Northern Finds

A recent visit to Manchester meant an opportunity to visit one of my favourite places where there is basket after basket of fabric remnants.Needless to say Bagabond now is over run with fabric so we had best get sewing!

Lindsay Lohan: surfer girl?

I bet the same words are running through your mind as sprang to mne when I read that Lindsay Lohan is the star of an indie surf film collaboration between Taylor Steele and Richard Phillips. I'm reserving judgement until I see the finished product however a trailer can be viewed here:

Inspiration

I bought this lovely vintage skirt in Revolver on Sunday with the intention of wearing it. It's made from the softest corduroy and whilst it is covered with pretty pink and blue flowers, I think the black toughens it up.

Anyway, so in love was I with this fabric I decided it was too nice to spend so much time in my wardrobe. Therefore my new skirt is going to be transformed into my new board sock. I figured I'll get more use of it that way than I would wearing it so watch this space for the transformation .....

Sunday Sessions

So as the first Sunday Sessions featuring Ben Howard was so popular I've decided to dedicate this week's sessions to Ben as well by sharing with you a video of his performance of Wolves at Manchester Academy in February 2010. This was when Ben was support Xavier Rudd and was still pretty unknown so much so there was only a small crowd watching Ben. The funny thing was we bought tickets to see Ben, not Xavier and left pretty much after Ben's set.

 Anyway, The Wolves in its raw original glory is one of my top tunes so enjoy!

Sunset

Nothing beats a Cornish sunset....

New Stock

The sun was out at Fistral so we took some shots of a few of the new bags. There are more to come but thought you might like to see the latest additions. These will soon be added to the Etsy shop so keep an eye out but in the meantime check out Watershed and Revolver in Newquay for the bags we have in stock there.

Sunday Sessions

Music is a major part of my life. I can't do anything without music being on whether it be in the car, in the shower, at the gym...

Music is a powerful thing and in fact I used it to help me revise; certain songs for certain topics. It worked a treat, even if I did get shushed for humming from time to time! There are songs that when I hear them trigger memories, good and bad.

This is why I'm going to start the Sunday Sessions and share with you some of the songs I listen to whilst sewing away, making boardsocks.

This video (please excuse the quality-it was filmed on a camera) was taken in 2009 during the Quiksilver Pro in Hossegor in a little bar called Cream Cafe that sits behind the Dunes in Les Bourdaines. Ben Howard at that time was a little known guy who was there as he recorded music for Kelly Slater's surf film Cloud 9. Whilst Ben did a big live performance at the film's screening, he was a surprise performer at Cream Cafe's open mic night. So little known was Ben at that time that he was selling his first album for 5 Euros. I bought a copy which Ben signed whilst gushing that I wanted his autograph. Sadly the album has been misplaced by the boyfriend in a house move (he has been in the bad books for a year now for that...) but I thought I would share this video of one of my favourite songs.

Enjoy!

Vintage Surf Meet

Very excited to receive confirmation this morning that we will be able to take part in the Vintage Surf Meet at Lusty Glaze as organised by Alisdair Lindsay from Vintage Surfboard Collector.

We'll be down there with all our bags for you to come and check out ranging from 5'10 all the way to 9'6 so there is something to cater everyone. We'll also be putting on a special offer for that weekend only!

Eye Candy

Yummy cupcake and a glass of wine from Kahuna in Newquay..definitely worst ways to spend an afternoon

Parlez vous Francais??

Every year for about the last 6 years I go to Hossegor in September for the Quik Pro. It used to be me and my girls who all met at  Girlie Camps but for the last few years we have had a number of waifs and strays join in on the fun. 

For anyone that has never been to the South West of France who surfs you are missing out my friends! There are waves a plenty and even if France is not quite working, it's only an hours drive to Spain. There are endless opportunities to surf relatively quiet spots for any level of surfing; you just need a Stormrider and a car.

We're heading off again this September but planning got me all nostalgic so thought I would share a few of my favourite shots over the years.....just because

Something to put you in the mood...

With all this wind and rain, it's enough to make you want to huddle inside rather than run out and put your wetsuit on but this little video from Quiksilver is worth a watch to put you in that surfing state of mind ready for when the surf does return...

Currently for Sale

Here are a few of the socks we have available at the moment...there are loads more where these came from!

Minimal: £55

minimal (up to 8ft): £55

shortboard (up to 5'10): £45

 minimal (up to 8ft): £55

 shortboard 6'6: £50

Minimal (up to 8ft): £55

All of these are fully lined and have drawstring closure. All have padding in the nose for extra protection. 

If you are interested in any of the above please go to the Etsy store via the tab at the top.

Custom Board Project

So I've decided after years of buying pre-made boards to get my own custom one made especially for me. I'm meeting with Seed Surf Co on Saturday to discuss sizes and shapes to find something to suit me before we get on to designs.

I really like their boards; retro yet fresh and they do some amazing sprays. Simple yet beautiful and look so much fun to ride. If you have not seen them before check them out at  http://www.seedsurfco.com/

I've already decided I'm going to go with a fabric inlay so I can get something completely unique that can't be copied. To keep with the Bagabond vibe I'm going to use a piece of vintage fabric. 

Now to decide what sort of fabric to go for....

Something abstract?

 

 Something more retro 70s?

  Maybe something a bit more mellow...

 Or maybe just something very pretty?

So many decisions to make but I'm sure the right one will jump out at me when I see it. I'm just looking forward to being involved in the whole design process to create something completely mine that makes me want to surf even when the surf is flat and it's raining outside...

Bags on the Beach

A few weeks ago we did some promotional shots of the first collection of board socks on the beach. It was a beautiful rare hazy evening in May so we headed to Fistral and found a quiet spot amongst the sunbathers to set out the boards and take some shots. 

The one on the left is a favourite- the main body is made from a buitiful soft wool blend meant for suits. That combined with the tough green and yellow upholstery fabric makes a really interesting combination,. It fits a 6'10 and is modelled on my boyfriend's Webber 'Fat Boy'. 

This one is for a super short retro board- it's modelled on an retro 5'10 shortboard. 

I love the 70s feel of this one with dark blue and dark green corduroy with the light blue floral cotton on top. 

These bags are all currently for sale and there is a variety lof sizes so get in touch if you like something you see....

New and Exclusive

Here we have the first showing of the Bagabond wetsuit bag.

It's made from vintage fabric and is lined with waterproof tarpaulin making it super tough and durable with a girly twist.

It has a padded shoulder strap and a drawstring closure so will keep everything safe inside and will be comfortable to carry.

These are for sale on a custom order basis at an introductory offer of £15!! They won't be at this price for long so get in fast

English Surf Championships Watergate Bay

For the first time in weeks there was swell and waves so the English National Surf Competition went ahead.

We were sponsoring the event so headed down and set up on the beach to show our wares!

 Here are a few shots of the day to whet your appetite. Unfortunately the wind was onshore, the waves were huge and the stupid lens on my camera wasn't good enough to pick any of the surfers out to get 'action' shots but I did get some good beach shots including a vigorous warm up demonstration.....