Independent and sustainable creativity is thriving despite the pandemic

Hello! It's been a while since I graced the pages of the No Debutante blog, following a year that has seen everyone grow and adapt to this new world, where things have certainly changed in many ways.

As a journalist who had regularly supported and written about indie business and slow fashion, I found myself wanting to say so much that it became overwhelming. As more writers and (instagram pages!) stepped forward to share the indie biz love, unconsciously, my focus began to shift.

My side hustle turned small business Fruit Salad

My side hustle and fashion brand Fruit Salad had started to grow and take on its own identity, which was amazing (especially in a pandemic) and all my spare time....

- Not that there's much of it - imagine a fast, intense photo montage here, with a superfast techno soundtrack, I hate techno but it captures the mood/chaos perfectly, of me looking after a family and working a day job and all those other side hustles in fashion, bands and radio shows

....was taken up by just wanting to create and make! So, swamped in piles of pre-loved fabrics, I found myself asking... 'Am I not a writer anymore?' 

Seriously, with a lack of writing flow and consistency and mind-blowing covid confusion,  I had started to doubt my ability and (like in everything I ever do) imposter syndrome snuck in and made me think I was no longer a writer - maybe I never had been really...despite being a Fashion editor, copywriter and JOURNALIST! (my eyes are now rolling at my own stupidity).

Yep, It's been a mad ol' time for self-doubt but I've also learnt that if I enjoy a thing and I'm kinda good at it, I can drop in and out of it as and when I like. It doesn't have to be completed NOW, NOW, NOW! It can be considered, I can slow down and actually enjoy it, without adding unnecessary anxiety and stress.

My favourite writing space at the kitchen table!

The term 'writing a blog' has also changed, with many people now pretty much writing articles on a single social media post or creating regular video content and podcasts, blogs and the written word, as it currently exists, look to become redundant!

As a journalist and blogger,  I had felt a tug of resentment against this new style of journalism but only as much as the journalists who actually studied journalism feel about an untrained indie journalist like myself, who started off with a self promoting fashion blog and a random, yet regular, fashion spread in a weddings (yes weddings!) magazine, as I stumbled blindly into journalism. 

Y'know what? It's all good. We all have something to say and we can share it however and whenever we want to. It's so exciting that we now have so many platforms and formats that we can share our ideas, thoughts and stories. It really is a time to communicate, learn and collaborate! 

There has certainly been an explosion of support for both small business and slow fashion during 2020 and into 2021, as more and more writers, instagrammers, online markets and indie businesses themselves have come together, to share the love, (well, the government doesn't give a damn does it?) which is truly amazing! 

I have, of course, felt guilty about not promoting all the other amazing indie brands out there as much as I used to, but as a multi-passionate creative, who thrives on being busy,  I have learnt to slow down in life - as many of us have had to lately -  I have got over myself and realised I can't do everything at once and that's just fine. 

Honestly, if I read myself saying this a few years back, when I started the 'you only live once do everything now' quest (for no real reason), I'd think I'd been hit by a hippy stick (quite possible in Bristol tbh!). 

I still agree that you only live once and if you like a thing, you should do a thing but perhaps try everything in moderation and take a moment to smell the flowers! (Yep, definitely hit with the hippy stick). 

Hello Dodo from the Indies in lockdown series

Looking back at my writing during the pandemic I am really proud to have shared new indie makers and brands whilst spreading the word about slow and sustainable fashion. I really love my Indies in Lockdown series where I got to speak to so many indie businesses about their experiences and learnt so much.

If anything, supporting all these amazing small businesses and interviewing so many inspiring indie makers and creatives over the years has encouraged me to bring forward a passion that has been on the back burner for a long while, giving Fruit Salad the push it deserves!!!.....Of course, I feel like an imposter fashion designer now, despite previously working as a fashion designer in industry for years!

After I had readjusted my mindset,  I got my writing mojo back and popped myself back into the journalist room on a mission to share my knowledge on sustainable and slow fashion.

In lockdown two, I was super excited to be asked to contribute to the first ever edition of The Indie Guide, an independently published magazine created by a collective of indie bloggers, sustainable fashion designers and photographers. The aim of the magazine is to support sustainability, independent creatives and small business. 

Proudly holding my copy of The Indie Guide

My excitement to be writing again went into overdrive which meant I ended up contributing two articles (once I start I cant stop) including 'My Slow Fashion Journey' and 'How to become a slow fashion supporter'. 

These are sustainable subjects that I could continuously write about, probably forever, or until I've managed to convert the whole fashion industry and all its consumers (that's the whole population no biggy) to slow down and bring an end to fast fashion. 

It was so awesome to collaborate with The Indie Guide founders and so many other indie writers and independent makers and fashion businesses to showcase how great the indie fashion/creative industry really is. 

Despite a pandemic, independent creativity is totally thriving!  

Like myself, during lockdown many creatives were given the opportunity to spend more time on their hobbies and side hustles to grow and evolve them into functioning small businesses!

We really don't need the fast fashion corporate chains and trend obsessive fashion houses anymore! How empowering and inspiring is that?

All the prints with independent accessory designer I am R

Remember, we can all support indie businesses every single day, not just by buying from them and writing articles about them but by following, liking, commenting, sharing and getting to know a whole new community of makers (instagram's a good place to start). Do your research and find your new favourite brand/artist/maker! 

I shall sign off  'the first No Debutante blog post of the year' here, full of excitement of what's to come. In an ever-changing world anything can happen and why the hell can't it be positive eh? 

So start writing, start creating, try something new or just do your thing, take your time, there really is room for everyone to get involved, you are not an imposter, you are fabulous, you CAN do this! 

Spread the joy and Big love in 2021 x

Buy a printed copy of The Indie Guide 

Indies in Lockdown - Elin Horgan

When faced with a situation that none of us have ever experienced before it knocks the way we live our lives for six. During the height of the pandemic we all adapted to change, with many of our jobs and livelihoods slowing down and in some cases coming to a complete halt. 

As an independent business owner you didn't have the opportunity to furlough yourself to spend more time with home-schooling or taking a mind break, you were REALLY worried about how your business would continue and when the next payment was coming in! 

Or, perhaps, you did have some extra time on your hands, but couldn't get hold of the stock that helps you to create your products during lockdown? What can you do instead?

Where there is an indie maker there is always a way....

Jewellery designer Elin Horgan 

Elin Horgan

Creating beautiful and elegant handmade jewellery in recycled silver, Bristol maker Elin Horgan became inspired to design her new Shapes & Spheres collection after realising she couldn't get new stock and components from her regular suppliers. 

This interview took place during lockdown in June 2020. 

Elin's wax carving tools used to make her unique ring creations

How are you? What has your situation been like during lockdown?

I'm ok thanks (well, I am today at least!)....hanging on in there in these strange times.  

I've been in lockdown with my two kids (who are 5 and 8) and my husband (who is currently working from home) so, like many self-employed creatives it's been quite an adjustment having everyone in the house with me all day every day.

Sphere pendents from £60 by Elin Horgan

How has lockdown affected your business and the way you work?

Business has been mostly OK.  

My stockists have, of course, been closed, but some have taken their shops and galleries online. I'm hugely grateful to everyone who has been buying jewellery from my website during this time as their support has really kept me going!

I usually run jewellery making workshops at Kiln Workshop just off Gloucester Road, Bristol, so have had to put all of those on hold for the time being.  I'm really hoping to be back teaching in the Autumn as I miss it so much!

Silver orbit hoops by Elin Horgan 
Photography by Paola Leonardi 

Has this time helped your productivity?

It's a struggle to fit much in at the moment although I suspect that having less time actually makes me more productive as there are far fewer opportunities for faffing about.  

There's definitely a lot of evening and weekend work (and not very much homeschooling) going on at the moment.

Elin Horgan's best selling Triangle stud £45

Have you become more or less inspired in this time?

After a few weeks of adjusting to our new family set up, I had a really creative burst and produced lots of new work.  

As lots of jewellery making suppliers were closed to begin with I wanted to challenge myself to make some pieces by using materials I already had; repurposing and recycling my scrap silver where possible.  

The new Shapes & Spheres collection of one-off pieces is now available to buy on my website and I love the fact that each piece is totally unique and won't be made again. (see top image)

Apollo Statement earrings £250 by Elin Horgan
Photography by Han Goes Click Studios

What's next for your business?

I'm currently working on a capsule collection of rings made from recycled silver which I hope to release this Autumn.

Visit the Elin Horgan online shop

#supportindependent

Indies in Lockdown - Balulu

Everyone's lockdown experience has been different and in some cases creative flow has had to come to a complete standstill. 

Can keeping positive really help inspire something good out of a bad experience and how does an indie business relying on international suppliers and manufacturers continue to create and grow in lockdown? 

Super fun Balulu co-ords made from upcycled bedsheets

Balulu

Balulu is a colourful, slow fashion brand that creates fun streetwear pieces using upcycled bedsheets and vintage fabrics from India. 

As part of the No Debutante - Indies in lockdown series, super sweet Balulu designer Lulu Harrison shares how family and friends have inspired her to move forward during a tough time for her business, as she learnt to adapt and grow during lockdown. 

Colourful Balulu designer Lulu Harrison

How are you & what has your situation been during lockdown? 

I’m good! I have been staying with my parents during lockdown which has actually been great. 

It has been quite a special time as I wouldn’t usually get to spend this much time with them, so I feel blessed to have had that. 

We have been spending our time going on long walks, swimming in the river every day, doing quizzes, drinking wine and watching a lot of Netflix series! 

Reversible Mickey Mouse print Kimono by Balulu £65

How has lockdown affected your business and the way you work? 

It has been really tough on the business. 

We were meant to be trading at Glastonbury for the first time ever this summer and it would have been our second year at Shambala. 

Not only have we been affected by not having anywhere to trade, we haven’t been able to get any of our new stock as India went into an even stricter lockdown than here, particularly Varanasi which is where my clothes are made. 

I had one box of clothes come before the world went into lockdown and, to be fair, everything sold out pretty quickly which was amazing!

As we put way more effort into our online presence, we saw a lot more sales than we have previously. Online shopping became much more of a thing and whilst we had the stock our business really benefited from that. 

Mix and match repurposed fashion creations by Balulu

Has this time helped your productivity?

Sadly, without having the stock to be creative with, I can’t really say it has helped my productivity. 

I definitely started off trying to keep super motivated and coming up with new ideas, but as time has gone on the business has been hit harder, it’s been hard to stay positive about it. 

I think this whole pandemic has not only had a hit on businesses, but also on people’s mental health which I can say from first hand experience.

Unique Jungle Dungarees by Balulu £50

Have you become more or less inspired in this time?

It has been a mixture of feelings. 

With the help from my friend and marketing whizz Brodie Imogen, I have been inspired to enter a competition, update the website and make a promo video for Balulu. 

I think I needed that push from someone else to keep me motivated and generate fresh ideas. 

A selection of colourful garms by Balulu

What's next for your business? 

I have literally just got a new box of clothes which is really exciting! There are about 50 pairs of new dungarees I need to shoot and upload onto the website AND I have been updated by my tailors that more clothes will be coming soon. I’m super excited to get the new stock in! 

I have also just moved to London into a great flat/studio space so that is really exciting. 

I am also going to be studying a masters in Material Futures in October at Central Saint Martins so I can’t wait to see what will come of that and how I can incorporate Balulu into the course! 

Support Indie fashion designers and head over to the Balulu website where there is currently a flash sale happening until Wednesday (5 August) don't miss out! 

Visit the Balulu online shop 

#supportindependent

Indies in Lockdown - Has the pandemic inspired creativity?

We are all guilty pf putting a smiley face on our social media profiles, keeping calm and carrying on but what has life really been like for creatives and small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic?? 

As a creative, I have had my own experiences and became very interested in how other indie creatives, including designers, artists and makers, have coped during their time in lockdown. 

We have all had to change the way we work but has the pandemic actually helped inspire creativity for some of us or left us overwhelmed with no focus or drive?

Have we got so used to the new normal that we want to stay in lockdown? What have we enjoyed about this (slightly unorthodox) time out? Has it made us rethink the way we work? 

As lockdown eases, we are all considering our futures in this new world. For some of us the easing has caused a wave of great excitement, others are feeling more cautious and unsure of what is to come. However it has affected you, we can be sure we have all been in it together!

After reaching out to a few of my favourite independent makers, designers and artists to chat about their experiences,  I have been overwhelmed with a heartfelt and completely honest response. 

What was to be a blog post featuring indie creatives experiences, will now, I'm happy to say, become a blog mini series, showcasing many independent designers work, sharing their experiences during the pandemic and their hopes and inspirations for the future. 

Today we will look at comparisons in the experiences discussed (so far) with these fabulous and courageous indie businesses who have kept going throughout the pandemic.

Gull Power! T-shirts by Hello Dodo

There have been mixed feelings from our indie businesses, each one putting positive spins on an overwhelming and life changing situation, that not only effects the way we live our lives, run our businesses but on a larger scale, our well-being and mental health too.

Whether they have been shielding, moved back to a family home, found themselves working in a house full of kids or continued working from home, lockdown has affected us all, albeit in different ways. 

"We’ve been pretty fortunate during lockdown," says Brighton based, indie t-shirt brand Hello Dodo. "We run Hello Dodo from home, screen printing and packing orders from our little studio at the end of our garden". 

This sounds peachy but Hello Dodo designers Ali and Jam confess. "Working this way has allowed us to pretty much become hermits though!  Now that lockdown is easing we have to overcome quite a lot of social anxiety or risk becoming total recluses!". 

Ali and Jam from Hello Dodo

Joking aside, the easing of lockdown does seem to fill many of us with dread rather than excitement, with the anxiety of what's to come being a predominant concern. 

Designer Lulu Harrison relocated from Bristol to her family home in London when it became quite clear that her super fun, upcycling fashion brand Balulu had to stop production from India during the pandemic. 

"It's been really tough on the business" confesses Lulu, "We haven’t been able to get any of our new stock as India went into even stricter lockdown than the UK, and particularly Varanasi which is where my clothes are made".

"I think this whole pandemic has not only had a hit on businesses, but also on people’s mental health which I can say from first hand experience".

Lulu Harrison designer at Balulu 

With many makers, especially in the fashion industry relying on markets, shops and festivals to provide much of their annual profit, we have seen a severe drop in morale as makers and traders loose their motivation to create and sell. 

"I rely heavily on markets, festivals and in person selling to spread awareness of my work", says festival jewellery maker and upcycler Bec Denton from Dakota Rae Dust.

"When the reality of a summer without any events first dawned on me, I have to admit, I felt pretty panic stricken and I'm missing all the contact with fellow makers and my customers! I've definitely found it tricky to stay motivated without the regular deadlines that trading at markets provides". 

On a positive side to the closure of the shops and markets, every business has noticed and taken advantage of the shift from customers popping to the shops to a rise in online shopping. Weekly virtual markets have also been popping up on Instagram over the past few months and gaining many followers. 

Dakota Rae Dust designer and maker Bec Denton

"Lots of amazing event organisers and fellow makers sprung into action with virtual alternatives which have been a real help" explains Bec Denton.  

"I have traded with Bristol Markets and Makers Bazaar Fair on instagram, they have definitely proven to be an effective way to reach potential new customers!". 

Many makers have seen a rise in sales on their websites and through these virtual markets, which has been a real positive,  as many independent shops have also moved online sharing their virtual space with independent businesses. 

Since her production came to a sudden halt Balulu's, Lulu Harrison has had more time to work on her online presence, "So many people have turned to the internet to buy and we have benefited from that", admits says Lulu. 

"I had one box of Balulu clothes delivered before the world went into lockdown and, to be fair, everything sold out pretty quickly online, which was amazing!"

Many makers and businesses of all sizes have struggled to update their stock as their outside suppliers have been forced to close during lockdown; from sourcing plain t-shirts for printing to components for jewellery, to all your new stock being held back, like Balulu. 

This has been a time for many to begin to adapt the way they had previously worked, by making use of the stock they currently have available.

Elin Horgan Jewellery designer

Elin Horgan creates beautiful handmade silver jewellery pieces in Bristol and became inspired to design her new Shapes & Spheres collection after realising she couldn't get new stock from her regular suppliers. 

"I wanted to challenge myself to make some pieces by using materials I already had by re-purposing and recycling my scrap silver where possible". says Elin. 

"Shapes & Spheres is a collection of one-off pieces and is now available to buy on my website! I love the fact that each piece is totally unique and won't be made again!". 

Recycled silver jewellery from Elin Horgan's Shapes and Spheres collection

With the pros and cons of productivity changing from one business to the next, every business confesses it has not been easy to remain motivated. 

Some, like myself felt a drive to remain super productive at the start of lockdown only to see the enthusiasm come crashing down around them in a wall of anxiety and stress as reality sunk in. Whilst others, like Hello Dodo, felt overwhelmed from the beginning of lockdown and adapted to their new situation by using productivity as a distraction. 

"Being productive and creative has been the best distraction for us", say Hello Dodo. "Right now it feels like our inspiration is returning, like the stress was holding it back and now the floodgates have been opened!".

Struggling to find time to fit her business in whilst adapting to her new home life (spending every day with her WFH husband and two kids) Elin Horgan has found her new situation has made her more efficient. 

"Having less time actually makes me more productive as there are far fewer opportunities for faffing about.  There's definitely a lot of evening and weekend work (and not very much homeschooling) going on at the moment!", says Elin. 

Coral fringe handmade geometric earrings by Dakota Rae Dust

One thing that everyone in the fashion industry has missed is the face to face contact with their customers, fellow makers, suppliers and friends. 

Although we may not even be aware of it, venturing out and having regular contact and interactions with actual people, offers large quantities of inspiration and motivation. Lately, we have all been neglected of both!

"I can’t really say lockdown has helped my productivity". confesses Lulu Harrison. "I definitely started off trying to keep super motivated and coming up with new ideas, but as time has gone on the business has been hit harder and it’s been hard to stay positive about it.

"A friend inspired me to enter a competition, update the website and make a promo video for Balulu. I think I needed that push from someone else to keep me motivated and generate fresh ideas". 

It has been an emotional rollercoaster for everyone and as we begin to adapt to these waves of creativity and productivity, we can accept that we can adapt and start looking to the future. 

With all of our makers launching new collections and ranges in the upcoming months, collaborations are being made and even a masters at Central Saint Martins college on the cards for Balulu's Lulu Harrison, things are certainly looking up. Sometimes a change is good, even if we have to go through extreme hell to get there! You got this indie makers! 

The full interviews with all of our amazing indie business contributors will be popping up on the No Debutante blog over the next few weeks, with more indie businesses joining them! 

Thank you, big hugs and a masses of good luck to everyone involved in this blog post including the fabulous Ali and Jam from Hello Dodo, Lulu Harrison from Balulu, Bec Denton from Dakota Rae Dust and Elin Horgan Jewellery! You are all an inspiration! 

Main image courtesy of Balulu

My Swap & Shop - How to create your own virtual & sustainable shop for free!

Put down your shopping bags and support slow fashion with an alternative to high street shopping, that you can get involved in using your own social media platforms.

My Swap & Shop is a lil' online shop idea I thought I would share with you, that you can simply recreate using your own Stories and Highlights on Instagram.

The concept behind My Swap & Shop is to create a free online shop where you can sell and swap your pre-loved garms with other fashion lovers, in support of sustainable and slow fashion.

There is already a big movement for clothes swapping parties like Becky Barnes Clothes Swap Til you drop events here in Bristol, who joins an army of pre-loved sellers and supporters on social media.

Since lockdown we have seen a massive change to the way we collaborate and shop through online events, makers markets and pre-loved seller group events like Bristol Markets and Bzzaar Jumble, both of which I have contributed to as a maker and a pre-loved jumbler during lockdown. 

These groups have selflessly arranged online events that are free to get involved with, supporting both independent makers and sustainable fashion.

Inspired by these concepts, The My Swap & Shop idea is a more permanent opportunity to create your own sustainable fashion online shop, that is simple to manage, creating a community of fashion lovers with the option to sell or swap your pre-loved clothes with others.

I am going to be sharing, swapping and buying pre-loved, upcycled, handmade and vintage gems and would love like minded sustainable fashionistas to get involved too. I will then share your shops on my platforms too!

All you need to do is tag @nodebutante & #myswap&shop in your stories & I will add you to my list of swap shoppers & promote you when I can, introducing you to our slow fashion, My Swap & Shop community! With an aim to create My Swap & Shop community events in the future! 

If we can get enough of us involved there could be new sustainable fashion drops happening every day, with the opportunity to update and refresh your wardrobe whilst supporting sustainable fashion.

Watching those videos of people queuing and cheering at the re-opening of Primark after lockdown honestly made me feel sick! Let's be the change! 

By changing our mindset and starting a fashion revolution, we can reduce the amount of new clothes being made by the fast fashion high street AND create a new circular economy using the millions of garments that are already in circulation.

What's not to like here?

Go set up your shop, take a look at my insta profile page for ideas and lets start swap shopping the sustainable way.

Happy Sustainable Swap Shopping!

How to support sustainable and slow fashion NOW - A new vlog for the Sustainable Fashion Chats series

Supporting slow & sustainable fashion is still just as important & relevant in a pandemic, find out why and how you can get involved with the new No Debutante Youtube & IGTV series - Sustainable Fashion Chats video below.

Featuring tips on reworking your wardrobe & slowing down your fashion consumption, alongside information about garment worker supporters Fashion Revolution and Labour Behind the Label

Follow No Debutante on IGTV and YouTube for more...

Fruit Salad - Starting a slow fashion brand

Fruit Salad officially launched in January this year.

This independent Bristol based streetwear brand oozes cuteness and street style vibes with an aim to support slow fashion.

It's super close to No Debutante's heart and it would be, as it's my fashion brand and I'm super proud of it!

The seeds for the now ripe and blooming Fruit Salad were first sown back in 2017, after I had spent a year as a fashion journalist.

Pastel Perfection with Fruit Salad photography(and main image)by Jolanta Valeniece 

Meeting so many inspiring independent designers from Bristol and beyond,  I really wanted to get back to my designer roots (I had previously worked as a designer for high street brands - I know the irony - and for my own fashion label) and I got the bug to start creating again!

The back story is a whole different blog post but I would like to say, the pressure to keep my new fashion baby as sustainable as possible has nearly broken me on several occasions, battling creativity over sustainability has been hard but I like a challenge!

After attending The Festival of Female Entrepreneurs event here in Bristol last autumn I was encouraged to continue on with my creative business idea, whilst holding myself accountable by being as transparent as possible on my fashion journey.

I felt released and inspired to launch my business and four months later I launched the Fruit Salad website on Big Cartel (who, I can honestly say, are the most helpful online platform that I have ever worked with) which is now linked to an Instagram shop (not quite so helpful on the admin front) and have a capsule fashion range of T-shirts, fleeces and beanies, all produced on very small runs.

Super fresh in Fruit Salad pink beanie and t-shirt

What's in a name?

Fruit Salad is fun, colourful, sassy and super cute. The name came from my husband Phil who said my hair looked like Fruit Salad sweets when the pink colour was washing out of my bleached blonde crop, the name stuck and it's super sweet and playful too!

Candy coloured cuteness at Fruit Salad photography by Jolanta Valeniece

The Graphics

The graphics came from pavement chalk drawings I had created with my daughter, I was looking for print ideas and these weird, sea creatures I had randomly drawn caught my imagination.

The Fruit Salad logo came from a hand drawn idea of how I wanted the Fruit Salad logo to look, with the intention to recreate it digitally using an existing font, instead, I kept things DIY and went with the quick sketch. I really like hand drawn graphic art and fanzines and it fitted with the playful Fruit Salad style that was slowly developing.

The prints were all initially created using stencil printing techniques at home and then neatened up for print production.

Time, as you probably know, is not on my side and since I have met so many independent designers who have help manufacturing their brands AND lucky for me, there are some amazing local tailors, makers and independent printers here in Bristol.

With this in mind, I decided I would be beneficial to get some help to put my ideas into production. I had always felt this was a bit of a cop out, probably comparing myself to others rather than just getting on with it BUT I got over myself and got in touch with some Bristol based indies.

Keeping things as local as possible is a first priority to me.

The last day of summer Fruit Salad photo shoot by Jolanta Valeniece

The T-shirts

First stop was Hidden Temple, a local screen printers who I had originally met at The Fashion Front fashion shows here in Bristol. As well as being super friendly and helpful they also take small print orders. This was a must for me as I only wanted to print up an initial small run of t-shirts to reduce possible waste from over-producing.

The Fruit Salad t-shirts are currently made from super soft organic cottons. Always striving to become more sustainable, we are researching possibilities of using recycled fabrics (ideally produced locally) and alternative sustainable ideas for future runs, which is very exciting!

Another priority for the Fruit Salad prints was to use water based inks (not plastic based) on our t-shirts. Using the water based inks we were able to create a light effect in the graphics (that was true to my original samples), which Hidden Temple screen print individually by hand and it's much better for the environment too!

Super cute and cuddly limited edition Fruit Salad fleeces are now available at our online shop

The Fleeces

The fleeces took a year to launch from initial fashion illustration to final product - now that's slow fashion!

As with my prints, I design my own garms and make my patterns and samples. I collaborated with the super talented team from Jokoto Tailoring to adapt my samples; with their amazing ideas and super sewing skills Jokoto helped create my vision. Working with local businesses has been so rewarding and kinda convenient, as they are just up the road!

The sad thing about the super sweet fleeces is that we didn't get to capture them on our amazing models before the lockdown. It's certainly on the to do list when we are all let out to play again! 

Matching my collection in pastel pinks

Reducing waste

As well as working on very small runs, I also use up as much of the fabric scraps leftover from the larger cut pattern pieces to use on the fleeces cuffs, neck and waistbands.

Using this technique has resulted in there being no more than two fleeces the same, I love to experiment and mixing up different colourways using just one pattern, it's a way to create new style variations without using extra fabric.

Going forward, I hope to use as many upcycled fabrics and/or panels as possible in the next collection and look into incorporating this idea into the beanies design too.

Fresh embroideries by The Live Ink Co - right photo courtesy of The Live Ink Co. 

The beanies and embroideries

The final part of production for the fleeces was to add the Fruit Salad logo embroidery.
The Live Ink Co were recommended to me by Sam Witts from Hidden Temple and are also based in Bristol!

I really wanted to add a beanie to the collection that fitted in with the current Fruit Salad colours of pastel pink & lilacs, purple and sapphire blue. Live Ink Co kitted us out and the amazing embroideries, of both the logo on the fleeces and the Octo graphic on the beanies were so slick.

All of these independent businesses run from small shop outlets in Bristol, its impressive what and who you can find to help just on your doorstep! Support independent, support local!

I am so excited to share my lil' slow fashion baby with you but realise I have along way to go to become more sustainable. The fun will be figuring out how I can do this and learning more from the following sustainable & ethical fashion activists.

The lovely Eloise and Hannah from Jokoto Tailoring with the fleeces they made for Fruit Salad clothing
They made your clothes! 

Fashion Revolution 

In the light of Fashion Revolution Week  (20-26 April), I am sharing #whomademyclothes
in remembrance of the shocking Rana Plaza disaster that killed 1134 fashion workers in Bangladesh in 2013.

Fashion Revolution Week encourages the fashion industry no matter how big or small the business to show transparency in their supply chain with their  #whomademyclothes campaign. Read this digital activism guide to find out how you too can get involved in Fashion Rev week and beyond.


Labour Behind the label

Founders of the #sixitemschallenge Label Behind the label have launched a new campaign this week encouraging all brands to be responsible for every single person from their supply chain, not just their direct employees, focusing on those who are shockingly still working, often in terrible conditions, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Labour Behind the Label need your help to make this change. Please sign their petition and join them in supporting garment workers. The big brands must put their workers before their profits!


Sustainable Fashion week

I have to mention this inspiring event that was supposed to be taking place right now in Bristol before covid-19 put a stop to everything. I was looking forward to attending and speaking at the very first event which will now take place in Bristol this Autumn. Find out more in my Bristol24/7 article Sustainable fashion week slows down fast fashion




Covid-19 may have put a stop to many things but it cannot put a stop to all of us supporting sustainable and slow fashion ethics.

Support independent, support local, support slow fashion, support garment workers. Stay safe and stay sustainable!


Super fresh Fruit Salad threads now available on the Fruit Salad online shop