Essential Journal - Issue 36

style

Style

column

dining

culture

Smarter Materials: From pineapples to ocean plastic

Menswear designers on sustainability

Tailored Thoughts On: Arts & Crafts

Silo: Zero-waste recipes & thrifty cocktails

Biennial: Homegrown building materials

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page 18

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page 33

page 38

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q u a l i t y

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For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ. Drive responsibly on and off road.

Features

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Regulars

Contents

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THE PRIMER A rundown of where we’ve been visiting, who we’ve been talking to, and what we’ve been reading this month

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MATERIALS ARE GETTING SMARTER From shoes made of pineapples to football kits made of sea plastic, we’ve gathered together a selection of smarter materials that might just catch on

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ONE THING DONE WELL Our series of brands doing one item of clothing especially well continues with the Crockett & Jones Cavendish Loafer

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WHAT DOES SUSTAINABILITY MEAN TO YOU? We asked three of our favourite menswear designers what sustainability means to them

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A CUT ABOVE Ian Harrold considers comfort zones, fade fatigue and the razor-sharp ramblings of one very pissed off barber

MAKE DO AND MEND We take a look at three companies that offer repair services to make their products last for longer

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A GUIDE TO SMARTER SHOPPING We offer a little advice on slowing things down and shopping with a little more savvy

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THE SEE-THROUGH STITCH This month, we talk transparency with James Eden of Manchester’s Private White V.C.

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VIVOOD This month, we look at a Spanish getaway that takes ‘switching off’ to another level

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THE POD CAST FROM PLASTIC De Vorm’s recycled plastic pod chair is a worthy second life for your plastic water bottle

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READY AND ABEL We chatted to David Balmer, Director of all things technology and development at Abel & Cole, to see how the company is trying to do things better

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BEYOND THE PEOPLE’S SUPERMARKET We caught up with Arthur Potts Dawson, co-founder of The People’s Supermarket to talk lessons learned

partner content

CROCKETT & JONES

We take a look at the Grade-II listed, Northampton-based factory that has been home to Crockett & Jones shoemakers for nearly 140 years

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RECIPE

Raw beef, fermented beetroot coleslaw and wild garlic compliments of Silo, Brighton

HIGH SPIRITS Liz Lock and The Whisky Exchange talk us through another month in the world of fine spirits DRINKING WITH WILL HALBERT Drinks recommendations from Silo’s Douglas McMaster and Trash Tiki’s Kelsey Ramage and Iain Griffiths ARCHITECTURAL THOUGHTS ON: CRADLE-TO-CRADLE Circular-economy architecture or cradle-to-cradle has been coined ‘the next industrial revolution’, but what is it and how can we adapt our approach to incorporate it?

36 43

TOM WILLIAMS 40 THE CINEMA REVIEW

TAILORED THOUGHTS ON: ARTS AND CRAFTS This month, Huntsman cutter and tailoring columnist Matthew Gonzalez considers the 21st century revival of the arts and crafts movement

BOOKS FOR THE MONTH AHEAD Featuring tomato-based productivity, how to use less plastic and the first trans person to box at Madison Square Garden

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THE STORY BEHIND THE STITCH Taking the ‘buy less, buy better’ mantra to task, one garment at a time

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GENTS, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT: SUSTAINABLE HYPOCRISY This month, our editor weighs up the conflicts and contradictions of the sustainable scene

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COVER FEATURE: DAVID ATTENBOROUGH Our thoughts on the nonagenarian national treasure BEAUTIFUL WORLD WHERE ARE YOU? This month, we chat to Mae-Ling Lokko about her architecture and technology transcending installation, Hack The Root, and preview our favourites from this year’s Liverpool Biennial

Online

This month, our film critic returns with his verdict on Bart Layton’s American Animals

web www.essentialjournal.co.uk @essentialjournal

CONTRIBUTORS Arthur Potts Dawson Christopher Raeburn Dan Harvey David Balmer David Keyte Doug McMaster Ian Harrold Liz Lock Mae-Ling Lokko Matthew Gonzalez Oliver Spencer Róisín Hanlon Tom Williams

PUBLISHERS Singleton Publishing EDITOR Davey Brett d.brett@singletonpublishing.co.uk CREATIVE DIRECTOR Thomas Sumner t.sumner@singletonpublishing.co.uk STAFF WRITER Will Halbert FILM EDITOR Tom Williams DESIGNER Jennifer Swaby FRONT COVER David Attenborough photographed by Sarah Dunn/BBC

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

@essentialjournal @TEJOURNAL

PARTNERSHIP MANAGER Lara Poynor l.poynor@singletonpublishing.co.uk For all advertising enquiries please contact: sales@essentialjournal.co.uk For all other enquiries including guest editorial and feature opportunities please contact: info@essentialjournal.co.uk

TERMS & CONDITIONS Under no circumstances must any part of this publication be reproduced without prior permission to the publisher. Whilst every effort is taken, the publisher shall not be held responsible for any errors.

Furthermore, the publisher shall not be held responsible for any advertising material/content. Please also note that the views and opinions written within this publication do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the publisher. All prices and details stated within this publication are correct at the time of print, however these are subject to change and the publisher shall not be held responsible for these. Third party contributions own exclusive copyright to their own material that they have submitted as part of the publication. All rights reserved.

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Chiltern

BY APPOINTMENT TO HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES MANUFACTURER AND SUPPLIER OF FOOTWEAR CROCKETT & JONES LIMITED, NORTHAMPTON

MADE IN ENGLAND | SINCE 1879

CROCKETTANDJONES.COM

A classic Chukka Boot made in England, using the finest Dark Brown, Snuff and Earth Green Suede

THE PRIMER

– Sir David Attenborough

A note from the editor

This issue is about sustainability, but we could have quite easily called it the ‘how can

we do things better?’ issue. Not as zippy, eh.

The reason we’ve done a ‘sustainability’ issue is because recently, the ‘S’ word keeps popping up. And rightly so. We’re lucky to meet a lot of

Image credit: Courtesy of Forest Green Rovers / Courtesy of Jöro Restaurant

“People must feel that the natural world is important and valuable and beautiful and wonderful and an amazement and a pleasure.”

On our food radar

Who's been in the news FOREST GREEN ROVERS FOOTBALL CLUB The World Cup is well and truly over (sad face) but if you caught football fever for the first time over the summer and are looking for a club, why not consider Gloucestershire-based League Two club, Forest Green Rovers? Last month, the club announced that it had become the world’s first UN certified carbon-neutral football club. Rovers also claim to be the world’s first fully vegan football club too. Their stadium which is 100% powered by renewable energy boasts solar panels on its roof, electric car charging facilities, an organic pitch cut by a solar-powered robot lawnmower and rainwater recycling facilities. They serve vegan food on matchday too. Imagine what a club could do on a Premier League budget. DB

JÖRO, SHEFFLIELD We’ve been hearing outrageously good things about Jöro of late. Not only is their menu seasonal, their menu paper recycled and their drinks list comprised of rare and off the charts wines, but their food also makes us want to teleport to their front door. Poached Loin of Faroese Cod, you say? Served with sea vegetables with mussel and parsley cream sauce? Yes please. Reliable sources confirm the quality of their sauces too. But what we find most enjoyable is the thought of all of this taking place in a shipping container, next to a bypass, in Sheffield. Foodies might scoff, but if you can do it there, you can do it anywhere. We’ll be sure to pop in. DB jororestaurant.co.uk

fgr.co.uk

people in this line of work and surprisingly, a lot of them actually care about doing things better, dropping the ‘S’ bomb left, right and centre. Mainly on the left though. (Am I right?)

That’s not to say this is the ‘how can we do things perfectly?’ issue, because it’s not. The issues surrounding sustainability aren’t going to be solved by just going out and buying an organic cotton t-shirt. These are gigantic issues that will ultimately be solved (or not solved) in financial and political arenas. That’s not to detach from them, it’s just to say they’re issues of monumental scale. Things like Brexit (which isolate, rather than unite) will obviously not help, but we digress.

The podcast HOW I BUILT THIS WITH GUY RAZ An unnamed member of The Essential Journal recommended a certain podcast this week and now she has finally been vindicated. How I Built This with Guy Raz is a fascinating and enjoyably concise (27 minutes per episode) interview series with some of the world’s most notable entrepreneurs, exploring their motives, journeys and lessons as they built their empires.

The gateway episode for us was Raz’s chat with Patagonia founder and all round sustainability dude, Yvon Chouinard.

Surf and climbing enthusiast Yvon doesn’t even want your money anymore, he wants to change the way we buy and wear clothes. Great bloke, lessons worth learning.. DB

The Images THE 2018 DRONE AWARDS

Available on iTunes

We, as in us, everyone, can do things better and this issue is about how. This issue is about materials, sharing knowledge, thinking differently about the way we shop and investing in quality. It’s not about ‘40 things you need to buy this week’ (and forget about next week), it’s not about buy one get one free and it’s not about buying things on a whim that you wouldn’t bother repairing if they broke.

This issue features people like Arthur Potts Dawson - who was talking about sustainability in food a decade before it become cool – and Mae-ling Lokko whose passion for mushroombased sustainable building materials is infectious. We’ve considered cradle-to-cradle architecture, jackets that are worth repairing and recycled cordial in bartending. It has been one of the most rewarding and enlightening issues to put together and we’d like to say a big thank you to everyone involved. Keep fighting the good fight and follow us on Instagram. DB 8

What we're reading CRADLE TO CRADLE: REMAKING THE WAY WE MAKE THINGS 2002’s Cradle to Cradle is a manifesto for better, sustainable design. Authored by a German chemist and U.S. Architect, they set out a framework for design with principles taken directly from nature, the key principle being that everything is a resource for something else. And it’s not only the practice being preached that’s ethical, the book itself is completely ‘upcyclable’ having been printed using Durabook technology.

There’s plenty of doom and gloom around this subject, but Braungart and McDonough offer you reason to celebrate with messages of new opportunities to improve quality, increase value and spur innovation. TS Read about the cradle to cradle approach in this months 'Architectural Thoughts On: Cradle to Cradle" pg 37

Any excuse to gather together the world’s best drone photography is fine by us and this year’s Drone Awards selection is incredible. Looking through the shortlist, it’s clear that we’re only just seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the exciting creative potential of drone photography as people take to ever more far-flung places to catch an aerial glance of the world.

Our pick of the bunch is Gary Cummins ‘Ameneties’ (pictured, right), a fine example of colour, composition and sheer scale. DB droneawards.photo; A collection of winning photographs from The Drone Awards will be on show in Sienna’s Duccio di Buoninsegna Institute, from October to December 2, 2018

The Essential Journal | Issue 36

Image credit: Gary Cummins/The Drone Awards

THE PRIMER

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

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THE FUTURE OF WHISKY

Old Billingsgate, London 29-30 September 2018, 11.30am-6.30pm Whisky-lovers and whisky-learners unite The Whisky Show is back this Autumn, bringing you more than 600 whiskies to try and guest appearances from 13 rum producers For one weekend only

Tickets ÂŁ110 includes two-course lunch

Buy your tickets now at whiskyshow.com

no.

13 Crockett & Jones One Thing Done Well

STYLE

Our series of brands doing one item especially well continues this month with the Crockett & Jones Cavendish Loafer words by Davey BRETT

Image Credits: Courtesy of Crockett & Jones

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f you were only allowed four pairs of shoes for the rest of your life, a tassel loafer should be one of them. Originally invented by an American shoe company at the request of actor Paul Lukas, the stylish and versatile slip-on soon became all the rage among the post-WWII Ivy League ‘preppies’ with a popularity that over the years has spread like wildfire.

Since Lukas’s request, the tassel loafer has become synonymous with everyone; from DC lawyers and lobbyists to young French right-wingers sartorially showcasing their distaste for socialist government. As John Vinocur, the executive editor of The International Herald Tribune pointed out in a 90s New York Times article, even the latter’s French leftist opponents cottoned on to the trend. “It helped them get tables in the better restaurants.”

Our pick of the tassel loafers of this world? Crockett & Jones’s Cavendish, the nation’s favourite… along with most of the house’s number one wholesale market – Japan. Made on the 325 Last with an E fitting, the Cavendish has a medium round toe with increased depth at the front making it a less boxy option compared with other loafers. Part of their men’s main collection, the Cavendish comes in a variety of options including high quality calf Grainor suede, as well as Burgundy Cordovan, a luxurious shell which undergoes a special vegetable tanning process which can take up to a year.

It goes without saying that the Cavendish uses the finest materials and is Goodyear-welted at the family-owned company’s factory in Northampton. The high quality leather Crockett & Jones uses is all European Calf. During wear (constant flexing) this younger Calf skin is durable, comfortable and ages beautifully with the right care. The welting process means that it can also be sent back for refurbishment when the soles eventually wear out. A post-refurbishment Cavendish thus feels like a brand new one, but holsters the same glove-like upper that has already been broken in.

Styling-wise, the Cavendish’s versatility is it what makes it such an essential. Darker colours and heavier leathers - dark brown burnished calf for instance - lend themselves to Autumn and Winter when the weather is harsher. Smart enough for a perfectly curated suit, but also more casual moments. Spring summer on the other hand is prime Cavendish weather, with suede and lighter leathers working effortless with linen and chino trousers in lighter shades. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but a stone or dare we say it white trouser and dark brown Cavendish is a big look.

In summer we recommend an invisible sock, but if you’re old school, feel free to go sockless. In the winter, a subtle sock in line with trouser colour is recommended, but of course the brave will opt for louder stripes, colours and patterns. Few will succeed, but sometimes it comes off. Most crucial of all is trouser length and taper. Allow for a gap, don’t let them bunch up. When quizzed on their own favourites when it comes to one thing done well, Crockett & Jones, Head of Marketing & Advertising James Fox (who with Jonathan Jones, develops new shoe styles) recommends: Alice Made This.

“My Father was a tool maker by trade and I think he instilled OCD into the way I appreciate men’s products.”

James says.

“Alice Made This is a relatively small brand. They are producers of men’s and women’s jewellery with a minimalist look and feel to their pieces. Any man who wears cufflinks needs a pair of AMT. Very stylish, milled from a single block of metal (mine are copper) and incredibly easy to put in… I love that they are relatively unknown with no external financial backing, but are doing such a good job in a very competitive sector.” EJ Pictured: Cavendish in Dark Brown Pebble Grain

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

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STYLE

ARE GETTING SMARTER From shoes made of pineapples to football kits made of sea plastic, we’ve gathered together a selection of smarter materials that might just catch on…

Image Credits: Courtesy of HUGO BOSS

words by Davey BRETT

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

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STYLE

Shoes made out of pineapples… kay, so not the full pineapple. Pinatex® is a natural textile made from pineapple leaf fibre by a company called Ananas Anam. Usually discarded or burned, the leaves are a byproduct of existing agriculture and their use creates an additional income stream for farming communities. The material is seen as an alternative to leather and synthetic materials and has already been used in a limited run of sneakers by BOSS which were released in May. Said BOSS sneakers were designed to be 90-95% sustainable; from the recycled TPU sole, to the organic cotton laces and lining. The sneakers came in four colourways - all derived from natural plant-based dyes, while the water-based glue used in the construction was made without chemicals and from natural ingredients. In addition to this, the shoes were packaged in a fully recyclable and biodegradable paper box, made from 100% recovered fiber.

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Football kits made out of sea plastic… part from Christiano Ronaldo, what links Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus? The answer is ocean plastic. This season all three teams will play in third kits made from recycled ocean plastic to raise awareness of marine pollution. A collaboration between sportswear giant Adidas and conservation group Parley For The Oceans, past collaborative products have included a line of trainers made from up-cycled plastic waste and a limited run of swimwear made from up-cycled fishing nets and debris found in coastal areas.

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Boots tanned with olives… est known for their country boots, British shoemaker Tricker’s in partnership with German tannery Wienheimer, have developed Olivvia leather, an all-natural tanning procedure using olive leaves. Again, a bi-product of agriculture that is usually discarded or burned, the olive leaves provide a completely chrome-free tanning alternative. Until recently, Olivvia leather had been used for watch straps and other leather goods including furniture, wall coverings and interior art projects. For Autumn 2018, Tricker’s have launched Olivvia Deer Skin, a butter soft, high quality leather which retains the durability expected from a Tricker’s shoe or boot whilst being easy on both the skin and the environment.

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Jumpers made out of wool… ou’ve heard of this one, right? Not as glamorous as tropical fruit, but when done properly, wool is one of the smartest materials of them all. John Smedley sponsor 30 New Zealand farmers to ensure complete transparency and traceability of their merino wool. This also helps them cultivate the best fibres and helps their farmers grow their own business. A fixed price on merino for five years also provides a sustainable base for farmers amid price fluctuations on the open market.

The British knitwear company have also made a big deal of proving the sustainability of their garments alongside none other than Prince Charles and The Campaign for Wool. The company buried one of their wool garments alongside an acrylic sweater in the gardens of Clarence House in London. When dug up three months later, the wool had visibly begun to biodegrade. The acrylic sweater meanwhile, had done no such thing, remaining exactly the same as when buried whilst managing to stifle and kill some of the plants above it.

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Image Credits (from top): Courtesy of HUGO BOSS | Courtesy of Abel & Cole | Courtesy of Trickers

Messenger bags made out of canvas van panels… hen organic veg company Abel & Cole were redesigning their yellow delivery vans they ended up with a lot of spare canvas panels. Rather than throw them away, they gave them to the crafty folks at The Design Against Crime Centre at Central Saint Martins University, the people behind the Makeright bags initiative. Their aim is to pass on skills, resilience and empathy to the people incarcerated in some of the UK’s prisons.

The anti-theft bags, which include totes, messenger bags and laptop wallets are made from sturdy recycled vinyl and are designed by inmates at HMP Thameside with the finalised designs being manufactured at Kilmarnock Prison in Scotland as part of a separate scheme. All profits go back to The Makeright Project.

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The Essential Journal | Issue 36

55 Jermyn Street, London, SW1Y 6LX

|

24 Brook Street, London, W1K 5DG

www.johnsmedley.com

PARTNER CONTENT

Crockett Jones

&

The Family Shoemaking Business

To appreciate the quality of a Crockett & Jones shoe, you need to know where one comes from. Crockett & Jones’s Grade-II listed Northampton factory is Image Credits: Courtesy of Crockett & Jones

where for nearly 140 years the finest materials have met the finest craftspeople, resulting in footwear of unparalleled value and quality

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The Essential Journal | Issue 36

PARTNER CONTENT

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Pictured above, from top: A shoe undergoing burnishing in the shoe room The welting department in 1920, floors and trollies remain A collection of shoes, some with lasts in the shoe room

f shoemaking was a science, then the Crockett & Jones factory, which sits proudly among narrow terraced streets in Northampton, would look like a laboratory. There would be no great wooden floors, tread by generations of skilled craftspeople, nor would there be hulking stand-up workshop benches, where pattern cutters (Clickers) work with the finest quality leather money can buy, using blade handles passed down through generations.

There would be no basement, full of shoemaking oddities and a makeshift air-raid shelter to keep workers safe from the blitz, nor would there be an antique wood-paneled showroom. A space which for over a century has hosted countless hours (and gallons) of afternoon tea, as generations of a family-owned business proudly present the products of the factory which hums and buzzes below. If shoemaking was a science, local craftsmen and woman would not work with the same machines that their grandmothers and grandfathers worked with, perfecting skills that money simply can not buy.

But shoemaking is not a science. It is a craft. An intersection of art and engineering, that for 139 years through thick and thin, Crockett & Jones has sat at the forefront of. Founded in 1879, Crockett & Jones is a family-owned company which specializes in high-quality, Goodyear-welted footwear – a construction method that provides unparalleled comfort, durability and wear. Their footwear is still produced in the Perry Street factory the company’s founders built in 1890, just a decade after graduating from a smaller factory close by.

Now into its fifth generation, Crockett & Jones remains committed to its key principles: high standards of traditional craftsmanship, quality and service. Principles which have kept generations of loyal customers returning. This dedication to service can be felt in some 13 flagship stores – London, New York, Paris, Birmingham and Brussels (to name a few) - across the globe, an exclusive online offering and in-house refurbishment service. The core family values of passion, honesty and knowledge permeate the business from the shop floor right up to the office of Managing Director Jonathan Jones.

All of this culminates in high-quality, great-value timeless shoes. Three signature ranges of men’s footwear include: the Hand Grade Collection, Main Collection featuring both classic and contemporary styles – and a Shell Cordovan collection.

Iconic styles include Cavendish, Hallam, Alex, Pembroke, Islay, Tetbury and Lowndes and Crockett & Jones continue to innovate, launching new styles including Egerton, Lanark, Eskdale, and Hardwick. They are also launching a new collection – ‘The Black Editions’.

Crockett & Jones’s high-quality approach to its footwear has garnered some impressive fans. James Bond (Daniel Craig) wore their boots in both Skyfall and Spectre and is known to be a fan of the Tetbury and Camberley boots. The glitz and glamour of the modern age is also mirrored in the innovative and pioneering story of its history. After all, it was Crockett & Jones who manufactured the boots Ernest Shackleton wore on the Endurance expedition.

As a testament to the quality of their footwear Crockett & Jones have been awarded the prestigious Royal Warrant by HRH. The Prince of Wales. The award marks the company out as not just a world-renowned footwear manufacturer and heritage brand, but recognises commitments to quality and sustainability. Despite all of this, the family-owned company, which comprises everyone from brothers and sisters to aunties and uncles, remains modest and driven.

All of which leads back to their beloved Perry Street factory. Largely unchanged since its inception (with fewer than five computers in the main factory building), as a single shoe passes through three floors of talented craftspeople over 200 separate operations will take place on it over an eight-week period. Each person on that labor-intensive journey of manufacturing will take immense pride in their own operation, some of them ‘artists’, others ‘engineers’, none of them scientists.

The result is not merely a shoe or a boot, but a work of passion, experience and heritage. To appreciate a Crockett & Jones shoe, is to know where one comes from.

"As a testament to the quality of their footwear Crockett & Jones have been awarded the prestigious Royal Warrant

by HRH. The Prince of Wales. The award marks the company out as not just a world-renowned footwear manufacturer and heritage brand, but recognises commitments to quality and sustainability."

crockettandjones.com Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

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STYLE

What Does Sustainability Mean to You? Good question.We asked three of our favourite menswear designers among other pressing questions, what sustainability means to them… interviews by Davey BRETT

Oliver SPENCER Founder of Oliver Spencer

What does sustainability mean to you?

To us as a menswear brand sustainability means managing our business in a way that is as environmentally and socially efficient as possible. I guess what it boils down to is doing things the right way.

What can clothing companies do to be more sustainable across the business?

It really depends on the business and what they do. You need to deconstruct what you are doing and find out where the key areas for improvement are.

Once you find these areas you will need to quantify them and create a way to improve them. The one thing that is incredibly easy for any business to do, is to switch to a renewable energy supplier at no extra cost. We use Green energy and they have been great.

The challenges on the path to improved environmental sustainability are significant, varied and will take a collective effort to solve. In the fashion industry, fast and disposable fashion needs to end and we all have to use more environmentally and socially progressive fabrics such as organic cotton. We need to be recycling clothing and using recycled resources to make clothing and we need to be more water efficient.

Who is your sustainability icon?

It has to be Sir David Attenborough. In Blue Planet II, he did an exceptional job of opening the country’s eyes to the plastic crisis we currently face. In order to get people to engage with environmental sustainability, it’s crucial to get them to connect with nature and understand that nature is what supports our existence. Thank you David, you are doing a fantastic job, we salute you. oliverspencer.co.uk

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The Essential Journal | Issue 36

Image Credits: Courtesy of Oliver Spencer | Christopher Raeburn | Universal Works

What should a customer be doing? What are they unaware of?

As a customer it’s actually pretty simple to do the right thing. Buy less, choose quality, choose brands with environmental and social credentials and make it last. If you no longer want something sell it or give it to charity.

If something breaks get it repaired. Wash less and cold where possible.

Also, don’t take claims at face value; do research and make sure brands are genuinely doing what they claim to, there’s a lot of ‘green-washing’ out there.

STYLE

Christopher RAEBURN

David KEYTE

What does sustainability mean to you?

For us it's more about responsible design and our obligation as a company to provide meaningful products at a competitive price. It's also about our obligation as consumers to make considered choices, to think about what we're doing and why.

What does sustainability mean to you?

In simple terms, sustainability and the fashion industry are difficult bed fellows! With creating new things seasonally, it is hard to also be sustainable.

However, it’s important we do all we can to make products with longevity and durability as well as ensuring to do no harm to anyone while making the product and to use our limited resources responsibly, as well as thinking about recycling all the fibres and yarns and fabrics we can.

Founder of Christopher Raeburn

What can clothing companies do to be more sustainable across the business?

From our perspective, a large percentage of impact happens at the design stage; companies need to get in the mindset of designing products in a considered way. The biggest challenges (especially for small businesses) are around sourcing, auditing and legislation. As an example, the cost and implication of using recycled materials is generally 30% higher.

What should the customer be doing? What are they unaware of?

It's never about what customers should be doing... it's more about inspiring our community to think differently and provide them with better choices.

There's certainly a willingness to try and make the right choices, but quite often it's about education; customers don't necessarily know where to start.

Thanks to the advances in technology, things are starting to change.

Who is your sustainability icon?

On a global scale, I find Yvon Chouinard (Patagonia founder) very inspiring.

He's a lot more than a traditional CEO; he's first and foremost an athlete, conservationist, out-of-the box thinker, and he has always pushed Patagonia to find solutions to the global environmental crisis. Patagonia is now one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies on earth. I highly recommend reading his book 'Let My People Go Surfing'.

On a more local scale, Orsola De Castro is really helping change things for the better with Fashion Revolution, a non-profit global movement she co-founded, with a focus on the need for greater transparency in the fashion industry. Orsola has been a great supporter of the brand and we regularly collaborate on community-led events and workshops for Fashion Revolution Week.

Co-founder of Universal Works

What can clothing companies do to be more sustainable across the business?

I think the important things is to create garments that last and are meant to be used beyond one season, or indeed one weekend as is sometimes the feeling you get with very fast fashion. Creating better garments, more responsibilities, more costs. So we need to educate the public too that cheap disposable things are no good for any of us.

What should the customer be doing? What are they unaware of?

Sadly, it often comes down to price and really cheap product cannot be good for anyone in the long term, but it’s hard to understand that when many corporate businesses push us to consume more and more. Often the smaller independent brands in clothing or indeed in many other areas are always trying to produce things with more care, more honesty and responsibility, which will therefore be more sustainable. Of course some larger brands do very good things on sustainability which is great, like Patagonia or like the new plastics recycling at Adidas. These are great and come about from public pressure.

Who is your sustainability icon?

Jose Mujica. He was president of Uruguay and was a real radical with sustainable projects at the forefront of his political process, the world needs more politicians like him. In fashion, then maybe it would be Stella McCartney, for her stance and attitude. universalworks.co.uk

christopherraeburn.co.uk

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

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STYLE

COLUMN

A Cut Above This month, Ian Harrold considers comfort zones, fade fatigue and the razor-sharp ramblings of one very pissed off barber words by Ian HARROLD

I

t might have gone largely unnoticed by those outside the industry, but there’s a sniper out there in the war-torn rubble of the Instagram feed. This masked vigilante is on an all-out warpath, targeting as many barbers as possible, crying foul on all that he thinks is wrong with the industry.

There’s a genius simplicity to it all: He’s simply holding a mirror up to the industry, and a lot of barbers don’t like what they see in the reflection.

For the most part, it’s heavy-handed banter that won’t interest those outside the industry. But on the odd occasion, he’s hilariously spot on in ways that should also be of interest to the client.

From calling out photoshopped fades to overplayed fads, he’s trollish, crass, and - though it pains many a barber to admit it - pretty good at pushing people out of their comfort zones.

Now, these comfort zones apply to those sat at the barber chair as well as those stood behind it.

Comfort zones essentially boil down to sticking to what you know, never daring to do anything new, and never moving forward.

For both barber and client, that comfort zone can pretty much be summed up in the humble, but woefully overplayed skin fade. Now let me qualify that by saying two things. Firstly, the fade is nothing new: it’s a classic, clean and tried-and-tested cut that your grandad probably sported at some point in his life. Secondly, it’s a great look: simple, sleek and easily wearable.

The problem is that so many people rely on the cut as their go-to style that we’re seeing a little bit of fatigue set in. It seems as though everyone within a 5-mile radius of the city centre is sporting the exact same haircut, and that safety-in-numbers mentality results in a shrinking of clients’ collective comfort zone. And the same thing happens behind the chair, too. Barbers are less inclined to strive for new skills if they can make their bread and butter banging out the same haircut every 10 minutes.

In fairness, it’s easy to see why people are often afraid of change. Anyone who’s ever been given a shit haircut will know what it’s like to miss the sweet, sweet safety of the short back and sides.

But as the summer days start to fade (see what I did there?) away, there’s a real opportunity to try something a little different.

Sure, moving from a skin fade to longer styles can prove difficult for those used to keeping things tight and high around the ears. And of course, growing your hair out means having to deal with more texture, density and general waywardness than you’re typically used to. But that’s why it’s so important for your barber to be in a position to offer a little guidance along the way. Which, in turn, requires more experience than six months spent perfecting the same pre-war haircut.

As barbers, we’re not looking to push you off a cliff without your consent, and at the end of the day we want to give you the best version of the haircut that you’ve chosen. But if we can nudge you out of your comfort zone every once in a while, everyone wins.

Bottom line? Don’t be afraid to try new things, question your barber a little, and take a few tentative steps out of that comfort zone. Because if our anonymous, character-assassinating little Instagram rogue has taught us anything, it’s that standing still for too long can often make you a target. IH Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

If an ‘investment’ piece of clothing is really worth investing in, it’s also worth mending. We take a look at three companies that offer repair services to make their products last for longer words by Davey BRETT

Barbour Waxed Jacket Repair

Y

ou can’t beat a Barbour jacket that has aged. Slightly tatty, bit of wear and tear but still functional. Keeping the water out, no holes, some patches here and there and moulded to the owner’s frame.

With the right care a Barbour jacket can last a lifetime. Even in the face of the great outdoors where the jackets are most at home. A testament to the iconic pieces themselves is how far people are willing to go to get their beloved one repaired. Approximately 20,000 jackets are returned to Customer Services in Barbour’s South Shields for repair and rewaxing each year.

Barbour recommends re-waxing its waxed jackets once a year and this can be done personally at home with Barbour’s Wax Thornproof Dressing or by sending the garment to be rewaxed in house. Barbour’s recently opened Duke Street store in Mayfair houses the brand’s first ever instore re-waxing station, providing a chance to see the 20-minute process first-hand. The company also offers a comprehensive waxed jacket repair and reproofing service; everything from replacing zips and patching up holes to repairing pockets and linings. barbour.com; 56 Duke Street, North Mayfair, London W1K 6JA

Patagonia Crockett & Garment Repair Jones Shoe and Recycling Refurbishment

A

lot has been made of Patagonia’s commitment to ‘worn wear’ and rightly so. The outdoor brand - which despite its recent trendiness has been making high-quality outdoor wear for nearly 50 years, has comprehensive repair guides and forums on its website. From small in-the-field fixes to larger community-led repair Q&As, their product care ranges are also a mustread guide for looking after a range of garments, not just their own.

As well as their DIY repair guides, Patagonia offer a reasonablypriced, in-house repairs service and their ironclad guarantee means that if an item isn’t up to scratch in the field (or up the mountain or riding the wave), they’ll repair, replace or refund it. They also offer a trade initiative too, whereby old but functioning Patagonia clothing in good condition can be taken into retail stores and traded for credit.

The credit can be used online or in store. Pretty nifty. patagonia.com

W

e’ve sung the praises of Goodyear-welted shoes before, but their ability to be repaired should never be underplayed. Consider over time how many shoes you’ve panicpurchased on the cheap before a wedding or funeral and how long they’ve lasted before you panicpurchased the next pair. Consider their job: to bear your weight, rub against abrasive surfaces all day and keep you protected from the elements.

A host of companies offer shoe refurbishment and of course, similar services can be found on the high street, but having seen first-hand some of Crockett & Jones’s inhouse cobbling handy work, we felt it was worth mentioning. Pairs can be taken to the nearest Crockett & Jones store or posted directly.

Once returned to the factory they were manufactured in, they are stripped down, which due to their Goodyear-welted construction, means the upper and insole (the bit that over time and through wear, moulds to your foot) remain intact.

The shoes are then re-welted on the appropriate last and re-soled and re-heeled. New soles are finished to the factory standard whilst uppers are cleaned and polished providing new pair visuals with the familiar and unique snugness of a well-worn shoe. crockettandjones.com

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STYLE

A Guide to Smarter Shopping Fashion will forever be fleeting, but style should always be sustainable words by Will HALBERT

A

s the global gaze shifts towards a more all-encompassing approach to sustainability, the ethically-dubious and wholly unsustainable fast fashion industry finds itself with a lot to answer for. That said, here’s our guide to slowing things down and shopping with a little more savvy. It won’t exactly make you Captain Planet, but it’s a good way of putting your money where your mouth is. If nothing else, it will leave you with a cleaner conscience and a more considered collection of sustainable style options.

Slow it Down

Fast fashion, or disposable fashion, is driven by highspeed, low-cost production methods designed to move things from catwalk to shop rail as quickly as possible.

Typically, this approach to fashion results in some pretty negative environmental effects as water pollution, toxic chemicals and textile waste become par for the course.

Sadly, it’s our knee jerk reaction to the new and colourful, our growing boredom with older garments, and our ill-planned impulse spending that give fast fashion its foothold in today’s market.

The answer? Slow it down a little. Avoid panic buying at the last minute. And curb the impulse spending. More often than not, those impulse purchases wind up being little more than miss-matched or ill-fitting garments, doomed to gather dust in the deepest, darkest reaches of your wardrobe.

Curate a Capsule Collection

The capsule collection - a perfect antidote to fast fashion - is a fairly simple concept: Buy only what you love and make it last. Invest in quality, be wary of novelty, and ask yourself how an individual piece will fit into your current line up. That way you’re only buying what you know you’re going to wear. To help things along, keep your designs minimal and your fits realistic. Over time, you’ll find that you’ve curated a solid capsule collection of garments that remain in constant rotation. There’s a zen element to this approach too. Less combinations worn more often not only allow for a clutter free living space, but also put an end to the paradox of choice.

Buy Less, Buy Better

Of course, there’s no avoiding the simple fact that investing in ethically-sourced, well-made goods often means splashing out a little more on individual purchases. But the idea is to make these purchases less frequently. Take, for example, the Savile Row suit. Sure, it’s more expensive than highstreet off-the-rail options, but it’s a relatively small price to pay for the only suit you’ll ever need. Investing in a little London-made, bespoke suiting not only supports local industry, it ensures tailor made levels of quality guaranteed to last you a lifetime.

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Stay Materially Minded

It’s a pretty inconvenient truth, but polyester blend fabrics are known to shed microfibres during washing cycles that contribute to rising levels of plastic in our oceans. Likewise, the pesticides used in the production of cotton are known to cause serious health issues amongst those working on the harvest.

Seek out organic options. It’s not just a buzzword thrown about to add a few quid to the price of your smoothie, it’s a reliable indication that materials like cotton haven’t been treated with toxic and potentially carcinogenic substances. That doesn’t guarantee less of an environmental impact (in terms of water waste and aggressive dying techniques), but it’s a small step in the right direction. Brands like the US-based Jungmaven are even championing hemp-based clothing. Not only is hemp naturally resistant to mold, mildew and insects, it also requires no irrigation, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or GMO seeds.

Make do and Mend

Master the ancient art of wearing like hell, cleaning only when needed, and repairing when necessary. Denim and leather are there to be used and abused, with brands like Nudie Jeans Co. going so far as to offer free lifetime repairs on their jeans. Black denim can be easily redyed, for those afraid of the fade or in need of something with a more formal edge. Likewise, Barbour, Belstaff and Private White V.C. all offer repairs and reproofing services (for a nominal fee), making the waxed jacket a key item for year-on-year use. Investing in a solid pair of goodyear welted shoes or boots will ensure easy resoling for decades to come. The list goes on: socks can be redarned, ill-fitting trousers and jackets can be tailored, cuffs and collars can be mended. Naturally, this comes with a significant time investment on your part, but there’s a lot to be said for a back-to-basics, make do and mend approach to your well-chosen wardrobe.

In the grand scheme of things, the above suggestions offer relatively small steps towards some semblance of sustainability, but they’re steps all the same. Pick your battles and speak with your wallet. EJ

The Essential Journal | Issue 36

STYLE

Tailored Thoughts on:

Arts & Crafts This month, Huntsman cutter and tailoring columnist Matthew Gonzalez considers the 21st century revival of the arts and crafts movement words by Matthew GONZALEZ

W

e live in a globalised world where almost everything is designed in one country, mass produced in another, purchased in a third and even resold online to someone in a fourth. A perfect example is my mobile phone. It was designed in the USA, manufactured in China in the millions, purchased in the UK, and will probably be sold online for a bit of extra cash when I get a new one.

Global trade and mass production ushered in a myriad of benefits to the western way of life. They became an earmark of modernity that ended up being synonymous with luxury for most of the 20th century. However, it also helped turn the world into a homogenised mass-produced society. Some people realised this almost 140 years ago. From the 1880s to the 1920s the Arts and Crafts movement rejected industrialised sameness in favour of old world artisanal craftsmanship and in the modern age, it’s starting to happen again.

Artisans and Craftspeople have never gone away but for decades their skill was under appreciated. Since the Post-war era there has been this misconception that perfection was good and imperfection was bad, it seems logical but in many instances, it’s plain wrong. The nearly imperceptible irregularity of handmade objects gives them their value. Small workshops like knife maker Blenheim Forge (@blenheimforge), based in Peckham, exemplify how small batch crafted objects can be both aesthetically pleasing and well-made while not coming off an assembly line by the thousands.

Expressing one’s own self identity has never been more accepted and important in society. Now, nearly two decades into the 21st century, in the era of luxury and high street brands that have shops around the world, online shopping from anywhere and next day designer knockoffs, people are growing fatigued of global uniformity and are once again valuing artisans and craftspeople. Whether it is Savile Row tailors, bespoke shoemakers, independent jewellers or objects created in small artisanal workshops, handmade once again means luxury.

Advertisements from the 1950s onward were full of glossy colour photos showcasing their perfectly manufactured items that would be displayed on department store shelves and supermarket aisles in harsh, but modern, florescent lighting in all their glorious sameness. Before the Kardashians, families were trying to ‘keep up with the Jones’s’, that fictional family who had everything, by buying the latest branded ‘thing’ that was put on the department store shelves. The west had been swept up in an idealized, middle class, quasi-conformist lifestyle that embodied the American dream.

Perfectly mass-produced clothing, leather goods, furniture or even food are nice and offer consistency, but they lack a certain richness of character. There is no real story behind the mass produced. Whereas there is something special about buying an object that has been made as a one-off or bespoke commission in a workshop, especially if you can actually meet its creator. Making something by hand will never be as precise as a machine and that is a good thing.

Craftsmanship for many years was relegated to something one’s grandmother would make and always seemed to manifest itself in an unwanted quilt, a hand knitted scarf or Christmas sweater. Those incredibly valuable skills were marginalized. Those objects with their rich character and beautiful imperfections were discarded to make room in one’s closet for a coat that everyone else probably owned.

There is a great 1960s song called ‘Little Boxes’ by Malvina Reynolds which perfectly parodies the problem with mass production’s effect on culture by describing the suburban housing in America as being “all made out of ticky tacky [while in the end] they look just the same.” Over the past decade I have seen more men and women becoming aware and interested in high end craftsmanship and, as a Savile Row tailor, I am privileged to participate in the creation of bespoke clothing on a daily basis but craftsmanship is not limited to the esoteric world of high-end tailoring.

There are talented people making interesting and unique objects across the UK. Meeting and commissioning from them is an unparalleled pleasure. Not only do these objects have more character, they tend to last longer, create less waste and are subsequently more cost effective in the long run. Mass production is a necessity of life. We need the necessities of life like transportation, phones and computers to be made en masse. However, when possible, it is also important to surround oneself with objects that also intrigue, engage and inspire. MG

'Before the Kardashians, families were trying to ‘keep up with the Jones’s’, that fictional family who had everything, by buying the latest branded ‘thing’ that was put on the department store shelves. The west had been swept up in an idealized, middle class, quasi-conformist lifestyle that embodied the American dream.'

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

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LOOKING FOR THE ULTIMATE WEDDING SUIT? Whether it's your own big day or that of a friend or family member, one thing's for sure: you want to look your very best. Easy!

With our high-performance luxury fabrics from VBC, your truly one-of-a-kind suit or tux is just an 'I do' away.

sarto@luxurytailoring.co.uk 24

@Sarto_Luxury_Tailoring

1 Regina House | 1 Victoria Street | Liverpool | L2 5AQ The Essential Journal | Issue 36

Image Credits: Courtesy of Private White V.C.

STYLE

The See-through Stitch Talking transparency with James Eden of Private White V.C. words by Will HALBERT

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

A

t first glance, Private White V.C.’s Manchester factory appears to stand as a bastion of heritage, a stony-faced defender of otherwise long lost, traditional values. And how could it not? Over the course of the last century and a half, the Manchester factory has produced garments quite literally fit for kings and queens. It has clothed presidents and prime ministers alike. It has shielded Allied Forces from the bitter elements and enemy fire of two World Wars.

As the last remaining clothing factory in the world’s first industrial city, you’d think that Private White V.C. had an age-old business ethos to match the intimidating heritage of its factory. At the very least, you’d suspect an over-inflated sense of superiority and a price tag to match. And on both counts, you’d be dead wrong.

In a surprising feat of candour and irreverence, Private White CEO, James Eden recently released the brand’s new Fair Price Manifesto. The manifesto not only wears its 2x3x markup on its hand-finished, Ventile sleeve, it also lays out exactly what the consumer is paying for when they pull the trigger on a premium price V.C. garment.

It’s a bold move towards a more transparent business model, one that has answered directly to the thoughts and frustrations of the modern consumer: ‘Retail prices are set high enough so that brands can still make good money when there is 70% even 80% off,’ laments Eden. ‘This in essence only serves to educate customers never to pay full price.

Why would you pay full price for something when the price has been clearly set too high to begin with?’

With an open and honest markup on their locally-sourced, British-made clothing which encompases everything from hand-crafted Ventile Macs to Goodyear welted field boots - Private White’s prices still place them firmly within the luxury category. And for a brand of such calibre and quality, that’s exactly where they want to be. Their work isn’t cheap, but it is fair.

With the average luxury brand enforcing up to a 7x markup on their wares, Private White simply ask for a fair price for what they consider to be the world’s finest clothing.

And they do so in a way that maintains an all-too rare respect for the average consumer’s shopping intelligence. As Eden suggests: ‘With so much access to information now at the tips of people’s fingers, customers are much more inquisitive and curious about how and where things are made, and many now demand and expect full traceability around the product and the supply chain, which is a big part of who we are as a brand.’

Private White’s Fair Price manifesto stands as both a metaphor of the brand’s made-in-Manchester roots and as a glaring statement of intent. It might seem like a modest step in the grand scheme of things. But for an industry that has an age-old reputation for relying on former glories, general consumer ignorance and a lofty sense of superiority, Private White’s push for greater transparency and integrity is nothing short of a revolutionary act. EJ

'...many [customers] now demand and expect full traceability around the product and the supply chain, which is a big part of who we are as a brand.'

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TRAVEL

Image Credits: Amanda Glez / Pablo Vazquez / Group IMC / Jabalí Studio

A Handsome Hotel:

Vivood Landscape Hotel

A Spanish getaway that takes ‘switching off’ to another level words by Alan SMITHEE

T

he Costa Blanca doesn’t have to mean stag dos and leathery Brits. A short and picturesque drive out of Alicante can have you in the Guadalest Valley amongst olive groves and winding countryside paths - against the backdrop of forest and weather-sculped rock - that yearn to be trodden. This is the setting of Vivood Landscape Hotel, an eco-friendly complex of 25 independent suites that promote the power of switching off.

Although a healthy lifestyle, exclusivity and architecture are key to the Vivood lifestyle, it’s the benefits of nature and ironically, keeping a low profile, which make this hotel stand out. The location is one that lends itself to escape and relaxation and experiencing the surroundings in a stylish and sleek way is central to Vivood. A concept helmed by architect Daniel Mayo and fellow architects and engineers, the aim was to create networks of discrete modular resort hotels that blend into beautiful scenery.

Comprised of clever prefabricated units sat on top of tall slender columns, the hotel prioritises your proximity to nature whilst minimising disruption to the ecosystem of the valley. This sustainable building method goes a little further. Not only do robust and earthy tones of the timbre and black Viroc (a material made up of compressed pine-wood and cement) cladding allow the units to consciously blend into the natural surroundings, they also generate extremely little waste and light pollution.

25 suites sit connected by pathways to a restaurant, lounge bar, an infinity pool and other terraces and hot tub platforms. The benefits of the modular architecture include being able to build with sustainable materials off-site whilst also minimising impact on the area. Structures can be planted in place over a short time. EJ

vivood.com

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The Essential Journal | Issue 36

What’s On September– November

Friday 7 September 8pm Music Room

Sunday 4 November 7.30pm Neil Oliver

Preston Reed

The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places

Wednesday 12 September 8pm Music Room

Saturday 10 November 7.30pm

Carmen Souza, Theo Pascal & Elias Kacomanolis

Homotopia Festival 2018

John Waters: This Filthy World

Saturday 13 October 7.30pm

On the Waterfront: Film with Live Orchestra (cert PG) Wednesday 17 October 8pm An Evening With Folk Rock Pioneers

Steeleye Span and Pentangle’s Jacqui McShee Principal Funders

Principal Partners Thanks to the City of Liverpool for its financial support

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

Box Office 0151 709 3789 liverpoolphil.com LiverpoolPhilharmonic liverpoolphil liverpool_philharmonic

Media Partner

Image Carmen Souza, Theo Pascal & Elias Kacomanolis

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LIFESTYLE

The Pod Cast From Plastic De Vorm’s recycled plastic pod chair is a worthy second life for your plastic water bottle words by Davey BRETT

If you walked up to this chair and sat down, your first thought wouldn’t be that it is made from recycled materials, it would be something else. Possibly that it looks cool, maybe that it has an intriguing texture. That’s the beauty of DeVorm’s PET Felt Privacy Chair (designed by Benjamin Hubert), the design speaks for itself. With a shell made from recycled PET water bottles, the chair is the largest form ever produced using the special PET felt technology. As well as a distinctive aesthetic, the shell allows for sound dampening qualities allowing for the sensation of privacy in busy work environments. devorm.nl

Image Credits: Courtesy of De Vorm

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The Essential Journal | Issue 36

LIFESTYLE

For thirty years Abel & Cole have been delivering fresh, organic fruit and vegetables direct to doorsteps around the country. We chatted to David Balmer, Director of all things technology and development to see how the company is trying to do things better words by Davey BRETT

essential journal: Hi David, please introduce A&C to our readers… david balmer: A lot of people don’t realise how long we’ve been around. We’re 30 years old this year and started off selling veg door to door in London. We’ve developed from just selling veg to a business that sells over 1500 organic products.

Anything from fresh fruit and veg, which is still the core, to a vast range of cuts of organic meat, Marine Conservation Society-accredited fish, a fantastic range of organic wines, beers, spirits and all your country store cupboard ingredients.

We’re trying to cover not the full weekly shop but the vast majority of customer’s essentials.

As a whole, how does Abel & Cole as a company, make sure that it is sustainable?

Our mission in life is quite simple.

Getting everyone into organic, that’s our primary mission. Underpinning that is to become the UK’s most trusted ethical organic community.

We talk about community a lot because we believe wherever we operate in a community, we should be a force for good.

What are examples of the projects that A&C do on the side?

We probably undersell what we do.

We recently raised over £5000 with a marmalade that was bespoke for the Hands Up For Syria Foundation which supports people who are displaced by the war in Syria. A lot of our team regularly go and cook at some of the local charity places around South Wimbledon, Tooting and Earlsfield. We also give our staff time off to go and support charities.

We’ve got a green team within the business, a collective group of people Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

that guide us on up and coming issues. They inspired us into getting beehives at our London HQ. It’s about recognizing bees as pollinators that are absolutely fundamental to the organic farming ethos.

Are the people that work at A&C key to this?

As a business we employ a lot of people who are hugely values driven. I think that by doing good, you then attract more people who positively contribute and it’s not just about coming to work and taking a paycheck, it’s about contributing in a much broader sense.

You’ve always been big on trying to cut down on plastic too.

There’s a big fuss over the last 12 to 18 months about plastic. We’ve been using returnable and recycled cardboard boxes for thirty years.

We’ve been working out figures recently and reckon that over the last 13 years alone we’ve saved the equivalent of 60 million plastic bags. We collect the boxes the

following week and actually, we can collect more of our customer’s recycling if they’re struggling to get it through their local councils.

We’re always looking to continuously evolve and improve. We’ve recently signed up in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society which monitors the sustainability and environmental impact of the fish that we sell. The other keyword, 2018 and beyond, is collaboration. I think it’s important to find people who you can collaborate with.

You were also ahead of the curve when it came to ‘wonky veg’, right?

Over the last few years there’s been a huge trend to wonky veg and we’ve been working with our growers for a long time, taking all that they can supply us with. We don’t just look for that perfect round apple.

That’s embedded in our ethos. We work with our growers to take as much of their crop as we physically can. We also have full transparency of our supply chain. If you go and click on any of the products on our

website, you’ll be able to see who the producer is, where it’s come from and quite often, we name the families that we deal with.

How do you think perceptions of ‘organic’ have changed?

I think if you go back to just before the recession of 2008 a lot of it was seen as expensive, for the rich and not very good quality. I think where you’ve seen organic get most penetration is brands like Neo Valley. Organic milk is almost like a default for families now because they’ve made it so accessible. Price is obviously a key part in anything because families have budgets. 14 percent of the carrots sold in the UK are organic and organic is just over one and a half percent of the grocery sector. Price comparison is minimal there. It’s about making products accessible.

Finally, tell us about your British organic wine. It’s having a bit of a moment right now?

We sell a range of over 80 organic

wines and within that we have a selection of British wines. We have seen over the last 18-24 months a trend to stock more British organic wines and we have some amazing producers. One of our producers is called Vintage Roots. They were started nearly 30 years ago by three guys who had a passion for organic, biodynamic and natural wines. They’re based down outside Reading.

It was a horrible season last year for English wine production and that has meant significantly reduced volumes that we’ve got access to this year and elevated prices. The British wines are amongst some of my personal and customers’ favourites. We do some from Albury State outside Guildford, they do a Rose and also a Sparkling. We’ve got another vineyard called Davenport, who do an exceptional dry White.

Outside of Waitrose, there’s not too many people getting behind it. So it’s something we’d ultimately like to champion and talk more about.

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0151 958 0808 info@mrblaw.co.uk

The Royal Liver Building Pier Head, Liverpool, L3 1HU michaelrosebaylis.co.uk

DRINKING

High Spirits A month’s worth of comings and goings in the world of The Whisky Exchange words by Liz LOCK

W

ith the idea of sustainability firmly at the forefront of everyone’s minds, it’s exciting to see the world of fine drinking doing its fair share to shake things up.

From John Dewar & Sons’ biomass boilers to Scout’s all-out commitment to zero-waste, the artists and artisans featured below add a whole new meaning to the idea of drinking responsibly. So, let’s raise a glass to the forward-thinking whisky wizards and gin slingers and their constant search of a more sustainable sip.

What we're drinking

Who we're visiting Scout, London

Garden Swift Gin It’s not just a boycott of plastic straws that makes a drinking establishment sustainable.

Shoreditch cocktail bar, Scout, has fully embraced sustainability and zero-waste whilst maintaining an exceptional standard of cocktail menu. It’s all about simplicity and seasonality. Foraged ingredients feature on the cocktail menu in abundance and the food offering is truly zero waste. And yet, even without all of this, we’d still be visiting for their absolutely knockout cocktails.

Follow them @scoutldn on Instagram to find out more. Or just dive straight in and head for the bar on Great Eastern Street, London

Barney at Capreolus Distillery in the Cotswolds is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to doing things properly. For him, being sustainable means relying on renewably-sourced electricity to power the whole distillery (and recycling water used in the process), using biodegradable cleaners for the stills, sourcing sustainably-harvested corks (which in turn supports one of the most bio diverse areas in western Europe), enforcing a carbon neutral production of paper labels, and gathering 85% of the fruit for their Eaux de Vie products from within 55 miles of the distillery. That’s most of the green boxes well and truly ticked!

0207 686 8225 www.scout.bar

£34.95 - thewhiskyexchange.com

what we're mixing Gringroni Whilst tequila is enjoying a bit of a renaissance (it’s not all slammers and worms you know), I’ve been discovering the other agave spirit, mezcal.

With deliciously smoky notes of varying intensity, mezcal is one for whisky lovers, and its perfectly balanced agave character is definitely one for cocktails. The Gringroni, made with Ilegal mezcal is the Negroni's feisty little cousin created by the team at TT Liquor for this year’s London Cocktail Week. Make it at home, or head there one evening from 2nd to 6th October and try it out.

INGREDIENTS 25ml Ilegal Anejo 25ml Bold London Spirit Cherry 25ml Kamm & Sons METHOD Stir well in a rocks glass with ice cubes and garnish with a twist of orange zest. Simple!

London Cocktail Week passes available from: www.drinkup.london/cocktailweek

what we're dramming

Who we're following

Aberfeldy 21 Year Old

@valentine_warner

The clever clogs over at John Dewar & Sons installed a biomass boiler (burning wood pellets instead of gas) at the Aberfeldy distillery back in 2014. Since then it has cut the distillery’s carbon footprint by a whopping 90 percent. If that’s not reason enough to raise a dram of their deliciously honeyed 21 year old, then the rich, dried fruit complexity and toasted coconut charm of this much-coveted Highland will surely seal the deal.

His Instagram bio says it all: ‘Cook, broadcaster, writer & one of the founders of @hepple_gin.

Likely near a river or stove, holding a spoon, fishing rod or mossy stick.’

Valentine embraces sustainability through his involvement in the Moorland Spirit Company who source their juniper for Hepple gin from the moorlands of Northumberland and whose co-founder, Walter Riddell, declares himself the ‘Keeper and Cultivator of the Land’. Valentine is also an avid forager, but it’s not just his obsession with food that will get your culinary senses ticking – have a listen to his regular ‘Kitchen Beets’ playlists on Spotify. Perfect tracks for dancing in the kitchen!

£132 - thewhiskyexchange.com

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

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DRINKING WITH WILL HALBERT

Cellar Talk

Fazenda Featured Libation

Taking a closer look at the wine offerings

Doug McMaster’s Carrot Top Collins

of the UK’s most unique Brazilian rodizio

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n herbaceous, vegetal and forage-forward foray into familiar gin territory, Doug McMaster’s Carrot Top Collins offers a sustainable twist on a 19th century favourite. All the familiar favourites are there: the mildly sweet, botanical kick of the gin playing a tried-andtested-tune alongside the humble sweet and sour combo of lemon and sugar. A dash of soda lengthens and lightens in equal measure.

The twist comes in the emphasis of two wholly underused, underforaged, or else all-toooften-binned ingredients: carrot fronds (it’s a word, scouts honour) and blackcurrant leaves.

Both come together to add new dimensions of flavour to the classic cocktail. The carrot fronds offset the bittersweet profile of the drink with a light, peppery spice while the blackcurrant leaves impart a particularly inviting aroma. A leafy libation with a fruit zest to boot, The Carrot Top Collins comes admirably close to a guilt-free, garden-fresh smoothie. That is, if you can ignore two fat slugs (of gin) that have somehow found themselves in the mix.

For more sustainable options, check out Ryan Chetiyawardana’s Good Together: Drink & Feast with Mr Lyan & Friends. WH

Cocktail suggested by Douglas MCMASTER of Silo, Brighton

Trash Tiki’s Chopping Board Cordial 32

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he backbone of many a cocktail and the flavour foundation of a million, trillion soft drinks, the humble cordial needs little introduction. But have you ever thought of making your own? Better yet, have you ever thought of making your own from the bits and pieces that you’d normally just bin? Trash Tiki’s Kelsey Ramage and Iain Griffiths have, and they’ve gotten pretty good at it too.

The idea is to throw your typical offcuts (anything from citrus zests to mint stems, overly bruised fruit to cucumber rinds) into a jar with an equal amount of water. Leave it to soak over-

have invested in cutting-edge, Coravin Wine Access technology to make otherwise exclusive wines more accessible than ever. Developed by nuclear engineer Greg Lambrecht, the Coravin device allows you to pour a glass of wine from any bottle without actually opening it. The idea is to be able to access a wine from a cork-sealed bottle without triggering the natural ageing processes that occur once a bottle is open. Fazenda is part of a small, exclusive group of restaurateurs that offers this technology. ‘Thanks to the Coravin System,’ says Chris, ‘guests are welcome to try more exclusive, premium wines without having to take a risk on buying the whole bottle.’

It’s a wise move: Guests can enjoy the apple and pear freshness and summersweet bouquet of a 2014 Domaine Alain Chavy Puligny-Montrachet without the cost leaving a bad taste in their mouth.

Likewise, guests are free to sniff out the hints of balsamic and dried fig to be found in a glass of a 2011 Numanthia Toro, without paying through the nose for the whole bottle (which would usually set a guest back by just over £300).

Naturally, the option to buy the whole bottle is always there. But it’s refreshing to see a restaurant go to such lengths to share their interest in, and passion for, fine wine. As impressive as the wines look in their purpose-built cellars, Fazenda’s investment in the Coravin system is a testament to their desire to serve up beauty by the glass. WH

night, drain and then add a little sweet (sugar) or sour (malic acid) to taste. The end result is a one-off cordial that makes your kitchen waste go that little bit further. And that's Trash Tiki in a nutshell: Little touches that go a long way to cutting down on bar (and kitchen) waste. In their own words: ‘This shit isn't going to change the world, but our recipes mean you will consume a lot less and still have tasty as f*ck drinks.’ WH

Trash Tiki’s helpful guide to drinking like you give a damn can be found online at www.trashtikisucks.com The Essential Journal | Issue 36

Image Credits: Kim Lightbody (Featured Libation) | Lyndon French (Trash Tiki)

The Secret Ingredient

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nown for tapping into the true essence of the Brazilian gaúcho experience, Fazenda has made quite the name for itself as a forerunner in the premium rodizio experience. With restaurants in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh, all specialising in fresh, well-reared and perfectly-seared meats, you’d be forgiven for expecting the wine selection to take a back seat to the fine meats and gourmet sides on offer.

Sitting down with wine expert and menu curator, Chris Milner, at Fazenda’s Manchester site, it’s clear that that’s not the case. ‘Most restaurants have to refrain from more daring wine selections, as experimentation loses out to safer pairing options,’ he tells me. ‘Here,’ he adds, ‘we have a great range of wines to enjoy with your meal, but there’s also some real scope for exploration if you fancy it.’

Judging by the impressive sight of their inhouse wine cellar, it’s clear that Chris is being modest. Boasting an extensive selection of French, Brazilian, Argentine, and even Uruguayan wines stacked ceiling-high, the cellar is more of a manifesto than a crypt. It’s a message that reads loud and clear: Fazenda aren’t interested in sticking to the safe and recognisable, they’re far more interested in celebrating the rich and diverse produce of South American viticulture and beyond.

And as further proof of the restaurant’s desire to share this celebration with its guests, Fazenda

DINING COLUMN

Good Together: Drink and Feast with Mr Lyan & Friends

by Ryan Chetiyawardana is available now (Frances Lincoln; £20.00)

Coffee Conscious This issue the Florence based coffee pioneers shed light on their ethical endeavours

image credit: Kim Lightbody

words by Dan HARVEY La Marzocco UK

Since their inception in 1927, La Marzocco has always been a company who looks to the future; what they can do to better their products, and how they can innovate and be leaders in sustainable practices. In an age of increasing awareness surrounding climate change and corporate responsibility, La Marzocco is conscious that sustainability has to be present in all business decisions; from working with coffee plantations, to the production of our espresso machines through to supporting La Marzocco users who themselves focus on sustainable practices.

“La Marzocco prides itself on a strong company culture which, in being mindful of and anchored to its heritage, encourages the pursuit of quality, excellence and innovation through a trusting family atmosphere,” says Mary Diamond, manager of La Marzocco’s sustainability efforts. One of the companies’ first sustainable commitments was to support a Tanzanian farm in 2007. La Marzocco invested in the Songwa Estates coffee farm in southwest Tanzania and established a non-profit endeavour, which is both educational and socially driven in nature. Its purpose is to educate staff, customers and those who work in the Tanzanian coffee sector on the intricacies involved in growing, harvesting and processing green coffee, whilst providing support to the local community. The project has helped to build two classrooms and sanitation facilities at the Muvwa Primary School, which educates more than 300 students. In 2017, through La Marzocco’s Hands for Songwa initiative, two wells with platforms and pumps were also built, finally providing the local community with much needed clean water.

Back home, La Marzocco installed solar panels at their Florence headquarters in 2011 and currently achieve approximately 85% of their daily energy via solar, with plans in place to increase this to 100%. The goal is to have every La Marzocco office worldwide operating on solar power. All of the machines are handmade in Florence, using solar energy, and every machine boiler is wrapped in insulation to increase energy savings by 20 per cent. The Eco mode on La Marzocco’s Linea PB model allows the machine to enter a stand-by mode to improve energy efficiency, with plans to include this feature on future models. Their Strada model allows for individual brew groups to be turned off for greater energy savings during slower work periods.

Where possible, sustainable materials, components and packaging are used so that machines and packaging can be recycled according to European legislation. La Marzocco also adheres to an extensive waste tracking system for materials not subject to recycling. Sustainable transportation methods are also sort, with the company using the electric Renault Twizy car for local errands, powered via a recently installed electric charging station at its Florence headquarters.

Guido Bernardinelli, La Marzocco CEO, says the company’s increased sustainable practices benefit the local community and wider environment. “In observing our society and the variations of the environment that have been occurring over the years, we felt the burning desire to dissent and to set an example for a better life in our small world,” he says. “As we continue to make wise decisions and to invest with this focus in mind, we sincerely hope to inspire other companies to follow our vision.” DH Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

Recipe:

Silo, Brighton words by Douglas McMASTER, Silo

T

his is a punchy dish with big, spicy attitude. The intense flavour comes from the two-week fermented beetroot, which works in harmony with the beef. This completely raw dish looks beautiful too, and will not fail to impress.

If you have the time, you should definitely make the brown butter to dress the beef. This dish is a great example of maximising resources – using secondary meat cuts such as small cuts (and even trim) that would often get thrown away or used for a lesser purpose. You can also have a ‘leapfrog’ production process with the beetroot: the first time you make this recipe, you can use your fresh beetroot for anything you like, then ferment the excess. Next time, you’ll have a batch of fermented beetroot and be ready to make the next. This way of absorbing waste into fermentation is a beautiful part of a zero-waste philosophy. DM

RAW BEEF, FERMENTED BEETROOT COLESLAW AND WILD GARLIC

Method If you are ‘leapfrogging’ (ie you already have some fermented beetroot ready), simply prepare your fresh beetroot. Peel the skins off the beetroot and add them to your compost heap. Use a mandolin to slice the beetroot into 1mm (1/16 inch) sheets. Cut 2cm (. inch) discs out of the sheets with a cutter or apple corer, set the trim aside – this will make either your first or next batch of fermented beetroot. You also need to coarsely grate fresh beetroot (around 2 tablespoons) for the coleslaw and set it aside for the final dish.

To make the fermented beetroot, weigh the trimmed beetroot (that’s what’s left after all the fresh discs and grated beetroot have been set aside), then add 2% of its weight in sea salt to the mix.

In a large bowl, massage the salt into the beetroot before squashing it all into a sterilised Kilner jar or fermentation crock. Ideally, you want to fill the jar to the very brim, squashing it down firmly until the ‘leached’ moisture covers all the solids right to the top. Leave to ferment for between 10 days and 2 weeks.

There will be plenty of excess ferment, which is brilliant eaten on its own as a snack. I always ferment at least ten times as much as I actually need.

To make the brown butter, put the butter into a small pan with a solid base on a low-medium heat. Cook it slowly, until it smells nutty and the sound of crackling stops. Immediately pass it through a fine sieve and reserve. When it cools down, it should be a deep brown colour, smelling nutty and sweet. This can be used to dress anything!

To make a wild garlic oil, blanch the wild garlic and parsley in boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunge into ice water. Drain the herbs extremely well, then put in the blender with half the oil and turn the blender on. After some time, the friction of the blender creates heat, so keep the wild garlic oil blending until the oil reaches 64°C (147°F), then pass through a very fine sieve or cloth.

Serves 4–6 Ingredients Approx 10–15 large candy beetroots (you need enough to produce lots of fresh beetroot discs, fresh coleslaw, plus fermented beetroot – enough to fill a Kilner jar or fermentation crock)

Sea salt 250g block of butter (way more than you need but brown butter is an amazingly versatile product that will sit happily in your fridge for ages – use with fish dishes, meat dishes and even on desserts)

200g wild garlic 100g parsley sprigs 800ml rapeseed oil 3 eggs Juice of half a lemon 300g beef muscle, from a happy, grass-fed cow Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 10g salted wild garlic capers (optional)

There will be plenty of excess wild garlic oil, which can be used for a diverse array of dishes from pasta to salads.

Next, make a quick mayonnaise. Crack the eggs into a deep narrow container and hand-blend them with the lemon juice. Then, pour the remaining oil slowly into the egg mixture, blending as you go, so that it emulsifies into a thick mayonnaise. Don’t worry about the seasoning, as you will have to season the final coleslaw.

To finish the coleslaw, combine 2 tablespoons of the fermented beetroot with an equal amount of fresh grated beetroot and 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise.

Season to taste.

When you are ready to serve, dice the beef into large chunks. Season the tartare with a touch of the wild garlic oil, a good drizzle of brown butter, a sprinkle of coarse sea salt and a heavy grind of black pepper.

To serve, spoon a tablespoon of the coleslaw on to each plate. Spoon a tablespoon of the tartare on top of the coleslaw. Finally, scatter the discs of fresh beetroot randomly across thedish, and dress with a generous amount of wild garlic oil, a pinch of salt and the wild garlic capers (if using).

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Fashion, Lifestyle, Dining, Culture & Opinion All in pursuit of a quality lifestyle

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The Essential Journal | Issue 36

Advert Image Credit: Ibrahim Rifath / Unsplash

available online today essentialjournal.co.uk

LIFESTYLE

Beyond The People’s Supermarket We caught up with Arthur Potts Dawson, co-founder of The People’s Supermarket to talk lessons learned and why since the innovative Channel 4 documentary, he’s turned his attention to food issues on a global scale words by Davey BRETT

E

very two years, usually without fail, Arthur Potts Dawson will get a call from a reporter asking him about sustainability.

The call will often correspond with a sustainability trend and despite fads, reporters and trendy menu options changing, Arthur will say the same thing: We’ve got big problems, we need to change, this is how.

Today, I am that reporter and today, he is telling me how.

Starting out in restaurants working alongside the likes of the Roux brothers, Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall and Pierre Koffman, it was the Channel 4 documentary The People’s Supermarket chronicling the social food initiative of the same name that catapulted Potts Dawson into the country’s consciousness.

Painfully ahead of its time, the documentary highlighted issues of food waste, ethics, healthy eating and social inclusivity, providing a living, breathing alternative to big chain supermarket excess. The Lamb’s Conduit Street store still operates to this day with around a thousand members It’s not a money spinner, but it survives and Potts Dawson reflects on it in a transformative manner.

“It’s a great series, I mean I haven’t re-watched it. It came out, I was too busy to look at it, they gave me the DVDs and I stuck them on a shelf.

We were addressing food waste, I was climbing into bins. [The food waste at large supermarkets] still goes on, and it is ridiculous. Now they just lock their doors.” He tells me, with a sigh that suggests he gets asked the same questions every two years and very little changes.

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

You can’t blame him, after all, he’s already shown everyone what to do. Strike up good relations with producers and take the part of the crop that others won’t. Build a feeling of community, get people involved and allow them their say. Educate on food and help people to understand its worth. Use waste as an advantage.

The People’s Kitchen was set up within the same site in order to turn would-be waste into deli-style products that can be a ready meal-style option. Emphasise healthy, ethical and good value food.

The initiative drew plaudits, the country watched on, but the revolution failed to materialize. Not through fault of trying. “I think what The People’s Supermarket did was it came in with a concept that challenged the norm and the norm is a capitalist economy. They all looked at it, snubbed their noses at it and realized that it was no competition because ultimately, it not being designed to make money meant that it was only ever going to be a narrative on social sustainability and community food issues.” Says Arthur.

“So other supermarkets didn’t particularly pay heed. Although they did all come in and see us. We had all the big names walking around the shop, with their mobile phones saying, ‘Nah, it looks like Russia in here, don’t worry about it.’ It was funny to see. Literally managers from the local supermarkets, still with their jackets on.”

Ultimately, the big four supermarkets continued and still continue, business as usual to the planet’s detriment. “The British supermarkets are the best in the world at doing

what they do, getting the customer what they think the customers want at a very low price but you’ve got to realise that it’s not sustainable.

They’re making money by forcing prices down in the field, and the field is the thing that’s taking the hit, and the planet is taking the pressure from these supermarkets.” He says.

The planet as a whole was Arthur’s next logical next step after seeing the devastating issues on a local level. Arthur is first to forward the idea that we need governmental change, but his is an urgency that transcends a potential 65 million on an island in the sea. “In ten years time if we’re still doing what we’re doing and the agricultural sector are still doing what they’re doing, the planet is unsustainable. And I’m looking at it from a planetary perspective.” He says, before expanding.

“I’m working with all the big companies now, the IKEAs, the Unilevers, large-scale big impact companies and when you look at it from a planetary perspective, it’s all very well looking at it from a 65 million but I’m now working with chefs who come from Indonesia, 260 million people, the capital Jakarta is 26 odd million, Nigeria – 180 million, the capital 21 million. We’re talking about vast amounts of people not thinking sustainably, we’re talking billions across the planet looking to improve the way they live.”

What Arthur is saying makes for grim reading, obviously. It’s one thing looking at England, but as rapidly expanding powerhouse economies like China and India drag themselves out of poverty (just like we did) and their consumption levels reach those of the

"We were addressing food waste, I was climbing into bins.

[The food waste at large supermarkets] still goes on, and it is ridiculous. Now they just lock their doors."

west, the extent of the problems at hand are colossal. Arthur will readily admit to being the eternal optimist, but everyone has to be realistic about what is happening.

His work now lies in consultation and education, working with large companies and notably the United Nations World Food Programme and their Chef’s Manifesto initiative. The manifesto, which he helped to write, includes eight thematic areas to provide sustainable actions for people going forward. The initiative ties into 17 global goals written by 194 countries on sustainability. Action hubs are set to be launched worldwide, from New York to India, South Africa to Copenhagen.

I would say our conversation ends full circle, but it doesn’t. We chat about the inability of the government, the grip of big finance and how truthfully, it’s a government that should be leading people. I ask him if he found The People’s Supermarket rewarding and he says yes after a pause. I ask him what the biggest lesson was away from the food and he tells me.

“People are so used to choice.

We’ve got a situation on the planet now where you can have anything you want, whenever you want it for not very much money.” He says, before continuing.

“That’s the situation we’re living with in London and as a result we had to manage people, not to control them, but to influence them in a positive way to live their life and live more sustainably and positively. At the end of the day, you’ve got to agree on something.” chefsmanifesto.com 35

LIFESTYLE

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The Essential Journal | Issue 36

LIFESTYLE

A rich history of honorable mentions words by Will HALBERT

N

ot only does Sir David Attenborough have a world-renowned (not to mention internet-famous) boat named after him, he also has an impressive list of taxonomic tributes to his name. While at least 15 (living and extinct) species and genera have been named in Attenborough's honour, here’s our top ten.

David Attenborough: Making the World Personal

MICROLEO ATTENBOROUGHI Essentially an 18 million year old kitty kat. Despite its relation to the infamous, four-legged king of the jungle, the miniature marsupial lion would have been no bigger than a possum.

PRETHOPALPUS ATTENBOROUGHI Also referred to as Attenborough’s goblin spider.

At a little over a millimetre long, the goblin spider might be one tiny arachnid, but it’s a grand gesture nontheless.

ELECTROTETTIX ATTENBOROUGHI An extinct pygmy locust found in 2014 encased in amber. Something that his Jurassic Park-starring older brother, the late Richard Attenborough, would have surely gotten a chuckle from.

Our thoughts on the nonagenarian national treasure words by Will HALBERT

‘T

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

BLAKEA ATTENBOROUGHII The Attenborough Tree, discovered in 2007 by the World Land Trust’s Lou Jost. Sir David became WLT’s official Patron in 2003 and has been supportive of the aims and objectives of the Trust ever since.

MATERPISCIS ATTENBOROUGHI Translates as Attenborough’s mother fish. A pretty big deal in many circles as it sets in stone the ancient roots of live birth (or viviparity), hence the name.

ZAGLOSSUS ATTENBOROUGHI Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna. This echidna is a particularly unsociable little New Guinean, only coming together with its own kind but once a year.

ATTENBOROUGHARION RUBICUNDUS Discovered in 2016 and measuring 35-45mm long, this snail (technically a semi-slug on account of its inability to retract into its own shell) can only be found in Australia and a small area in south-east Tasmania.

CASCOLUS RAVITIS A 430-million-year-old fossil with a very clever name. Cascolus is the Latin rendering of the Old English source for the surname Attenborough.

While Ravitis is a nod to the Roman name for Leicester, where Sir David lived on the city's university campus.

image credit: Richard Baker / Alamy Stock Photo

he first time I saw a swimmer hit a shark on the nose with a camera was in 1956’, says Sir David Attenborough in his foreword to the BBC Books’ Blue Planet II: A New World of Hidden Depths. Much has changed in the 62 years that have followed, but it’s clear that Attenborough’s sense of wonder and adventure has endured.

Over the course of his half-a-century-long career as a leading naturalist, David Attenborough has entertained, educated and excited with unparalleled compassion and erudition. He has astonished, beguiled and moved his viewers, and he has done so with a grace, charm and candidness that have made him something of a national treasure in the process.

But the title almost feels like an undersell, an understatement. Sir David has done nothing less than dedicate his entire life to unraveling the world and its wonders before our very eyes. The 92 year old from Isleworth, is more than a national treasure, he’s an enduring symbol of the natural world and the study and exploration thereof. And as if that wasn’t enough, the guy can quite literally talk to wolves.

Simply put, Attenborough has found a way to make the world personal again. Not just in his honouring of its visual splendour, but in his accounts of the sophistication and delicacy of its systems. In doing so, Attenborough has not just become a singularly soft-spoken spokesperson for Mother Nature herself, but has placed himself on the front line of global conservation efforts.

His documentaries (such as BBC's Blue Planet and Planet Earth) offer a ground-breaking look at - and wholehearted celebration of - the richness, variety and visual beauty of life across our planet. But they also serve as a subtle warning of what the future holds for our planet should we continue on our current path of wanton waste. These warnings come without Attenborough’s spiteful condescension or overwrought pontification. He Simply opens our eyes to the beauty and wonder of our surroundings in the hopes that we will, in turn, feel a natural drive to defend it.

In doing so, Sir David Attenborough has done more than almost any other individual to help us understand and appreciate the wonders of the world around us and the myriad reasons why we must strive to protect it.

In his own words: ‘People won’t care to save something they don’t know anything about.’

From his exploration of the darkest depths of the world’s waters, to his encounters with the mountain gorillas of the forest-clad slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes of Rwanda, Sir David Attenborough is an adventurer quite unparallelled. More importantly still, he is a man who has not only explored the furthest reaches of the known world, but has had the kindness and virtue, upon his return, to sit the whole nation down and tell us exactly what he saw out there. EJ

ATTENBOROSAURUS Unlike the rest of the names on this list, the Attenborosaurus is not a not a species but a genus.

Once thought to be a new species of Plesiosaur, a re-examination of the fossil soon lead to its naming of Attenborosaurus at the hands of famed paleontologist, Robert Bakker.

NEPENTHES ATTENBOROUGHII Not an animal, but a plant. And a pretty unsettling one at that. Nepenthes attenboroughii - or pitcher plant - is a carnivorous, rat-eating plant hailing from the Philippines that traps its prey before digesting them with powerful acidic enzymes.

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CULTURE The Liverpool Biennial 2018 runs across various until 28 October; biennial.com

image credit: Mae-ling Lokko, Hack The Root, 2018. Installation view at RIBA North, Liverpool Biennial 2018. Photo: Thierry Bal / Mae-ling Lokko, Hack The Root workshop with Squash Liverpool and Windsor Primary School, June 2018. Photo: Brian Pilkington

Beautiful World Where Are You? We chat to Mae-Ling Lokko about her architecture and technology transcending installation, Hack The Root, and preview our favourites from this year’s Liverpool Biennial words by Davey BRETT

essential journal: Hi Mae-ling, introduce yourself and tell us about your installation… mae-ling lokko: My name is Mae-ling Lokko and I’m an architectural technologist, which is this grey area between architecture and material technology. I’ve spent the last eight years upcycling waste from agriculture into building materials.

For the Liverpool Biennial, I wanted to bring to the surface some of the amazing things happening in this field, a decentralized, hyper-localised way of growing building materials. So, in the process of the exhibition, we grew all the panels with six and seven year olds from Windsor Primary School. The other part was to go through every stage

of the lifecycle [of a panel] in the gallery. That’s why we have the grow chambers, the popping, the harvesting, the drying out – all within close proximity, so people can understand and also challenge their biases against these natural materials.

How long does it take to grow one of these mycelium (mushroom) panels?

The whole point of this was to let everyone know that anybody can do this. That’s why we worked with six year olds and seven year olds.

The materials grow depending on environmental context. In a factory where it’s controlled, we know the optimum temperature and humidity and they’ll grow in four days. Here,

some grew in three, others in seven and that was testament to how they were packed, variables differed. Drying obviously, we couldn’t rely on the Liverpool sun … so we’re just going to dry them outside.

What’s your own background in this area? How did all of this come about?

It began eight years ago. I was doing my PhD at a really interesting academic alliance in New York. I was looking at trying to upcycle coconut husk waste. There’s a burgeoning coconut water industry, it’s all the rage, and the byproduct of it was this really massive husk. We discovered that the pith, the dust that holds the fibres together in the husk was a

great bio-adhesive. So that started the journey.

Why do we not know about this?

We’ve always grown with natural fibres and bio-based materials. I think there’s been a huge shift that happened during the enlightenment era that privileged inert, predictable materials like metal and plastics and they’ve become the standard. Now it’s very difficult to talk about building with natural fibres.

Has the project also opened a debate on sustainability in art?

We don’t necessarily take a close look at the impact of a temporary exhibition on a much larger material lifecycle and I think there’s an

opportunity to really consider that.

I think for this project we wanted to focus on that.

What does the future hold for these materials? Why are they so interesting?

I think mycelium is really interesting as a binder, simply because of the fact that it doesn’t require energy and there’s not much emissions when producing the material. When you cut through these panels and look at the section, you can’t imagine the amount of energy it takes to press a plywood and this organism is doing all of this for us in 4 days and we’re not even doing a thing. We’re just watching it.

Must See Works in Must Visit Locations Inci Eviner, Reenactment of Heaven St. George's Hall

Paul Elliman, Vauxhall Astra 2020 Liverpool John Moores University’s Exhibition Research Lab

Ryan Gander, From Five Minds 0f Great Vision Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral

Shannon Ebner, Seven Sleepers Bluecoat

Holly Hendry, Cenotaph, 2018. Installation view at Exchange Flags,

Inci Eviner, Reenactment of Heaven (film still), 2018.

Paul Elliman, Vauxhall Astra 2020, 2018. Installation view at Liverpool

Ryan Gander with Jamie Clark, Phoebe Edwards, Tianna Mehta, Maisie Williams

Shannon Ebner, SEVEN SLEEPERS, 2018 and TEMPLE HIGH AND LOW, 2017.

Liverpool Biennial 2018. Photo: Pete Carr

Image courtesy the artist

John Moores University’s Exhibition Research Lab, Liverpool Biennial 2018.

and Joshua Yates, From five minds of great vision (The Metropolitan Cathedral of

Installation view at Bluecoat, Liverpool Biennial 2018.

Photo: Thierry Bal

Christ the King disassembled and reassembled to conjure resting places in the pub-

Photo: Rob Battersby

Holly Hendry, Cenotaph Exchange Flags

lic realm), 2018. Installation view at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool Biennial 2018. Photo: Rob Battersby

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The Essential Journal | Issue 36

Culture

Architectural Thoughts on

Cradle To Cradle Circular-economy architecture or cradle-tocradle has been coined ‘the next industrial revolution’, but what is it and how can we adapt our approach to incorporate it? words by Róisín HANLON

A

t this year’s WantedDesign Show in Manhattan, the Finnish Cultural Institute of New York commissioned a beautiful installation - the ‘Zero Waste Bistro’.

Blue speckled walls, a series of arches and sleek, simple finishes made this pop-up restaurant look like a Wes Anderson set. The key aim for this installation was to draw attention to the concept of zero-waste and how we can adapt our design approach to incorporate this. The blue speckles are there because the walls are made from recycled Tetra Pak, which has been left untreated, with the finish created by the original packaging, text and colour.

The most widespread approach to sustainable design at the moment is the ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ idea, which whilst cutting down our environmental impact, can arguably just be pushing the problem further along for later generations to deal with. Designers believe we can do better, and are looking towards circular economies or life cycle assessment. It is not simply about using sustainable materials or thoughtfully getting rid of waste, but creating a waste-free cycle where waste itself becomes a resource.

One of the methodologies is Cradle-to-cradle. Popularised by Michael Braungart and William McDonough in their 2002 book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things; it is not merely an architectural theory but applies to any form of manufacture. Cradle-to-cradle promotes an almost biological approach to manufacturing - components are thought of as nutrients in a ‘healthy metabolism’.

Each component can be categorised as one of two types: technical nutrients or biological nutrients. The aim for technical nutrients is for them to be disassembled at the end of a product’s life and reused to create a new product. The aim of the biological nutrients is to be returned to the earth where they can be safely decomposed and have a regenerative effect – as food for insects, plants, and then indirectly humans.

The building of the Netherlands Institute of Ecology was designed in line with cradle-to-cradle ideas. Materials such as glass, steel and timber can be reused at the end of the building’s lifespan. On the building site, lots of biodiversity has been created. A constructed wetland filters all the wastewater from the different buildings. Black water is used to create bio-gas and treated by an innovative micro-algae technology. The algae can be turned into fertiliser, which potentially can be used on the building site. Claus en Kaan Architecten designed the space to be as flexible as possible, allowing for old systems to be replaced if newer and better innovations come along.

If you want to study the fundamentals of Cradle-to-cradle you can join a course at the Lyle Centre for Regenerative Studies in California. A building which is itself an example of Cradle-to-cradle principles. The building is a teaching tool, with staff and students living on site, growing their own food and actually living in the circular economy. Much like the Netherlands Institute of Technology, a wide range of sustainable design systems are utilised; sunlight for lighting and heat, solar heated hot water, natural ventilation. Energy comes from a co-generation plant on a nearby landfill and compost for crops from the users’ waste. This again highlights one of the most important aspects of circular economies – waste as a resource.

Although the c2c website proudly welcomes you to “a new industrial revolution,” the current number of buildings and products qualifying for Cradle-to-Cradle standard implies this may currently be a little premature. But I believe it is this bold kind of thinking we need. For truly sustainable design we should think about the entire lifespan of a product - right from the initial design stages.

As well as thinking about form and function we must also think about the building’s construction, life, and afterlife. This means considering the materials we use to construct, how they will behave when in use, and what will happen to them when the building is taken apart. To reframe this in our minds we can think about materials this way - we don’t use materials we merely borrow them. RH

'Cradle-to-cradle promotes an almost biological approach to manufacturing components are thought of as nutrients in a ‘healthy metabolism’.'

pictured: The Netherlans Institute of Ecology designed by Claus en Kaan Architecten

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

39

FILM with TOM WILLIAMS

American Animals Review:

Poised somewhere between a teen angst drama and an elaborate heist movie: American Animals is a pulsating ride that brutally examines living with the consequences of your actions

A

n opening title credit reads “This is not based on a true story” only for the middle part of the sentence to be erased, leaving “This is a true story”: a baffling segue into the film. With little prior knowledge to the events the film is based on, this is a deliberately disorientating and ambiguous opening by director Bart Layton. The motivation behind this tongue-incheek vagueness soon becomes clear as the real college group who committed the robbery are filmed over a decade later recalling the events in a Rashomon-esque manner.

These interviews, importantly conducted individually and not as a group, show the differing perspectives of the events that happened in 2004. They are spliced cleverly between the reconstructed actions the film primarily follows, with the worlds of the real characters and actors sometimes poignantly intersecting with each other on-screen.

The ring-leaders of the small entourage were Warren Lipka (Evan Peters) and Spencer Reinhard (Barry Keoghan). Layton makes sure to emphasise that there was nothing extraordinary or maniacal about the pair, Reinhard was an angsty college artist and Lipka was coping with his parents’ messy divorce. The plan to rob a $12 million painting comes about organically on screen, as opposed to stemming from some anarchic urge or a disillusioned

motive, as you might expect.

This lack of clarity as to why they even attempted to steal John James Audubon’s Birds of America (amongst others) makes the pacing of the film all the more compelling. Starting as a pipe-dream, the intensity of their plotting becomes increasingly amped up as both the plan and the film itself progresses.

Even if you already know what happened in Kentucky 14 years ago, the captivating filmmaking and electric score still leaves you wondering if the plan will fizzle out like most dormitory-conceived ideas in college, or if the quartet will pull off a fantastical Clooney-esque heist.

The latter becomes increasingly unbelievable as the real people start revealing more details as to their shortcomings and the ragtag nature of their scheming. Soon, the interviews hang over the film’s narrative like a grey cloud of impending doom: they know the consequences of their actions and their painful reliving of the story makes for truly compelling cinema. The film excels in conveying the torment of having to live with what you’ve done, and the anxiety-inducing fear of being caught.

As an audience we expect the heist to end neatly with the group pulling it off despite hiccups and then the credits roll. Ironically, this is unfortunately how the group saw it panning out too, they even used movies as actual research as to how to pull off an elaborate scheme. This

movie star complex is both comical and excruciating as they constantly fail to realise the gravity of their actions until it is too late.

Evan Peters shines when capturing the charming, bad-influence type you meet (and should probably avoid) at college and his achievement is particularly mesmerising when you see the real person on screen being interviewed with the same smirk and swagger. Peters’, and indeed Keoghan, Blake Jenner and Jared Abrahamson’s, performances all blossom in the sweltering, stumbling third act.

On the run and out of luck, they no longer possess the endearing-innocence of the remainder of the film and are now unprepared criminals completely bewildered by the mental and physical strain. At times it is excruciating to watch as Layton hammers home just how painful it is to deal with consequences, and how the law will not spare you under the grounds that you are kids just having fun in college.

The post-mortem style ending typical of these kind of docs sees the convicts discuss the events in a raw and saddening way. Layton does well not to sympathise too heavily with them, but excels in capturing their remorse and regret. We don’t get the clean Ocean’s-style ending, but what we do get is a tantalising film about the shortcomings of ambition and the hammer blow of consequence. TW

'Evan Peters shines when capturing the charming, badinfluence type you meet (and should probably avoid) at college and his achievement is particularly mesmerising when you see the real person on screen being interviewed with the same smirk and swagger.'

American Animals is in cinemas September 7 Image Credits: Courtesy of STX

What to stream this month BETTER CALL SAUL

40

LOVING VINCENT

(Netflix)

(Netflix)

If you don’t know already: Bob Odenkirk and crew are back for some slow-paced, but scintillating action. Expect even more Breaking Bad cameos.

The entirely hand-painted phenomenon is available to stream this month. Watch for outstanding Van Gogh visuals and great voice work from Saoirse Ronan, amongst many others.

The Essential Journal | Issue 36

FILM with TOM WILLIAMS

VIDEODROME

FORCE MAJEURE

ALL OR NOTHING: MANCHESTER CITY

(Mubi)

(Filmstruck)

(Amazon)

David Cronenberg’s 80s classic is on Mubi for a limited time only. Be sure to revisit, or be lucky enough to watch for the first time, the incomparable masterwork.

Catch Ruben Ostlund’s (the director of recent Palme D’or winner The Square) previous slow burner which examines, with brutal scrutiny, one minor incident atop of the French alps during a family ski-trip.

If you fancy learning about the ins and outs of the modernday football club, then this is the doc for you. An enlightening perspective of the modern game and just what it takes to be Premier League champions.

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

41

TRAVEL

COMING SOON A LOVE FROM OUTER SPACE - ANDREW WEATHERALL & SEAN JOHNSTON ALEXIS TAYLOR (HOT CHIP) / ANTI SOCIAL JAZZ CLUB / BAXTER DURY BERNIE CONNOR / GIMME! GIMME! GIMME! ABBA AFTER MIDNIGHT NIGHTCRAWLER PIZZA / NO FAKIN / NORMAN JAY PBR STREETGANG / SPEAKERBOXXX / SUPERSTITION / THE CORAL / YOUSEF 40 SLATER STREET, LIVERPOOL. L1 4BX THEMERCHANTLIVERPOOL.CO.UK

BOOKS FOR THE MONTH AHEAD

Including tomato-based productivity, how to use less plastic and the first trans person to box at Madison Square Garden words by Davey BRETT

The Pomodoro Technique

by Francesco CIRILLO

Chances are, if you’ve ever revised for anything, then someone has mentioned the Pomodoro (or egg timer) Technique in passing. Work in 25 minute bursts, the optimum amount of time for your mind to do focused work, then take five minute breaks. That’s the basis, but what Cirillo’s book reveals is there’s much more to a productive work day, especially when it comes to fighting interruption and planning effectively.

The Pomodoro Technique (Virgin) is out now

With all bases covered, the WWF’s handy guide to reducing your own impact is the sort of all-encompassing education resource that in an ideal world, would be bought in bulk and handed out in schools. It’s a repetitive mantra, but it’s the little things that help. From obvious things like turning appliances off standby to embracing slow travel. There’s always caveats, but with a guide like this spanning daily life, there’s few excuses.

12 Small Acts To Save Our World

by WWF

12 Small Acts to Save Our World (Century) is out September 20

Few environments could rival the boxing gym as a more fascinating setting for Thomas Page Mcbee to explore masculinity, violence and his own trans identity. A wise and ground-breaking memoir, Amateur tells the story of Mcbee’s journey to becoming the first trans man to fight at Manhatten’s iconic Madison Square Garden.

In an environment that demands respect and bravery against a backdrop of bloody violence and unbridled masculinity, Mcbee asks why do men fight? And what makes a man? The answers might surprise you.

Amateur

by Thomas Page MCBEE

Amateur (Canongate) is out now

How to Give Up Plastic

by Will McCallum

A book for those who want to do their part, but are unsure how, whilst understanding the impact of their actions.

This concise offering, penned by Will McCallum (Head of Oceans at Greenpeace) is a solid primer for reducing plastic in your life. Full of handy tips, the book also provides insight into plastic-related issues that you’ll have glanced at in the news (Lobsters with Pepsi tattoos for instance) but failed to grasp.

How To Give Up Plastic (Penguin Life) is out now

Perhaps it was hanging out with Rapha and feeling a bit inadequate in our racing knowledge, but recently we’ve been making an effort to appreciate road cycling. Nick Higgins’s illustrated guide was a lifesaver. Enlightening on every aspect from the bikes to the history, Nick’s book is the perfect illustrated companion for a deeper understanding of why Chris Froome told that French policeman to F off this summer.

Racing Bicycles: The Illustrated History of Road Cycling

by Nick HIGGINS

Racing Bicycles (Laurence King) is out now

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

43

COLUMN

The Story Behind the Stitch Tried, Tested and Taken to Task

words by Will HALBERT

I

f we’re honest with ourselves, the term ‘Buy less, buy better’ is as snappy as it is potentially vapid. Sure, the ‘buy better’ goes down nice and easy. After all, there’s a romanticism to the idea of investing in well-made, hard-wearing and authentic goods that acquire a little character over time, picking up a few stories along the way.

‘Buy less’, on the other hand, is a tougher pill to swallow. The gears of the fashion industry are oiled, greased, slathered by our constant and collective drive for newness.

Fast fashion - the logical extreme of this on-to-the-next-one philosophy - thrives on the ridiculous notion that last year’s jacket is somehow worthless this year. Not only does fast fashion instil a glaring disrespect for the value of - and passion for - solid craftsmanship, it also makes us lazy. Torn jeans are binned and replaced before their time, worn out shoes are put out to pasture without a second thought. In more severe cases, clothes are discarded for the simple fact that they’ve served their one-night-only purpose, or because they’re no longer that month’s definition of cool.

Slow fashion positions itself as the solution to this disposable mindset. As a rule, slow fashion brands’ selections are minimal, their designs enduring and their production lines strictly small batch. The trade off, of course, is that these brands often have a price tag that matches the loftiness of their ideals.

Over the last few years, I’ve subscribed to the principles of slow fashion. I’ve bought jackets built on the promise that they will outlive me, denim that’s said to be able to stand up straighter than I do for longer than I can, and boots built to walk me further than I’d ever need (or want) to walk in a lifetime. I’ve done this with a smug sense of self-assurance. Not because these garments are more expensive than the off-the-rail average, but because they come with the promise of being built on longer-lasting philosophies and sounder ethical foundations.

But here’s the kicker: As happy as I am to buy better, I still struggle to buy less. Without really taking the foundations of slow fashion to task, you could argue that all I’ve really done is buy into a more expensive marketing campaign.

That’s why, over the next few months, I’ll be focussing on the ‘buy less’ aspect of the slow fashion philosophy. The premise is simple: No new purchases for the coming season.

Instead, jackets will be rewaxed, jeans will be hemmed and mended as needed, and boots resoled and reworn. Likewise, leathers will be treated, socks darned and suits tailored.

Anything that falls out of regular rotation will be sold off, swapped, donated or otherwise bartered with.

In short, this column will be an to attempt to make clothing personal again. Following conversations with cobblers, craftsmen, menders and merchants, it will revel in the smaller details and share the stories behind the stitches. It will become an exercise in functional minimalism and, hopefully, a testament to the perseverance of slow style over fast fashion. More than anything, though, it will celebrate well-made goods, their makers, and the people who maintain them. WH

'‘Buy less’, on the other hand, is a tougher pill to swallow. The gears of the fashion industry are oiled, greased, slathered by our constant and collective drive for newness.'

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The Essential Journal | Issue 36

CULTURE

Issue 36 | The Essential Journal

45

COLUMN

Gents, we need to talk about:

Sustainable Hypocrisy The sustainability narrative is a conflicting one to its core, hypocrisy as sport shouldn’t take anything away from people trying to do the right thing

words by Davey BRETT

I

’ll admit it. I used to thrive on calling people out on any scrap of hypocrisy around not eating meat. I would be the person gagging to point out the little things. ‘Oi, that’s a delicious plate of kale, better not take a picture of it with your analogue camera, all film contains gelatin you know.’ Or ‘you believe in animal rights eh, what was that sugar substitute you were reverse sneezing through a bank note in the bathroom?’

You only need to look up to see hypocrisy on a bigger scale. Climate change warning Al Gore? Better stop knocking around in that private jet, mate. Leaders are too easy.

Obama? How long have you got? Religion? Let he has not sinned cast the first stone (inside the glass house). All of this is nothing new of course, since man’s first grunt he was probably pushing the importance of berries before sneaking off for a spot of mammoth bashing.

That said, hypocrisy hurts more with a cause attached to it.

When somebody tells you they’re trying to do something that breaches the status quo in aid of a larger issue for a moral or ethical reason, there’s charged emotion attached to that. To see them contradicting that results in an inevitably charged response.

You shouldn’t make a sport out of it, but it’s tough to take. You question them and you question the message.

Calling out hypocrisy is troublesome though. Although important, it can become addictive and counterproductive. The classic example is the smoking one. If a teacher tells a kid not to smoke because it’s bad for their health and then burns through a pack outside in the school car park by themselves, they’re a hypocrite. That doesn’t however mean that the kid should question the link between smoking and cancer. If anything, it shows despite the likeliness of cancer, the teacher is so addicted, they can’t quit the habit.

There’s examples throughout this very magazine. Wearing clothes and eating food have a negative effect on the environment. So do drinking drinks and watching films. There’s people trying to limit this negative effect, but they are by no means perfect people. Their own lives will contradict their work and their causes, whilst their causes will inevitably contradict other causes in different areas. That doesn’t take away from the reality of their message.

An awareness of hypocrisy is vital, but we shouldn’t thrive on calling people out when they are trying to do right. All of this is especially important in the arena of sustainability.

Whether you’re the stereotype of a hardcore Tory or a Corbyn-loving left winger, unless you’re a packet of silicon gel, you’re going to need water. Preferably clean and from a sustainable source. Even rich contrary people need water and when hotter temperatures start drying it all out, is Al Gore’s private jet really going to be your biggest concern?

Needless energy channeled into hypocrisy hunting could be spent more productively.

Although he’s spoken extensively about sustainability issues since, I was surprised to see food critic Jay Rayner respond to the original G9 chef’s manifesto with a load of sassy ‘who do they think they are?’ in response to their Lima conference. Not that he used it, but let’s please retire the ‘did you swim to that [insert positive message related event abroad?]’ rhetoric, it’s boring.

If you’re not going to raise your head above the parapet, don’t spend your time picking holes in other people’s attempts at sustainability. Everyone can do more and if doing more leads you into an ever more hypocrisy-addled battlefield where people thrive on an impossible all-encompassing perfection, then so be it. There’s nothing sustainable about cutting down those who are trying to do better. DB

'Whether you’re the stereotype of a hardcore Tory or a Corbyn-loving left winger, unless you’re a packet of silicon gel, you’re going to need water.

Preferably clean and from a sustainable source. '

46

The Essential Journal | Issue 36

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