One day to go!

So today it's all about the clothes!! EEEEK! Well the rails are stuffed at the venue, the catwalk is up, and it all looks fantastic!

After a week of last minute preparations it still feels like there is so much to do! Really exciting stuff, can't wait to see you there as it will be nothing without our lovely audience xx

See you at the show!

Much love

Front Row makes Arrow FM

Hi everyone,

Maika and Adam just had a fab interview on Arrow FM all about the show, and the ethical principles behind it. In a wide ranging discussion about the trend towards mainstreaming ethical brands and the horrors of sweatshop labour, including recent tv coverage.

Well done to both!

Grab your tickets now cos they are sure to be snapped up soon! There will be a small number available to buy on the door, but you are much better off buying in advance to make doubly sure you are part of this extravaganza - now in it's second year.

Mostly the FRONT ROW team are gearing up for the full dress rehearsal tomorrow, and focussing on spreading the word and finessing the last few details! Not long to go now, can't wait for the Paper Couture collection, sneak preview!!

lots of love

FRONT ROW

The Sun Shall Be Shining In Brighton Tomorrow....

HELLO ALL YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE


the million-and-one aspects of our fabulous Ethical Fashion Show are falling into place - all at the same time!!! Although we hadn't anticipated that a lot of companies are very busy with London Fashion Week, we have an amazing line up of designers to show at the catwalk fashion show on Friday in two weeks!!!! So whoever hasn't got their ticket yet better run because they are going fast now that all our posters are up, spot them around town!

The gorgeous clothes are arriving, our beautiful models are learning to strut their stuff and I'm off to Brighton tomorrow to pick up more garments... i feel like a child in a candy store, a bit spoilt and very very lucky to be involved.

One last thing: just to let you all know that the goody bags are bulging and there will be a SUPER-DELUXE HAMPER raffled on the night, filled with gifts (thanks to Made In Hastings), cosmetics, sumptuous chocolates and sparkling wine.

See you all there on the night and tell a friend....

Bye bye,
FRONT ROW XX

Tickets on Sale!

Yes, those desirable little black tickets are now available, from:
Hastings Information Centre (Town Hall)
Trinity Wholefoods
Made in Hastings
The Lilac Room
Bullet cafe

Snap yours up today!

The whole thing is shaping up beautifully, with new collections coming on stream - the latest by the Retro Centre in the Old Town, they will be showcasing a 40s and a 50s vintage collection, and we hope an evening wear selection too.

Quick update on the boutique, to make it all a more intense experience, we will now be having the stalls on the friday night, so you can browse during the event! There are lots of other events competing with us on the saturday as it is the Seafood and Wine Festival, and Coastal Currents, so we will be focussing all our attention on the Friday night show and making it extra special.

That's all for now,

Lots of love

xx

Spreading the word!

Hi everyone!

Fabulous news, the Cooperative are once again supporting this wonderful event - thanks to Rebecca and we'll look forward to spending the vouchers on some nice wine for our welcome drinks - also a surprise other offer that will have us scratching heads on how to incorporate successfully.

We're all about press releasing the event this week! If you'd like a press pack please do email Jane at frontrowsouthcoast@googlemail.com

So please spread the word and don't forget to bag your tickets, on sale in a day or so from the venues below, plus The Bullet cafe in sunny Hastings. If you're not local and need tickets let us know or join the event on Facebook and we'll reserve you and your friends a batch.




Bye for now, lots of love

FRONT ROW xx

THE COUNTDOWN 6 Weeks to go ....

Hello conscious fashion conscious people..

The FRONT ROW Ethical Fashion Show & Fair 2008 is building up momentum, and although we've been in the process of planning for months and months now, it is clear that every element will be juggled at the last minute and miraculously fall into place. With giant steps we're approaching our September date and everyday a new email confirms another enthusiastic company or designer's involvement.

I am personally very pleased to announce that we will be showing the cleverly recycled garments of a company called From Somewhere, who's director Orsola de Castro is responsible for Estethica promoting sustainable fashion at London Fashion Week. From Somewhere's collections are entirely made up of unwanted and discarded but still perfectly useable, still beautiful, still functional materials salvaged from fashion industry waste and made into gorgeous works of art.

Check out their shop at 83 Westbourne Park Road, London next time you're up there and get excited.

By the way:

Tickets for the Front Row Ethical Fashion Show 2008 can be purchased soon from

Trinity Wholefoods, Claremont
Made In Hastings, Old Town High Street
The Lilac Room, Old Town George Street

This is it for today, so it's bye bye
FRONT ROW

Wey Hey postcards are go!!

Hello ethical fashionistas everywhere!

We're well excited today as our postcards, beautifully designed by Stephanie Hartman, are ready to go - watch this space for the final image!!

We thought we'd acknowledge all the help and support given to us by Hastings Environment Network hence the snazzy logo that's appeared on the blog - we love you loads HEN xx www.hastingsenvironment.net

So now we have the publicity almost there it's time to sign up to show and sell your wares, there are still a few slots for designers so come along and join in.

We're finalising the press releases this week so soon, news of the event will be everywhere.

If you don't live in Hastings, why not make a weekend of it, as there will be the yummy seafood and wine festival, and the arts extravaganza Coastal Currents all happening on the same weekend. Go on, treat yourselves, you know you want to...
www.coastalcurrents.org.uk
http://www.visit1066country.com/hastings/events/seafoodfestival/about.aspx

Also watch out for our talent scouts, who may approach you to model in the show! Be sure to be on best sashaying form when out and about in Hastings and St Leonards over the next few weeks. The casting session is booked and ready to roll.

Lots of love and bye for now

FRONT ROW

ANOTHER INSPIRED FRONT ROW BLOG UPDATE....

Doesn't that just sound like a great introduction?

Sorry that updates have been sparse, we all have been busy writing sponsoring letters and getting all the designers together and organised, and then life is taking over sometimes too...

ANYWAY, it's great to see confirmations coming in on a daily basis, the enthusiasm this event is creating is contageous, and it's a joy to see it all slowly coming together. I find myself walking around town bumping into people willing to help in any way they can. It is becoming an inspired community event which will further help put Hastings on the map as a vibrant and creative town.

We are also very lucky that the FRONT ROW Ethical Fashion Show & Fair 2008 will take place during Coastal Currents Arts and the Hastings Seafood & Wine Festival, so it will be an amazing weekend in September nobody can afford to miss ..

So, today will be a short one as i have to write more emails now.

best wishes from all of us at
FRONT ROW
xxx

Good evening everyone!

Our last meeting yesterday was a very short but extremely pleasant one (we do actually know how to have some fun too). Still working hard at drafting sponsoring letters, we're waiting for completion of our artwork and then we're off. This is the moment we've been waiting for to contact everyone and go completely public with this fabulous project the

FRONT ROW Ethical Fashion Show 2008

We had been a bit in limbo during June while waiting for funding approval, but we feel the excitement mounting as we will be getting all the designers together. It will be sooooo glamorous!!! Our contact list is quite impressive and we are planning a day in Brighton to source more and i suppose it could be combined with a little shopping?

Our call for fashion talent to come up with ideas to create PAPERCOUTURE as part of the Fashion Show on Friday, 19th September has been answered and we've been sending out details. The brief is to create A Million Dollar For One Minute creation completely out of paper.Think Victor & Rolf, Galliano and McQueen, be glamorous and outrageous .....

Interested?
Send an email to maika.crampton@yahoo.co.uk
Deadline for design draft is August 1st. 2008 so get designing.

I really intended to make this blog entry a bit exciting layout wise, but somehow the toolbar has disappeared ... must check that out.

Anyway, this is night night now.

FRONT ROW xx

Good afternoon Front Row bloggers xx

After having had two of our funding requests positively answered and the money for our beautiful event flowing in ....ahem.... we were expecting even greater things from our last and biggest application only to receive a letter yesterday morning with one single sheet of paper (considering our application was about 20 pages thick and nicely bound), saying


D E C L I N E D


So this means: Hello Sponsors!

After being a bit shocked and disappointed at first, we think this is actually a brilliant opportunity to approach lots of local businesses. Hasting people have such a big heart and open mind towards new ideas, that it will be great to see all this potential coming together.

Every person we've been talking about the FRONT ROW Ethical Fashion Show & Fair 2008 has been very positive, always ready to point us into the direction of helpful contacts, offering their expertise and creative talent and lots and lots of encouragement ....

THAT'S WHY WE LOVE HASTINGS !!!

So if there's anyone who would like to help sponsor this great event and show their support environmental issues, we would love to hear from you. And tell a friend!

That's all from us for today and thanks for dropping in.
Front Row xxx

Good evening x

The Front Row team got together Wednesday evening to discuss future plans and the next step in our ever growing and highly ambitious FASHION event ....and so what did we talk about.....
Firstly we have, as promised, our draft artwork to be used for posters, promotion material and generally all things FRONT ROW. It's looking pretty cool, you agree?
We have got a few more ingenious pieces of artwork from Stephanie to scan our eyes over on Saturday pm before we make our final decisions and go to print.

So that's the exciting part the rest of the time we looked at budget, stage layout and general room planning for the boutique style shopping experience that St Mary in the Castle will be transformed into on Saturday 20th September...

but what you need to know is who will be exhibiting, what can you buy? and what all the excitement is about....

Check back in the next few days as we reveal more....

FRONT ROW
XXXXXXXXX

advertorial blues

So today I'm mostly exercised by attracting advertisers for our glossy ecofashion collective brochure that will give details of all designers in the show... much headscratching and thinking about shoes... should we focus on the numbers of tickets we'll sell (600 capacity crowd!) or the kind of discerning consumers who will be our guests at this fabulous fashion foray? Or both?!

Sadly I've had a crazy weekend and brain isn't getting into gear as it should, so in the meantime here are some pics of our superglam venue for the show... it really is going to be a special experience, so stay tuned and let us know your thoughts - what do you want from our very own South Coast ethical fashion show? Eco chic glitz and glamour are given of course...

lots of love

xx

We can't believe it's been almost six full months since we first flirted with the idea of organising this year's fabulous

FRONT ROW Ethical Fashion Show & Fair 2008

and with every meeting we're having, it is getting bigger and bigger and we're getting more and more excited!!

For the last few months we've been doing all the dry boring but terribly essential stuff like putting together funding application packages (late nights included, of course, to meet those deadly deadlines), and we were wondering when we could start on the wonderful fun stuff, and did we see it coming???!!!

At the moment we're particularly enjoying sourcing lovely things for the goodie bags which will be given out to every guest at the Fashion Show (i mean, we got our priorities right...).

Mmmm, we saw an article in Wave Magazine (free copies can be optained at every good wholefood store) about Demarquette Fine Chocolates in Chelsea, London, a company producing the finest fair trade chocolates the heart could desire.

So what do you guys think:

Shall we send them a letter and see if we could persuade Marc Demarquette to support our beautiful event????

YES, WE THINK SO TOO!!!

This is it for today, we would very much value your comments and your support.

Front Row xxx

FRONT ROW Fashion update

Good evening all Front Row fashion people!

Today we've mostly been looking at the overall feel of the show and getting inspiration from February's London Fashion Week, i.e layout, models, make up and music.
The venue, St Mary's in the Castle is perfect and encompasses the feeling of glamour and great design that the show is all about.

Our draft publicity in well underway by artist Stephanie Hartman whose collage and mixed media pieces are inspired by fashion imagery, memories, magazines and typography (we will shortly have imagery to post).

The casting is not that far away so if you get stopped in the street and invited to come please do! Also if you can't make it let us know...

Are you a business that supports ethical, fairtrade and eco issues?
Let us know if you would like to be involved as we have many advertising opportunities available and would love to hear from you?

We promise to keep you updated as our list of designers and special guests grows...

Speak soon & sweet dreams,

FRONT ROW xxx

And we’re off! The first meeting held, the fair-trade chocolate scoffed, wine and smoothies supped, and FRONT ROW 2008 is set to go.

Building on the success of last year's sell-out ethical fashion show from the Hastings Environment Network, So Far Sew Good are taking the reins to create an inspirational style extravaganza this Autumn. Showcasing the very best in local design, and with an ethical heart, the aim is to promote local individuality and innovation in clothing.

With an eye on the future we all know that things have to change as the fashion industry finds its conscience. With organic materials, fair trade practices and locally produced garments gaining credence, there has never been a better time to rally forth and take on the challenge.

Positive impact clothing shown on the catwalk which is fun to wear!

Sound like your type of event? Sign up now! We are scouting for models - first casting session will be 12th July - you’ll work to a specially choreographed catwalk routine. Local designers, show your wares and join us! We are after front of house volunteers too.

The big night is 19^th September followed by a Fashion Trade Fair on 20^th September 2008. The beautiful venue: St Mary’s in the Castle, Sea Front, Hastings. The Fair will be an exclusive South Coast shopping experience, with boutique style and elegance and some surprise touches that will be revealed as we draw nearer the big day.

News just in - our first funding bid has been successful - congrats Maika!! - so we are on a roll!

Bye for now

FRONT ROW xx