Entries
Limited edition print from Wiggyprints
Catching up and jumping step-ups with Janine
Why organic cotton?
Behind the logo
King Alfred’s Way
The Big Bike Bash
Limited edition Lino prints from Wiggyprints
Wiggyprints (Ian) is a local Ringwood resident who started doing Lino prints as a hobby but quickly mastered the art and now sells worldwide.
His unique style and use of classic skateboarding photos and musicians makes his art stand out as something different.
Considering our similar backgrounds and being both New Forest residents, a colab was obvious.
When discussing this over a pint one evening Ian already had an idea in mind using a photo of a tree he had shot the previous winter in Linford Bottom, a location just one the other side of the Roe Enclosure, and using the bare branches to wrap around the Roe logo.
I loved the idea and let him work his magic.
I expected something good but didn’t expect it to be as good and as detailed as what he’s created. The complex thin branches look incredible!
There could also be a very limited run of T-shirts coming soon…
Catching up and jumping step-ups
I managed to spend some time catching up with Janine Begley since the last email. Janine is a long time friend who I first met through the 90s Skate/BMX/music scene in Bournemouth, and we even ended up working together in The Consortium shop for a few years.
Like many of us, Janine grew up, got proper jobs, got married, started a family and eventually moved away. In her case she moved to the north coast of Devon.
Unlike most of us, instead of taking it easy the older we get, Janine found downhill mountain biking, and it’s safe to say it’s changed her life.
It would be unfair to say she’s making up for lost time, because time raising a family is never lost, but she certainly isn’t holding back and is making a name for herself in women’s mountain biking. She’s already appeared on multiple podcasts and had a short film made about her journey.
I was great to catch up, see her ride her local spot, chat about the old days and shoot some photos (helps that she’s done a fair amount of modelling in the past too).
I’ve linked her short film and one of the podcasts below, but I also highly recommend checking out her Instagram (@janine_ngaio) and the other links in her bio.
So, why organic cotton….
Simply put; it’s the right thing to do!
We’re a small, young clothing brand and we’re not in the position to make our own garments, so we use a clothing supplier. There’s a lot of suppliers out there, all offering plenty of choices, but there were a few key components we were looking for:
They have to fit well - not too long/too short, good mid-weight, not too tight or oversized.
Had to be unisex - we want our clothing to appeal to all and it has to fit all too!
Must have green credentials.
Happy to say we found a supplier that ticked the above boxes with their “Earth Positive” apparel.
We’re a company that loves the outside, the forests and rivers. You can’t watch the news or any wildlife documentary without constantly seeing deforestation for farming or our rivers being polluted by either the water companies or chemicals running off agricultural land.
We wanted clothing produced as clean and sustainable as possible to minimise any of the above.
We’re not experts on this subject, but this is what we wanted and why.
Here’s the actual expert information from the suppliers:
In 2007, EarthPositive® Apparel reduced the carbon footprint of its cotton clothing by over 89% while also managing to produce all the clothing in an ethical and sustainable manner. EarthPositive® was created to prove that it is possible to produce cotton clothing without any detrimental effects to the Earth’s soil, water or inhabitants, whether they be animals, plants or people, or to its climate. EarthPositive® is a multi-award-winning consumer brand of low carbon apparel created to help combat the climate crisis.
100% of the EarthPositive® production undergoes annual audits to comply with the FWF Code of Labour Practices in accordance with the International Labour Organisation’s conventions.
EarthPositive® is made in manufacturing facilities powered by green renewable energy, from low-impact raw materials. The carbon footprint of EarthPositive® products has been reduced by some 90% and the calculations were certified under the PAS2050 standard by the Carbon Trust in the UK between 2007-2009.
It’s not something we make a lot of fuss about, we know we’re not the only brand using organic clothing and that’s honestly a great thing, because this should be the norm by now, so the more the better!
If you share the same values as us you can rest assured we use as sustainable and green garments as possible and we will continue to do so as we grow.
Behind the logo
Creating a logo for Rimecuda was both exciting and scary. Exciting as it’s one of the most creative aspects of starting a brand; it’s your flag, it’s what you want to be recognised as representing you, you’ll be using it on everything.
It’s scary for all the same reasons: how do you come up with something that hasn’t been done already? what image can represent what you’re trying to say? what makes it any different from the hundreds of generic “outdoors” logos already out there?
The New Forest has a lot to offer, we have lots of wildlife (some very famous ponies), historical landmarks, ancient trees…. All great logo potential, but nothing that jumped out at us.
After weeks of research and many different logo trials it finally hit us. A part of the forest close to home that I’ve been photographing, walking and riding through for years. The east entrance to the Roe Enclosure. I’ve always loved how the tree-line appears to be on a perfect arch with the gravel path cutting a gap right through the middle. Time it right in the summer and you will catch the sun setting directly behind it. It’s a setting that always makes me stop and admire it. The logo had to be this!
We’re not going to try and convince you a circular logo with trees and a sunset is anything new, but ours is real, it has meaning to us and it’s taken directly from the New Forest National Park.
If you want to see it for yourselves then head for ///finest.permanent.reeling on what3words. Great views from anywhere along that track.
King Alfred’s Way
4 day bikepacking adventure
“King Alfred’s Way is a 350km circular off-road adventure route through 10,000 years of history, connecting some of England’s most iconic sites.”
4 days of wild camping, incredible views, big climbs, fast downhills, stone circles, dented rims, many flats (all me), laughs, flapjacks and lots of lessons learnt for the next trip.
Big thanks to Ash and Scotty for putting up with my flats and hill walks.
This trip was the first field test of the new Rufus Stone bike from Rune Bicycles. A stunning looking bike that sailed through the trip. Check them out here
For more information on the route, check the Cycling UK page
Big Bike Bash
Our first Big Bike Bash and our first Rimecuda stall. We had a blast, watched races, saw live bands, drank a couple of ales and met new friends. Big thank you to Dan and the team for letting us come along, and great to be at an event purely focused on families and encouraging kids to get on bikes. Here's a little more about them: The Big Bike Bash is organised and run entirely by unpaid volunteers solely to raise funds for UK Youth / Avon Tyrrell. Following the 2022 event UK Youth / Avon Tyrrell will receive over £35,000 which brings the total in the twelve years of the Big Bike Bash to over £250,000. Most notably in 2019 we increased the rental fleet of bikes for use by people visiting the centre and contributed toward the climbing tower. https://bigbikebash.org.uk
