Although our version of the desert boot called the Yardie Boot first launched in 2015 on our website, it was actually conceived a lot earlier by the original Mr Clarke, Mr Uptown Yardie himself, whilst working as shoe designer for a major shoe company. Let's take you back to the 80s when Mr Clarke was a young man trying to get into the clubs wearing his trainers. The doorman would shout "if you've got trainers on. Your not coming in!"

But he loved trainers so much he thought I'm going to make my own shoe with a trainer sole that wouldn't get rejected. But the design was rejected because he was told they could not be made, and people wouldn't wear a shoe with a trainer sole. But look how things have changed.

Not being deterred Mr Uptown Yardie got a job cutting patterns and making orthopaedic shoes by day, and went back college in the evenings to learn how to make handmade shoes. Now being equipped with knowing how to make shoes from start to finish, no one could tell him his shoes could not be made. 

Fast forward to 2015 and the launch of the very first version of the Yardie Boot, which had the trainer or sports sole, with square cutouts in the heels, to give a trainer look. They were made in black and chocolate brown suede and sold like hot cakes.

In 2016, a chance meeting with Sir Lancelot Clark, that's without an E at the V&A was about to take the Yardie Boot to another level, in fact to another country. Jamaica. The idea was to collaborate with Uptown Yardie and Clark's to design a desert boot in Jamaica, for Jamaica and that could be exported to the rest of the world. It was something we were passionate about because we always wanted to give back to Jamaica as it is the inspiration behind our brand. Moreover its our heritage.

But things don't always work out they way we want and the project was pulled. We were determined to continue by ourselves which was a big challenge, as we were and still are a very small company with limited resources. However, with the help of JAMPRO an Agency of the Government of Jamaica’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, we were able to find a factory in Kingston that could make the boots and an affordable price which would make the resell affordable.

We worked on this project for 2 years and funded it mostly ourselves and partly with support from a crowdfunder. In May 2018 we went to oversee the first production and unfortunately that's when things started to go wrong. For instance productions costs were going to be 4 times higher than initially agreed which would mean that our boot would be more expensive than our competitor. We would not be able to wholesale and it would be unaffordable for the Jamaican market. So we would not be able to achieve what we set out to do. Unfortunately with heavy hearts we had to pull out of the Jamaica project.

We received such a lot of support and wonderful messages from you, telling us to keep going. So we dusted ourselves off and looked at how we could continue to make the Yardie Boot, which took us 100 miles down the road from where we lived and right back to England. We still face some obstacles, there is a struggle at times; we have some suppliers who won't sell us materials. But that's not going to stop us!

We've never compromised on comfort and ensured that our Yardie Boots are made from a high grade leather. Our newest unisex collection comes in rust and sand/camo suede, with a hint of neon.

Go check them out here YardieBoots

Jamaican Independence week may be coming to a close, but we're not done celebrating yet...

We've partnered up with immersive events company We Are Parable who in celebration of Jamaican Independence have put on a FREE community screening of Perry Henzell's explosive 1972 cult classic The Harder They Come -the first ever Jamaican feature film! You'll find us there tomorrow at Screen25 where we've curated a marketplace installation for the outdoor screening.

The film features reggae superstar Jimmy Cliff who plays antihero Ivan, an aspiring musician, and follows him on his long journey to Kingston in search of fame and fortune. Ivan's betrayal by the music industry leads him in the hands of corrupt record producers and big time drug dealers. His persistence in pursuing his dreams means he'll let nothing stand in the way... not even the law.

We're incredibly excited to be part of this cultural event, especially as we've previously taken inspiration from the film. Last year, in run up to the launch of our Uptown Yardie Jamaica Collection (which you can find here and some items at the screening tomorrow) we had the pleasure of doing a photoshoot with the extremely talented Benji Reid. The shoot was inspired by film, which if you're familiar with, you'll notice that Benji's stature is reflective of the many posters of Jimmy cliff as Ivan. 

Benji Reid as Ivan

If the free screening (taking place at 8pm) isn't enough to bring you down, there's also a shoobs from 5pm, a reggae choir community workshop from 6:30pm and dozens of stalls run by independent Afro-Caribbean businesses selling everything from jerk (yum), to arts, crafts, clothes and various products that you'll be dying to get your hands on! 

If you haven't already got your free tickets, there's limited availability on the door, so move quick, and we hope to see you there!

...Oh, and one last thing, don't forget to rep your flag - you may have a chance of winning the 'Best Dressed Competition' which invites you to wear colours of Jamaica as we celebrate the land we love's 56th independence... Although, you may be outdone by Mr & Mrs Uptown Yardie. 🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

In our last blog post we revealed how Jamaica had influenced the fashion industry, but today we want to delve into an art form which has not only revolutionised Jamaican culture, but has revolutionised the world... reggae music...

If I were to ask you what's the first thing that pops into mind when I say 'reggae', I'd say a good 85% of you would respond with the beloved Jamaican icon 'Bob Marley'. Of course, this is no surprise, Bob Marley was a living legend, a social advocate who used an infusion of reggae, ska and rocksteady to bring about social and political change all whilst touching the souls of many and making you forget your worries with his sweet songs. However, although an integral part of reggae culture, I dare you to think beyond Bob for a second, whilst we take you through how reggae has transformed the globe...

Born out of the Jamaican slums in the late 1960s, who would have know that sound of Jamaica would become such an important instrument to bringing about social change? The genre which was heavily influenced by Rastafarian culture was used to promote equal rights, unity and justice across the globe. The sounds had began to transcend across many, if not all continents, having a huge impact on the British, French, African and US culture. 

Reggae's Impact On Europe

In the late 1960s/early 1970s, England had a large Jamaican community, most of which lived in lived in working-class areas such as Tottenham and Brixton. At the same time, a youth subculture was surfacing in the same area, they were known as the skinheads or 'mods'. The mods began to mingle with what were known as 'Jamaican rude boys' and attended black clubs, hearing the sounds Jamaica. Both subcultures realised they shared many things in common - the rebellion, the working class culture, and let's not forget - marijuana.

However, reggae music didn't just influence the skinhead movement, it also influenced the punk movement, which was partly due to Don Letts. Don Letts was a DJ at the legendary nightclub, The Roxy. Born to Jamaican parents, In 1977 he introduced reggae and dub to the punk rock scene, influencing British punk bands like The Clash and The Sex Pistols. However, Britain was not the only place in Europe which felt the impact of reggae, French too followed suit...

Bernard Lavilliers and Serge Gainsbourg were among the first white French artists to record reggae rhythms in the late 1970s. The pop singers were intrigued by reggae's rebellious aspects following the 1968 French revolution which left a sense of rebellion in the air. Whilst this was happening, young African and French Caribbean descendants began to feel a connection to the social, political and spiritual messages that reggae conveyed. This led to the birth of a French Reggae school.

Reggae's Impact On The USA

In the 1950s and 1960s, the USA welcomed hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans, many of which resided in the South Bronx. These Jamaicans never lost touch with their culture and would often go on trips revisiting their homeland. Therefore, when toasting aka DJ style became popular in Jamaica, this new genre which stemmed from reggae reached New York quickly. The genre mixed with Urban American culture stimulated the rise in rap music and the hip-hop culture in the 1970s. Jamaican-born DJ Kool Herc, who moved to the Bronx in 1967 was a pioneer in originating rap music and hip-hop culture. 

DJ Kool Herc

There were definitely similarities between both genres: They both came from a context of oppression, reflected the lifestyle and realities for black people in urban ghettos, and also rebelled against establishment. 

Reggae's Impact On Africa

Reggae artists have constantly paid tribute to the 'Motherland' (Africa), and the first artist to do so was Bob Marley, with songs like 'Africa Unite'. Unsurprisingly, he quickly became a symbol for African youth who started to identify with Jamaicans and the Rasta culture. It was easy for them to identify with Jamaicans because as they were both experiencing similar experiences - oppression, ghetto living. This led to African reggae beginning to emerge, such as Alpha Blondy -who's arguably one of the greatest reggae artists in the world.

Alpha Blondy

Today marks the 56th anniversary of Jamaica, the land we love's independence day. In celebratory fashion we’re dedicating this week to unveiling the icons, street trends and snippets of history that have collectively made Jamaica the cultural powerhouse it is today. “Nuh undaestimate wi, wi likkle but tallawah” (meaning: "do not underestimate us, we are small but we are strong and fearless") is the phrase that sums up Jamaican culture, which you'll come to appreciate as we take you through stories of how such a small island has had so much impact on the world.

Whether you believe it’s appreciation, or rather appropriation there’s no denying that the island has influenced many industries across the globe, including one particular industry... fashion. From the styles descending from the Jamaican rude boys, to the red, green and gold of the Rastafari flag, we’re revealing how 3 designer brands have taken inspiration from such a small but mighty nation both on and off runway...

1. Christian Dior's Rasta Collection 

(John Galliano's early-2000s collections)

Featuring red, gold and green striped heels, bags, quilted snow boots and even a snowboard (God knows what they were thinking), Dior's Rasta collection led to tons of backlash after appropriating Rastafarianism. The collection was designed by John Galliano, a Gibraltar-born British-Spanish fashion designer who clearly had no knowledge of Jamaican culture, let alone Rastafarianism, misinterpreting what it meant to take inspiration from something, rather than stealing and trivialising what is sacred to many.

Unsurprisingly, the collection offended many Rastas so much so that they created an online forum to discuss their feelings of disgust by the collection and it's disrespect towards Rastafarianism. Many have complained that being a Rasta is a spiritual way of life, and therefore cannot be bought nor sold. Sista Kufunya who describes herself as a "born Rasta from creation" was so outraged she wrote a letter to Dior stating: "I am hurt by your total dis regard of my culture and millions of Rasta's who in the not so distant past where killed, ridiculed and discriminated because of it. Rasta is Not a Bikini- Rasta Not a Shoe- Rasta Not a Bra- Rasta Not depicted in a sexually way. Rasta Cannot be brought or sold!!!!" 

Perhaps, this collection took it a little too far with the racy, hyper-sexualised  images which completely oppose the values of Rastafarianism. Not so great Galliano, not so great.

2. Levi's Vintage Collection

Described by head designer Paul O'Neill as "a mix of classic American clothes with old man wear from Jamaica", Levi's® current Vintage clothing collection is a personal favourite which embraces the vibrant dancehall and reggae styles of Jamaica for it's Fall/Winter '18 collection. The inspiration for the collection stemmed directly from the Jamaican film Rockers (1978), after O'Neill's trip to Jamaica.

Contrary to most culturally inspired collections, Levi's® have received compliments rather than backlash for the accurate depiction and cultural awareness surrounding the campaign, as well as for the stunning campaign photos that feature the individuals he met on his trip. 

If you're feeling the gear, you can currently buy the collection in-store and it will also be available online shortly.

3. Tommy Hilfiger's Spring 2016 Runway

In Spring 2016 in line with NY Fashion Week, Tommy Hilfiger sent models down the runway wearing crocheted hats with red, gold, black, and green stripes surrounded by sand and water. The clearly Rastafari inspired collection was accompanied by a soundtrack which featured a remix of Jamaican icon, Bob Marley's 'Could You Be Loved'.

For some, Hilfiger's spring/summer collection was a little too controversial and seemed to appropriate more than appreciate. Although, the argument stands that he did feature some Jamaican models on the catwalk too. Zuri Marley (Bob Marley's granddaughter) was one of few people who gave appraisal to the collection and commented "most people pull the appropriation card but to the island girl, it seems like Hilfiger's Antillean inspiration is informed and honest. Besides, fashion is always taking cues from from different cultures, so Tommy isn't the first and won't be the last designer to highlight island life" - excerpt from Fashion Fridays: Zuri Marley Responds To Hilfiger's Jamaica- Inspired SS16 Collection.

Whether you agree with her viewpoint or not, one thing is for sure, she's certainly right about Tommy not being the first or last to be "inspired" by (or capitalise on) Jamaican fashion! So, the question is, which designer brand is next...

Appreciation or appropriation... You decide! Leave your thoughts below and tell the UY crew whether you're flattered or fed up of designers using Jamaican fashion as the focal point of their collections.

As you can probably appreciate with a small business, work never stops from getting orders out from our website, to running pop up shops and appearing in a Pirelli calendar! Yes Uptown Yardie has cut its teeth on one of the most iconic publications and it was all through a chance encounter.

Earlier this year we were running a pop up shop in East London with a friend and great womenswear and jewellery designer Teah Wilson. One day when neither Rohan or myself were in the shop a stylist called Sharon Sylvester popped by and saw our shoes. She told Teah that she loved our shoes and left her details. To cut a long story short Sharon works with the new British Vogue editor Edward Enniful and wanted us to include our shoes in a major project. You can imagine our eyes popped out of our head and we had to stop ourselves doing a happy dance whilst she was still there. (side note) we did do a happy dance once she left our studio.

We were sworn to secrecy, in fact we had to sign a NDA and couldn't say anything until the calendar was launched officially last weekend. I'm sure we don't need to tell you how big this is, really really big.  The Pirelli calendar in itself is a huge achievement, the fact that it was being photographed by Tim Walker and styled by Edward Enniful even more humongous! And if we could get even more humongousness (not sure that's a word but that's how it felt) it was an all black cast. The concept of Alice in Wonderland is magical and brilliantly captured by photographer Tim Walker. You can watch the making of it https://youtu.be/fhVmFMFyO7s 

Last year we went to check out Afropunk literally before flying out to our honeymoon, and what an amazing time we had, Grace Jones was phenomenal. This year we’ve been asked to be part of the Spinthrift Market, where we will be combining art with fashion. Watch this space for the countdown to the market and competition offers.

We’ve been working on perfecting our unisex Rocker boots which will be landing soon. They are an update on our hugely successful remixed and twisted monkey boot. They will be coming in three different colour ways. Traditional black and bordeaux and to celebrate our two-year anniversary, we will be selling an exclusive limited edition colour to be revealed soon. There are only 10 pairs available, which are all individually signed and numbered by the Uptown Yardie Crew. Once these are gone they will be gone. Stay tuned for the big reveal and sign up to our mailing list to be alerted to the opportunity to pre-order. 

We will be selling the black and bordeaux colourways at Afropunk. 

Finally, we want to thank you for all your continued support of our brand. We often say it takes a village and we feel that surround us on this rocky but worthwhile journey.

One perfect love

The Uptown Yardie Crew

Happy birthday to us. This week sees Uptown Yardie turn 2 and this second year of business has been a whirlwind. To celebrate we are giving 20% off selected items all week. Just use code ANNIV2 at the checkout.

It all started with a post of Bob Marley with Ras Malachi. Did you know that Ras Malachi, Bob Marley's spiritual adviser was Mrs Uptown Yardie's dad?

We want to take you back to the beginning of 2016, what we are currently busy doing and share some snippets of future projects.

People in business always say that it will take a good two years of grafting to get a new business off the ground and we would say that is very true. The first year for us was finding our feet. Being creative is one skill, making that a successful business is another. So, navigating working with factories, unmet deadlines, building a website and starting an online business marked some unknown territory for us and there were lots of lessons learnt. It also meant taking a big leap of faith in our vision and sinking a lot of our hard-earned savings.

Besides maintaining and growing Uptown Yardie we had two major events happening. A house renovation and a wedding. Unless you have super powers and nerves of steel not advisable to do both but we got through it. We now have a great kitchen, come studio, come office, come entertainment space. You may not know it but that rubber yellow floor you often see in our pictures, yep that’s our kitchen. One of our other passions is interiors. Mrs UY has a blog and a little side business doing interiors. Check her out on facebook.com/untillemonsaresweet  

By far our greatest highlight was our wedding. In fact, we loved getting married so much we did it twice. Both were beautiful. Of course we were wearing shoes made by Mr Uptown Yardie.      

Our second year has seen the business take off and we were busy trying to take it to the next level. We launched a Kickstarter campaign to help us grow the business and help us finance our new collection.   

We had great fun filming our video in our local shopping centre, which ended with us being escorted off the premises by security. Apparently, you need a licence to shoot in the car park. Who knew! Lol.

Unfortunately, we did not meet our target which has implications for what we want to do, we come to that later, but on the bright side it increased our brand awareness and had a direct impact on our social media presence and website footfall. For a couple who are media shy we have never been interviewed so much. Podcasts, magazine interviews and an appearance on BBC Radio London was all outside of our comfort zone but paid off in terms of getting the brand out there.

We were disappointed that we didn’t make our target and it meant that we were not able to claim any of the money we had raised because our crowdfunder was an all or nothing scenario. It means we have had to scale back on what we were hoping to do. The collection will be much smaller and we unable to go to the Tokyo tradeshow.

On the plus side, we have pushed ahead with Uptown Yardie Jamaica and we are working with a factory in Jamaica to produce the Yardie boot. We are very proud of this project as we can give something back to Jamaica which has heavily influenced our style and ethos.

This is a boot made by the Jamaican people for the world. We are currently working with the Jamaican High Commission in London on an official launch date both here and in Jamaica.

Part II The future - soon coming...

The Uptown Yardie Kiltie Collection comes in a number of different colour ways, textures and leathers. You can buy them here https://www.uptownyardie.com/collections/kilties

They can instantly change how a shoe looks and can smarten up a pair of old trainers. So we've added a little tutorial on how easy they are to tie up.

The Yardie Crew were interviewed by Devon Daley on BBC Radio Derby yesterday. Spring has officially begun in the UK so sunshine yellow shoes were the perfect thing to talk about. Click here to listen to the show

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04xcw85

Still time to pledge to our kickstarter campaign www.uptownyardiecampaign.com

Check out My Yardie Girl, Kaya Sport and Kaya wing cap brogues in the latest edition of Toksick magazine http://www.toksickmag.com/single-post/2017/03/10/Hot-Marionette-by-photographer-Liron-Weissman

Thanks to photographer Liron Weissman and styling and art direction Limor Helfgott.

When people met us they always say its nice to put a face to the brand. We live, breathe and work Uptown Yardie. It's our passion and our vision to create for a community of people who like good things, which are good quality. So when we were approached by Mi Business Mag to feature in a day in my working life we said ok. Well Mrs Yardie said ok and Mr Yardie, who's more shy had to be poked at little. So here it is: http://www.mibusinessmag.com/2017/03/13/day-working-life-uptown-yardie/

Welcome to our world. 

One perfect love

The Uptown Yardie Crew

Uptown Yardie Kaya classic and kaya black and white shoes are featured in the latest Jocks&Nerds, the Lifestyle quarterly for men magazine . Styled by Harris Elliot and photographed by Dean Chalkley the pictures star Lono Brazil a New York based DJ, remixer and producer. 

Jocks&Nerds is sold in leading newsagents and leading UK fashion retailers.

Uptown Yardie has been featured in online magazine Shoppe Black. Check us out here: http://shoppeblack.com/2015/12/diaspora-list-20-black-owned-businesses-uk/

amfm is a web magazine for the arts, music, and fashion currently based out of chicago, illinois. Uptown Yardie were approached by the magazine who were keen to promote what we do. So back in October we were asked to do a Q&A. 

See what we said by clicking on this link:

http://amfm-mag.com/amfmmag/uptownyardie.html

We are on a mission to promote a community of people who are ones to watch. Unique people who embody our philosophy of what Uptown Yardie means. Uptown Yardie people.

For the first in this series we sat down with Yoshi SBX following his photo shoot for Uptown Yardie, to find out what makes him one to watch.

1. Tell us about yourself? (who you are? what you're into? what you're up to)

Hello world, I go by the name Yoshi SBX. I'm an artist, dancer, activist, holistic wellbeing advocate & universal spiritualist, with particular influence from Buddhism & Taoism. I'm founder of The Jam Movement dance collective & currently perform with Sean Graham's Foreign Bodies Orchestra. My passion is to live, love, learn & share. On that note, the next chapter in my journey is to focus & go deeper into the healing arts, training within the school of traditional Chinese medicine, on my journey as an aspiring helper & healer.

2. What's the second best thing that's ever happened to you?

At this time of writing, the 2nd best thing that i could recall would be 'dying' in a ceremony involving ayahuasca, back in 2012. The 1st would be to live & love again. It has been a most enlightening, ecstatic & agonising experience, as the mystics would say.

3. If you could change one thing in today's society what would it be?

The lack of compassion & awareness of our own sacred wellbeing, let alone others & the planet. When one is not whole or in harmony with self, one is out of touch with others & the universe. I believe it to be the root of all pain & suffering. Only when this happens, can one be enveloped in greed, inflict violence upon another & cause destruction, whether it be spiritual or in the physical. War & poverty are symptoms of such a society that has lost its way. That is why i'm aspiring to be a helper & healer, praying everyday to find centre & remain balanced. I practise yoga & adopt a vegan diet & lifestyle as a result, as best as one can.

4. How would you describe your style?

Style with substance. I like to be simple, practical & functional these days, whilst being stylish & innovative with my choice of attire. I have to, as a dancer. In the last few years though, having worked in fashion retail for 5 years & becoming more aware of the questionable industrial practises of the industry, i've learnt to merge my style with conscious, ethical consumerism. Therefore, i have a tiny wardrobe, where all my apparel is either recycled, repaired &/or multi-functional. So my favourite places to shop, only when i need to, are at charity, vintage & market outlets. Only apparel of good quality can last long enough to end up in such places, which is a good sign. Most products nowadays are not made well or to last. I place much favour on ethical & sustainable products too. I will go out of my way to support an independent designer, who can offer artistic innovation, such as Uptown Yardie, to name but a few. At the end of the day, we all want to look & feel good, presenting ourselves to the world as best as possible.

5. Choose five words to describe Uptown Yardie?

Eccentric, Eclectic, Slick, Stylish & Innovative.

6. What is your favourite Uptown Yardie product and why?

The Kaya Wing Cap brogues. The styling & attention to detail is wonderful. It shows real artistic flair, care & passion. Also the drop crotch denim jeans with the lovely Japanese fabric. The attention to detail is wonderful. 

7. Complete this sentence, "watch this space..."

... with 3 eyes. 

Yoshi SBX

Diary: The Life Of SBX Word: The Book Of X Art: Hello Yoshi

Photography: Agenda at www.visualmarvelry.com @VISUALMARVELRY

“I’m a Yardie in New York.”

Uptown Yardie has been busy, exploring new markets. New York is like our second home and bringing our brand there has always been the aspiration. The vibe of New York, the boroughs of Harlem, Brooklyn and the Bronx appeals to us. There are no set rules or trends and it fuels our creativity.

From the Wonderground parties, to the Soul Summit festival, where people were not afraid to express themselves through dance and fashion; through to the Brooklyn flea market, where we rummaged amongst all manner of curiosities and bought a pink plastic watch.  Visiting MOMA and the Brooklyn museums, from Pablo Picasso to the Rise of the Sneaker Culture. And then there there was the New York subway a world in itself inspiring impromptu photo opportunities and lots of times just getting lost while navigating it. All these things are part of the eclectic mix that, epitomises what Uptown Yardie is about.

The highlights of our trip, there were many but if we were to pick a few one would be visiting the Flamekeepers Hat club shop in Harlem, trying on hats, which were like works of art. Then drinking the most amazing tea at the Serengeti tearoom.

It was a great trip. Part II of a Yardie in New York soon come.

credits:

www.flamekeepershatclub.com

www.brooklynflea.com

www.serengetiteasandspices.com

www.facebook.com/wondergroundparty

www.facebook.com/hollis.king.1

www.facebook.com/pages/Soul-Summit-Ft-Greene-Park/166786486727525

www.widevisionphotography.com

"Big tings a gwan". It's been a crazy few months at Uptown Yardie, since the launch of the website we've been sending orders out like hot cakes and  shooting some looks for our Autumn lookbook. Also we have been creating our black label collection coming to you soon. We are off to New York in two weeks on business and planning more exciting new projects. 

This weekend we will be part of Africa Utopia where Uptown Yardie is remixed exclusively for Soboye. Join us at the fashion show on Saturday 12 September at 4.00pm. Come over and say hi.

One Perfect love

Uptown Yardie Crew