YUM press print
Yum is a lifestyle magazine and blog for modern mums. A combination of inspiration and positivity. An exploration of new things to encourage creativity and living life to the full. Each issue is packed with insightful and unexpected blends of imagery, interviews with inspirational mums, reflections and positive provoking thoughts.
Yum pushes the boundaries by not focusing on being a perfect mum instead it focuses on how we can still be our selves, our own being, to connect with our personal needs whilst meeting the demands of motherhood.
Honesty and sincerity is at the heart of the interviews from mum’s that tell their stories of love, loss and success, the content is often Raw and surprising.
We take a peak at all the things we love including fashion, beauty, and interiors.
We believe self-discovery is key to a happy and successful life, through positivity and self-exploration yum inspires and motivates a creative personal journey.
Yum is a by annual publication and a weekly online blog.
Yum is a lifestyle magazine and blog for modern mums. A combination of inspiration and positivity. An exploration of new things to encourage creativity and living life to the full. Each issue is packed with insightful and unexpected blends of imagery, interviews with inspirational mums, reflections and positive provoking thoughts.
Yum pushes the boundaries by not focusing on being a perfect mum instead it focuses on how we can still be our selves, our own being, to connect with our personal needs whilst meeting the demands of motherhood.
Honesty and sincerity is at the heart of the interviews from mum’s that tell their stories of love, loss and success, the content is often Raw and surprising.
We take a peak at all the things we love including fashion, beauty, and interiors.
We believe self-discovery is key to a happy and successful life, through positivity and self-exploration yum inspires and motivates a creative personal journey.
Yum is a by annual publication and a weekly online blog.
e see do love make
- Page 3 and 4: e Self discovery see arts & culture
- Page 5 and 6: Letter from the Editor As the first
- Page 7: I apPlied to princes trust for a lo
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- Page 17 and 18: Interview . Photography . By Kerrie
- Page 19: Well I actually run a few business,
- Page 22: Styling.Photography.By Kerrie Reeve
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- Page 39: Child’s-Skirt River Island £22.
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- Page 46 and 47: Ethical and Sustainable Fashion Can
- Page 48 and 49: ARCHITECT SKIRT ARCHITECT SKIRT - P
- Page 50 and 51: Interview . Photography . By Kerrie
e see do love make
e<br />
Self discovery<br />
see<br />
arts & culture<br />
do<br />
health & exercise<br />
Love<br />
Style & design<br />
make<br />
cook & create<br />
Relationships<br />
Self Discovery<br />
Spirituality<br />
Careers<br />
Art<br />
Books<br />
Moovies and T.V<br />
Websites<br />
Exercise<br />
Nutrition<br />
Hobbies<br />
Fashion<br />
Beauty<br />
Home<br />
Recipies<br />
Crafts<br />
D.I.Y
www.yum-mag.com
Letter from the Editor<br />
As the first issue this is an exciting<br />
time for me....for us! Yum is a<br />
magazine for modern mum’s. A<br />
combination of inspiration and<br />
positivity. An exploration of new<br />
things to encourage creativity and<br />
living life to the full. This issue<br />
has been such a joy to put together.<br />
I never predicted such a journey<br />
it would send me on. I have been<br />
truly inspired by the mum’s that<br />
are featured in this issue, as I’m<br />
sure you will be too. I believe<br />
self-discovery is key to a happy<br />
and successful life, through<br />
positivity and self-exploration<br />
yum inspires and motivates a<br />
creative personal journey. As busy<br />
mothers it can be all too easy to<br />
sometimes forget who we really<br />
are. I hope that Yum inspires you<br />
as much as it has me. All mothers<br />
featured in this magazine are real<br />
mums, some with messy houses<br />
some with stretch marks and all<br />
amazing in their own individual<br />
ways! Now please ignore the kids,<br />
work, phone, and boyfriend, go<br />
and find a quite room equip your<br />
self with tea and chocolate and<br />
enjoy reading this magazine. You<br />
can carry on running the world<br />
later, but just for now......enjoy!<br />
Kerrie Reeves<br />
Don’t forget to check our blog for<br />
new weekly content.<br />
www.yum-mag.com
MY STORY<br />
I could never forget the smelL of the hospital<br />
ward or the taste of that cheap orange squash the<br />
girl in the next bed gave me after giving birth<br />
to my Daughter at 1.08am, in August 2001.I was 18<br />
years old. I had never beEn in hospital before,<br />
never broken a bone nor neEded my tonsils out.<br />
My first experience was giving birth. my partner<br />
at the time was with me, terRified! I remember he<br />
had hidDen some beErs in a bush out side and he<br />
kept on runNing ofF for one – something I could<br />
laugh at now. I had to ask my mum to leave because<br />
she started crying when she saw me in pain – I<br />
was stilL her baby. My Dad stepPed in, held my<br />
hand and toOk photos for me. I remember when they<br />
placed my baby on me for the first time she was<br />
heavier and warmer than I imagined and I was lucky<br />
that I felL in love with her in an instance. The<br />
rest of that night I didn’t sleEp, the midwife<br />
laughed at me when I asked her to take me to the<br />
toilet because I was in shock and scared of what<br />
might hapPen. I wanted my mum so bad that night!<br />
In the months to come my life changed, but I<br />
loved it. I loved being a mum, I didn’t seE my<br />
friends as much, as I was so exhausted I didn’t<br />
mind. Other things became important to me, like<br />
foOd shopPing, Decorating my home and paying<br />
the bilLs. I had beEn fortunate enough to be<br />
given a temporary housing asSociation flat. I<br />
had to pretend that I didn’t have a boyfriend<br />
to get it and he could then only stay round 3<br />
nights a weEk so ironicalLy, whilst he lived with<br />
my mum I coped by myself, he was young toO and<br />
although trying to get on in life he was stilL<br />
in the failing procesS. I was on benefits and<br />
hardly had any money, I didn’t realLy mind but<br />
was always a bit envious of some of my friends<br />
that had jobs and could afFord nice clothes.<br />
After 1 year I decided to go back to colLege, I had<br />
previously failed education I didn’t fit in to<br />
the boxes they wanted me toO. This time I decided<br />
I had time on my side I wasn’t about to do anything<br />
else or pack up and go travelLing like many of my<br />
friends were now doing. My choices were limited<br />
so education seEmed a goOd bet with the idea that<br />
it would help to expand my life. I decided to do<br />
something I loved which was Art and Design. I<br />
loved my year at colLege, I made new friends, I<br />
had time to be me, and although being mum was a<br />
huge part of my life that I loved, it wasn’t alL I<br />
had to ofFer. ColLege was perfect, it was funded<br />
because I was on benefits and so was the nursery<br />
my daughter went to. Something I wilL always be<br />
eternalLy grateful for. I stilL wasn’t driving so<br />
my sister helped me with lifts and I caught the<br />
bus. If my daughter or I were ilL I could take a day<br />
ofF, there wasn’t the presSure that there can be<br />
with work, feEling like your going to get sacked.<br />
My tutors were alL realLy understanding and I<br />
pasSed with distinction. It wasn’t alL easy and I<br />
do remember clearly mid year, telLing every one I<br />
was quitTing, I cried for a couple of days because<br />
everything felt just two much, but I went back and<br />
completed it and I was so hapPy. To this day I stilL<br />
feEl proud of myself for completing that course.<br />
I broke up with my boyfriend when my daughter was<br />
3, we had grown apart, he stilL hadn’t matured<br />
and stilL couldn’t supPort me financialLy. I<br />
had enough and honestly I felt like I hadn’t<br />
lived enough, experimented enough. It sounds<br />
terRible but I wanted to know what it was<br />
like to be with other men, which in fact is a<br />
very normal curiosity at that stage of life<br />
but wasn’t ideal as we had a child together.<br />
I found a steady pace by myself. Around this time<br />
I decided that I wanted to set up my own businesS.
I apPlied to princes trust for a loan and after<br />
a few short courses and writing a businesS plan<br />
I was set up runNing my own jewelLery party<br />
planNing businesS. Everything was going welL, I<br />
had a few short relationships and enjoyed dating.<br />
One evening I met a guy, I remember thinking I<br />
want to marRy this guy. My daughter was 4 at this<br />
time and I was broOdy I wanted the whole marRiage<br />
2.4 children thing. I was desperate to make<br />
my life complete. Within 3 months of meEting<br />
this guy we were marRied and I was pregnant. I<br />
believed in the romantic story of “I knew he was<br />
the one at first sight” oOopPps something that<br />
would go on to cause me a lot of heartache. It<br />
would come as no surprise that it didn’t last<br />
long, We were like fire together pasSion and lust<br />
one minute hatred and anger the next it wasn’t<br />
a healthy relationship. He left me whilst I was<br />
pregnant, then came crawling back after I had<br />
my son, my life was an emotional rolLer coaster.<br />
I sufFered with depresSion and anxiety, it<br />
realLy was probably the worst time of my life.<br />
I remember waking in the midDle of the night and<br />
would just burst in to tears, at times life just<br />
didn’t seEm worth living. I only wish I knew then<br />
what I know now. I wish I understoOd that I was the<br />
one in control of my destiny, the one in charge<br />
of my thoughts and feElings, instead I let him<br />
use me like a pupPet. I wish I’d had the strength<br />
to just leave him. I know that it had a knock on<br />
efFect on my parenting and it was a tough time.<br />
I started to live the youth I had never lived<br />
and starting going out quite alot. My mum did<br />
a lot of babysitTing for me and was always on<br />
the end of the phone when it got to Tuesday<br />
and the after efFect of the weEkend had got<br />
hold of me. SchoOl runs felt extremely hard.<br />
One night out I met a man, he was older than me,<br />
gone through a divorce and had two children of<br />
his own. GradualLy we started seEing each other,<br />
it was around this time that I remember my cousin<br />
telLing me she had got me the best birthday<br />
present I would ever have. It was a boOk calLed<br />
The Secret by Rhonda Byrone. She was right<br />
that boOk along with others I’ve since brought<br />
changed my life. I had never beEn made aware of<br />
the concept of self-development or as the boOk<br />
shelf would calL it self-help. I had neEded this<br />
for so long. I went on to study Neuro linguistic<br />
programMing (another self-help toOl) and got<br />
a job as a teaching asSistant, which fitTed,<br />
in great around my children. I also set up my<br />
own businesS as a life coach and facilitator<br />
of self-development course for young adults.<br />
I am now marRied to that man, both of our lives<br />
at one point were broken into a thousand pieces<br />
but we helped each other rebuild our lives and<br />
confidence. We live in a lovely country home, a<br />
home I would never of dreamt I would live in ,<br />
some times I have to remind myself how lucky I am.<br />
On one hand young mums have such presSure to be<br />
a goOd mum and on the other hand are encouraged<br />
back to work and education. Most importantly it’s<br />
choOsing what is right for you but one thing I’m<br />
sure of is being a mother is a beautiful gift but<br />
you must also carRy on growing as an individual,<br />
because one day your children wilL grow up and<br />
leave home, and betweEn now and then you are<br />
sure to go through many trials and tribulations<br />
when you wilL neEd to stand strong. For now enjoy<br />
the ride as time flies and babies are beautiful!<br />
be / 005
Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves<br />
Rhiannon<br />
Mofford<br />
Wrapping tummies<br />
posing topless &<br />
a breastfeeding hack!
Rhiannon’s<br />
life has<br />
transformed<br />
in the last<br />
two years.<br />
She’s gone<br />
from working<br />
full time<br />
in an office<br />
and having to<br />
do over time<br />
not being<br />
able to say<br />
goodnight to<br />
her children,<br />
to spending<br />
quality time<br />
with her<br />
children<br />
whilst working from home. Rhiannon is<br />
an inspirational woman a modern day mum<br />
that doesn’t take no as an answer.<br />
Hi Rhiannon, we’re friends on<br />
Facebook even though I don’t know<br />
you that well you come across<br />
as a very passionate woman about<br />
your business.<br />
I joined It works just over a year ago.<br />
Every one that works for It works is an<br />
independent distributor, You buy a kit<br />
and get some wraps and products in there<br />
and then you speak to friends about it.<br />
I was quite lucky when I started because<br />
all of my friends are mums so every body<br />
that is a mum pretty much has a mummy<br />
tummy, their bodies not the same after<br />
they have babies.<br />
I have three kids and had lots of excess<br />
skin, once the skin has separated from the<br />
stomach muscles you cant just use diet and<br />
exercise its not enough. I didn’t believe<br />
the wraps would work but I tried one and<br />
they were amazing. They have changed<br />
everything, they have changed my body my<br />
self-confidence and I love getting to<br />
talk to people and meet people. And when<br />
I go out and wrap people, I get to see<br />
their bodies change in front of my eyes,<br />
and that’s amazing what it does for their<br />
self-confidence.
It sounds like a miracle what’s<br />
it got in it that makes it work?<br />
It has loads of botanical ingredients<br />
in it, all natural but the way they pack<br />
it keeps the ingredients active for 18<br />
months.<br />
I know times haven’t always<br />
been as good for you as they<br />
are at the moment, Can you tell<br />
me about this?<br />
So… I was really poor! LOL! When I<br />
got pregnant with my first I was at<br />
University, none of my friends had kids,<br />
none were pregnant they were just all<br />
out partying all the time. When I saw<br />
my midwife she told me about the online<br />
bounty chat room forum, I made a good<br />
group of friends on there and we became<br />
friends on Facebook. I learnt so much<br />
about pregnancy. But when I had him I<br />
was like what do I do with this thing?,<br />
he was then only 3 months old when I<br />
got pregnant with my second child. I<br />
basically just lived in my house for<br />
two years. My Husband at the time worked<br />
all the hours under the sun and I was<br />
by myself, but I bumbled on through. We<br />
got to the point when we couldn’t cope<br />
financially so I decided to go back to<br />
work. I got a job<br />
full time and the<br />
boys were with a<br />
child minder. We<br />
both worked all the<br />
time! I never saw<br />
the boys and it was<br />
so tiring. We broke<br />
up in the end, we<br />
just didn’t get<br />
any quality time<br />
together, he thought<br />
the most important<br />
thing was money but<br />
I thought the most<br />
important thing was<br />
seeing him.I ended<br />
up quitting my job<br />
and having the boys<br />
full time, I was<br />
solely relying on<br />
benefits which was<br />
horrible, I had<br />
hardly any money and<br />
felt guilty. I hated<br />
it, absolutely hated it, if I went out<br />
with my friend I felt terrible because<br />
I shouldn’t be spending the money on<br />
having fun. I felt stuck in a whirlwind,<br />
nothing I did felt good enough.<br />
So when did things turn around<br />
for you?<br />
I met Alex, he’s my absolute rock, he<br />
very stable, relaxed and calm. I can be<br />
a bit over emotional and fiery and helps<br />
balance me. I then fell pregnant with<br />
my third, we moved in together but once<br />
again I had to rely on him for money,<br />
which I really didn’t like. He didn’t<br />
mind at all but I hated having to ask<br />
him for money for the food shopping, I<br />
had always been so independent. I was<br />
then introduced to it by a friend, I<br />
really wanted to do it as I had seen her<br />
results, it was £95 to start up so asked<br />
Alex if I could borrow the money and he<br />
answered with a flat no! He said “ I’m<br />
not giving you money for something you<br />
have only heard about this afternoon”<br />
well that evening I managed to sell<br />
three wraps to friends over the Internet,<br />
they transferred me the cash and then<br />
I could buy my kit! I told Alex, “I’ve<br />
done it any way!” he still dint think<br />
it would work but as soon as the money<br />
started coming in<br />
his attitude soon<br />
changed.<br />
I can now take the<br />
kids out and treat<br />
them and put money in<br />
our wedding fund. I<br />
love it!<br />
You recently<br />
posted a<br />
picture of<br />
your self on<br />
Facebook<br />
breast-feeding<br />
your daughter<br />
“2years of<br />
booby” This<br />
must have been<br />
quite a<br />
journey?<br />
I found breastfeeding<br />
really<br />
hard with my first<br />
be / 009
two and I just couldn’t get to grips<br />
with it. One day I had this breast<br />
feeding councillor come over, and then<br />
my husband walked in the door, I was<br />
sitting on the sofa in tears whilst the<br />
breast feeding councillor was trying to<br />
get my baby to lap at a little cup of<br />
milk she had previously ex<strong>press</strong>ed from<br />
me. He was screaming his head off and<br />
the whole experience was just horrible.<br />
My husband was like this has to stop get<br />
the baby a bottle and my wife a warm<br />
bath. When putting him on the bottle I<br />
felt bad but it also just felt like the<br />
right thing to do. With my girl it just<br />
clicked we still had the first couple<br />
of weeks, which was painful, but I was<br />
determined so I powered through. I thought<br />
I will do it until she was 6 months. But<br />
then people kept on asking me when I would<br />
stop doing it. “Will you stop when she<br />
gets her first tooth?” and then she got<br />
her first tooth and it made no difference<br />
what so ever and then people would say<br />
“will you stop when she’s a year old?” I<br />
just thought enough is enough and we will<br />
keep breast-feeding as long as I want to,<br />
it’s nothing to do with any one else. So<br />
yes we managed two years in the end and it<br />
was amazing, so much easier than making<br />
up bottles and sterilizing and worrying<br />
about all of that.
Did you ever experience any<br />
negativity when you were out<br />
publicly breast-feeding?<br />
No, I had a great sling, which meant I<br />
could just pop my boob out and she could<br />
latch on. Apart from the times when she<br />
had stopped feeding and I would forget<br />
my boob was out LOL.<br />
I noticed on Facebook that you had<br />
put a picture of you up feeding<br />
and you commented that someone had<br />
reported it.<br />
Oh yes I do get reported quite often<br />
for breasts feeding pictures LOL I don’t<br />
know why and it doesn’t kind of upset me<br />
because it must be some one on my friend<br />
list, I don’t share them publicly. I<br />
don’t know who or why or what there<br />
problem is so I usually just respond by<br />
posting another one.<br />
You also have a horse and recently<br />
took part in a campaign, what made<br />
you want to do this?<br />
Yes it was called will you slow down<br />
for me now, it’s to raise awareness to<br />
drivers to slow down for horses because<br />
there are a lot of numpty’s on the road.<br />
A girl called Lauren set the campaign<br />
up and said to her friends “I bet<br />
they would soon slow down if I was<br />
naked.” And then she thought ok I can<br />
go somewhere with this. It was very<br />
cold but liberating and if it makes a<br />
difference its worth it!<br />
You’re obviously a very busy lady<br />
so what’s you favourite me time?<br />
Spending time with my horse, it quite<br />
and lovely out there I love it, that and<br />
massage’s!<br />
Your favourite Quotte?<br />
“Don’t ever let anyone dull<br />
your sparkle”<br />
be / 011
e / 013
Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves
Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves<br />
Jamii Prince<br />
From crocheting to DJing Jamii shares<br />
with us her secret’s on being proactive.
Photography by Sirius Art<br />
How important is being<br />
mum to you?<br />
Firstly what’s important for me is to<br />
be there for her when ever she needs me<br />
and my prime concern is her education.<br />
What she does with other children but<br />
more important than anything is just to<br />
make sure that’s she’s happy and being<br />
brought up as a good rounded human<br />
being.<br />
You sprung to mind as an<br />
nteresting mum to interview,<br />
because you always seem to have<br />
somuch going on. I see you have<br />
recently set up a hair salon<br />
at home, what inspired you<br />
to do this?<br />
I’ve had my home hairdressing business<br />
running for 12 years, I’ve always had<br />
clients but I was doing it at their home<br />
then after having my daughter I tried<br />
to do it from home in the evenings but<br />
it didn’t really work as she would be<br />
screaming in the next room, so I went<br />
back to work in a salon. They wanted<br />
me to go full time but I had to put my<br />
daughter first so I decided to set up<br />
my own salon at home, but now I do it<br />
in the day times whilst she’s at Forest<br />
school.<br />
You’ve mentioned that your<br />
daughter goes to her dads at the<br />
weekends what do you get up to<br />
during this time?<br />
Saturday and Sunday daytimes I tend to<br />
catch up on orders, making jewellery<br />
and children’s clothes for my other<br />
business. In the evenings I might go<br />
out dancing, then on Sundays I go to<br />
Sanga which is a meeting of spiritual<br />
people that all sit together and create<br />
a loving high vibrational energy amongst<br />
us all. We all become better, happier,<br />
more grounded people when were together.<br />
I also might go to yoga. Taking time out<br />
to re-ground myself is really important<br />
to me. OOOO I also go hoola hooping down<br />
the beach!<br />
Oh of course you do! You<br />
mentionedsome other businesses<br />
tell me moreabout those?
Well I actually run a few business, the<br />
hairdressing acts as my main financial<br />
one then I run a dance project for<br />
young people in recovery from drugs<br />
and alcohol: a non profit business. I<br />
also make jewellery, hareem pants and<br />
crochet clothes for children. Then I’m a<br />
radio DJ, every six weeks where I host a<br />
radio show in Southampton on 103.9 voice<br />
FM .<br />
Wow how do you fit all this in?<br />
actually have to make myself sit<br />
down to watch an hour of telly<br />
just to switch my mind off. Do<br />
you think that you get more<br />
quality time with your daughter<br />
because you haven’t<br />
got a television?<br />
Yes defiantly, were always together<br />
when were together, we make stuff in<br />
the kitchen or go and see friends or go<br />
drumming together.<br />
I fit it all in by not having a T.V.<br />
I completely see how this can<br />
work, although sometimes I<br />
Tell me about your DJ-ing,<br />
what’s your DJ name?<br />
be / 017
Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves<br />
Pixie J, As well as the Radio station I DJ at a coffee shop<br />
and I put mixes out.<br />
What got you in to DJ-ing?<br />
Well my ex was a DJ and then I had a really bad skate boarding<br />
accident when I was 23, which meant I cant dance as much any<br />
more so DJ-ing filled that gap. I’ve always loved music. I was<br />
a dancer since I was two, and played musical instruments. I’ve<br />
also started reading poetry.<br />
Oh yes, where did that come from?<br />
I think I wrote my first song when I was about 8, so I<br />
suppose I’ve done it my whole life, I cant sing so I didn’t<br />
think it would go any where but then I met this guy who<br />
introduced me to spoken word. Then my first live open mic<br />
night was in London at the Chocolate Poetry Club. It was a big<br />
event and a great way to start. I now do it regularly and even<br />
get paid sometimes as a guest speaker.<br />
What I love about you jami is that your interests seem<br />
to be polar opposites of each other at one end we have<br />
DJ pixie and then at the other we have crocheting.<br />
Ha yes, I started holding a mums crochet club and its got<br />
really popular, I really enjoy it.<br />
What is your favourite thing to make?<br />
I really enjoy making my crystal necklaces I’ve created a<br />
crochet technique that is 10 time faster than makrami, and I<br />
love working with the crystals I feel much better afterwards,<br />
and I’m creating something that I think is beautiful.<br />
What are your goals and ambitions for the future?<br />
I don’t tend to worry too much about the future because other<br />
wise I would probably not get much done in the present. To<br />
be honest I think I’ve achieved everything that I want to<br />
achieve. I’m moving forward with my spiritual path, I would<br />
love to go to India and learn to be a yoga teacher.<br />
You are so proactive, what is your secret?<br />
Doing what you love, you know you could go to a job and work<br />
16 hours at a job you hate or choose to work 16 hours doing<br />
what you love. Having the hairdressing to make money has<br />
helped because then everything else I can do just for the<br />
love of it.<br />
be / 019
Styling.Photography.By Kerrie Reeves<br />
CHIP OFF THE BLOCK
Child’s-Dungerees Next £20.00. Grey jumper Next £10.00. Hat H&M £2.99<br />
Adult’s-Dungerees Topshop £48. Grey jersey Next £12. Hat H&M £2.99
e / 027
Child’s-Leopard <strong>print</strong> coat Next £36.99. Hat H&M £6.99<br />
Adult’s-Leopard <strong>print</strong> coat Topshop £65. Hat H&M £6.99
e / 029
Child’s- Lace shift dress Next £22.99<br />
Adult’s-Roses blouse H&M £12.99. Jeans H&M £14.99
Child’s-Skirt River Island £22. Jacket River Island £28<br />
Adult’s-Top River Island £22. Skirt River Island £35
Child’s-Shirt Newlook £12.99. Hat H&M, £4.99<br />
Adult’s-Shirt Newlook £12.99. Hat H&M £4.9
Photography . By Kerrie Reeves
Life changing books<br />
The Secret - Rhonda Byrne<br />
Johnathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach<br />
The Power - Rhonda Byrne<br />
A New Earth - Eckhart Tolle<br />
Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill<br />
You Can Heal your life - Louise L. Hay<br />
Change your Thinking with CBT - Dr Sarah Edelman<br />
see / 043
Ethical and<br />
Sustainable Fashion<br />
Can I still look good?<br />
Ethical and sustainable fashion no longer means tie dye<br />
t-shirts or hareem pants! Shopping ethically for fashion is a<br />
growing trend; quite frankly it has to be. We are living on a<br />
planet dealing with climate change. Documentaries such as The<br />
True Cost and Dirty White Gold, have ever more shown us the<br />
impact of fashion on humans and the environment. We just can’t<br />
ignore that we need to start being more responsible in the way<br />
we shop, but this doesn’t mean that we can’t have beautiful<br />
things! With websites such as A Boy Named Sue and Helpsy we<br />
have no excuse to not look and feel a gougeous shade of green!<br />
HELPSY<br />
Helpsy was founded in 2012 on the belief that<br />
design-forward, cutting-edge fashion can have<br />
a positive social impact—100% of the time.<br />
Sometimes it just takes a discerning eye and a<br />
little hunting.<br />
THE HELPSY MISSION<br />
If crunchy lifestyles and yoga pants come to<br />
mind when you think of ethical fashion, you’re<br />
not alone. Founded in 2012, HELPSY’s mission is<br />
to curate apparel, beauty products, home goods,<br />
and tech accessories that are as cool as they<br />
are eco-friendly and ethically produced.<br />
www.shophelpsy.com<br />
Gather&See<br />
Gather&See offers carefully curated collections<br />
from the very best in sustainable fashion talent<br />
from around the world. Showcasing designers<br />
that pride themselves on aesthetics as much<br />
as their ethics, the website presents sustainable<br />
fashion in a fresh and innovative way.<br />
www.gatherandsee.com
The green room<br />
Asos<br />
A BOY NAMED SUE<br />
It started in early 2012, over lunch at some faux French cafe<br />
in Hong Kong, with an idea of bringing together designers with<br />
a visionary approach, blending goodwill with aesthetics. We were<br />
fed up with the dirty business of fashion, the environmental<br />
degradation caused by the industry and the lack of respect<br />
towards people who make our clothes. United by the desire to<br />
find truly sustainable fashion that did good and looked good,<br />
we embarked on a ‘let’s see what’s out there’ designer search<br />
mission. Amazed and inspired by what we had found, we decided<br />
to bring them all under one platform and so A Boy Named Sue<br />
was born.<br />
Our goal is simple to show that ethics and aesthetics are not<br />
mutually exclusive. We call it ‘cool clothes with a conscience’.<br />
www.aboynamedsue.co<br />
The British company ASOS has been<br />
cleaning up on the American scene over<br />
the past few years. With a deep selection<br />
of on-trend items, it’s the place to go when<br />
you need something super specific–you can<br />
filter for color, style, occasion and size. The<br />
Green Room is a portion of the site devoted<br />
to items with a sustainable bent. Find kitshy<br />
bikinis made in the U.S.A, recycled metal<br />
jewelry and repurposed vintage clothing<br />
ranging from a mere £5 for tights all the<br />
way up to £3,000 for a vintage Chanel purse.<br />
www.asos.co.uk<br />
People tree<br />
A pioneering company people tree<br />
stock womans wear, mens wear and<br />
include designers such as Zadndra<br />
Rhodes and Orla Kiely.<br />
www.peopletree.co.uk<br />
Frank and faith<br />
Frank and faith is a great online shopping resource, it has mens and ladies<br />
fashion and very affordable prices.<br />
They are committed to selling top quality products without hidden, harmful<br />
chemicals like pesticides, petrochemicals, formaldehyde and other toxic<br />
substances. They source products from reputable companies that have been<br />
produced from natural, organic or sustainable raw materials. Many of these have<br />
also been ethically produced, supporting Fair Trade, and none have been tested<br />
on animals.<br />
www.frankandfaith.com<br />
love / 045
ARCHITECT SKIRT ARCHITECT SKIRT - Partimi - a boy named sue - £137<br />
Digitally <strong>print</strong>ed and wholly made in the UK, the Architect skirt is<br />
inspired by summers in Florida and sunbaked tiles. Slim cut with highwaist<br />
and invisible side zipper closure.<br />
Owl Coin Purse - peopletree - £22<br />
Hand beaded owl design coin purse. Felt coin purse with hand embroidered<br />
glass bead detail.<br />
How it’s made: Made by Pushpanjali, a Fair Trade organisation founded<br />
in 1982 in Agra, India. The project helps disadvantaged local artisans<br />
to improve their living standards by providing fair wages, training,<br />
medical support and profit sharing schemes.<br />
CARLI MARIE SITA PRETTY LIL’ HEART PENDANT - 10K GOLD, ROSE GOLD OR<br />
STERLING SILVER - helpsy - €66.62 EUR<br />
handmade and cruelty free<br />
LEOPARD PRINT BUTTON DOWN BLOUSE - family affairs - helpsy - €69.04 EUR<br />
Non-Disposable&Well-Made
Reclaimed Vintage Denim Shirt Dress - asos - £40.00<br />
Reclaimed Vintage is a limited-edition collection made from vintage<br />
fabrics and up-cycled original vintage pieces. The Reclaimed<br />
team trawl markets and warehouses to uncover one-off pieces,<br />
then keep it local by giving them a new lease of life in Hackney<br />
and Dalston’s East London factories. Show some love for pre-loved<br />
leather jackets, cut off Levis sourced from France and the USA,<br />
‘90s slip dresses and matchy-matchy co-ords.<br />
Leather-look fabric<br />
Grab handle ABOUT MATT & NAT - Asos £90<br />
Since launching in 1995 eco-friendly brand Matt & Nat has mastered<br />
the art of ethical bag making. With their “live beautifully” attitude,<br />
the brand ensures that no animals are hurt and that the welfare of the<br />
planet is maintained throughout manufacturing.<br />
steel crossover top - Frank and Faith - £29.99<br />
Finlay & Co - Thurloe Sunglasses in Walnut - gather and see - £205<br />
love / 047
Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves
Interview . Photography . By Kerrie Reeves<br />
YOGA<br />
With Lizz Flinn<br />
“Yoga is like a movement meditation, it almost<br />
forces you to stay present.”<br />
do / 049
Liz Flinn talks to us about<br />
the juggling act of being a<br />
yoga teacher and a mother of<br />
twin boys.<br />
Hi Liz when were you<br />
first introduced to<br />
yoga?<br />
I used to work on cruise ships<br />
in beauty and started yoga<br />
then. I started consistently<br />
after I had my sons. I had been<br />
through a bit of a traumatic<br />
experience with their father.<br />
I had anxiety and de<strong>press</strong>ion.<br />
I was scared to leave the<br />
house. A friend of mine from<br />
the ships was coming to visit<br />
me and wanted me to find her<br />
somewhere to do yoga, so I<br />
booked us a class. After doing<br />
bikram yoga for about 4 weeks<br />
it completely transformed me<br />
and I felt so much better.<br />
I then went on to try all<br />
different types of yoga. I<br />
actually preferred Hatha yoga.<br />
What do you think got you hooked?<br />
How it helped me have more control over my<br />
mind, thoughts and feelings. The breathing<br />
helps you to stay present; even if it’s just<br />
for that hour when you are in the room it<br />
still helps your mind for when you leave the<br />
room.<br />
At what point did you decide to be a<br />
yoga teacher?<br />
I was just really passionate about yoga,<br />
it had helped me not only mentally but<br />
physically with my body and there was just<br />
nothing else I wanted to do other than<br />
teach.
How do you find it fits around<br />
the boys?<br />
It is challenging, I try to practice once<br />
they are in bed and it has been a bit of a<br />
juggle for when I am teaching as long as I<br />
have set hours, it works.<br />
I’ve been doing yoga for a few years now<br />
and I definitely notice that it keeps a<br />
real balance in my life, if I go a few weeks<br />
without it I notice that I feel more tense<br />
and stressed and life just generally seems<br />
to be harder. Can you explain why this is?<br />
Yoga is like a movement meditation, it<br />
almost forces you to stay present. It is a<br />
lot about the mind but obviously it’s the<br />
mind body link as well every movement you do<br />
is working on some kind of internal system<br />
or organ like the blood circulation system.<br />
So you teach Hatha yoga,<br />
what is that exactly?<br />
Hatha is your traditional yoga, so every<br />
other form of yoga stems off hatha. It goes<br />
back god knows how many year’s, other types<br />
like ashtanga, vinyassa and bikram are a<br />
spin off hatha.<br />
What life obstacles has yoga<br />
helped you to over come?<br />
Well it helped me overcome de<strong>press</strong>ion and<br />
anxiety it also helped hugely with my<br />
weight I dropped three dress sizes. It’s<br />
also helped me maintain my weight because<br />
its changed my thinking, I’m always making<br />
healthier decisions.<br />
do / 051
What is your favourite pose and why?<br />
There are poses that I like to do but its<br />
more of a sequence, the sun salutation, that<br />
really helps me mentally and physically, I<br />
think that’s the most important thing you<br />
need if you don’t know any other yoga but<br />
could just practice 10 sun salutations a day<br />
it would really help you mentally and is a<br />
full body work out.<br />
Do you do yoga with your boys?<br />
Yes I do, I teach children’s yoga as well,<br />
it’s a bit difficult with my own boys as<br />
they just think I’m been silly and start<br />
jumping on me, but I’ve taken them to<br />
classes and they really enjoy it!<br />
Do you not find it hard to be<br />
all zen withtwo 4 year old boys<br />
running around?<br />
Oh yeah I’m stressed up to the max at the<br />
moment, I’m about to move. But when I start<br />
teaching I just feel so much better it’s<br />
such a stress relief.<br />
What advice would you give to some<br />
one that wanted to start<br />
practicing yoga?<br />
I would say go into it with an open mind<br />
and don’t worry about being flexible, we are<br />
all capable of doing yoga its just about<br />
practicing, the flexibility and strength<br />
comes with time, the most important thing<br />
about it is the breathing.<br />
do / 053
“Having a young<br />
mum means I<br />
can wear your<br />
clothes”<br />
Phone call to my daughter on having a young mum,<br />
and working together.<br />
Styling . Photography . Interview . By Kerrie Reeves
Check out<br />
Ibiza Dreams<br />
vimeo.com/137128565<br />
Mum:<br />
Hi Darling how are you?<br />
You know I’m creating Yum, the magazine,<br />
well I just wanted to ask you a few questions<br />
for a feature, is that ok, have you got time?<br />
Daughter:<br />
Yeah.<br />
How have you found it having a young mum?<br />
Really good, your always really fashionable so I<br />
can wear your clothes.<br />
LOL<br />
And you’re really cool.<br />
Arh am I? Thanks.<br />
Your welcome.<br />
Are you sure about that?<br />
Well I wear your clothes so yeah, not sure about<br />
the cool bit I was only joking about that.<br />
Oh.<br />
Grandmas really rushing me to get out the door<br />
so hurry up.<br />
Ok tell her I just need you for 5 minutes.<br />
(Grandma starts moaning in the background.)<br />
Have you ever felt different to any of your<br />
friends that have have older mums?<br />
No.<br />
Ok, Do you think there are advantages and<br />
disadvantages of having a young mum?<br />
Well the disadvantage is……ummmm…… actually<br />
the advantage is what I just said, I can wear you<br />
clothes.<br />
Ha yeah.<br />
And your young, I don’t think there any<br />
disadvantages really its just a mum. As long as<br />
you lokk after me well it doesnt really make a<br />
difference.<br />
So you don’t think there are any<br />
disadvantages to having a young mum?<br />
Well no it’s a disadvantage for the mum but not<br />
for the child.<br />
Why would you say that?<br />
Well I know that you had to stop your college<br />
course when you fell pregnant with me and you<br />
have to stop things other young people do.<br />
Would you have children young?<br />
No.<br />
Why not?<br />
Because I don’t like children that much and I<br />
want to live a life first.<br />
You know we did that photo-shoot whilst we<br />
were in Ibiza, did you enjoy it?<br />
Yeah.<br />
How did you find it working with me, your<br />
mum?<br />
Oh that was really good because you’re young,<br />
so you’re still doing stuff with me that I find fun<br />
as well.<br />
Arh, that’s nice what about us having a few<br />
arguments?<br />
No not really I don’t remember stuff like that.<br />
Were you pleased with the outcome of the<br />
photos?<br />
The outfits?<br />
No the outcome.<br />
Yeah they’re really good, you’re really good at it.<br />
Thank you, you’re really good at modelling<br />
too, is that what you would like to get in to?<br />
Why are you asking me this?<br />
Can you just answer the question!<br />
Yeah that would be good.<br />
What else might you like to do with your life?<br />
Go to university like you, but I would like to study<br />
to be a make up artist.
IN CONVERSATION WITH<br />
JENDELLA BENSON<br />
Interview By Kerrie Reeves
Determined to eliminate the common misconceptions and<br />
prejudices young mums are up against, Jendella Benson began<br />
her project, Young Motherhood.<br />
Jendella a photographer and filmmaker based in London<br />
showcased a collection of 27 mothers and children through<br />
photography and film. It exhibited at The Houses of Parliament<br />
and was featured in The Guardian among other Newspapers and<br />
Magazines. These very powerful pictures and interviews can<br />
strike a cord in many young mothers. The message of positivity<br />
comes across loud and clear in Jendella’s work.
What was your inspiration for this project?<br />
It was really my friends who were young mothers who inspired<br />
me. On one level I really admired them and how they juggled<br />
motherhood with education or work in the face of the stigma<br />
and misconceptions about their situation as young women who<br />
had chosen to have children. On another level, one of them<br />
was in an abusive relationship and it was clear that the only<br />
reason she was staying with her child’s father was because she<br />
did not want to be a single young mother, she was so afraid of<br />
being that stereotype. I wanted to create something that would<br />
encourage, inspire and also celebrate women who were in her<br />
position.<br />
What surprised you most about your project, or what<br />
did you personally take from it?<br />
I think on a personal level doing the interviews was a bit<br />
like therapy for me. I had a lot of personal fears and anxiety<br />
about labour and becoming a mother myself, and speaking to<br />
these wonderful women and hearing all their stories was really<br />
good for me. Which was helpful as I became pregnant and gave<br />
birth just recently!<br />
How do you feel the media represents young mums?<br />
The media portrays young mums as financial drains on “more<br />
responsible” society, taking up resources such as affordable<br />
housing and school places, as the reason behind urban crime<br />
and “gang” problems, and a million other things.<br />
The media needs a scapegoat and often it uses young mums.<br />
They are a convenient scapegoat for them because of up until<br />
recently their voices have been easy to drown out. With the<br />
rise of social media and the internet this balance of power is<br />
slowly shifting, thankfully, but traditional media still tries<br />
to continue with what they’ve been doing all these years.<br />
How did the young mums you interviewed feel like they were<br />
being judged?<br />
see / 063
I think a lot of them felt like they were being judged for<br />
their personal choice and most spent time trying to prove to<br />
others that they weren’t the stereotype, initially, but most<br />
also found a confidence in themselves to leave that behind at<br />
some point. A lot of them felt the assumptions that have been<br />
made about their relationships, background, ambitions and even<br />
intelligence.<br />
Do you think society is still quite old fashioned in<br />
the way that it thinks about young mothers, that myths<br />
still stand in place?<br />
I think there’re a general fear of young women and their<br />
sexuality and what ties into that more obviously than<br />
pregnancy and motherhood? A lot of traditional ideas are<br />
often used to justify the problems with young mothers and<br />
their children, as well as a lot of skewed data, but I think<br />
ultimately the myth is in place due to fears about sexuality<br />
and just the general lack of regard for the role of mothers<br />
within society.<br />
see / 065
What do you feel other people (not young mothers) have taken<br />
from your work?<br />
Many people have said that it has made them consider how they<br />
interact with young mothers that they encounter. They have said<br />
that they’ve never considered certain things, like for example how<br />
a few of the participants have said that nobody congratulated them<br />
when they found out they were pregnant, and how that may negatively<br />
affect a young woman who is going through a time that is often<br />
difficult and scary for any woman regardless of age. That was one of<br />
the goals of the project, just to get people to have more empathy<br />
and think beyond the stereotypes, so I’m really glad that it’s<br />
challenging people on that level.<br />
The Life and Times of Jendella - www.jendella.co.uk<br />
see / 067
In this issue we have decided to support<br />
the “because I am a girl” campaign<br />
run by Plan UK. I ask you please to<br />
take just 5 minutes of your time to<br />
look at the plan UK website, maybe 5<br />
minutes you might of spent on your<br />
face book feed. Plan UK recognises that<br />
world wide no one bears the brunt of<br />
poverty more than girls. Plan provides<br />
support in education, protection and<br />
support that can transform girl’s<br />
lives for the better. They state that by<br />
investing in girls is one of the best<br />
interventions to end poverty for all.<br />
They tackle issues such as violence<br />
against girls in schools, female<br />
genital mutilation, and early forced<br />
marriage. They share some heart<br />
breaking stories such as “pregnant by<br />
my teacher”, but with the right support<br />
plan can help to reduce these issues.<br />
I feel extremely blessed after reading<br />
some of these girl’s stories, but its real<br />
and they are out there now and with our<br />
help, Plan can make a real difference.
www.yum-mag.com