With a strong start to the night, Solomon O-B opened the launch with a captivating spoken word performance that showed his incredible potential. Months later, it's no surprise to us that he was then titled National Poetry Slam Champion in January 2016. Big Bristol-based artists and those prevalent in the Bristol music scene also rolled up to show their support. From Ree-vo MCing, Tanya Lacey performing and Buggsy rolling through all in Fawohodie garms, the vibes inside the new That Thing (formerly Shop Dutty) store were a great representation of Bristol and the potential Fawohodie has.
For the lookbook we initially had a vision of working with Fawohodie's afropunk style in a contrasting setting – such as a derelict site, woodlands or forestry. Because of their collaboration of Ghanaian prints and fabrics with contemporary Western design, such as jumpsuits and co-ords, we knew the vibrant colours would pop against textured backgrounds to create beautifully striking images. But then we stumbled upon Bristol Textiles Recyclers...
The factory's mechanical backdrop provided that interesting contrast effortlessly and allowed us to fully immersed ourselves in all things textiles and tradition.
Bristol Textiles Recyclers' ethos of embracing regeneration relates superbly to the concept of Heirloom. Currently, more than 30% of our unwanted textiles go to landfill. That’s around £140 million worth (350,000 tonnes) – same weight as 1,750 adult blue whales! Recognising that recycling went all the way back to the 18th Century, when the Napoleonic War caused virgil wool shortage, BTR was founded in 1972 by Fernley Piper and was formerly Newlands beforehand.
With the increase of fast fashion, where emphasis is put on quantity, not quality, Bristol Textile Recycler's has seen a decline in the accessbility of the clothes they recycle. Whilst cheaply made garms can be broken down into reusable threads, these threads are limited and not durable. BTR puts a lot of emphasis in the need for better quality clothing with a sustainable production and echoes Fawohodie's ethos; Freedom Project: Ghana works in the rural village of Gomoa Mankessim and runs a sustainable organic farm which supports its work with young people and their community, with the fabrics then used to create diverse garms and profits used towards sustaining the Gomoa Mankessim farm.
To find out more about the work they do and support: