We had a Broke birthday in the house last week as Lorna turned 25, and with us already heading to Camden, ready to brand BROKE on our bodies forever, we figured what better way to big up all the sh*t we’ve been simping for than tatting it on our skin too? Only messin’ (we ain’t made of money), but we did wanna rep all the goated brands we f*ck with on a daily and feature a few of our mates who made the day a smashing one, so without further ado…
ED HARDY X SINEAD GOREY – ROSE GIRL TRUCKER & PLAYING CARDS TRUCKER CAP
LORNA: I clocked this cap bopping on the head of someone at Sinead Gorey’s fashion week after party, and the whole woman-in-nature vibe gave me mad festival vibes. That (combined with my embarrassingly shoddy excuse of a hat collection) had me gagging for one. Fast forward a few months later, I was picking it up from the post office (big up the Fabric PR team for sorting us out) and it’ll be on my head from GALA festival this weekend ’til waterworks in September.
IZZY: Ngl I have been reppin” this hat so hard since fashion week in February and the brand is a repeat offender in my wardrobe. It’s a real collector item as the brand partnered with local fashion lady Sinead Gorey who really put on a St.Trinian’s show last season. Bring on the next season of this creative desginer to watch.
EVERPRESS – EASILY DISTRACTED, FARTS UNDER THE SEA & NEVER DATE A DJ TSHIRT
LORNA: I was raised on old Disney VHS tapes of The Little Mermaid so Everpress’ farts under the sea t-shirt is a little inside joke between me, me, and now, a Venezuelan artist called Pato who made the design (check out their page). As for the easily distracted t-shirt? That’s found it’s way into the Broke’s communal closet (a rail in the corner of our living room) because we’re all ADHD as f*ck.
IZZY: The Never Date A DJ T-Shirt has made its mark… coming with me to New York and back, this lightweight print was my favourite statement piece for my trip. The feel is super sleek on your skin and knowing it comes from a sustainable source is just the cherry on top! This one brings a tear to my eye as it’s lost in the messiness of London (during my Soho House Skream excursion… wink wink). Anyhoo, I am an Everpress stan for life – on the lookout for all the latest designs as soon as they drop.
CROCS – ECHO STORM & CRUSH CLOG
LORNA: Crocs are cool af and that’s a hill I’ll die on. After wearing their Mega Crush Clog to fashion week (and spending way too long curation my selection of charms) I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for any extra saucy drops coming outta Crocs HQ and when I clocked these trainers (which rival half of the futuristic high-fashion designs retailing for a grand upwards) I was sooo down to rep them.
IZZY: There’s a joke in my family about Crocs and my gosh when I wore these my mother gave me the eye… for me, Crocs are a reminder of my Dad messing around in his man cave or garage on certain projects, a feeling of beach holidays and the sea water splashing through the foot holes. I am a sucker for a platform so the combination of Croc and hight is a chef’s kiss from me!
MELLER – KESIA OCEAN OLIVE SUNNIES
LORNA: Something about these sunnies makes me thirstyyyy! The colour has me gagging for a swim in the ocean (look at that crisp blue) but with the state of my bank account and UK weather doing what it does best (piss it down) I’ve accepted that’s not on the cards right now and have instead accepted these sexy Meller sunnies as consolation.
IZZY: You can never have enough shades (swear I say that in every guide). But, there’s something about the framing and structure of Meller that is unmatched. I have been trying to incorporate more blues into my wardrobe so I am gassed to have a pair of sunnies to match!
WRANGLER – WANDERER BLUE JEANS
LORNA: Wrangler ain’t a brand I usually gravitate towards, but my GOD they know how to do denim, and havee been dropping some genuinely sick pieces here and there. The picture doesn’t do these jeans justice, but they’ve got a flower-power-meets-hippie-trucker energy and a flare that’ll have me dancing towards the disco tent during festival season.
SHOKZ – OPENFIT HEADPHONES
LORNA: These have been an absolute game changer for my morning commute, I can’t hack being without headphones but also love hearing the buzz of London around me and these give me exactly that, the cherry on top being a crisp sound and sense of grounding, (honestly, I can’t gass them up enough).
IZZY: Tiny ear people unite! I tend to find headphones tricky because my ears are so damn small and they always fall out. Even AirPods feel a bit flakey sometimes. When I tried Shokz I was sceptical, it didn’t feel entirely secure (like any of these motherf*ckin things) but the sound was indescribable! It allowed the mundane noise to flow beautifully in sync with my beat-heavy playlist and wow have my morning commutes changed since.
FHIRST – LEMON LIME LIVING SODA
LORNA: If you’ve been reading Broke for a while you’ll know we’re massive FHIRST fans so I was gassed to find out they were releasing a new flavour for summer and this stuff is fresh as f*ckkk (I kinda miss the old silky cans tho).
CHROME – TENSILE SLING & MINI TENSILE SLING CROSSBODY BAG
LORNA: About a year ago, I picked up a bag made of metal pull tabs in a Hackney Charity shop and hadn’t stored my stash of cards, keys and crystals in anything since…’til Chrome’s Tensile Sling found its way into my life, and, for the first time in twelve months, I wore something different on my shoulder.
IZZY: Can never go wrong with a good secure bum bag as festival season approaches. I wanna have peace of mind that my keys, phone, gum and other obscure items are safe and sound as my toes be tapping all summer long.
MARSHALLS – WILLEN SPEAKER
IZZY: A speaker is essential. Especially if you love music and have intertwined it into every element of your life… like I have. So, expect me to be rocking up to the summer backyard function with my Marshall speaker in hand. The sound quality is unmatched. The. best part? It’s weightless! This is coming with me all summer long.
VAULT URBAN – MONOCHROME & GREEN OVERSIZED HIGH PERFORMANCE SHIRT
LORNA: I’m gonna be so real, I’m in two minds about this shirt, on one hand it’s the first I’ve ever found that fits perfectly, doesn’t crease (a massive plus as someone who hasn’t ironed anything since moving to London at 18) and frankly looks pretty f*cking hard styled with anything. It’s made with 100% GREENONE® (a specially formulated polyester that can biodegrade within 3-5 years) and an odour-control technology, reducing the need for frequent washing, but at the end of the day, I don’t know if it’s worth the price tag and wonder if they could have just made it using quality materials that last, cause that’s sustainability, (but I’ll let you lot make your minds up).
IZZY: I don’t usually rock a shirt but wow this one hit differently. I picked the vibrant green (the best colour) and as soon as I saw myself in it I felt like a top dog. I love this shirt cuz its transferable, I can style it a million different ways.
DON MIGUEL RUIZ – THE FOUR AGREEMENTS BOOK
LORNA: Full disclosure, I’m only 50 pages or so into this book but Don Miguel Ruiz’s words have been shifting my mindset every couple pages. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom if you’re looking for authentic information on how to reduce internal conflict and become a more loving human being (which the world is in serious need of right now) it’s well worth a read.
SLOGGI – ZERO FEEL BRA & HIGHLEG KNICKERS
LORNA: If, like me, you love a fire fit but get sweaty af the second you enter a festival tent, this Sloggi set is gonna save your life, firstly because it’s the comfiest underwear I’ve ever owned and secondly because when it gets a lil too hot, you can whip off your top and rock a bralette and cargos (it’s gonna be a permanent fixture in my backpack this summer).
FOX & FURB – JOURNEY TO DISCOVERY & CHECKERBOARD SCATTER CUSHION
LORNA: Full disclosure, my room is mismatched af, there ain’t a single cohesive cushion cover, the walls are covered in posters I’ve pinched from the toilet stalls of various rave venues and wristbands galore, so this chaotic Fox & Furb cushion is right at home on my (usually unmade) bed.
IZZY: It takes me ages to get to sleep and I knew my pillows needed an upgrade… did I do anything about it? Not until Fox & Furb popped up and my eye lit up. The distorted check print matches the vibes of my room perfectly not only giving comfort but also vibes.
RU PAUL – THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN MEANINGS MEMOIR BOOK
IZZY: Words can’t express how much this book will change your life! Anyone who has been within 2 cm of myself will know I’m frothing at the mouth for drag queens. Ru Paul is mother/god and we now get to experience how Ru became the superstar they are today. It’s like talking with Ru in real life, sieving through memories from Atlanta to New York and back again. I have always wished to experience nostalgia – this book was a focal point and I intend to live my life through the lens of hidden meanings.
METAL MORPHOSIS – MUSHROOM & ARIES EARRING
LORNA: I copped the cutest little mushroom earring during my trip to Metal Morphosis and can’t find it anywhere online (cry) but since I can’t big this place up enough for their professional studio and safe piercing practises if you’re after one you’ll need to head in store anyway (and that’s where all the cool pieces are!)
IZZY: Big Up the MM team for making me feel so secure and at ease during this piercing session. The last one was done backstreet-style around college with a pin and an apple. Eeeek. This time around we had it all laid out, sterilized utensils and everything! Typical Broke style, we booked our piercing on my birthday, so obviously I went with the classic Aries design.
PRESTEL – TOOTH GEM BOOK
LORNA: I’m partial to a tooth gem and this book has given been giving me plenty of inspiration, so much so that now I kinda want to go one step further and get a grill…
LORNA: I’ve been on a bit of a book binge this month and it was all kicked off by Joe Dispenza’s ‘Becoming Supernatural’. After watching a video of someone showing a few pages of this on TikTok, my ADHD brain honed in on its next hyperfixation and decided that I needed to read it right there and then, so I got out of bed, put my shoes on and went to the nearest bookshop to track down a copy. For anyone looking to explore the scientific side to spirituality I suggest giving this a read with some devils lettuce to hand (if you catch my drift).
DAMES – FLASH SAFETY GLASSES
IZZY: wanna mention Mary from DAMES! I didn’t even realise until I sat down in her New York apartment that she built her brand on a traumatic experience during COVID-19. It is said that sometimes the best creativity comes from something sinister and DAMES is the definition of that! I’m going to save details for another day as the story is worthy of a standalone article. Just watch this space.