Moshi Moshi

Moshi Moshi is one of the hippest and innovative record labels active in the UK today. Set up in London in 1998, Moshi Moshi specialise in sourcing and nurturing alternative, experimental indie music, with enough humour and lightheartedness to be accessible and enough intelligence and depth to be creative. Much of the label’s focus is on discovering and developing new talent, and then introducing them to major commercial markets. In the past the label have broken Friendly Fires, Bloc Party and Florence and the Machine, releasing their debut singles, and sometimes debut albums, as well as supporting all the preparatory work for such significant artist, including developing image and artwork, supporting tours and such. The label also distribute for a lot of key US indie artists, especially those from the Brooklyn scene, including The Drums and Au Revoir Simone.

Like any good indie label, Moshi Moshi take the presentation of their releases very seriously, and focus a significant amount of effort onto offering high quality, astute artwork with each item, whether single or album. They also work on offering new ways for consumers to buy their music, challenging and innovating the traditional music industry model. Two ways in particular that the label does this is through their AAA Subscriptions Club and their Singles Club concept. The subscriptions club focuses on offering all Moshi Moshi releases in any given year (which usually equates to at least two dozen releases) for the princely sum of £30. They also release a new single each month by a key Moshi Moshi artist, which is available for digital download or as a 7” single. These marketing methods benefit consumers, artists and the label itself, and demonstrate new ways the music industry can work and make a profit.

Moshi Moshi are currently supporting Slow Club, CasioKids, Trophy Wife, The Wave Pictures, Idiot Glee and Hot Club de Paris amongst many other exciting new artists. They really are a veritable sonic gold mine of exciting new music, so if you want any easy way to keep your finger on the emerging music pulse, I suggest you subscribe to their AAA club pretty sharpish.

http://www.moshimoshimusic.com

Beyond the Valley

 Beyond the Valley is an incredibly artistic, high-end boutique and gallery space just off Carnaby Street in the heart of Soho. Heralded as “the space for new designers”, this concept store pushes the boundaries and conventions of art and clothing. In store and online the company offers clothing, jewellery, furniture, fine art and graphic design for sale, but there is also an in store galley space for new and emerging artists.

Beyond the Valley has become renowned for sourcing fresh, new artistic talent and innovative diverse pieces. The boutique was set up by Jo Jackson, Kate Harwood, Kristjana S. Williams, three ex Central St. Martin’s students who set up the store in 2005 after becoming disillusioned and unable to secure permanent, professional design work. The studio/boutique developed as a showcase for emerging artists and designers, and since its inception, the girls, through Beyond the Valley have curated a number of exhibitions, set up guerrilla stores, and at one point created an exclusive collection for Topshop. The brand has since become a favourite of the likes of Roisin Murphy and Lily Cole.

As well as stocking high-end fashion brands such as Anglomania for Vivienne Westwood, Melissa and Fabrica, Beyond the Valley also have an eponymous label. Their own label this season falls into a pre-Raphaelite/neo-classical style, with plenty of rich, deep colours, deep patterns, golds, blacks and embellishments. In general though, Beyond the Valley has a specific aesthetic, filled with whimsical, artistic photo-prints, plenty of chiffon and silk, with a generally grandiose, innovative and unique approach.

Beyond the Valley offer luxurious pieces, which for the most part are not cheap, although you can get some fantastic bargains in the sale. Their pieces are ideal for special occasions, key pieces and treats. I personally bought a dressing gown from them recently in the summer sale for £100, reduced from £250. A large expense, perhaps, but the dressing gown is 100% silk – proper silk too, not synthetic, and it is something I will wear most days for 10 years plus. Most importantly though, it has a beautiful 3D photo print of a forest, and even comes equipped with 3D glasses. If art and aesthetics are important to you, Beyond the Valley offers a wonderful box of treats.

http://www.beyondthevalleystore.com/

The Grand Café

The Grand Café is allegedly the oldest coffee house in England. The establishment is said to have featured in Samuel Pepys’ diary, and records show the oxford site has featured a coffee house since the 1650s. This luxurious teahouse, bar and café has become an Oxford establishment, frequented by tourist and students alike. The café is even said to have been a regular favourite of Chelsea Clinton when she was studying at Oxford, with Bill reputed making the odd appearance.

 The Grand Café specialises in cream tea and high tea, both of which are full of traditional English tea staples such as scones, finger sandwiches, lashings of loose-leaf tea, ground coffee and the odd spot of champagne. They also serve lunch, offering a range of English and Italian inspired sandwiches, salads, seafood dishes and free-range meat pies. In the evening the café makes a final transformation into an opulent cocktail bar, with good quality cocktails, liqueurs, beers and fine wines.

 The food at The Grand Café is not extravagantly upmarket, but it does offer a nice snippet of luxury, and is certainly nice when you fancy a posh little treat. The prices might be a little over the odds, but the whole point of visiting The Grand Café is that it is an occasion. The café itself is beautifully laid out, with marbled pillars, filigree and gold leaf adorning every surface. There is a grandiose art deco feel about the place, which is ultimately what make it a stylish, lavish, and coolly aloof independent treasure, and a nice stop-off on a day trip to Oxford.

http://www.thegrandcafe.co.uk/

Love From Hetty and Dave

Love from Hetty and Dave are purveyors of handcrafted jewellery and accessories. Founded by Zoe Larkins in 2003, Hetty and Dave create hand-stitched pieces from leather and textiles, which have a very cute, very kitsch 1950s vibe. Hetty and Dave jewellery has featured in a number of craft books, as well as The Guardian, The Observer, and The Metro, and were at one time a personal favourite of the late, great Amy Winehouse. 

 

Hetty and Dave are perhaps most famous for their love heart broaches. As well as being available in a variety of patterns and with a variety of slogans for both the romantic and cynically inclined, Hetty and Dave also offer a personalisation service where they will tailor the heart to be emblazoned with the words or name of your choosing. Other items available are typically focused around very sentimental English themes - of nature and of eccentric, old school emblems. The likes of mice, acorns, owls, and strawberries, as well as horseshoes, medals and crowns are regular sources of inspiration, as well as guest appearances from more alternative themes, such as a recent headband featuring day-glo skulls in celebration of Mexico’s day of the dead.

Hetty and Dave create wonderfully craft-based jewellery with true a pleasant homemade vibe. The company also focus on a lovely collective approach to creativity, offering advice via the company blog on how to make your own apron, or how to make a skirt from an old vintage tablecloth. Larkins has recently set up the official Hetty and Dave shop/workshop in sunny Bournemouth, but the range can also be found online via their website.

http://www.lovefromhettyanddave.co.uk/