SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES

During this pandemic and my research for the course I have become a lot more aware of the different brands that are available and especially small ones that I want to support through these though times and continuously to help them grow as I have seen how negative and impactful on the environment fast fashion and large corporations are and I don't want to support their behaviours.

I have found a variety of businesses through Instagram, Depop and influencer recommendations and want to talk you through some I have been enjoying and would recommend to you.

My new favourite trend is definitely tie dye, I don't how I've lived my life without it, I would never have thought it wear it now as I haven't had tie dye clothings since I was probably 5 but now I can't get enough of it. The first girl I found is on Depop @eveps, she runs a store selling all tie dye pieces that she creates herself, she buys plain white pieces and adds the tie dye at home. She sells custom pieces where you can chose the size and colours you would like but also sells ones she's already created. I was first attracted to her because of how reasonable her pricing is, so many other people are selling tie dye at such a high price which just isn't worth it to me. I brought some grey joggers from her and they came within two days, amazing communication from her and she was so lovely and chatted to me, a really personal experience. The joggers are a gorgeous colour, very unique and amazing quality, I couldn't fault them. Once I had received them she sent me a messaging asking me to @ her instagram if I was to post any photos of videos in the joggers, which I did as she was such a great seller and I wanted to supported her. I also returned to buy a lilac hoodie which is also great quality and gorgeous colouring, would highly recommend her if you are looking for anything tie dye.

Another store I found was on Instagram called Kasela Studio, they are a clothes wear brand that sell handmade swimwear, festival and lounge wear. I love the story behind this brand as it was created by two friends and was originally a Festival wear based site called Groove Studio at the start of 2019 that was just for a bit of fun but it has now really taken off. They rebranded in February to Kaesla Studio as they wanted to become something bigger and better and expand to more than just Festival outfits. What really caught my attention was their gorgeous loungewear as it's all quite simple but still statement pieces and staples to your wardrobe. They have some amazing two piece sets and recently came out with some tie dye zip up hoodies which I couldn't say no to. I of course purchased the pink zip up which was actually only £27 which I think is great for a handmade item. I also brought a pair of black cargo trousers at they were reduced to £12 and I thought they would be a great staple piece to my collection. At this current time with their high demand it does say to allow up to 18 working days for your handmade items to be dispatched which is understandable and is worth the wait to be honest, I would highly recommend, my pieces are great quality and theres some lovely girls behind the business.

The next girl is another Instagram business but she's actually someone I went to school with who is a makeup artist and recently launched her own brand EmilyBaileyMakeup where she sells eyelashes and eyebrow products. She's only about 18 and already has a huge following and her own brand. I brought the eyebrow soap from her because I have heard good things about the West Barn Co Soap Brows product and had wanted to try it out but when I saw Emily come out with one I wanted to try that and support her business as she starts to grow. The product is great and comes with an applicator all for £8 which I think is a great price for the amount of product you get. It keeps your brows in place all day for that bushy or clean look, what ever you desire.

A local bakery brand to me is a girl working alone to create Bespoke cakes, cupcakes, chocolates and other baked treats called @aimsbakesx in the Birmingham area. She has to be one of my favourite bakers, she creates such amazing master pieces with food and will cater to any needs you have and is the most lovely girl with amazing communication. My family have brought quite a few different products from her, my little sister had a large cookie cake for her birthday which was amazing and you could customise it however you wanted. We brought my mum some cupcakes from her for mothers day which were beautiful and tasted amazing. I also brought some easter 'fleggs' she calls them, flat eggs, which are chocolate bars filled with a variety of chocolate and sweets which you can select and customise. She is amazing at communicating with customers and always reposts anyones photos enjoying their products. Even during this hard time she has been able to keep up with the demand of orders and have transactions in the safest way possible. She is always experimenting with new designs and recipes and keeps her page fully up to date with what she's creating and its amazing to see all the unique things she can do with food. She also interacts with her followers and has recently done a give away and is keeping up with the times a starting to sell 'quarantine boxes' which hold a variety of her different bakes as is a great way to treat yourself in this time.

My final favourite small business is my hair extension girl @hairbyhannahlouise_x who is in the Coventry area. She is home based and supplies a variety of treatments and extensions. I went to her early this year after being recommended to her by a friend for a 20'' inch weave which is amazing quality as she uses the brand SWAY who are a large hair extension and hair care brand. She's a lovely girl and the experience with her was really pleasant and I would recommend to anyone looking to get extensions fitted. She also has quite good price compared to other people I have looked into and the refits are only £40 which is really affordable and you only have to have done every 6-8 weeks. She was great and recommending what she thought would be best for you which is always needed as this is something I hadn't done before, she was completely honest and recommended me the best products to use to maintain them well. During this uncertain time she has been keeping her followers updated and helped recommend ways of taking out your extensions whilst you can't have them refitted which is just a nice extra bit of help for her customers. She has also brought out her own detangling brush which is a great way for her to start growing her business. Other than extensions she also offers cuts, blow drys and spray tans for any other treatments you would like.