Keep Calm and Carry On ... To new and better things ...

Keep Calm and Carry On

to bigger and better things

So the time has come for us to wave a fond farewell to our little shop on Vine lane . . . . We have a manic few weeks ahead of us with the move and relaunch of the freshly revamped Business so we have to 

Keep calm and Carry On 

to much bigger and better things.

Due to popular demand and our ever growing following of BTBhandmade  fanatics we are pleased to annonce our new aim and new outlook for Between the Buttons.

Between The Buttons are a none profit making Organisation who support young designers and artists in the UK in recycling old Clothing, Fabric, Jewellery and accessories into new funky and fashionable items. We rely on sales of the products we recycle, and support from local businesses and authorities.

It is estimated that more than 1 million tonnes of textiles are thrown away every year, with most of this coming from household sources. Textiles make up about 3% by weight of a household bin. At least 50% of the textiles we throw away are recyclable, however, the proportion of textile wastes reused or recycled annually in the UK is only around 25%.

At Between The Buttons we want to minimise this waste and bring life back into perfectly good items. We currently do this in conjunction with Newcastle College, working closely with students from all levels of the textile foundation degree program, supporting them in current projects and offering valuable work placement facilities, as well as providing a retail outlet to test their designs on the current market. We have had interest from other courses within the college including fashion, and fine art. We would also like to expand this educational element and support in the future by being able to offer live briefs to the students on a larger scale and be able to offer more permanent design and machinist jobs to new graduates.

So as you can tell its all change for us at Between the Buttons, but changes that we feel will benefit the business, our customers and the local design community. 

After all a change every now and then does us all a bit of good!!

Having said that not only is the format of the Business changing, our staff team is having a reshuffle too.

BYE . BYE . FEE !

We would like to take this opportunity to say a fond fare well to our Assistant Manager Fee Ray.

Her creative knowledge and design background has lead the BTBhandmade team and helped Between the Buttons become the business it is today, so a massive thank you to Fee!!

We wish you every success in your new venture.

x BTB x

Saturday's Swap Surgery

Don't ration your fashion, bring it to the 

SWAP SURGERY

We all love to shop, but when times are hard and pennies are few it sometimes feels impossible.

We at BTB don't want you to ration your fashion!

Swishing other wise known as Swap Shops are great fun and an ideal way to freshen up your wardrobe without spending a penny.

However these events don't happen enough in our eyes!

So we have decided to start and run a 

Saturday Swap Surgery

Here's how it works : 

* As we are a vintage clothing company , the clothing to swap must be of the same nature, therefore the garments we will be happy to swap will be from eras 

1920s - 1980s only please

* Sorry but we can not swap modern clothing.

* All items must be in good, clean condition

*Bring them into store and speak with a member of staff.

* Your items will be assessed and a SWAP TOKEN amount will be issued.

* You can either swap straight away to your dedicated amount, or hold on to your swap token for another time

 Surgery is open 11 am - 4 pm

Simple as that! 

So what you waiting for, go and raid your wardrobe and bring it in and leave with some new pieces without spending a  penny!

Hope to see you on Saturday!!

 xxx

BUTTONS WANTS YOU

BETWEEN THE BUTTONS 

WANTS YOU !!

This is a call out to all Designers and New Graduates

As most are aware by now, we at BTB love reviving vintage clothing and supporting local talent in the process.

Our BTBhandmade label started out as a few dresses on a rail, to test the water, 6 months later our collections are selling out quicker than we can stitch them together!

We have grown from one designer, our stores manager Fee Ray, reworking clothing in her own time, to now stocking 7 local brands and we don't want to stop here.

We are now on the hunt for more talent, seeking local design students, graduates and established design labels to join our handmade campaign.

Here is what we are seeking .....

Students

* You must be Committed to the project, and prepared to work in your own time

* You must have a good understanding of design and garment construction, along with good quality sewing skills. 

* Time management is key as your work is produced off the premises and we really need you to be confident in your ability to suit the needs of our customers and the high demand of the stock.

*Stock is placed on the shop floor when finished, and our designers are paid their cut at the end of the month, so simply the more you make, the more we sell, the more you earn.

* We are aware that this is a lot of work alongside your coursework, this is why we need you to be committed to the project, and if we can combine it with your projects in anyway we will try to do so.

*We are also able to offer work placements for students needing to work in the industry as part of their course.

New Graduates

 This is run on a free lance basis with 2 options.

Option 1

* Rework Designers

For this you are joining the BTBhandmade team, you select stock you feel you can work with and breathe new life in to it. It is essential that you understand our customers needs and have a keen eye for current trends. Stock is placed on the shop floor when finished, and our designers are paid their cut at the end of the month, so simply the more you make, the more we sell, the more you earn.

 We need you to have :

* Your own sewing equipment including a machine.

* High quality sewing and garment construction skills.

* The ability to work in your own time and meet deadlines.

Option 2

* New Designer Makers

This option is for those graduating and already have a brand/label and are embarking on a career in the designer maker industry. We are here to offer you the first step onto the ladder by offering you an outlet to sell your goods. You must be a registered business and have a reasonable stock level to begin with. Your stock is provided to us on SOR (sale or return) and BTB take a 30% commission of sales. 

In return we help promote you and offer you not only space in the store, but the chance to have your work exhibited in fashion shows, fairs and other events.

Established Design Labels

This option is for local designers and labels that are already established, and know the tricks of the trade. We aim to take on those who don't stock too many other outlets in the surrounding areas as we really strive to provide our customers with something different and unique. 

I'm afraid as we are a non profit design organization we do not have the means to buy on wholesale. 

Therefore your stock is given to us on SOR (Sale or Return) and BTB take a commission from the sales. This is paid to you at the end of the month along with sales records of which items have sold. We enjoy working this way as it gives us, and yourself,  the flexibility to keep your ranges fresh to appeal to the customer more, and allows you to trial new designs and give us the exclusivity of those products.

So .... think you have what we are looking for?

How to apply :

1. email our design manager on fee@betweenthebuttons.com

2. Name the subject title 'New Designers'

3. Outline which category applies to you (student/new graduate/established)

4. Attach your CV

5. Who are you? what do you do? ... Tells us all about you, we would love to know your background in design,what makes you tick, who inspires you, where your draw your inspiration from, etc etc etc .... So we would like you to write a covering email to tell us everything you think we should know about you, and why you would be a great asset to the BTBhandmade Design Sector of our business.

6. Attach imagery of your work, and/or link us to your website/blog.

Successful students/new graduate applicants will be contacted for interviews, and established designers will be contacted for assessments.

We look forward to hearing from you and see the 

creativity flow! 

REmember us ... REcycle REuse REwork RElove

xxx

Evan Dando @ Between the Buttons

Evan Dando

Between the Buttons and Steel wheels proudly presented Evan Dando (The Lemonheads) @ the Cluny, Newcastle. This was his only 2010 UK tour date!! and was a big hit.

The gig went down a storm and a good time had by all, even Evan himself popped into our store for a bit of shopping and bought one of our handmade 60s print 'flying burrito bros' t'shirt. Get yours online !!

Our marvelous store

We may be a small store but we make great use of what he have! For those followers from further a field to you lads and lasses who are yet to venture through our doors, here are some snaps of the store for you to look at. We stock everything from original men's and woman's vintage clothing and accessories, to locally sourced handmade garments and accessories. We are proud to be supporting local talent! 

BTB LOVE NEW TALENT 

Remember we are available online too,  www.betweenthebuttons.com

Our lovely Ladies wear, dresses and skirts from £10.

Menswear : Icelandic jumpers from £8 , Shirts from £6

Accessories Corner : Scarves £2 , Bags from £8 and much more

BTBhandmade Central Stand : Supporting Local Designers and New Graduates

Latest Hair band collection from Loula Designs

Sneak Peek at Frayed Textiles new hair accessories collection in store

Many of our items are made in  store by the BTBhandmade design team

Next time your passing our doors be sure to pop up and see us!! 

xx