Love, Love, Love... Happy Valentine’s Day from the Dragons!

The more time passes, the more we realise love means everything. Love, kindness and generosity make the world go round. We adore the fact there’s a special day set aside for lovers. So who was St Valentine? Here’s a happy Valentine’s Day post from the wickedest Dragons of all, including our thoughts about why love matters, and our favourite love story.

Who was St Valentine?

Who was St Valentine? The stories vary and, like so many ancient tales, have been tangled up by time. We know Saint Valentine was made a saint back in Roman times. From the Middle Ages his Saints' Day has been associated with the tradition of ‘courtly love’. Oddly, Valentine is also the patron saint of beekeepers, of Epilepsy, and of the pretty Umbrian town of Terni in central Italy. Valentine was perhaps a priest or a bishop for the Roman Empire, tasked with caring for persecuted Christians. When martyred he was buried on the Flaminian Way, a Roman road leading from Rome to Rimini.

The feast of St Valentine has been celebrated since the year 496 AD. St Valentine’s skull, crowned with flowers, is bizarrely on show at the Basilica of Santa Maria in Rome. There are more bits and pieces of him on show at Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Eire, which is still visited by pilgrims looking for love.

Altogether there are actually a dozen or so St Valentines as well as a pope with the same name. The man officially recognised by the Catholic church died in 270 AD-ish. Another account, this time from the 1400s, claims Valentine was a temple priest beheaded for helping Christians marry. Others believe Valentine was the Bishop of Terni, martyred by Claudius the Second. These accounts might or might not refer to the same person.

Whoever the real Valentine was, the one people celebrate these days was allegedly beaten, stoned, and beheaded on 14th February 270. Remembered for years by the couples he helped, people eventually started to celebrate his life. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Why does love matter?

Valentine’s Day is all about sweet, sweet love. But why does love matter? In our world, love makes everything go round. The clothing we source is made with love by talented people in exotic places. We love selling such beautiful alternative clothing, it gives us an enormous buzz to see it flying off our shelves to cool and kooky people right across the UK. We love hearing from our customers, and seeing photos of them wearing our alternative fashions.

In a wider context, love makes people happy. Happy people do great things in life, inspired by the way love makes everything feel wonderful, even the uncomfortable and annoying aspects of life that drove you nuts before you fell truly, madly, and deeply. Love makes colours brighter, flavours more delicious, the sun sunnier, people nicer, possibilities more possible, and the world kinder.

People love our clothing, and they wear it until it wears out. Our customers are a kindly, loving bunch of people who have hippy happiness in their hearts - and lots of love to give. No wonder we love our work so much!

A gorgeous Valentine’s love story

You can’t beat a true love story. Here’s our current favourite. Let’s whisk you over to Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands, where one special man met one special little dog back in 2020... and love bloomed.

Jon, climbing a mountain on the island, spotted a tiny dog abandoned and shivering on the summit. He tried but she was too scared to approach him. He left but couldn’t forget the dog. The next day he climbed the mountain again and managed to pick her up. By the time they’d reached the foot of the mountain they’d fallen in love. She was his, he was hers, and now, two years later, Medina the Wonder Dog is a firm favourite on the island, adored by her adopted family and everyone who meets her.

What’s your favourite love story? Whether it happened to you or to someone else, human or otherwise, we would love to hear it. In the meantime we’ve got loads of stunning alternative clothing for you, made with love and designed to light up your life. Rugged, stylish alternative clothes for men. Deliciously pretty and colourful alternative clothing for women. And sweet alternative clothing for kids. It’s all waiting for you along with gorgeous accessories, beautiful jewellery, and very cool gifts. Oh, and don’t forget we have amazing offers on sale for you, too.

Here’s wishing you a lovely Valentine’s Day XXX