NearFar

Rest of our Trip.

2010-03-08T03:48:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately we weren't able to keep up with the daily blog as things started to pick up pace! We rose early each morning and made our way to Kissy which takes about an hour due to the terrible traffic. Most days were spent in the market or the workshops trying to sort the orders. Towards the end of our trip we worked on the new Autumn/Winter collection which was extremely exciting. We found some beautiful prints that were slightly tribal and very different to the Summer prints. The designs slowly came together with input from all. Freetown is an amazing place to gain inspiration and seeing those affected by civil war become so driven its hard not to become apart of their move forward.

My inspiration for the designs have come both from people off the streets in London and Freetown. I love looking to see what people wear and Im constantly looking people up in down whether there Shoreditch trendies or rude boys down in New Cross. There is always so much going on that you can take a little from every trend. I love how the Sierra Leonean women traditionally dress, they have these high power shoulders and tight skirts to the floor with a beautiful wrap round their head. These women are extremely strong and empowering and they highlight this through the way they dress.

Our trip ended well! we were tempted to extend our flight so we could spend some time down the coast on the beautiful beaches but we had to get back. All in all we had a great time and it was lovely to catch up with people.

2009-11-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

Hi this is Felicity, Stephanie's sister I have been appointed as the new chief blogger.

So carrying on from where Steph left off with slight despair creeping upon us from the previous day. Here is take two in the bustle of the downtown market for another search for African materials. So down the alleys we proceed with a new member to our group joining us today called Mr Palley who is a lively chirpy tailor which made things rather pleasant. Steph and I were very excited when we came across lovely dark authentic prints for the new winter collection.
So on and on we went from one material shop to another. Eyes had to be alert so we did not miss any shops,which might bring us closer to the actual prints we were looking for. Bargaining is very important so alot of bartering went on as Steph purchased the material. Of course they assume we have lots of money which makes it difficult. But Steph got a compliment today for knowing what price things were and of course a slight smile appeared upon her face!! Among the fabric stalls are a mass of other market stalls with people lounging on there goods waiting to pounce on the passing customer. We treated ourselves to some "Hollywood" chewing gum on a passing young girl who was selling it. We passed a bowl of PIG CLAWS being sold which made me and steph laugh as that would only be in Sierra Leone! We slowly lost momentum and asked John what the time was, it was 4.clock, with an empty stomach and sweat seaping everywhere we decided to end the challenge for today and head back!! So we joined the main Street which was complete mayhem cars, motor cycles, horsecarts, pockets of small fights going on here and there we shoved oursleves in a taxi and chatted away. To those of you who don't know taxis in Sierra Leone everyone piles in with the taxi man shouting on the odd occasion "Aber Deeen Aber Deeen" which is the place where we stay. Taxis are almost like a chat room where you find out the latest happenings, or the politics of the country,you could almost write a book of the interesting conversations as everyone is friendly and exchanges there knowledge of their day.

We ended the day with me and Steph and the taxi man left and we got on the conversation of driving which then ended up with me driving the taxi myself and becoming the taxi women. People on the side of the roads looked very confused and amused with shoutings such as "White girl driving a taxi" It was very amusing not mention a little bit scary on the mad roads of Freetown. We had a much more productive day and things were finally beginning to look up!!

Reunited

2009-11-13T10:29:00.000-08:00

In true Sierra Leonean style everyone was late! We had a great catch up and their were lots of hugs going round. We finally made a move to look for the fabrics that had been previously been promised were in the shops. We found a few straight away, but after a while it seems the rest were out of stock. We searched for 6 hours straight in the sweltering heat up and down streets. As the day went on I began to get more and more disheartened, the tailors had almost given up but I had to keep going. At about 4 o'clock we decided to leave it. I was so hungry and Felicity look like she was going to pass out. We scrambled for the nearest taxi and spent the next hour sweating away in traffic until we got home! I was so upset by the day and was almost thinking I should give up on the whole thing.

Back in Sierra Leone!

2009-11-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

After an exciting summer with NearFar I am back in Freetown due to some exciting orders that have come through!

We touched down in Freetown late Tuesday night. As soon as the plane doors open you get hit by warm air which gave us a buzz of excitement.Our flight was fine after all my fretting. I hate flying! We made our way to mainland Freetown on the Pelican water taxi and managed to get a free ride to the place we are staying. This has become a bit of a theme as we seem to have been offered rather a few free rides. We have landed on our feet in terms of accommodation, a beautiful house that looks out onto the sea, it is basic though with no fan and washing out of a bucket-which I rather enjoy!

On our first day we headed ( I forgot to mention my sister Felicity is helping me out) to see Mr Wilson who is in charge of the tailors we work with. It took us an hour and half to make our way through traffic into downtown Freetown. It was so great to see him after so long. So I arranged a meeting for Thursday morning to see the tailors and get going finding the materials.

2009-05-19T01:48:00.000-07:00

www.nearfar.co.uk

2009-05-18T04:10:00.000-07:00

2009-05-18T04:04:00.000-07:00

2009-01-15T04:39:00.000-08:00

After leaving Goldsmiths university in 2007 I felt overwhelmed. I was doing the odd fashion internship here and there, trying to get on the ladder to an ethical clothing company but it seemed as though that without financial backing it was near on impossible. So I decided to try and do something on my own. Freetown, Sierra Leone is a place that I had grown familiar with and rather adore. I had spent the last 3 years travelling out to Freetown for various holidays as my parents were based out there. Slowly I began to notice material shops or a tailors on every street corner. Not like any other material shop I had seen, these had fabrics over flowing there shelves and door ways, desperately trying to keep the suns rays from fading the colours and prints. The fabrics are beautiful and extremely radiant, they radiate this sense of strength and vibrancy. The prints are detailed and powerful and once this is conjured up into an edgy design it gives the wearer a sense of power and individualism.

I became mesmorised in these shops spending hours making my way through the different prints and colours, I would end up getting far too carried away and wanting every piece of material in site. But what really struck me is that even though these tailors and material shops crowd the narrow streets of Freetown they are barely surviving.

While I was at Goldsmith I lived in Deptford a place that is home to West African prints in London. So it gave me this rather familiar smell and sight of Sierra Leone. One thing that I kept on noticing was that the only designs that were produced in these prints were traditionally African, great in their own right, but not likely to appeal to the average London fashionista. So I decided that I would try and fill that gap. Even though I did not study Fashion design I believed that my sense for a good design, combined with the talent of tailors in Sierra Leone, could build a strong team to create a unique collection.