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

I buy my socks at BAM. Bamboo fibres. They are a bit pricier. I first bought some trainer socks 2 years ago and they are as good as the day l bought them.

I haven't purchased but l admire Community Clothing. They pick up the slack and make clothes in a British factory when there isn't enough work. I have seen the clothes and they are beautifully made.

@TheGirlOnTheLanding

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 could kiss you! I have spent the past few days trying to find some really nice new pyjamas. It seems almost impossible to find cotton PJs at a reasonable price, but those are just beautiful! It's a shame they only do trousers and not tops to match but I can easily get a plain t-shirt style to go with.

My offering is Seven Seventeen candles I got one for my birthday earlier this year and it was just lovely, amazing throw and it lasted a long time. I ordered lots more for Christmas presents.
It's a female run company, who give 10% of their profits to mental health charities

Fabulous thread!
I can add -
www.pauljamesknitwear.com/collections/women-knitwear-and-accessoires - beautiful knitwear made in the UK
www.handmadebynature.co.uk/ for gorgeous plastic free toiletries & candles
www.notesofnorthumberland.co.uk/ for the most divine luxury bath products

@IToldYouIWasFreaky Glad that it was well-timed! I love the pockets and that you can choose your leg length - I see they've branched out to make sleep masks and hot water bottle covers, so who know, pyjama tops might be next.

This is such a lovely thread - thanks for starting it, OP, and thank you to everyone for all the suggestions.

It's so nice to see that there are so many small British companies out there making high quality goods - I honestly no idea there were so many and such a variety.

I can see that my resolve to spend less in 2021 is probably already doomed...

@fedup2017

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.

She is fabulous, love the prints, the volume and the quality!

This is starting to look a bit expensive 😂

HTTPS://4160tuesdays.co.uk niche perfumes from Sarah McCartney.

Catherine Tough for lovely lambs wool hat, scarves, socks, etc

boniface has already had a mention but I'll plug her again. I talked to her at a craft fair once and, although I didn't buy - the clothes aren't cheap - I was really tempted. Nice person too.

Swaledale Woollens more knitwear, quite traditional styling

So many great recommendations, thanks so much!

It’s so great to see a range of different ethical brands - there’s those that use recycled/environmental friendly materials, support local communities, focus on animal welfare and so on.

I thought of a couple more in case anyone’s interested, for when things go back to normal and there’s more going on, I’ll be renting an outfit from somewhere like Onloan or Hurr!

onloan.co/
www.hurrcollective.com/

I've got another. This company make the most beautiful handmade leather belts and other leather goods, with various Celtic designs. They have a little workshop in the grounds of Traquair House in the Scottish Borders, but also a website and Facebook page. Many of my belts come from there. www.centaurdesign.co.I'm

www.centaurdesign.co.I'm

Sorry, struggling to post the website - it's dot uk at the end of course

Thanks @KiKiDeluxe

Thank you so much for this thread - some really interesting links! Here's a UK company I ordered some clogs from - hand made I think - in the most beautiful pebbled leather. Very reasonably priced too:

Bjorn clogs

I have had a few bikinis now from In Capri www.incapriswim.com and I love them! A small sustainable brand with lovely designs. I would 100% recommend them.

www.blacksheepknitwear.com/collections/sweaters-for-men-and-women Black sheep knitwear, mainly natural wool and unisex, some stuff still smells of sheep plus accessories.

www.theslowwardrobe.co.uk/collections/layercake lovely wool and linen pinafores.

Thanks for starting this thread, it's really helpful.
I haven't bought from them but I am eyeing up bags from Been London having discovered them on another thread from here. I know that Baukjen are a bit bigger but the quality is great and they seem to be working hard on sustainability.

www.oubasknitwear.co.uk/ is lovely - I've bought a lot of their twist headwrap things as neckwarmer presents.

Also british-boxers.com/ - smallish Brit brand with excellent flannel PJs.

Not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but I love the stuff at Wild Clouds. It's like loungewear / pjs that you can also wear out! They don't stock above a 16 yet I think and I'm a solid 18, so I can't shop there . I heard bigger sizes are meant to be stocked there soon though.

wildclouds.com/

I love Finesterre and Solovair too.

Oh and Nudie jeans