Bitter sweet

Today I drove to my third year university flat to move everything home.  Over the past year I spent time and money on transforming a £60 a week all-in dingey students digs into a room more 'like me' than my own room at home.  Although I struggled, my third year at UCLan was by far the best social/entertainment/friendship wise. I literally had the funniest year of my life and will miss the girls I lived with alot.  I will always remember the bitter sweet year in the aptly named "Rat Flat".

My room has been adorned with candles, photo frames, lambs, blankets, mirrors and several hundred ornaments, signs and letters.  Although some would say these things are not like me at all, those closest to me know how soft I am and absolutely adore anything cutesy.  

Although small (and had a single bed!) my room at University was unlike my room at home and was very cosy with pretty pinks and blues.

As the rest of the building was pretty much a dump and above a locally know "drug bar", it came to no surprise when things started to go wrong. Within the year we had mould, a flies nest, the building had rats, leaking shower, two walls and parts of the ceiling collapsed. On Sunday, a rat found its way from the sewers and up into one of our toilet bowls.  My mum was due to move my things out of the flat as I would be at work, but since she was an erratic phobia of mice and rats I requested from the landlord that I could move out today. He immediately agreed.  As I walked into my flat today, I was greeted by this;

Every single thing that had been in my room, wardrobes, drawers, kitchen had been thrown away. I was told that every year they threw unwanted laptops, clothes, furniture away that had not been retrieved. In tears I told him I had had permission to move out today as he called his boss, and his boss, and his boss.  The landlord was absolutely furious and told me he told the cleaners not to touch my room.

I spent half the afternoon rummaging through bags of rubbish and gone off food in 26C heat until I came across some of my clothes and belongings. A few of the men had to retrieve some items from a local charity shop. I'm not even sure what is missing just yet, however, the most important things to me are gone. Diaries, cards, letters, inscribed photographs and university work have now all lost forever. It sounds silly but it feels odd that all of the things that are so obviously precious to me could be seen as just rubbish to all those people gutting my room today. You'd think one would at least say "hold on a minute..." I will only look back and laugh. (I hope)

Here's to a brilliant third year at university anyway, despite the terrible ending. I did it. End of an era. 

R x

Reviving British manufacturing: closer than you think

Whilst in my third year I compiled a portfolio for a Journalism module I was taking. This is one of the stories I found and developed, after interviewing a local leather goods company Deni-Deni based in Haslingden, Lancs.  I linked the company to the revival of British manufactured fashion. I gained 68% in the module overall.

Reviving British manufacturing: closer than you think

For years British companies have been sending their manufacturing to China- labour and mass production are cheap and the workers have a more dedicated work ethic.  According to a survey taken out buy the Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) this is about to change.  Recent reports show that around 40% of British companies are bringing production home after recent economical and natural disasters that have occurred off shore.

Marks and Spencer, one of Britain's most famous retail department store sell 61,000,000 pairs of knickers a year- that have all been imported.  With reports from July 2012 stating that 963,000 unemployed young people are living in the UK, figures cannot be ignored that the recession has hit the country hard.


The closing of Cotton Mills in Lancashire in the 70's also put a strain on the textiles business, as it was cheaper to send production abroad.  Mary Portas, business woman and retail expert, put reviving British manufacturing to the test by kick starting production of high qualities knickers in a half shut down factory.  It was dubbed 'The Great British knicker experiment' and after 'Kinky Knickers' exploded on to the fashion scene, the demand for 100% British-made clothing has sky rocketed.


Portas took on apprentices, the long-term unemployed to work in her factory to gain new skills for her hit television series 'Mary's Bottom Line'.  Mary's risky experiment worked- the public were in demand for British made textiles and took the Mancunian family-run business Headen & Quarmby from a 5,000 per year production run to orders of 45,000 from prestigious stores including House of Fraser, Selfridges and Liberty.  A more modern market for the booming brand is ASOS.com, the UK's largest online-only fashion and beauty store, attracting younger clients to the underwear.


Apprenticeships are known to help businesses grow and help find raw, new talent, however, there has been a decrease in trades in recent years as many people feel a degree is the way to compete in the job market.  Perhaps not for long.


More close to home, local luxury leather goods manufacturer Deni-Deni, is putting their own stamp of the revival of British manufacturing.


Denise Pearson, originally from Newcastle, started her business after training in traditional leather goods at the prestigious Cordwainers College in London (now part of London College of Fashion)  After graduating first of her piers and gaining the rarely awarded 'Gold medal', Denise opened a small studio making individual couture handbags with techniques she learned at the college, who's impressive alumni include Jimmy Choo and Patrick Cox.

Deni-Deni's impressive collection

Denise originally created beautiful hand crafted luggage and handbags but as the company grew, she included accessories and furnishings into her collection.

Through natural progression, the studio has developed into a four strong team based in Haslingden, Rossendale.  Apprentices are a big part of the progress at Deni-Deni, and Denise is currently working with her third after taking on the previous apprentices full time after having built the studio to a thriving and engaging business.  Her team includes Katie St.John, Blackburn, Hannah Borrowdale, Manchester and Francesca Tudda also from Blackburn.


Katie St.John, 22, former apprentice at Deni-Deni said "I got the apprenticeship after studying a BTEC in Textiles and Fashion at college after failing to get into University.  It is the best thing I have ever done and have had a hands on approach that University could never have given me.  I now work full time for the company."


"I am proud to be part of the next generation to keep British manufacturing alive" she continued.

Katie at work

Deni-Deni has an enviable portfolio, including James Lock & Co, who's client base include the royals, and Topshop Unique that show at London Fashion Week (LFW) twice a year.  Topshop Unique, unlike it's high street sister Topshop, is not mass produced and Deni-Deni are the only supplier of the leather crafted bags.


Excitingly, another big name has been picked up by Denise and her employees more recently, after international knitwear designer Mark Fast approached the Rossendale based company in demand for a piece for his collection.


"Mark invited us down to LFW where we watched our bag in the show and caught up with him back stage" said Katie.  "It was so exciting but we tried to remain professional!"


As the new year begins, a new year is beginning for British manufacturing.  The small and subtle changes Britain's companies are making to boost the revival of textiles within the UK could be the step it needs to bring the rest of Britain behind them, to bring back production to this country with, more excitingly, a varied range of apprenticeships and new jobs.

Blogging

After two months away, I am back.  I managed to kick Uni in the ass and will be graduating next Monday with a 2.1 in BA (Hons) English Language and Journalism.  I have been working in a sun bed shop to pass the time. Oh, and to save the thousands of pounds I will need for my travels in September. Lol. Next joke.

I recently turned 22 and after a wild night out (which I would rather forget) I think I would like to just stay at this age for at least the next 10 years.  I swear it is all down hill from here.  What's good about 22?  Well, it is not just 21 aka the 'grown up' version of turning 18, where you are still young and 'learning about yourself'.  22 is just an age, no biggy.  But then there is 23... which is pretty much 25.  In the words of Blink 182 "Nobody likes you when you're 23".  So, 22 is my settled age.  My inner 15 year old scene self is howling with laughter that I'm in my 20's.

I've always liked the idea of writing a blog, but to begin you must always do/be one of several things.

1) Be fashionable/super kooky... What is even is fashionable?  I'm not going to post pictures of me wearing mismatched print with a neon belt with wedged trainers just because society tells me I should be wearing them!  I actually find wedged trainers highly offensive.  I wear things that I like, God for bid, only one print at a time! And mainly plain things, or so I am told.  But who asked you?  This is my blog!

2) Write like the dictionary just threw up on you.  I have read so many blogs that are written in such a 'whimsical' fashion; "Oh, the trees whistled as I walked along the cliff, the waves crashing like the thoughts around my head."  Seriously, SNORE OFF.  Go fall off that cliff.  Or write a book.

3) Thinking that writing Carrie Bradshaw-esque will kick start some big time city lifestyle magazine career.  She is non fiction.  Granted, the most talented, sophisticated and over all cool non fiction WOMAN in the world, but real life doesn't happen like that.  Maybe apart from relationships with men like Mr Big.  Am I the only person who thinks he's a dick?  Douchebags like him definitely exist.

4) Randomly start up on the first post with something other blogs tell us should be in our blogs.  'Blog-worthy'?  No.  I don't have a clue how you start these things.  Like, hey... I'm Rachel.  Why not?  I AM Rachel.  I'm not some shit cheap dress I'm pretending a quirky cheap boutique sent me to hype over.  Soz.

So there, maybe someone somewhere might see this, maybe not.  Who cares.  I'm not going to act really girly and weird and write about LFW when I'm not actually there and copy 'up and coming trends' from Grazia even though they're minging.  I am not going to pretend I don't swear and write in a way that makes me seem lovely and coy; yes, I have a rag lamb that I can't sleep without but it doesn't mean I am going to write how the texture and smells of it's worn fabrics warm my heart back to childhood.  It doesn't even have a gender for f's sake.  Blogs are about writing and opinions and hopefully bettering my skills and maaaaaaybe gaining the confidence to look into magazine journalism properly.  I'd love a column.  I'm a dreamer, what can I say.  Is this me starting my blog?  Suppose it is.

R x

South east Asia something

Since my last post I have successfully handed in the dissertation from hell and booked a one way flight to Bangkok on the 9th September of this year. I will then fly to Sydney at the end of November. Genuinely cannot wait to leave England and see the world, something I have only recently thought about doing, however, being the impulsive person that I am booked it two days after I made the decision along with my sister and a few friends.

University has had so many highs and lows for me and often at times felt that I didn't want to carry on. I've had extensions and extenuating circumstances, failed (one!!!) assignment, 20 hour stints in the library and left everything I have done until the last minute. Despite this, I have met the most amazing friends, gone from living in a show apartment to a slum above a bar, completed a semester abroad at an American university and (relatively) achieved grades I didn't know were possible. I genuinely have laughed the whole way through third year, disregarding dissertation hell and not showering for days in the final all nighters in UCLan library. Two more assignments in for next Friday and I am officially free from education!  Only a few people know how challenging the past three years have been for me, and I am holding my breath in anticipation for results!

Bring on graduation :-)

Nightmare

So at the minute I'm having an absolute everything-in-life nightmare. I have realised I have 6 weeks left to start, complete and finish my dissertation, two Forensic Linguistics assignments, a Journalism Ethics assignment, an ELSIE project to find/ complete and conjure up a presentation (and an assignment possibly, haven't checked) and probably something I don't know about yet. Why didn't I start this before Christmas? Because I am lazy and think everything will just fall into place and I will land on my feet as per usual. I've discovered in the last week that the LOML for the past 4 years probably isn't the love of my life and I'm weirdly accepting it then unaccepting it about 10 times a day.

Another dilemma is my thumb nail had come off and I literally cannot function/ is that a very bimbo thing of me to say? Fuck it, I can't type on my iPhone and have literally rewritten every word of this entry twice. I am literally doing anything than what I should be doing: sorting my life out. I can't see past finishing Uni, and even then I have no idea what I want to do. I want a house and a dog and I want to be a tv presenter and a makeup artist and a fashion journalist and a midwife and a primary school teacher and a clothes designer. I want to go to Ibiza and work on a bar in a chav holiday destination I went to when I was 17, I want to go to Australia and back to CT and I want to go to Thailand and Europe and I'm pretty pissed off I should be doing something about any of these things. Instead I'm in on a Friday night, bizarrely writing an entry for the Vogue talent contest. Of all things constructive I could be writing, I'm entering a competition which I have no chance of winning but I get to write what I want instead of this bullshit degree I'm trying to complete. Blaaahhhhh LIFE, rant over.

Disco nails

I'm so OCD that my nails are always crazy. I wouldn't call it nail art exactly but I love studs and finding new ones on eBay! So many treats for my nails :-)

NY dreaming

I once saw a friends Facebook status saying how she felt sad when she thought of America, like she missed it and was almost felt like she meant to live there.  I felt almost empathy towards the weird notion, as I too feel this way when thinking about the states.  From a young age I have visited America with my family every couple of years and every time I leave and for a long time afterwards I feel an overwhelming nostalgia like I am meant to be back there.  In 2011 I was lucky enough to move to the East coast for a semester abroad at an America University and spent four months im a small town in central Connecticut.  I managed to visit Massachusetts, New Jersey and most favourably, New York.  Every time I went into the city it all became more familiar, but never enough to leave without wanting more.  It’s always a weird and surreal place to be, as there is always something new to do or see and even if you’ve done it before it seems different the second time.  New York is like a different place from summer to winter; the feeling of walking around in post 10pm heat to the amazing lights of the city’s Christmas displays.  If anything the feeling is that I am jealous of myself, of my own memories.  It’s crazy and I would do anything to be back there. My heart truly is in NYC!