October is a t shirt printing, screen printing, garment sourcing and embroidery supplier established in 1990. We source a wide range of clothing and accessories to fit the most demanding of specifications. Although we print and embroider for a variety of sectors, our speciality is fashion.
With this in mind we offer a full service including garment sourcing, graphic design input, range development, technical screen print and embroidery advice, label supply, re-labelling, bagging, swing ticketing and bulk distribution.
This isn't everything. That would just be too massive, but it is a cross section of all our favourite T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoods, polos, hats etc. It's what a pretentious bell end might call a curated edit. Feel free to call us with any questions, and let us know if we left anything out.
It all started 25 years ago. Paul finished a degree in obscure eastern religions, and was surprised to find he couldn't get a job. Not a problem, a friend had a sewing machine,
The UK Bungee Club (UKBC) was established in 1992 and is the market leader for Bungee Jumping in the UK. As the pioneer of commercial Bungee Jumping in Britain, the UKBC now facilitates all jumps sold by Britain’s leading retailers and gift experience companies such as Boots, WHSmith, Buy a Gift, ExElement and Red Letter Days.
With permanent venues nationwide the UKBC operates bungee jumps from both fixed structures and cranes. With the UK’s only bridge bungee jump, the UK’s only indoor venue and regular jump heights from 160ft to 400ft, the UK Bungee Club has unparalleled experience in bungee jumping activities.
The professionalism and excellent safety record of the company has led to the UKBC being first choice for television production companies and channels worldwide including Endemol, Tiger Aspect and Outline Productions to name a few, producing shows for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, NBC and ESPN. Working with over 200 charities both large and small the UKBC has facilitated and organised charity events raising in excess of £3 million for good causes.
During its existence and due to the nature of the work the UKBC has become involved with other activities acting as advisors as well as organising and running events such as abseils, zip wires, drop slides and adventure trips around the world.
In the 1990’s The UK Bungee Club was responsible for running one of the most famous permanent jump facilities in the world, Adrenalin Village, located at Chelsea Bridge in Battersea, London. A permanent feature on the London skyline UKBC’s 300ft tower crane dispatched 11,000 bungee jumpers every year over the Thames. Alongside this a floating hostel housed thrill seekers from all over the globe with a total of 100,000 people visiting the site in its final year of operation. This was also the venue for the qualifying rounds of The World Extreme Games in association with the television company ESPN, which the UKBC facilitated in 1995.
In October 2006 The UK Bungee Club secured the rights to jump from the Middlesbrough Transporter Bridge. A milestone for Bungee Jumping in the UK – it was the first time that members of the public had been allowed to jump from a UK Bridge since members of Oxford University performed the first ever bungee jump in its modern form from the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol in 1979. On December 17, 2007, the UK Bungee Club bungee jumped American news anchor Anne Curry off the world famous Transporter Bridge to raise money for charity. Her jump was shown on the NBC news Today show at about 8:13 am Eastern time and went out live to 8 million people.
The UK Bungee Club also runs The Abyss @ Magna, the world’s only indoor bungee jump. Located and housed in the 150ft Face of Steel Building at the award winning Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham, a £46million Millennium project which opened in 2001. An extensive build project, The Abyss @ Magna opened in 2005 and has received national and international press coverage as well as being a venue for numerous TV and film projects. As a result The Abyss @ Magna was awarded the Best Tourism Experience 2006 by the Yorkshire Tourist board. Working with the board and management of Magna, The Abyss has continued to progress with the installation of a new 250ft zip wire and a 150ft PowerFan descender, these activities were built alongside a new £2.7 million corporate development project at the centre.
As London Fashion Week approaches, the hype behind ethical fashion is going through the roof. But how many of our favourite high street shops offer fairly traded clothes? Amita Mistry investigates.
“Young girl working fairtrade Young girl working on a loom in Aé¯t Benhaddou, Morocco in May 2008” – image is courtesy of NationMaster.com
Are you wearing or do you own anything from the high street giant Primark? If so, find the label and read where it was made.
Done? If you’re still looking, it’s because Primark’s labels don’t reveal the location of the garment’s origin. The company argues that there is no law requiring retailers to state where the clothing is made.
Primark is every bargain hunter’s candy shop, full of cheap clothes that can be thrown away when the latest trend is phased out. Last June, it was investigated by undercover reporters from the BBC who revealed that the retailer used child labour (allegedly without their knowledge) to make their products. It was claimed that clothes were created by underpaid factory workers, many of whom took their work outside the factory to family members and children.
After BBC1’s Panorama made the issue public, the head of Primark spoke to a journalist about the allegations. Primark director Breege O’Donoghue said: “We detest that children have been used; we do not support that children should be used in our supply chain. These children are not in our factories. These three factories had stringent audit and inspection in the last 18 months these children were in unauthorised production.”
She added: “It’s against our terms of trade to employ children. Our code of conduct was breached, our standards were breached – this is why these factories will no longer be doing business with Primark.”
Developing countries reportedly rely on the forced labour of thousands of 10-to15-year-old children, who pick cotton to create clothes for western countries like ours. Each September, school children are forced to miss classes for up to two and a half months for cotton-picking. The children spend up to 11 hours a day working in the fields and earn less than two US dollars.
I decided to visit Primark in Nottingham to find out what the paying public thought about this. Hordes of shoppers wondered around with trademark blue baskets full to the brim with clothes. The long queue for the tills made it feel like it was Christmas Eve, while the staff stood at their folding stations as customers sifted through the piles of jeans desperate to find their size.
Asked about Primark’s reputation on garment production, one student shopper from Nottingham said: “I do wonder how they can charge so little, but I’m well into my overdraft and can’t afford expensive clothes. Primark has high fashion at affordable prices, which is what draws me in.”
Another customer remarked: “I guess ‘throw-away fashion’ is a bit of a waste, but in the current economic climate people are hunting for bargains more than ever before. It’s a shame, but I suppose we are keeping the people who make the garments in employment.”
Although Primark has made changes to stop child labour by shutting down the factories in India, this now leaves thousands of people unemployed. It seems as though they are more concerned with the reputation of the business rather than the need to help and support these underprivileged workers.
Fortunately, some people are doing their best to change the situation. At this season’s forthcoming fashion events, movers and shakers from the high fashion world are creating, promoting and showcasing ethical clothes.
Along with London Fashion Week’s estethica, which exhibits fashion by eco-loving designers (February 21-24), Pure London has also introduced Ethical Pure as part of its campaign to promote the designers who produce clothing that follows eco-friendly guidelines (February 8-10).
Meanwhile, February 23 to March 8 sees the annual fortnight dedicated to highlighting the work of the Fairtrade Foundation, a charity that seeks to ensure everyone can maintain a decent and dignified livelihood. Since its launch, the Fairtrade mark has not only changed the way in which corporations deal with their suppliers and how consumers shop on the high street, but it is also transforming the lives of millions of farmers, workers and their communities.
The desire to make even a small contribution towards helping the environment and the social welfare of others is a trend that has been embraced by many companies, from small specialist stores to big high-street chains. Debenhams, Monsoon and Marks & Spencer, for instance, all stock a Fairtrade cotton range.
Another outspoken campaigner is Jane Shepherdson, the retail guru who catapulted Topshop to star status. Now chief executive of the Whistles chain, she is also the non-executive director of People Tree (www.peopletree.co.uk), one of country’s first eco-chic brands. In addition, Shepherdson is transforming Oxfam’s charity shops into must-have destinations for eco-fashionistas.
These are just a few of the examples of people making waves in the ethical clothing movement. Yet, while much progress has already been made, there is still a significant way to go. Does the future of fashion lie in fairly traded clothes? Only time, and our shopping habits, will tell.
For more information on Fairtrade Fortnight, visit: www.fairtrade.org.uk or http://www.bbc.co.uk/thread/blood-sweat-tshirts.
Echidna Clothing is all about wearing an aussie t shirt on your sleeve, and doing so with a bit of style as well.
It all began when a bloke stuck in a freezing London winter wanted an Australian t shirt to remind him of home. After a few cold ones to fuel the creative process, and many hours hunched over the drawing board, Echidna Clothing was born.
It doesn’t matter if you are at the beach, in the bush or travelling around the globe… wearing Australian t shirts shows the world where you’re from, and keeps you looking good at the same time.
At Echidna, take Australian icons like Bonnie Doon, Brisvegas, The Southern Cross, and others — and then turn these into retro Aussie t shirts so you can show the world where you’re from.
They are so confident in that you will be stoked with your new Australian TShirts, they offer a no questions asked, money back guarantee on all items!!
It’s always a pleasure to print t-shirts associated with a sporting success, but the experience is all the sweeter when it concerns a contender from Nottingham.October screen printed Carl Froch’s t-shirts for his recent WBC Super Middleweight fight with Jean Pascal.
The distressed design led us to the decision that discharge inks should be used, along with an enzyme washed garment — this created a vintage look to match what turned out to be a vintage performance, reminiscent of the great Benn v Eubank encounters of the past.
Carl will no doubt now get the opportunities he deserves — Madison Square Garden next summer? Watch this space.
The word urban is thrown about so casually nowadays that it is hard to determine what it actually means and whether it means the same thing in every context.
There has been much debate in the music industry about the word urban actually acting as a euphemism for music of black origin, however, the dictionary defines it as of or living in a city or town. So what does the word urban actually mean? And more importantly, what does it mean in the context of fashion?
For the purposes of the UK Urban Fashion Awards, the word urban has been taken to mean the culture that arises in cities and towns as a result of the fusion of different cultures, lifestyles, ideas and attitudes.
Urban Fashion is edgy and reflects lifestyle, attitudes and individuality. Unlike mainstream fashion, anything goes in the urban fashion world and designers are not pressured into conforming to trends. This scene is a law unto itself and trends change with the wind. Inspiration for urban lifestyle trends comes not from the media but from those trendsetters, those individuals within the scene that lead. Those that turn ideas into action. Those who refuse to follow conventions. These are the people that direct the urban scene.
Urban Fashion does not bow to the trends dictated by mainstream fashion. As its central themes are individuality, going against the grain and youth culture, it is an industry which is evolving very rapidly and whose path and trends are somewhat unpredictable. Influences are varied and numerous and include American, British, Asian, Caribbean and African culture, rock, pop, hip-hop, indie and dancehall music. The skateboard culture, youth culture and mainstream fashion also influence urban fashion. All these influences and many more have given rise to a rich fusion of colour, design, style and attitude, which has created the unique and distinctive UK Urban Fashion scene. This scene is also quite distinct from mainstream fashion because the designs are more practical and are, therefore, more likely to be worn on a day-to-day basis, which is to be expected in view of the fact that the word urban is often thought to be synonymous with what is happening on the streets.
In conclusion, urban fashion is real fashion, style that exudes individuality and attitude and is what the ordinary fashion savvy shoppers are wearing right now.
Like all good ideas, the idea for Chunk came about one Friday night in the pub, back in the heady days of September 2000.
Quote: “A friend had just bought an old Ford Capri MkI and with it, came a Haynes manual. So proud was she of her new purchase, she took the manual to the pub where we all sat around admiring the cover until someone said “wouldn’t that look great on a T-shirt”. And that, as they say, was that. Chunk launched and was quickly noticed by the leading stores: Harvey Nichols, The Dispensary, Richmond Classics, and the name and the range grew quickly. We gave up our jobs, sold our houses and concentrated on making Chunk a great UK brand.
We moved into the first Chunk Towers (a 200sq ft room in Shoreditch with a glass roof and no heating) which we quickly outgrew, so we moved into the existing Chunk Towers, a 47 storey building with flags flying from the roof and marble lions by the door in that trendy area, Tottenham, North London. From the outset, our ethos was to produce excellent quality garments at a fair price. We wanted Chunk to use iconic images and adapt them to put them in different contexts, make them clever or funny or quirky.
We wanted the clothing to be detailed and well thought through. We wanted Chunk to bring clever design and a bit of fun to fashion.
Six years later and Chunk now produces two seasonal collections a year, two injection ranges and new T-shirt designs every 12 weeks”.
www.chunk.uk.com mens t shirts, womens t shirts, kids t shirts
Drool Gear is an exclusive indie fashion label from London selling bespoke and small-run garments from screen printed fabrics.
We make anything from casual streetwear with a twist to haute PUNKcouture garments, simple cute tops with nasty prints to hotpants with a labia. It all depends on our mood when we start splashing about fabric inks or abusing the overlocker machine. One thing is certain, all clothing runs are very small (if not one-off) and you won’t find any of that corporate sweatshop rubbish in our studio, so no wholesale orders please.
Genius is in the detail, Drool Gear is in textures and tailoring. We take inspiration from the romantic decay of the facades of old buildings. Elegant yet barely legible graffiti scribbles overlap the rusty construction signs, fade, get painted over, crossed out; walls are a living breathing constantly mutating organism, and Drool Gear textiles document that organism in the urban landscapes.
We “digitally shoplift” the graffiti from the walls, bridges, trains of Milan, London, Berlin, Tokyo… Using the snapshots of the tags we recreate that unique texture onto fabric. Multiple screens are employed with overprinting, random placement of designs and variant colour ways.
We print and overprint jersey fabric with textural designs. We cut the fabrics into ribbons, mix up contrasting or matching colours and sew them back together. Textiles, as well as the meaning of words in the print, undergo a dada-ist treatment… And that’s when we cut patterns for the actual garment.
For special orders and the readily available garments inquire through droolgear@gmail.com.
We mostly work on commission basis so that the customer can get a truly unique piece designed and fitted specially for them. We try to use as much of recycled textiles as possible. We often build a garment around the customers’ old t-shirt with their favourite design. (Drool garments combine brand new t-shirts with recycled quality second-hand textiles.
Visit >> http://www.myspace.com/droolgear >> for more info.
Founded in 1998 by graphic designer Leke Adesoye, Aerosoul had humble beginnings but always harboured grandiose ambitions. Central to Leke’s vision was to see his label become a premier British streetwear brand with world-wide appeal.Hence, some seven years later this goal has been achieved. Not only has Aerosoul gained a well-deserved reputation for its highly-quality merchandise. but also ground-breaking designs which reflects the rapidly evolving themes of British urban culture today.London-born Leke began his design venture in the early nineties when, greatly inspired by the burgeoning drum n’ bass and hip hop scene, he sought to capture that energy and innovation in his clothing.By skilfully fusing different elements of these disparate yet interwoven tribes, Aerosoul managed to reach out to several at once. His much-loved “Junglist Movement” T-shirts became the underground logo of a generation, but the brand was soon to establish a wider clientele.Whilst street culture remained Leke’s core inspiration, Aerosoul was soon being sported by indie rockers and sugary teen bands alike. The brands wide demographic was now firmly established and forever growing in diversity.One of the central plans of the Aerosoul philosophy has always been for the clothing to be marketed by the cultural icons of contemporary British street youth culture. Considering Aerosoul appeal, there was little problem in executing this desire.As the label’s notoriety expanded, so did the list of those underground a.list artists who featured as models. Aerosoul has always had a keen eye for up-and-coming talent. The fact that many who’ve modelled for the label have since blown up on the British urban music scene is demonstrative of Leke’s intuition.Included in these, too numerous to mention artists are: Estelle, Roots Manuva, Damage, Paradox, A.I , Karl hinds, Rodney P, TY, Omar and Normski.In 2004 sales in the brand reached their healthiest growth yet. , Meanwhile, innovation, quality and the desire to remain at the pulse of youth culture will continue to be Aerosoul’s over-riding motivation and drive.As the global streetwear market expands at an eye-popping rate, the future only holds endless and exciting possibilities for Aerosoul limited.
FUSION
Since its creation Aerosoul has prized its inspirations from the streets. As such the designs incorporate the vast melting pot that composes British urban culture. Our designs reflect that lifestyle. An ever-evolving movement; inclusive, free-spirited and never predictable.
DIVERSIFICATION
Whilst the Junglist Movement T-shirt was for a period an Aerosoul mainstay diversification was, of course, a necessity. And so AS xtreme Sports was born. This division successfully tapped into the skater/snow boarder market. Meanwhile Leke responded to the cries for a feminine twist to streetwear and founded Soulero Sista ”feminine wear 4 urban livin”. Both strands have proved a popular addition to the ever-evolving brand’s portfolio.
PROMINENT AFFILIATIONS
Aerosoul is also proud to have had a 6 year sponsorship association with Acupuncture footwear, a uk ground-breaking brand whose designs have featured in all our promotions.Alongside this successful affiliation we are also sponsored by Kirk Originals who provide the essential eye wear to compliment the Aerosoul vibe.
GLOBAL SUCCESS
In 1999 the Junglist Movement T-shirt achieved global cult status when it featured prominently in the wardrobe of the cult British dance movie, Human Traffic.
Along with the ever-growing on-line store, the brand has been available at ,
TK Max, Top Shop, Blackmarket, HMV, ASOS, Dr jays as well as a range of specialist outlets from America, Germany, Japan to Amsterdam.
Visit >> http://www.aerosoul.co.uk >> for more info…
De La Calle was created to represent those individuals who started the game with two strikes right out of the gate but have managed nonetheless not only to survive but to thrive.This clothing brand is dedicated to all “veteranos” who have fallen six times but have gotten up seven.
For anyone considered at one time or another, the black sheep-of-this-or-that, or written off (prematurely I might add) as casualties of warfare/drugs & alcohol/broken hearts/what-have-you and yet, in spite of it all, have persevered to rise above it all, time and time again.
De La Calle is the one urban clothing brand geared primarily towards the world-wide Latino market that’s not focused on any particular nationality or ethnic group (Puerto Ricans, Anglos, Hip-Hop Nation, Mexicans, African-Americans, Colombians, Orientals, Skaters, Central & South Americans, Surfers, Dominicans, Cubans, Rockers, etc.). We just carry the name brand with the most relevance for our youth, it‚é„é´s very easy to understand; it‚é„é´s concise, to the point and offers tremendous crossover potential.Our brand transcends nationalities, political, social and musical movements for De La Calle is indeed the sum of them all.
Our denizens also transcend barriers, fences, walls and frontiers since all of our lives we have been overcoming the obstacles that life and circumstance have been throwing our way. That is why, to be considered ‚é„éºde la calle‚é„é¹ is to be considered not only a fighter but more importantly, a survivor.As a clothing company our main goals are to become the premier urban brand representative of our whole Latino family, to act as the common denominator as well as the bridge where the youth from all of our nations will be able to -at long last- unite as one, and to become the urban clothing brand synonymous with Nuestra Gente.
Andy Irizarry,
President/CEO, De La Calle Inc,
San Juan,
Puerto Rico www.delacallepr.com
www.myspace.com/delacalleurbanwear
January 2008 sees the launch of the 22ten t-shirt brand and its on-line shop can be found on their website www.22-ten.co.uk. This company brings together a unique blend of fashion, design and sports backgrounds to create an exciting new collection of mens‚é„é´ t-shirts. Their initial collection is the one of the first fashion t-shirt ranges in the UK to printed on bamboo. Bamboo is a naturally sustainable fibre that has the additional benefit of being hypoallergenic, and because it is antibacterial, the fabric doesn’t hold sweat or smell. Bamboo reacts like silk t-shirt if you are cold it keeps you slightly warmer, or if in a hot climate, it keeps you around 2 degrees cooler. It feels softer to touch than cotton, and is machine washable. 22ten commissioned a collection of prints designed by the Californian artist Erik Alwill. Erik based his drawings on his personal interpretation of the four philosophical statements: Free will defence;Would immortality be tedious? Am I dreaming? Casual realism. A more definitive explanation of each phrase can be found on their website.22ten is supporting and encouraging health by keeping £1 aside from each t-shirt sold through their website to start a fund to sponsor a British athlete for the 2012 Olympics. Nearer the Olympics, clients of 22ten will be asked to vote for the recipients of this financial reward.
More details can be found on their website.For further information, visuals or samples, please contact:
Christmas is upon us and it´s time for last minute shopping. Last year I was fortunate enough to receive some chocolate mints and a thermos flask, and the year before I became the happy owner of a male grooming kit. In an attempt to avoid the crimes of previous years, I would like to draw the attention of my London friends to the opening of Chateau Roux’s new shop at 17 Newburgh Street. Before you say it I realise that October screen print the T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoods etc, but it seems unreasonable of you to ask me to print my own present. So, you know what I want and you know where to get it – now get your smoky selves down Carnaby Street, hang a left, and don’t stop to buy any dodgy knitwear on the way that dealt with, everyone here at October would like to wish all of you a safe and warm festive session – to all the people we´ve printed and embroidered for it’s been a pleasure, and a big thanks for the work. Look forward to seeing you all again next year and remember, a T-shirt isn´t just for Christmas, it´s for life.
