The Times - UK (2022-06-08)

6 Wednesday June 8 2022 | the times

fashion

the chic babouches from Bali’s

Bulibasha — I’d pick those with

asymmetric patterning — look far

too well considered to be the first

footwear made from, wait for it,

tropical palm and coconut threads

(from £145).

After a predictably bumpy start

during lockdown — “We thought,

‘That’s it!’, ” Taylor says — the past

couple of years have turned out to be

surprisingly good for Gather & See.

“I think it was because people were

slowing down and reconsidering

what they needed and why. People

really seem to want to get behind us.

They want to know what they are

wearing, and they want to wear it

again and again. Our customer base

is very loyal.”

Taylor and Hogg may still be

working from their respective

kitchens, small children

notwithstanding, but they have been

able to hire a third person to help with

the workload. These days they are

helped logistically by the fact that

many of their brands are able to send

direct to the consumer rather than via

them. “I live in rural Leicestershire but

am fortunate enough to have a post

office in the village. You could see

their eyes roll as I turned up with

bags full of orders,” Taylor recalls.

“It was great once my son was born

as I had the pram to double up as a

trolley to carry them all in. Though

I did look a bit mad.

“A few years ago a BBC journalist

told me we would get bored eventually

and give up,” she continues. “But we

are more passionate about what we

are doing than ever. We have been

harping on about it for ever. We have

such a strong conviction that this is

the way fashion should go.” With

Gather & See’s help, it might.

Instagram: @annagmurphy

so-called offshoring, and

so can’t fully vouch for

what they are offering

even if they want to.

What sets Gather &

See apart from what is

now a considerable

amount of competition is

that it is a proper fashion

destination. “We really

set out to provide

something different,”

Taylor says. “We want

our clothes to excite

people. Our customers

like to shop with care and

consideration, but they

also want to have fun

and be inspired. We pick

only the very best pieces,

so we take out all the work

for the people who buy

from us.”

These aren’t just clothes

with a conscience, but with

what is known in industry

parlance as a point of view.

Another brand that stands

out from an aesthetic

perspective is Little Things Studio,

from India. Its stunning scarlet organic

cotton poplin Andretta mididress, also

available in white, is a bestseller (£200).

There are the similarly statement

frocks from A Perfect Nomad, the

designer of which is in Ibiza. The

handwoven raw organic sandstone

cotton Bohemia is a slashed-to-the-

everything maxi that certainly puts

the va-va-voom — of the electric car

variety only, of course — into

sustainability (£270).

Kenya-based Hamaji is right on

trend with its handsewn lavender

linen beauties, my picks being the

sleeveless V-neck top with frilled

border and matching cropped trousers

(£95 and £110 respectively). And

social impact, and offers

exhaustive information on

each of its labels. “When we

launched in 2014, what we

were doing was seen as

alternative and rather

quirky,” says its co-founder

Alicia Taylor.

On the hunt for new

brands, she and her friend

and fellow founder Stephanie

Hogg would often struggle

to make people understand

exactly what they were

looking for. And even if

they managed it, the

definition of what did or

didn’t deserve to be defined

as sustainable could be

head-spinningly complex.

“It’s rare to find a brand

that ticks all the boxes,”

Taylor says.

These days the

philosophy behind Gather

& See is, at least in theory,

part of the mainstream,

which means “we have new

brands contacting us every single day”.

But that brings with it new

complications. “We are very aware

of greenwashing. We have to

be super careful. We prefer

to work with small brands

with small supply chains

so we can get to the

bottom of everything

more easily.”

It’s a canny

approach. One of

the biggest issues

in fashion today is

the degree to

which brands have

lost control of

their supply

chains through,

among other things,

O

ne of my favourite

move-ons this

season has been the

rise of feminised

denim. Think a

denim jacket with

a frill or a flounce,

which is perfect

for me because I find a bog-standard

denim jacket precisely that —

bog-standard and unflattering on

almost everyone.

This is one of the best around, from

the small British brand Asime, not

just because of the way it looks, but

because of its backstory (£120, all at

gatherandsee.com). There is also a

midiskirt with the same pretty frill

detailing (£121). They are made from

second-hand denim bought at the

Kantomanto market in Accra, Ghana.

This is where mountains of used

clothes from the West go to die. Or at

least they do unless the seamstresses

of — wait for it — Aunty’s Fashion

Home get their hands on it.

I know. Aunty’s Fashion Home. Just

too good. So much so that I have to

write it again. Aunty’s Fashion

Home is a mother and

daughter-run operation, and its

seamstresses are paid five

times Ghana’s minimum

wage by Asime. The

brand donates 20 per

cent of its profits to a

local NGO, Big Dream

Ghana, which focuses

on eco-sanitation,

health and education.

Asime is one of

the many special

labels to be found

on the very special

website that is

Gather & See, which

has a twin focus on

sustainability and

Dress, £270,

A Perfect Nomad.

Left: denim jacket,

£120, Asime. Both at

gatherandsee.com

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This is my new favourite online

shop — and it’s worthy

Anna Murphy on pretty dresses and denim