Treen - Issuu

Anatomy

VEGAN VOGUE

Megan Merino heads for Stockbridge and speaks to the founder of Treen, a designer clothing store specialising in to-die-for garments that don’t kill the planet

Since the age of eight, Edinburgh-based entrepreneur and stylist Cat Anderson has dreamed of owning her own shop. ‘I would always draw stores,’ she recalls. ‘I’d draw the shopfront and windows; I would talk about what the mannequin displays would be; I would even lay out visual merchandising directives . . . and it was always “Treen” above the door.’

Clearly destined for a career in retail, Anderson would go on to spend a number of years in Shanghai and Hong Kong (‘retail is like an Olympic sport over there’), building skills and expertise she would later use to make her childhood dream a reality. Treen (Cat’s family nickname) is now one of the charming independent shops on St Stephen Place in Stockbridge, selling clothing and lifestyle products from specialist brands with squeaky-clean supply chains.

It was Anderson’s adoption of veganism that made her reevaluate the way she shopped for clothing. ‘I started thinking that what I’m eating can translate into what I’m wearing, but then I found it very difficult to find what I was looking for: stylish products, a cool shopping experience that’s fun, and feeling prioritised as a customer but also meeting the new priorities in my life of being vegan, sustainable and ethical. So I thought I’d give it a bash myself.’

Committed to upholding Treen’s ethos, Anderson ensured every aspect of her shop was selected with utmost care, from the finish on the walls (Clayworks plaster that is naturally purifying and made from abundant materials in Cornwall) to researching and forging relationships with her favourite ethical designers.

‘There’s always talk of “we can restock you within five minutes”. Those things are little teeny red flags for me. I’ll just ask “how is that possible?” We would all be doing it if it was possible to do that sustainably.’

But it was precisely this tenacity which got brands like Angela Roi, Skall Studio and Girlfriend Collective on board (the latter chose Treen as their first UK stockist: ‘it was a big proud moment’). From the online launch in June 2019, Treen opened its Stockbridge store last September, and extended its range to include menswear in May this year.

Why was the in-person store so important? ‘For me, with what we do, it’s so important that people touch, feel and get to know the fabrics and the fit first-hand,’ Anderson says. ‘It also brings in a lot of other elements that we’re really interested in such as interiors and music and helping people out with styling.’

As anyone will realise when visiting Treen (and meeting Anderson), style is an all-important element of the brand. ‘It’s a reflection of your personality and how you’re feeling that day,’ she explains. ‘We do the hard work for people. My biggest goal was that you can walk into Treen and you don’t have to be flipping up labels. You can just trust that every single thing you pick up in one of our stores or on our website will be ticking all of the boxes.’

Treen, 2–4 St Stephen Place, Edinburgh, shoptreen.com

Often hailed as Scotland’s first female rapper, Wester Hailes’ own LOTOS (which stands for Last Of The Old School) lets Rachel Cronin peek inside her bag

what’s in the bag?

SUNGLASSES

So that nobody recognises me, I always need a pair of decent shades. I just think that as a woman in music, there’s too much emphasis on appearance. It was always important to me to prove how good I was without using looks. My whole message is ‘talent first, looks second’. My music really comes from the heart and it’s not commercial particularly.

DURAG

I always have my favourite durag. It’s kind of blingy and silvery, and I’m planning on putting Swarovski crystals on it. I feel like I need to keep wearing it until it’s really worn out and then I’m planning on doing a really cool design with the crystals.

HEADPHONE JACK

I never go anywhere without my jack. It’s one that musicians use when they do live performances. It’s basically an adaptor and can be used for all types of equipment. Sometimes when you go to gigs and you’ve forgotten your headphones or there’s no adaptor, you need it so you can hear when you’re mixing or playing.

ONESIE

If I go on tour, I need a onesie. Nothing can beat it especially when you’re in a strange place. You get into your hotel, put your favourite onesie on and get all snuggy.

HEADPHONES

I’ve always got some headphones because I quite like zoning out. Sometimes when you’re out and about, you just need to have some really happy tunes.

LOTOS appears at PITCH Scotland, various venues, Glasgow, Saturday 27 August.

In Other Words

shop talk

Gemma Murphy checks out a trio of recent openings in our regular shopping column

GREEN.LEITH

This new tropical plant shop in Leith focuses on social and environmental sustainability. GREEN. Leith opened in June and now runs alongside their other shop GREEN.Meadows, offering not only plants and funky pots but also a refill station for customers to create their own soil mix. n 55 Elm Row, Edinburgh, greenplantshops.co.uk

ORZEL

Created by Grant Agnew, this new men’s clothing retailer focuses on selling authentic and sustainable fashion. The shop opened its virtual doors in May and stocks a collection of staple pieces perfect for creating a lasting capsule wardrobe. n 678 Dumbarton Road, Glasgow, orzel.store

IN OTHER WORDS

A miniature bookshop has popped up inside one of Edinburgh’s famous police boxes on the eastern corner of The Meadows. In Other Words offers a curated selection of translated works, with themes changing monthly. Launched and operated by Tills Bookshop (located over the road), it will be open all summer. n The Meadows, Edinburgh, tillsbookshop.co.uk

GOING OUT

A brand spanking new music and arts festival during August in the grounds of a historical landmark that offers an alternative to Edinburgh’s cultural behemoth? Yes please, you might well be saying loudly and rapidly. Among the many beats-heavy highlights across the weekend are DJ Seinfeld, Joesef, Jamie XX, Folamour, Biig Piig (pictured), Tsha and Kojaque. If music isn’t your thing, well, what are you doing there? That said, there is also yoga and meditation, a showcase of local art, industry talks, and comedy from the likes of Abandoman, Mark Nelson, Emmanuel Sonubi and Andrew Maxwell. (Brian Donaldson) n Scone Palace, Perth, Friday 19–Sunday 21 August.

State of play

PICTURE: DAVE STAPLETON From Norway to the north of Scotland, European jazz is in very rude health. Ahead of two appearances at Edinburgh’s Jazz & Blues Festival, trumpeter Laura Jurd tells Stewart Smith that she's determined to improvise with the best of them

PICTURE: ALEX MORLEY

‘T he beautiful thing about improvised music is you can just rock up and do it. Trust is the key. Whether you’re putting artistic trust in a close musical colleague or a complete stranger, beautiful things can happen when you just let go and allow the music to lead the way. It really is a universal language.’

Composer and trumpeter Laura Jurd is gearing up for two gigs at the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival: one with her Mercury Music Prize-nominated group Dinosaur, another with Playtime, a project run by Scottish jazzers Martin Kershaw, Graeme Stephen, Mario Caribé and Tom Bancroft as a collaborative platform for improvisation. ‘I joined Playtime in lockdown for a livestreamed improvised concert and it was really enjoyable,’ Jurd recalls.

Based in London, Jurd’s Scottish links run strong. In addition to performing Miles Davis’ Sketches O f Spain and Kenny Wheeler’s SweetSisterSuite with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, she has a Scot in her band, drummer Corrie Dick. ‘A highlight for me was playing Sketches O f Spain at the Queen’s Hall. I’ve also worked with students at the Royal Conservatoire Of Scotland, once again thanks to saxophonist [and SNJO director] Tommy Smith. The great thing about Tommy, aside from being a phenomenal musician of course, is that he has ideas and then makes them happen. It sounds simple, but there seems to be many jazz promoters out there who never fi gure out the “making it happen” bit.’

Jurd admires the ‘extremely vibrant’ Glasgow jazz scene and while she praises the ‘wonderful’ Jazz At Blue Lamp in Aberdeen, she senses a disconnect between Scotland and the rest of the UK in terms of programming. ‘I’d love to see bands from across the UK in the programmes of Scottish jazz festivals and venues, particularly bands led by Scottish musicians living outside the motherland. I’m thinking of the likes of Corrie Dick, Calum Gourlay and Joe Wright: all masterful creative voices and ambassadors for Scottish music-making. I realise I’m slightly contradicting myself here, as Dinosaur have been invited to play Edinburgh this year . . . I have lots of family there so I’m glad to be sharing my music in one of my favourite cities in the world.’

Dinosaur released their last album, To The Earth , in 2020. Dropping the electronic elements of their previous records, it saw the band tap into a classic yet contemporary acoustic jazz sound. ‘I haven’t written anything new for Dinosaur

lately. We’re still enjoying exploring the music on To The Earth live and seeing where it takes us. I think this album draws more on my American ja influences than previous records, but it’s all delivered by a British band that have been steeped in European jazz. What comes out sounds like inosaur in . As for the dinburgh show, e pect free-spirited, adventurous improvising over typical ja forms.’

In addition to having a five-month-old baby, urd has been busy recording a new solo album which is due out in eptember, featuring bassist Ruth Goller and Norwegian accordion player Frode Haltli. ‘The music is full of big friendly tunes and grooves and draws from Celtic folk, the blues and alternative rock, all of which I can’t live without.’

Influenced by art-rock band eerhoof, the single ‘ entaT IC’ fi es with jerky, driving rhythms and playful melodies. ‘It’s the one track on the record which doesn’t really have any improvised solos; it just didn’t need it.’ All the other tracks, she adds, are abundant with improvisation. Her main axe on the album is the cornet as it offers something a little different to the trumpet. urd is full of praise for her collaborators. ‘ uth’s the greatest. hat a sound And her band kylla is so wonderfully uni ue. I first heard Frode Haltli on an ECM album by Norwegian saxophonist Trygve Seim. This started an ongoing love affair with a number of Norwegian improvisers and their music. I was completely delighted when Frode agreed to remotely record some accordion parts for my new record. Hopefully we’ll meet in person some day and get to play that music together live.’

Dinosaur, Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh, Sunday 17 July; Playtime With Laura Jurd, George Square Piccolo, Edinburgh, Monday 18 July.

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