Todays Jobs...

Today I have been working from the shop - it's a quiet day so I have been catching up with emails and blogging as well as saying hello to any customers that walk past.

I have priced up some great vintage bags I bought yesterday and put them on display.

I've got some buttons to sew onto Black Swallow Dresses.

And Gordon has just arrived with a big bag of stock to be priced and put on our rails to fill the shop up after a busy weekend.

The rest of the day will be spent on Photoshop editing some pictures I took last week for the new vintage and re-mix to go online soon.....

 It's amazing how much you can get done in a quiet cold day in Afflecks!

Celebrity Visitors

Saturday was a busy day in our Afflecks shop. It saw the launch of the Three Minute Theatre Festival by our neighbors Ghost in The Machine. With more events planned throughout October its worth a trip to Afflecks to see what it's all about.

As well as the theatre madness we also had a visit by Luke and Elliot Tittensor and Kaya Scodelario who were out for a days shopping. Unfortunately it was just too busy to shop and they were mobbed by teenage fans but they made time to pose for pictures with a few people before dashing off to enjoy their Saturday!

Here's Luke with newest Me&Yu girl, Sasha. You may have seen him in Holby City, Waterloo Road or Emmerdale. His twin brother Elliot is in Shameless and Kaya (Skins) has also starred in award winning British film Moon. 

Coleen Rooney was also spotted in Afflecks on Saturday - she made a quick visit to the Fancy Dress shop. And to finish the afternoon off in style we had a live band, Former Bullies play in "Good Grief" next door to celebrate the launch of their new single! What a day!

There's lots more events planned in Afflecks over the coming weeks - keep up with the news on the Afflecks Website. And remember that from Sunday 31st October we will be open 7 days a week till Christmas!

Making some new cord trousers

We we're busy over the weekend making a sample pair of a new slouch trouser - they are the same as our current slouch trouser but in a distressed navy cord - we have to make a sample pair as different fabric can sometimes throw up unexpected problems/variations. Anyway the sample pair are made and I'm (gordon) currently road testing them - hopefully should have pairs online and instore this week

littlewhitehead

We always mean to blog more about other people, just to show we do know of stuff outside our little Me&Yu bubble - but then we forget (or can't be bothered!!!!) Anyway at the weekend I found the work of littlewhitehead after seeing their deep fried queens head in the guardian - how could you not want to check out more of their work after seeing that!!. Anyway I looked and I liked - now it's your turn (oh the last image is a deep fried bible)

Trees and Destiny

We've got two new designs in the shop today - they'll be online soon. They're both transfer designs that i (angie) created so here's a little lowdown on the design process behind each one.

The first design is one that I actually created a few weeks ago but we've had a few problems with printers and been busy with other things so it kind of got forgotten about. Its called Do you believe in Destiny and features and old photograph of Marilyn Monroe that I came across on the internet.

Photograph Detail

Text drawn in illustrator and filled with stars

Finished vest - we're also creating a t-shirt version - I'm going to have a 

grey oversize one with a cut down edge

The other design is called Trees and is from a photograph I took at the weekend:

It was taken from the car of a patch of trees around the corner from our house.

I cropped and added grain in photoshop

And then added the text - "Take me to where the trees are different"

And here's the finished t-shirt. 

And even though the trees are lovely it's at this time of year with the days growing shorter and colder that I wish I lived in a place where the trees are different - Australia!

Our sewing machine is covered in headscarves

Making our handmade headscarves is one of those jobs that gets put off until we've run out!!!, they are fairly easy to make - you just cut a strip of fabric, overlock around each edge then put a label on it!!, but it's kind of a bit of a faff. Anyway today was the day when we made a load of new ones in many different fabrics (it's a good way to use off cuts) - they will be in the shop tomorrow - please don't buy them all as we'll have to make some more!!!

Supermarket Sarah

We're doing a wall for Supermarket Sarah.

That only makes sense if you've heard about Supermarket Sarah - a recent innovation in shop display and selling brought to you by Sarah Bagner. Sarah originally trained as a graphic designer and then worked in advertising before leaving the corporate world and became a regular stall holder on Portobello market. Her stall sells vintage and new products displayed in an exciting and innovative way as to be a source for designers looking for inspiration.

The natural progression was to take the concept online and now these "walls' are created by Sarah herself and also guested by small labels, shops and other design led people. Sarah has a great talent for finding things which are extrordinary and exciting and her unique way of doing things has been snapped up by fashion types. She recently created an wall installation come pop-up-shop in Selfidges and is planning an expansion of guest walls on the website just in time for Christmas. Which is where Me&Yu comes in. It's exciting as Supermarket Sarah gets great press worldwide and to be one of her chosen up and coming designers is quite an achievement.

Watch this space (we're already discovering it's not quite as easy as it looks.....)

10-10-10

Over the weekend it will be quite a special date - 10-10-10 - you'll never see another!

We've got out own little version of 10-10-10 , all through October 2010 you can get £10 off instore when you spend over £25. This amazing offer is only valid with one of these flyers:

The flyer can be used to get £10 off any items in our store in Afflecks with a total spend over the value of £25 - its doesn't have to be a single item. Even better, it can be used in conjunction with other offers including SALE items and 2 for £22.
Only one per person / per purchase - valid until 30th October 2010.

We've distributed several thousand around Manchester in pubs, clubs, record stores and takeaways.
Find them in: Soup Kitchen, Common, Rustica, Centro, Orange Grove, Ram & Shackle and Manchester Metropolitan University to name but a few.

Hunt them down, give them your friends and come see us in Afflecks - get yourself kitted out with a new winter wardrobe.

Raising Money For Good Causes

We like to help charites and fundraisers wherever we can.
We're involved in 2 things this month which are raising money for good causes:

Ransom - Taking music and fashion hostage!

A Fashion Show with live music and DJ's at the Star and Garter, Fairfield Street, Manchester, Thursday 14th October. Ransom features a catwalk show featuring Me&Yu clothes and other up and coming brands. It's raising money for the E-Club Foundation for disadvantaged kids.

It promises a good night out for only £5. Buy tickets or pay on the door - come down and bring all your mates!


Splash To Inchcailloch

This is one of our lovely customers, Rebecca Jopling. She's using her gap year from her BSc (Hons) Psychology and Media course at Queen Margaret University to travel to Mombasa to teach street kids, and then Cape Town to volunteer in a palliative care AIDS hospice. And if that's not enough, before she goes she is also organising a sponsored swim with 4 people swimming from Balmaha pier to the nearest island on Loch Lomond (Splash To Inchcailloch) and also a fundraising evening at Winnock Hotel, Drymen, Glasgow. 


She's looking to raise £1000 to £1500 to be divided between the National AIDS Trust and, the hospice in Cape Town in which she will be working. Me&Yu have donated some raffle prizes for this great cause but if you would like to get involved you can sponsor her swim event here.

Making Skirts

Yesterday we printed some beautiful wool fabric ready to make some new skirts. These will be limited edition in a few colour choices with either our swallow print or the new feather print. Will post when online and instore

Photographs by Jensen

Photography - Jensen Chadwick

Models - Ruairi & Samantha May

Handmade Sweatshirt

We picked up some great tie dyed sweatshirt fabric last week and we've now made into some beautiful handmade sweatshirts with turquoise trim - they are online now

A few new bits online

We've added a couple of new handmade t-shirts to the online shop as well as a photo transfer sweatshirt