Do you like crafts? Do you like afternoons? Do you like crafts in your afternoon? Well guess what …

A new crafting event is launching in Manchester for knitters, stitchers and other makers and do-ers. Known as Crafternoon, the meet up aims to run monthly, and is being organised by Stitched Up, a sustainable fashion collective.

Stitched Up describe themselves as “creative, passionate, earth conscious fashionista-revolutionaries”. Their name comes from how they feel the fashion industry works –  workers and shoppers are constantly being stitched up.

Craftanoon takes place on the last Sunday of every month from 2-4pm in Fuel Cafe, Withington. It’s open to people of all ages and background. As well as some good solid crafting there will be tea drinking, cake eating and  a good old bit of chin wagging.

The 1st event is at the end of this month on Sunday 30th June. Go online to register your interest. 

E-taling giant, Asos have withdraw a batch of belts following a scare they were radioactive. But the accused supplier claims they’re not his belts. 

A batch of metal-studded belts sold by online retailer, Asos, have been withdrawn from sale after they were found to be radioactive.

According to The Guardian, an internal report claimed the belts could cause injury to the wearer if worn for more than 500 hours. The report said: “None of these belts are suitable for public use or possession.” 

A spokesman for Asos told the Guardian: “A product supplied to Asos did not meet UK health and safety standards. Asos worked with all relevant authorities and undertook a precautionary product recall, in line with our high standards of quality and customer care. No other Asos product lines are affected.

“Asos continues to work with the relevant regulatory authorities and is in dialogue with the supplier and the factory workers involved to ensure a satisfactory outcome.”

The story doesn’t end there however – a row has broken out between Asos and Haq International, the Indian company alleged to have supplied the belts. Company head, Faizan Haq claims to have been refused permission to inspect the belts. Asos told him that counter-terrorism agencies believe he is a security risk, despite the father-of-one having no criminal record.

Furthermore, documents seen by the Guardian show the belts Asos claims are contaminated do not match the description of the belts supplied by Haq. Despite this, Asos is demanding £100,000 from the supplier in recall charges. They have also withheld £64,000 owed to the businessman. This has resulted in Haq International having to shut his factory for five months, leaving 18 Indian workers without jobs.

Asos claims codes on the boxes with the contaminated belts match those supplied by Haq. The discrepancies over the number of metal studs is due to the belts all being handmade. But independent tests by the Health Protection Agency at Haq’s London warehouse found there was no radiation from any of the belts and metal stored there.

The factory which has closed is in the Uttar Pradesh province in northern India, one of the poorest in the country. Workers have been holding protests outside the factory, burning effigies of Asos bosses.

Haq, who has run his business for eight years, told The Guardian: “My life has been ruined by this huge company, which claims to look after its suppliers.”

Since the argument began Asos has since offered to pay Haq £24,000 of the £64,000 he is owed. He still not been able to see the belts since the issue was first raised in a meeting with senior Asos buyers in December last year.

Two of the UK’s leading experts in ethical fashion thrash out the issues around Bangladesh. See Lucy Siegle “in conversation” with Orsola de Castro.

Next week two of the UK’s most influential individuals discuss urgent themes facing the fashion industry, post Bangladesh.

Upcycling queen, Orsola de Castro, is the founder of From Somewhere, Reclaim to Wear and Esthetica. She has collaborated with companies such as Topshop, Tesco and Speedo. She will be joined in conversation by Lucy Siegle, One Show reporter and ethical living column for The Observer since 2004.

As well as delving into the work and history of From Somewhere, the discussion will look at urgent themes facing the fashion industry, including the Rana Plaza Building Disaster.

The talk will take place within the Inside Design exhibition, looking at the design process and what is important to Orsola: touch, colour, how dresses fall and how fashion has responsibilities alongside looking great.

Places are free but please book in advance at events@greatwesternstudios.com

The statement t-shirt takes a fresh turn as the Offset Warehouse launch a new range to keep the memory of Bangladesh alive, and raise money for charity.

Charlie Ross, founder of the ethical fabric company Offset Warehouse is angry. In a new range of statement t-shirts he makes a pretty bold statement – the person who made this t-shirt is alive.

“The devastating news of the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse has received a lot of attention from the media because it‘s been so awful,” says Ross. “A death toll of over 1,000 is horrific. But there are plenty of other incidents that we haven’t heard about at all. For example, also in Dhaka, in November last year, there was a fire at the Tazreen garment factory, and that killed 124. But can anyone remember that? The Rana Plaza incident is just the latest in a long list – most of which could have been avoided.”

In order to keep the issue in the spotlight, Offset Warehouse has launched the Still Alive T-shirt campaign. Their aim is to remind consumers that we affect the lives of others through our shopping habits.

The t-shirts have been made in an ethically safe environment by workers who were paid a fair wage. They are printed with water-based inks, which is better for the workers’ skin, and the environment. They are also certified by WRAP, the Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production.

The t-shirts retail for just ￡4.99 each (plus p&p) and are available to buy online. Profits will go to Labour Behind The Label, supporting garment workers and their working conditions worldwide.

 Photo: Offset Warehouse

War on Want stage protests outside Mango and Bennetton, after the companies refused to compensate victims of Bangladesh disaster.

In April 1,127 people died when the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed. The majority were female garment workers making the clothes for our high streets.

More than 90,000 people signed a petition by War on Want calling on brands to sign the Bangladesh Safety Accord and pay compensation. In response over 40 global retailers have bowed to pressure and signed the landmark safety agreement.

However, to date only Primark has agreed to pay long term compensation for bereaved relatives and garment workers. According to the anti-sweat shop charity, many have been left without any income and are struggling to survive.

Last week the charity staged a protested outside Mango and Benetton stores. Activists dressed in black and carried a coffin outside the stores on London’d Oxford Street.

War on Want campaigner, Murray Worthy said: “We’ll continue to embarrass these retailers in front of their customers for as long as it takes for them to do the right thing.

“Not only do we need to push for change in Bangladesh, we need the entire fashion industry to be better regulated, to ensure that retailers can’t simply move production from Bangladesh to exploit women elsewhere. We want the greatest possible protection for the women who make our clothes.”

You can keep in touch with the latest on this campaign from War on Want on their website