THE FORMATION: A new home for women who love F1

Woman in a racing helmet with The Formation logo, close-up black and white portrait

A community built by the women inside the paddock, for the women watching from everywhere else

Here at HEY GIRL we love, love, loveeeee motorsport. We’ve already featured female racing drivers and motorbike riders in these pages, so when we found out about this cool new platform for women who love F1 called The Formation, we were properly buzzed.

The Formation launched this week ahead of the British Grand Prix as the world’s home for women who love Formula 1. Women now make up 42% of F1’s global fanbase, and three in four new fans coming into the sport are women too — that’s 350 million people worldwide who love this sport and have never really had a home built around that. The Formation is stepping in to change that.

"Women aren't a niche audience in Formula 1. We are hundreds of millions of fans around the world."

It’s the brainchild of sports marketing executive Amy Mansell, who spent two decades in elite sport and sponsorship before pioneering F1’s first major beauty partnership. She’s brought together an inaugural advisory board of women working right across the sport, including Sky Sports F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham, Miami Grand Prix President Katharina Nowak, NKrush founder Natalie Neal and marketing strategist Silvia Schweiger, with more names still to be confirmed.

Membership is free to join from day one, and gets you into a group chat community that comes alive every race weekend, a members’ newsletter and early word on events before tickets drop. A paid tier, Formation Club, is coming soon for anyone who wants to go further in — priority booking, ticket discounts and a more curated inner circle. Beyond the community side, curated race-weekend experiences are being planned at venues across London, Miami and beyond — think intimate lunches and panels with women from inside F1, not just another watch party.

The whole thing is built around the experience of women as fans, but the door is open to anyone who carries that same spirit and love for the sport.

We love that kind of thinking. Real community isn’t about building walls — it’s about building a room big enough for everyone who shows up with the right energy. And beyond the fandom side, The Formation’s got its eye on the bigger picture too, funding and championing the female motorsport pipeline for the next generation coming up through the sport.

Meet a fan: Darcey Bloye a female F1 super fan.

While we were getting buzzed about all this, we thought — who better to chat to than an actual fan. So we caught up with young media student, super F1 fan and friend of HEY GIRL, Darcey Bloye, about her love of the sport.

“What I love about F1 is I really enjoy seeing how it evolves year by year, with different teams improving and cars developing. I also love the community within F1 and seeing how the drivers express themselves through their individual brands. I find that when I see a female racing driver I am more drawn to her, as it feels more personal and as if she is proving that gender is not a barrier in motorsport. I also love seeing femininity brought into the sport as I feel it naturally compliments its values.”

"I definitely think that having a wider female fanbase makes for a more passionate atmosphere."

Darcey Bloye.

Couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Darcey. This is exactly the energy The Formation is tapping into.

Here’s to the next generation of women who love F1, and to everyone building the room for them to walk into.

And speaking of motorsport… little secret, keep it between us… ha… we’re thinking Issue 8 might just be revving up around engines and the world of motorsport. What do you think? Watch this space.

Sign up for free and take your place at wearetheformation.com, and follow along @wearetheformation on Instagram.

HG x

P.S. Know a cool womxn doing brilliant things in motorsport or other areas, that we should be shouting about? Get in touch — info@heygirlmagazine.com

GET TO KNOW: ZOE FROM JOYN

Meet Zoe Tuckey, Lead Designer at JOYN, creators of ethically produced handmade bags from India.

Zoe holds the creative vision behind their handcrafted products and oversees how they put into practice their values of caring for people and the planet in all that they do. Zoe grew up in India and lives with her family in Rajpur, a little town nestled at the foothills of the Himalayas, where JOYN’s manufacturing studio is based.

Interview by Rowena Price for HEY GIRL.

RP: Thanks for taking the time to chat with us, Zoe! Tell us more about JOYN — what’s the brand all about?

ZT: JOYN is a brand that strives to do business differently, creating a circular ecosystem where all considerations of the supply chain are taken into account and where the people and craftsmanship behind each product are honoured. It was started in 2011 by Melodie Murray, who was living in the Rajpur area with her family and wanted to help the arts of India to keep going in the local area.

Rajpur is a tiny community in the mountains in the middle of nowhere and hardly anybody knows about it. She had been in textiles and, enamoured by the artistic expression of block printing, thought it would be a good way to create more opportunities for local women to learn the artform and new skills, and to gain employment. So she started small, teaching a few people and working with local artisan groups. That team grew — we currently have around 40 employees — and here we are, over ten years later!

RP: Your website talks about many of the local women you worked with in the early days coming out of trafficking and abusive situations…

ZT: Yes, that’s what the brand was established on — helping people get jobs with fair wages in ethical conditions as part of a community, as well as fuelling the local arts industry. We’ve worked with a lot of local women who wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to be employed in this way — a lot of their husbands were drinking and they were just trying to provide for their families.

RP: JOYN is part of the global fashion industry, an industry facing constant scrutiny, particular in terms of ethics, social justice and sustainability. What role do brands like yours have to play here?

ZT: We try to lead by doing, not just saying, take action on a consistent basis, and avoid grand gestures whilst keeping a handle on our contribution to the mess. On a basic level, people will always consume — we know that. For us it’s about how and what is consumed, and a consideration of balancing our values of people and planet together. If people are our priority the planet must be too. Yes, we make new products, but we do so slowly and mindfully and make products built to last as sustainably as possible.

We actively work to purchase remnant leathers and sustainable materials so that we can make our bags without going through the high impact processes of tanning and dying so that, wherever possible, we create beauty with what the earth has already given us. We choose not to mass produce, but work with small, sustainable production runs, each time creating a small batch of handcrafted products, making each one beautifully unique. I’m personally driven to keep holding us to high standards in terms of our employees’ experience — we really look after the people that work for us — as well as the nature of what we produce.

RP: How would you describe the work you do?

ZT: Since coming back from maternity leave it’s been more of a part time situation. Usually the beginning of a season is the busiest time — developing ideas, gathering inspiration and sketching new collections. And I like to see it through to the end — so I work with Amy on how it’s going to be photographed, the accompanying wardrobe and the creative expression of what those products mean. I love the whole process. An average week is based on what is needed at that time of the season — I’ll go into the manufacturing unit, for example, to work with the team there to mix the right colours, order the block designs, choose the fabrics and oversee the development of the prints. No two days are the same — it’s really exciting, varied work and I feel like I’m the luckiest person.

RP: Your role at JOYN isn’t something you’d done before joining the company. What was it like learning those new skills?

ZT: At the time I started I had total imposter syndrome, like, ‘What am I doing?!’. Also being very aware of being white and female and outside of the culture in some senses, in spite of having lived in India for over 30 years. But in some ways it worked to my advantage because I knew nothing and had everything to learn. So I learnt a lot! I went into the production unit and said ‘I have this idea… is it possible?’ and it pushed people and became this collaborative effort because of my limitations and our different skill sets. As I look back I can see that that sense of collaboration was, and is, what it’s all about.

RP: What role does creativity play in your daily life?

ZT: I think I always find a way to be creative, even in the lulls. I took up weaving recently — there was this big loom at work and I took it home and started weaving — it’s all therapy, really. I’m not very good at being in the moment so it’s good for me. I’ve always really appreciated textile and design and art, and always had this bent towards creativity and tried to do stuff with my hands since I was young. I have another background in music so it was always going to be design or music — I initially went with music and toured with a band for a while and organised creative events where we did music and poetry and workshops and that sort of thing. It’s creativity or nothing for me — it’s an outlet for expression, I have to or I’ll go mad!

RP: How do you overcome creative blocks?

ZT: It’s a real tough one and show’s itself in different ways with different artforms. Like with songwriting, when I hit a wall, I just want to smash my guitar and say ‘That’s it, I’m done!’. But with other stuff — like weaving — I find it really intuitive, so if I hit a wall I think ‘no I need to finish this, even if it sucks and even if I don’t like it in the end, it’s the process that’s important and not the outcome’.

RP: It’s such a different slant on a creative process when you’re attaching to an outcome, thinking ‘I’ve got to sell this, what will people think of it?’…

ZT: Absolutely. Previously I was all about ‘how can it be the best, how will it be seen by others’ — it’s so hard to get out of that mindset of how the final product will be seen, how it can be sold and thinking about how it’s going to be validated by other people. All these thoughts go through your head. But I know that if I can get out of that zone and focus on the fact that this is good for me and I need to do it because I can find myself in it, I can overcome the blocks much better, one step at a time.

RP: What’s your personal definition of empowerment? What does that word mean to you?

ZT: I’ve gone round in circles about this because it’s been misused a lot. When the word ‘empowerment’ is used it can sometimes indicate a power imbalance. I don’t think anyone can really ‘empower’ somebody else, I think it has to come from within. I think it’s more like being a friend, and when you’re being a friend to somebody and you’re seeing and hearing each other mutually then you’re both going to rise. If you’re in it together then you’re empowering each other — it’s more mutual and leaves no room for inequality, I would say.

RP: When do you feel most empowered?

ZT: When I’ve pushed through something that I didn’t allow myself to do before. Where I feel like I just can’t do it or I’m not good enough. My husband is really good at asking the right questions in those moments, helping me realise I can do it and it’s not impossible. When I overcome things like that then I feel empowered.

RP: You’ve talked about togetherness being conducive to mutual empowerment. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given about working together and collaborating with others?

ZG: I’m not sure about advice specifically, but I’ve learned over time about when to take the lead, when to step back, and choose your collaborators consciously. If you can go in with the mindset of knowing that you have something to learn here, with an open attitude, it’s probably going to go much better for you.

RP: HEY GIRL believes that creativity is an incredibly powerful force in the world. How do you see that power being harnessed currently and what impact do you want it to have?

ZT: I’m always blown away by how impactful creativity is in terms of changing the world. I remember watching a documentary (I can’t remember what it’s called now!) about how a place in America was transformed through the arts, putting art everywhere and the act of creative expression changing things for people. We often talk about ‘what is it about art that’s so transformational for people?’ — and it’s often intangible. But we’ve all experienced it in our own lives — listening to music or seeing a picture or photo and something changes.

I think it just needs to keep happening. Art is this explosion of everything that you can’t say, and often it’s most powerful when it’s expressed by people who have been suppressed or haven’t had the opportunity to be heard — it’s powerful and completely beautiful.

“We envision a world where community is connected to the art of hand making - the practice of choosing slow and spending our time to create products that deserve to exist in our world.”

RP: Tell us about your creative influences – who or what inspires you?

ZT: It’s more people and artists that I know rather than famous people. There have been people in my own life that have come at the right time and done something spectacular that I’ve seen and it’s magic when that happens.

RP: ‘Positivity’ in the media is often portrayed as either toxically present or demonstrably absent. What’s your relationship with the concept of positivity today?

ZT: I really don’t like toxic positivity. I wouldn’t say I’m an extremely positive person – I’m down the middle, a realist, I guess. But I guess positivity is a nice way of getting yourself out of fight or flight more and seeing potential in challenging situations and shifting perspective.

RP: What one piece of advice would you give to your 16 year old self?

ZT: Trust your inner voice – hold on to that inner wisdom and stay the course.

RP: What’s your hope for 2023?

ZT: I hope for more adventure for all of us! It’s been a tough few years, so action and adventure and new experiences would be wonderful.

RP: That does sound wonderful! Thanks again for taking the time to chat with us and allowing us to shine a spotlight on your inspiring work.

Discover more about JOYN, their products and brand story at www.joynbags.com

FREEDOM. LOVE

GET TO KNOW: HI CACTI

Hi Cacti is a cool Brighton based independent shop thats all about cacti, We popped in to say hi to Sabina the owner and founder, checked out all her amazing stock and her new book.
Let’s see what’s so great about these cool plants.
” I’m very passionate about sharing how beneficial plants are for us…”

For the readers .. you got a cool accent .. where’s that from?
Surprisingly with my Yankee twang I’m actually from rural Suffolk originally! Just to throw ya off! But we moved to Austin Texas when I was 7 and that’s where I spent most of my youth till 22 hence losing my English accent for my American accent. I have dual nationality with my mum being English from london and my dad being an Italian American New Yorker- which massively shaped who I am as I feel very ‘transatlantic’ with my vocab & upbringing, etc.

So … what’s so great about Cacti’s?
They are just awesome all around! Structural so therefore sort of architectural! They’re Survivors! They have preferences to thrive but they are still able to ‘bloom where they are planted’ so to speak which I really admire and appreciate. Also cacti are long living and can outlive us – such as the immense & impressively tall saguaro cacti in the Sonoran desert in areas like Arizona, Southern California, and northern Mexico which can live a couple hundred years and grow 40ft+. Because of there slow growth and ages this means they can usually be passed down and exchange households and generations which I think is really beautiful. I inherited my 1st cacti collection from my grandmother ‘Nanny Joy’ which really inspired the start of my whole business after she passed away. There are so many varieties too so they are I think one of the more interesting, varied, and easy plants to keep! Just a sunny spot, minimal watering and Bob’s your uncle! 

LOVE. LIFE

Tell us about your fab new book?
Thanks and yes I’m super excited that the book is out now as it was a long time in the making! A publisher approached me about writing it about 2.5 years ago, so it’s so unreal and amazing to finally be a fabricated product in the shop and being sold in other peoples shops around the world!
It’s mind blowing and I feel over the moon! The basis of the book is to talk about the benefits of plant care as a form of self care and to hopefully talk about simple and accessible ways to add nature and botanicals into your daily life. There’s lots of info about the benefits mentally & physically, plant projects and crafts, plant based recipes and botanical drinks, and lots of plant hacks, tips, and styling ideas! I truly believe in the power of plants over just them looking pretty in a pot on your desk and I’m very passionate about sharing how beneficial it is for us to connect to nature and add some greenery to our daily and usually digital lives! 

How would you describe the colours of your shop .. in a sound?
A tropical beat for sure! Picture that random cool colourful chick around that beach bomb fire tapping a simple bongo beat… that prob out Cabana colour pallet vibe. 

How would you describe the experience of walking into your shop?
Between the colours, beachy texmex products and tropical greenery I strive to make the shop feel like a holiday or a little oasis from the city. Our mantra is very ‘mi Casa Es su casa’ and I really love creating a space that transports people and stops them in their tracks for a moment’s escape.

“Ironically people always see the big guys in my window like cowboy cacti with big spikes and are fearful of them …”

What’s been the coolest place you have been on your travels?
Super tough call. But I would say New Orleans is one of my favorite cities I’ve ever been to, as it has it’s own completely unique vibe and mix of influences and cultures. It feels so Unique to the city itself, very Cajun, voodoo, French, southern, jazzy, arty, etc and I adore the pride that people from Nola have. But also Arizona state as a whole is epically beautiful, so varied from snow capped mountains & pine tree forests to red rocked canyons with waterfalls and cacti filled desserts. Tucson in particular makes my soul sing and changed my life going there and now we try to visit their deserts every winter if we can! 

How did you end up in Brighton?
I came for a summer when I was at university in Austin and never left! And that was 15 years ago. Haha 😂 my mum being English I had the passport and wanted to make sure I took advantage of it at some point in my life, and came halfway thru uni for a summer break to work at a pub and fell in love with Brighton and didn’t want to leave. 

Which is your spikiest cactus?
Ironically people always see the big guys in my window like cowboy cacti with big spikes and are fearful of them but it’s actually more like the little guys with small thin hairlike spikes like prickly pear cacti that really get cha as they are super fine and hard to get out and hard to see. 

Where do you want to be in 10 years?
I would love to be splitting my time between running my business here in England and also out of the southwest of America, perhaps with another ‘Hi Cacti’ location or 2. Out of either Southern California like Joshua tree and/or Austin or Tucson, driving around in my 80’s Orange Ford bronco delivering cacti between desert hikes. ;-) 

How can the HEY GIRL readers find you?
The HEY GIRL gang can find me online on my ‘gram @hi_cacti or my website www.hicacti.com

Otherwise pop by the shop and say ‘Hi’ on the Brighton seven dials.

Big thanks to Sabina for chatting to us .. if you fancy a lovely book or Cacti for a little present check out the shop and website.

HG xx

FREEDOM. LOVE

BRANDS WE LOVE: LARA INTIMATES

If there’s one thing I have learnt, if you can’t find what you want do it yourself?…. that’s how?HEY GIRL came into being.

Here’s the amazing underwear?brand “LARA INTIMATES” … it was set up by Faith Leeves and Cindy Liberman in September 2017 just 3 months after graduating from London College of Fashion.?Lara Intimates is a sustainable women’s underwear brand making every garment from deadstock fabrics in Lara’s all female, Central London factory. In addition to a local and eco-friendly supply chain, Lara offers one of the most inclusive bra size ranges in the world: 28A-36E including 28-34F.

We had a little chat to find out more…

Why did you start the brand? what made you want to do it?
Faith (Leeves) and I (Cindy Liberman) studied lingerie and swimwear design at London College of Fashion. While studying, we looked for jobs in the industry and realised there was no one we wanted to work for. No brand cared about sustainability throughout their supply chain and had a product we loved. We also noticed that women were very dissatisfied with lingerie available from high street and luxury retailers. We thought we could create something better with a great set of values and product that women loved.

Whats been the hardest thing doing ?Lara Intimates”?
The hardest thing at the moment is juggling the million different things that need to be done in a day! But that’s the fun part about owning your own business :)

Where does the name come for?
We wanted a girl’s name but didn’t want to use our own name. So we chose Lara.

How does it make you feel when you?know people love your product?
When someone loves our product, it’s the best feeling in the world. Recently, a girl came in and said she was considering a boob reduction. When she tried on our bras, I swear I saw her tear up, and no she’s no longer considering surgery. I think that’s the best reaction we’ve had so far.

How do you feel about retouching in the media?
I don’t agree with dramatic retouching in the media. I think small changes to lighting or something distracting in the photo is ok, but we would never retouch a woman’s body. I also hate when brands smooth out wrinkled clothes in pictures. We believe in products that fit perfectly, so it drives me crazy when ill-fitted clothing is edited to look like a great fit.

As being a guy I would love to know how can men support women more in fashion?
We need more women in high positions in fashion businesses. I recently heard that only 2% of investment goes to women-run businesses, and unfortunately investment and finance is a bit of a boys club. I think men could do more to champion women-owned companies succeed by investing in fashion. There’s obviously so many answers to this question, but that’s one specific I think about a lot.

How can we empower women more?/ What would you say your brands ethos is?

Our mission is to celebrate women. We make products that fit and flatter, provide opportunities to female makers and empower all women that believe in a sustainable fashion future. I love seeing women feel confident and empowered when they buy Lara bras. It’s incredible what a difference that makes in their lives. We also really want to provide opportunities to women with our business. Lingerie manufacturing used to be one of Britain’s largest providers of job for women, and now nearly all those jobs are gone. We want to bring those opportunities back and celebrate design and production.

Check out the whole range?https://laraintimates.com

Big love x

BRANDS WE LOVE : ALOHA FROM DEER

From cats in space helmets to pink flamingos … if you fancy getting some bold print sweaters and T-shirts … check out Aloha from Deer!!! We at HEY GIRL love them!!

Aloha from Deer was established in April 2012 and since then it became widely recognisable in the world of streetwear. Being promoted as a vital part of the global fullprint trend it managed to bring together a huge audience of fans and followers from all around the world. AFD is worn by popstars: Anja Rubik, Kate Perry, Mike Tyson, Robbie Williams, to name just the few. Being originally a Polish brand it’s also one of the favourites of local YouTube stars like Stuu, JDabrowsky, Abstrachuje, Ajgor Ignacy or Littlemooonster96. The just love the deer!

Photos by Simon Clemenger

Models – Connie and Barney

Check out the website

https://alohafromdeer.com

GET TO KNOW : AZZI GLASSER

azzi glasses hey girl magazine
WORDS BY CORAL BROWN?https://coral-brown.co.uk

 

Smells We Love: The Perfumer?s Story by Azzi

 

Our world is a collage of sensory experiences: the twinkle of light bouncing from a freshly popped bubble; the sound of two seagulls having a domestic; the warmth of a slept-in bed; the fusion of sugar and acid in an orange; the smell of grass having a haircut (just a trim).
When it comes to culture, each of our senses is officially, ceremoniously addressed. Our eyes are served up a smorgasbord of heart-stopping cinematography, dazzling fashion collections, vibrant art and daunting architecture. Sound waves heavily armed with infinite bass and treble combos overdubbed with poetic lyrics plug our ear canals. Swanky Michelin-star restaurants exist to lavish attention on our tastebuds with culinary treats. But what about smell? As yet, the only acknowledgement culture has shown to our noses is the faint whiff of synthetic strawberry on a plastic ball in a toyshop.

 

Cue The Perfumer?s Story by Azzi. Her collection is a foray into the unchartered waters of aromatic art, with each scent manifesting a detailed and nuanced aura only accurately describable through metaphor.?Twisted Iris?teleports you to a misted mossy forest, loaded with flora and fauna and well-staffed with tweety birds.?Old Books?sends you back to an authentic country pub, with years of port, cigar smoke and vivacious deep-voiced conversations absorbed into its wooden wall panels, as you sit on a creaking metal-studded leather armchair and tip open a historic copy of Dickens on an overcast Sunday afternoon.
And no prizes for guessing where?Ditch?takes you. Designed in collaboration with Swiss director and drummer Jonas ?kerland, after one spray of?Ditch?you wake up in a grassy-fringed dew-earringed trench, still boozy from the night before wearing last night?s jeans, as you sink your hands into the crumbling soil to stand vertical and stagger merrily home, hiccuping on every third step. It?s the first time I?ve found fragrances that evoke such vivid imagined memories.
In essence, The Perfumer?s Story by Azzi is a collection of personalities encased in quiet simple glass bottles, escaping through the spray nozzles. And if you get the chance to zip up to Harrods, each of them are well worth meeting.

 

When having a chance meeting at Wilderness festival with Azzi and her scents we knew we had to create …. so for our next issue “SCENT AND SIGHT” …we are collaborating !!!! By using her scents to flow our minds into creative inspiration for our new set of portraits ….. GET your eyes and noses ready ..it going to amazing !!

 

Label love : Shara Hayz

Super Pop colours – a world of dynamic fantasy !!!!

Shara Hayz is an London based Creative ? Initially working as a fashion designer with a Master?s degree, Shara has evolved into costume, styling and art direction for Photography, Video and events.

She is renowned for her fashion forward designs that fuse high fashion and costume that makes the perfect design aesthetic for music videos, live performances and creative photography and editorial.

Influenced by youth cultures around the world.? Shara?s vision is built on a hybrid of influences from the past, present and future, creating a unique Pop avant-garde style.

She has worked with many?CELEBRITIES – Kate Upton, Rihanna, Hot Chip, Lulu James …to name a few…

WE LOVE her designs and style …see some of her clothes in the next issue #bodyandsoul out soon…

And more HEY GIRL collaboration in the future…. xx

http://sharahayz.com

https://www.facebook.com/shara.hayz/

Check out her designs in her?latest editorial photo story below!!

 

 

Label love: Nikita Karizma

By Bianca Gerlach

Label love: Nikita Karizma

London-born designer ?Nikita Karizma? knows exactly how to push the boundaries of design and create the Rock?n?Glam look, the celebrities, such as Poppy Develigne, Millie Mackintosh and Marina and the Diamonds love. For her ?Rockstar Couture? line, Nikita worked with shiny materials, edgy cuts and a space like design. Definitely a label and collection which we would adore having in our next Hey Girl issue!

Shop her current collection here.

Brands to Watch: The Lovers & Drifters

By Bianca Gerlach

Brands to Watch: The Lovers & Drifters

While searching for new brands to include in our next issue, we discovered this amazing label from Amsterdam: The Lovers & Drifters create fashion for all the wild hearted girls and built up their own community of free-spirited minds. It doesn’t matter if you prefer being a Baby Doll or Rock’n’Roll queen – their crazy shag jackets and too-cool-to-be-true prints and slogans will blow your mind!

Shop their Fake Club SS16  collection here.

Link to their shop:http://loversanddrifters.com/collections/fake-club-ss16

All images from The Lovers & drifters website.