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

The Handmade Gang

Between The Buttons Handmade

REcycle REuse REwork RElove

We at BTB handmade are really proud to be supporting local talent! Our design team is made of both designer makers as well as Textile and Fashion students from surrounding universities and colleges. They Recycle and REwork original vintage garments into something new, and are joined in this venture by local Artists and Designers.

 Let me introduce the team ......

FrayedFrocks 

This label is owned and run by Designer Fee Ray. She specialises in recycling old vintage clothing as well as designing and producing fabulous hair accessories. Fee is the assistant manager here at Between the Buttons and is also the head designer of our in store BTBhandmade team, in doing so she works closely with the students from the surrounding colleges and universities offering work placement opportunities and permanent roles as a REwork designer.

Loula Designs

This cute vintage inspired label is run by designer Louise Brack. Having studied at University with Fee Ray she began stocking Between the Buttons with her products earlier in the year and they have been going down a storm!! 

Her collections range from jewellery to accessories and combine new fabrics with found objects and trimmings. 

LucysHappyPlace.com

This is brought to you by Designer and Illustrator Lucy Farfort. 

After having Fee work with her on placement during her degree, she was able to repay Lucy by inviting her to join the handmade team. 

Lucy is one of our newest designers but her fabulous style and use of colour brightens up the store a treat! 

Dolls&Molls Jewellery

Every item by this lovely label has been handmade by Emily. Her collections range from necklace to brooches and rings, all having that quirky edge that is recognisable to being a dolls&molls creation. 

Applique Originals

This beautiful range of handcrafted items are brought to us by Jane Smallcombie. A super talented lady who's eye for detail amazes us.

Her collections range from brooches to scarves and bags.

 Zanna Designs . . Artwork

Switzerland born Suzanne Homer joined the BTBhandmade venture early in 2010.

Her artwork depicts scenes from around Northumberland and are available in prints, cards and mugs. 

Zanna Designs ...  REcycle:REuse

Suzanne Homer is also an established Jewellery Designer as well as Artist.

She has recently developed a new line by recycling broken vintage jewellery and giving it a new life. This will soon be offered as a service in store, so dig out the family heirlooms  and let her work her magic so you can wear them and enjoy!

We hope to in the future have a variety of designers from all backgrounds join the BTBhandmade gang and help us spread the message that REcycle REuse REwork RElove is a moto we should all live by....

If you think you know someone who would be interested in joining us please email us on

fee@betweenthebuttons.com

jack@betweenthebuttons.com

BTB

x

Between the Buttons vintage clothing is part of the Steel Wheels music emporium on Vine Lane in Newcastle, so whether your after some new music or a new frock we really do have everything under one roof!  A family run business so no big bosses in suits, we are local people with our feet on the ground and here to go that little bit further than the other vintage shops in town.

We provide vintage clothing from across the eras for both men and woman as well a handmade clothing line, and stock collections by local designers. However unlike design boutiques where you need to be in your Sunday best before you even enter and take out a small loan to afford any of it ! we aim to have designs at affordable prices so you can treat yourself to more than just one item... and the reason we are able to do this is because we have our own in house design team.

I may be sat behind the till in store, but my background is in textile design, after graduating I was working as an artist and designer before I came to Between the Buttons. One of my trademarks is to recycle old clothing and vintage fabrics which is what I bring to the Business. Our in store clothing line is simply namedBTBhandmade, our moto is REcycle, REuse, REwork, REborn ... and it does exactly what it says on the tin. My design team is lead by myself, and made up of  2 fashion and textile graduates and together we recycle old clothing into something new and get great pleasure out of being able to breathe new life into forgotten garments. 

For example my signature piece is recycling old skirts into dresses, now baring in mind how much thought and effort goes into a piece from the original skirt, to working out how every inch of fabric can be reused,including the zip for it to end up as a dress with a price tag of £20 is pretty remarkable! 

We strongly believe is supporting the local universities and colleges and with the amount of creative fashion and textile courses in this city its nice to be able to give graduates the opportunity of an outlet. Having gone down this path myself i know how hard it can be! Why feel like you have to move to London if we can bring that vibe up here???

The business if ever growing and we have great plans to make it a creative haven. We are in the process of setting up a sewing area in the shop so customers can see us producing the clothing instead of hiding out the back, which will also enable us to start running an alteration service. So many people try on garments and we hear them saying ''oh it would be nice shorter'' or ''its a little big'' ''i don't like the sleeves'' ''the neckline doesn't suit me'' ... with our staff having the skills to be able to do something about it then why wouldn't we? This service ranges from simple hem alterations to bigger projects of totally customizing a garment to meet the requirements of the customer. 

As we all have a background and an interest in fashion, we are all aware of the current trends and how things repeat themselves on the catwalks and high street season after season and most are filtered down from an original vintage garment. So why by a reproduced item that more than one person will have when you can have an original?? 

We have a ''look book'' which in the trade is a book of all the key trends for upcoming seasons, and this has developed into a ''look book rail'' in store, which is where you will find all the hottest trends on the high street in its original form at affordable prices.

This then links into something briefly mentioned earlier. Keeping in the theme of handmade items we have started to stock products of local designers, most new graduates and some who have a few years of business behind them.

 

One of our most exciting projects at the moment is a recycled jewellery line with Northumberland based designer Suzanne Homer, of Zanna Designs. This very talented lady has turned remnants of vintage lace into beautiful earrings, buttons into stud earrings and odd earrings into necklace pendants! you name it she can do something with it!! 

She buys broken vintage jewellery and gives it a new life, again this is something we have developed into a service, where our customers are encouraged to bring in odd earrings, broken necklaces etc.. and either have them fixed for a small fee of around £5 or be a bit more experimental and have a consultation with Zanna and see what she can do with it and have something totally custom made.

We are taking on more and more designers which is really exciting for us!! Although the stock is only available in store for now we do plan to branch out into making this available on our online store too. 

We are currently under going a make over, so hang on in there, change does everyone good and we plan to come back bigger and better.

BTB xx