Changing our shopping habits

Starting a new business is a daunting prospect in any climate, let alone the one we find ourselves in now. When Sarah and I started Conscious Closet two years ago, we were in the midst of a pandemic which was a scary time to start any new venture - particularly one within fashion. Events were cancelled and our wardrobes lay dormant for a very long time, with going out clothes looking sad and lonely. What’s more, if any of those clothes still fitted you after two years of lock down eating then lucky you!

We both learnt a lot from our time at home. Not least the realisation that we were all drowning in too much “stuff”, but also that ladies are prepared to adopt a more sustainable fashion approach such as renting, mending and swapping. So, it was a natural development that our business is now concentrating on occasionwear - dresses that are sometimes worn once and often wasted – and applying a more conscious approach to encourage investment and re-wearing. 

Now that we are well and truly out of the “isolation” period and things are back to normal, people are enjoying shopping again. We are so excited to be spending time with clients who come to us for fashion chitchat and styling advice, and to browse our range. It’s taken some time but slowly we have evolved into moving away from casual home wear attire into something much more dressed up and special. Added to that 41% of consumers want a more personalised shopping experience in 2023 (Retail Gazette) which echoes what we are seeing with our customers. 

Taking over Southwell high street and having fun with friends modelling some of our dresses!

There is, however, a dichotomy in the fashion industry where consumers are buying back in to fast fashion like never before. Cheap items that are worn once and discarded. Chinese fast fashion e-commerce platform Shein are on track to surpass $30 billion annual sales this year! 

On the other hand - and bubbling beneath the surface - is a whole new way of sustainable thinking around the negative impact that the industry has on the environment. All is not lost and things they are a changing! COP27, Fashion Revolution, WRAP, documentaries and designer pioneers are all leading the way to educate change. We hope our readers who have young daughters are preaching the way forward for a more sustainable approach! Please bring them along to our clothes swaps to inspire!! WRAP have a fabulous page on their websites Love Your Clothes campaign – with “how to” guides on refashioning your clothing and getting more wear out of them. Have a go and let us know how you get on!  

Can you do it?

Clothing brings so much joy to so many people and consumers won’t stop buying fashionable clothing for themselves. However, it’s now well known that the creators of its products are exploited, repetitively and unapologetically, and what the industry produces en masse takes a serious toll on the environment. As a very small business we don’t have the issues that the big boys on the high street have. As they are already entrenched in their supply chains and it’s more difficult to change - these things take time!  

We have started with the advantage of being able to buy into products on a very small scale and therefore not produce anything new that doesn’t align with our values. We are developing a business model that gives customers the choice of buying, renting, reselling, and offering pre- loved which is very popular.  

Christmas is coming and our customers have started to get really excited about going out and standing out in a lovely sparkly gown. It is a joy for us to see their faces when they find “the dress” with lovely feedback received from many of our happy customers. We would love for you to come and see the dresses for yourself, and we have new stock and some exciting own range pieces arriving soon to wear with that dress. We offer a very personal shopping experience in our little pop-up together with styling advice from two adults with plenty of fashion know how. 

Support your local retailers and enjoy a more personal service

The consensus is to shop small and shop local. It really supports our local economy, and it helps businesses like us to offer our products to a community that we are familiar with. Mary Portas confirms through a consumer poll that “92% of Brits believe it is important to support independent businesses” and “61% cite their love for local as their main motivation for shopping”.  Come and discover us and allow us to get to know you too. Whether it’s for a ball, wedding, cruise, Christmas party or prom, we are sure you won’t be disappointed. We’ll get you going out-out! 

Sarah and I wish you all the best for this Christmas season.

Lisa xx 

Bookings can be made via email or calling 07879444409