The Current - March
And so it begins
After a pretty mild UK Winter, Spring is finally here which signals a new beginning here at Inland Sea.
Where February has been a short and intense month of logistics, March is set to be a long month of new beginnings as we hope to set the standard of sustainable manufacturing of clothing, right here in the beautiful North of the UK.
We have now imported the fibre containing seaweed into the UK. We have also changed the way we talk about the fibre and rather than saying ‘made from seaweed fibre’ we now say ‘contains seaweed’ as the fibre is not strictly made from seaweed, however this is something we are working on...!
The fibre arrived safe and sound at Tower Mill, Dukinfield, now ready for our partners English Fine Cottons to work their magic and spin the fibre with cotton, to create the yarn, ready for the fabric to be made.
A first for UK manufacturing
📸 Inside and outside of Tower Mill, where English Fine Cottons are located
There will be 3-4 phases of production this year.
The first phase we will be producing around 2000 T-shirts, in unisex, women’s and kids fit. Using a blend of 20% SeaCell and 80% Australian Cotton. This will be the first time this type of manufacturing has happened here in the UK, this is a historic moment for UK manufacturing for fashion, as we try to bring the entire process back to the North.
Cotton spinning UK
Up North we like to do things PROPER... and therefore, not make the mistakes of the past.
The Industrial Revolution, which began right here in the North West and contributed to creating the Climate Crisis could now be at the centre of the Green Revolution which could help to solve the Climate Crisis.
We now have the chance, here, in the UK to set the standard of a fully environmentally friendly manufacturing process of clothing. That not only has medicinal benefits for the consumer when the garments are worn but also benefits the planet.
We believe we can produce a carbon positive clothing range. In an attempt to prove this, we are starting a project to monitor every process and show full traceability and transparency along the way.
We are looking for researchers to join the project so we can monitor the carbon used. Then depending on the results improve on this at every phase.
More details about this project will be available soon.
Partnerships
We are really pleased to announce we have some brilliant brands now working in partnership with us, who we will be producing T-shirts for.
Every brand we have chosen to work with share our values and vision, whether that is in using seaweed, or protecting the environment and our fragile ocean habitats.
For each partner there will be a series of designs, some of these will be available to buy through our website.
We are very excited to be working with;
SeaChange Wine
SeaChange Wine are a UK based wine business, who have been founded on charitable projects, always giving back to environmental causes since they began in 2020. They have grown rapidly to become one of the worlds leading sustainable wine makers and distributors. We are proud to partner with Seachange wine to produce a series of graphic T-shirts in unisex and women’s fit. These T-shirts will be available on our website and available direct from SeaChange.
Cafe Notos, Rhosneigr
Based in Anglesey and therefore close to our heart, Cafe Notos is a brand new cafe based in the wind, sun and surf soaked holiday village of Rhosneigr, Anglesey. Cafe Noto's values are rooted in sustainability, using natural locally sourced ingredients and literally not a trace of plastic… Together we are collaborating to produce a T-shirt which promotes their tea, made from seaweed!
Barti Rum
If you love your Rum then you don't need to go much further! Barti Rum is based in Pembrokeshire and uses locally sourced Laver seaweed along with a symphony of spices to infuse their Caribbean rum. The laver seaweed helps to emphasise the other flavours and creates a drink smoother than a West Wales sunset. We are producing a collaboration T-shirt to raise awareness of the amazing power of seaweed, whether that is to help sequester carbon, be used as a bio fuel or to make delicious rum!
SAMS
SAMS stands for Scottish Association of Marine Science. We have partnered with SAMS to create them a full range of unisex, women’s and kids T-shirts.
Urchinomics
Urchinomics is a pioneering aquaculture venture that aims to turn overgrazing sea urchins into high valued seafood products that can be consistently supplied year-round. The Urchinomics process helps restore kelp forests, which in turn supports greater marine biomass, biodiversity, and capacity to sequester atmospheric CO2, all while creating meaningful, full time employment in rural, coastal communities around the world.
Funsports
A surf shop right on the beach, with on the ball wind and surf reports. Funsports already stock our clothing so it seems a natural progression to use our T-shirts for their shop. We will be designing a collaboration T-shirt to raise awareness of litter on the beach. Available from their shop this Spring.