Sunday Funday #4

It has been a fairly CRAPPY week, but there are only like 5 more and I am FINISHED college. Can’t wait at this stage. So, bear with me while I get through this and I promise I will be a better blogger soon!!!

Here’s what kept me sane this week:

1) Lykke Li

I only realised I liked her yesterday. The reason I figured this out was because I was djing after her gig in Tripod last night, so I went along to see it. She’s a little rocket of deadly. What.a.voice. Really good gig. So, that was nice. Turns out I know loads of her music too, just from listening to the radio in a really passive way. I’d love to know how many bands I know without knowing their names. Hmmmmm, I smell a summer challenge in there somewhere…….

Bob’s Burgers

Check it out on 4od. it’s wonderfully weird.

Bob's Burgers

3) Comfortable Clothes

Looking nice has pretty much gone out of the window, and I have adopted a uniform of shirts and whatever skirt/shorts/jeans are clean/least covered in paint & dye.

Cynthia Rowley Resort 11

Rag & Bone Resort 11

Thakoon Resort 11

Preen Resort 11

Obvs, I look nothing like any of the above, who are infinity more composed/better looking than I. But you get where I’m coming from. Easy, slouch pieces to do deadly work in…..well, that’s the plan, anyway.

4) Coffee, cigarettes, friends.

That is all.

xx

From Kenya with Love

Suno make vibrant, wearable clothes. The prints often form the main focal point and that is what initially caught my attention. However, when you start reading the story behind the brand, it gets better. The aforementioned prints are based on founder Max Osterweis’ collection of Kenyan textiles collected over the years which explains the overriding African craft vibe from the collections. However, even better is the fact that Suno is dedicated to sustainability and ethical treatment of workers (which are by no means the same thing), and produce more than 70% of their stuff locally in Kenya. Now, to be upfront, I know Kenya is pretty huge, and I don’t know the name of one city, so I have no idea what local means in this context, but the company seems to be very focused on using indigenous talent and upskilling people to create a better local (there’s that word again) economy and providing skills and commerce to areas that are often overlooked. Which is never a bad thing.

What I especially like about Suno is that they are a fashion company first. Their ethos is built into their designs, but not on the surface of them, if you get me. I believe in working towards a more sustainable fashion industry that works along more ethical guidelines, but I think one of the main reasons that puts people off buying from companies who are heavily involved in sustainability is that design comes after their beliefs. And with the exception of slogan tshirts, very few people want to wear their beliefs so literally. I think to really enact change, companies like Suno are the way forwards, where what they are trying to do just IS. It’s almost a given, and then they focus on creating garments that the vast majority of people want to wear. By selling them as fashion, instead of a social conscience, they are giving people what they want. Just in a more responsible way on the back end of things. If bigger companies just WERE socially conscious, I imagine consumers would be massively supportive. People are lazy. I’m lazy. And I am aware of the problem far more than most. I don’t believe that people purposely buy things to spite workers or the environment, but too often the greener alternative is too difficult to access (in comparison to highstreet stuff), or the design quality just isn’t there.

So, before I rant on all day, here’s to Suno and their company and what they stand for. Great clothes, that is.

all images via sunony.com

If you want to learn more about what you can do to make a difference, no matter how small, go to re-dress.ie. The girls that run it are great, and run courses and talks and loads of good stuff, as well as providing information.