The Fashion industry can be particularly hard to enter, especially with the rise in e-commerce meaning more and more companies are now providing their products online, with jewellery and clothing companies being no exception. TechRound asked for entries for the top Fashion Startups to watch in 2021, and there have been responses from sustainable clothing brands, platforms allowing customers to exchange and rent outfits, and handmade jewellery companies.
The internal team at TechRound have ranked the top 26 Fashion Startups below:
26. Onesta
Website: www.onesta.uk
Founder(s): Gabriella Diana
Onesta is a new Welsh eco luxury brand that provides high quality, timeless clothing for men and women that is sustainably and ethically manufactured in Wales. Each garment is made from innovative, natural fabrics which address the long-term health issues associated with synthetic fabric toxins and significantly minimises harm to our planet.
Their vision is to lead a movement of consumers committed to changing the fashion industry for the better and their mission is to source ethically, to expose exploitation and to create sustainably.
From the start, Onesta has been committed to having a positive impact on the fashion industry, leaving the earth a better place for it. They prioritise their values over profit and work to challenge perceptions and inspire lifestyle changes.
Onesta launched in December 2020 during the global pandemic with a small collection of ultra-soft, premium loungewear, filling the need for comfortable yet classic work-from-home wear. They experienced some delays with launching the first collection and with a small team with so much to do, they have inevitably had our share of drawbacks.
However, their approach was to just keep going, because their entire team is so passionate about what they are doing. They saw every mistake and drawback as an opportunity to learn from, taking time to reflect on what happened and discussing how they could implement a change going forward.
They source unique and innovative fabric made from algae, eucalyptus, hemp, and other plants, to offer consumers a wider range of skin-loving fabrics. Their Seaweed Tee is crafted from an innovative algae fabric rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that helps soothe skin and reduce inflammation as it is worn.
Their clothes stand out from the rest not only because of the unique fabrics but also the intricate and well-designed details such as covered buttons, integrated ties and detailed pockets.
25. PrimaBerry
Website: www.primaberry.com
Founder(s): Susana Teixeira & Amin Khan
PrimaBerry is a UK based sustainable online clothing and accessories store for men, women and children, featuring collections inspired by the diversity and culture of multiple countries from around the globe.
Susana and her partner Amin met in England and together em 2021 they created PrimaBerry, a dream come true that combines what they love most: fashion, travelling, and people.
PrimaBerry is the combination of the Portuguese word “Prima”, which means “top quality”. It is also associated with “primavera” (the Portuguese word for “Spring”), with the English word “Berry”, associated with health, youth and kindness. In just two words, PrimaBerry combines the fresh ideas that the brand brings to the market, colour and quality while hinting at the interculturality that is part of each of our products.
They knew from the beginning that they wanted their business to be as sustainable as possible: They use sustainable and recycled materials, seed tags, avoid plastic as much as possible, fund tree planting, support small artisans and do not support work slavery. Being always involved in national and international volunteering projects, they want to continue to give back.
At PrimaBerry, they donate 5% of their profits to causes and projects mainly related to education and animal welfare.
For the future, they want to introduce more sustainable items and measures to their business and demonstrate to their customers that sustainable fashion can be affordable.
Every country and place you visit has a story, countless memories and something special that you can never describe. Their mission is to capture all that and express it through fashionable clothing and accessories that you will be proud to share with the world.
They are starting with the United Kingdom and Portugal, but they won’t stop there. You will soon find new items inspired by a variety of other countries from around the world.
24. Laura See London
Website: www.lauraseelondon.com
Founder(s): Laura See
Laura See London is a new and exciting luxury shoe brand creating original, high quality footwear for fun, fearless and positive women.
Laura See, the founder and designer, left her career in architectural design to follow her life-long passion for art and shoes. It was a mix of art, prints, textures, metallic and vivid colours that gave Laura the inspiration for her designs. The result is a sophisticated yet playful range that captures the essence of freedom and long, hot balmy summer days.
Laura See London’s debut summer collection features three different styles – mules, sandals and slingback flats. The shoes are made in Italy using high quality leather printed with Laura’s original artwork making them completely unique and giving them a lively, pop of colour.
Laura says, “I wanted to create a brand that represents positivity, confidence and versatility, which I hope is reflected in the women who wear my shoes.”
As a nature lover, Laura is keen to ensure her brand is sustainable. Whenever possible she will use off-cuts, or previous seasons’ fabrics and all accessories will be environmentally friendly. The shoes will always be made with real leather taken from the food chain, in a timeless style that can be worn time and time again.
Laura states, “I’ve had some shoes for over 15 years and still wear them. The only way forward is to change our mindset and start investing in quality that is made to last, giving us true value for money and helping to protect our environment. Reducing waste and ending throwaway fashion are ways our industry can make a real difference, and I believe the time to do it is now.”
Laura has chosen the Hummingbird as the brand’s logo and the attractive motif can be found on the base of every shoe. This beautiful, tiny bird means a lot to Laura and symbolises freedom, determination and beauty. Hummingbirds are swift yet sensitive, playful but determined, vital and independent; all qualities that Laura admires and believes her brand represents.
Laura See London creates shoes that reflect a woman’s moods and desires, inject a sense of fun and individuality, as well as serving as a reminder to always be who they want to be and to never settle for anything less.
23. Mara Girone Simple Sophistication
Website: www.maragirone.com
Founder(s): Mara Girone
Founded in 2018, Mara Girone Simple Sophistication by Mara is an Italian company based in London.
Mara Girone Simple Sophistication is an “adventure of empowering hand-embroidery” – a collection of bespoke and ready to wear scarves, hoodies and t-shirts embellished with hand-embroidery and motivational words, designed to empower women and help them to face the world with strength, confidence and authenticity.
Mara strongly believes in the power of words beyond their value as a group of letters and sounds. Words have intention, intensity and cultural significance. These values can give us power when we carry them on our clothes as a reminder of our worthiness.
To break free from our limiting beliefs and feel free and bold, we need to work on our mindset and the words, repeated, worn and meaningfully accepted, can make wonders in that direction.
Mara’s design process is described like “an idea that comes and knocks at the door”. She has a very clear view of the idea ‘knocking’ and asking to be brought to life, at which point she can mould and give her idea shape. The tactile power of the hand embroidery gives the wearer the opportunity to experience the power of a ‘magic cape’ or ‘armour’ to face everyday life challenges.
Her creations include inspirational messages such as “Mindset Matters”, “UnstoppableResilience”, and her bestselling t-shirt, “Unapologetically Me”. They want to be a reminder for the wearer as much as a message for the viewer to guide us along the journey through life.
22. Handmade by Tinni
Website: www.handmadebytinni.com
Founder(s): Paulomi Debnath
Handmade by Tinni is a Sustainable Statement Textile Jewellery & Home Décor, An Award-winning Brand. The brand is all about sustainability and joyful colour. The founder creates colourful, bold designs that bring joy & inspire ethical living. They are based in London and make all designs from their home studio.
The design inspiration came from the bright colours of nature, amazing places that they have travelled to over the years and most importantly from the rich heritage of India.
They mainly use age-old rope knotting crafts and processes like macramé; creating colourful, unique and bold designs is what makes textile jewellery stand out!
The brand has a core belief that doing business ethically is the only way to do business, so from sourcing the materials to becoming more climate positive, they are dedicated to creating a legacy of change for a cleaner, greener planet.
They chose cotton as the main design medium as it is biodegradable, soft to wear, anti-allergic, colourful, and extremely flexible to let my imagination flow. They take great pride in making each piece by hand.
They consciously made an effort to design new collection using my scrap rope endings to reduce any waste from my materials. Currently I have 3 products in my shop that are entire based on zero waste materials. Handmade by Tinni has now partnered with Ecologi to become more climate positive and assist with reforestation, planting 23 trees monthly. The aim is to make you embrace colours, look beautiful and feel proud while you showcase my designs.
If You Have any Questions, Feel Free to Contact Us Here >>
21. BOXRAW
Website: uk.boxraw.com
Founder(s): Ben Amanna
Ben Amanna founded boxing sportswear business BOXRAW from his childhood bedroom in Coventry four years ago, channelling his lifelong passions for boxing and entrepreneurship. It’s now making more than £5 million a year in sales and worn by the likes of Michael B Jordan, Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia and Love Island star Tommy Fury.
His aim with BOXRAW is to help make boxing more accessible for younger people by providing new routes into the sport. He’s said: “The vision for BOXRAW was to be why people got into boxing. We’re trying to take over the sport. I want people, when they see boxing , to think BOXRAW and vice-versa.”
He now plans to double its 39-person team this year after sales hit the £5 million mark, with its projected revenue due to grow to £15 million by 2022.
Ben has also founded Boxing Is Love, a charity that teaches boxing to children. It’s run six volunteer trips to Liberia, taking boxers and coaches from across four continents to help train more than 10,000 children there to date. The charity also focuses on local community events in the UK and USA, working with a number of other charities to support with providing things such as boxing gear and programmes.
Ben Amanna will be speaking at Retail Week Live, which is taking place in London on October 13th and 14th 2021.
20. THE-CØDED
Website: www.the-coded.com
Founder(s): Donald Browne & Jamie Browne
THE-CØDED is a brand new fashion platform that is innovating the way people shop, connecting the customers directly with the factories that make our clothing. THE-CØDED was developed by fashion industry experts who wanted to do more for factories and garment workers. The platform allows customers to find out about the factories behind the clothes and shop collections designed by them. During the COVID-19 pandemic, factories and garment workers lost contracts with retailers and didn’t get paid for clothing that was already made, which is how THE-CØDED really got started; they wanted to help factories that had helped them before.
Donald Browne, Ex-Production Director for Ted Baker and one of the Co-Founders of THE-CØDED, believes that the factories and the workers are what THE-CØDED is all about: “And that’s how THE-CØDED started. It was our care for the people that we work with that actually spurred us on to create something for them. And maybe become something really disruptive as well. In giving the factories an opportunity to create their own product to sell directly to the public. And it was an idea. We put it to a few key potential partners, and THE-CØDED was born.”
To make sure garment workers are treated fairly, THE-CØDED ensures their manufacturing partners receive an equitable share of the profits that represents the time, effort and skills that is spent making the garment.
19. Infinite Closet
Website: www.infinitecloset.co.uk
Founder(s): Sarah Korich & Luisa Jimenez
Infinite Closet is a clothing rental service focused on independent ethical and sustainable designer brands, delivered right to your door. Their mission is to help women feel confident and fashionable while creating a more sustainable future. Infinite Closet’s eCommerce platform allows customers to rent and buy independent brands while cutting their carbon footprint and supporting “slow” fashion – making it affordable for the average consumer.
They take the guesswork out of the fashion industry by partnering with sustainable, ethical, and minority and/or women-owned independent brands. By creating an “unlimited” designer closet, they allow women to feel great every day. Their values revolve around 4 main pillars:
– Sustainability
– Inclusivity
– Diversity
– Affordability
The UK produces 350k tonnes/year of clothing waste and the average garment use-time has decreased by 36%. Their clothing rental platform not only focuses on sustainability but gives consumers the chance to find new designers that are making real changes in the industry while making these brands affordable to the average consumer. The website/app is designed to educate consumers and make the fashion industry more transparent and make it easy to shop from home and have your rentals delivered directly to your door, using our zero-emissions delivery and eco-friendly dry cleaning partners.
Infinite Closet’s fully circular business model ensures the end of the lifecycle of the clothes is taken into account with a promise to give all of our clothes have a second chance at life. When clothes are no longer able to be rented, they sell the clothes at a discounted price to their customers. Any clothes unable to be sold are donated to our non-profit partners. Anything damaged or unable to be worn is donated to partner fashion schools that allow the students to use the clothes as materials for their school projects.
18. Butter Lane Antiques
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_butterlaneantiques/
Founder(s): Alex Alfieri
Butter Lane Antiques is founded by Alex Alfieri, a thirty-year-old jewellery dealer assisted by his right hand man, Monty Cutteridge. The duo has flipped the trade on its head, breathing new life into the antique jewellery world having found success with their defiant, unorthodox approach to the industry, championing social media as their ultimate tool for success. However, success hasn’t come easily to the duo who have had to juggle Alfieri’s health alongside a full-time, rapidly growing business.
Butter Lane launched a first of it’s kind podcast entitled Dealing which has been named ‘new & noteworthy’ by Apple. Dealing tells the tale of an unusual and unexpected start up, taking the listener through the highs and lows of the trade but a unique point of interest is Alfieri talking openly for the first time regarding his journey with his health and how Butter Lane dealt with life changing events.
Alfieri was born with a congenital heart defect and underwent several successful open heart surgeries at a young age, proceeding to live a healthy and regular life into young adulthood. However, in 2016 Alfieri fell extremely ill when his heart began to fail and he was hospitalised for six months. During this stay, a blood clot in the heart was discovered, sending Alfieri into end stage heart failure. He has now had an LVAD (left ventricular assist device) fitted. . Numerous complications later, Alex was awoken. He is now relatively paralysed down his left-hand side and had to relearn basic tasks from scratch as well as how to control his new battery operated heart.
Alfieri states “To me, the business is in my blood and almost makes up part of my DNA. Butter Lane gave me the drive to recover as quickly as I have by becoming my ultimate focus, I just couldn’t wait to be back. I feel extremely fortunate that the LVAD gave me a second shot at life and keeps me well, meaning I can continue doing what I love whilst I’m waiting for the heart transplant.
If You Have any Questions, Feel Free to Contact Us Here >>
17. Lucy Locket Loves
Website: www.locketloves.com
Founder(s): Lucy Arnold
A back injury led Lucy Arnold from Sheffield to scale back her career and begin selling activewear leggings from her living room in Sheffield to supplement her income.
Now just 4 years later, her company Lucy Locket Loves has grown into a multi-million-pound business, with an expanded range of products including dungarees and knickers, as well as different styles of leggings, all focused on empowering women of all sizes to pursue fitness
During this time, gross income has increased by more than 250% into a 7 figure business, and Lucy now employs over 14 people, with plans to expand the workforce with an upcoming move into an even bigger premises.
She’s said: “When I injured my back I had to have some time off and I started putting on quite a lot of weight. There’s so many expectations put on woman to be a size six, so our range goes up to size 22. We’ve built a company within the fitness industry that makes people feel great.”
Lucy will be speaking at Retail Week Live, which is taking place in London on October 13th and 14th 2021.
16. Satatland Ownership-Free Circular Fashion
Website: www.satatland.com
Founder(s): Karishma Gupta
At Satatland, ownership-free circular fashion, they believe we can see a positive change in our lifetime with the power of positive fashion and circular economy. They are a fashion tech startup and a utopian vision of how fashion should be produced, consumed and disposed.
Karishma Gupta is the founder of Satatland, specialising in ownership-free circular fashion. The company believe they can see a positive change in their lifetime with the power of positive fashion and circular economy. They are a fashion tech startup and a utopian vision of how fashion should be produced, consumed and disposed.
They make beautiful sustainable fashion with materials that either reduce pollution, restore biodiversity or preserve an art form. They offer freedom to shop based on how often you repeat your outfits, you could either rent, lease our buy to save more than money. And once you are done with your outfit, we happily take it back for responsible reuse or recycle in exchange of 10% discount on next purchase.
They are a digital brand and their platform Satatland.com serves as one stop platform to rent, lease or buy. What differentiates them from other brands or rental platforms is that they take a holistic approach to fashion. As a brand they design their own products and offer them to rent, lease or buy as per their customer’s choice and once the outfit is not longer wearable or required they happily take it back for responsible recycling.
Karishma is a fashion technologist and an entrepreneur. She has worked with textile and apparel manufacturers in the east and retail in the west. She has seen how rivers have turned toxic and land is being devastated for clothes that are not worn for more that twice. Because of what she has experienced, she decided to put an end to the madness and start Satatland with her dream to create a zero compromise fashion brand.
15. Tandi Fashion
Website: www.tandi-fashion.com
Founder(s): Thandi Ojeer
Tandi Fashion is a contemporary brand that believes in the empowerment of women. We create garments made in London that are crafted from a kanga, which enables women to ‘wear their emotions’. It is common knowledge in East Africa that women wear these kangas to express a specific message or feeling on that day, through fabric. Not only do we use prints inspired by East African Kanga designs, we also keep the messages within the fabrics allowing one to ‘wear’ their emotions and keep that little piece of history.
Thandi has spent many years familiarising herself with this meaningful textile and, has immersed herself with the richness of its cultural heritage, she states that she’s been exploring the importance of its use within her own practice as an artist/designer. ‘My approach as a designer is to work differently; I don’t conform to the traditional way of designing multiple collections of clothing each year. Instead, my approach to my design work is quite the opposite, with each design becoming one of a series of limited edition artworks. I see my work as wearable art. These unique wearable artworks make their own statement as I combined my love of my cultural heritage with a conscious approach to sustainability.
Thandi has experienced first hand the barriers black owned female start-ups face. ‘Aspiring to become an entrepreneur means wearing several hats’ especially at the birth of your journey. But wearing the hat of breaking through discrimination is not one you consciously put on’. The impact can range from lack of financial support, to less opportunities and access to market. However’ I’m still standing an as a result Tandi Fashion supports HIV positive pregnant woman In East Africa and offers paid internships in London to black women’. It’s not easy, but nothing worth having is at first.
14. My Wardobe HQ
Website: www.mywardrobehq.com
Founder(s): Tina Lake & Sacha Newall
My Wardrobe HQ is the UK’s number one luxury fashion rental and resale platform and was co-founded by Tina Lake and Sacha Newall. The business officially launched in December 2019 at the British Fashion Awards where the startup dressed 50 high profile sustainability advocates and influencers in the latest rental fashion.
As a sustainable business, My Wardrobe HQ seeks to democratise luxury fashion and the brand’s customers, partners and individual owners are passionate about this. The company ethos is very much about access over ownership. Production represents such a huge part of the damage that the industry causes to the planet – and My Wardrobe HQ has found an innovative way to reduce this impact while also educating communities on how to monetise their wardrobes and investment pieces.
The business is designed to reduce the impact the fashion industry has on the environment and future generations by providing brands and retailers with sustainable aftersales solutions while also driving profitability. The economic impacts of the pandemic period expedited changes in consumer behaviour and subsequently there was a need for brands and retailers to find creative ways to deal with excess stock, repaying suppliers and dealing with a 45% drop in consumer spending within retail – there was no quick fix in the fashion or tech industry and that’s how My Ventures was born.
Natalia Pawlak, COO My Wardrobe HQ and founder of My Ventures says “Our brands and retail partners are at the heart of everything we build whether it’s technology or our operational capabilities – recommerce is still such a new concept and single SKU reverse logistics management is extremely costly and resource heavy if you don’t have the experience.
We’ve been doing this across a variety of industries and countries for over a decade so we understand the complexities – we’re focused on delivering simple, quick and agile integrated technology and operational solutions for our clients so they can activate rental, resale, subscription or peer-to-peer marketplace communities quickly and efficiently. Resale is forecasted to outgrow fast fashion within a decade and has a growth rate 25x that of retail. Our resale capabilities also allow our clients to realise recurring revenue that they never saw before – we’re essentially enabling them to sell their product twice!”
Perhaps as an illustration of how forward thinking and dynamic My Wardrobe HQ is, the COO, Natalia Pawlak, who is also founder of My Ventures has been nominated for one of the InspiringFifty awards at London Tech Week this year. InspiringFifty is an initiative run by accelerateHER that aims to increase diversity in tech by making female role models more visible. The winners of the InspiringFifty awards will be announced on Monday 20th September 2021 at London Tech Week.
If You Have any Questions, Feel Free to Contact Us Here >>
13. Saywood
Website: www.saywoodstudio.co.uk
Founder(s): Harriet Saywood-Bellisario
Saywood is an ethically made, contemporary slow fashion brand, focused on colourful, wearable everyday essentials – the staples beyond the classics. Made in small volumes from responsibly sourced materials, each piece is elevated with beautiful attention to detail, designed to be worn and re-worn.
The first collection comprises a beautiful edit of shirts and shirtdresses – the ultimate wardrobe staple – elevated through colour and unexpected details, making each piece unique.
The brand was established in October 2020 by Harriet Saywood-Bellisario, a designer with over ten years of experience in the fashion industry, to prove that it is possible to work responsibly and fairly with a supply chain, producing desirable items without an excessive price tag. Harriet aims to change the face of sustainable fashion through an ethical lens, one piece at a time. To offer consumers the chance to build up their own sustainable wardrobe, adding to what they already have, slowly with consideration.
At the heart of the brand story is a desire to reconnect with the people and processes behind what we wear, and in doing so, press pause on throwaway fashion. Saywood collections are small, with an emphasis on quality designs that last, but leave as little mark as possible on the planet through all stages of their lifecycle, in every way.
Saywood works with ethical factories that pay well above the living wage, and work towards a more environmentally friendly way of manufacture, with an ambition for zero waste. Fabrics are an integral part of Saywood, ensuring a premium look with a sustainable approach. Natural fibres are used throughout the collection, recycled materials and deadstock fabrics are used as much as possible, with no new cloth produced. Even the buttons are natural, eco-friendly and biodegradable; Saywood uses buttons made from the corozo nut, or Codelite – made from milk casein – from British heritage button makers Courtney & Co.
Saywood’s mission: Uniquely designed, thoughtfully made pieces you’ll want in your life, always.
12. So English
Website: www.soenglish.co.uk
Founder(s): Sophie English
With a deep love of vintage towelling fabric, many months have been spent creating the beachwear brand that launched in April 2021.
The elegant and iconic designs have been inspired by the carefree 1970s, sparked by memories of childhood holidays spent on beaches and boats, echoing the vibrant towelling dresses worn by designer Sophie English’s stylish mother and influenced by her fashion conscious friends.
“The glorious feeling of clambering out of the sea and being wrapped up in cotton towelling is a memory etched into my mind. As a regular (warm weather!) swimmer at my local Sussex beaches, I wanted to create an easy, yet stylish way to get warm and dry after a bracing dip in the Channel. The towelling dress was born. It meant freedom, no struggling with wet costumes or trying to protect your modesty – just on with the dress, up to the beach and straight to the ice cream van!” Sophie English, Founder and designer of SoEnglish.
The brand is committed to Slow Fashion, a mindful way of shopping that prioritises people and the planet. The focus is on sustainability and the aim is to produce high quality garments that last longer and manufactured here in the UK by small factories and skilled local machinists. The elegant designs are timeless and designed to stay with the customer from one beach to the next, season after season.
All of the towelling range is now available on the website www.soenglish.co.uk. As the brand develops, they are finding out more about the customer and how they are wearing their So English. Worn to the beach but often pottering around the garden or over a pair of PJs. The wearability of soft towelling is limitless. With interest gathering from around the world, the future is exporting to the Southern hemisphere to provide an all-year-round business.
11. Babble & Hemp
Website: www.babbleandhemp.com
Founder(s): Charlie Thomas
Founded in 2019 with a stall at London’s Portobello Road Market, Babble & Hemp is a new men’s shirt brand on a mission to reintroduce hemp to men’s wardrobes.
Featuring classically designed shirts across a range of exciting colours – all named after locations where hemp has been grown throughout its tempestuous history – the fabric resembles a luxurious linen which holds its shape well and softens with each wash.
Growing organically requiring only rainwater, hemp clothing has a minimal footprint on the environment. “Whereas a cotton shirt requires around 2,700 litres of water to make throughout the whole growing and manufacturing process, a hemp shirt requires 500 litres of water” explains the brand’s founder, Charlie Thomas, who discovered the exhaustive environmental impact cotton growing was having whilst on an Edinburgh University Sustainable Fashion trip to India in 2018 as part of his Business and Geography degree.
Hemp’s fascinating history saw it first turned into cloth from a wild plant in 3000 BC, since then it’s been used in building the Egyptian Pyramids, as sailcloth for naval fleets and was one of the most used fabrics in clothing until cotton replaced it in the 18th century.
Charlie explains that hemp’s demise came about in the 1930s as a result of increased condemnation of the cannabis plant. “The combination of its link with cannabis smoking (hemp is a sister plant to cannabis) and the fact that oil and steel barons were becoming increasingly concerned at hemp’s potential to provide alternative resources to their profitable industries proved a problem.
Before long, the oil and steel barons successfully lobbied the US government to criminalise it alongside cannabis, meaning farmers ceased to grow it, and no more fabric was made.”
10. Alyda
Website: www.alyda.co.uk
Founder(s): Abbey Gregg
Alyda is a contemporary womenswear brand ethically producing high-quality, timeless collections targeting petite women under 5’4”. Abbey Gregg, the founder of Alyda, said ‘the brand is an ethical and responsible challenger brand, tackling the common fit issues faced by petite women without compromising the stylish, timeless and high-quality clothes they want and deserve’.
The brand has an emphasis on slow sustainable fashion, developing each garment with consideration of its environmental impact, by prioritising the use of sustainable fabrics and collaborating with factories at the forefront of ethical manufacturing right
here in the UK.
The launch of their first collection last month, called ‘hortus’ translating to garden in Latin, revealed versatile and timeless pieces designed to take you from season to season.
The star garments include classic silk satin shirts, crisp linen blend dresses and ethereal slip skirts; designed to accentuate and empower petite figures of all shapes and sizes. A colour palette of blues, crisp whites and greens, reflecting tranquillity, predominates. The Hortus collection is available online directly via the brands website.
Born and raised in Coventry, Abbey’s foray into the fashion industry began in her teens, when she launched an online vintage upcycling business. At 4’11, she had always struggled to find stylish, modern clothes that flatter her figure and often found herself dissatisfied with the limited sustainable and quality options that would fit her.
This disappointment is shared with other women under 5’4” – despite 50% the female population within the UK being under 5’4”, they only have access to 3% of garments available in their size (Globaldata, 2020). Therefore, Abbey was inspired to launch her own petite womenswear collection – and so, in 2021, Alyda was born. This year, she received the coveted Young Innovators’ Award, a nationwide competition run by Innovate UK and The Prince’s Trust to find the UK’s most promising startups run by under 30s.
If You Have any Questions, Feel Free to Contact Us Here >>
9. Pocket Sport
Website: www.pocket-sport.com
Founder(s): Louise Thompson & Edward Page
London-based lifestyle brand, Pocket Sport, is on a mission to get people moving in whatever way feels right for you. Founded by fitness guru Louise Thompson and her friend & business partner Edward Page, Pocket creates quality activewear without the inflated price-tag, making stylish & functional activewear accessible to (and inclusive of) all women.
Moving isn’t always a workout. It’s a before-bed stretch or a walk in the park. It’s dancing in your living room or chasing the kids. Pocket makes activewear for moving – whatever moving means to you – that you’ll want to continue wearing in your down time. Pocket gets you through the busiest days, and the rest days too.
Pocket offers a capsule collective of activewear, made for moving, that feels good to relax in too. Available in sizes XXS to XL, and made from recycled materials, Pocket’s activewear keeps up with you.
In an effort to reduce waste, Pocket Sport are moving towards a pre-ordering system for future collections that involves their customers in the process. Pocket will design three colour ways for example and then see which two their customers pre-order more of.
Those who order the colourway with the fewest orders will automatically be refunded and best-sellers will always be restocked. This will essentially mean they won’t over order products and create what there is demand for. Sustainability isn’t just recycled fabrics but also about creating long lasting products and reducing waste.
8. dotte
Website: www.wearedotte.com
Founder(s): Louise Weiss & Samantha Valentine
Consumers are committed to shopping sustainably now more than ever and dotte is the perfect solution opening up circular fashion for all parents; a fashion-forward marketplace dedicated to childrenswear. Committed to sustainability, dotte offers a full circle remedy to fast-fashion and is a force for good.
As well as buying sustainably made clothes that are produced within ethical supply chains, parents are increasingly turning to resale or second-hand as it is the most simple and effective way to reduce their fashion carbon footprint.
By choosing to shop second hand, families can save up to 75% of carbon emissions associated with producing an item of clothing and up to 79% of the emissions associated with sending an item to landfill.
Passionate about sustainability, dotte Co-Founders Louise and Sam quickly realised after having their own children that little ones grow out of their clothes in the blink of an eye and therefore the rapid clothes buying cycle was the ultimate fast-fashion. They wanted to provide an innovative solution for families that gives them the opportunity to shop responsibly with the brands they love.
Community is at the core of dotte and it has created an inclusive and accessible space where like-minded parents can connect, build trust and then continue to buy and sell. The new dotte resale collective is in partnership with progressive and forward-thinking brands that are making waves in the children’s fashion sustainability sector, and is providing the community with added perks, discounts and exclusive pop ups.
It is free to list on dotte and there is a 15% commission on all items sold. Beyond peer-to-peer buying and selling, consumers can purchase dotte’s Donate + Recycle bags via the website, offering a solution even for over-loved, worn out pieces beyond repair.
7. LOANHOOD
Website: www.loanhood.com
Founder(s): Lucy Hall, Jen Sharen & Jade McSorley
LOANHOOD is your fashion rental community. It’s for the creative independents, the passionate do-ers with too many clothes and nothing to wear. It’s the app for changemakers who want to change the way we experience fashion.
It’s fun and it’s fast but without the impact on the planet, it’s like Depop but for rental.
UK Consumers have around “£30 billion worth of clothes which they haven’t worn for a year hanging in their wardrobe and £140 million worth of clothing goes to landfill”.
LOANHOOD is a gender inclusive platform where you dress like you do, mixing new with vintage, one-off pieces with emerging designers, cottagecore, goth, queer or y2k. Make your personal wardrobe and individual style an investment with no subscription fee.
Download the free app to loan an item or ‘Loan the Look’ the platform that gives all fashion, from high street to designer, the opportunity to join the rental rebellion. Its redefining ‘new’. LOANHOOD is about expressing your style and creativity. Loaners upload their wardrobes to a trusted community, users are ID checked and Borrowers browse the LOANHOOD Library for a fun and creative way to refresh their style.
They even offer a lender guarantee to protect your garments for £5 a year. Choose to meet in person, courier or mail and rent for 7 days at a time.
LOANHOOD looks and feels like a social app like, follow, share, chat. Snap and upload your item or an entire look, set your price and rent it out over and over again £££. See something you like? Send a request and for a fraction of the retail price you could be wearing it tomorrow.
United by their careers in the fashion industry, their growing concerns about fashion’s impact on the environment and their desire to rethink the industry and implement positive change Jade, Jen and Lucy formed LOANHOOD.
Jen, a Graphic Designer and brand builder, has worked for the likes of Yoox Net-a-Porter, Manolo Blahnik, Karen Millen and Label/Mix. Her growing passion for sustainability led her to make a bold move, quitting her job to create this independent, sustainably focused company.
Lucy, a former model agent with 16 years experience in the fashion industry, previously worked at renowned Models 1 where she met fellow co-founder Jade. Later, progressing to Head of Image at Elite London and Head of Women at Titanium Management. Taking a break from the fashion industry and with an entrepreneurial spirit Lucy opened her own award-winning restaurant, Jar Kitchen, Covent Garden, to later return with a fresh perspective on the fashion industry with sustainability in focus.
Jade, a fashion model and sustainability expert, previously worked for the Fashion Innovation Agency, UAL. An MA graduate from London College of Fashion, a passionate writer for sustainability and fashion tech she has received awards from the likes of Proctor & Gamble Better Lives Postgrad Award and also a finalist for Sustainable Champion of the Year, Green Gown Awards 2019. Jade is currently undergoing her PhD researching fashion’s digital transformation, consumption and identity.
LOANHOOD is only as strong as its community, so if you believe in fashion’s sustainable future then join the hood and put your wardrobes to work.
6. Artoosh
Founder(s): Mariam Saadi-Brown
Launching in November 2021, Artoosh is a conscious and inclusive underwear movement that focuses on art, sustainability and empowering and protecting women.
For every underwear they sell, they send another to schools, orphanages and hospitals that keep girls in school, avoid social exclusion, bullying, and help new mums’ wounds heal faster and safely after childbirth. Underwear also helps women feel less vulnerable, and they’re making it our mission to make sure no child or woman on Earth goes without!
And they’re doing it with kindness and style. It takes 3000 litres of water to make one piece of industry-average cotton underwear. It takes 1 litre of water to make Artoosh underwear.
Their statement pieces are first and foremost sustainable, using the softest blend of strong, antibacterial bamboo blended with sustainable beechwood modal. Their raw bamboo is organic, chemical and pesticide free. In their women-owned factory, the bamboo fibres are made into pulp where 99.5% of the chemicals used are captured and recycled to be used again.
Finally, their underwear is a huge celebration of life and positivity, which includes collaborating with incredible artists to produce unique artworks for our prints. Yes, they put art on our underwear and our artists are celebrated and promoted for every collaboration.
Art has always made the world a more colourful, interesting and fun place to be, which is why they work with some of the most creative people on the planet to make sure their underwear is not just sustainable and conscious, but beautiful and filled with meaning. They’re trying to build inclusivity into their industry and the economy, making Artoosh a wonderfully unique and empowering company that seeks to support everyone involved in what they do.
If You Have any Questions, Feel Free to Contact Us Here >>
5. Bare Kind
Website: www.barekind.co.uk
Founder(s): Lucy Jeffrey
Bare Kind’s mission is to bring you high-quality and environmentally-conscious socks that put a smile on your face and help save endangered species! Bare Kind uses bamboo fibres with non-toxic dyes to make colourful, fun animal socks. Your socks support worldwide animal conservation, as Bare Kind donates 10% of all profits to charities that save the endangered animal on each sock. Bare Kind and their customers have contributed profoundly to animal conservation, for example they protected 341 acres of tropical rainforest through the orangutan socks alone! They now have over 10 designs in adult and kids sizes so your whole family can save their favourite animals.
Bare Kind’s goal is to have the largest range of animal socks in the world contributing to the conservation of our planet’s diverse wildlife. The founder, Lucy, would love to inspire other companies to use a similar model because she believes that the power to change the world lies within corporations both big and small. For now, Bare Kind is working on new designs and bringing out more socks for their growing customer base. The focus is currently on getting ready for the Christmas shopping season which is when socks seem to be at the top of everyone’s list!
4. PLAINANDSIMPLE
Website: www.plainandsimple.com
Founder(s): Duco Bloemers
Duco Bloemers is the founder of circular clothing company PLAINANDSIMPLE based in London. He is an entrepreneur with a passion for creating a better planet through good business. He has created a new kind of clothing company that makes high-quality products, responsibly produces and then takes back it’s old clothing to reuse the materials. Closing the loop on fashion, reducing waste and giving people a better choice.
They believe in doing the essential thing for a healthier planet by creating premium quality essentials that are Made to be Re-Made. Their GOTS certified organic cotton t-shirts are responsibly made in ethical factories, designed to last and come with complete transparency on pricing.
They offer free returns and a lifetime guarantee, that when they’re worn out, you can send them back, get £6.00 store credit, they then break them down and turn them into new ones.
As a circular clothing company, we know that not all of our t-shirts will come back to us and that’s ok. Because they have been made out of 100% organic cotton with no plastic from the fabric to the label they are also 100% biodegradable. They are fully circular and good for the planet.
3. Nuw
Website: thenuwardrobe.com
Founder(s): Aisling Byrne
Nuw is a unique clothes-sharing app and community helping people in the UK and Ireland enjoy fashion and reduce their environmental impact. Taking the monetary cost of pre-loved clothing out of the equation, we instead gamify the experience of changing your wardrobe by using a token system.
It’s simple to get started. Upload a piece, wait for approval to receive either a gold or silver token then you can instantly choose a piece that’s new to you. Unlike a traditional marketplace Nuw members play both the supply and demand roles maintaining great liquidity on the platform. You can spend your money anywhere, but you can spend your clothes on Nuw.
Since its mobile launch in January 2020 and expansion as a virtual swap shop platform, Nuw has become the slow and sustainable answer to fast fashion, with 25% of listings swapped within the first 24 hours. With 80% MoM user retention with users consistently swapping on average 7 items per month, we are not just building a great product we are building a habit that lasts for life.
Founded by Aisling Byrne, one of Ireland’s 30 under 30, as an accessible gateway to sustainable fashion, we’ve seen over 15,000 items of clothing have been swapped and shared between 12,000 members.
2. Grove & Vae
Website: www.groveandvae.com
Founder(s): Jane Obeng
Grove & Vae was born out of the idea that every woman deserves timeless luxury, and every woman deserves to treat themselves to the finer things in life without breaking the bank.
Access to high quality, long-lasting, timeless jewellery is often too pricey however that shouldn’t mean that women who cannot afford high priced items do not deserve to feel luxurious too.
This is why Grove & Vae stands out. They pride themselves on making sure that all of their jewellery is crafted using only fine precious metals. All of their pieces are expertly curated and designed in London and made with the finest 14k Gold Vermeil and rare Rhodium-plated Sterling Silver, (they do not use brass, nickel, stainless steel or any other non-fine precious metal) this way they can ensure that your jewellery guarantees the long-lasting finesse of genuine gold without the hefty price tag and they are able to keep these pieces for years to come.
The customer experience and feeling of worth is most important to us which is why from the moment you receive your package you are made to feel that air of luxury. A great deal of care and detail has gone into the creation of Grove & Vae. From the design, curation and selection of precious metals, straight down to the design and materials used for the packaging. They want to give women the luxury unboxing experience they deserve.
This is why each order comes beautifully packaged in our signature Grove & Vae gold foil branded textured jewellery box, complete with a soft suede reusable travel pouch, a jewellery cleaning cloth and a jewellery care card all in a custom Grove & Vae mailer box
Their range includes earring and necklaces ranging from £40-£99 and our ring collection launches in October.
If You Have any Questions, Feel Free to Contact Us Here >>
1. Aqua & Rock
Website: www./aqua-rock.com
Founder(s): Dea Baker
Aqua and Rock have already caught the attention of fashion royalty: Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and was won highly commended by Marie Claire in its inaugural sustainable fashion event in July 2021. Aqua & Rock are also currently nominated for the “Innovator Award” and “Womenswear of the year” award at this year’s Drapers Independents Awards due to take place in September 2021.
Founded by Dea Baker, Aqua & Rock has been praised for its innovation within the fashion industry by reinventing the supply chain to be more ethical and sustainable. Baker even developed Aqua & Rock’s very own sustainable fabrics, Aqua Triblend and Aqua Natural Triblend materials that make it not only fully bio-circular, it actually enriches the soil at the end of its lifecycle. You can see why it has won all the awards it has.
It is Aqua and Rock’s mission to create fashion that is timeless; pieces that are beautiful as well as sustainable.
Aqua & Rock are set to embark on one of their biggest adventures as a brand, opening their first flagship store in Covent Garden, London. Spanning over two floors the sustainable boutique will showcase the full range of Aqua & Rock pieces including womenswear, accessories and footwear. The location will also house Aqua & Rock’s first HQ for their design, production and marketing team.
