Fashion|Conscious: Brother Vellies

Having gone through 30 days of Six Items Or Less, I created Fashion|Conscious for the express purpose of showcasing ethical brands and, hopefully, disabusing the notion that they are not as of-the-moment as their unethical counterparts. It will now be a regular feature on the blog and published once a month.

Today's Fashion|Conscious is an unabashed ode to a brand that I have had a crush on for a while. Brother Vellies has the magical combination of great product, compelling story and worthy cause that just makes me giddy with excitement.

First, they stopped me in my tracks with their fantastic lookbook. I defy the corners of your lips not to turn up when you see it.

Then I spied their dizzying array of funkadelic desert boots. Twenty pairs are handcrafted daily by eight skilled artisans on the Namibian coast using the vegetable-dyed hides of wild animals. Here are a few that have pride of place on my wishlist.

Do not even get me started on the kids shoes. Such overt cuteness should come with a health warning.

If that's not enough to tug on the tautest of heartstrings, Brother Vellies operate a donation scheme. Shoppers receive a 10% discount for returning outgrown shoes which are then matched with a child in need.

To avail your feet of this unique opportunity to be spiffily attired, you can do so here, here and here.

/Images by Jason Eric Hardwick for brothervellies.com/

Keith Haring: The Political Line

"If I always seek to pattern my life after another, mine is being wasted re-doing things for my own empty acceptance. But, if I live my life my way and only let the other [artists] influence me as a reference, a starting point, I can build an even higher awareness instead of staying dormant."

/Keith Haring|April 29th, 1977/

The above quote was taken from Keith Haring's journal and was written when he was only nineteen years old. A year later - and disillusioned by his commercial arts studies at The Ivy School of Professional Art, Pittsburgh - he enrolled at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He was obviously inspired by (and later produced) graffiti art but his economy of line, desire to make art accessible to all and passion for championing the cause of the downtrodden are the traits that set him apart from the crowd.

How could I possibly pass up the rare opportunity to step into his world, if only for a little while?

On arrival at Le Centquatre, I was greeted by Haring's larger-than-life trademark figures.

A nearby sign encouraged visitors to strike similar poses to Dancing Dog, below.

People of all ages joined in the fun and I was so engrossed in watching their antics that I almost forgot to photograph them.

Next, I marvelled at his monolithic Ten Commandments - all of which were painted in three days flat. Can you believe it?

Finally, I nipped into the monochrome Pop Shop Tokyo installation for a spot of window shopping. Previously opened - and enthusisatically received - in New York's SoHo and Tokyo, Pop Shop was Haring's way of bringing his work to as diverse an audience as possible.

Every surface within had been given the inimitable Keith Haring treatment - including this lucky guy.

All this has wreaked delicious havoc on my nesting plans, of course. I'm now considering this for one of the girls' rooms. What do you think - nursing chair, perhaps?

Keith Haring

I was drawn to Keith Haring's dynamic illustrations long before I knew his name or even his philosophy. I suppose you could say that the spontaneity with which he executed them challenged me to step out of the comfort zone of my perfectionist tendencies.

I happened to be in France this weekend and I feel privileged to have seen the 20-piece overspill of Haring's monumental works at Le CENTQUATRE. The bulk of his archive (almost 250 illustrations) is currently being exhibited at The Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris but, alas, one exhibition in the hot weather was about all my burgeoning bump and I could take.

 /Video from haring.com/

I had a wonderful few days away but the trip back seems to have worn me out and excited the baby in equal measure - not the best circumstances in which to craft a coherent blog post.

I'll be back on Thursday with a more in-depth account but in the meantime, above is a rare video of Haring painting himself into a corner. Literally.

Inside|Out: Jennifer Derham

I am extremely passionate about living as holistically and organically as possible so it was only a matter of time beore I added a lifestyle element to the blog.

Each month, I will approach experts in various fields for their advice and insights on how best to achieve total wellbeing - inside and out.

Today, I am pleased to welcome nutritional therapist and medical herbalist, Jennifer Derham. I am very fortunate to have had the benefit of her considerable expertise and I thought it would be wonderful if she could share some of it with you.

Modern medicine and drugs have their part to play in the management of health and illness. What (in your view) is the role of doctors, nutritionists and herbalists today in that regard? Can each complement the other? If so, how?

I believe that the time has come for a more integrated approach to health care. It would be wonderful to see a combination of  healthcare providers working together and sharing knowledge,  as optimal health and addressing disease most often requires a multi-faceted approach.  Combining conventional medicine with alternative or complementary treatments such as herbal medicine, nutritional and dietary therapy, acupuncture, massage, yoga, and stress reduction techniques, is essentially treating the whole person and - depending on the condition - can lead to a faster recovery and improved quality of life. Certainly in my experience, complementary medicines including changes in diet can often enable people to lower the dose of their conventional medications if not manage their conditions without medication at all.

How can herbs help us achieve greater wellbeing? Do we all need to be on a herbal regime?

Herbs are quite simply plants and should be used as food. Ideally, herbs should be incorporated into our daily diet through, salads, cooking, and teas as they are excellent sources of nutrients as well as phytochemicals which help build our immune systems, detoxify and generally nourish us. For example, nettle, one of my favourite herbs, is a rich source of minerals and vitamins including iron, vitamin C, calcium and magnesium and drinking a cup of nettle tea on a frequent basis can  contribute greatly to your overall daily intake of these nutrients.
On the other hand, some herbs - such as Siberian ginseng - are difficult to take as food (the root is boiled and taken as a tea in Asia) and are easier to take in a capsule or as a liquid extract and therefore, by default, are more potent. For additional immune support (which we all need at some points in our lives) and for therapeutic reasons, a herbal regime using capsules and liquid extracts  may be necessary. 

It is often said that certain foods/herbs are as good as drugs at alleviating certain symptoms and/or conditions. What are your top 5 nutritional remedies?

The essentials of a health armoury are:
1. Good quality probiotic to enhance digestive and immune function, detoxification and energy.
2. Good quality omega 3 with high amounts of EPA. Excellent anti-inflammatory and essential for the health of every cell in the body!
3. Seaweeds or sea vegetables such as dulse, sea lettuce, nori – undervalued as a food in our society, but are an excellent source of nutrients and can be added to salads, soups and stews.  Dulse, sea lettuce and nori are all easy enough to buy and taste delicous.
4. Mushrooms – again undervalued as a health-promoting food. They are excellent tonics overall, they are rich in polysaccharides which are found to boost the immune system and they have been shown to have antiviral, antimicrobial and and anti-inflammatory activities, to name but a few.  Edible mushrooms including oyster, portobello, button should be regularly taken as a food or others such shitake, maitake, reishi may be taken in supplement when needed.
5. One of the most used plant medicines in my dispensary is Glycyrrhiza glabra otherwise known as licorice.  A panacea, in herbal medicine we consider it to be an "adaptogen" - helping the body adapt to all types of  mental and physical stresses.  It has been  shown to have a positive effect on the endocrine system in general and can help in the balancing of hormones. 

I know from experience how daunting it can be to change one's lifestyle, be it for reasons relating to food intolerance or a desire to live more holistically. What are your recommendations for making the transition as painless and successful as possible?

It depends very much on the person. Some people are able to embrace change but others need to take things one step at a time. I think the single most beneficial change most people can make is to reduce their sugar intake and swap simple carbohydrates - including white flour, bread, pasta and sugar - for the more complex carbohydrates and foods made with whole grains such as wholegrain bread, pasta, brown rice, quinoa, millet, and barley.  This is not that difficult these days as these products are readily available in most supermarkets. With this comes a significant change in energy and mood and it is worth noting that the desire for simple carbohydrates and sugar diminishes with time!

What is the best way to explain to a child why he/she cannot have a certain food without creating food issues or attaching a "forbidden fruit" label to it?

I find that talking to the child in an adult fashion usually works well, believe it or not!  By doing so you hand them a certain amount of control and I think for most children, food is about control and they like to be in charge of their own eating habits. If they think it was their idea, they are usually happy to go with it.  I also explain to them that certain foods are healthy and make us feel better and that other foods do not.  After a while, they get into the habit of asking if a food is healthy or not (and why) and can often enjoy this as a type of game. I find that lots of children do actually enjoy learning about food this way.

You are a registered practitioner with Foresight and have a lot of experience in matters relating to conception, pregnancy and birth. What are your top tips for a healthy pregnancy and a relatively easy birth?

Optimum nutrition during pregnancy allows for a trouble-free pregnancy and will help ensure an easier and trouble-free birth.  A well-balanced diet is based on whole cereals and grains (brown bread, brown rice, pasta, buckwheat, rye and oats, nuts and seeds, pulses and beans, fresh fruit and vegetables, pure unrefined oils and some fish, milk, meat and eggs, if necessary.  Fruit and vegetables are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.  They should be fresh, raw (or briefly cooked), steamed or stir-fried and consumed as quickly as possible after being harvested.  Organic food is preferable whenever possible.  Essential fatty acids or omega 3s found in cold water fish, salmon, ground linseed, linseed oil, nuts and seeds (pumpkin), are vital for the normal development of the baby’s immune system as well as maintaining the health of the mother, and is shown to significantly improve the quality of breast milk.

Throughout the ages, women all over the world have used plants to enhance their health during pregnancy, to help with various difficulties which may rise, to prepare for childbirth and to aid recovery after the birth.  There are many plant medicines which are actually safe and easy to use without side effects and can be particularly helpful in treating many ailments which may arise during this time. For example urinary tract infections can be a major concern for many women and can be greatly relieved through herbal teas such as dandelion leaf, raspberry leaf, and chamomile, alongside taking a good probiotic.  Heartburn can be alleviated using slippery elm powder, a wonderful remedy which can also  help with a sluggish digestive system.


In preparation for the birth it is very beneficial to start drinking raspberry leaf tea from 5-6 months onwards, a cup a day.  It does not bring on child birth despite popular belief but in fact helps tone the uterus, helping improve the efficacy of the contractions.  Raspberry leaf is a wonderful source of  nutrients and also helps improve the quality and flow of breast milk.

Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your expertise in such depth despite your busy schedule.

P.S. If you are resident in the UK, you can book a consultation with Jennifer here.

Souzou: Outsider Art

I must first apologise for posting a day late. My computer had a meltdown yesterday which now appears to have abated. Having wrestled with it all day and night to no avail, turning it off and restarting it - rather typically - seems to have done the trick.

Have you heard of Outsider Art? I went to see an exhibition entirely dedicated to it at The Wellcome Collection and I found it extremely fascinating. Put simply, it is art produced by people who are untrained and unaffected by trends or cultural influences of any kind. They are in the rather enviable position of devoting themselves to creativity for its own sake - something I aspire to daily.

The work featured in the exhibition was created by artists who are residents or day attendees of Japanese institutions specialising in cognitive, behavioural and developmental disorders. Historically, such institutions  have encouraged freedom of self-expression (unfettered by the opinions of others) resulting in pieces that exude a unique blend of purity, innovation and charm.

For years, these creations were very rarely seen in public but that changed in 2004 when the Borderless Art Museum NO-MA hosted an exhibition featuring Outsider Art - alongside those perceived to be mainstream - to critical acclaim.

Sadly, photography was prohibited so I purchased the accompanying book so that I would never forget the pieces I saw and the profound impression they had on me.