Selfridges Project Ocean: Fish just got Fashionable.

Hello me heartys, I want to tell you a little story about the sea, gather round and make yourselves comfortable. Once upon a time there were lots of fishys in the sea, some big, some small, most eating each other, granted, but other than that all were having a whale of time. (Don’t worry about it). They knew where they stood, went about their day and had huuuge families to have their Sunday lunch with. Then one day in the 1950’s, these huge nets started trawling through their world as industrial fishing was introduced and they never stopped. More fish were being caught in a shorter time than they could reproduce. You do the maths.

60 years on and Greenpeace tells us that over 70 percent of the world's fisheries are either 'fully exploited', 'over exploited' or significantly depleted’. In laments terms, that ain’t good people, I’m sure Captain Birdseye would have something to say about that. 90 percent of the main predatory big fish have left our seas and are in tins in our cupboards like Tuna and Cod, so other fish have been renamed to make them sound more appealing (the Patagonian Toothfish was reinvented as Chilean Seabass). Naughty naughty waggy finger.

Another factor about the whole thing I’m just not loving is bycatch. Made to sound oh so polite, it’s basically the killing of seals, birds, dolphins and other marine life that is inadvertently killed in the colossal nets. One more thing while I’m mid rant, methods of fishing are permanently destroying whole habitats. Ever seen those mildly entertaining and majorly chauvinistic programs about deep sea fishermen? well those bottom trawlers they throw out there are doing the damage.

Ok rant over. Now one of my favourite stores for their fresh attitude (and of course amazing clobber) is Selfridges and for the last 6 weeks they have been leading the way in thinking about the way we fish and eat with Selfridges, Project Ocean. In Conjunction with about 20 environmental organizations (WWF, London zoological society and more) and Supported by celebrities from Elle Macpherson to Lily cole to Prince Charles, the opening ceremony started a very exciting six weeks with a bang.

From there, The store has held talks, art installations, fashion shows and NME and KOKO held free gigs there every Friday night, in their tres trendy Ultralounge.
Of course amidst all the fun and frivolities a very serious point is being raised, and aimed at the younger generations, we need to change the way we fish and eat. If we don’t, come the next generation there will be no fish at all. On the sefridges Project Ocean website (below)there is a quide to the fish we should and shouldn’t be eating, you can download an app so you can see it on the go (flounder, pollack, sole = good, marlin, rayes and bluefin tuna = bad), recipes with alternative fish and most excitingly to me (shock), there is a range created by designer katherineHamnett, here is a little sample. I’ve already ordered mine!

www.selfridges.com/en/StaticPage/ProjectOcean

shopper £18

t shirt £40

bracelet £5


today is the last day but you can still donate and here is where to do it: Text either ocean 3, ocean 5, or ocean 10 ( depending on how much you want to donate) to 70050. £92,000 has been so far, it’s a race against time to do something to save the £200 billion dollar a year industry and to save the marine ecosystem. It’s not some poncy designer dream, it’s a reality.

VOTE WITH YOUR FORK. DOWNLOAD THE APP. PROTECT THE OCEAN.