sweet notions

shannon hopkins is an amazing woman - a dynamo who is always making things happen. she helped us rethink how to relaunch proost last year and facilitates the NET. as well as catalysing other peoples ideas and new business she has launched one of her own and expect it to fly!

it's called sweet notions and here is what shannon says about it in an e-mail...

You might know that I have launched a new initiative with a friend whereby we collect accessories and resale them through boutique events around the world.  We did a pilot in the spring in America and found we were onto something.  So we are publicly launching in both the US and UK in the autumn. This initiative is considered a social enterprise because we are trying to create multiple kinds of capital:  economic, environmental, social and spiritual.  I am excited about this venture and would love for you to go check out the website. 

We really do need help to make this a success... We are still looking for women who will partner with us by clearing out their closets and giving us their accessories they no longer wear, and asking their friends to do the same.  If you are interested there is a flier you can download from the website.  We are also looking to book more boutique events for the fall calendar.  Why don't you think about hosting an event in your home, office or church?

so gather your unwanted accessories, get your friends to, and host an event. and all the profits go here

Comments

[Nic]

Jonny, this is quite interesting as it is revives the notion of ‘providence’— the kind of word only previously used by Foucault or the ‘Antiques Roadshow’! It’s that wonderful residue that accompanies and clings to objects, the network of ideas and associations that generate meaning and give things their sense. Branding is an attempt to short-circuit the process of providence. It’s an attempt to write (or inhabit other people’s) narratives and pin these stories to things— manufacture histories. Is this a move towards ‘storied’ capital? Anyone can sell me a good story; all my favourite objects are so because of their context and narrative. I become uncritical of my consumption if it has providence.

This project is great, as it emphasises how central narrative is to exchange, however (and this is something I’m asking myself), how far do dance with capital and capture— what is our relationship to it and will we have to turn the whole system over in order to survive? It’s possible, that we may not shop our way out of this dilemma.

[jonny]

nic great comment and questions... i don't think living outside of culture is an option that is available to us so i guess it's finding pathways that are tactical (in the way of de certeau) that open up a different kind of imagining. i think we should always be nervous and suspicious in a dance with capital. the day we're not we're probably in trouble...

how's life?

[nic]

Hey Jonny, life’s OK— as Kes says, I’m a ‘rurban tranny’ (and I’m happy with that description), part country, part city. Just about to start lecturing at LCC, which is going to be interesting.

Likewise, there are no transcendental positions, its all about an immanent critique— question is, which one (or ones)? I’m about to wrestle with this in a paper, how can graphic design become oppositional? It’s all very confusing as so many avenues appeared to be closed down, both theoretically and practically.