Amelia’s Magazine | By Stamo: a taster interview with ethical fashion designer Elisabeth Stamo

Beautiful Soul A/W 2010 by Zarina Liew
You started out as an insurance broker so you’ve have had an unconventional career so far. Why and how did you become a fashion designer?
As a young girl, see I wanted to be a fashion designer, but life has its twists and turns and I found myself caught up in the rat race for eleven years. I lacked passion for my work but I didn’t know how I would cope without my luxuries and the next pay rise. Then I had the opportunity to backpack around the world for six months with my best friend and for the first time in my adult life I realised that I could live on a budget. I started to see life in a different light, with endless opportunities. Whilst in Tokyo, something happened to me: I was surrounded by the most amazing boutiques and I was like a child in a sweet shop. Mesmerised. Excited. Totally inspired. I realised that I needed to make radical changes to my lifestyle in order to make my dreams a reality and I haven’t looked back since. I graduated from the London College of Fashion with a BA(Hons) in Fashion, Design and Technology in 2008. During my final year, I was involved in a project based around ‘saving the earth’. I was hooked. Fashion with a TRUE meaning, for me, is the only way, and my ethos helps me to focus and push forward.

Why did you decide to specialise in creating adjustable garments?
I set out to create timeless designs that will be favoured pieces in the wardrobe for a lifetime and multi-functionality renders a garment timeless, as it can be worn to suit different moods and seasons. A woman’s curves change regularly and it’s frustrating when a zip or button will not close. I therefore avoid using conventional fastening in my designs and instead explore alternative methods. I love to experiment and delve below the surface of fashion, discovering new ways to incorporate responsibility through use of distinctive materials and design innovation.

What does your zero waste policy mean in practicality?
I am extremely fond of fabric and I hate to see it go to waste! I upcycle vintage kimonos to create new garments that hold a greater value; when I dismantle a kimono I am left with very limited panels of fabric, only 38cm wide. It’s important that I work with these restrictions and nurture an understanding of the fabric availability. Any leftover fabric will be placed aside and then revisited the following season, where I set myself the challenge of designing a new piece based on the leftovers. I have just designed Beautiful Soul’s third collection, S/S 2011’s Believe, and the leftover fabrics have been transformed into a range of unique corsets and shoulders pads in our menswear jackets. Material remnants feature as fastenings and embellishments, adhering to the policy of zero waste whereby every last thread of fabric is used in the creative process.

Read the rest of this interview and see more illustrations of Beautiful Soul’s clothing in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, alongside interviews with 44 other ethical fashion designers and 30 fabulous fashion illustrators. You can buy the book here.
ZarinaLiew_BeautifulSoul_FW10
Beautiful Soul A/W 2010 by Zarina Liew.

You started out as an insurance broker so you’ve have had an unconventional career so far. Why and how did you become a fashion designer?
As a young girl, buy more about I wanted to be a fashion designer, more about but life has its twists and turns and I found myself caught up in the rat race for eleven years. I lacked passion for my work but I didn’t know how I would cope without my luxuries and the next pay rise. Then I had the opportunity to backpack around the world for six months with my best friend and for the first time in my adult life I realised that I could live on a budget. I started to see life in a different light, with endless opportunities. Whilst in Tokyo, something happened to me: I was surrounded by the most amazing boutiques and I was like a child in a sweet shop. Mesmerised. Excited. Totally inspired. I realised that I needed to make radical changes to my lifestyle in order to make my dreams a reality and I haven’t looked back since. I graduated from the London College of Fashion with a BA(Hons) in Fashion, Design and Technology in 2008. During my final year, I was involved in a project based around ‘saving the earth’. I was hooked. Fashion with a TRUE meaning, for me, is the only way, and my ethos helps me to focus and push forward.

Beautiful Soul A/W 2010 by Zarina Liew
Beautiful Soul by Zarina Liew

Why did you decide to specialise in creating adjustable garments?
I set out to create timeless designs that will be favoured pieces in the wardrobe for a lifetime and multi-functionality renders a garment timeless, as it can be worn to suit different moods and seasons. A woman’s curves change regularly and it’s frustrating when a zip or button will not close. I therefore avoid using conventional fastening in my designs and instead explore alternative methods. I love to experiment and delve below the surface of fashion, discovering new ways to incorporate responsibility through use of distinctive materials and design innovation.

What does your zero waste policy mean in practicality?
I am extremely fond of fabric and I hate to see it go to waste! I upcycle vintage kimonos to create new garments that hold a greater value; when I dismantle a kimono I am left with very limited panels of fabric, only 38cm wide. It’s important that I work with these restrictions and nurture an understanding of the fabric availability. Any leftover fabric will be placed aside and then revisited the following season, where I set myself the challenge of designing a new piece based on the leftovers. I have just designed Beautiful Soul’s third collection, S/S 2011’s Believe, and the leftover fabrics have been transformed into a range of unique corsets and shoulders pads in our menswear jackets. Material remnants feature as fastenings and embellishments, adhering to the policy of zero waste whereby every last thread of fabric is used in the creative process….


Beautiful Soul SS:11 Believe was created with Zarina Liew after she made contact with Nicola Woods to complete her submission to be in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration. Music was provided by Amelia’s Magazine favourite Gabby Young and Other Animals.

Read the rest of this interview and see more illustrations of Beautiful Soul’s clothing in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, alongside interviews with 44 other ethical fashion designers and 30 fabulous fashion illustrators. You can buy the book here.
AmyMartino_AndrewCrews_HorsPiste
The Andrea Crews Hors Pistes collection by Amy Martino.

Maroussia Rebecq arrived in Paris in 2002. Deciding that she did not want to work alone she created a fictional character, this web Andrea Crews, viagra sale around which she began to build a network of accomplices. Maroussia may be the founder and director but Andrea Crews is a project in which many others take part. Andrea Crews is an avant-garde movement based on a sustainable aesthetic, viagra order communicating creative ideas via ethical means. The latest collection is described as “a galactic warrior on a sunset ride”.

The Andrea Crews Hors Pistes collection by Amy Martino
The Andrea Crews Hors Pistes collection by Amy Martino.

The average Andrea Crews customer is “good looking and open minded with good style, aged anything from 7 to 77 years old.” The antithesis of sleek French fashion, Andrea Crews revels in the juncture of performance art and fashion, playfully recycling unwanted clothing. The crew sorts through old clothes, hunting out the boldest colours and best quality materials. Styles are combined to create “fresh, sexy, unisex, colourful, graphic, funky” outfits, which take shape as they grow. Andrea Crews collections are always accompanied by a big performance and lots of partying – “we work hard, we party hard” – collaborating with other experimental contemporaries on the cultural scene: artists, stylists, video directors and DJs, not to mention musicians. They have dressed Santigold, Metronomy and Yelle

Read the rest of this interview and see more illustrations of Andrea Crew’s clothing in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, alongside interviews with 44 other ethical fashion designers and 30 fabulous fashion illustrators. You can buy the book here.
Krister Selin By Stamo S-S 2011
By Stamo S/S 2011 by Krister Selin.

Where and how were you trained in fashion design?
In Greece I studied hand weaving and embroideries at institutions and museums and with local people so that I could learn about traditional techniques. Then I trained at the London College of Fashion and I have also studied shoes, what is ed millinery and textile design for print. Besides having my own brand, more about I also consult and train on the technical side of fashion; pattern-cutting, garment technology and quality control. I recently set up Ecoluxe with fellow ethical designer Elena Garcia to promote eco-luxury as a lifestyle choice. I am also working on a Masters in Business Administration with the University of Liverpool. I study all the time to keep my mind ticking over.

By Stamo S/S 2010 by Antonia Parker
By Stamo S/S 2010 by Antonia Parker.

How do you determine what is ethical in fashion design?
The work ethical comes from the ancient Greek word ethos, which means a combination of honesty, justice and sincerity. According to Aristotle, these moral characteristics were an important aspect of everyday life. My brand practices ethos by using local resources where possible, working with and within the community, developing people skills to create sustainable hand crafted products. For my diffusion line I also source vintage fabrics from redundant stock or end of rolls from warehouses all over Europe – or whichever part of the world I happen to be visiting…

Read the rest of this interview and see more illustrations of By Stamo’s clothing in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, alongside interviews with 44 other ethical fashion designers and 30 fabulous fashion illustrators. You can buy the book here.

Categories ,Antonia Parker, ,Aristotle, ,By Stamo, ,Elena Garcia, ,Elisabeth Stamo, ,Ethical Fashion, ,Ethos, ,Greece, ,Krister Selin, ,London College of Fashion, ,University of Liverpool

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Amelia’s Magazine | Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review: Books, Food, Comedy, Craft & Fashion

Port Eliot Festival by Maia Fjord
Port Eliot Festival by Maia Fjord.

I’ve been meaning to take in Port Eliot festival for several years but it has always been just that little bit too far away. This summer we were able to attend, thanks to a holiday in Cornwall with family.

Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0018
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0006
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0000
Once more we were blessed with a weekend of near perfect sunshine, ideal for wild and muddy swimming in the adjacent river, and the grassy banks were packed when we arrived on Friday afternoon. It’s a relatively small festival, which meant that we could pop up our tent quite close to the action. Beyond the main tented areas we traversed overgrown rhododendron paths, frolicked in a full sized maze and emerged with a spectacular view of the impressive aqueduct beneath which a couple of stand up paddle boarders were dwarfed.

Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0002
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0015
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0019
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0016
Port Eliot is not your average festival; here the usual music takes a back seat to other offerings: literary, foodie, comedic, crafty and fashionable. Thanks to some well placed connections it has built a bit of a reputation as the fashionistas’ festival, and despite the distance from London the big names return year after year. It was telling that (in comparison to my adventures at Green Earth Awakening) all the people I ran into on the site were friends I know from working in fashion.

Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0023
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0009
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0001
I liked the mix of activities, but it took awhile to get used to the workings of this festival, where queueing is a prerequisite for popular talks and workshops (I am very bad at queues, and never more so now that I have a toddler in tow). My partner tried to hear Martin Parr speak on several occasions (about his new film, which was also showing) before we finally tracked him down on the Sunday at the Dovegrey Reader tent, where the audience could sit out on the grass (and knitting is de rigeur). Lucky then that Martin Parr was speaking so many times! And obviously taking the opportunity to snap away at this most middle class of festivals. The favourite thing I took from his talk was his admission that he takes huge amount of photos, because most of them are crap. I have always believed it’s all in the edit so it was good to hear that Martin thinks so too.

Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0013
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0017
I didn’t have so much luck joining an Anthropologie workshop, having arrived at the allocated time to book a class, only to find they were already full. Instead I learnt how to crochet (at last!) with Ros Badger at The Badger Sett.

Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0021
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0010
Plenty of authors were on hand to talk about and then sign books but I only caught small parts of many talks due to toddler demands. Viv Albertine talked very engagingly about her new book Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys which I am desperate to read (Luella Bartley spotted in the audience), and I enjoyed listening to Richard Benson talk about rural life and his new book The Valley, but not so much Gruff Rhys on his US adventures (he didn’t engage). Susie Bubble was front row for a chat with fashion designer Simone Rocha and I bought a signed copy of Babette Cole’s new children’s book, inspired by her lodger, pictured above in dreadlocks and bunny ears.

Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0008
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0007
In the beautiful Walled Garden the fashion set held arty sewing workshops and a catwalk show for tweenies. I admired a clever bunting made from colourful hair weaves and the dexterity of The Flower Appreciation Society, ensuring that many ladies at the festival sported beautiful real floral headdresses.

Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0022
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0011
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0012
Every time we tried to get to the kids’ Hullabaloo area I got lost in the winding labyrinth of paths. Once there we discovered plentiful crafty workshops, theatre productions, a bouncy castle, puppet shows and comedy. Speaking of which, I managed to contain Snarfle for long enough to hear most of Robin Ince’s genius set.

Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0026
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0003
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0004
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0025
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0024
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-0014
The main house was home to displays of crocheted tea cosies, cakes, flower arrangements and scarecrows. We didn’t visit the foodie tent but admired the stage set up from afar. Instead we frequented the Hix pop up in the Orangery, with food supplied by Fortnum & Mason. It was a pricey meal but we enjoyed the incongruous silver service. Elsewhere we dined on Cornish seafood, wood fired pizza and local ice cream. Food was a definite highlight!

Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-the odd folk
Port Eliot Festival 2014 Review-love nor moneyy
Port Eliot Snarfle and Sheepie
In the early evenings Snarfle and I headed to the smallest music tent, where he jumped around to the ramshackle and rather brilliant The Odd Folk one night and electro powered drum n bass anthems from sister act Love Nor Money on the next. He is now obsessed with ‘rock guitar’ as well as banjo. Thank goodness his Sheepie doubles as a guitar/banjo/ukelele stand in.

Categories ,2014, ,Anthropologie, ,Babette Cole, ,books, ,Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys, ,comedy, ,Cornwall, ,craft, ,crochet, ,Dovegrey Reader, ,fashion, ,festival, ,Food, ,Fortnum & Mason, ,Green Earth Awakening, ,Gruff Rhys, ,Hix, ,Hullabaloo, ,knitting, ,Love Nor Money, ,Luella Bartley, ,Maia Fjord, ,Martin Parr, ,Orangery, ,Port Eliot, ,review, ,Richard Benson, ,Robin Ince, ,Ros Badger, ,Sheepie, ,Simone Rocha, ,Snarfle, ,Susie Bubble, ,The Badger Set, ,The Flower Appreciation Society, ,The Odd Folk, ,The Valley, ,viv albertine, ,Walled Garden

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Amelia’s Magazine | High Noon: Arts University Bournemouth Illustration Degree Show 2014 Review

Florence Zealey high noon
Illustrators from Arts University Bournemouth held their graduate show at the spacious Embassy Tea Gallery in central London. The High Noon poster and catalogue featured an eye-catching set of two contrasting hands, each bearing a watch. It was a wonderful chance to see the work of so many Amelia’s Magazine contributors alongside their fellow students.

High Noon Tom Manning
Planets and space dust will always grab my attention, spray painted by Tom Manning.

High Noon Bailey & Minchin children in wild outfits
Bailey & Minchin collaborated on a series of photos featuring children in wild outfits. A great vision of childhood!

High Noon Emma Sears
These layered papercut narrative scenes by Emma Sears feature a great use of colour.

High Noon Marianna Madriz chickens
High Noon Marianna Madriz
These chickens by Marianna Madriz have such great personality. I also bought her lovely tale of leaving home & returning to find it still the best – inspired by her Venezuelan homeland.

High Noon Florence Zealey
A couple of figures are discovered hiding in the greenery, by Florence Zealey.

High Noon Philip Baile
Philip Bailey used plain white paper to create this fantastical Beautifier sculpture.

High Noon Crystal Budd knit
Knit squares by Crystal Budd feature enigmatic landscapes.

High Noon Laura Borne
These delicate ink wash & textile designs are by Laura Borne.

High Noon embroidered room by Claire Edwardes
So clever, this embroidered room hangs daintily mid air. By Claire Edwardes.

High Noon Lovely Soo
Eyeballs and dancing legs creep across the wall in this fantastical offering by Sooyeon Kim.

High Noon Maia Fjord
High Noon Maia Fjord and Olivia Sharpe
Mikkel is the friendly imaginary star of Maia Fjord’s comic book, sewn into a cuddly toy by Olivia Sharpe.

High Noon Emma Honess letter
High Noon dolls Emma Honess
High Noon Emma Honess
Birds and flowers, beetles and moths, feature on this beautifully illustrated G by Emma Honess. She had also honed her sewing skills, making some wonderful dolls that were for sale. I couldn’t resist a blonde one for my blonde boy!

You can see more of the students’ work on the High Noon website.

Categories ,2014, ,Arts University Bournemouth, ,Bailey & Minchin, ,Claire Edwardes, ,Crystal Budd, ,Degree Show, ,Dolls, ,Embassy Tea Gallery, ,Emma Honess, ,Emma Sears, ,Florence Zealey, ,High Noon, ,illustration, ,Laura Borne, ,Maia Fjord, ,Marianna Madriz, ,Me and Mikkel, ,Mikkel, ,Olivia Sharpe, ,Philip Bailey, ,review, ,Sooyeon Kim, ,Tom Manning

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Amelia’s Magazine | Amelia’s Magazine 10th Anniversary Kickstarter Campaign: That Which We Do Not Understand

Amelias Magazine TWWDNU Kickstarter header
Amelia’s Magazine is 10 years old this year, and to celebrate I’m going back into a print!

I’m producing a limited edition gold foiled artists’ book and an exclusive series of A2 limited edition art prints with real gold leaf. Find out more in the video below:

Amelia Gregory at work 2014-AmeliasMagazine
This is where I work at my home just off Brick Lane in East London.

Amelia’s Magazine has continued as a web only magazine since I stopped making it in print, but remains a labour of love since I do not currently take any advertising or sponsored posts. Therefore, in order to realise my dream I am raising money through the Kickstarter crowd funding website. This is a very exciting and nerve-wracking time for me, because I must raise the entire amount of money in order to receive any of it. I therefore need to raise £12,000 (or more) in 24 days and I would love your help in doing so.

Amelias_magazine_TWWDNU_Cristian_Grossi_ver_sacrum
Ver Sacrum by Cristian Grossi. This flashing gif shows how the gold leaf might look on the fine art print.

How you can help:

Please share the campaign amongst your friends on social networks, via email and of course by word of mouth. We are using the hashtag #TWWDNU. It is especially important to drive traffic at the start and encourage Kickstarter to promote the campaign within the Kickstarter community, but every little share counts whenever that may be and I am very grateful for your time and effort.

Please choose one of the Kickstarter rewards for yourself from the campaign page. Pledge for rare back issues, books, hand screen printed t-shirts, postcards and of course the limited edition book and art prints. The book will not be available in many shops and I am offering rock bottom prices to early bird bidders to get the campaign rolling.

Amelias_magazine_TWWDNU_Essi_Kimpimäki_shamaness
Shamaness by Essi Kimpimäki.

A bit more about this project:

That Which We Do Not Understand 10th anniversary artists’ book:
The book features art and creative writing about That Which We Do Not Understand, a theme that will explore the many ways in which humans seek to understand the things that they don’t understand in their lives, inspired by my personal experience of two late miscarriages. The book is being printed on high quality recycled paper from Antalis by Principal Colour in Kent and features gold foil on the cover and gold spot printing throughout. The final publication will be beautiful and inspiring, full of thought provoking contributions that question and celebrate the miraculousness of life. The book will bring contributors’ work to a large audience, and better still, artists will receive 50% of profits from sales of the fine art prints, which will be made in editions of 10.

Amelias_magazine_TWWDNU_mateusz_napieralski_tribal_cumulus
Tribal Cumulus by Mateusz Napieralski (Gust of Wind).

The artworks and writing for the book have been found through an open brief on the Amelia’s Magazine website, which many of my readers will have already seen and perhaps even submitted to. The deadline has now been extended for Kickstarter, and closes on midnight (GMT) on Sunday 16th November so you can still submit work, but please do it sooner rather than later. The book will be designed as the campaign progresses and if everything goes to plan it will go to print in late November, and you will receive your copy in good time for Christmas. The launch party is planned for Thursday 11th December at Tatty Devine’s shop on Brick Lane, and the prints will be on exhibition until the end of the year. Any unsold prints will be available through the East End Prints website.

TWWDNU front cover collage meteors, meteor showers
Cover art prints:
These are A3 sized and will feature the cover image from That Which We Do Not Understand in abundant real gold leaf on the special shimmering gold cover stock that we are using for the book cover. I have not yet designed the cover art but you can be sure it will be eye-catching and amazing (see my inspiration above): think meteor showers and 10 Years on top of the Amelia’s Magazine logo encased in a flaming meteor… Grab a piece of Amelia’s Magazine history, and get in early to take advantage of my amazing early bird deal.

Amelias_magazine_TWWDNU_Niall_Grant_Mater_Gaia
Mater Gaia by Niall Grant.

Fine art prints:
I have chosen five artists for my first round of fine art gold leaf A2 prints: each has created a very beautiful and very different piece of art that will be printed up as an archival quality giclee print with hand applied REAL GOLD LEAF highlights by Harwood King. There will only be ten of each artwork available at the amazing price of £180, so make sure you order yours early and don’t miss out.

Amelias_magazine_TWWDNU_daria_hlazatova_the_empress
The Empress by Daria Hlazatova.

Pot Luck prints:
I am also offering prints at the cheaper price of £140, which must be purchased sight unseen – these are for those of you who trust my taste and are willing to take a bit of a gamble! The more pledges I receive the more prints will be produced, so I look forward to sharing those choices with you as they are made.

TWWDNU example images1
Example artwork from That Which We Do Not Understand (clockwise from top left) by Laura Wilson, Adam Corns, Sarah Tanat-Jones and Dorry Spikes.

TWWDNU example images 2
Example artwork from That Which We Do Not Understand (clockwise from top left) by Emma Farrarons, Maia Fjord, Sarah Parris and Yoko Furusho.

You can see sneak peaks of the artwork that is being created if you follow the #TWWDNU hashtag on twitter and instagram. Please do take a peek at more of the goodies below, then click on over and support my Kickstarter campaign page here. Thankyou so much!

Amelias-Magazine-Kickstarter-Rewards-postcards
12 exclusive postcards featuring a range of print processes (foiling, glitter, pearlescent ink) for only £5.

Amelias-Magazine-Kickstarter-Rewards-Back-issues-10-angle
Rare back issues for only £10.

Amelias_Magazine_issue6_Kickstarter_T_shirts
Beautiful hand screen-printed t-shirts at the rock bottom price of £25: perfect Christmas presents.

Amelias-Magazine-Kickstarter-Illustration-books-rewards
My two illustration books in a bundle for only £30, currently retailing for £23 each on Amazon in the UK.

Categories ,#TWWDNU, ,10 Years, ,Adam Corns, ,Antalis, ,Brick Lane, ,Creative Writing, ,Cristian Grossi, ,Daria Hlazatova, ,Dorry Spikes, ,East End Prints, ,Emma Farrarons, ,Essi Kimpimaki, ,Gust of Wind, ,Harwood King, ,illustration, ,Kickstarter, ,Laura Wilson, ,Maia Fjord, ,Mateusz Napieralski, ,Meteor, ,Meteor shower, ,Miscarriage, ,Niall Grant, ,Open brief, ,principal colour, ,Sarah Parris, ,Sarah Tanat-Jones, ,Shamaness, ,That Which We Do Not Understand, ,Ver Sacrum, ,Yoko Furusho

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Amelia’s Magazine | Camp Bestival 2014 Review: Mr. Tumble, Trolleys, Caravans and Mud Pies

Camp Bestival by Maia Fjord
Camp Bestival by Maia Fjord.

My final festival this year was Camp Bestival, which we travelled to on our way back from Cornwall. I went to the first ever Camp Bestival in 2008, when the idea of a boutique festival especially aimed at families was a fairly novel idea and it was a much smaller affair. I was there as a performer with the band that I helped to cofound, Cut A Shine, which has long since mutated into a sprawling folk dance collective with only the original cofounder Joe Buirski at the helm. This summer I returned as a parent for the full Camp Bestival experience.

Camp Bestival
Camp Bestival
Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival is by far the biggest festival that I have been to in recent years… which meant long treks across rolling campsites, stinky portaloos (though the compost loos near the main stages were a winner) and a seething mass of families carting their kids around in heavily souped up trolleys – this has surely become a thing only in the past few years? And of course a huge variety of activities, music and food to keep both adults and children entertained. Our journey to Dorset took far longer than expected, so night fell as we introduced a boggle-eyed Snarfle to the sights surrounding Lulworth Castle. It was a lot for a little one to take in!

Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
There were many highlights; I loved spending quality time with Snarfle in the woods, rigging up a play dough electrical circuit with Technlogy Will Save Us and learning how to make a cunning wildlife camera trap with Nature Bytes (both in the Science Tent) and listening to little known acoustic acts at the on the outer reaches of the site, where a camp fire was held in the evenings. Snarfle strummed along on his imaginary guitar whilst we waited for the most excellent wood fired fayre from the Pizza and Puppetry stand: cheapest good food we found and very much worth the long trip across the festival. The Farmer’s Market was also a great place for tasty nosh. As expected Mr. Tumble rocked the largest crowd of the festival, with a sea of toddlers held aloft on their parents’ shoulders. There were little discoveries to be made around every corner… one afternoon we chanced upon the two remaining members of Pan’s People teaching dance to all comers in the pink glow of the Bollywood tent, then we watched a vulture demonstrate his flying skills with Haven Falconry. We sadly missed out on daily discos for mini ravers in the same space, but I caught up with Natasha from Big Fish Little Fish this week and I hear the crowd was jumping.

Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
I adored the creativity of the Caravanserai bar area constructed by Monsieur Bateman, where punters could sit in sawn off caravans below a miniature train constructed out of prams, one still with it’s romany floral arrangements intact! The same guy was behind the fantastical Oberon’s Observatory which we sadly did not enter, and a smaller installation consisting of two old French vans topped with fairytale turrets connected by a bridge.

Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
Cut A Shine were curating activities at the Travelling Barn, where Toucan Uke taught Snarfle the proper way to strum a ukelele whilst singing about penguins.

Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp bestival 2014 review
Camp Bestival had copious sponsors including Yorkshire Tea (Snarfle is now a confirmed fan of milky tea), Duplo, where kids played with piles of brightly coloured bricks before receiving a small gift to take away (the ice creams were a real winner!) and Piriton (free bright yellow sunglasses, yay!)

camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
Project Wild Thing held nature based activities in the ‘Dingly Dell’, where a huge amount of children enjoyed the mud kitchen, making mud potions and digging for treasure. Other nature based activities included building fires, making dens, identifying birds, climbing trees and crafting clay animals. Rob da Bank’s desire to get children away from their screens is admirable and this area proved such a success that the woods were seething with people, and I relished the stillness that we found deeper under the trees.

camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
I enjoyed bits of the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop from the woods (think live rendition of the Doctor Who theme tune) and introduced Snarfle to Cut A Shine, who dedicated a new version of the Circassian Circle dance to Rob da Bank: stepping into the centre of the ring with guns in the air to “rob da bank”. Sophie Ellis-Bexter sang beautifully in a lovely red dress and admitted that her 10 year old son was standing at the side of the stage looking at his phone “what does a mum have to do to get their attention?!” I didn’t get to hear many of the ‘headliners’ because we don’t own a trolley so I was tucked up in our tent by 10pm. There were a plethora of interesting speakers in the Guardian Literary Tent and Snarfle was amazingly tolerant whilst we listened to the voluble and entertaining Kate Tempest chat about her career.

camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
camp bestival 2014 review
At a festival of this size there are a zillion entertainment possibilities and so of course we barely scratched the surface, but when a festival gets this big it can be a real trek to get around the site, especially with a toddler who refuses to walk. I swear I lugged him miles on my hip over the course of the weekend. Josie and Rob da Bank have done an admirable journey of translating the original anarchic Bestival spirit into something family friendly, and the mass of people testified to a winning formula. For slightly older kids (from about the ages of 6-11) this place must seem like heaven.

Categories ,2014, ,bestival, ,Big Fish Little Fish, ,Camp Bestival, ,Caravanserai, ,Castle Stage, ,Circassian Circle, ,Cornwall, ,Cutashine, ,Dingly Dell, ,Dorset, ,Duplo, ,Farmer’s Market, ,festival, ,Guardian Literary Tent, ,Haven Falconry, ,Joe Buirski, ,Josie and Rob da Bank, ,Kate Tempest, ,Lulworth Castle, ,Maia Fjord, ,Mini Castle Stage, ,Monsieur Bateman, ,Mr. Tumble, ,Nature Bytes, ,Oberon’s Observatory, ,Pan’s People, ,Piriton, ,Pizza and Puppetry, ,project wild thing, ,Radiophonic Workshop, ,review, ,rob da bank, ,Science Tent, ,Snarfle, ,Sophie Ellis-Bexter, ,Technlogy Will Save Us, ,Toddler, ,Toucan Uke, ,Travelling Barn, ,Yorkshire Tea

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