New Seeded Hang Tags

Here at Origin68 we like to make our stationery that little bit more special. As you know, we work hard to produce everything as sustainably as we possibly can, including the packaging that your shirts arrive in. We have always printed on recycled papers, and use biodegradable mail bags to ship our orders in. We also pride ourselves on not filling your packages full of things that more often than not go straight in the bin (postcards, flyers etc). We believe that if these things (which people readily discard) are going to end up in landfill, then they should at the very least be made from materials that will degrade over time. That’s why we’re please to have found these new seeded paper hang tags. The paper these are printed on are loaded with seeds, which, when discarded (or planted carefully by you) will turn into beautiful flowers. What could be better than that?!

We hope you like them. If you get one in the post and decide to grow yours, then please send us a photo! We would love to see the results. We might even offer a prize to the best grower.

 

The With Love Project – Essentials Feature

Origin68 was recently featured on the With Love Project website where Matt shared his list of day to day essentials including our very own Human Being tshirt and Wonky Woolies hat collaboration.

With Love is a site dedicated to finding people who produce things with a passion and purpose. It is brought to you by Chris Roberts and Rob Evans and documents their search to find individuals who truly care about what they do and what they produce. Asking one single question along the way… “Why do you do what you do?”

You can read the full article on their website

We’re also working together on producing a limited edition With Love tshirt design to be released in the new year.

 

New Office/Showroom

So, Origin68 has got a new home…

We’ve moved in above Bionic Seven in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. This will be our brand new office/workshop/showroom/shop. We’re really excited about this next leg of the journey. Things have been growing nicely and for us over the last year or so, to the point that there was barely enough room to even stand in the old place. The dream has always been to have our own retail space and with this new office we will have the best of both worlds, a cool place to work from with the option to use it as a shop.

Currently it’s a bit of a bloomin’ mess, but over the next couple of months we’re going to transform the place.

  

Handmade guitars made from recycled skateboard decks.

Nick Pourfard started Prisma Guitars based on his love for skateboarding and music. He is a 22 year old self-taught woodworker and industrial design student based out of San Francisco, CA. All guitars are built using the wood from broken and used skateboards.

Prisma Guitars are all 100% handmade and the colors are completely one-of-a-kind for every build.

We think these are absolutely beautiful. Bet they sound great to.

For more info visit the site http://www.prismaguitars.com/ourstory/

Sneak Preview

Sneak preview of a couple of new designs making their way to the shop this week.

New product – Repurposed Skateboard Sunglasses

I don’ t know how things are in your neck of the woods, but here in Origin68 land (Manchester, England in reality) things are hotting up nicely. Gone are the driving blizzards and avalanches! It’s defintely feeling more springy to us… seasonally speaking, not coiled metal. Summer is almost upon us and we’re thinking about going away and enjoying the great outdoors… but wait, my eyes need some kind of protection from this blazing ball of plasma dancing across the sky!

Introducing our new sunglasses. Available in both a vibrant blue design, with red highlights and a distinctive black design with green highlights, but both with polarised lenses. Inspired by the ’80s Wayfarer style, coloured and constructed from repurposed skateboard decks. Good news for old broken skateboards everywhere!

These are handcrafted from an upcycled cut of 5-ply Canadian maple wood.

Polarised UV400 smoke black lenses
Offers 100% UVA & UVB protection (safety first)
Spring hinged, universal fit
100% water resistant
Unisex design to fit anyone and everyone

Arrives with a travel pouch to keep your shades safe, snug and spotless

Northern Quarter Market, Manchester (Part II)

Yesterday (being Sunday 15th March) was the very first Northern Quarter Market in Manchester City Centre. We’ve been in and around the Northern quarter for the best part of ten years so it was great to be selected for this. The Northern Quarter is often referred to as the creative hub of Manchester and the area has been crying out for something like this for a long time. The organisers of the successful Levenshulme Market have stepped up to the plate.

The whole day had a great buzz to it, almost like a street party. There were  loads of people about, lots of cool independent sellers, great food, and  live music. What more do you need for a Sunday afternoon? Hopefully this is just the start and the market will go from strength to strength. We didn’t manage to get round to see all the other traders but we’re back next month so will post some better photos then. Thanks to everyone who came down to look/chat/buy. We couldn’t do it without you.

 

(above) No idea what this guys name is but he was blowing a few minds.

Northern Quarter Market, Manchester

If you’re in Manchester city centre this Sunday then make sure you come down and check out the new @NorthernQuarterMarket in Stevenson Square. We’ve got a stall there, so come on down down, the price is right.11am – 4pm. Brought to you by the organisers of the successful Levy market.

New Product – Woodbuds Wooden Earphones

Our second new addition to the shop is Woodbud wooden noise cancelling earphones. These little beauties are small, simple, sustainable hardwood, noise isolating in-ear headphones. Distinctive design combines superior sound quality, premium comfort, with a small carbon footprint. Woodbuds are lightweight, made using natural walnut, crafted the right way – designed to make a difference. We have these available in black and white, to suit all your monochromatic needs! We absolutely love these.

New pelican t-shirt design

We’ve just released a brand new tshirt design. Hand drawn by our very own design team.

By using the marbling patterns we used to make as children, we set about creating a shirt that would bring together the pelican and oil that affects the ecosystem so horribly.

Inspired by several oil spills across the summer of 2014 and the scars of previous vast spills, like the Gulf of Mexico, we wanted to create a tribute to the ecosystems affected. The pelican is a favourite and noble beast, befitting as the centrepiece of the design.

Pelicans and oil shouldn’t mix. But we feel that when brought together as a hand drawn illustration, the results are poignant and beautiful.

Hand printed in the UK on a LIGHT GREY climate neutral 100% organic cotton t-shirt.

Available in the shop: http://www.origin68.com/product/pelican