Hickory Nines Interview

Here is an interview with Bradley and Alice from Bean Surfing coffee (best in Bude!), on behalf of Hickory Nines; the creative collective of surfers, nomads, artists and writers, sharing and showcasing interesting stuff.

B&A: We popped up to her Bude-based workshop to catch up with Rose, and have a little chat about what she hopes to achieve in the future and some of her experiences so far…

B&A: How did the decision to go down the footwear route come about, and when?

R: I was studying fashion and textiles at college and wanted to go into fashion, but the idea of specialising in a particular area of that was most intriguing. So when I came across footwear design as a degree course I signed up. It was a good balance of creativity and functionality. I started the degree course doing a 2 year HND in technology to understand the science of materials and industry practices before doing the more creative work. I like to know about how things work – the engineering and construction, and then creating a simple design to showcase that. I graduated in 2004 and have worked throughout the footwear and fashion industry since.

What inspired you to make moccasins in particular?

I love the simple construction that came about through necessity, paired with beautiful decoration that symbolises community and identity. This is a theme that threads all my work together. 

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It's a Free Country.

Freedom seems to be the word on the street with two poignant films 12 years a slave and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom currently shining a light on this discomforting issue. There is nothing more important than Liberty (not the department store - which happens to come up first if you google Liberty - sign of the times!).
       I spent time over New Year reflecting on how much freedom is worth to me. Am I aware of the freedoms I have and restrictions imposed on them? and how can I measure this so I can keep walking a free path with people who share this fundamental value. Through much reading, observing, concluding and re-prioritising for the year ahead I wanted to share the most poignant resources that I came across.


In particular moccasin making as part of the American and Canadian Indian (or First Nations) culture tells us a lot about what it means to be free on the land or not as in the current land reservation restrictions throughout those continents. It is equally relevant to life here in Cornwall, or anywhere else.

In the few square miles around where I sit writing now, are immediate local efforts to protect the environment and therefore us. Surfers Against Sewage, who want to keep our sea clean to swim in. Save Bude Sea Pool which is at the heart of the community, and a campaign to stop developers building a 3,700 square metre un-necessary TESCO store (the location of which happens to be at the end of my road). These issues threaten our environment and quality of life. I'm so proud of how certain individuals fight for community preservation - it's inspiring, and something I want to be a part of on a broader scale this year. It's affecting us all. It's easy to get caught up in the small-scale daily struggles and overlook the bigger picture that actually cause those daily conflicts.

Here is 1 book, 1 film and 1 man that document passionately what it means to be free, or in physical, economic and psychological chains.

'Bury my heart at wounded knee' by Dee Brown documents the American West during 1860 - 1890; years of broken promises, disillusionment, war and massacre. This extraordinary book tells how the American Indians lost their land, lives and liberty to the white settlers pushing westward. The tragedy of the American Indians haunted him since his childhood when he first became aware of their fate. Bury my heart at wounded knee was the product of many years research in an attempt to set the record straight. Dee Brown died in 2002, aged 94.

Dakota 38 + 2 (watch below) is a powerful documentary by Smooth Feather Productions following Jim Miller's Memorial and Reconciliation Ride, honouring the 38 + 2 Sioux Dakota warriors that were hung in Mankato, MN on the 26th December 1862; America's largest mass execution. Many riders are related to those slaughtered, and face tough economic and spiritual hardship due to the American government breaking Treaty agreements. The story continues today... honor the treaties


Oglala Lakota Activist Russell Means was a co-founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM) which is still strong across America today. He spent his life fighting for self-determination for the Lakota people, the return of stolen land and even took up arms against the Federal Government. He was an incredible spokesperson. All his interviews and videos are insightful and relate to everyone - not just the Lakota people. Russell Means died aged 72 on October 22nd, 2012.

It's ONLY up to us to continually protect the land we live on and the independent producers that are the threads in the fabric of the local economy. It's also only up to us to hold those accountable who 'govern' us. They work for us. If we use our voice we are heard.

Hand made shoes represent the values we stand for. 2014 = Value Freedom. 

Over and out.

For little feet and the light-hearted.

Held in the palm of my hands, shoes for a 12 month old.

This pair of traditionally beaded baby moccasins were created on my birthday to mark a less ordinary day. I put aside meandering thoughts about taking the day 'off' to do something 'different' and not work because it was my birthday. But I felt nothing could be more special on a birthday than to make something because that is my favourite thing to do. The trick was to make something different. And in any case all my friends were at work until after dark. So I thought i'd spend the day in the studio putting aside all I had done before, see things a new, and make something that had been in a holding place as an image in my mind for 4 months since I visited Saskatchewan. 

I put all my attention on this one, new, tiny pair. 

And something unusual happened. I enjoyed making them far too much! this surprised me greatly because I thought I had reached a point of achievement in making the adults styles that have been the subject of my daily work life for years. Maybe it's because these are so cute and absolutely charm me, or because I can complete them reasonably swiftly with no tools other than a needle, scissors and thread. Whatever the answer, I'm happy to make more, and not only that, expand in to new styles and colours. I found myself reaching out to the local seamstress to have little draw-string bags made with a beautiful hand-woven indian ikat fabric that has been waiting to be made in to something for months. Some dot's started to join up... 

I've been put on to a trail to track down local shearling so I can source the materials in the south west. One lead takes me to Uffculme in Devon where a historic and still working Victorian Woolen Mill chugs away. New people and places provide new perspectives.

So this is it for the moment. A 'one off' day temporarily forgetting everything I have made before has led to a flourishing and exciting new project. 

What i've learned about this process is that putting aside what came before, even briefly, opens new and unexpected doors. Now I can use the best of what i've previously learnt, and gracefully (one would hope) adapt to a new rhythm on the path i'm already on. 

Knowing when to stop repeating and start listening, enough to be moved to change is the best tool in the box. 

Previously I would have thought that making baby moccasins not a 'serious' enough endeavour, well i've just looked serious up in the dictionary and I don't particularly want to be 'stony' 'humourless' 'grave' 'somber' 'grim' or 'dour' etc. The opposite is 'light hearted' and 'cheerful' - much better! Now having allowed myself the chance to explore something that had been tugging at my heart strings for months it has become a creative priority with a lot of life. 

And it's these first tentative steps that are the most precious. 

Rose Choules told us what she loves about teaching the moccasin making c...

The truth is in the wear.

This is what your moccasins should be looking like after a year and a half. 

I'd say it's about now that they start to be their best, to begin to show their real character, and to become so suited to your feet that they are an intrinsic part of daily life. This pair have protected my feet on all kinds of floors - from a rough wooden fisherman's cabin floor in Sandy Bay Saskatchewan, to the slate slabs of a cornish cottage in England. They have experienced everything I have in different dwellings over the past 18 months to finally this wool carpet in my own home, as I notice how they are wearing, and how much I love them still, if not more than at the start.

 

I had an intriguing conversation with a lady the other day. She exclaimed with annoyance that her husband goes through a pair of moccasins every year and every Christmas she has to buy another pair for him as he 'goes straight through them'. She was keen to find out about what I did, but looked dismayed when I told her how much a pair cost, so I explained why this was the case. I offered the notion that it probably costs her the same to purchase 4 seemingly cheaper pairs of moccasins as one pair from me that would outlast them all after 4 years. She looked a little confused as if she was trying to compute and calculate what I was saying. It is reasonable to have to articulate the costs and values upheld in my work - we're not all on the same wavelength or have the same interests, and so it's not fair to assume that people know what the hell is going on when they pass the studio seeing me dancing around with needles and thread or a mallet. After we parted ways I realised how important that explanation is, while being sensitive to the fact that it's not always possible to spend so much in one go on one item that can be pushed aside in the face of mounting household bills and insurances, food, rising fuel costs, and other life necessities that can dominate. The compounding quick-fix culture is also a very real issue we all face daily and i'm prey to it at vulnerable moments the same as anybody.

So the question remains:

How is it possible to have high quality goods in your life while spending less? 

The answer is: Over time. Over time the quality of a thing shows itself. This can't be rushed, cheapened or replicated. 

Seeing every decision as a long term investment rather than a short-term fix forces outgoings to slow down over time, and precious goods and relationships to shine through which are giving in their nature.

This model cuts out all the crap that comes with having surplus. As prices of things rise and financial income pales in comparison (for many people) ironically it's easier to see the farce of large scale commercial trickery we are led to participate in and pay for, thinking we are getting 'more' for 'less' and what we 'want' is what we 'need'.

In fact - with this model, we are paying for our own disappointment and loss further down the line. 'A lot' and 'a little' have been misconstrued and played off against each other.

In a person-to-person commercial model (this can still include purchasing online or through a shop or agent who also respects the products and processes) we are ultimately supporting ourselves through others regardless of the price tag because important values align and this is the spirit that keeps integrity alive.

It's a spirit that sees people first and commodities second. 

Our goods can work for us and protect us long-term. Wearing a meaningful and long-lasting item you love and cherish, and can have repaired by the person who made it adds value to life in many ways that can't be measured. And yet it's these un-measurable ways that have the most impact and warmth during the cold times.

In the end, the price of an item should be calculated by how much has been spent making it in practical terms - yes, but also how much it gives to you, and how it makes you feel through time. 

You can tangibly feel the benefits in myriad ways from a product that keeps giving to you.

To test it out, take a look at the things you hold dear and ask why?

Barbara Leather NYC

Inspiring lady and beautifully made film. My favourite part is her being swamped by a huge hide of soling leather as she maneuvers it around the workshop; very sweet.

A collection in the making.

 25,000 holes were hand-punched in creating the Autumn/Winter collection. I couldn't quite believe what the calculator was saying - but it must be true! It doesn't cross my mind to count things on a scale like that usually; it was only because a stockist asked that I actually began calculating. Although I know what goes in to each particular shoe - which is scrutinised down to the smallest detail, stepping back and seeing the bigger picture after some months is something of a surprise with hindsight as a lens. 

Pink nails match the burgundy Caribou and Ulu. Am I in charge of forming the collection or is it informing me? 

Pattern packs begin to materialise as each shoe size and the paper patterns belonging to it require a safe  home. For the larger boot patterns I modify 2 brown envelopes to create one gigantic one, and ponder the significance of illustrating each folder and colouring in the letters in a particular way. Do I have time to spend on this extra luxury? I do it anyway and relish the time spent inking the text.

Some of those 25,000 holes punched. The hammer I picked up at the local car-boot sale is feeling the burn, but the key tool here is the sturdiest hole punch on the planet donated to the cause from a shoe maker friend and mentor in London. Thanks Ash!

 A proud row of fringing. It seems a shame to stitch it down. 

Criss cross on the heels of the Fargo gives the finishing touch. A symbol of completion.   

The Fargo being stitched up over the toes and left on the last overnight to take shape.  

  

The shoes start to come together, one pair at a time. They patiently wait for their soles to arrive so they can be united, and be taken out in to the big wide world on a new adventure.