Journal

March is Women's History Month and with International Women's Day on the 8th, we continue to highlight our creative, small brands with a Women in Business focus. Below we chat with Halyna Velytok, Founder of The Vely Soapery, discussing her business startup experiences, advice for others and current inspirations.   Can you tell us a little about the beginnings of...

    Rita Row was born in Figueres (Girona) in June 2013 and is the brainchild of two halves: Imma Serra and Xènia Semis. From its beginnings, the brand established a clear objective: to craft elegant and functional clothing. Rita symbolizes a woman in search of comfort, quality and style; this fictional character acts as a muse to the designers,...

  Often overlooked, bar soap may not at first glance seem that exciting, but many well-being and apothecary brands are taking on the challenge to elevate this every day essential into a chance for a little self-care, and the ultimate relaxation. Dook (meaning to submerge) is an award-winning artisanal company based in Edinburgh, who have elevated the humble bar of...

Launched in 2008, Beaumont Organic is a premium, sustainable fashion brand and creates contemporary, conscious clothing. Featuring GOTS certified organic cotton, alongside other sustainable and eco-fabrics such as linen, lyocell, tencel and non-mulesed wool the pieces are sustainably produced and ethically made in Europe. Beaumont Organic Unity-May Paprika Jumpsuit  The company works hard behind the scenes to provide full transparency...

"WE BELIEVE IN JEANS DONE THE RIGHT WAY FOR THE PLANET, FOR THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEM AND FOR YOU" - Seventy + Mochi. Up to two-thirds of garments impact on the environment is realised at the design stage so to reduce the impact on the environment, Seventy + Mochi source eco-friendly fabrics and components. It is important to the...

  Rujuta Sheth lives and works in New York City. She travels often, and draws inspiration from the cultures and landscapes she experiences. Born in India, she grew up surrounded by artisans, weavers, beaders, and embroiderers. When she launched her namesake line in 2015, she naturally returned to these villages to tap into the creativity and craftsmanship she knew so...

  Adopt the idea of shopping small this Christmas season by selecting a token they'll truly love. Shop our 'small' Christmas gift guide below to discover the perfect piece to suit their style, and your festive budget, whilst doing a big thing of supporting the people behind the smaller brands.    Kind Bag in Purple Stripes £10 Creating sustainable accessories to...

  “Fair, organic, social … sure, anyone can say that! To show that these are not just empty words, we work together with independent organisations…to create meaningful products with the highest respect for humans and nature”. ARMEDANGELS   ArmedAngels create timeless, sustainable, fashion for men and women with a 100% eco, fair, certified and transparent approach. The brands mission is...

  Whilst having a 'green' approach seems to be the top priority for most fashion and beauty brands coming onto the market these days, the lack of clarity surrounding 'eco-friendly' terms, and the multiple factors to weight up (sourcing, materials, production methods, treatment of employees, business practices and charitable contributions) when trying to make a conscious purchase can be a...

Good News - S/S20 Lookbook   Good News produce conscious sneakers and are on an evolving  journey to produce fully sustainable footwear. Their aim is to improve the environmental and social sustainability of their products by decreasing  carbon, chemical and water footprint, whilst caring for the people who make the shoes. "Recycled rubber - organic cotton - a monitored supply...

The aim of Good News the footwear brand is simple; to create a platform they can use to promote a healthy planet, therefore giving back, one step at a time. Currently, 95 per cent of the 20 billion pairs of shoes produced globally each year end up in landfill sites. Good News have a commitment to challenge a fast-paced fashion...

Swedish fashion shoe brand Vagabond has been in the industry for more than thirty years. Ever since the start, the idea has been about offering designer shoes and accessories for a global audience, by knowing all there is to know about shoe making. With this mission to be a global fashion brand comes a great responsibility to think and act...

Created in 2019 by two Australian friends living in London, Lune is a sustainable, ethical, 100% natural, vegan apothecary brand which will be popping up in The Mercantile store at our Eco Day on 3rd October. Lune started out of personal necessity in 2019 when Lune founder, Hannah Stanton, wanted a completely natural pillow spray that she could also use...

Working from start to finish with the artisan block-printers, indigo dyers, embroiderers and weavers in Jaipur, India, allows Glasgow School of art graduate Molly Russell to create ethical hand-made women's wear for her label Pink City Prints, which celebrates the beauty of craft and sustainable fashion.“India has such an immensely rich culture of craft forms I’m constantly finding new processes...

  “Her name was Anita and she was the hottest mum in all of southern Sweden in the 1970’s. While smoking Camels she just looked fabulous in her white high-heeled clogs” – Swedish Hasbeens.   One summer day in 2006 the Hasbeen team found the shoes their muse Anita wore (300 pairs of red, white and black beautiful clogs from...