Small Businesses to Support - Part two

 Hello troops! 

After a loooong break I am FINALLY back on the blog to share with you all things fashion related 😊.

If you've been with me from the start you may remember a blog post I wrote on small businesses to support, well, here I am with part two! As you know I am a huge lover of small businesses and there are so many incredible ones out there, but today I'm going to be sharing some of my current faves! 

Make sure to keep up to date with me over on Instagram where I'm constantly sharing my sustainable outfits and tagging small businesses. 

                                                 💗💗💗

@xmadebymegx

Ever since I found Made By Meg on Instagram it's fair to say I have been OBSESSED. I'm not typically one to wear an all black outfit as I loooooove colour - especially green, not sure if you've noticed. So as soon as I seen the sage green velour playsuit I knew I had to get my hands on it!! 

I took it with me on a trip to Newcastle and I'm not joking, I have never received so many compliments in my life! 

Meg's designs are incredible and completely unique, and all her pieces are handmade in Scotland. The quality of material is absolutely 10/10 and the small logo detailing is *chef's kiss*. I genuinely can't fault anything. 

My friends are also obsessed, Catrina borrowed it when she went to Manchester and We're already talking about what other items we want to buy.

How did By Meg start 

"By Meg started off just as a hobby and then as I got more interest I really started to think about how disconnected we are to our clothes and about “throwaway culture”, I wanted to bring that sentimental value and love for clothing back by making high quality, well made clothes that you can’t get from fast fashion! And my fav thing about the business is that I’ve had so much feedback telling me how confident people feel about themselves when wearing my stuff which is just the best thing ever 🥺"

There's so many gorgeous bits available at the moment on her site - I've picked out my top 3 to show you! - SHOP HERE

@thesoaploft.co  

Shoutout to the BEST soap about - handmade, cruelty free and all vegan except from 'Goats milk and Oats' (However, one they have sold they won’t be coming back- making the full business vegan😆). Trying out new skincare products is always a risk for me as I have super sensitive, acne prone skin (I've also suffered with eczema). However, Soap Loft was recommended to me by a bestie (thank u Guri) so I knew I had to give it a go. 

All the soaps looked stunning so it did take me a while to choose, but I ended up going for 'Dead Sea Clay', and 'Golden Glow' and omg am I in love.  First of all there are gorgeous, secondly they smell DIVINE, and finally they are perfect for sensitive skin!!

I let my three year old niece use the Dead Sea Clay soap the other day, and she said it's the prettiest soap she's ever seen, so if that doesn't encourage you to buy one I don't know what will. 

About Soap Loft 

"The Soap Loft, mindfully made handcrafted soaps with luxurious oils and butters to produce affordable products that are especially made for you and your skin. All of our soaps contain our star ingredient Hempseed oil and produce a luxurious creamy lather. Plastic free, cruelty free and palm oil free. Perfect if you’re looking to reduce your waste without compromising on skin-loving ingredients to pamper your delicate skin and beautiful scents."

Quote ‘Rach10’ for 10% off your order, valid until 31/12/2021 

Definitely check out Kiran's website and treat yourself! - SHOP HERE

 

   

@twins.earrings  

I may be a slight jewellery addict so of course I had to include Natasha and Emily's amazing business!

I've only recently discovered them, and actually found them first on depop when I was looking for some Autumn inspired earrings. 

The earrings that first drew me to them was the resin leaves, as soon as I seen them I fell in love. However, when I went back on to depop to buy them they had been sold - believe me I was heartbroken. I tried to find similar ones elsewhere but failed. 

A few days later I got a delivery and there were the earrings !!! My bestie Guri (wow 2 shoutouts in one post, you're doing well) had seen I had liked them on depop and bought me them as a surprise.😭 Not only that but she got me another two pairs and let me tell you troops, I've been wearing them non stop. 

About Natasha & Emily 

"Our aim is to make products that make all of you gorgeous people feel special, but at an affordable enough price to be accessible; it shouldn't cost the earth to feel like a boss!"

Stunning, excellent quality, and great prices, check them out - SHOP HERE

@lynnekayennestudio

Linda originally reached out to me via Instagram back in September last year. As soon as I checked out her account and seen she was all about promoting ethical fashion while also representing her heritage and culture I knew this would be a brand I would love. 

I was absolutely over the moon to work on a collaboration with Linda where she sent me the most gorgeous bag that I use all the time!!!

Not only that, but I was very kindly gifted one of their twin sets as well ( which was tailored exactly to my measurements). Sorry, but how gorgeous??? I also love that this is created to be lounge wear but chuck on a pair of heels and a stunning crop and this could easily be dressed up.

I was also sent another package the other day with some Malawian coffee which I am soooo excited to try - anyone who knows me knows I am a coffee addict. As well as the coffee I was given another beautiful shirt, I'm yet to wear it be keep an eye out on my Instagram to see how I style it.

Why did you create LKS?

"How I started LKS was having a conversation with a friend who shared with me that Malawi was only known for its associations with Madonna and poverty this lit a fire in my bones and was the motivation for be to birth Lynne Kayenne Studio with the desire to build a socially impactful contemporary African inspired womenswear label - Made in Africa for the world.

My favourite thing about building LKS is our community which has always been close to my heart. Being able plough resources back to women living in poverty, creative youth as well as planting trees and supporting forest conservation projects in Malawi through our partnership with Ripple Africa."

3 ways I've styled the Anthea bag - SHOP HERE

Thanks so much for ready troops ! Please let me know if you end up buying anything from any of these businesses - I would love to see what you get :)

Rach x x x 

The true horror of Halloween

Do you know the scariest thing you can do this Halloween? Buy a new costume and contribute to the 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste being thrown away. 

Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in the year, with about 30 million people in the UK alone deciding to dress up.

As well as ghosts and ghouls, the true horror of Halloween is the seven million of those costumes being sent to landfill each year. 

Have a fun and ethical holiday

As fun as it is creating a Halloween costume and going out with your friends it is important to realise the affect your buying can have. Most purchases made for Halloween are themed, and only worn on that one day a year – unlikely to be reused.

It is estimated that consumers in the UK spend over £472 million on Halloween products. On top of this, unfortunately most costumers are sold by big retailers such as Asda or fast fashion companies such as Pretty Little Thing and Misguided.

Meaning they are made from materials like polyester, nylon and PVC which are non-biodegradable. 

How to stay Sustainable this Halloween

Halloween is still a holiday, so of course you should dress up and have a good time. Which is why I want to share with you my top tips on having a Sustainable Halloween.👻

Save the environment and your money, by using items you already own, borrowing items from friends/family or if you must buy – shop second-hand. Not only is it better for the environment, it is also a lot more fun to put together your own costume piece by piece instead of paying £50 for a ready-made vampire costume.

It gives you the chance to be more creative and think of something original to go as. Pinterest  is great if you are struggling for ideas.

If you are not feeling too creative or you do not have the time to put together a full costume, then why not contact your local Halloween shop and ask if they offer a hiring service?

That way you can easily get a full costume without contributing to landfill.

Keep your costumes out of landfill using these top tips

Now, let’s talk about keeping costumes you have already purchased out of landfill. Did you buy a costume last year that you won’t wear again and no longer want? Do not throw it away, donate it.

Firstly, why not see if any of your friends or family want it? If not, there are many other places you can give it to.

For example, your local theatre, community groups – these costumes could really come in handy for them. Or if you have children’s costumes you could give them to schools, children’s hospitals etc. where I am sure there will be plenty of kids who would love them!

Another great idea would be to get all your friends together where you all bring an old costume, props, parts of a costume etc. and have a lucky dip.

You can all pick out a few items each and then you must make yourself a costume from those items. Again, a lot more fun and creative then just ordering something online.

You may end up with some amazing costumes, and some strange, but you are guaranteed to have a good laugh and it will be a Halloween you will always remember.😇

Thanks so much for Reading troops!!

Rach

x x x 

@rachonfashion

An Interview with: Lauren Wareing

Hello everyone! I'm back with another interview. Thanks so much to all the small business owners who have helped me out with this little series, there's still much more to come. Hope you are all well troops, enjoy this post. 

Lauren Wareing | 23 | London

Owner of @madebylaurenx

About Lauren and her business

Lauren's always been a creative person and has been making jewellery since she was young. She decided to start madebylaurenx in August 2019 and has such a range of pieces. 

 "I have always loved jewellery making and anything crafty."

So much effort goes into her business and Lauren loves customising her products and catering to people. She loves to create a range of designs that a lot of people will love. 

" I love being able to bring out styles people will love, as well as giving them lots of options!"

Running a business single-handedly isn't easy. As much as she loves it sometimes it can be hard. 

 "The hardest thing for me would be the stock counts, making sure stock isn’t running low."

The future for madebylaurenx

Lauren's looking to expand her business and bring out a lot of new pieces. She's even hoping to venture into rings! Her absolute dream would be to grow and turn her business into her full-time job. 

"I would love to gain a much bigger following, where it can venture out into bigger things such as maybe my own store- more of a full-time thing!"

Lauren's advice! 

To everyone out there who's looking to start a business, Laurens's advice is that if you enjoy it, DO IT! Don't hold back, just go for it. It's so important to stay organised and manage your time right otherwise things can get on top of you. If you are really passionate about starting your own business then you have to put your all into it.

"Making sure your dedicated and offering everything you possibly can to customers, as well as at the same time planning for future releases and stuff."

Make sure to follow Lauren:

Instagram - @madebylaurenx

Etsy: MadebylaurenxShop

Thanks so much for reading!! I hope you enjoyed. Keep a lookout for my next post, coming soon. 

Thanks,

Rach

x x x 

An Interview with: Sarah Sim

Hello, troops! Welcome to the second installment of my mini-series - An interview with small business owners. I hope you all enjoy. 

Sarah Sim | 22 | Runcorn

Owner of @over.the.moon.jewellery

ABOUT SARAH AND HER BUSINESS

Sarah has been using clay as a hobby since 2015, however, it wasn't until 2017 that she started her business. After taking a break from university and exploring her artistic side she started experimenting and creating a range of new things. 

"What started as a hobby suddenly started to turn into something very important to me, and I found myself making things all day every day! (Even staying up until 6am most days!)."

Thanks to the support and convincing of her friends, Sarah decided to open her own Etsy shop. Her small business has been growing ever since. 

Sarah absolutely loves her work, and puts her all into everything she makes! The feeling of seeing her hard work pay off, and become something tangible, is something that never loses its magic. 

" Being able to send these all over the world to their new homes is an incredible feeling, and I still can't believe I've had such an amazing opportunity to make a lot of people happy with my creations. It's definitely the most uplifting feeling there is!"

Running a business isn't easy. Especially when you have a full-time Monday-Friday job like Sarah does. She spends her night at her desk creating new pieces and making her customer's orders. There's a lot of time and effort Sarah has to put in, which can definitely be tiring at times, but she manages to do it!.

 "My business is my life, but between working, seeing friends and family, and just trying to cope with managing everyday life, it can sometimes get a little too much. It can feel like there's not much time to breathe! But it's all worth it in the end."

THE FUTURE FOR OVER THE MOON JEWELLRY 

At the minute Sarah is still exploring her style and wants to continue creating unique pieces for all her customers. Her business is ever-growing and changing and she's not sure where she will end up. However, she wants to make sure she's always having fun and creating a range of funky jewellery! 

" My dream is to be able to go full time with my business, and have the opportunity to travel the country (maybe even the world one day!) and sell my pieces at festivals & markets and meet more of my lovely customers face-to-face."

SARAH'S ADVICE

If you're thinking of starting your own small business and looking for advice. Who better to get advice from than a small business owner herself. 

"My advice to others starting their own small businesses is to get yourself known in your local community and support your own local makers. Our support for each other is one of the most valuable things, especially when first starting out!"

For her final words of advice, Sarah wants you to remember that trial and error comes with the business. Don't be too hard on yourself when you make mistakes, it's all about learning from them. 

Thanks so much for reading! Please remember to check Sarah out on Instagram and Etsy:

Instagram - @over.the.moon.jewellry

Etsy - Over the moon jewllery 

Keep your eyes peeled for some more interviews coming very soon!

Rach

x x x

An Interview With: Olivia Hampson

Hello everyone!! I hope you are all doing well, this is the first blog post in my new little series - An Interview with Small Business Owners.

Olivia is the amazing owner of @made.by.liv.x on Instagram - She is 22 Years old, based in Manchester, and she makes handmade clay earrings.

About Olivia and her business

Olivia has always been a lover of bold, colourful pieces of jewellery and, inspired by @grlmade and @nobasicbombshell, she decided to have a go at some of her own designs, starting her store at the beginning of this year!

 "I had no intention of selling anything I made at first until I found my own style and thought I’d do a lil photoshoot with my friends and pop the designs on Instagram."

To get an idea of what people thought of her products, she decided to sign up to some local makers markets. This went really well and she sold all her pieces! Lockdown has really been a blessing in disguise for Olivia and her business has really started to blossom.

 "It wasn’t until lockdown began in February, funnily enough, that my online orders blew up on my Instagram page and making has been keeping me busy since then!"

There are so many pros and cons to running your own business that I wanted to get Oliva's opinion on the best bits and the hardest bits. Of course, she had so many amazing things to say about running her business, she loves when people send her pictures of their orders. Getting to see how people have styled her designs in their own way is so cool! But, her favourite thing is the people.

"I think my fave thing about running a small business, though, is chatting to people online everyday about orders or collabs etc. Everyone has been so supportive and friendly and it’s really helped me with my confidence in growing as a business!"

Running a successful business takes a lot of time and effort, especially when you are doing it all on your own! Olivia does everything from making the earings, to run the Instagram account and post the products. Handling everything on her own has sometimes been challenging but she manages to do it all and provide amazing products!

" I had no idea I’d have so many online orders in such a short amount of time but considering we’re all quarantined indoors I’ve had plenty of time to make them! When things are back to normal I think I’ll allocate some time on certain days to make up orders and keep the ball rolling!"

What does the future hold for Made.by.Liv.x? 

Olivia has amazing plans for her business, she really wants to grow and plans on releasing unique collections online.

" I think I’ll set up a website and get back onto makers markets when things are back to normal and maybe I’ll travel a bit further to pop up markets around the country, that could be really fun."

 Also on her mind is collaborating with other artists, producing some fun photoshoots, and possibly even short look book style film! Who knows what creative ideas Olivia will come out with, but I can't wait to see them!

Olivia's Advice

"From my own experience, I think the first thing I’d say is if you have something you’d like to try out, just make a start at it! It’s really easy to put things off and tell yourself it’s something you’d love to do as a ‘future project’, which I do all the time, but if you just take the first step and see how it goes, it can eventually turn into something really cool! "

Social Media is great for small businesses, making an Instagram and Depop account is so helpful. It lets you reach out and interact with your ideal target market.

 "There’s no harm in dropping people a message to introduce yourself and your small business too to get the ball rolling and start making connections. This could be in person too, for example, I got in touch with a local cafe about potentially having a pop up stall in their coffee shop to display and sell some of my earrings, they were up for it and it went great, all I had to do was ask! "

Thank you so much to Olivia for taking the time to answer my questions and give us a little insight into what it's like being a small business owner. Please head over to her Instagram account and give her follow her earrings are amazing!! @made.by.liv.x


Hope you enjoyed this and keep your eyes peeled for some more exciting interviews coming your way soon.

Rach

x x x

5 Small Businesses to Support

Hello, troops!

Recently, I've had a lot of messages from people saying they are glad I am showing support for small/local businesses. So, I thought I'd share with you a list of 5 businesses you should go and support!

There are so many amazing local artists out there that it was hard to choose just 5, so if you like this post make sure to let me know and I'll do a part 2.

MEGHAN H MAKES

As you will have seen on my Instagram I'm now an official brand rep for Megan!!! Honestly, this is something I have dreamed of for so long and I am over the moon to be supporting this insanely talented gal.

She is a crochet queen providing custom handmade orders.

I was so lucky yo be gifted one of her bralettes and one of her bucket hats. (If you know me you know how much I love a bucket hat). 

All her items can be made in any colour and any size. She also makes scrunchies, bags, cardigans, and earrings!!! 

Whatever you choose to go for I promise you won't be disappointed, I am so obsessed with everything she makes. 

YELLOW PAIGE SHOP

Shoutout to Micki for Introducing me to Paige's business! She makes hand-embroidered clothes.
As soon as Micki sent me pictures of the t-shirts she bought I was in love.

 Also, I am a huge fan of the name!!

For Christmas Micki actually got me three t-shirts from Yellow Paige shop and I wear them all the time. Again, the great thing is she does custom designs. So you can get whatever you want from it, and I think it makes such a cute personalised gift.

You can pick the size, colour, and desgin of your product which is amazing. I have one lilac t-shirt with a picture of Angelica on it (from the Rugrats - My fave childhood show)

I also have two white ones, one with a dinosaur because I am OBSESSED and one with the outline of Finland (Inside joke).

Her products are so well made, definitely check her out and get yourself some cute bits!

ASH STICH  

For more stunning hand-embroidered pieces check out the talented Ashleigh!

Funnily enough, I also got Micki an embroidered t-shirt for Christmas (Soulmates duh). I went for a custom order and got our matching tattoo embroidered. I just sent Ashleigh a picture of what I wanted and she was amazing.

She also has a range of her own designs and slogans which are amazing. A lot of them are such feminist slogans, really embracing girl power and I am 10/10 a huge fan.

I've also seen on her Instagram that she has workshops! If you are in the Brighton area I'd definitely consider going along.

SLOW GARMENTS

Slow Garments is a new business that I've stumbled across.  All of the products are ethically sewn and made from plastics, fishing nets, and carpets!!! Sorry, how amazing is that.

I haven't bought anything yet but I promise you I will be. The underwear and swimwear look so good, I just can't decide what I want.

As soon as I buy something I'll make sure to keep you updated over on my Instagram page.

A small, sustainable and ethical business? I can't help buy support!

LOVE KIKI DESIGNS

Love Kiki Designs is based in Birmingham and run by Dominika, who makes the most incredible clay earrings.

As soon as I found her account I had to buy something! I won't lie, it took me a while. All the designs are amazing I found it difficult to limit myself.

I think I initially put 7 pairs in my basket but, I managed to calm myself down and choose my two favorites

I've not received them yet as I only ordered them the other day. Obviously, I will be dedicating an Instagram post to them when I do.

You'll have to keep an eye out on my feed to see which pairs I got but as you can see from the pic they are all stunning.

These are just some of the amazing small businesses that I love. Please make sure to support your local artists, it is so worth it!

I hope you've enjoyed this post. I've linked everyone's Instagram accounts to make it super easy for you to check them out.

Rach 

x x x x

Secondhand Buys

Hello, troops!!! Welcome back to my blog, it's been quite a while, promise I'm going to try and post again on the regular.

As you all know, I try to buy all my clothes secondhand now, and I've really cut down on the amount I buy. For someone who used to online shop EVERY week, I am so proud of how far I've come. I thought I'd share with you all my secondhand buys over the past 6 months or so!


Taking it back to October - my mum and dad got me a few secondhand pieces for my birthday!
I'll start with this super cute Paisley pattern dress, I love this!! I have only worn it a few times so far and have always paired it with tights and my chunky boots.

I'm really looking forward to wearing it in Spring/Summer as I think it will be so cute with a little denim jacket and either my lilac sliders or pink fluffy sandals!!! Can't lie, I spend most of my time planning Summer outfits as I am so over this rubbish weather.

The second dress I got for my birthday was an amazing maxi dress originally from Vera Moda! I have actually only worn this dress once so far but I will definitely be wearing it so much more.

I took this dress with me to London In January and styled it very casually, again with my fave boots, a hat, and my aviator jacket and I am obsessed with how it looked!

The quality of this dress is amazing, and I think the floral pattern is stunning. I really want to wear this dressed up to give it a completely different vibe. My plan is to wear it with my fave white heels and a mini white or pink bag. I think I would wear my hair up and pair it with some silver earrings for a minimalistic, classic look.












Moving on to this year, my first purchase was the most amazing dad style Blazer!! Of course, I got it on Depop but it is originally from ASOS. I have been wearing this sooooooo much, I am on such a blazer hype at the minute and this is my fave. The quality, the fit, the colour, EVERYTHING about this blazer is just a bit of me and you can wear it in so many ways.  I've worn it with jeans, joggers, shorts and I also think it can be so nice for a work look.

Honestly, blazers are such a staple piece for your wardrobe I can't recommend them enough. Look on Depop, go to your local charity shops and search for Blazers, I've gotten such amazing quality ones for the best prices!! The one I'm wearing was still online at ASOS at the time I bought It,  for £55. Whereas I got it for £30 and it had never been worn.

**SIDE NOTE - If anyone is selling the matching shorts in a UK 6 or UK 8 then please let me know!!!!

Most recently, I've gotten these Adidas yellow shorts! I've had the lilac pair for ages now and have been after the yellow ones for quite some time. I only paid £10 for them on Depop and the girl had only worn them once. I cannot wait to wear these in the Summer!

Obviously, they are cute to wear to the gym but they are also so fashionable. I will be wearing them with chunky trainers, cute socks, and a little crop top!

They will also be a cute throw on piece for holiday with a bikini top when you're around the pool or at the beach (paired with a little straw hat!!!!).


Finally, I have ordered a pair of Gym Shark Leggings from Depop but I'm still waiting on them to arrive. I have heard so many good things about Gym Shark quality so I can't wait to test them out. Obviously, I'll be posting an Instagram pic when I get them so keep ya eyes peeled.


That's everything!! As I said I've not really been buying that much, I'm focusing on buying good quality, long-lasting pieces that can become staples in my wardrobe.

I hope you enjoyed this post & I'll try to get another up ASAP!

Rach
x x x x x