We had the pleasure of joining Max from The Bay Print Co. for the production of our brand new cruiser tees, hand-printed out of a shipping container workshop in Dunvant.
We arrived early on a Monday morning. The clocks had changed the day before, bringing with it a rippling of excitement for the summer months ahead. After what felt like weeks of grey and rain, on this particular morning there was a warm orange glow lighting up the land surrounding Max’s workshop. It felt like hope.
At the end of a dirt track we caught a glimpse of the screens. Propped up to dry in the early morning sun, we knew we’d found the right place. After some chicken-wrangling (don't ask), we joined Max as he showed us his printing process.
As a community-based organisation, one of our top priorities is supporting local and independent businesses. Based on the Gower Peninsula, The Bay Print is a Welsh screen printing and embroidery brand specialising in sustainability.
We’re stoked to use a company that prioritises eco-friendly materials. As surfers, we feel compelled to protect the environment we spend so much of our time in. Bay Clothing (the umbrella company of Bay Print), use recycled or organic cotton garments and print with vegan water-based inks. Their packaging, screen supplies and even their screen cleaning chemicals are eco based - so no nasties! In a further effort to reduce waste and dead stock, we're running the tees as pre-order only, so each t-shirt is specially made-to-order.
As we emerge from a long winter, we wanted to celebrate some of the things we love - coffee, skating and surfing! The tees are designed by Gower Women’s own, Tirion Jenkins. Speaking about the design, she says - “it was incredibly exciting to see something I drew turn into a real-life printed tee. I was definitely nervous too but they’ve come out just as I hoped they would. I can’t think of a better person to print them than Max at Bay Clothing, who’s a local surfer himself”.
We’re looking forward to sharing warm evenings cruising together along the coast. If you’d like to get involved, you can check out the ‘What’s On 2023’ calendar and pencil some dates for this year in your diary. Also make sure to keep an eye on our social pages for spontaneous skate jam announcements when we have some dry weather!
New to skateboarding and wanting to learn? While we're not offering skate lessons ourselves just yet, Exist Skate Park in Swansea runs women's only and 'learn to skate' sessions. For GWS members, we're chuffed to partner with Swansea's Hiatus & Close-out surf shop to bring you 10% off when you visit in-store. They have a gorgeous selection of cruisers, longboards & surfskates for you to choose from.
We were blown away by the support Max showed us, and can strongly recommend getting in touch for your printing needs.
@thebayprintco
thebayclothingltd.co.uk
Images by Ebbi Rose
Words by Tirion Jenkins