A Visit to the Barbour Factory, South Shields

One chilly morning in March I made the trip up to Newcastle (big thanks to Hannah for the coffee shop recommendation) for the first time in my life. It's one of the few big Northern cities that I've somehow managed to avoid – eight trips to Scotland last year and I never stopped off...The North East of England is known for its rich industrial and trade background, and Barbour's HQ in South Shields is no exepection to the rule.

J. Barbour & Sons Ltd., est 1894, is one of the most celebrated brand names you will find in the UK, if not the world. Their steadfast outerwear was originally intended for manual labour + outdoor work, but has since been adopted by many cultures; from the upper classes and farmers, to musicians and those with an interest in timeless style. With a keen interest for manufactoring and craft, I couldn't wait to see things up close.

 Press studs being positioned

A Visit To...Raw Creative Agency

Raw Design Agency. Islington Mill, Salford, Manchester.

On one of the hottest days of the year so far, just a few weeks ago I headed down to Manchester to pay a visit to the Raw studios. Raw are a Creative Design Agency based in Islington Mill, a converted Victorian Mill, which houses masses of studio space for local designers and artists to use as work space and hold visual art exhibitions.

After a few wrong turns here and there, we found our way through the backstreets of Salford, finally arriving at the mill which is located about 5 minutes from Manchester city centre. After a brief background into the type of work Raw have been creating for the past few years I was able to go for a nosey around their studios, with my finger on the trigger. The spacious studio was packed with graphic, design and branding inspiration as well as previous design projects and lots of funny collectables and keepsakes (always good to see!).

Thanks to the whole Raw team for inviting me down to their offices. Find out  more about what Raw do and examples of their work here.

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