Smaller/ethical/British/other lesser known brands thread

[Sasuma]

Through various threads on here I’ve been introduced to some amazing brands.

So I thought it would be good to start a thread to let each other know about our best lesser known brands - I’m thinking for those of us trying to buy less and focus on good quality items, as well as a environmental friendly products (so this might be sustainable, recycled and/or vegan brands for example) and avoid support those companies that have poor working conditions (Boohoo I’m looking at you....) I’d love to know more small producers which focus on single products, hand made items, or niche British heritage brands (or heritage brands from anywhere else!)

So here are a few finds of my own:

The Knotty Ones: knitwear (obviously!) made by women in Lithuania, fair conditions, focus on quality over quantity. Expensive but I love the organic cotton jumper I have from them and will wear it for years and years. www.theknottyones.com/

Genevieve Sweeney: small knitwear company based in the UK. Amazing sparkly socks, great little gifts. www.genevievesweeney.com/

Bhava: US brand but with some UK stockists, non-leather shoes and boots, amazing quality, beautiful designs. bhavastudio.com/

Angela Roi: non-leather bags, simple classic designs. US brand but shocked at Naturismo and Shop Treen in the UK. www.angelaroi.com/

Wills Vegan Shoes: as the name suggests, non-leather shoes and boots, really good quality. Environmentally friendly practices and produced in fair conditions in Europe. wills-vegan-shoes.com/

Mackintosh: British brand, hand made coats (inventors of the Macintosh), very expensive but would last a lifetime, and can pick up coats with a good discount in the sales. www.mackintosh.com/gb/woman

Hiut: denim, made in Wales, gorgeous jeans! hiutdenim.co.uk/

Girlfriend collective: activewear, made from recycled materials. www.girlfriend.com/

ImparfaitParis: vintage/second hand site, bit like eBay. Some gorgeous stuff. www.imparfaiteparis.com/en/ see also Depop and Vestaire.

I think those are my best finds. Please share some of yours

Shout out to www.kemitelford.com
Rather fabulous prints and if they're not to your taste at least follow her on Instagram.. ..she's rather fabulous.

Ohh, love those prints, thank you @fedup2017

[https://veganoutfitters.com] got a couple of t shirts and a hoddie from them
&
[https://rapanuiclothing.com] great for planning bundle of t-shirts

Great thread! I love finding new smaller brands (especially beauty)

I got a lovely hat for Christmas from this brand (bought locally not online) www.pachamamaknitwear.com/

Also love some of the prints from Lily & Me
www.lilyandmeclothing.com/

Beauty wise I really like:

Gruum - UK based. Particularly love the solid shampoo and simple packaging www.gruum.com

Bath House - based in the Lake District producing gorgeous perfume and body/skincare. www.thebathhouseshop.co.uk/

Let's try this way shall we veganoutfitters.com & rapanuiclothing.com

communityclothing.co.uk/

Community clothing is a social initiative by Patrick Grant ( designer and judge on the Sewing Bee ). They produce affordable, classic style clothing manufactured in the north of England. The looks are low key and quite timeless.

Local to me, they do the most incredible shower gel and other toiletries!

goodwash.co.uk/

Amazing recommendations already, keep em coming!

@Sickoffamilydrama thanks for the Rapanui recommendation, I’m an outdoor swimmer so can see me buying a surf towel from there to make changing a bit easier!

@lookdeepintotheparka love the beauty recommendations, thank you! Also the sheep hats from Pachamama are so cute.

@Divebar, haven’t heard of Community Clothing but will bookmark that for basics - see they’ve got a good range of plain tees etc.

@devildeepbluesea Good Wash looks really nice, gonna have a browse and bookmark for gifts!

Great idea. YY to Rapanui, good quality casual clothes. I also love Finisterre, but they're perhaps not so small these days.

For those with teenagers, Run & Fly have UK made lines & seem pretty good though I've not investigated closely.

For party dresses & fun stuff (chance'd be a fine thing!) I like Get Cutie in Brighton (also do online)

I second Community Clothing - well made from what I've seen, and keenly priced.
The other made-in-Britain brands I regularly recommend are Solovair shoes]] and John Smedley knitwear. Both have outlet shops.

Also - not explicitly ethical, but Cyberdog is a smaller brand & I've always found their clothes extremely good quality & long lasting. I've got t-shirts of theirs that are many years old & still look fantastic. Possibly not the style you're looking for though!

Finisterre
Howies
People Tree
Community Clothing

@Sadik Finisterre looks good, thank you!

@Floisme thanks for the Solovair recommendation, I was actually looking at DMs recently but the Solovair ones look great and they do a vegan range I also saw from another thread that they seem to be very well rated compared to DMs.

@NowellSingWe thanks - having a look at Howies now!

Everything I've bought from Finisterre I've worn & worn, I'd definitely recommend them.

Howies isn't really small any more - they sold out to Timberland in 2006 (same couple then started Hiut denim).

Oops - sorry, they've gone independent again, just checked!

Thanks @Sadik that’s good to know!

I discovered Turtle Doves - lovely cashmere, especially the gloves and neck warmers and all made from recycled cashmere knitwear. I think they’re based in Shrewsbury. I’ve given lots as xmas pressies this year, and have bought a lovely baby blanket for a friend who is expecting her first baby this spring. www.turtle-doves.co.uk/

Thanks for sending me the link to this thread @Sickoffamilydrama! Some great shops on here, love anything that’s handmade / or small produced and ethical.

I bought my Protected Species coats after reading a recommendation on mumsnet and I'm so glad I did! Such beautiful cuts and lovely quality. I feel expensive when I wear them. Definitely want the winter parka next, just waiting for them to come back in stock.

www.protected-species.com/

Agree with Rapanui, great basics that last well.
People Tree too.
Traidcraft do nice clothes and fair trade jewellery

Celtic and Co for all my jumpers and slippers

I was going to add Genevieve Sweeney, so glad to see her in your original list! I adore my socks from her and have just treated myself to a jumper too.

I came on to recommend Community Clothing but see I've been beaten to it! Great jeans and knitwear, and supporting the UK textile industry.

I also recommend the Pajama Pantry - small runs of lovely prints, really comfy well-made cotton pajamas - and they have pockets!
https://www.pajamapantry.co.uk/

I like Boniface.