COLLECTIVE welcomes this unique collaboration that showcases the honesty, immediacy and intimacy that Terry O'Neill was able to capture.

WELCOME TO /0002.

And what an event it was, the 202 restaurant/boutique/gallery proved to be the perfect venue to officially launch the COLLECTIVE brand with this season’s limited edition Bob Carlos Clarke prints. One of the few boutiques in London selected to stock COLLECTIVE, they proved to be gracious hosts. The great and the good came out in force, the famous and the not-so-famous mixing happily as the champagne and conversation flowed. Skimming round the room the enthusiasm was palpable, with COLLECTIVE and our very first collection obviously being the topic on the tip of everyone’s tongues.

This was the introduction of COLLECTIVE to many there that night, and allied with the fact that we had pulled off the coup of being the first clothing brand authorized to reproduce the work of legendary photographer Bob Carlos Clarke on our products, was a cause of genuine excitement as people recognized they were there to witness the start of something special.

The Bob Carlos Clarke collaboration is important to us at COLLECTIVE as we see it as a natural extension of one of our core aims – to help people place more value in the clothes they wear. This collection is the first of many future collaborations that COLLECTIVE is working on which we see becoming wearable art.

And so as the evening started to wind down and the merry throng dispersed into the warm London summer night, some with their newly acquired COLLECTIVE t-shirts underarm, we moved closer to our vision of one day seeing lots of mobile human art galleries crisscrossing through the capital and beyond. Each one telling their stories of photographers, artists, icons, a once small visionary company, transparency and how the lives of people in far off communities, which the wearers may never meet, are being profoundly changed by the simple act of someone buying and wearing a t-shirt.

For more coverage and photos from the evening please visit | COLLECTIVE + BOB CARLOS CLARKE 0001

Why do we all love t-shirts?

The t-shirt is almost like a fashion commodity, a raw ingredient that can capture the imagination of almost any wardrobe. Whether it is from a purely aesthetic angle or stripping it down to its utilitarian foundations, wearers get comfort in the fact of knowing they have these additions that one can return to if all else fails and there will always be a demand for them.

What are current trends in shirt design and quality?

At COLLECTIVE we are seeing a tipping point in the market where environmentally sound clothing solutions met with the need and the desire of the consumer. If this evidence plays out we will see an increasing demand for high quality organic cotton pieces where provenance is very much at the heart. This has resulted from the macro trend of ultimate transparency where the journey of a garment is often being headlined. On a more micro level there is a general ideology that lightweight is often better, which might give some understanding to how we portraying our t-shirts as potentially more delicate pieces of attire. This is supported by further exploration of prints which we see as becoming more refined and real pieces of wearable art, which has lead to our recent collaboration withthe late Bob Carlos Clarke, showcasing his iconic and highly collectable prints which give the t-shirts even more substance.

Are there different shirt types for different people?

Like with most fashion pieces there are always plays on alternative cuts and styles that cater for audiences at different levels. The t-shirt is one of those items that by simply changing the neck can acquire a completely different feeling and position itself within a contrasting segment. Take a razor sharp‘v-neck’ for example, this instantly makes it more appealing to the more formal type, yet by simply loosening the ‘V’ it becomes a relaxed fit and therefore appeals to the more casual wearer. Prints on t-shirts do exactly the same and can create a spectrum of different wearers by the way the print is handled.

What does a shirt say about a person's personality?

We have all heard the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ but in fact this is often the opposite in fashion. We want others to see our personality and a beautiful and minimalist white t-shirt can often say more about us than we think. Personal styles are also linked to cultural references and design has become the symbolic totem for showcasing this culture. The t-shirt is a great example of this and over the decades we have seen it progress as a way of personal expression, from the political figures and slogans of the 60’s, to more recently the idea of t-shirts as wearable art.

Extract from: Sportswear International, #237, June 2011,

Open since 2008, The Little Black Gallery was set up by Tamara Beckwith, Lindsey Carlos Clarke and Ghislain Pascal to celebrate the life of legendary photographer Bob Carlos Clarke as well as showcase the best of past and emerging talent.  It has already been blessed by the likes of Terry O'Neill, Chris Levine, Brian Duffy and Mike Figgis amongst many other photographic elite and has even been nominated for Best Lifestyle Brand of 2011.

Not only has The Little Black Gallery quickly emerged as a trendsetter for photographic art with its constant curation and adaptation of great shows, it has now become a must on the social calendar drawing in crowds from all over the World.

This said what we love most about The Little Black Gallery is its uniqueness, a friendly, charismatic space and although only 3 years old, its past is far reaching with its touching links to Bob Carlos Clarke.

For more information and to keep up with the latest shows visit The Little Black Gallery.

The Institute for Public Policy Research, Consumer Power, September 2009

As a clothing company that keeps one eye sharply focussed on its carbon footprint, a customer recently sent us this quote as a bit of comic relief. It highlights a pretty much universally acknowledged truth - that from time to time we all suffer from a little bit of green fatigue and while most of us know that we should live sustainably, few of us act on this concern. Therefore it seems to us that the key challenge for the clothing industry is how to communicate the green purchasing decision or to put it another way how to articulate the climate change impact of each of their products. This in turn will allow consumers to assess how each of their purchasing decisions effect our ability to meet climate change targets.

You will not be surprised to hear that we have not got all the solutions to the myriad of issues raised by this challenge.  However, one thing that we can be clear on is that COLLECTIVE will always try to do everything that is required to help shape a more sustainable planet and to meet any climate change targets.  If we can communicate this and this only then we will be making progress.

When we began developing the COLLECTIVE + BOB CARLOS CLARKE collection, there was always the understanding that the images were not just prints but art in their own right. This took a delicate approach and we thought of no better place to showcase the collection than the home of Bob Carlos Clarke at The Little Black Gallery.

Hung within the gallery amongst the original artwork, it rounded off the closing of ‘Peep show’ the third part of a retrospective of his illustrious career, whilst friends from all corners came to raise a glass and toast the collaboration.

"One of the great photographic image-makers of the last few decades"
Terence Pepper, Curator of Photographs at the National Portrait Gallery

The legendary Bob Carlos Clarke has a reputation as being a photographer of striking versatility as well as one of the finest photographic printmakers that ever lived. He worked in almost every sphere of photography, winning numerous awards and achieved International acclaim from art dealers and collectors alike. After his tragic death in 2006 this is the first time his work has ever featured as a wearable collection and will mark the beginning of COLLECTIVE's collaborations.

Not only does BioRe work closely with the organic cotton farmers of Meatu to help deliver a product that is both ethically and environmentally sound, they are also in constant pursuit to serve and support the rural population that surrounds them.

On a recent trip to Meatu, we dropped by Dakama primary school to take a closer look at the astonishing work of BioRe and see first hand the lives it touches through one of its many social projects.

Water well project | Making water clean and accessible throughout the community

5 New wells built

1 Well restored

Photograph: Dakama primary school children showing a member of COLLECTIVE their purpose built water well.

“Gaston, has anybody ever fell?”

Gaston was our head guide and a title we had quickly come to learn was extremely well deserved. Unequivocal in his manner and words, he exuded the type of authority that can only be gained at birth and built on through experience.

“Yes, but not too many people.” He said. “Mostly porters, very few tourists.”

“When was the last accident?” Bryan asked.

“Oh, earlier this year.” Gaston replied nonchalantly.

“But it’s February!” Bryan exclaimed.

If we hadn’t known previously we knew now, as we clung precariously to our new best friend the cliff-face, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was a dangerous business.

Breakfast Hill had come almost halfway through our ascent of Kilimanjaro, taking the Lemosho route, this would normally take eight days to complete, but as time was a constraint we were aiming to do it in seven. The first few days of the climb had been like taking an escalator through every type of environment possible, starting in lush jungle, through to open green plains and hills, rising to near-lifeless alien ravines. They had all whisked past us at a seemingly impossible rate, to the point that on reaching the mists at the top of Breakfast Hill the fecund greenery which we had walked through only days before seemed to belong not just to a different place, but also a different time, as if that walk had been done on a previous trip a long time ago.

We would attempt the summit climb on the sixth night. Reaching summit base camp late afternoon on the fifth day, we were fed as quickly as possible and told to get as much rest as we could, our final ascent would start at midnight. However, by this point nerves, excitement and vanity had gotten the better of us and we insisted to Gaston that we start at 11pm. We argued it was to avoid the crowds and would make the climb far easier not being held up by other groups, but in truth we imagined ourselves being amongst the first up, if not the first. Wearily, Gaston agreed and left us to finish eating (most remaining untouched) and to get some sleep (little of which was gained).

Eleven o’clock came and we started our final climb. Walking through base camp was like watching a giant firefly colony being roused, headlights started to flicker on in an ever-growing number and in every direction, if we thought we had been composed before in our eagerness to be first to reach the top, now there was nothing but naked ambition as we harried our guides to ever increase the pace. At first it seemed that our strategy had paid off, as we quickly caught a party ahead of us, making us the lead group, however the folly in our actions quickly became apparent.

The interesting thing about the summit climb isn’t that it’s particularly hard, Breakfast Hill had been far more difficult to traverse, nor is acclimatization a particular problem if you are fit and healthy and your guide has prepared you well. No, the challenge of the summit comes simply by virtue that you climb at night and all of the problems that come with it. Firstly the dark becomes claustrophobic, with no one in front of us the climb seemed endless, the darkness closing around our torchlights allowing us to see only a few feet in front at anytime. Then there’s the wind; climbing the exposed mountain face in the cold night temperatures, the wind tore shreds out of us. We started to take more and more breaks and the rows of lights from the climbers below that had once seemed so far away became closer with every glance back, until finally Gaston told us to move aside for a group to come past us. With the hope of reaching the top first gone you could see, even in the darkness, that our spirits shrank, the remainder would be a climb of attrition.

Stella Point is 5756 metres above sea level; if you reach this point then you can validly claim that you have reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. However, the highest point of the mountain is Uhuru peak, which is another 139 metre climb. This may not seem like much, but at 5:00am in the morning, in the darkness and biting wind you understand why Stella Point becomes many climbers summit. At this point Bryan stopped, he could no longer feel his hands and slumped down onto the nearest rock, head down, shoulders bowed. Gaston and I looked at each other and for the first time the thought crossed my mind that both of us really may not make it to the peak.

It’s funny that the things that reside with you in life are the small things, once the big events have washed away or become a blur it is the smallest actions that a brought into greater focus. Our assistant guide Justin, who until now we had viewed as a rather meek character, did something now that both Bryan and I will never forget. Whilst Gaston and I both stood flummoxed, Justin simply took Bryan’s hands and rubbed them warm, and though I doubt that this would actually have done much to warm Bryan’s hands I think that the simple kindness in the gesture spurred Bryan on for that last 139 metres.

We reached the summit (5895M) at 5:30am on the 5^th February 2011. We were the third group up and in truth the overwhelming emotions were of exhaustion and relief. We took our obligatory photos underneath the Uhuru peak sign to prove to the world we had climbed to the peak. However, due to our early start and fast ascent it was going to be another hour two hours before sunrise and we had a decision to make: Do we wait for the sunrise or head to the summit crater? This wasn’t an easy choice, watching the sunrise from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro is described as being one of the most beautiful sights in the world and for most a once in a lifetime opportunity, but by the same measure so was going into the crater and is something very few people are allowed to do.

I wanted to stay and watch the sunrise, and having reached the peak had allowed myself to relax and was exhausted. Bryan however was now getting his second wind and was adamant we should head straight to the crater. I had no energy to argue, so reluctantly agreed and took comfort in the fact that we seemed to be the only ones on the summit doing it. As soon as we got there I was convinced it was a mistake, the sides of the crater were precariously steep and the ground was a soft crumbly soil that gave way constantly like virgin snow, but interspersed with jagged rocks.

It may sound strange to some, but descending can in many ways be a lot harder than ascending. Whereas you need strong limbs and good cardio-aerobic strength to climb up, climbing down requires a completely different set of skills; you need to have good balance, concentration and confidence – qualities that had completely left me by this point in the morning. I struggled down the side of the crater with Justin supporting me every step of the way, but halfway down I saw the dawn start to brake and broke down myself, unable and unwilling to go a step further. I was furious, I had spent the week climbing that mountain, dreaming every step of seeing the sunrise from the top, but felt I was going to miss it wrestling my way down the side of a pit.

Bryan meanwhile had climbed down with ease and was busy taking photographs, as I got to the bottom I threw my walking canes down exhausted, but I then looked up.  Bryan was completely right to take us there; it was a truly stunning and unique environment. It felt like it had been scooped out from another planet and placed on top of the mountain to preserve it. A completely brown-red landscape seemingly devoid of life it had a stark, empty beauty to it. The only thing that broke up the scene was the mountain glacier and it looked nothing like what I’d expected. It was made up of huge perfectly shaped rectangular ice blocks lying side-by-side like fingers. Rather than an organic flowing sheet of ice like I had pictured, this looked like it had been carved by a skilled craftsman or a piece of brutalist, modernist architecture rendered from ice instead of concrete. It was truly stunning and something I feel privileged to have seen. Then as we walked the gentle slope out of the crater back to Stella Point, as if on cue, the sun broke fully over ridge.

Having spent the last eight hours climbing to the summit, we were now faced with the descent down to the base camp and with the sun now up the numerous layers of clothing we had cherished a few hours earlier would now become a bane. I’d read that the descent from the summit is a slippery-sliding delight, a bit of fun skating on the loose earth beneath your feet as you slalom your way back down to base camp. However, whereas most people (and I wager the person that wrote about summit sliding delights) reach the summit in time for sunrise and are warmed for the final part of the climb, we had spent every moment of the climb being battered by the night. Also upon reaching the summit Gaston told us most people are brought back down within half an hour because of the altitude: Including the time spent in the crater, we had been at the summit for an hour and a half. I’ll never truly be able to explain where we got the energy to get back to camp, because I know three quarters of the way down mine had all gone and I wasn’t even running on fumes by the time I stumbled into our tent.

Kilimanjaro is perceived as a fairly easy mountain to climb and it’s true that it’s not the most technically difficult mountain, however the real reason it’s attempted by so many is because of how quickly the descent is, which only takes a day and a half. The importance of this is because of altitude sickness, because the longer you stay at higher altitude the higher the risk of you succumbing to it. Therefore, despite our pleas for sleep, after being fed quickly and allowed a couple of hours rest we were put back on our feet and led on another seven hour walk.

And it’s true, as you get lower the tiredness and headaches begin to subside and you even start to feel life and conversation creeping back into the walk, to the point where the inquisitiveness of early parts of the climb return:

“Gaston what are all of these stone crosses on the side of the trail for?”

“They are for the people that got mountain sickness and didn’t make it back down.” He replied. “This marks where they fell.”

Mount Kilimanjaro isn’t the hardest mountain in the world to climb and many people do it every year, but not everyone that attempts it manages to do it. To do it you need determination and people you can rely on. Collective climbed to the very top of Africa and made it back down again, and that’s something we’ll always be proud of.

By Luke Galang (COLLECTIVE)