October is a t shirt printing, screen printing, garment sourcing and embroidery supplier established in 1990. We source a wide range of clothing and accessories to fit the most demanding of specifications. Although we print and embroider for a variety of sectors, our speciality is fashion.
With this in mind we offer a full service including garment sourcing, graphic design input, range development, technical screen print and embroidery advice, label supply, re-labelling, bagging, swing ticketing and bulk distribution.
This isn't everything. That would just be too massive, but it is a cross section of all our favourite T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoods, polos, hats etc. It's what a pretentious bell end might call a curated edit. Feel free to call us with any questions, and let us know if we left anything out.
It all started 25 years ago. Paul finished a degree in obscure eastern religions, and was surprised to find he couldn't get a job. Not a problem, a friend had a sewing machine,
October is a t shirt printing, screen printing, garment sourcing and embroidery supplier established in 1990. We source a wide range of clothing and accessories to fit the most demanding of specifications. Although we print and embroider for a variety of sectors, our speciality is fashion.
We found“Rod Hunt”by accident and liked his¬â€ designs so much we decided toshowcase him. He is an established London based illustrator. Working in Adobe Illustrator, he draws on humour, retro graphics & contemporary culture. He also gets his hands dirty with 3D model made Illustrations from time to time. Rod has been commissioned by a broad range of UK & International clients in publishing, design and advertising. Check out his unique style on http://www.rodhunt.com
Paul Stephenson explains the motives behind the newly-created BGDF forum and how it can help the industry.
Fifty ways to leave your lover; how to re-style your living room into a Californian beachfront paradise; a hundred fish finger recipes to excite your party guests; the way to a more sustained orgasm while reducing house work and re-shaping a buttock… Women’s magazines will argue about various methods to improve your life and steer you away from that malodorous lump in the armchair —the one in the gravy stained vest drooling into his special brew.
But the one thing they will all agree on is that men don’t talk.Well maybe they never met Colin Gillman, perhaps they haven’t heard of Ray Seagrave, and they understandably have never shown an interest in me (apart from a 1982 Cosmo article on men and make-up in New Romanticism).
The idea for the BGDF, the British Garment Decorators Federation, emerged almost a year ago, and there’s been enough hot air between us since then to power a trans Atlantic balloon expedition — a thousand hours of how best to protect and empower the garment decoration industry through the medium of a forum.
The detailed aims of the federation, it’s framework and charter, are explained fully at www.bgdf.co.uk but what I would like to attempt here is to answer the question, why? Why bother building a forum for printers, embroiderers, garment distributors, machinery and consumables sales people at all?
Amongst others, one of our primary motivators
was fear. Forums are very easy to build, but extremely difficult to manage in a positive and constructive manner.We felt that sooner or later individuals, who might not be sensitive to the existing architecture of the industry, would knock up
an un-monitored forum in their back bedroom, and let it loose on an unsuspecting sector. But what is so bad about that?
If you were in machinery sales, would you be pleased to hear that printers and embroiderers were selling their un-wanted (un-tested) second hand kit to each other? That Victorian autos and 24-head threshing machines were wandering about on the back of low loaders? How would that affect business?
As an ink supplier, would it be good news if you discovered printers flogging each other inks and chemicals online, without safety spec sheets on uninsured carriers — half used tins of thinners and exploding spray tack tins in the back of a mate’s van — would that be detrimental to business? If you were a garment distributor, would you be pleased to hear of the brand devaluing exchange of leftover samples and guarantee-free dodgy imports at increasingly ridiculous prices? Binloads of white tees without optical brighteners for 20p a throw?
Would that be good for business?
And as a printer or embroiderer, would you welcome a digital vehicle for the auctioning of work to the lowest bidder, on a grand scale? To hear: “But I can get it for 5p less down the road,” and “all printed T-shirts $1.00”. Surely nobody would be stupid enough to offer that … would they? Well, just check out the American forums. In addition, all four of the above groups have different prices for different customers, and for good reasons. Some get discounts because they pay well, some because of the volumes they buy, and some because we like them and they make a nice change from all the other chisellers. Forums that discuss percentage discounts mean you would be justifying your prices all the time….
“But so and so is getting 10% and I only get five and that’s not fair and I want more and I know it’s true because he just told me on a forum and…” Oh dear, oh dear.
And so for the above reasons we thought we’d better build something sharpish. Something that, while encouraging debate and positive comment, had certain rules about who could sell what to whom, while avoiding the un-regulated discussion of pricing. In short, a forum that values freedom above all things, except when at another’s expense.
Scary stuff out of the way, the positives are fairly obvious. All three of us are from the industry.We know the loneliness of starting out as sole traders, no one to talk to at two in the morning when the thread snaps and the screen rips.We know what it feels like when a customer asks for moon dust on their T-shirts and we say no problem, because we’re desperate for work, and then wonder where we’re going to find a space suit.
We’ve all needed a left-handed rubber bung wrench and had no idea where to find one.We’ve all had our main customer tuck us up for a load of cash, then watched them go bust and set up the next day with a smile on their face — we’ve all taken that news home to tell the family. It would have been good in those moments to have a place to share the experience and get some relevant advice and contacts. How to get started, where to find the kit, how to make it pay, how to get out of jail, how to have a laugh, how to feel a part of something, and how to make it pay — that’s why a forum.
All sounds like we’re in line for the Nobel Print and Embroidery Prize then? The more cynical among you will say: “Business is only about money, and unless you’re prepared to flog your Granny for a tenner you’ve no hope.” They may also point out that there is advertising space on the forum, and conclude that this is nothing more than a thinly veiled cash making machine.
Well that all depends on, and hang on I’m going to use a buzz phrase here, your belief in the Social Entrepreneur. Can you imagine a cross between Alan Sugar and Gandhi, a man in a suit with flip flops? The social entrepreneur combines sound business practice with charitable instincts. He or shedoes not seek to maximise profits, but rather the good of their industry (and even society). They do this by responding to market failures and providing goods and services to fill these gaps, particularly where regular businesses are not interested because the profits are not high enough, and the risks are too great. Social entrepreneurship doesn’t have to mean setting up a hospital or a centre for homeless bats — it just has to see what doesn’t exist, and make it happen with an emphasis on industry improvement.
That’s why we did it, and if like us you can believe in such an idea, then you can believe in the BGDF.
Stephane Tartelin. Who is he? – Well he was born in France in 1976 and living in Paris, Stephane Tartelin start mixing traditional drawings with computer graphics at 15 years old. After 5 years of professional visual communication school, he fulfill childhood dream and start working for different video games development studio in Paris.
In January 2000 he starts working as a freelance graphic designer, illustrator and motion designer. He now works for various range of international advertising, broadcast and publishing clients and still explore all facets of graphic design, animation, 3D, photography and of course illustration that remains his favourite playground.
We love his style and recommend a visit to Stephane Tartelin site http://www.tartelin.com to see more of his graphic. They have even reached some very cool tshirts.
We all need inspiration from time to time. We maybe producing a tshirt design, a magazine, a peace of fabric, interior of a car or even the inside of our on homes but to create the type of artwork as displayed by the artists illustated in the slideshow below is a thing of beauty. The scale, the detail, the uncompromising attention to perspective and colours. Flick through the slideshow yourself by using the arrow on the panel. Enjoy.
Varoom the journal of illustration and made images is a magazine devoted to exploring the world of illustration and image-making. It looks at practitioners from around the world who are making significant contributions to the ancient art of illustration, and provides writers, commentators and illustrators with a platform from which to take a critical look at trends and developments in the illustrated image.
In each issue, writers from around the globe discuss contemporary illustration in its wider context and examine it from different, even contentious, perspectives. In addition, noted illustrators are invited to contribute a visual assay on any subject they choose.
Varoom features interviews with leading illustrators and image-makers, and plots new developments as well as looking back at schools and figures from the past. The magazine is published three times a year. Varoom is edited by art director, writer and design consultant Adrian Shaughnessy. It is designed by highly-regarded design duo Non-Format, until recently designers of The Wire magazine. To view and subscribe visit the website: http://www.varoom-mag.com
Freespirit Clothing Company launched in December ’06 is a budding small business that is based in UK. There designs range from Funny to political. The target markets are urban wear lovers Hip Hop, Skaters, Breakers, DJ’s etc. As its still the early stages of the business there has not been much publicity from me I have though a hip hop band called “Strange Fruit Project” and Pro Freestyle Roller Blader “Chaz Sands” wearing them, which will aid my cause, I will have the website up and running by the middle of July.
For more designs contact: Jerome Williamson Jr. – e. jgwjr05@hotmail.com
t. 01475 794105 – m. 07931599391
Concrete Jungle Clothing is a clothing company based in the UK.¬â€ They import clothing created by some of the most exciting young designers in Japanese and Asian street fashion.
If you’re looking for an inspired, unique look with an Asian twist, check out the eBay store for more examples: www.stores.ebay.co.uk/concretejungle
Me&Yu is a small fashion label specialising in innovative and original streetwear for men and women. Me&Yu is Angela Hulme and Gordon Cullerne, a boyfriend-girlfriend team.¬â€ They create all there own designs in the Blackpool home-workshop and all¬â€ the clothes are hand-made, hand-printed and limited edition. T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts and handmade jersey dresses all get the Me&Yu makeover which combines¬â€ their love of bold colours, text, graphics and illustration. Goto www.meandyu.com¬â€ to see more.
www.magneticclothing.co.uk based in Plymouth UK, produce limited edition urban streetwear: t-shirts, hoodies, beanies and sweatshirts. They¬â€ strive to supply only the freshest designs on the street. The designs are influenced by everyday activities that include; music, graffiti, breaking and all the elements in between that bring these art forms together.
ROGUE is a new small Indie design label in Tampa, Fl. The concept for this line is high fashion attitude with a new wave, punk style. Rogue creates original designs from scratch. True independent Fashion DESIGN. No T-shirts with graphics on them here, only original hand done construction and sometimes artistic embellishments. Every design or garment is truly one-of-a-kind, made and created by the ARTIST/DESIGNER. Every garment is special, using a random design process, and never pumped out like a factory. Rogue is art, expression, and rebellion. Rogue will soon be available online! I welcome shop owners, buyers, individual clients, etc… to consider my line for your boutique, shop, or personal wardrobe. : roguefashion@yahoo.com for sales inquiries.
Paul Stephenson talks about the importance of having the right kit and runs through some options
I’ve seen her on fire; stood alone at night and wondered at all the switches valves and wires; watched her lying idle, not a single job to do and wished she’d pay her way — and then seen the monster awake, hissing and banging at speeds that would blow Fred Dibnah’s cap clean off.
I am of course not referring to my wife, oh no, this month we’re going to have a look at your equipment, because when the smoke has cleared and the screens have stopped snapping, when the monster sighs and lays down her arms for a while we all wonder: ‘Have we got the right kit?’ The honest answer as usual is I’m not sure, so what do we have to consider?
Life isn’t a cabaret, it’s a carousel, so we may as well start there. Is big beautiful? Depends which women’s magazine you’re reading, but generally in this case I think not. It’s very tempting with all the cheap second hand machines on the market to go out and buy a 24-head threshing machine, built in 1840 by a man with un-feasible side burns and a top hat. They can look impressive (I’ve got one with a flashing red light on top), but sadly you then need a football pitch to house the thing and England will have learnt to play the game by the time you’ve set your first job up. It’s not for no reason that machinery suppliers are focusing on small but quick automatics, so unless Esso decide it’s a free T-shirt with every litre and you’re getting the order, maybe steer clear of models called Elephant or Ark Royal.
That’s if you decide to go automatic of course, which leads us to the most fundamental business decision. Automate and no matter how hard you try, you’re likely to go in search of volume, which means when pricing you’re in a gloves-off ring on the wrong side of town with a big bloke from Turkey. This can end up with your customer smugly informing you that not only can they get the print for 15p, it will be delivered by dancing girls out of an exploding cake — can you beat that? Choice of kit can secretly lead you down these roads, so maybe that’s another reason to keep that auto small and affordable, or stick to a few decent manuals and concentrate on low volume, high margin end user business, in a word.
So it’s straight off those spinning plattens and onto the dryer; now contrary to what the lads at my place will tell you, a good dryer is not measured by its ability to evenly warm a Ginsters pie, or quick dry your pants after you’ve blasted 30 screens into next week. It has to keep up with the carousel (so get the right belt width), and it has to answer the question: gas or electric?
There are enough affordable gas dryers knocking about these days that I really can’t see the case for the more expensive to run electric ones (although they’re cheaper to buy) — unless of course someone has worked out that electric are more ecologically sound and kill fewer polar bears. Be careful to get second hand dryers fully inspected though, and not just to avoid going blue and being found gassed with a smile on your face. I once saw an unfortunate woman have her skirt fully removed by an externally mounted fan. I say unfortunate because she was wearing XXXL harvest festivals, with everything gathered in. Not happy. And then there are all the ancillary bits and pieces:
Flash Curers — just what you need for setting fire to those garments while you’re having a fag and looking out the window. All you need to decide really, I guess, is whether to use free-standing or integral in the case of autos (I find free-standing more versatile Margery), and whether you want them on all the time or to flash on with a sensor. Other than that it’s sometimes easier if they have a cartridge style element, so when it inevitably blows you can just slide in a replacement. Compressors — screw not pump, if you can afford it.
Screen cleaning machines — I’d love one. Pop in the screens, have a flick through the Racing Post and ping, they’re nice and clean. Only thing between me and one of those babies is 30 large. Light sources — just get good strong lamps and try and dissuade the staff from using them as a cheap tanning salon.
Wash out booths — nice and big so you can get a couple of screens in at the same time. I dream of having one that’s back lit so I can see any screen blocks, but then I don’t get out nearly enough these days.
Krebs gun — a must. A good printer can print a square of plastisol and then blow the design out with cleaning fluid. Also useful for taking out annoying insects mid flight.
Screens – I won’t bang on about them here, you know the score: aluminium not wood, and if the mesh in any way resembles Nora Batty’s stockings, it’s time to go. Get a good range of mesh counts, some yellow for your process work, and keep them squeaky clean, people, it’s the only way. Having said that, if there’s anyone out there who has ever worked with me, I know, you’ve seen me try and set up 10 colour prints through screens that look like they’ve been stretched with a trucker’s grundies — just don’t tell anyone, okay.
You could get clever and also go for some kind of screen stretching device or a left handed squeegee blade sharpener; or even invest in one of those Bond villain mechanical hands, that removes the T-s from the carousel and drops them on the dryer. But if you want to show off that much just get yourself a £200 car and then spend 12 grand on plastic skirts and a bean tin exhaust — girls will think you’re really clever.
But above all, there is one piece of kit that must be chosen more wisely than all the above — the tea urn. I refer you to my proudest possession, the Darjeeling Deluxe, capable of 600 cups an hour if you get the tension right on your tea bag.We saved £842.50 in down time last year by having readily available hot water.
The printers talk nostalgically about the age of steam, when a man could happily watch a kettle for 10 minutes while climbing the intellectual peaks of the Daily Sport, but that my friends, is progress.
Cheers,
Paul www.october.co.uk
Great¬â€ streetwear, great colours, great style and very wearable from Phaya. See more of them on Touched by Phaya.
So what is Touched By Phaya all about?
Touched by Phaya can mean different things to different people. To some it may be the very literal idea of wearing something created by Phaya, and thus being touched. To others it may be the concept of passion, expression, freedom. We want you to feel comfortable, confident and strong. We want you to express yourself and not be afraid of showing your true colours. We want you to be you and feel passionate about maintaining that. If you are passionate about your music, or your art, or you business, whatever it may be – we want you to feel like You’ve Been Touched By Phaya.
Stephane Tartelin. Who is he? – Well he was born in France in 1976 and living in Paris, Stephane Tartelin start mixing traditional drawings with computer graphics at 15 years old. After 5 years of professional visual communication school, he fulfill childhood dream and start working for different video games development studio in Paris.
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