Ethical Handmade Clothing In London By Heba

Everyone in this picture is wearing a jacket that was handmade in London, in a sewing room in Brick Lane. What's more, on the label of every jacket you can find out the name of the seamstress who made it and they are priced fairly to reflect this.
I recently took part is a discussion about ethical fashion on the radio to mark the one year anniversary of the Rana Plaza Factory disaster in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The question they were asking was are we shopping more ethically now?

Heba don't just made jackets they make all kinds of clothes including capes!

'Ethical' has many meanings but one of the questions that commonly arises is do you know how the garment you are wearing was made - was it made in a factory where workers work in unacceptable conditions and are badly paid? When clothes have labels inside that say what country they are made in, we really never know the exact circumstances they were made in....but at Heba it's different. 

This cape cost £20 it was love at first sight so I bought it immediately! Makes me feel very ladylike

Heba is a women's sewing enterprise, collective, co-operative and training facility for women from diverse multicultural backgrounds. Based in Brick Lane, East London, women can come here to learn English, IT and sewing skills, which they can then use for enterprise. 

Some of the women who use the training facility go on to make clothes to sell - some are private commissions and others are sold on a special Heba stall at Spitalfields Market every Sunday morning. (currently based in between Lola's Cupcakes, Benefit and Giraffe.)

Buying an item from their stall means you know exactly who your money is going to, who made the item and where it was made - in fact the money goes back into keeping Heba running.

One jacket two fashionistas

The project is instrumental in giving the women who attend skills, independence and confidence - they also get to show off their creativity in a safe environment (there's even a creche facility on site so while they are learning their kids are looked after.)

So why am I modelling some their creations with a group of other women? Well Heba need help! Although there are other handmade clothes stalls at Spitalfields they are also up against mass-made cheap clothing. So they decided it was time to do some promotion starting with a photoshoot of all the lady's hard work.

I got involved because I attend sewing classes at Heba on Saturday mornings and all the girls in the photo are involved with Heba in some way too.

On the Heba stall the stock changes regularly. They work on seasonal collections bit most excitingly take made-to-measure bespoke commissions too. So next time you are in Spitalfields on a Sunday check out the stall and see what they have been up OR if you've ever wanted to get something made just for you, an original one off that's made-to-measure OR need help with creating your own products for your own business or needs (the women provide sewing services) be sure to speak with them and then book them so that they can continue such an admirable organisation. 

Heba Women's Project is based at 164 Brick Lane and their stall is Sundays at Spitalfields Market.
If you are a woman who wants to learn to sew or make their own clothes they also run sewing classes that anyone can attend. Be sure to them them out!

Table Top Sale At The Forum In Greenwich

I'm a bit broke at the moment and I feel like I've outgrown my flat. So much stuff, not enough thinking space. So after seeing a sign for a Table Top Sale at my local community centre I decided to seize the moment. I signed up instantly, went home and started bagging up some of the things I no longer need: clothes, accessories, books, CDs, random bits and bobs...even a jar of unopened coffee and lots of unused toiletries and make-up.

The Forum is a brilliant space, it has a cafe, loos, baby changing facilities, a hall and various rooms for hire, a bit like a village hall only this is South East London so it's harder to find places like this that still exist!

My prices ranged from 10p-£10.

I had an entire suitcase filled with clothes and accessories for just 50p each!

But some of my 'posher' clothes in good condition were sold for a fiver.

I'm not sure why Jumble Sales turned into being called Table Top Sales, but I've always been an avid fan of rifling through other people's unwanted things so it was a fun way to spend a few hours being one of the sellers for a change.

The other stall holders were really friendly, I particularly liked this girl's merchandising.

And this gentleman was clearly a pro as he knew exactly how to make the most of his space.

This lady was selling handmade items as well as signed copies of a book she's written.

Stall hire at the Forum's Table Top sales is £7. They take place monthly on Saturdays 11am-3pm, to book one, pop in and sign up at reception or call 0208 853 5212 - the next one takes place March 29th.

As for how I got on, I did well for a first timer. Unused beauty products followed by games did the best - though I didn't sell any clothes or accessories. I made enough to pay for a 1/3 of a course I want to do. My idea was to Swap Clutter for Creativity - a mantra I'm going to keep repeating to myself. It also means I'll probably return to do it again soon...after all I still have some more money to make to pay for that course! 

My Style...in Cloth Magazine

EEK! It's me in the new issue of Cloth Magazine.

I'm featured alongside four other fashionistas, all talking about our personal style.

  The photos for the shoot were all taken within a two minute radius of Shoreditch High Street tube station which is also two minutes from the famous Brick Lane.
I had them taken on a Saturday afternoon in a 10 minute window of sun between a crazy rain shower and massive dose of hail stones. 
 But you can't tell!!

Look out for this cover should you wish to buy a copy of the magazine.

I absolutely LOVE this issue, the projects are gorgeous. 
My three faves are this stripey dress.

A disco bra.

 And this amazing plastic spoon necklace that reminds me of the plastic jewellery course I did a few years back.

All the pages are beautifully designed and overall it's a totally lovely magazine so go buy a copy!

Cloth Magazine (August, #19) is on sale now!

Me in The Metro and my new Bollywood Jewellery collection...

 

Yesterday I was in The Metro - a free London newspaper - talking about me, my clothes, my inspiration and dreams - I even revealed some secrets too! 

The article is available online so if you missed it you can read it here.

I had the photoshoot a few weeks ago at The Metro offices in Kensington and I was really pleased that the lovely Bel Jacobs who edits the page let me choose my fave two photos from the shoot - she then made the final choice. It was amusing looking at lots of photos of me and trying to notice the difference between them - was my knee pointing too much in one photo...was my smile a bit too cheesy?

 My friend Sohail who is an amazing photographer tweeted a photo of what the article looks like on an Ipad which was interesting as I've still had very limited access to them. I've only been near my nephews, who's 5, but when I saw him over Christmas he was more interested in using it to play games with my brother-in-laws than letting me have a peak! 

Choosing what to wear was easy but knowing how to accessorise was the hard part. I have so much to choose from! I wanted to use the space to promote some of my favourite designers. The amazing clutch bag I'm holding (here's a better close up) was made from an upcycled rice bag by handbag designer ReddSkinGyal.

While the fascinator which is obscured in the paper was this incredible Bat Girl fascinator by Janine Basil who's work I LOVE!

   

I'm also wearing a necklace that features in my new jewellery collection. I love Bollywood & I love jewellery so clearly I had to make some Bollywood jewellery!

My initial launch range consists of statement pendants and brooches.

Each phrase has special film connotations. This one is in hommage to Helen and is the one I'm wearing in the Metro.

The term 'Desi Girl' was popularised in Dostana a few years back.

 I've always loved the phrase 'Filmi' it's a good way to descibe things that are a bit strange or surreal but could happen in the realm of Bollywood! 'It's just so filmi yar......'

All the pieces are for sale ranging from £7.50-£12 and are handmade by me! 

Visit my online store to purchase!

All in all it was a fun and surreal experience and I'm really pleased with the article and the photo. It's a good record of me at 31 and a great confidence boost for what I do.

Wanted! Contributors for a new Craft book

This Autumn sees the launch of my new book (pictured above) and I'm really excited to be starting on my next publication, scheduled for release Autumn 2013 now! It's a follow up to the forthcoming 'Glitter' book published by Vivays Publishing, but this time it will be '101+ Things to do with' a different material.

There are four categories inside the book:

• Fashion & Accessories
• Home & Interiors
• Cards & Papercrafts
• Food & Gifts 

And once again I'm on the hunt for exciting, unusual, original crafts projects designed by craft makers & designers from all over the world to feature in it.

If you are interested in finding out more, or would like to submit an idea that falls into one of the above categories, please email me at glittercrafts@ymail.com. You'll then be asked to submit a proposal describing what you would make for the book. If selected, you will need to make that project, and then send it to me, along with instructions for how you made it.

 

Proposals must reach me by April 30^th however before submission you'll need to know what 'special' material your project should include, so email me first and I’ll let you know what it is...

I look forward to hearing from you!

Momtaz x

 

Tutorial: How to make Bollywood Baubles

I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t posted any tutorials in a while. Every excuse I can think of is weak, so I won’t bother listing them. Instead I’m making it my ‘End of Year’ resolution to design more blog makes …starting off with some fab festive filmi fun: Bollywood Baubles.

 You will need:

 Plain Christmas baubles (I bought a box in the £1 shop)

 A Bollywood magazine (cut out images of your favourite stars – small ones that will fit on your baubles)

 Bling and things…

Like…Glitter glue tubes

Loose glitter

Sequin trim

Sequins

Gemstones

Bindis

 Assorted collage papers

 Essentials

PVA glue

Scissors

Paintbrush or fine tip applicator (a container with a fine nozzle to make gluing details easier)

Get crafting: 

 1. Chop collage paper into shapes, try small triangles, squares and strips.

2. Glue these randomly on your baubles, by pasting PVA glue on the back using your brush. Ensure every corner is glued down, and smooth them out around the curves of the bauble so there are no lumps and bumps. 

3. Glue your Bollywood star in the centre, again, ensuring the image is fully glued down. Don’t worry if glue spreads out from underneath as it dries clear.Outline the edge of each star with a line of glitter glue.

4. Sit your bauble in an eggcup so they are easier to handle and get decorating. It may take a couple of hours to complete, as you will need to wait for them to dry before you can turn around to decorate the bottom section.

Ideas: Use a brush or fine tip applicator to add dots on the surface to stick on sequins, draw shapes and spots straight on with glitter glue, define edges, stick on sections of loose glitter and cut strips of sequin trim. There are no rules, bling it up as you wish! The paper shapes underneath will also create sections which will influence the design.

5. When dry, thread string through the top and hang them up somewhere in your home…they don't need to be on a Christmas tree, or displayed just for Christmas….I hang up some of my Christmas decorations all year round!  

And here they are closer up (click on the links to check out the stars in action!):

 Queen Rani Mukerjee

 

 The Big B Amitabh Bachan

 Sexy Vivek Oberoi 

Do you love Bollywood? Check out Bollywood Deewana’s incredible Bolly Blog and listen to Love Bollywood on BBC Asian Network with Raj & Pablo. And if you want make more Christmas decorations, I'll be posting another make soon, or come along to the All That Glitters workshop I'm running at The Geffrye Museum in London, on December 3rd. It costs £30, lasts the full day and all materials are included.