This week we shine the spotlight on the fantastic Gerry from our fave Manc T-shirt brand ‘Everything’s Sweet Threads’. Gerry and her fella Al set up their brand championing feminism a little over a year ago and they have gone from strength to strength.
What’s your name and where do you come from?
I’m Gerry and I’m originally from the North East but I’ve lived in Manchester for about 6 years and feel very at home here! Especially as my daughter Cecily has a proper manc accent!
Tell us a bit about Everything’s Sweet Threads!
The brand is all about positivity and female empowerment. My husband and I started it after we attended the Women’s March last year with Cecily. It’s a wonderful thing to have a daughter, I’m so excited for her future and at the same time I feel a huge sense of responsibility that she has all the same opportunities as if she had been a boy.
How are you involved with Our Kids Social?
We met team OKS at one of their ace events in Manchester Town Hall. They’ve always been really supportive and they’ve got quite a few Everything’s Sweet tees between them! They gave us the opportunity to do our first pop up shop and we jumped at the chance – we’ve been the best of friends ever since!
Which three words best describe you and why?
Loud, proud, feminist! I’m only little but I’m told I have a big mouth… I’m a proud wife and mum and I’m passionate about equality!
Tell us about The Pankhurst Trust and your involvement with them
Having a charity element to the brand was super important to us and we wanted the charity to be local and have a female focus. The Pankhurst Trust work out of Emmeline Pankhurst’s actual house (how cool is that?!), which is the UK’s only suffragette museum and is also home to Manchester Women’s Aid. It’s an incredible place to be, it reminds you how far we have come and how far we still have to go all at the same time.
What is on the kitchen disco play-list in your house?
We love music and are massive Bowie fans – let’s dance always gets CeCe going! I‘m also a sucker Hip Hop and RnB, preferably from the 90s and 00s… Montell Jordan is all I want to hear on a Friday night! This is how we do it!!
Where are your favourite places for a knees up without the nippers?
We love going to gigs and tend to use our babysitting tokens for something at The Albert Hall or Gorilla. We’re also partial to a bit of jazz down at Matt & Phreds.
What was the first album / single you bought and what format did you buy it on?
The first single I ever bought was Boyzone – Father and Son on CD. I was seriously into Boyzone, especially Ronan! I can also vividly remember asking my brother for the Friends theme tune for Christmas one year and getting the Aqua album on tape.
What would be your band T-shirt of choice?
You’ve probably noticed that we like a good band tee, the bootleggers that we are! But my favourite band tee is a Dolly Parton tshirt I got when I saw her in concert. I am a huge Dolly Parton fan. She is perfection. Ridiculously talented, kind and glamorous. I’ve even been to Dollywood in Tennessee and I’d highly recommend a visit!
What is a favourite family meal at your house and do you have a great recipe to share?
We love a good weekend brunch in our house. Cece is obsessed with sausages and Al and I love Huevos Rancheros – especially after one of those kid free knees ups!
Make a spicy tomato sauce with onions, garlic, fresh and dried red chillies, bay leaves, red peppers and tinned tomatoes. Allow to thicken, add sliced tomatoes to the surface then make some little wells in the sauce and crack the eggs in. Allow them to poach to a dream and serve with tortilla wraps, homemade guac, natural yoghurt and cheddar cheese! Muy Bien!
Apart from Our Kids Social (obviously) what would you recommend for family fun in the North West?
Obviously we love a good OKS event! We’re also massive Rockin’ Rhino fans – those guys are seriously good and I find myself listening to their CD in the car when I’m by myself…
We also like a good Shake, Rattle & Roll at Band on the Wall on a Saturday morning and The Whitworth do a brilliant outdoor toddler art club come rain or shine – great messy fun!
What are you looking forward to most at your next OKS event?
We were supposed to be going to the Brit Pop event – Al was especially looking forward to the tunes at that one! But I got roped into doing the Manchester 10k with the Pankhurst and 99 other women to celebrate the centenary of the first women getting the vote! We will be sure to back at OKS soon – looking forward to the variety of summer events.
Are there any small businesses you would like to give a shout out to?
I’ve discovered loads of lovely independent kids brands (and some ace women) through the power of insta – Albie & Sebastian and Marmalade Sky are definitely worth a look! If you haven’t visited the new Hatch space down on Oxford Road then you need to get down there. It’s a load of shipping containers, under the ring-road that house some wicked independent retailers and eateries – our fave is Nonsense, which also has a shop in Prestwich and sells the best plants in town!
Find out more about EST here
Find out about all upcoming OKS events here
ourkidssocial.blog 