Presentation

Hello everyone it has been a long time.  Too long.  It will never be this long again.  I feel so strongly about this that if the blog is not updated every week over the summer, we will be giving out a universal 20% discount on the website. Thats a Rag Tag promise.

Anyway as the length of time has been somewhat significant, a lot has happened since the last time.  We have launched our online shop (shop.ragtagntextile.org.uk), had our first Fayre & Square (next one 18th May) and I have been away on a big long course as part of my placement.

At this big long course I had to do a presentation about what I learned at the big long course, some people liked this presentation, so I shared it with the staff and now I am going to share it with you.  I assure you it was under 10 minutes despite it's misleading representation in type; i.e. be prepared this is a  long post (but there's pictures)…

Part 1

My name is Reuben and I've been working at Rag Tag n Textile now for nearly six months.  I'm going to take some time out to explain where I was before I came to Rag Tag, how I got here (a bit about here) and where here might lead.

Up until last sumer I was a student at Edinburgh College of Art. In my final year I ended up embarking on a project which would later be titled: 

The Post Apocalyptic Toothbrush; how the current worlds trajectory towards disaster may or may not influence the manufacture of our material world.

Long before the project  received such an elaborate title I found myself going through everything I owned and looking at where it was made. It turns out, after going through all my possessions they came from over 28 countries and had travelled a total of 47 7714 miles (the equivalent distance to the moon and back) and not one of these countries was Scotland.

As I processed this information it got me thinking about the convoluted and complex nature of the supply chain and its required necessity.  I had a novel proposal (the nature of its novelty derived from the context of an assumed globalised economy); what if everything I owned was made and sourced in Scotland.

Why don't we just start here?

During this time of intense contemplation and questioning, the country was experiencing an esoteric amount of snowfall and low temperatures.  This had crippled much of the countries transport infrastructure and one day I wandered into a shop and found myself confronted with this notice.

I began to wonder if this wasn't simply an abstract research question, but an extremely important question which could determine our future security and sustainability.

You see it turns out while there are a lot of good things about importing a cheap global economy (mainly it being cheap), there can be some dangerous consequences due to it's dependancy and fragility (also known as putting your eggs in one basket aka oil).

Further to this, the import economy also lacks any form of cultural heritage or embedded local nuances.  This convoluted form of mass global manufacture while 'providing affordable goods for all' creates a marketplace of bland uniform products which are often momentously mundane and so far displaced, they fail to provide any value to the local economy. The machine aesthetic and dehumanised production exists in a vacuum void of any sense of place (or humanity). We are left with a 'plateau of mutual pastiche'. 

So this question opened up a can of worms which led me on a journey which ultimately led me to here: Rag Tag n Textile. These questions engrained in me a desire to design products that utilised local skills and materials; and were steeped in cultural heritage. Resulting in a more visceral connection with our material world and transparent relationship with those who manufacture it.

So when the opportunity came up to put some of these ideas into possible practice at Rag Tag n Textile I jumped at the chance.

Those of you who aren't familiar with Rag Tag n Textile, we work with people recovering from mental health problems, helping to aid the recovery experience through the participation in projects and the learning of new skills that explore traditional textile crafts embedded in the area.

In my short time at Rag Tag n Textile I have had the chance to wear a few different hats in the organisation, this has provided a great learning experience allowing me to immerse myself in various aspects of daily life in a social enterprise.  Within this context I have three core projects to deliver over the twelve months.

The first one which is in progress is developing online media, particularly  online retail and sales.  Our online shop has gone live and we are looking at ways to further develop and promote this.

I have also been looking at product development and branding, this considers how we can communicate and frame, Rag Tag n Textile and its products both visually and narratively, in order to achieve effective communication of the organisation.

The third project which is beginning to take off, looks at Social Impact measurement.  This is an exciting research project  that will result in an SROI report for the organisation.  The purpose of this is to evaluate and clarify the work of Rag Tag and Textile making it more attractive to funders and perhaps more importantly keeping the organisation accountable to it's mission, goals and values.

Part 2

If I think back to the beginning of the week, reflecting on the week passed; it's interesting comparing how I feel now and how I felt prior to the course.

Its at this point I have to confess prior to the course I was skeptical about attending a business development course and baffled by its relevance to my work.  I was more comfortable considering myself in the field of design or the 'creative industries' working under purity and integrity, disengaged from the capitalist business world which could only offer constrictive and pollutant advice.

When I looked at the programme for the week it didn't get any better.  I saw words like networking, marketing and 'god forbid' selling and my stomach wrenched pugnaciously in opposition to the language of the free market.  

However despite what may have appeared my insurmountable preconceptions, I will now happily propagate what a great week I have had and it's invaluable contribution to my placement.  I have made friends with people on the course (i.e. networked), I've thought about who would be interested in Rag Tag n Textile (i.e. marketing) and (I won't even place this one undercover) prepared a sales pitch.

The Journey from pre vulgar snobbery to post championing ambassador was not without obstacles.  One of the key moments for me culminated in a sales exercise  at the beginning of the week.  I was required to preform a cold call sales pitch over the phone in front of the class.  Aware of the watching crowd (14 people) I was caught between not making a scene, and my contempt for salesmanship.  Under the watchful eye of the crowd I decided not to make a scene. I took a deep breath  (an attempt to restrain the resistance rising from the depths of my being) and I did it.  

I made the sale (and it was exhilarating!)

As the adrenalin subsided and I later recalled this experience of outright flaunting salesmanship. I attempted to understand what had made me feel so uncomfortable.  For I know I believed in the value and providence of goods, (it is after all the purpose of my profession, not to mention the topic of my 6000 word dissertation; Why Our Material World is Undervalued and Under-appreciated). Whats more I realised that I had a real belief in the value and providence of products at Rag Tag n Textile and I wanted to tell people about them.

This was beginning to sound a lot like selling.

Sooo….

 on that note:

I work for Rag Tag n Textile.  Have you heard of us?

Rag Tag n Textile is a Creative Business, Social Enterprise and Mental Health Charity based in Skye & Wester Ross making and selling handcrafted textile products.

Fuelled by a belief in positive change through social enterprise Rag Tag n Textile grew from a desire to provide meaningful employment for people living with or recovering from mental health problems in the local area.

At Rag Tag n Textile we don't just offer unique and beautifully handmade textile products, inspired by the skills and nuances of the area.  We offer an alternative attitude to consuming, a new blueprint for business and an innovative approach to mental health.

Our products are made from recycled fabrics and textiles using environmentally sound methods because we believe thats the only way to do things.

It is our hope that Rag Tag n Textile products will inspire  and delight while raising awareness and supporting issues of mental health. 

So if you are enticed to browse Rag Tag n Textiles exclusive range of online products please visit our online shop

shop.ragtagntextile.org.uk

So this is my sales pitch I developed at my training week so I can successfully sell and promote Rag Tag n Textile, their products and their services.  While I may have thought of myself as a designer who likes to walk barefoot and stroke animals (not eat them) and most certainly has no need for or interest in Business Skills.  This week I've come to realise to do my job properly and as best I can, effecting change, I need an understanding of business and I need to be able sell the organisation effectively. And actually it is a privilege to do so.

Thanks very Much

P.s. If your interested in the Talent Scotland Graduate placement programme visit http://www.talentscotland.com/

Warm Feet Warm Heart.

There’s a moment in the first Harry Potter story where Professor Dumbledore and Harry Potter are looking into the Mirror of Erised.  This Mirror contains deep magical properties; the mirror not only shows one’s reflection but also the ‘deepest and most desperate desire of their heart’.  The happiest man on earth would look into the mirror and see simply himself, how he is.  When Harry asks Dumbledore what he sees in the mirror, Dumbledore claims to see a pair of thick woolen socks, explaining ‘one can never have enough socks’.  Since moving to the highlands I have been reminded of this story, and become aware of Professor Dumbledore’s profound wisdom.  

I naively travelled to the highlands with a limited wardrobe of cotton socks (covered in holes), assuming this would provide sufficient insulation for my feet through the winter. My foolishness forced me to attempt to create friction with my feet, so as to produce a byproduct of heat (another unsuspected byproduct was replicating an uncoordinated Freddy Austere dancing in thick treacle on the moon to Billie Jean).  Now while I attempt to emulate a presence of outstanding professionalism at work I may of unknowingly busted out some feet warming moves in the Rag Tag workshop.

I didn’t realise anyone had noticed, but it turns out someone did.

At the Rag Tag Christmas party I opened my Secret Santa present and there sitting in some neatly crumpled red and white Christmas paper was a pair of hand knitted, emerald green, warm, wooly socks.

So I would like to say thank you to my Secret Santa for my No1 Christmas present.  Hand knitted unique, beautiful socks.  They not only warmed my feet but also my heart.

Thank You

Happy New Year everyone.

Rag Tag 'n' Textile Ltd is a registered charity working with people who are recovering from mental health problems. Based in Skye and Wester Ross, in the Highlands of Scotland, we are a social enterprise making handcrafted items from recycled textiles.

Nuair a thig air duine thig air uile. It never rains but it pours

It is it with much pride and delight that I revel in being the solo member of Rag Tag to make it into the office today.  This is thanks to my much trivialised arcane transport method; the wonderful pushbike. So let this post be homage to the men and woman out there on two wheels.  The bike has been highly discussed topics as I’ve attempted to overcome the wild weather of the last few days via pedal power.  It’s given me an intimate experience of the intensity of the surrounding landscape and it’s invisible forces.  There is something wonderfully palpable about traveling through such epic landscape in such imposing weather on something so small and slow, encountering without barriers the vivid theatre of the towering landscape as it almost cries out.

So from the staggering landscape to the lashing rains of the last week, my overwhelming feeling of living in the highlands is things are not done by halves.

Nuair a thig air duine thig air uile.  It never rains but it pours.

I hope to bring the same vigour and intensity to my work here at Rag Tag.

We Believe Tea Should Always Be Made In A Pot.

As I sit in the Rag Tag workshop in Balmacara in the silence and calm I thought it would an opportune moment to reflect upon my first few weeks at Rag Tag.  Today is in stark contrast to my initial inaugural experience of the workshop, where there has been a continual hustle and bustle of happenings and activities.  It can be a daunting experience moving somewhere new but the constant flow of friendly faces over the last few weeks have made me feel very welcome.

During my short time I have been taught by skilled marksmen in the ways of the tailor and knitter, found sensational bargains at the Rag Tag Jumble sale and swam the divide between Kyle to Kyleakin (ok the last bits not true...yet).

However my favouritest (yes favouritest) thing about working at Rag Tag has been the lunch times where everyone puts together their two fish and five loaves and sit like the knights at the round table sharing an elegantly cobbled together meal.  I have been sampling everything from Norwegian black bread to truly original home bakes.  It has been a lesson in hospitality, which seems so central to Rag Tags operations.  The underlying ethos that tea should always be made in a pot.

So I will enjoy the quiet today, but look forward to returning to a brewing pot tomorrow.

Ps. I have been so inspired by the in house culinary skills I have volunteered to cook 20 roast potatoes for the Christmas dinner.  So watch this space and I will let you know how I’m getting on. 

That There New Bhoy

Reuben our new graduate started work toady.

We first got to know him when he turned up cleanly shaven in shirt and tie at our shop a couple of weeks ago. 

He is a surfing, drawing (soon to be sewing) biking extraordinaire from Ireland and has designed his own range of post-apocalyptic toothbrushes. He recently graduated from Edinburgh College of Art in Product Design.

Reuben will be helping us get our online shop up and running so watch this space.

NB Reuben did not write this himself

Let's buy local this Christmas

So a few days ago the post below was circulating on Facebook.

Let's buy our Christmas presents from little retailers, fair trade shops, local crafts shops, second-hand shops, our neighbors, our friend who makes unique little things, from whoever resists to the economic globalization of our homes...Let's try to make sure that our money goes to the people who need it, not to multinationals and big enterprises that exploit labor ...in this way more people will have a better Christmas.

I don't share posts like very often, but this one had real resonance for me. I think so many of us are feeling quite battered by the current economic crisis and it makes me as a consumer feel like not spending my hard earned pennies with any of those massive conglomorates. I'm not sure which corporation owns which company these days and I'm really reluctant to spend any money on something that will end up forgotten and unused within a few weeks. I'm doing much of my shopping at Rag Tag this year. I'm not doing that because I feel obligated to, there are some gorgeous - and totally affordable things to buy, like Shirley's Yuletide Gnomes for example (shown below)

The Gnomes are handmade in the Scottish Highlands using scraps of wool, I've ordered mine already. There are other goodies coming soon too, Advent Calendars, sewing kits for keen sewers, and gorgeous glittery fairies and angels to hang in your tree. Watch out for pictures soon or pop in and see the shop for yourself.

But you don't have to buy from Rag Tag, really, you don't. What about using some of your Christmas money where you live? Obviously, being who we are, we'd suggest that your nearest social enterprise might be your first port of call. How about Ness Soap in Inverness for example? Whilst there, you could pop into Artisans for a delicious cup of coffee and a browse of their gift selection. Or, as you'd be in Strother's Lane anyway, why not pop into Maya's new shop? Not a social enterprise, they are however a local business who make the most delicious chocolate.

There are chain stores who sell similar things, but they are chains, they are corporate not local and most of the money you spend there does not stay in the Highlands. Every area has its own lovely wee shops, cafes and businesses with their own identity and a high percentage of local goods. There are craft fairs and markets and all kinds of events running in your area, why not try them out and buy something just that little bit more special with what money you have to spare?

I can't possibly list every destination, the ones that I've listed here are amongst my favourites, I could mention many more. Why not find something rare and unusual at The Greenhouse in Dingwall, or something funky at Babalu in Forres, something delicious at the Skye Bakery, try investing in some art at the Inchmore Gallery or why not brighten the winter months with some candles from Ullapool?

All excellent local businesses and enterprises. If you are a maker or producer, tell us about yourself, post a link to your shop, website or event on our blog or Facebook page and we'll share it and tell people about it. Share your recommendations with us and we'll share them with others. Maybe we can't change the world, but we can make a difference. If we're all spending less this Christmas, let's make it count for more.

November already!

Can't quite understand where the year has gone, how can it be November already? I think it's probably because we've all been so very busy. The fashion shows are over for another year and what wonderful events they turned out to be. We haven't got the final statistics yet, but we think that at least 60 people took part in one way or another, either as models or makers or behind the scenes. It was so wonderful to be involved in something so glamorous and to see everyone working together, those who needed support and those who didn't, those who have suffered with mental health issues and those who haven't. The Inverness show models are pictured below, thanks to the lovely Fin McAteer, who took some gorgeous pictures

The shows were also a great showcase for the things that we make and we think that the quality of what we're able to produce from disgarded fabric and recycled textiles.

Pictured below are Meg and Fiona our two tutor co-ordinators, who undertook to do a prodigious amount of work in order to make everything run as smoothly as it did, and in order to ensure that everyone had such a fantastic experience, photo this time by Caroline Dear.

There are loads more pictures on our Flickr site, not only of the fashions shows but of some of our products and workshops too.

Rag Tag Flickr page

We've also had a couple of online articles published recently which cover a little more about the history and ethos of Rag Tag

Firstly this one, which features some of pics from the Kyleakin show, taken by Caroline Dear at Trendhunter

There is also a lovely article on the Hi Arts website, we're in the Craft Spotlight for November read all about us here

We're also planning a busy winter! We have several creative workshops coming-up, including beginner sewing and rag-rugging for Christmas. In November we will be holding an all day drop-in Christmas craft event as part of the Balmacara Fayre and Square open day. More details about workshops and events are on our website on the workshops page

Our website was relaunched in August and our e-shop will follow soon, so finally people will be able to buy our goodies online. However, we couldn’t have done any of this without the support of the local community. So as a thank you for all the donations support and kindnesses we have received we’re launching our Rag Tag n Textile local loyalty card. The card will offer 20% off all Rag Tag label products and selected workshops to anyone who lives in the Skye, Lochalsh and South West Ross area.

Come in and see us soon! Winter opening Tue-Fri 10-4

Sadly all this activity will take place without our lovely intern, Andrea, who is off to work with the Calman Trust in Inverness. We'll miss her loads, but we know that Calman have landed a wonderful asset in Andrea and wish her loads of luck for the future. She's pictured here in some of the gorgeous clothing that she purchased from the Balmacara shop