https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news.atomLannyxStudio - News2022-08-02T21:14:18+01:00LannyxStudiohttps://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/styling-tips-how-to-style-our-latest-shirt-collection-for-every-season2022-08-02T21:14:18+01:002022-08-02T21:25:31+01:00How To Style Our Upcycled Shirts For Every SeasonAllana McGowan
Our upcycled ruffle shirts are the perfect wardrobe staple for every season and weather conditions. They're easily paired with other wardrobe essentials like shorts, jeans, trench coats, sandals through to boots and faux fur coats. We'll show you how investing in quality styles like ours can help you rewear your clothing all year round helping contribute to a better fashion future.
Plus we'll share the perfect accessories to finish off your look, they are such a great way to change up a repeat outfit.
Summer Styling
Summer is all about festivals and garden parties, right? And our Shirt Dress is the perfect option for either. We suggest adding some popping accessories like these strappy sandals from Aloha for the perfect day drink look with the addition of a co-ordinating bag in Pink or Yellow to match the neon ruffle detail. And to finish off the look add a scarf that could be used in your hair or tied around the bag handle.
For a more casual look pair the shirt with some light coloured jeans or trousers then throw on some bright trainers and a tote bag for cool and comfortable outfit.
Autumn Styling
Autumn is a great season for paired back styling that is sleek, sophisticated and trendy. Our Blue Check Shirt is a great layering option, wear over a T-shirt as a light jacket or under a trench coat for the colder weather and finish off with simple denim jeans, chunky trainers and baguette shaped shoulder bag.
For a more day to night look pair with a skirt and knee high boots under your trench coat.
Winter Styling
Winter could be our favourite look, take our mix and max Buffalo Check Shirt and pair with an oversized faux fur coat or similar cosy jacket and finish off the look with these waterproof ugg boots and co-ordinating brushed scarf.
Other styling ideas include pairing with a cosy sweater vest or jumper, leaving the collar and ruffle popping out to steal the show.
Spring Styling
It's all about cool and casual for spring and our Stripe Ruffle Shirt paired with dungarees is the perfect combination. Style the shirt over the dungarees to show off the ruffle hem, wearing open or closed depending on your preference. Pastels and light coloured pairings are the fundamentals for a spring colour palette so why not add in some white trainers like the baby blue Veja’s pictured above and finish off with one of our Pink Satin Scrunchie and your favourite shoulder bag.
If your feeling inspired by our styling suggestions and would love to invest in one of our sustainably produced designs you can see our full Fashion Collection here;
And if you want to stay inspired, why not join our wonderful email community below and you'll get the chance to winner a LannyxStudio voucher every month.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/things-to-do-in-newcastle-summer-2022-edition2022-06-28T21:34:50+01:002022-08-02T21:14:57+01:00Things to do in Newcastle, Summer 2022 Edition:Allana McGowanAre you visiting Newcastle this summer? Or a local looking for ideas? Find the perfect places to go this summer.
Explore the Quayside
The perfect way to start your summer day in the city is visiting the Quayside for a sunny morning walk with beautiful views of the bridges and the river. The quayside is full of delicious breakfast or lunch locations where you can stop for a coffee or a bite whilst taking in the scenery. On a Sunday there is also a market here from 9am-4pm with plenty of food trucks and if you’re looking for locally produced gifts this is the place to be.
By The River Brew, Quayside
Screen On The Green
One thing you can do for free this summer is visit Screen on the green. At old Eldon square there is a large cinema screen with outdoor deck chairs and seating. This is the perfect way to spend an afternoon in the sun and spend no money! The event showcases two films every day along with live sports over the summer. You could even bring your own beverages to complete it. Visit from 25th June - 4th September showing blockbuster films, comedies, children’s films and musicals.
Image Courtesy from the Chronicle Live
Visit Chaophraya Rooftop Terrace
The perfect place to soak up the sun and enjoy gorgeous authentic Thai cuisine and exceptional cocktails. Located in Grainger town, the rooftop bar is ideal if you want to enjoy food in this sun out of the way of the chaos below. The perfect option for a fancy summer evening or relaxed food and day drinking with friends or family with views above the gorgeous city centre.
Image courtesy of Chaophraya Newcastle
Visit Ouseburn Valley
Visit Newcastle’s cultural quarter at Ouseburn, Full of places to eat and things to see. Ouseburn is the perfect place to spend a sunny day and very family and dog friendly. Visit Ouseburn farm where you can feed baby lambs, a wholesome family day out and we suggest grabbing a bite to eat at local artisan bakery Northern Rye or The Kiln. If you want to head inside, then check out the biscuit factory art gallery and for art Ouseburn has lots of beautiful artistic features that you can explore by just wandering around the area.
Image courtesy of Walkcyclerun.com
Visit Grainger Market
Why not take a trip to Grainger market to enjoy freshly made food from local stalls such as Geordie bangers or Dumpling and Bun. Explore small and independent shops and pick up some fresh local specialities, handcrafted goods and produce made here in the Northeast. A perfect activity to add to a city centre shopping trip if you want to enjoy some local experiences.
Dog and Scone
For dog lovers who don’t own a dog, why not take a fun trip to the Dog and Scone café and enjoy sweat treats and coffee whilst spending time with the resident dogs. The café has a garden themed design to fit into your summer schedule and several dogs including favourites Noodle, Momo, Sugar and Yuki.
Image courtesy of Dog and Scone
Take a Trip to Tynemouth
Head over to Tynemouth a popular seaside village on the outskirts of Newcastle, take a short trip on the metro from the city centre to enjoy a sunny day on the beach whilst overlooking King Edwards Bay cliffs. Break up your day with food from famous Riley’s fish shack and get your fill of delicious seafood, freshly caught in the North Sea. Tynemouth is also known for surfing and has a surfing school if you wanted to try out surfing or paddle boarding this summer.
Longsands Tynemouth
If you're visiting Newcastle and try out any of our recommendations, we would love to know! Tag us on Instagram @lannyxstudio
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/5-things-i-wish-i-knew-as-a-fashion-student2022-05-20T20:44:36+01:002022-05-20T20:52:21+01:005 Things I Wish I knew as a Fashion StudentAllana McGowan
We've started an intern series over on TikTok sharing industry insights and hopefully filling some gaps in things students might not be learning whilst studying Fashion at university right now, so whether you're a Fashion Student or just want to learn more about the in and outs of the Fashion industry, keep on reading.
5 Things I Wish I Knew as a Fashion Student
Before LannyxStudio I was a designer for a global manufacturing company which has enabled me to experience both ends of the industry and had to learn lots of things along the way.
1. A considerable amount more about Fabric, from understanding compositions (the percentange of each fiber that makes up a fabric) to how and where fabric is made. I’ve covered a lot of this on a previous fabric blog series that covers the basic fabric process, fabric dyeing and an overview of fabric finishing so if you're interested in reading more on each of these and this knowledge is something you're currently missing, find the start of the series here.
2. A better understanding of the different job roles available, there are so many opportunities out-with the catwalk and many types of companies you can work for. With the rise of social media and tech over the last decade the opportunites have grown way beyond what I could have dreamed of at university so if you're studying something like Fashion Design specifically, start to think outside the box, this doesn’t mean that designing garments is the only way you can go.
3D Design, Fashion Content Creation (this could need a mix of skills like Photography, Videography, Design, Styling and Copywrighting skills) Sustainability Lead and Digital Product Design are just a few of the newer jobs that come to mind.
3. The technical aspects of design and making such as Tech Packs and Specification Sheets, these are multi page documents that give detailed information such as size measurements, stitch details, label and artwork placements, fabric specifications, finishing details and are so much more than a nice looking drawing of a garment. These detailed tech packs are something I had to learn quickly on the job in the early days and are crucial for production, especially when working with overseas suppliers when communication could be harder.
Guangzhou, China
4. What a sourcing trip really is: I had no idea how companies were sourcing fabric, components or even garments for that matter. I knew of a few fabric trade shows in Europe but found out quickly that the supply chain is a lot more complex than that, sourcing trips are often about creating good business relationships and travelling to meet these suppliers whether that's Fabric mills (where they weave/print/knit/finish fabrics,) dying facilites, Factories; where garments, trims or other components are manufactured. Most of the Fashion supply chain is broken up and found in different parts of the world and you'll often find fabric is made in one country and shipped to another to be manufactured into an actual garment/product, this doesn't include where the raw materials are grown which could also have been shipped from country to country before becoming usable fabric.
Intertextile, Shanghai, China
5. How to calculate the cost of a making a product, at no point did I ever need to calculate how much it would be to produce the final collection I made never mind what I would have to sell it for in order to make any profit. If you work for a company or start your own, I guarantee this will become a huge focus and something you’ll end up having to make decisions around day in and day out. It feeds into so many parts of the process like fabric & trim sourcing too! Understanding the cost of production (Monetary and Environmentally) is definitely something I wish I'd known more about sooner.
I hope these 5 things have given you lots to think about and opened up areas you want to explore more. If have any questions about working in the industry and things you feel like you might be missing out on, or are still unsure about, drop a question below and I'll try to answer them as best I can. If you want to send private question instead just drop me an email on hello@lannyxstudio.com. I can't wait to hear from you.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/a-spring-refresh-3-ways-our-cushions-can-instantly-update-your-interiors2022-04-26T20:11:39+01:002022-04-27T12:38:28+01:00A Summer Refresh - 3 Ways Our Cushions Can Instantly Update Your InteriorsAllana McGowan1. ADD A SPLASH OF COLOUR
Bring positive vibes to your interiors, choosing bright and uplifting shades like our Sunflower Yellow or Fuchsia and Orange cushions, these are the standout shades of Spring/Summer 22. And fear not, when it’s time for Autumn to show it’s face again, you can always introduce elements of Teal to pair back the Yellow or Beige to pair back the Orange & Pink.
2.a New FOCAL POINT
Make our cushions a focal point to your room, having a focal point draws in the eye and sets the tone for the whole space. For example, in your bedroom, the bed typically dominates the space, so why not fill your bed with a set of Mix and Match cushions from our collection and breathe a new lease of life into the room with bold colour combinations and luxe fabrics and the best part, all our cushions are sustainably hand made in our Newcastle studio.
3.Play with shape, size & cushion arrangement
Pair square cushions with rectangular shapes for a relaxed look or add a pop of fun into your collection with our rounded and mini options. Your cushion arrangements don't need to be formal or all matching, mix up the styles by choosing a colour scheme and picking options that sit within it and you'll soon have an inviting cushion collection in no time.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/giving-back-to-our-wonderful-email-community2022-02-17T21:16:50+00:002022-03-10T09:08:06+00:00Giving Back To Our Wonderful Email CommunityAllana McGowan
From February 2022 we have introduced something very exciting for our wonderful email community!!!
Every month for the next 12months we're giving our email subscribers the chance to win a LannyxStudio voucher worth 20GBP that's valid for a whole year!
How it Works
On the last Sunday of every month we will assign our email subscribers a number that will then be used in a random number generator to pick a winner for the month.
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You can tune into our instagram Stories on the last Sunday of every month to see the random generator in action too!
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The winner will then be notified by email & once accepted the voucher will be sent via email. Our vouchers come with a unique code that can be used on our website and we also accept gift vouchers as part of custom orders.
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If you win a Gift Card and end up shopping with us at one of our in person events we can also accept the Gift Card as long as you can provide the voucher email and/or unique code.
How To Participate
All you need to do is subscribe to our Sustainable Movement email list via the pop up or at the bottom of this page. Please note when you subscribe your are subscribing to receive exclusive updates & offers that includes marketing emails. You will also receive a unique code for 10% off your first order upon subscribing. If you don't receive the email, please check your junk folder and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Voucher Prize Draw Dates
Feb 2022, Sunday 27th
March 2022, Sunday 27th
April 2022, Sunday 24th
May 2022, Sunday 29th
June 2022, Sunday 26th
July 2022, Sunday 31st
August 2022, Sunday 28th
September 2022, Sunday 25th
October 2022, Sunday 30th
November 2022, Sunday 27th
December 2022, Sunday 18th (we will draw this pre xmas)
January 2023 - Sunday 29th
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/our-take-on-3-trends-from-pinterest-predicts-20222022-01-09T18:18:59+00:002022-01-09T18:31:55+00:00Our Take on 3 Trends From Pinterest Predicts 2022Allana McGowan
At the start of the year I always take some time to checkout trend predictions and themes for the year and when I came across Pinterest Predicts for 2022 it was very exciting to see some themes we worked on in 2021 really come into fruition this year and I think we were ahead of the curve on quite a few!
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Although our products aren't made to fit into a "trend" and intended to become fun and playful parts or your life that will last and grow in memories with you, we are still very influenced by the world around us and with the continued exposure to imagery, video content and information and of course all the chats and feedback from our amazing customers means all of this filters through to what we design and make in a conscious and sub-conscious way.
So as Pinterest says, this is what you're planning for your future wardrobes and living spaces and we're here to help you master it in a sustainable and fully customisable way.
1. All Chequered Everything
Cheque, please. This trend ranges from small to large scale checked patterns and complements the "tile" trend that we've seen in home decor and lots of DIY videos. Our checkerboard designs fit into this so well, they not only allow us to use the off cuts from our other designs but can be made in custom colour ways to suit your home colour scheme, adding the right amount of impact to your home.
We opted for a 40x40cm cushion as standard, ideal for central positioning on a sofa or The Mini (30x30cm), perfect for chairs or a matching set for each side of the sofa and the larger rectangle for those bigger sofas.
A gorgeous example of a customised checkerboard cushion.
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2. Curve Appeal
Curve’s the word, and perfect for all round the home. Think curves, arcs, squiggles and rounded shapes, this trend is the easiest way to add fun and colour to your home. Our squiggle front and mini round cushion fit into this trend so well, go as subtle or as full on as you like. We love to work with interesting and unusual colour combinations but these designs can be made in custom colour ways to compliment your home and we are more than happy to give some help and direction on this if needed.
Our squiggle front cushion is a truly special piece, I'm yet to see anything quite like this unique design and makes the perfect central piece. We also updated the round cushion with the above checkered design, the perfect piece if you want to bring two trends into one and a perfect way to repurpose small off cuts of fabric.
A customisation of the squiggle front cushion, the perfect example of how you can pair back this design with subtle colour pairings.
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3. Dopamine Dressing
Dressing loud is the new dressing down and when it comes to loungewear there's no exception. This is one of my favourites and I truly believe adding a bright colour like this to your outfit even if that's working from home, alone will instantly boost your mood. This is truly simple, its vibrant, colourful and feel good.
Our Bright Pink jersey bottoms with a wide leg cut for comfort as well as feel good vibes are the perfect piece. I also think these are the perfect colour for wearing all year round, in the colder months throw on a light coloured knit or go full colour block and throw on a red chunky knit and when the temperature rises and the light lasts longer pair with white and neutral vests and tees for a truly fresh look. And we're keeping our eye out for more brighter check vintage shirts to upcycle as you'll not be surprised the one in the photo got snapped up pretty quickly.
Based on the above 3 themes, we're really hoping that 2022 is going to be a fun and colourful year with more optimism and sustainable solutions.
We're really excited for what's to come!
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/things-to-do-in-newcastle-christmas-edition2021-10-26T21:27:16+01:002021-11-04T20:08:23+00:00Things To Do In Newcastle, Christmas EditionAllana McGowan
Coming To Newcastle For One Of Our Winter Markets?
We're taking part in some amazing events throughout November and can't wait to kick off the festivities with our first pop up shop in the Metrocentre, Gateshead on Monday 1st & Tuesday 2nd November and thought it would be great to share some special Christmas themed things to do In Newcastle if your visiting for the day or the weekend.
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Book your tickets for The Made Up North Market Here;
Book your tickets for The Craft & Flea Market Here;
Things To Do In Newcastle During The Festive Season
Fenwicks Christmas Window
Image courtesy of bbc.com
Get inspired at Fenwick's Christmas window, the department store unveils a beautiful Christmas themed window, with moving characters, a bespoke soundtrack and twinkling lights. 30 Northumberland St, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7AS
Hadrian's Tipi
Image courtesy of chroniclelive.co.uk
Head to Hadrians Tipi situated in the centre of stack Newcastle, a huge scandi-style tipi offering festive boozy fun. Oh and its dog friendly. Pilgrim St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6QG
Take a magical winter journey from the picturesque South Causey Inn towards the Causey Arch for a two-mile carriage ride with the wonderful horses from Northeast carriages. A unique Christmas experience that is sure to instill the magic of Christmas for all the family. https://www.southcausey.co.uk/christmas-horse-carriage-rides/
Personal image - visit the Alnwick Garden website here;
Visit the wonderful Alnwick gardens, one of my favourite places during the festive season. You can see the biggest and brightest light trail, visit Santa & Father Christmas in their magical Christmas grotto and indulge in festive dining in the tree house restaurant.
I'd love to know if you visit any of the above places and if you stop by any of our markets come say Hi
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Can't make any of our markets? Shop our full Autumn/Winter collections here.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/a-recycling-guide-for-our-packagaing2021-09-16T16:57:38+01:002022-01-09T15:43:53+00:00A Recycling Guide For Our PackagaingAllana McGowan
Do you feel like what you can and cannot recycle has gotten very confusing these days? Having to google and check things on a daily basis (particularly household packaging) inspired me to put together a little recycling guide for any packaging you'll receive from us so you can refer back to it at anytime.
Tissue Paper - All our items come wrapped in 100% Compostable & 100% Recyclable tissue paper which means it can go in your home recycling bin, removing any stickers beforehand or you can put both in a home composting bin.
Branded Stickers - These are 100% Compostable and you'll find them stickers on different elements of our packaging. These can go in a home composting bin but if you don't have one they should then be put in your normal waste bin.
Mailer Bags - Our mailer bags are often used for our fashion items as well as some of our larger cushions & bag orders and are 100% recyclable. Any size mailer bag you recieve from us can go in your home recycling bin, removing any of our branded stickers beforehand.
Postable Boxes - Our postable boxes are often used for accessories & cushion covers and are 100% Recyclable. Any size box you should receive from us can go in your home recycling bin, removing any stickers beforehand.
Note Cards - All our orders comes with a personalised note card, either as a gift message or a special note from us. Our note cards are made from 100% recycled card and are 100% recyclable so can be popped in your home recycling bin or kept as a lovley memory to go with your item.
I hope this is useful for when you recieve your next order and as a thank you for helping us with our sustainable initiatives you can use code RECYCLING10 at checkout for 10% off your next order. **
Happy Recycling ♻️
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** This discount code is currently valid until 31st January 2022.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/3-fashion-documentaries-to-watch-now2021-08-05T21:00:00+01:002021-08-05T21:12:46+01:003 Fashion Documentaries To Watch NowAllana McGowanFancy a Little Fashion Fix?
Here's 3 Fashion Documentaries and series to watch now, ranging from the educational to the inspirational depending on what mood your feeling.
And save the others for later, they are definitely worth a watch.
1. The True Cost
A documentary film exploring the impact of fashion on people and the planet, if you haven't seen this yet it's a must watch. This documentary is the one that will really help you on your way to understanding the true cost of clothing, with an insight into the people who've been making them over the decades and the environmental damage we've incurred.
Available to watch on Netflix or you can buy and download on the truecostmovie.com
2. Next In Fashion
Watch designers bring their ideas to life in this feel good fashion competition. Designers from around the world compete for the chance to win $250,000 and debut a collection on luxury retailer site Net-a-Porter. You also see high profile guest judges everyweek. So this one is definitely one to leave you feeling inspired.
Available to watch on Netflix
3. Halston
A glamorous rendition of the iconic American Designer, Roy Halston Frowick, known as Halston. Although this series came under fire with critics including the Halston family estate, it's definitely worth the binge. If anything it was fun to travel back in time through the 70's and 80's against the backdrop of a Studio 54-era with all the fabulous fashion that followed. The mini series also has many references to the first luxury and high street collaboration with Halstons one-billion dollar deal with JCPenney.
Available to watch on Netflix
If your interested in our other Fashion resources, checkout a few of our previous blog posts;
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/things-to-do-in-newcastle-upon-tyne2021-07-21T20:54:10+01:002022-06-05T18:52:40+01:00Things To Do In Newcastle upon TyneAllana McGowan
Coming to Newcastle for the weekend or the Made Up North Market?
I thought it was about time I shared some of my favourite places to eat, drink and wander around and give you some inspiration for a little trip of your own or if your local maybe you haven't tried one of them yet.
By The River Brew Co.
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An independent container village on the Gateshead side of the river with the best views of the iconic Tyne Bridge. You’ll find a Brewery & tap room, Trakol (An Open Fire Kitchen), The Backyard Bikeshop, A coffee house and Covert cocktail bar plus a really great selection of Street food vendors. By The River Brew has a combination of indoor and outdoor space which means it’s dog friendly too which is why I love it so much!
BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
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For all the Art & Gallery lovers, you can spend a few hours mooching around the Baltic Museum with several different floors, a roof deck, cafe or for something slightly fancier book their SIX restauraunt, oh and the museum is FREE. Also located on the Gateshead side of the River you can cross the Millennium Bridge to the Newcastle quayside and if you time it right you can watch the bridge move to let the boats pass.
Jesmond Dene
If you fancy some urban greenery, head to Jesmond Dene, A wooded valley, it’s a lovely destination for a walk and you can follow the river to a waterfall. If your visit is a family affair, then Jesmond Dene is a great location with a Pet’s Corner that’s Free to enter, large open spaces if you need dog friendly, a playground, café and visitor centre.
And if you’re looking for a few places to Eat, Drink or Grab a Treat.
Alvinos- For great cocktails and an even better Cocktail Menu, their menus are basically a piece of art. Find it here
For Some Great Indian Food
Dabbawal – A street food kitchen serving some of the best Indian food. Visit the Newcastle City Centre Restaurant or their really cool Jesmond venue. Dabbawal.com
For The Best Ice Cream
Di Meo's Riverside Ouseburn – Ice Cream and Pizza in the heart of Ouseburn, plus take a stroll along and check out all the new development going on here. Dimeos Riverside Ouseburn, Instagram
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If you do try any of these places out, I'd love to know, drop me a message via the website or over on social media.
. If you didn't catch our last blog post about meeting us IRL, you can check it out here.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/come-meet-us-in-real-life2021-07-08T10:16:22+01:002021-07-08T10:16:22+01:00Come Meet Us In Real Life!!Allana McGowan
LannyxStudio will be attending The Made.up North Market, located in the heart of Newcastle city centre at The Boiler Shop! It's such a great venue and means you can have a proper day out. Shopping with the best Northern makers, eating from the best Northern food vendors and drinking at the in house bar!
We'll be bringing a selection of our Fashion, Accessories and Homeware pieces that you can take home with you on the day and we'll be more than ready to chat with you about any custom designs.
If your local to the North East I would love to see you there and if not it's a great excuse for a weekend away in the toon and there's lot's to do nearby, the famous quayside is just a five minutes walk away.
We're really excited to be a part of this event, LannyxStudio was born in the first UK lockdown last year and ever since we have been dying to meet our amazing customers and show you all our pieces in real life.
Tickets are required for the event at £2 each, they can be bought online or at the door on the day. Under 16's get free entry. If you'd like to book in advance, click here.
10% of all profit from the ticket sales will be donated to Live well with cancer, so your not only supporting local talent, but helping a local charity, too.
Venue Address; 20 South Street,Newcastle upon TyneNE1 3PE
To view all our items and get an idea of what you can expect to see click here;
Hope to see you there!
Allana x
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/what-to-do-with-your-unwanted-clothing-and-textiles2021-06-02T09:20:01+01:002021-06-02T09:20:01+01:00What To Do With Your Unwanted Clothing and Textiles?Allana McGowanWe’re all very much aware of the problems surrounding discarded clothing and textiles and how the landfills of the world are bursting at the seams causing problems like toxic chemical leaks and the production of methane—a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon.*
So what options do you have?
1. One of our best and most creative options is using our Custom Design and Making Service to have your clothing and textiles turned into something new and amazing! How about turning your dress into a fab new top or bag, this can also be such a meaningful way to create a gift for someone special that would be totally unique.
Find out more about our Custom Design Service here.
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2. Resell your items on second hand platforms like Vinted, Depop, Ebay and Facebook Marketplace. This is a great option for items that are in great condition but maybe don’t fit anymore or your just not getting the use out of it you would like.
3. Donating to Charity- Choose a local charity shop that are actively looking for new items to ensure they are not overloaded. An important point when donating to a charity shops is that your item/s should still be in a condition that you would still wear or use yourself.
4. For clothing & textiles that are very tired opt for a recycling solution. Due to minimal infrastructure in the UK to deal with recycling at consumer level, you have to research the best options in your area this could be a paid service. I’ve given two websites that can help you begin this research.
* A quick note: I’ve done some research around UK landfills and how they actually work and it appears in the UK they have systems in place to extract the gas and use it to generate electricity. In regards to the chemicals produced, they refer to this as Leachate and state that it is collected and taken off site to be treated before disposal. Of course one of the problems is that many of our clothing and textiles are sent off-shore to countries who do not have the same infrastructure in place.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/fabric-finishing-an-overview2021-05-20T09:15:24+01:002021-05-20T09:38:23+01:00Fabric Finishing - An OverviewAllana McGowanWhat Do We Mean By Fabric Finishing?
Fabric finishing is a series of mechanical and chemical processes that are performed on woven and knitted fabrics to improve the overall quality and essentially make them presentable to market.
Raw Yarn Dyed Woven Cotton (the yarns are dyed before the fabric is woven) has a pretty undesirable hand feel and isn’t something you would want to wear, it’s coarse, lacks movement and wouldn’t last very long.
There is a vast amount of finishing processes and treatments and we’ll outline some of them below. An important note is that the different processes vastly change raw woven or spun fabric to make them workable for the textile market. A big focus for fabric finishing is around colour, texture (in the fashion industry this is often referred to as “hand feel” and more recently a fabric’s properties and performance relating to things like UV resistance, antibacterial qualities and anti-static to name a few.
The Different Processes & Stages
Below is examples and explanations of the different stages and processes a fabric must go through in order to be ready for market, the schedule can vary between mills and fabric types.
Singeing – this is a mechanical process that provides a smooth uniform fabric surface by burning off loose fiber ends. Cellulose fabrics like cotton or linen are easily signed while man made fibers can melt and harden under the heat.
Washing - The fabric is cleaned and treatments are used to remove impurities, oils, any lint or sizing that are applied on warp yarns to enable weaving, sometimes you will see this called scouring in relation to natural fabrics.
Desizing – A chemical treatment that breaks down the “size” of the warp yarn and helps with absorbability, dyeing and printing ability in woven fabrics. The size refers to an agent that is applied at the weaving stage to improve weaving productivity, this agent acts as a resist toward dye and chemicals in the future processes you’ll see below and therefore must be removed.
Bleaching – A chemical process to remove the “natural” fiber colour which is usually a yellow tone (think of calico) it is often required to increase whiteness or to prepare for colour application
Mercerizing – This chemical treatment increases the fabrics smoothness, sheen and absorbability of things like dye. Mercerizing can also be carried out at the yarn stage (before the fabric is woven to become a fabric.)
Drying - Textiles may be dried several times throughout the finishing process, using air or heat to reduce wetness and remove excess moisture. The actual process will differ depending on fabric type but utilises specialised equipment and machinery with the conditions closely monitored.
Stabilising - Fabric undergoes physical actions like the application of tension, pressure and/or heat to achieve a desired outcome. It's stabilized to prevent shrinkage and ensure the best possible condition for dyeing and printing.
Enhancing The Feel Or Properties of Fabrics
Further finishes are added to fabrics to make them feel or enhance their properties, since there’s lots of different treatments we'll highlight a common one for natural fabrics and one for synthetic fabrics.
Natural Fabric such as Cotton- A mechanical finish called peaching is often used to make cottons have a softer more appealable hand feel. The fabric is sanded slightly, often using automated machinery that have rollers with abrasive bristles. The peaching finish is also possible with certain chemicals or laundry abrasion.
-This video gives a good insight into a few different mechanical processes including peaching.
Synthetic Fibres such as Polyester – Chemical treatments can be applied to give the fabric anti-microbial finishes by using different methods such as exhaust, pad-dry-cure, coating, spray and foam techniques. The substances can also be applied, by directly adding into the fiber spinning dope.
-This video gives some good motion diagrams of these different application methods.
As you can probably tell from this article, fabric finishing is very complex and involves a lot of different processing to transform raw fabric into the different fabric qualities we have all come to love. An important message I’d love for you to consider from this is how crucial our understanding of fabric manufacturing is and the methods we continue to utilise as we move towards a more sustainable fashion future. After all, if all our fashion products start out with fabric, then the sustainability and methods of this fabric production is an extremely important element, it’s another reason why upcycling and repurposing the current textiles we have in circulation is so key, if a fabric has had to go through many of the above processes to become workable for the fashion market then it should be used to it's absolute full potential and that means reusing over and over again until it gets to a point it is no longer in tact enough to use as is, it can then be put back into the system through recycling and given yet another life.
Why not have a look at our upcycled and repurposed collections to see how we give new life to unused garments and fabrics utilising them to their full potential to create unique and one-off pieces that can be treasured and past down generations.
And if you'd like to read the rest of our fabric blog series head to Part 1, The Basics of Fabricwhich gives you an insight into how fabric is made and where it comes from and Part 2, The Basics of Fabric Dyeingwhich gives you an insight into the types and stages of dyeing used in the fashion industry.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/custom-design-service-the-need-to-know2021-05-06T20:26:12+01:002021-05-13T15:59:39+01:00Custom Design ServiceAllana McGowanDid you know we offer a full Custom Design and Making Service?
Lets create the perfect pieces for you and your home.
We'll use our Design, Sourcing and Making skills to bring your ideas and dream products to life.
For You
Dreaming of the perfect colour loungewear or bag that you just can’t seem to get out of your head?
We’ll Design, Source and Make it for you and we’ll do it in the most sustainable way possible. If we can upcycle or repurpose to make it happen we will, this can include your own items to work with and if we need to source new fabrics & trims we’ll focus on local and UK suppliers as a priority.
For Your Home
We’ll design and make the cushions and throws you’ve been dreaming about having to match your interiors.
And we’ll do this in the most sustainable way possible, if we can upcycle or repurpose to make this happen we will or if we don't have what you need in house we’ll source the fabrics and trims from local or UK suppliers as a priority.
Dreaming of a Custom Piece?
All our design quotations are Free just get in touch for your quotations here;
Not 100% sure what you want?
Take inspiration from our current collections to get the ideas flowing and we’ll adapt the colours, fabric and measurements to give you exactly what you need.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/the-basics-of-fabric-dyeing2021-04-22T08:38:18+01:002022-05-20T12:14:22+01:00The Basics of Fabric DyeingAllana McGowan
The Basics of Fabric part 2 is all about the dyeing processes of textiles.
Dyeing & The Types of Dyes
Natural Dyes – Deriving from natural sources like plants and animals, it was the main source of dying in early times and has seen a resurgence in popularity again in direct response to sustainability concerns of synthetic dyes with people foraging and using plant dye extracts to create their own dye baths at home.
Synthetic Dyes - Manufactured from organic molecules (chemicals) and are used industry wide as they can be manufactured consistently. There are many types of synthetic dyes available as each Fiber reacts differently. Dye molecules may attach to the surface of the fiber, be absorbed by the fiber, or interact with the fiber's molecules. There are around 10 that are most commonly used.
Photos courtesy of ediblela.com & fashion-history.lovetoknow.com
Fun fact - Synthetic dying was an accidental discovery by William Henry Perkin, an eighteen-year-old English chemist whilst searching for a cure for Malaria.
Stages of Dyeing
Dying can be done at all stages of the textile manufacturing process and chosen dependent on the fabric or garment being produced.
Stock/Top Dyeing – The dying of loose, unspun fibers. A widely practiced procedure is that of removing the packed fibre from bales and then packing them in large vats that circulate dye liquor through the mass of fibre at elevated temperatures. - Applicable to wool and all types of manmade fibres
Dope Dyeing/Solution Pigmenting- Dye is added to the spinning solution before extracting the filament yarns. Dope dyeing is said to be more environmentally friendly as no water is used during the process, chemicals and carbon is reduced and lower energy use. - Can be used for dyeing polyester, nylon, acrylic and more recently viscose.
Yarn Dyeing– Done after the fibers are spun into yarn but before the weaving or knitting process. Yarn dying can be done in 3 different ways depending on how much needs dyed at one time. The 3 options are Skein Dyeing, Packaging Dyeing and Warp Dyeing. - Yarn dying is commonly used for making check and stripe designs. Piece Dyeing – Carried out after the weaving or knitting process, it is the most popular and flexible dyeing method for solid colours. The 3 options are Jet, Jig or Pad dyeing. -Woven cotton is often piece dyed and used for things like jackets or cargos.
Garment Dyeing – This is the process where finished garments are dyed, and commonly used for things like sweaters and t-shirts.
1. Yarn Dyeing 2. Garment Dyeing 3.Piece Dyeing
Photos courtesy of greenhousefabrics.com, textilevaluechain.in and nytimes.com
Now you have a general idea of the different ways fabric and garments are dyed and how these processes are carried out. If your looking for more sustainable and safer dyed options here are the Certified Dye Standards to look out for.
GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD
STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®
Did you know four of our lounge bottoms colourway’s are dyed in the UK in an Oeko-Tex and Reach compliant dye house?
You can find them here;
Please note our lounge bottoms are no longer available but you can Browse and Shop our most up to date Fashion Collections Here.
And keep an eye out for part 3 of our basics of fabric series coming in a few weeks, all about the finishing processes including printing. UPDATE: Find Part 3, Fabric Finishing and Overview Here.
If you haven't read part 1 of our series you can find the blog post here; The Basics of Fabric Part 1 with all the details about how fabric is made.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/why-choose-upcycled-and-repurposed-homewares2021-04-08T09:33:38+01:002021-05-06T20:37:44+01:00Why Choose Upcycled and Repurposed Homewares?Allana McGowan
So we’re familiar with upcycled and repurposed Fashion but what about homewares? The home textiles industry has many of the same problems as fashion such as labour exploitation and unsustainable production, after all many of our homewares are made in the same way as Fashion: fast and cheap.
I’d love to know if you’ve considered the sustainability of your homewares before reading this as I definitely feel like it took me a while to think about them in the same way I did Fashion.
Homewares and Interior Design are generally thought of in terms of aesthetics with potentially minimalism being the only approach that appeared to be portraying a “sustainable” image but I’m here to tell you that minimalism isn’t what sustainable homewares is all about and it’s not the only way forward. This is where our upcycled and repurposed collections come in.
So here’s 4 reasons why opting for upcycled and repurposed homewares, if your looking for a new piece to spruce up your space, redecorating, moving house or even if it’s your first time furnishing a home.
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Our Upcycled and Repuporposed homewares are made from off cuts or fabrics that would have otherwise gone to waste.
Our trims, labels and cushion inserts are all sourced in the UK with many options being sourced locally in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Your buying high quality, unique pieces that you’ll not find anywhere else, this is interconnected with longevity.
Our production is done in house, with minimal carbon footprint and completely fair.
Want to browse our full range of upcycled and repurposed homewares? You can find them all here.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/the-basics-of-fabric2021-03-29T21:18:17+01:002022-05-20T12:11:08+01:00The Basics of FabricAllana McGowan
After an interesting poll on the LannyxStudio Instagram stories about whether people are aware of how fabric is made or where it comes from, it was a unanimous vote that people didn't know but they wanted to. So I've put together a blog series all about fabric, the processes and there will be a few fabric case studies to follow that will hopefully give you the answers in an easy, digestible way.
Introducing the first of the series all about the basics of the fabric process.
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The Basic Overview - Fabric starts as fiber that is converted into textile yarns then woven or knitted to form fabric.
What are Fibers?
Fibers are raw materials that can be converted into textile yarns. They can be split into 3 types;
Natural – Derived from plants or animals
e.g. Cotton, Flax, Hemp, Wool, Cashmere, Silk
Regenerated – Semi-synthetic and derived from natural resources but go through an intensive chemical transformation process.
e.g. Rayon (viscose), Soybean protein
Synthetic – Man-made, derived mainly from crude oil
e.g, Polyester, Nylon, Spandex
Example Cotton is a natural fiber as it comes from the cotton plant, it is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plant and therefore needs to be harvested. In modern day, cotton is picked by machine but it has recently come to light that forced labour may still be happening in parts of the world. The harvested cotton goes through a process called ginning, a machine that separates the cotton fibers from their seeds, ready to be turned into textile yarn.
The Cotton Plant
Image courtesy of rawpixel.com
What are Textile Yarns?
Yarn is a continuous length of interlocked fibers and there are two main types;
Staple Yarn - Formed by twisting staple fibers together to make a cohesive or single thread and is referred to as spinning. (think of cotton)
Filament Yarn – Formed by forcing liquid or semi-liquid polymers through small holes to create single or multiple yarns. (think of polyester)
Image Courtesy of: www.eysan.com.tw
Creating Actual Fabric To form a useable fabric length the raw material that has now been turned into textile yarn must be woven or knitted with the exception of non-woven & felting which are formed by chemical or mechanical treatments without using any weaving or knitting process.
Woven Fabric: Yarn is woven by machine known as a loom or by hand in two distinct directions, at right angles called the warp and the weft to create the fabric design. A few woven fabric examples include poplin, flannel, seersucker and corduroy.
Modern Industrial Weaving Machine: Image courtesy of fashion-history.lovetoknow.com
Knitted Fabric: Formed by the inter-looping of yarns or inter-meshing of loops to create a useable textile, knitting can be done by machine or by hand with the two main types being warp knitting and weft knitting. A few knitted fabric examples include jersey, rib knit, interlock and cable.
Modern Flat Knitting Machine: Image courtesy of www.knittingindustry.com
Important Note: A few other processes to mention in the production of fabric is dying and finishing but I will cover them in a separate blog post as they are lengthy topics, particularly the dying process as it can be carried out several stages.
The above information gives you a basic idea of how fabric is made and begins to highlight that fabric production is a very labour intensive and lengthy process that should be highly valued and the reason we should be reusing textiles. There is so much more to learn about fabric and the processes of making it so I look forward to delving into more specifics with you.
Allana x
Update: For Part 2 of This Series, The Basics of Fabric Dyeing, Click Here
and For Part 3, The Fabric Finishing Overview, Click Here
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/support-celebrate-international-womens-day-20212021-03-07T17:13:47+00:002021-03-29T21:20:10+01:00International Women's Day 2021Allana McGowanCelebrating & Support All This Week
International Women's Day 2021 theme is ‘Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.’
During the ongoing Covid-19 crisis women have been twice as likely than men to lose their jobs, when I read this unfortunately it didn't come as a surprise as personal experience meant I lost my full time design job back in August 2020 along with 4 other female and 1 male colleague.
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So here at LannyxStudio I've decided to focus on celebrating Women-Led businesses for International Women's Day and first up is well LannyxStudio with a giveaway I hope you'll love. Followed by showcasing 5 Women Owned Businesses that I’ve had the pleasure of working with or become part of their community during my business journey. I'll also be sharing campaigns that I'm loving throughout the week over on socials.
LannyxStudio Giveaway
To kickstart the week and as a thank you to everyone who has supported this female owned business, of which 90% happen to be women. I want to pay it forward and would love for you to nominate an amazing women in your life over on the LannyxStudio Instagram page for the chance to win a voucher worth £50. All the details can be found under the Instagram post. You can find it here; www.instagram.com/lannyxstudio/
Nominations are open until Friday 12th March at 9pm.
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All the T&C's are given in the post details over on Instagram. I decided to opt for a voucher to make this as inclusive as possible and gives the winner the chance to choose something they will love in their own time. The winner will be announced on Saturday 12th March and following receipt of their email address can have their voucher instantly.
Here's the 5 Women Owned Businesses who have or are still helping me on my business journey and I'd love for you to check them out.
A digital magazine that celebrates, showcases and inspires North East Women.
They also have have a great article about Women in advertising through the decades for IWD– Check it out here; www.highlifenorth.com/2021/03/06/see-women-in-advertising-through-the-decades-and-then-tell-us-international-womens-day-isnt-important/
Run by Catherine Erdly, she’s a Small business retail expert and so supportive of all her members.
I’m part of the resilient retail club where we have weekly ask me anything sessions, monthly workshops, business courses and virtual meet ups, it's something you really need when you become self employed and transition to working alone.
Kate Hills has been on a one-woman mission to save UK manufacturing for the last 10years and it’s safe to say she’s succeeding as the demand for making in the UK and buying British has never been higher.
I’ve just become part of Make It British so you'll be able to find LannyxStudio in the directory very soon and I'm really looking forward to having this community help me continue building a Made in UK brand that I can be proud of.
Founded & Run by Cora Jay, her platform supports, connects and educates all things sustainable fashion.
I’ve been part of an online virtual market & we even managed to squeeze one in-person market last year when covid restrictions were lifted. Checkout the Instagram for their international womens day festival.
Founded & Run by Carrin – Casa Ethica is an online marketplace & community for ethical brands and craftspeople
Casa Ethica is now a partner of LannyxStudio. You can find a curated selection of LannyxStudio products alongside well-crafted pieces from other Sustainable Fashion Brands and Ethical producers.
Here's to International Women's Day!
I hope you'll join me in celebrating all this week.
Love
Allana x
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/upcycling-vs-recycling-whats-the-difference2021-03-04T09:38:34+00:002021-03-21T16:41:17+00:00Upcycling Vs Recycling, Whats the difference?Allana McGowan
Hey Guys!
I thought it would be great to share some insight into what Upcycling & Recycling are and how they differ as they've become buzz words but not always fully explained apart from being labeled as "good" which I believe they are. So below I've given a description of what Upcycling and Recycling are and a few key points on what makes them different. I hope you'll find it useful.
Upcycling is the activity of redesigning an item that would be considered as waste and transforming it into something else by using the existing material in creative ways to give it new life and usually added value.
Recycling is an industrial process that breaks down objects or waste materials into their original components so they can be used to make new ones. In most cases recycled materials must be mixed with new, raw material as the recycling process can weaken the material. Recycled materials are also often used to make the same product again i.e Plastic to make new plastic with the exception of aluminium and glass that are both 100% recyclable.
So, how are they different?
One of the key differences is that recycling requires objects and materials to be broken down to their original components to make something new and upcycling doesn’t. Upcycling requires the redesign or creation of something new from the materials current state, notice in the above video how the fabric from the shirt is not being broken down but rather redesigned and re-cut to work as something else and still visibly corduroy.
Secondly recycling is an industrial process that uses machinery, think of production line type machinery where items are sorted, taken apart, melted down etc whereas upcycling tends to be done by hand and involves creativity and often technical ability. This does mean that recycling is more practical and can be carried out on a large scale whereas upcycling involves a creative process carried out by human hands and can often involve skilled craftsmanship and done on a much smaller scale. However an important point is that upcycling can be done by anyone and can involve as little as redecorating something to make it usable again so its definitely more accessible.
In summary, although the processes differ upcycling and recycling work together to reduce waste and in effect the worlds carbon footprint by sending less waste to landfill and reusing resources. I believe there is the potential for a larger uptake of upcycling within the Fashion and Textiles industry and hope that will happen in the near future, as the current focus is more towards the recycling of fabrics. I would like to add that both processes are necessary particularly if we intend to move towards a circular fashion industry.
And on the note of recycling fabrics, are you interested to know how this works? If so let me know and I'd love to share the process with you.
Allana x
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/resources-do-you-want-to-learn2021-01-08T09:00:00+00:002021-03-21T16:41:05+00:00Circular Fashion, Are you interested?Allana McGowan
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I’ve never wanted to just post quotes and figures to scare people on how bad the Fashion Industry is because ultimately Fashion is the one thing I REALLY LOVE and it’s a huge driver for the UK economy. I’ve loved clothes and shoes since I was about 5 years old and I’ve always known what I wanted to wear. I don’t think I’ll ever not be excited about wearing new clothes & accessories. I intentionally used the word new because I wanted to highlight that new doesn’t always have to mean brand new, it can just mean new for you. It could be something reworked, recycled, second hand, rented or borrowed, really it’s all about something that fulfils your needs and wants.
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Instead I’ve decided I want to share more resources in 2021, like articles on innovation, interesting ideas and concepts I come across or people I think are doing really good things for the industry. The most exciting thing in the Fashion Industry right now is that we’re living through the most disruptive phase that will ultimately lead to change, better working practices, recycling, reusing and how we manufacture.
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I want to let you decide the information your ready to absorb based on what feels most important to you, because right now we’re on information overload. So here’s a great article I read this week about moving to a more circular fashion industry and also a look at some new and exciting recycling technology.
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First up; This article about a more circular fashion industry, it starts with the challenges in scaling circularity but if you keep reading I love how it gives bullet point breakdowns of what companies should do.
The Green Machine in Tai Po, Hong Kong; Picture courtesy of H&M Foundation website.
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Secondly; information about H&M’s new Green Machine technology, a fabric recycling solution. The first with the ability to separate polyester and cotton blended fabrics in order to recycle and reuse them at scale. Have a read, this one is super exciting; https://hmfoundation.com/project/recycling-the-green-machine/
I look forward to sharing lots more great resources with you and I hope these give you something positive to takeaway and an insight into what the future of the fashion industry could look like.
I want to share with you a few of my favourite Sustainable Fashion Resources, these organisations and people are tackling issues facing the industry, providing great and trustworthy content and helping people become better informed. These resources are from an educational point of view so I thought it was better to provide all the links, and if your interested to dive in, these are a great place to start. I recommend at least following the Instagram accounts.
1. Fashion Roundtable
"A leading think tank for the fashion industry, improving people’s lives by influencing policy and outcomes. We collaborate with Government and Parliament, through our All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs), and across the public, private and third sectors to develop our policy ideas and strategies."
They have a new podcast and I listened to the first episode last week with Tamara Cancik and Kate Hills, the women behind Make it British that will also be appearing in this list and I highly recommend, it was one of those episodes that really gets you thinking.
2. Ellen MacArthur Foundation
"We work with business, government & academia to build a framework for a #circulareconomy that is regenerative by design."
Arguably at the forefront of transforming fashion towards a circular economy, its a great resource for keeping up with innovation, learning what the problems really are and how we can resolve them.
Make it British is all about manufacturing in the UK and not just Sustainable Fashion however they are so interlinked that even just by listening to the Podcast you'll learn so much about how we can Manufacture in the UK more sustainably, what British companies are at the forefront of Sustainable Fashion and why British made products are better for our economy.
4. Fashion For Good
"Global innovation platform and the worlds first museum for sustainable fashion innovation."
They recently launched a Full Circles Textile Project that will investigate the commercial viability of chemical recycling so definitely something to keep updated on.
I hope you find these resources useful, let me know if you have any questions and if you have any great resources I'd love for you to share them with me.
This is just a quick one to let you know about some options for Gifting & Personalisation.
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I've introduced a gift card
Gift someone the option to choose something they love for themselves, its the ultimate sustainable option and is valid for 1 year. This is a digital gift card and you will receive an email with the code that can be used on the website and shared with the recipient. However I can also post out a branded note with personalisation such as the name, voucher amount & code if you would prefer to gift this way. The voucher note is fully editable so if you would like to personalise the message further I'd be more than happy to do that for you at no extra cost, just email me on Hello@lannyxstudio.com or use the contact form on the website. The gift card can be used for anything on the site and for or towards custom orders.
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Please note; If you want the sent out version, you will need to update me by email or the contact form after your purchase as the option isn't available at checkout and I will need to confirm sending address with you but that means I can send direct to recipient if you wish
If you would like to send a gift direct to someone, you can just input their address on the delivery part of checkout. All my products are packaged in branded tissue paper and stickers and come in recyclable boxes or eco mailer bags so they are absolutely ready to gift. If you would like to add a personalised note just let me know and I'd be more than happy to add it in for you. Leave the instructions in the delivery notes or if you want to discuss with me just email hello@lannyxstudio.com or fill in the contact form on the website. Please include your order number and email address used to make order and this service is free of charge.
As the festive season approaches, I'd love to help you out with any gifting needs you might have, so just let me know if there is anything else I can do.
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Love
Allana x
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Click the the below link if you want to contact me quickly;
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/a-behind-the-scenes-lannyxstudio2020-09-23T08:20:40+01:002021-03-21T19:52:44+00:00A Behind the Scenes @LannyxStudioAllana McGowan
Hey Guys!
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I can't believe its nearing the end of September already and the first of my AW designs & makes are well underway and will be launching soon after this blog post.
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The first Autumn accessories collection is coming to the website on Sunday 27th September at 6pm 💖💚💜💛💙
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I wanted to give you a little behind the scenes of this collection, from the research stage to making some of the final pieces.
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First up is collating the research; I love to print out the images I've saved and lay them out to identify themes in colour, shapes, pattern and overall mood and once I've identified them, bringing the images together to create the final board. The reason I don't just have a digital version of this (to save paper) is because I keep this board together for months, sometimes adding to it and I love to see it in 3D every day when I'm working, it really helps to keep the focus and spark bits of inspiration on days were I might really need it!
The Final AW Moodboard
... It's all about unexpected colours & colour combinations ...
The next stage is looking through and gathering all the garments and overstock fabric I think could fit well with the theme & mood. From here I design & choose the shapes/styles that I want to go ahead with. If I'm tweaking a design detail or trying a new shape altogether I'll do some sampling which would be drafting the pattern or tweaking a current one and toiling to make sure that it works. For the first A/W accessories collection I've focused on updating some of my key items including the Bucket Hat, the Scrunchie Handle Bag & new Mask options.
Then its onto making some of the final pieces, which is the best and sometimes scariest part. Upcycling is still at the forefront of how I'm making my collections with the introduction of some new and exciting sustainable trims. Below is the making of one of the new Corduroy bucket hats.
The new bucket hat is made of 100% Cotton Corduroy upcycled from an unused and unworn shirt and has a new lace up tie detail. I've spent a lot of time researching more sustainable trim options and really happy to be implementing what I found into this collection, the new hat comes with an eco elastic cord, made of 40% organic cotton & 60% Natural rubber, making it biodegradable, recyclable and plastic free.
Burgundy Corduroy Hat with Tie Feature
Dropping 27th Sept @6pm
I hope you enjoyed seeing some of the process behind how I research, design and make the products.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/6-podcasts-about-fashion-sustainability2020-08-16T09:30:00+01:002021-03-21T19:52:16+00:006 Podcasts about Fashion & SustainabilityAllana McGowan
I thought I would put together a list of podcast recommendations that discuss Fashion, Sustainability, Business and Culture. I tend to use these as learning resources and research to find interesting people, concepts and sustainable models being developed for the future. I will add a link to the podcast website if they have one and list some of my favourite episodes. Most of them are available to listen to on all the normal platforms so if your interested you can also just search for them on your preferred one.
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/sustainable-conscious-packaging2020-07-05T09:00:01+01:002021-03-21T19:51:05+00:00Sustainable & Conscious PackagingAllana McGowan
I'm really excited to discuss our new packaging as I expand the product range for LannyxStudio. I spent a long time researching and figuring out how to get sustainable, branded and affordable packaging for a small business so thought I would share with you all!
The new packaging includes custom branded tissue paper & stickers. These are both FSC Certified, use acid free paper, soy based inks and are compostable and I have detailed below what all of this really means. The tissue and stickers are from @Noissueco and through this we were able to join the Eco Packaging Alliance which certifies the packaging as environmentally friendly and allows you to re-plant trees as an initiative, you'll see the green badge on our website now. Following my order I choose to re-plant a tree in the Amazon Rainforest.
Further packaging includes Eco Mailer Bags from @Kitepackaging. These mailer bags are unbranded so suitable for any brand. I chose these mailer bags as they are made from a by-product of sugar cane that is grown on reclaimed wasteland and has no impact on the rainforest and no use of fossil fuels. These mailer bags are carbon neutral and fully recyclable.
Some of our products such as the hats will be sent out in cardboard gift boxes from @transpackaging. These also come unbranded but I'll be adding the custom LannyxStudio stickers to them. The boxes are fully recyclable.
I also want to mention that the Face Coverings will still be sent out in our Bio-degradable seal bags and for orders less than 6 these will come in a plastic free envelope also from @transpackaging.
Q and A
What is FSC Certified?
FSC stands for Forest Stewardship Council - They certify that paper is sourced from forests and supply chains that are managed responsibly.
What does Acid free paper mean?
It means the paper is made from cellulose fiber where the active pulp is eliminated during processing. The paper is also lignin and sulphur free so the ink won't transfer and leave behind any chemicals when decomposing.
Why Soy based inks?
They are a renewable resource, produce more vibrant colours and don't leave behind chemicals while decomposing. They also have lower levels of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds)reducing air pollution in the drying process.
Below are the resources for my packaging.
https://www.noissue.co.uk
https://www.kitepackaging.co.uk
https://www.transpack.co.uk
Thanks Allana x
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/an-insight-into-our-face-coverings2020-06-17T09:28:00+01:002021-03-21T16:42:33+00:00An Insight Into Our Face CoveringsAllana McGowan
As the high street opens up and we see a lot of brands selling face masks we wanted to share a few points of difference about our Face Coverings.
Our face coverings are handmade to order in our home studio with minimal waste, 80% of our range is recycled from unused jersey tees and overstock fabric while the other 20% is fabric purchased from UK suppliers.
We also source our trims from UK suppliers- the cords we use in our adult masks can easily be removed from the mask for easy replacement further extending the products life or in future can be reused by the customer for their own DIY projects.
We have carefully considered our packaging, we opted for biodegradable grip seal bags to keep your face covering safe in transit and also encourage you to use this if you need to transport your mask around in your bag or pocket. Once the bag is unusable it can be composted in a home or industrial setting. Our envelopes are plastic free and recyclable and can be put in your home recycling bin or better, re-used.
We are collecting all our fabric scraps for re-use in future projects and for very small scraps they are collected together for future fabric recycling with the aim of them being turned into new fibre.
Our Face coverings have a free lining to allow for filter pads, Bias cut piece for nose wire and comfortable face shape. Our long cord allows you to tie the mask as tightly or loose as needed.
Let me know if you'd like to see more insights from behind our brand, products and sustainability efforts.
We're constantly learning and we know we can learn from you too!
Lanny x
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https://www.lannyxstudio.com/blogs/news/caring-for-your-face-mask2020-05-28T23:10:00+01:002021-03-21T19:51:49+00:00Caring For Your MaskAllana McGowanOur tips for washing & caring for your mask.
Tuck the cord into the lining before washing to avoid fraying or cord becoming tangled.
If any fraying occurs at cord end you can snip away and re-knot if needed.
Wash at 40degrees or less and if possible use a wash bag.
It's important when transporting your mask to keep it away from other items to avoid cross contamination. We suggest using our biodegradable plastic bag with seal if you need to carry it in a pocket or bag for use later.