Dovetail Diseño is a Barcelona-based brand created by GCU alumnus Callum Veitch.
The 28 year old designer has a BSc in Environmental Management & Planning and has achieved what so many are now attempting in terms of affordable, fairtrade fashion and created a unique brand without sacrificing his morals at the altar of fashion.
The EDIT interviewed him to hear what his brand is all about and what inspired him to become a designer.
The B-Side Collection is a series of t-shirts subtly inspired by the city of Barcelona. Each design represents an iconic…
Posted by Dovetail Diseño on Sunday, 30 August 2015
Did you always want to be a designer?
I’ve always enjoyed being creative and designing has stemmed from there without really being a clear career path. I guess my passion is to be creative and environmentally and socially conscious and Dovetail Diseño is certified Fairtrade and organic. It’s important to the brand.
https://instagram.com/p/4OaCyoCtwJ/
Your dad was a carpenter, did that inspire you?
When I was younger I used to spend time at his workshop. Although without sounding cheesy my Mum has been more of an inspiration. Now she has a year round holiday destination!
Glasgow is so diverse, do you feel that it had an impact when you created your pieces?
I think now that I’m living in Barcelona I’ve become a little bit more patriotic towards home.
I find myself telling friends here all about Glasgow’s good points! Like being the first place to give Nelson Mandela freedom of the city while he was still imprisoned under the apartheid regime. Glasgow also renamed the street where the South African Consulate was housed to Nelson Mandela Place. This meant all mail sent to and from there had to have his name, at a time when the apartheid South African government only recognised Mandela as a prisoner. It’s things like this that make me proud of Glasgow!
You have relocated to Barcelona, what made you do that? Do you just like the fantastic weather and super-efficient metro system?
With all the Gaudi and Picasso places, it’s a designers dream. Haha yes, I do love the weather and transport here! I backpacked around Europe one summer (one of the perks of student life, having the summer free once the exam stress is over!) and there was something special about Barcelona, that I could imagine myself living here. The artistic side to the city was definitely a draw for me.
What inspires your designs?
This collection is purely inspired by Barcelona. For me, the architecture, football team, artists, literature and civil war are synonymous with the history of the city. Each of the designs represents one of these themes. For example the sheet music t-shirt ‘A Las Barricadas’ was the anti-fascist anthem during the Spanish Civil War. The football pitch design represents Barca’s 4-3-3 style of play. I tried to make the designs both iconic and subtle at the same time.
https://instagram.com/p/3qNVH0Ct9B/
What do you hope to achieve with the brand? Have you found the Spanish have accepted you easily?
I hope Dovetail flies! I’d been working at an office in Barcelona but I was craving creativity and eventually made the change. I’m finding the style to be fairly popular here, more so with locals than tourists.
What do you think of the fashion industry right now?
I hope there is a revolution in fashion production. The manufacturing tragedies in Bangladesh, unregulated working conditions, child labour and sweatshops are all still happening today, in the 21st century. When we see clothes on a shop rail we don’t know under what conditions they were produced.
However, organisations like Fair Wear, work to ensure human rights and improve labour conditions for workers in the clothing industry. Dovetail Diseño only source certified products so you know you’re wearing something ethical and organic.
https://instagram.com/p/xq6gM_Cty4/
Diseño is offering an exclusive discount to Caley students! Visit dovetaildiseno.net and use the code CALEY 10 for a 10% discount on any order.
Featured photo credit: Dovetail Diseño’s Facebook page.
