Why shouldn’t we read about ethical clothing?

Did you know that we get more people reading this blog when I talk about styling, dogs or reduced items, than when I write about the ethical side of our clothing? It’s interesting that what’s grabbing the attention of the majority of fashion blog readers is exactly what the big companies such as Primark and Matalan are cashing in on –exciting items that are popular and even better if they are discounted or cheap from day one! I’m not getting at you all; I’m the same. If I’m looking to purchase for myself I will be drawn to pretty colours and fabulous prices. Perhaps the obviously cheap fabrics would put me off, but some are very well disguised. If I think about it, I’d probably be more swayed towards an ethical garment in a shop than on the Internet, as I’d have the opportunity to rub a delicate organic bamboo top against my cheek!

But the World Wide Web is such a rich resource of information, that we should be embracing it as the perfect chance to shop responsibly. Rather than going on aesthetics alone, we now have the opportunity to search for a garment that is perhaps similar to the cheap item you noticed in your supermarket as you ran in for milk, and instead search for the cousin that has had more attention given to it at childhood. You can so easily search for the alternative that has A. been made from a fabric that has harmed the environment as little as possible and B. will last longer than 1 month!

Buying organic clothing is not about whether you wear open toe sandals and live in the middle of nowhere without running water. It doesn’t even have to be about standing up against the evil giants who make ugly, cheap clothing without a care for human, plant or beast. When it comes down to it we all need to wear clothes and by choosing to wear organic clothing, or perhaps just a garment that has been made from natural fabrics rather than man-made synthetic fibres, we are saying to ourselves - and others if you like – that clothes are functional, fashionable and fair. We’ve paid a fair price to the people who have made them, we have been fair to the environment that has given us the clothing and we have made a fair decision to wear these clothes for a good amount of time.

There are a number of companies out there that offer natural and/or organic clothing, and Celtic Sheepskin is proud to be amongst the crowd. Our latest grading for sustainable clothing has come with the standard Zque. A Zque fibre combines natural performance wool with an accreditation program that ensures environmental, social and economic sustainability, animal welfare (non-mulesed) and traceability back to the source. Quite an achievement don’t you think! The Zque standard is applied to some of our fine merino wool pieces and so I will leave you now with images of these items for you to decide just how alluring going green on the internet can be …

Charlotte Cole

31.08.10

Wish you were here! Carbis Bay, Cornwall

It’s the Thursday before August bank holiday, a weekend when many will travel north, east, south or west to take a well-earned break. And so we should! Living in Cornwall we’re lucky enough to find sanctuary amongst our local surroundings, so whether you’re thinking of a trip to this part of the UK or you already live here, I thought I’d dedicate today’s blog to a place of natural beauty and harmony. An area that’s popular for tourists and locals alike; Carbis Bay.

The image above shows Carbis Bay as many know it well, but for our Autumn Winter shoot we decided to take an area with less sand and even more open space – the moorland southwest of the town. And what a beautiful area it is! The most stunning shot of the day had to be the Hooded Toscana Coat where our model Nicole stood on a tor of granite boulders, and posed for an image that almost reminds me of the Scottish Widows advert, but of course an image that has a more jaw-dropping coat!

Carbis Bay is located close to St Ives, a fishing town widely known for its draw to artists, hosting its very own Tate gallery. You could look only at the colours of our images taken on our shoot to see why artists from around the world head to St Ives to create their masterpieces. So it’s with that thought in mind that I leave you with some more beautiful images taken on the day we headed southwest of Carbis Bay…

- And may I recommend if you’re in the area either this bank holiday weekend or another you take a walk around the moorland. It’s truly breathtaking

It’s a dog’s life

You may or may not have read already about the Celtic Sheepskin’s mascot;our Brittany Spaniel Alfie Whitworth, who is the beloved pet of director’s Nick and Kath. It wasn’t too long ago however that their much-loved dog Todd held this title. He sadly passed away before the summer, but it wasn’t long ago that he was keeping everyone on his or her toes at the Autumn Winter shoot - the catalogue that has just been launched. (You can view a tribute to Todd on the blog by clicking here

I’m sure he’d not want us to dwell on the past (do dogs ever dwell on things?), and with the saying “it’s a dogs life” in mind, I thought I’d share a few pics from the catalogue shoot that didn’t make it into print. The image above in fact is the only staring role that Todd had on paper, but he did so much more. I think the best is his shoot with the Classic Boots…

…Hilarious!

A couple of other dogs came in to offer their assistance to Todd on the shoot. Sadly we didn’t take down their names as they were meant to be taking their humans out for a walk at the time, so much too busy for photos with autographs. So any owners who want to come forward and name their dogs are welcome!

This last shot shows that it’s all not that simple to be a dog and model; but wouldn’t it be fun! We’ll soon be shooting for the spring catalogue (yes we know spring is far away, but you have to be prepared) so let’s see if Alfie takes the “lead”? I guess we’ll just have to wait for the behind the scenes shots to be released

Two is better than one.

Styling is about putting items together that weren’t necessarily meant for one another, but approaching it with enough flair and balance that an outfit is transformed. It sounds simple right? Our stylist does an excellent and seemingly effortless job with putting items together from our catalogue and adding a few from her own little “magic box” to help you and I picture how we could wear it. But there’s so much more you can do with our pieces than just “option A”. Take the Cashmere Dress in the image above for instance, what a transformation with very little change! The celebrity stylist Gok Wan goes to great lengths to encourage a “capsule” wardrobe, where he brings a small selection of good pieces together in a variety of ways, and the results are impressive.

With no Gok on the TV to guide us at the moment and the lack of free personal stylists (I’m not suggesting they should be free, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if they were!), we have only glossy magazines and TV to guide us along. I personally find that the best place to begin is with your favourite piece and then any current trend knowledge you may have gleamed. There are other routes of course, but this seems to work for me.

With that in mind, I’ve played with a few alternative “duet” combinations from our new autumn winter catalogue, to help you picture wearing the item another way to the image in the catalogue.

First I’ve pulled out the Sheer Knit Cowl Jumper Dress, in rather the same way that the Cashmere Dress is transformed in the main image above. Without the belt the dress has a loose, slouchy fit then add the Buckled Obi Belt and it’s much more fitted. Have you heard about the minimalist trend this season? Well this hits that trend bang on the head! Just keep accessories “minimal” and you’ll be good to walk with the elite.

I like the above picture because it’s a way of working the thigh high boot trend, without the expense of thigh-high boots. Our Over The Knee Socks can be pulled fairly high, and then all you need do is to team with a pair of knee boots or just a simple ankle boot and you’ll pull off a favourite footwear craze for autumn.

The above combination has come from the mix of chunky knitwear that was very heavily featured on the autumn winter catwalks. Magazines are pulling out cable knit jumpers everywhere, and this Cable Dress is perfect. By adding a pair of knitted Boot Warmers, you’re exaggerating the trend and bringing attention to the fact that knitwear is fashionable again. Be bold!

To finish with I’ve reverted to Harpers Bazaar (it’s made quite an impression on me this month!). In their “Aviator Chic” feature, Katherine Hepburn gave them inspiration for styling around the current flying-gear trend. It’s about the overstated sheepskin embellishments, and so I’ve teamed our Black Merino Coat with a black Diesel Trapper Hat, to show off the aviator trend in all it’s glory!


… so there should be nothing stopping you from having a go for yourself now!

Sexy is back…

“Sexy is back” are the words of Harpers Bazaar editor Lucy Yeomans, in her Editors Letter for September’s magazine. What an exiting season we’ve got in store for us then Lucy! In fact if I’m honest, it wasn’t originally these words have drawn me to write about Harpers Bazaar in this week’s blog, rather the sultry fashion feature spreading across 14 pages entitled “Woodland Spirit”. Not quite the woodland scenes we’ve featured in our new Autumn Winter catalogue, and if you’ve not seen it then imagine our models in the same location, same hair & make up, same shearling jackets and then nothing else –totally nude, or a simple pair of lacy knickers! The photos are truly enchanting, and definitely worth a peek.

So after my eye grabbing moment, I re-traced my steps to the editor’s letter and at that point became inspired for the subject of today’s blog post. After Harpers Bazaar had gone to so much effort to take the Celtic Sheepskin catalogue and make a sexy woodland shoot, I thought I’d take this September’s Harpers Bazaar and make it, well, purchasable!

In her letter, Lucy explains that Marc Jacobs heralded the return of the curve at the Autumn Winter catwalk for Louis Vuitton, featuring the nipped-in, fifties style silhouette. Well, whatever the designers can do us mortals can follow. So I’ve been rummaging in the wardrobe that is www.celtic-sheepskin.co.uk (virtual wardrobes are so much easier to find things with their special search engine helps!), and I’ve pulled out a few pieces with Marc Jacobs’ theme in mind.

Thinking 1950s, you imagine a lot of tailoring, and as Lucy put it “nipped in waists” and this is not such an obvious style for Celtic Sheepskin - but you’d be surprised what I’ve found! A coat that first jumped into my head was our Heritage Fit & Flare, but also the Hazelwood Waxed Jacket has gorgeous high waist detailing. And what 1950s tiny waist would be without a Polo Neck for winter? This autumn we’ve got polo necks coming out of our ears!

Then I began considering our Short Cape Jacket, which was another style credited to the 1950s and one that can help the many ladies who aren’t blessed with a jaw dropping hourglass figure. And subsequently my imagination began leaping miles ahead, as I pictured sophisticated ladies of the 50s with berets and long gloves – in fact Marc Jacobs featured elbow length gloves in his collection, to the same length as our Long Cashmere Gloves. Then adding that all important sheepskin detail (billed to be HUGE this season) I thought of our fabulous Fluffy Handmuff – so very 1950s!

We’re flying the ethical “Made In Britain Flag” even higher this Autumn Winter

In case you didn’t know, we make our gorgeous sheepskin Celt boots by hand in Cornwall at the head quarters for Celtic Sheepskin. However these aren’t all we make in Britain. In fact, I’ve just sat and counted the catalogue and there are 167 pieces in our new Autumn Winter catalogue that are made in Great Britain! Applying my maths skills even more, that means over 81% of our entire catalogue is made in the UK with the rest predominantly made in Europe (and those are mainly southern Ireland)! We’ve always been proud to manufacture in Great Britain, and with a collection of 205 pieces - excluding the different colour ways - it has been no small challenge.

I have seen first hand the extreme lengths our Directors Kath and Nick Whitworth have gone to, to make sure quality does not falter on any item in the new collection, and feedback from our customers so far has been excellent. This attention to detail moved into the introduction of two pieces made from British Wool from Bluefaced Leicester sheep.

The wool has been used in two of our new garments, namely the Drop Back Fisherman’s Jumper and Chunky Cable Waistcoat. Both of which are absolutely stunning, and even bang on trend as cable knit is tipped to be very popular this autumn winter.

So what’s ethical about making clothes in Great Britain I hear you ask? Well, firstly the UK has a minimum wage structure set up; so immediately that ticks the “Fair Trade” category. The clothes haven’t travelled far to get to our Cornish warehouse, using roads rather than air travel. Then of course there’s that great argument for buying locally and putting money into our local economy. The recession has hit factory workers just as other industries, and it feels right to be supporting our own. We have many very wonderfully talented people in our country and it’s great to show off their skills.

So on that note, I’ll leave you with a few more images of our new items that have been made in Britain and feature in our new Autumn Winter catalogue. Which is your favourite…?

Celtic Sheepskin on the new trends… and up first is Shearling!

I’ve already hinted that shearling is big this Autumn Winter and the glossy magazines have been out in force singing the praises of the glorious fabric that is sheepskin. This is of course GREAT news for Celtic Sheepskin fans because you can shop with the knowledge that no matter what sheepskin coat, hat, scarf etc you fall in love with, you’ll be bang on trend this season for wearing it!

The biggest named brand to encourage the use of sheepskin was Burberry Prorsum on the AW10 catwalks last February. The range encompassed many different styles of the Classic Flying Jacket, and there are few magazines that don’t feature an advertisement for their coats. Our Classic Flying Jacket hits the trend right on the head, and coming a close second is the Sheepskin Biker Jacket, both of which are available on our website.

The fashion week’s catwalks in February also saw a super collection from Marc Jacobs featuring sheepskin and fur trim coats, jackets and capes boasting big fluffy colours and cuffs. Putting this style against our own Celtic Sheepskin’s range, you’d be hard pushed to find the difference next to our Toscana Coats. The top two contenders I think are the Three-quarter Toscana Trim Coat and the Short Quilted Biker Jacket.

Chanel was one of the biggest designers to bring Faux Fur into the trends of Autumn Winter 2010. Of course at Celtic Sheepskin we do not work with fur instead we use sheepskin, which is the eco-friendly alternative as all sheepskins are a by-product of the meat industry. Chanel’s collection featured big fur boots and our sheepskin Mongolian and Toscana tipped alternatives make a great statement to rival these.

Alongside Chanel, Oscar De La Renta, John Galliano and Antonio Berardi also had big furry coats, gilets and jackets on the catwalks dubbed the “Shaggy” trend by Grazia in their magazine last week. Celtic’s examples of this style sit with the fabulous Reversible Gilet and Long Himalayan Gilet. These two designs are wonderfully adaptable and make great statement pieces without the cost of a full coat.

Why not have a look at the new catalogue for yourself, and see what you think of our new collection and how it matches up to the trends. View the online catalogue here

With the launch of the biggest ever Celtic Sheepskin catalogue one day away and on the month of the directors 20th anniversary...

...we set one of the best people to go undercover and tell us more about the infamous husband and wife team -their daughter!


Clare Whitworth is the loving daughter of Nick and Kath; the couple that co-founded Celtic Sheepskin 20 years ago to this month. Nick and Kath on the whole like to keep themselves to themselves, which is not much to ask really, not when you spend so many hours at work! However when Clare was challenged with the task of drafting a blog post, she - their devoted daughter - felt it was about time everyone learnt what makes her parents tick. I must add at this point that Nick and Kath also have a son Mike, who has very smartly stepped back from his sister’s mission!

So Clare, what can you tell us about Nick…

After obtaining three A levels in Economics, Geography and History, which when asked the results "were not good", Nick joined the RAF aged just 18. For nine years he worked as an aircraft engineer and ended up primarily on Nimrods. This took him to a posting at RAF St Mawgan, a couple of miles out from Newquay, and led to Nick falling in love with not only Cornwall but with Kath [ah, that’s words from their loving daughter, nice to see she includes those all important gushy details!].

Nick and Kath were later married and it happened that 5 months after their wedding Nick left the RAF. He then joined BT for almost three years and grew to love Cornwall [and Kath!] more and more. Nick only chose to leave BT when he saw an advertisement in the local paper selling a business called "Hide & Feet". This business became his own on the 20th August 1990, and today is known as the great Celtic Sheepskin Company Ltd.

Twenty years later Nick is no less hands-on with his now thriving business [tomorrow Nick and Kath are launching over 50 new knitwear pieces and approximately 14 new styles of sheepskin outerwear! Quite a feet from taking on a business that had only a few pairs of boots in its stock books!]. So on the rare day off that Nick takes (this summer he’s taken only 7 days in total), he practices his avid grow-your-own skills, recently converting the whole garden and proudly picking his produce [it sounds like Clare is often used as a taste tester for his vegetables!]. He does however ensure that one week every winter he hits the slopes to enjoy his passion for snowboarding. [We say; good for you Nick!]

And what about your mum…

Kath has always lived in Newquay and left school at 17 with O Levels and a commercial/secretarial course, wanting to go out and earn money. She started as a secretary and was soon trained up in telesales with Canon. For a couple of years Kath ran their office in Truro [proud daughter speaking again!].

At 19 she became an administrator in a local estate agents where she subsequently trained to become one of their main agents. This ended when Kath was 24 and expecting their first child, Mike. Whilst on her maternity leave, Kath set up a wholesale sandwich company alongside Nick, which they ran from 1990-1993 [yes, this was alongside Nick’s new business “Hide & Feet”, what a couple!]. In 1993 they sold this business to concentrate on the now Celtic Sheepskin and also a board bag manufacturing company. They ran the surfboard bag business from their garage, providing bags for big companies such as Rhino, Buffalo, Rappac, Second Skin and Gul. Well, when you live in a surfing town, it’s quite a natural to run a business that is based around surfing.

Just to add to her super woman CV [ah, there’s Clare’s adoring side coming out again!], they also ran a weekly holiday cottage, had rooms to let in their home to pay for major renovation works that were needed and looked after their now two children who at the time were both under the age of 3!

Just like Nick, Kath’s days off aren't a common occurrence, but when she does get some time to herself she enjoys getting out and about around the Cornish countryside and walking along the white sandy beaches with their new puppy Alfie. For more regular time-out activities, Kath also escapes to her weekly "Spinning" classes (5 a week!), and for those who haven’t heard of this sport, it’s a 45-minute indoor cycling class to music.

It's evident that the mixture of love for Cornwall and determination for success, this pair aren’t been afraid of hard work. Constantly adding bar jobs to their string of positions making themselves adaptable to the seasonal trends of Newquay.

Clearly there’s one very proud daughter out there! Well done Clare, and thank you!

For those who like to enjoy pictures with their stories, Clare has gathered a few together for us. Enjoy...