Vevar

Business Name: Vevar

Location: Glasgow, Scotland

Website / social links: vevar.co.uk, @_vevar, facebook

Years in business: 1

Number of employees: 2

 

 

1. Tell us a bit about your mill. How did you start, what is your trade and what kind of production equipment do you use?

Established in February 2020, Vevar is a woven textile studio developed from years of passionate interest in design and the rich history of Scottish textiles. The product of two award winning designers, Chantal Allen and Christopher McEvoy, coming together to develop a modern micro mill in the heart of Glasgow’s East End - an area itself steeped in textiles history.

Our small batch manufacturing workshop can produce a range of fabrics on its 1940's dobcross loom, as well as smaller hand woven lengths on its range of antique and traditional sample looms.

2. Do you have a company culture or mission statement? If so, can you share how that shapes your business model and creative development?

At Vevar we want to reintroduce textile heritage and the craft movement back into the city of Glasgow, as well as providing meaningful work and opportunities for underrepresented communities. We want to demystify the manufacturing process and be an accessible and approachable business for all designers and businesses, no matter what size they are - championing diversity and inclusion at all levels. And to grow our business in a way that respects the environment and culture in which we live.

3. Is sustainability or conscious manufacturing important to your production?

We are passionate about the environment and believe in conscious manufacturing. We pride ourselves on working with UK and Ireland based suppliers and try to always use yarns that have been spun and dyed in vertical mills to reduce the carbon footprint of the main materials we are using. As well as this we are always striving to use organic, compostable or reusable materials in all our sundries.

Why do we choose to work with wool? It’s a natural and renewable fibre that is biodegradable and yet strong. It has been proven to have hypoallergenic and antibacterial properties and is comfortable and breathable. Due to being a small company, we naturally have low waste however we ensure any yarn wastage is recycled either into other products or is composted.

4. Does your mill sell direct to consumer or through other distribution channels? Is this distinction important? Does it affect your design process?

We are currently developing a small batch of products for our online shop and looking to roll these out across the UK very soon.

 

5. A day in the life – what does a typical workday on the production floor look like?

A typical day starts around 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., with half an hour off for lunch. With the Covid 19 situation we ALL  find ourselves in, the day has to begin with cleaning of surfaces, door handles, switches etc. Once this is done a large pot of coffee is made and then we are good to go. 

Currently we’re restoring some of our older machines and getting them cleaned up, as well as sourcing parts, designing, warping, weaving and finishing fabrics (not to mention branding, marketing and . Everyday is different and it can feel like we’re spinning a lot of plates but that’s kinda of how we like it.

6. What is your favorite part of working within the textile/yarn industry? What’s your least favorite?

People don’t often realise that there are so many different jobs within the textile industry, and so what we love the most is meeting all these different people and chatting about the processes and materials they work with - from fabric finishers in the Scottish borders to  precision engineers and spinners in the Hebrides. 

Our least favourite part of working in the textile industry is how complex the supply chain manufacturing sector is and how much energy and water is used to process fabric. The whole process is hugely impactful and we are very much aware of this and hold it at the forefront of our minds when making any decisions in Vevar.

7. We’d love to know – any 2020 goals, upcoming collaborations or exciting news to share with our community?

We are very excited to launch our website this month and have some collaboration up our sleeve. As well as this we have been looking at some more weaving looms which would enable us to to work with a very broad range of customers, it’s all very exciting, however we’re quite superstitious and don’t want to jinx the business till everything is in place - so watch this space….