New This Week: Hey Bubble & Squeak

Bubble & Squeak is a very exciting event that is coming to Dogma (Nottingham) on Wednesday 9^th May, courtesy of NTU’s very own Fashion Marketing & Branding kids, in association with TRAID (I love them already) and American Apparel. 

The aim of the game is showcase the abundance of creative talent that we have here in Notts, whilst raising money for the great guys at TRAID – a charity whose 3 main objectives are:

1. To protect the environment by diverting clothes and shoes from landfill;
2. To reduce world poverty by raising funds for overseas development projects; and
3. To educate the UK public on environmental and world poverty issues.

I blogged about TRAID last month after finding out that we are getting clothing banks from them on our very own NTU campus, so no more emptying your wardrobes into unfriendly black bins at the end of the year freshers! I am keen to be a GREEN bean.

So back to Bubble & Squeak. Here a little of what’s on offer on the night:

• Exciting fashion stalls hosted by Mimm, NTU Fashion kids, TRAID, American Apparel, Top Tier Cakes, Girl With the White Balloon (can I get a woot WOOT!) and more TBA

• Live Fashion Fix: fashion show throughout the night wearing the best of our local designers + TRAID Remade pieces

•  American Apparel who will be providing 200 goodie bags on the night for guests.

• Music from Tunnels (Lost Boyz), Rykuvan, Stefan Malinaro

That’s right, you heard it here first guys & dolls: The Girl With The White Balloon will be showcasing (for the first time ever!) at this tip top event! Special limited-edish screen printed canvas bags will be on sale (all profits going to our 3 RAG charities of course) along with a few more surprises...

If you would like to host a stall / contribute to the fashion show, you can get in touch with  beth_blatch@hotmail.com for more details, and she will be happy to help!

What you need to know:

This is all taking place at Dogma, Nottingham – Wednesday 9^th May 10pm – 3am

Tickets:

EARLY BIRD £5
ADVANCED £7
ON THE DOOR £10

Available at Fatsoma

OR, you can pick up your tickets from various stalls around Nottingham Trent University.

Monday 7th May – Outside the SU (the mass pile of rubble, you can't miss it, *teary sniffle*)
Tuesday 8th May – Outside Bonnington
Wednesday 9th May – Outside Newton

AND REMEMBER - ALL TICKET PROCEEDS GO TO TRAID!

So make sure you save the date – Miss this and you’ve MISSED OUT, BIG TIME.

Just a little note from Me to You

I’ve decided to take a little moment to do a follow up post that centres on the mission of my blog, and reminds you all of what I hope to achieve through it. As you can see from the ‘story’ section, the whole point of my ‘White Balloon’ campaign is to raise people’s awareness of how fashion can (and is) linking with charity. The bottom line is – I like to help people. I truly believe that this is my life’s calling... it’s one of the few things, along with writing, that makes my heart soar. And so I see this as a strong part of my future. 

I have decided to use my final degree project to explore and promote this as much as I possibly can. I’m really hoping to raise lots of money for some great causes in the process, and hope to encourage you all to do the same, while having a lot of fun along the way. I believe that this campaign is something very unique, and something that might even ending up hopefully changing the world a little for the better, someday (Yeah, I like to dream BIG).

Recently, I’ve found myself pondering about how a lot of the time, we seem to waste our words... and we waste our moments. We fall short of being the people who we were meant to blossom into. And it’s a damn shame. I’m really conscious of the fact that waking up each day is a blessing in itself; so each day I try to make it count. Accomplish something. No regrets.

A wise lady recently told me not to worry about the ones who say you’re weird, who call you names and push you down. Don’t worry about those who try to tell you you can’t do something, because the truth is that you CAN. You can be anything that you want to be. The ones who push you down, and try to break you... well they only do it because they themselves are already broken. Keep your head held high. And shoot for the MOON. BELIEVE in the power of your own voice and your passion. Don’t waste time waiting so long to start using your platform out of fear that you won’t be able to make a difference. Because, trust me, you WILL. 

Why you? Because there’s no one better.

Why now? Because, my friends, tomorrow just isn’t soon enough.

So join me in this venture, and let us be MORE splendid, and MORE extraordinary, and use each and every moment we get to fill ourselves UP. 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of you who is following and reading – this makes you a part of something that means so much more to me, and the greater good, than you know... 

TRAID clothing banks @ NTU

Did you know that the average student among us manages to scrape the pennies together, while probably existing mostly with the help of ASDA’s 11p packs of noodles, and spend £400 on new clothes every year? But often, given the ‘fast fashion’ culture that we have found ourselves in, many of us will wear an item of clothing only a few times before deciding that we no longer have a need for it and want to throw it away. The majority of these garments are still in good condition, and could be given a new lease of life elsewhere. This is where TRAID comes in.

As some of you may be aware, Nottingham Trent University currently holds the title of ‘greenest uni in the UK’, and it doesn’t look like something that is about to be snatched from under our feet anytime soon...

As I speak, 3 dazzling green clothes recycling banks are being set up around NTU in conjunction with charity organisation TRAID (Textile Recycling for Aid and International Development) who specialise in the recycling of unwanted clothing.

Banks will be installed on the City campus next to Hampden Halls & Clarendon Court Halls, as well as at Brackenhurst campus between Ash & Beech Halls. So no more excuses for all you fresher’s dumping half your wardrobe into black bins at the end of summer term! Don’t bin it, TRAID it in a cleaner green bin.

TRAID currently operates over 900 recycling bins up and down the UK. All clothing donated is sorted by helping hands, and then sold back to the public in one of TRAID’s charity shops (which can be found at numerous locations across London). Any clothes that do not meet shop floor standards are neatly upcycled into brand spanking new one-off pieces, and are sold under the award-winning recycled fashion label TRAIDremade, which you can take a look at: www.traidremade.com/

TRAID’s 3 main objectives are:

1. To protect the environment by diverting clothes and shoes from landfill;
2. To reduce world poverty by raising funds for overseas development projects; and
3. To educate the UK public on environmental and world poverty issues.

All the money that is raised from the charity shops and TRAIDremade is used to expand the organisations recycling activities and fund a number of overseas development projects (some of which are in partnership with other charities such as Oxfam).

You can read more about what TRAID does @ http://issuu.com/traid/docs/traid_wearing_poverty_out/84

By donating your unwanted clothing instead of throwing it away will help save our planet two-fold: Firstly, fewer clothes disposed of means reduced pressures on landfill, and also reduces the need for so many new clothes to be produced. And secondly, you will be helping charities to raise a lot of money for a lot of great causes.

Listen up TRENT Army: The more you shove into these green beacons of hope, the more waste we will be recycling as a university, which will help us in our bid for green domination.  

Fool proof plan I think.

VV Vintage & Design With Oxfam

VV Brown is the latest performer to have branched out into the world of fashion – a place that my friends and I know increasingly well as this is where, for now, we have chosen to spend all of our days and our time. The star has recently launched a new e-commerce site entitled ‘VV Vintage’ which is partnering with Oxfam, and appropriately focuses on up cycling and sustainability within fashion, as well as a vast selection of meticulously sourced vintage pieces which promise to be la crème de la crème. 

VV Brown ‘known for her unique and quirky sense of style, personally approves each item available on the site and is pro-active in seeking fresh exciting talent to work with.’ 

Much like the project that the first year fashion designers at NTU have recently embarked upon, VV’s new site is working with emerging undiscovered designers to transform Oxfam’s excess & unwanted materials into one of a kind bespoke pieces that will inevitably fly off the website like hot (chocolate chip) cakes (with plenty of frosting). Now listen up Guys & Dolls: what’s great is that 10% of the profits will be going directly back to Oxfam, so money will be made from old fabrics and garments that would’ve otherwise gone to waste, unnecessarily -

‘Giving back to the community with an ethos that fashion can create a place where everyone benefits.’

And the good news just keeps rolling: this project – Design With Oxfam (DWO) – is open to ALL designers, whether you’ve learned your craft at the world-renowned St Martins or simply from doodling & daydreaming about pretty dresses in your bedroom. They’re currently looking for more designers to join their new venture, so get on the website and get in touch if you believe you have something unique to offer, and are ready to put your talent out there into the big wide world.

I’ve had a speedy snoop at some of the vintage pieces on the website at the moment, and they’re great – really individual, each with their own story. Loads of colour, print, classic items, slouchy t-shirts, jumpers and dresses + plenty more; but don’t take my word for it, take a sneaky peek yourself @ http://www.vvvintage.com/

 As Coco says,

‘Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.‘ - Coco Chanel.

Fashion is everywhere, circulates our lives on many levels, and represents far more than many people choose to acknowledge. But never mind those who choose not to see or believe. As long as you and I see, that is more than sufficient to use fashion as a vehicle to change the world, even just a little bit.  

Because sometimes, all it takes is one.

Fashion kids @ NTU join forces with Oxfam and Upcycle

Today I spent my morning in the awesome treasure-trove shop that is Oxfam (you know - the quirky Goose Gate one in Nottingham). It’s nothing like your typical bog-standard charity shop, that generally lacks inspiration or imagination - oh no – it’s an absolute pleasure to wander around its shop floor, never knowing what you might stumble upon. The building is beautiful, and the interior decor is really vibrant and inviting and just plain FUN. Items are sorted into different sections, including high street and retro, with an eye candy rainbow rail of colour coded items near the entrance. Numerous vintage accessories including scarves and jewellery; in addition to scrap pieces of fabric and do-it-yourself projects are scattered around in various wooden trunks and chests, patiently waiting to be discovered. I just love it there. 

Anyway, back to why I was there (no, I wasn’t shopping and frittering away my student loan, again) – the first year Fashion Design kids at Nottingham Trent Uni (where I am currently a final year student) are embarking on an upcycling project with Oxfam. Working in teams, they were each handed a mysterious green Oxfam sack filled with a random lucky-dip of donated clothes, which do not meet the required shop-floor standards. Their mission, should they choose to accept it or not, is to rip, shred, tear, dye, print, deconstruct, and upcycle these old items into brand spanking new, on- trend show stopping garments, which will then be sold in the Oxfam shop. So clothes that would normally have gone to waste are being given a new lease of life, a step in the right direction to save our planet is being taken, the fashion kids get to have a lot of fun with an interesting project, and Oxfam will get extra money to save lives. It’s a win win win win. 

I must say it was very interesting watching the students’ faces as they delved into their green bags, hoping for some fine diamonds, while mostly finding cheap cloudy fakes. But that is the whole point of the project – it’s not supposed to be easy, and will most definitely challenge these young designers and their skills, but will also be extremely rewarding upon seeing their final garments being strutted down the catwalk. Oh, their faces were a picture...

the store-room

The students began to reveal the contents of the ominous green sacks. Some were pleased...

Others, not so much.

various old trims and bits & bobs that the students could help themselves to

The lovely fashion accessories lecturer Lee in the background here

The funniest trousers I've seen in a long while... He seemed impressively enthusiastic though...

Emma (a lovely lecturer @ NTU) with Thomas the Oxfam manager

I was fortunate enough to speak to the manager of the shop – Thomas – who was telling me that Oxfam are currently struggling to get enough re-sellable donations through the door, which I feel could be due to the explosion of eBay which makes it very convenient to sell your unwanted clothes and pocket some good money in the process.  In addition, Thomas believes that fabric recycling companies, which pay for un-wanted clothes by the weight, are also affecting Oxfam. So Guys & Dolls: PLEASE DONATE SOME OF YOUR UNWANTED CLOTHES TO CHARITY! No, you won’t receive any dollars in exchange, but what you will get is a whole lotta good karma; and that’s a promise.

I’ll keep you updated on this project, and will show you the final upcycled pieces once they’re complete!

You can also check out the online Oxfam shop @ http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/ or pop in to your local high street branch!

I'm The Girl With The White Balloon

 Welcome to my blog :o)

I'm Shani, and I'm The Girl with The White Balloon
I study Fashion Design at Nottingham Trent, and am also on the RaG (Raising and Giving) Committee.
Both of these things are close to my heart...
And thus 'The White Balloon' was given life.

The White Balloon aims to raise awareness of how the fashion industry can have a huge positive impact on charity. A lot of campaigns, past & present, have raised huge amounts of money for great causes, but I feel that so much more can be done. After all, fashion is the second biggest industry in the world (second only to food & drink) and is therefore extremely powerful and influential.
In this blog I shall be posting anything and everything that is going on in the fashion world that is related to charity and raising money, and helping people in less fortunate positions than myself. I hope to encourage you all to get involved too, because, well... it's extremely rewarding knowing that you've made a difference to someone's life; and also - it's SO MUCH FUN!
The White Balloon campaign is part of my final fashion degree project, but also something I believe has longevity and the strength to continue long after graduation. The garments that I will be making as part of 'The White Balloon' brand will be sold with a percentage of the profits going directly to charity; something which I will continue to do with each new collection that I design. I think that one of the main problems in our world today is that people are greedy. And that's just not how I choose to live my life. I believe that what you give, you will get back, in the most unexpected ways!

The charities that I shall be supporting this year (as part of the Trent RaG committee) are:
When You Wish Upon A Star, Nottingham Hospitals, and World Child Cancer.
I will be putting on an event this year which will launch 'The White Balloon' and all the proceeds from this (along with any welcome donations!) and my collection will be donated to these three amazing charities.

I look forward to a world where fashion isn't viewed as unnecessary, a waste of time, or a fake dream land that some of us choose to live in due to the fact that we lack sufficient brain cells to do anything 'worthwhile' with our lives. If you have clothes on your back, then you are a part of it, so don't judge. Fashion makes you feel good, and it allows you to express yourself without the need of words. It's creative, and fulfilling, and it can also be used to raise A LOT of money for a lot of people. This is why I choose fashion.

I want to change the world someday.
And I believe someday is today.

What is your dream?

'Cos this is mine.

I hope you all enjoy reading...