whether I enjoy a position and the company and, if not, whether I can tolerate them regardless. This was the case with my most recent company. I worked the probation period(3 months), hated it, decided I could tolerate it, lasted 3 more months and then decided I couldn't...Once again I will be leaving my job at the end of November, exactly the same as last year.

2017 World Happiness chart.

So why? Why am I quitting my position as Senior Graphic designer for a 'trend led fast fashion brand' in Switzerland "the 4th happiest country in the world" (according to the World Happiness report of 2017: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report#2017_report) As I am spending 5 out of 7 days of the week at work I don't want my job to cause any unhappiness...no job, no matter how well paid, is worth sacrificing your happiness and health for. So when I start feeling miserable 2 out of the 5 working days a red flag goes up in my mind...when I get to 3 out of 5 days a week then I start working on my exit plan. Once I have affixed my mind on something I am quite fast at actioning it, this is exactly how I approach job happiness. To me there is no sense in staying in the same position if you know it is making you unhappy, if you don't like something in your life- change it. So thats what I've decided to do....again. 

When drafting this post it was getting a little lengthy so I've split it into two parts:the rant and the plan! This post is the rant.

As with all fast fashion jobs a certain amount of stress is to be expected- we are working with fast productions speeds and short lead times, but when that stress is exasperated by a disorganised system and egotistical, indecisive colleagues the design process becomes extremely difficult and unenjoyable. Being creative on demand in an environment like this becomes borderline impossible. Once a company causes me to loath the thing I love the most(the thing that enables me to express myself properly) I know thats another indication for me to leave.

In order to achieve the fast production speeds we are encouraged to opt for quantity over quality, this goes against everything I believe and everything I have ever been taught. I produce designs architected by someone else, I am only required to carry out someone else vision, therefore I can take no pride in my work and have no accountability for it. After months of doing this I begin to become creatively brain dead, incapable of coming up with my own ideas as I'm so accustomed to not having to. A further reason to leave. 

One of the biggest problems I have concerning my current(soon to be recent) position is the ethical side of fast fashion, not just in this company but in the industry as a whole. There are printed tops on the website for 6.99 euros, I can't see how it is ethically possible to produce a garment like this without someone somewhere being drastically screwed over to achieve the necessary profit margins. The manufacturing line isn't very transparent and I have no knowledge of who the suppliers are, which factories they are working with, whether they are subcontracting work to get the lowest price or what the health and safety regulations are in each factory. 

 I also have a huge issue with the copyright infringements I am expected to make on a daily basis. People higher up in the company go on shopping 'research' trips to Seoul and Tokyo, visit suppliers and factories, take photos of garments and come back requesting that we copy the graphics or the slogans "exactly as it is". With all fast fashion competitors doing this exact same thing the retail industry becomes saturated with imitations of the same thing in every store. Not only is copying designs illegal, it also makes the high street dull with no new innovative, creative ideas....how long can we sustain this for!?

At the interview the job I am currently doing was sold to me as being 'trend led, young, exciting, fast fashion where I could create fun placement prints for a growing brand'...or something along those lines....in reality I spend most of my time stealing photos of tumblr girls from google images/pinterest/tumblr/instagram...mixing their faces together to make a new, unrecognisable girl(for copyright evasion) and then re-touching the photos to make a more 'beautiful' girl for a photoprint t-shirt. These are the images we are selling to young girls, these are the girls we are inadvertently telling them they should look like. We are fabricating faces, slimming thighs, stretching proportions and spoon feeding these images them to impressionable teens. After 6 months of scrolling through images trying to find young girls "attractive enough" to meet the company beauty standards, I was left feeling self conscious and dejected. 

To give you a further understanding of why I can't align myself with the ethos of this company, here are some of the absurd and offensive statements I have over heard:

- Upon suggestion of having a mixed ethnicity model in the branding someone high up in the company claimed she looked "dirty" and couldn't be used. Models used in company branding and on photoprints are all caucasian, I have tried on countless occasions to use a variety of models and all have been rejected.

- When designing a photoprint of a young girl I was told that her hair was "the wrong sort of blonde"

- When designing a photoprint of 2 young girls(around16) I refused to make one thinner...so the image was taken from my file and distorted to change her body proportions.

- When suggesting we use words like "ambition" and "positivity" I was told that this isn't the message we want to give our customers. Instead slogans and words like "cute", "rebel", "sorry if I look interested, I'm not". Aspirational messages and those promoting body positivity are a no go.

Those are just a few snippets from everyday conversations.

Aside from this Switzerland is UBER expensive. I knew this before I moved here but had thought that my salary increase would cover the increase in cost of living...it does not. Basel is so expensive that the majority of citizens travel to Germany to get their groceries...I have to go to a different country to buy food- laughable. Add this to the multitude of fees and fines that the country like to throw at you: for putting paper in your trash, for engineering work being done on a road near your house, for a mandatory metal label for your doorbell, for the release of small items from Swiss customs. I don't mean to put anyone off visiting Switzerland in this post, as a country Switzerland is an amazing and beautiful place to visit. When I went for a weekend in St. Moritz last year I completely loved it...as a holiday...but, as is to be expected, a holiday is not representational of everyday life.

I would definitely visit Switzerland again for a weekend- the alps are astonishing, the architecture is beautiful and quaint and the transport is efficient, but I would not choose to live here. Of the 3 countries I have lived in outside of the UK I have found Switzerland the most difficult and the most isolating. Maybe visiting Ghana before relocating here contributed to my growing dislike for la vie en Suisse, the wealth disparity and the difference in value of money in these two countries is astonishing and something I really struggle to get my head around. 

 

 To be completely truthful I should never have taken this job. I accepted the offer due to a lethal concoction of fear, financial insecurity and future uncertainty. If I could offer any advice to a graphic designer/designer just starting out in the fashion industry it would be to never take a job for these reasons. I had quit my previous position to start up my own business but, after realising I had no idea how to do this, I got scared and fled back to the safety of a full time job with a monthly salary. 

After moving back home to the UK last November I had planned a few freelance projects/illustration commissions and my 2 month volunteer trip to Ghana(the best decision of my life for many reasons) but I had not planned further than that and the uncertainty of having no fixed income, the future being completely unknown and out of my control really scared me. So, just before leaving for Ghana, I decided to accept the job offer because then at least I had a plan. 

I pushed my intuition to one side, and moved to Switzerland anyway because I was scared of starting something on my own. Bad decision Becky- I had never even visited Basel before and now I was moving my entire life there. 1 month into my probation period was enough to know that I did not fit in well within the company. I was in shared accommodation for the first 3 months with people I didn't know- I felt extremely isolated and with slow internet was unable to easily contact my family and friends back home.  However, I decided to stick it out until the end of the probation period hoping that when I moved out of the shared accommodation and had all of my belongings in one place in my own home all would be fine. I gave it 3 more months after moving out and then made the decision that I would hand my 3 months notice into my apartment in August and my 2 months for my job in September. So here I am.....finally listening to what my soul is telling me to do and I am so very happy with the decision.

My mum likes to remind me that I feel like this at some point in all of my fashion based jobs. In truth, the company and the position make very little difference if there are fundamental problems within the industry and fast fashion is flawed to its core. I have often questioned whether I have chronic job dissatisfaction but have come to the conclusion that until I am working for myself, executing my own dreams instead of helping someone else achieve theirs I will not be happy.

So what will I be doing next? Well one thing is for certain- I will NOT be taking another job in fast fashion, no matter what the financial benefits are and no matter what exciting country an opportunity might be in. When I accepted this job I promised myself that it would be the last job I had before starting up my own business and daring to try my hand at freelancing.... I guess I'm calling my own bluff. I have secured a freelance job that, hopefully, will provide me with enough money to live off and I will be opening an Etsy store in early November as my first step into starting my own business.

You might recall that last time I quit my job I had a very obscure plan of buying an old van and converting it into a mobile boutique(I am still so very keen on this idea)....so what ambitious plan do I have this time? What will I be flogging on my new Etsy store?That will be revealed in the next post :)

NB: The txt based images were all taken from pinterest, if you created them/know the creator please let me know so that I can properly credit them.

Premiere Vision Autumn/Winter 2018-19 trend report

Some photos from inside the Premiere Vision trade show.

It's that time of year again- the Premiere vision print trend report! As I was in Ghana in February this year I wasn't able to attend the Spring/summer 2018 trade show and had to wait until all of the information and photos were released onto WGSN. Of course I was extremely happy to be in Ghana, but I really missed my seasonal trend update.

After skipping Spring I was extra excited to be going back this week and this time I was able to fill out all the necessary paperwork in order to get a press wristband enabling me to take much better, less blurred and rushed, photos for this blog post. 

As always I thoroughly enjoyed the show this season, but this time was particularly great as I was free to roam and speak to the studio owners and meet some of the people I will be freelancing for. It's so inspirational hearing first hand how people have made the decision to go it alone, as it is something I have always dreamed of doing, hearing how others have taken the plunge fills me with hope and confidence that it is not impossible. Being around so many designers who have grown their own businesses from nothing and truly love what they do creates a really exciting and inspirational atmosphere-its contagious!

I remember last year I was a little disappointed with the forecasted trends for Autumn/Winter 2017-18... this year I had the opposite reaction- I can't wait to get started on some print designs! 

I always try and stick to around 12 print trends in the trend report so this involves condensing some of the PV trends, I still want to provide you all with a list of all of the trends given at the trade show so here are the original 14:

- Brush stroke sketches

- Dandy graphics

- Twirling

- Flower Power

-Cosmic landscapes

- Melancholic

-Nordic animals

-Mini gaudy

-Idealised gardens

-Pixelated vertigo

- Orientalist

- Playful polka dots

-Artsy puzzles

I have combined 'Dandy graphics' with 'Mini gaudy' as they are essentially the same aesthetic- mini geometric shirting style patterns and foulard designs. I have also combined the 'Orientalist' trend with 'Twirling' to make a floral chintz trend.

Some of the images in these trend boards are extremely blurred and for that I can only apologise. I will replace them when the proper photographs are released onto WGSN but I wanted to do the Textile Candy PV trend report post before I leave for Ghana tomorrow. The trend report isn't completely perfect but it gives an essence of what we can all expect for Autumn/Winter 2018-19. I will be making some amendments when I return from Ghana at the beginning of October as I have not yet had enough time to label the images in the trend boards but if you are a studio and see your print on here before I return from my holiday please email me at textilecandy@gmail.com and I will make sure you are properly credited!

'Nordic Animals' and 'Twirling' will be added when I get back along with all of the correct labels :)

Designing for the future: trends we need to consider now

As a print designer working for a fast fashion brand, designing for the future is a daily dilemma of mine. In the fashion industry we are expected to present garments to consumers, predicting what they will like in 4-12 months time. If designing for a fast fashion market has taught me anything it is that fashion consumers at the relatively inexpensive end of retail are fickle. Brand loyalty doesn't exist- they want the best design for the cheapest price- a bestselling garment in February could be repeated in March and cause a monetary loss. So how can we design for a fickle future? 

Some of the many fast fashion brands on our high streets. Photo taken from: https://www.trustedclothes.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/fastfashion.jpg

The more time I spend working at this end of the fashion chain, the more I question whether the speed of the fast fashion manufacturing chain and this level of mass consumerism is sustainable? In short...it isn't.

Fast fashion infographic borrowed from ecouterre.com

Ours is the generation that wants everything at lightening speed,  we have grown up in the digital revolution where we can expand our horizons, and our wardrobes, at the click of a button. Millenials have been raised to be the ultimate consumer. We see, we want, we buy(on credit) and on and on it goes. 

To understand the future of fashion design we have to have a firm grasp on how fashion trends were dictated in the past. With our ever changing society this is becoming increasingly difficult. Gone are the days of 'make do and mend', we now dispose of garments as readily as we dispose of leftover food scraps. In fact only 15% of consumer used clothing is recycled, this is disgusting (https://www.thebalance.com/textile-recycling-facts-and-figures-2878122).

The world our grandparents lived in has all but faded away- a society based on the rules and guidance of the 10 commandments, has been replaced by hedonism and consumerism. Bygone generations revered and rejected the '7 cardinal sins', we have entire industries, fast fashion included, embracing them and exploiting them as a business strategy.  As the consumer we are taught to lust after new products we can't afford, we hate and envy others who have the lifestyle and material possessions we yearn for, then become greedy in an attempt to amass enough of these products to appear successful. After obtaining the things we so desired we have pride in our possessions and then, after a short time, we become despondent and in a state of despair when the products fail to give us the satisfaction we had expected....and repeat...The only 'deadly sin' exempt from this chain is sloth and, looking at the Western society I have grown up in, there is no shortage of laziness and misused talent.

Barbara Krugers' famous comment on fashion consumerism and how we use material possessions to create our identity and validate our existence.

Modern consumerism has sub-consciously conditioned us to believe that we need things; garments, products, technology and that this will provide us with a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction so that we can post photos of our material lifestyle on instagram and gain validation from our peers. The little buzz we get when we go onto instagram to find out how many 'likes' we have soon fades and we continue the search for something that will reignite that feeling. This is very basic psychology, but the media  has been so effective in ingraining this into the modern human psyche that changing the cycle is no small feat. 

In an effort to keep up with this cycle, manufacturing industries have been exported to distant countries, China and Bangladesh being the main culprits. Very few garments in the fast fashion industry are locally produced, the closest production hub is probably Turkey. Not only is this bad for Western clothing manufacturers, who are being constantly undercut by 'competitive' prices in the East, it also has devastating effects both on the climate and on the workers whose rights are undergoing constant violations.  Is this to be the future of fashion and textile design? Will we continue to design in the West and source in the East showing little regard for the workers and environments that are being affected? This is the present state of the fast fashion industry but it doesn't have to be the future.

Photo taken from: http://www.sleek-mag.com

Finally we are seeing individuals starting companies that raise the profiles of these problems, forcing the consumer to care about the creation of their garments and the consequences of their consumerism. Ever since the Rana Plaza disaster of 2013 we have seen a huge increase of people championing ethical fashion and a massive push encouraging the public to question the origin of their clothes. The fashion revolution movement(featured above) has been a huge social media motivator for this. Perhaps the future of fashion design will embrace a huge shift towards ethically sourced fabrics and products? Hopefully we will see an increasing number of small, independent brands offering collections that use organic and sustainably sourced products, manufactured in a way that has no human rights infringements without compromising style/design aesthetic. I sincerely hope this happens.

Infographic showing Millenial statistics. Image taken from: http://www.nielsen.com/eu/en/insights/news/2015/green-generation-millennials-say-sustainability-is-a-shopping-priority.html

I stumbled across this amazing infographic while researching this post which shows that, when asked a series of questions in relation to fashion, 66% of millenials asked(of 30,000 across the globe) said that they would be willing to pay more for products and services that come from companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact (http://www.nielsen.com/eu/en/insights/news/2015/green-generation-millennials-say-sustainability-is-a-shopping-priority.html). 58% said that they would be willing to pay more if the product came from a company known for being environmentally friendly. This demonstrates that the Millenial generation of consumers like to think that they place ethics over aesthetics. If this is so then it renders fast fashion a dying industry- how can the future generation of consumers be ethically minded and follow fast fashion when these two aspects of the fashion industry are mutually exclusive?

Personally I see two viable trend directions the long term fashion and textile industry could move towards- both include a massive downscale in wardrobe size. There will be those of us who move towards a more ethical and sustainable form of fashion where we either shop locally and independently or we pay more for quality items produced overseas- slow fashion. On the flip side there will be the fast fashion remnant who have aged but retained the mentality of fast fashion and opt for advanced technological fashion. How far into the future this split will be is something I am completely uncertain of!

Gender neutral high street collections, left to right: Zara, H&M, Selfridges. Photos taken from google images.

It pains me to say that this is the path I see current fashion veering towards. With the advent of gender neutral clothing we are seeing shapeless garments and neutral colours gaining traction. Practicality takes precedence over aesthetics. This is a print designers worst nightmare. 

Perhaps this is a fad, perhaps not. What will be interesting to see in the future of fashion and textiles is how smart textiles will begin to play a role in design. Gender neutral clothing creates the perfect blank canvas for this. For a generation raised to fight for equality, creating uniformity in clothing is just another extension of achieving this. Every sci-fi movie/book/vision of a dystopian future that I can recall has guided us to expect that the future of fashion will be a bland, minimalist, functional collection of garments, it has, in essence, promoted the idea of uniformity. Void of personality, geared for practicality. 

Clockwise left to right: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Ex Machina, Passengers, The Matrix. (All photos taken from google images).

As I am tentatively making steps towards setting up my own business I am very aware of how the production decisions I am making at this stage will affect the business later on. I do not want to start a business which contributes in anyway to mass consumerism, I am keen to be on the ethical side. I want people to buy my products because they appreciate and treasure them as a hand crafted item. I want to create heirlooms not disposable goods.

When discussing future design trends there is a huge veil of uncertainty....but one thing we can be sure of - the power of the people. The consumer can make or break the fast fashion chain. Maybe one of the trends we need to consider for the future of fashion/textile design is how we shop, who we are supporting and what future we are creating?

The way I see it we have two options for the future of fashion and textiles: 

- shop independantly, shop locally, support small business and celebrate traditional methods of manufacture...OR...

-follow fast fashion and watch it advance into digital fashion.

I know which future I would prefer to create. 

“This blog post is a part of Design Blogger Competition organized by CGTrader” 

My reasons for blogging abandonment...

I seem to have inadvertently taken a really long blogging break and I'm finding it very hard trying to get back into it. As a result of the abandonment of the Textile Candy blog, my page views have fallen from around 1000 views per day to only double figures.....yeah...that sucks. So I'm going to try again....I need to give the Textile Candy blog a new lease of life and actually commit to it properly- I am well aware that this is something I've said before but this time I'm serious!

I've wanted to write so many posts commenting on; the terrorist attacks that seem to be becoming a monthly occurrence, the UK elections, global politics, new fashion technology and future fashion trends..... getting the motivation to do this, however, seems to be becoming more difficult. I have observed people on social media becoming increasingly less tolerant with opinions that differ from their own and increasingly more obsessed with political correctness. So this is one of the reasons I have been avoiding blogging. I do not like confrontation, particularly when it involves political aggression, but going forward I am going to try and write about what I want, and if people don't agree with it then they don't have to read it.

As it's Monday I'm going to avoid writing about anything too heavy, because who really wants that on the first day after the weekend! Instead, I'm going to do a little update post of whats going on in my life and the new direction I'm trying to move into...a lighter topic than political discussion and a lot more palatable for a Monday afternoon!

So....when I move countries I always do a little post about my new home but, because I was living in company owned shared accommodation for my first 3 months here, I haven't able to do this. However, I have now been living in my new apartment for a whole month, all of my belongings have been delivered from the UK and I have bought a sufficient amount of candles and plants from IKEA to make me feel at home.

The apartment pre removal van arrival.

 As you can see from the above image even the empty apartment looks quite beautiful.  It has; really high ceilings, large windows, beautiful wooden parquet flooring and a big bright kitchen. It is a corner apartment on the ground floor of a yellow art deco building with a rounded exterior. One of my favourite things about this apartment is that, because it is on a rounded corner, I can stand in the entrance area and turn 270 degrees and see outside through all of the rooms- when all of the windows are open there's a lovely breeze. Sometimes places give people vibes(I know I sound like a hippy here) and when I had my first viewing of this apartment I immediately felt like it was my home- I felt the same way when I found my loft in Brussels. 

Despite the initial feeling of comfort, an apartment doesn't feel like a home until your belongings are all inside. Unpacking and organising my things is one of my favourite things to do, it helps my brain understand the relocation process and ensures that I don't feel displaced in my new surroundings. Prior to the move, even before Ghana, I had been quite organised in sorting out some cheap furniture which I then up cycled to look a bit more shabby-chic(see the DIY blog post I did here). I was so excited to finally see how all of the furniture looked in situ and here is the final result....my super cosy, colourful apartment.....

Ma maison

The smaller room is the one I chose as my studio. I've put the pallet sofa, coffee table and bookcase I made using the old scaffolding planks and ladders in there along with all of my crafting bits. I make sure my laptop and work materials don't leave this room, so that when I go into my bedroom its a completely work free, relaxing space. My bedroom is my little colourful haven :) I found a bargain Moroccan boucheroutie rug on etsy which sits nicely alongside my fluffy ikea rug. I also bought a black and white patterned kantha quilt from India on eBay, similar to the one which I have on my studio sofa. There are freestanding clothes rails down the right side of the room with all of my clothes and jewellery hanging on them and I have floor length, white, cotton curtains that let just the right amount of sunlight in. I also have the free standing mirror I bought in the UK which was a steal at only 10GBP, one of my furniture upcycle babies. I've decided not to purchase an internet package for my apartment, partially because Switzerland is mega expensive but also because, since I haven't had the internet at home, I have been so much more productive and have been having far less sleeping problems.

One of the things I really love about my new home is that I can compartmentalise my life, as the apartment has two rooms(as well as the separate rooms for the kitchen and bathroom) I can finally have my own studio space and when I'm done working I can close the door. Why do I need a studio you ask? WELL.... I have a new, borderline crazy, venture to rival the 'van plan'. I have spoken to a few friends/family members about this to check that it isn't a completely insane idea but haven't really broadcasted it on social media/on my blog yet so here goes.....

.... I want to start a jewellery business. Just a small side thing to begin with, maybe sell a few bits on Etsy but the 'new plan'(as I am calling it) extends far beyond Etsy. 

As you all know my trip to Ghana had a lasting effect on me, having a taste of slow, ethical fashion and then having to come back to a fast fashion career was something I found really difficult. While in Ghana I was fortunate enough to see how the small businesses that work with Global Mamas make the beautiful glass beads that are then sold at Krobo bead market and elsewhere. I loved seeing this process and couldn't help myself from buying a stack of beads from the artisans, despite not having any idea what I would use them for.  

Shortly after I moved to Switzerland I began doodling some designs for some earrings, I didn't take them too seriously to begin with but then the creative cogs finally started turning...

I have always been obsessed with statement jewellery, all those who know me will testify to this. I have also always wanted to start a small business.  I am also so sick of fast fashion and want to move into the ethical side. My main problem has been that there are so many different creative areas I want to involve in my small business that I have never been able to find a starting point.  I would love to start an ethical fashion and accessories brand but, realistically, the financial start up cost of this is way above my budget. An ethical jewellery start up, however, is manageable....

So the plan is to use the handmade beads I sourced in Ghana and some unfinished wooden beads I have purchased from a small wood factory in China(via Etsy) and use them to create a collection of colourful patterned statement pieces. If they turn out well then I will pursue this idea further.....if they turn out awfully then I will wear them myself and we shall never speak of this plan again ;) 

Wooden beads from China and a selection of the colourful Krobo beads from Ghana.

Above you can see a selection of the wooden beads and Ghana beads I have purchased and some of the design development I have been doing on photoshop to decide how to paint the beads. 

Design development boards in my studio room.

 Here are the noticeboards in my studio, filled with necklace and keyring prototypes. Obviously none of these pieces are finished yet as they are still at the design development stage..... but, as you can see, I intend for them to be very colourful.

Some of the designs I have been working on, including the earrings I'm wearing in the bottom right image.

I am really hoping that this works out, that the designs are popular and that this idea is received well and not dismissed as another of Becky's hare-brained schemes. It might be like the 'van plan' and never become more than a pipe dream but I'm going to give it a try anyway!If all goes to plan I am hoping to launch the first collection on an Etsy store around the end of October, just in time to hit the Christmas shoppers....hopefully!

I would love to get to a stage where I can sell a jewellery line, produce it ethically in Ghana and expand into textiles and home accessories. This would be amazing and then maybe my van plan can also happen.....first things first...I need to make some products that will sell......this is where your feedback(whoever reads this) will come in really useful!

So that's what has been stealing my attention away from the blog :)