ROSIE COLLECTION AND OTHER SUMMER NEWS

Last time I wrote my blog I was sitting in the stifling heat of Northern Thailand amongst the tropical trees and plants in the lovely gardens of the Amari Rincombe Hotel in Chiangmai.  Now I am sitting in the lovely heat of an early English summer.  My garden is full of scented lilacs, and fragrant clematis. The wisteria is in full bloom with beautiful deep lilac fronds gracefully framing an old stone archway.  From my workshop I can see the shimmering waters of the River Dart which winds its way down from Dartmoor to the Dartmouth estuary.  As the summer progresses more and more boats arrive.  Small workmanlike boats for fishing and some sleek larger vessels, some of these will have sailed from different parts of the globe.  Sailors do say that the entrance to the River Dart is one of the most spectacular sights in the world.

These two places are inspirational in my search for our collections for JAZKIDS.

Our newest summer collections are no exception.

We have used a wonderful bamboo denim fabric sourced from Far East Asia to make our cropped shorts and shirts for little boys.  This fabric has properties that make it great to use for children.  Non-allergenic and anti-bacterial makes it a particularly suitable cloth against young skins.

Our new range for girls includes dresses, skirts and culottes made with creamy soft white cotton. These are all enhanced with stunning little red roses making a unique and stylish little outfit for those special summer days.

Images of this collection can be viewed on our website www.jazkids.com I must now say thanks to my young model the lovely Lily who is always great fun to work with. She will be 6 this year!

Also thanks to the Amari Rincombe Hotel who allowed us to use their hotel for the photoshoot.

Anyone who has been to Thailand will feel saddened by the recent troubles that have taken place over there. It is a situation that will probably continue to cause the country ongoing unrest.  We will continue to work and support this lovely place and hope some compromise can be found so that the people of Thailand can return to normality

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The Discovery Of Spangle

The first time I saw these glittering little garments hanging in the dark corner of a market stall I knew that we had to explore the possibility of buying more! But let me first go back to the beginning of the whole story.We had conducted our business in the North and in Bangkok and had decided it was time for relaxation in what had been a very hectic couple of weeks. The south of Thailand is totally different to the north. Lush green jungles are replaced by swathes of golden beaches. Beautiful islands and one very unwelcome addition – mosquitoes! Thousands of them descend on any bare limbs that happen to be in their path. At night they lay in wait especially around water or any green plant life. Our first stop was in a small town called HuaHin several hours south of Bangkok. Although small it is a vibrant place with sophisticated hotels set out in beautiful grounds along the long straight golden beach.

We stayed at the Sofitel Hotel which was once the old railway hotel. A graceful building standing in its own gardens. Beautiful original wood panelling and elegant sweeping staircases make this a truly relaxing place. It did not take long for us to recharge our batteries and we set off to explore the town at night.It is difficult to fully describe the magical experience of a Thai market, particularly when the sun has gone down and dark descends. Everywhere there are sounds and smells and sights to fill the senses. Fascinating foods stuffs are displayed. My son tried to persuade me to try a deepfried cockroach but somehow I just could not bring myself to crunch on this delicacy! Up and down the narrow alleyways we walked until I suddenly spied the small sparkling tops which were to become one of our most popular selling items. Beautifully crotcheted in silky cotton these little tops come in many colours. My next task was to source where these exquisite garments were made. The search was on.Inevitably the search led us to a small cramped shop in Bangkok. There are thousands of wholesale outlets in this city that seem to merge into one sprawling mass of alleyways. Dark doorways lead to shops displaying a myriad of clothing, ceramics, leather goods, jewellery and food stuffs. The smells are intoxicating and the sounds of chatter resound as the shopkeepers bargain with their customers. Having ordered what we needed in Bangkok we then set off once again down south to explore Phi Phi Island and the other beautiful islands in that region. What a memorable trip it was and when the Tsunami struck some years later we could only look in awe at the images on the television news. What once had been an idyllic group of islands set in a shimmering sea was a scene of devastation. We are determined to return to this paradise to see how the Thai people have repaired their islands.

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Enjoying Thailand

Stepping off the plane in Bangkok brought back memories as the stifling heat wafted over me. The sort of heat that only seems to occur in the tropics. Those balmy scents that are evocative of food markets, jostling people and animals all converging together in the heady piercing midday sun.
Two years have passed since my last visit. Jazkids continues to grow but due to the general world financial climate there has not been the need for new fabrics. New designs are now being launched, hence the search for new cloth has begun.
Sitting in the garden in the city of Chiangmai brings its own inspiration. Beautiful cascading bougainvillea adorn the walls around the pool. Pastel pinks, deep crimson and soft yellows. The petals are papery thin and the colours fading as the sun beats down on them. Two more months of searing heat will shrivel the plants to dry sticks. With these colours in mind I set about sourcing fabric.
My first trip is to the Hangdong district in the outskirts of the city. This area is where one can find factories producing paper, silks, mango wood, jewellery, leather goods and many other products. You enter the area on a wide main road lined with trees. Their barks knarled with age but the leafy canopies give much needed shade. The side roads wind into a maze of little streets. Large white buildings conceal workrooms where skilled craftsmen produce their goods.
My task is to source soft white cotton combined with linen/cheesecloth on which there will be embroidered dainty deep scarlet flowers. Reminiscent of a sunny English afternoon. Our new dress design is to be called Rosie. Pretty dresses with smocking and frilly tiered skirts and cute culottes will make up this range.
We have been told that there is the annual strawberry fair being held up in the DoiSuthep mountain area so we plan to make our way up there later this week. DoiSuthep is the mountain overlooking Chiangmai city. At the summit is a beautiful golden temple where orange robed Buddhist monks live and worship. A place I have been to before. A place of incredible stillness and tranquillity. Even the flocking tourists cannot dim the atmosphere of peace and gentleness that is ever present in the Buddhist philosophy. Coming from the west I always feel a sense of shame that we who have so much are unaware of what really matters. Thai people value kindness and each other no matter how little they have. Buddism has much to recommend it. During the day the mountain is bathed in hot sunshine but at night the dark descends on the mountainous slopes and all that can be seen from the city are the golden rays that light up the temple giving it an ethereal and mystical aura. It seems a truly holy place no matter what belief you may or may not have.
With this view in my sights I can settle down to sleep before setting off for another days foray into the world that is Northern Thailand.

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Cotton Farm

Even at seven in the morning the sun was hot as we waited in the car park for our guide. I felt elated at the prospect of what the day was to bring.

It had been a quirk of fate that had led to this moment. I just happened to be staying in a hotel in Northern Thailand. Business and family had brought me here. As I walked through the lobby for breakfast I saw people bustling around tables covered with immaculate white cloths. Displayed on the tables were rolls of beautiful fabrics, exquisite bags hanging on racks, brightly coloured bowls of full of fascinating flowers and leaves. My attention was drawn to the smartly dressed people gathered in the foyer of all different nationalities. This was my first introduction to the world of organic fabric.

Our invitation had come from a representative at the EU-Thailand Economic Small Projects Facility who worked at Chiangmai University. A chance to see the first truly organic cotton plantation in Thailand was not to be missed! Hence here we were gathered together in the car park waiting in anticipation for our guide for the day. The mini-bus was on time and so we set off for our adventure.

Our mini-bus wound its way through the bustling streets of Chiangmai full of commuters going to work. Practically the whole population seem to travelling at full speed on bikes and scooters. Eventually we were speeding along the dual carriageway and out into the countryside. After several hours our vehicle turned off the main road and we seem to be heading into the centre of Northern Thailand through scattered small villages with typically elegant Thai style houses made from beautiful quality timbers. Gardens were packed with all kinds of vegetables and flowers where chickens pecked busily amongst the plants. Beautiful hibiscus adorned the walls of the houses. After a final turn and short journey along a winding lane we had arrived!

We stepped out of our air-conditioned mini-bus and the full heat of the midday sun hit us. The centre itself seem to be a sprawl of small buildings set amongst trees. Our smiling host gave us refreshing cold drinks and we were then ushered back onto the mini-bus and off we sped again. Our guide explained that we were being taken to the cotton fields. As we had arrived at the fields at lunch time most of the workers had left the fields and had gone for lunch and would not return until the piercing sun had subsided.

An elderly lady gestured to me to sit on the straw mat beside her and before I knew it she showed me how to spin the soft balls of cotton. Not a task I found easy it has to be said! In fact I broke more threads than I spun. A fact she seemed to find very funny. Her lined brown face was wreathed in smiles and she told our guide that it would take a year to train me to spin! Next we were off to look at the looms. Shuttle machines that again seem to look so simple to use. My technique again was met with great bursts of laughter from my elderly tutor.

Feeling rather like a child back at school I was then propelled by my mentor out into the field. She placed a large coolie-style hat on my head, hung a wicker basket on my shoulder and instructed me to pick cotton. This I thought I could manage! The sun seemed to be getting stronger and the heat shone down relentlessly. The air was still and I felt quite exhausted but obediently followed my tutor. She seemed totally unaffected by the heat and strode on darting into bushes and plucking the soft balls of cotton and placing them in my basket. Her face peered at mine and she jabbed at the centre of one of the cotton balls. In the centre there was a small red beetle. This was apparently good for the cotton and helped to keep other pests away. All around each bush were a variety of vegetables growing. These also helped attract pests away from the cotton bushes. Eventually it was time to go. It had been an unforgettable experience and I will always remember our good natured host. Her expertise and skill were matched by her gentle humour. We said our goodbyes and climbed back onto our mini-bus and we sped back to the Centre.

Here we were again offered cold drinks by our smiling hosts. This was followed by a tour of the Centre. The process of producing small cotton wool balls into bolts of soft textured organic cotton was fascinating. In one room there were barrels full of various plants soaking. I was given a glimpse of the most brilliant colour blue which was being produced from the indigo plant. Another bucket was full of a rich yellow mass being produced from turmeric. The process of producing vegetable dyes is another fascinating story.

Our trip to the Centre had come to an end. As we wound our way back to the city of Chiangmai I felt I had been incredibly lucky to have been allowed a glimpse of the work of these wonderful people. Since my visit to this place we have tried wherever possible to introduce natural fabrics into our childrens collections. We are very proud of our newest addition which is the Bamboo collection. My next wish is that I may some day be able to see bamboo pulp being produce

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