What a year!

2022. Tough in many ways and a challenge to us all, but at Conscious Closet we have thankfully managed to stay positive and focus on our conscious goals. As we reflect on 2022 and how this has impacted on our clothing choices, there is positivity - as consumers are increasing demands on Brands and starting to look more mindfully at their shopping habits.
With a global population now exceeding 8 billion we will more than ever shout the message to SLOW DOWN AND BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR FASHION PURCHASES!! As the late, great Dame Vivienne Westwood stated - "buy less - choose well - make it last". And it seems many are taking this to heart....

As a nation we have bought more pre-loved clothing in the last two years that has helped raise second hand sales +48% since 2020. Younger consumers were inspired by the summer's reality TV show Love Island, who partnered with eBay to style its contestants solely in second-hand outfits. Ebay subsequently selling one second-hand clothing item every second through 2022.

The UK embraced more creativity at a household level too - and lots of people we know rose to the challenge to repair and rewear! Try it!

With emotional inspiration from TV’s growing creative competitions, we learned to mend, knit, sew, dance, decorate interiors, throw pottery, and bake cakes.

Fashion catwalk shows across the globe returned, and produced a positive view for next spring with female fashion trends promoting confidence and sass, mixed in with a cheeky amount of pretty. As always fashion reflects the global struggles, and this was a fashion community challenging us to hold on and come along for the ride. With large brands making key statements through the way they presented their shows and selecting models reflecting improved inclusivity, and smaller unknown brands making great collections with a strong eco message. (We will discuss this more in our Spring trends blog next month!). Brands rose above setbacks and economic difficulties - such as the Ukraine label Kris Maran. Who fought against a war backdrop to produce a beautifully sophisticated collection for Spring ‘23 “The collection spoke truth about the human spirit and its relation to nature” stated Bianca Solanga - Forbes contributor.

2022 was a year that saw some great talent pass away, with a chance to relive their wonder years through music, fashion, and Netflix documentaries. Here at CC we lamented some key fashion and music icons, and remembered the contribution they had to our lives.

During 2022 most of us learnt to fry with air, make best friends with podcasts, and swap Pinot for Chardonnay whilst pretending to know why. We wore lipstick more than masks and actually went in to the office. We started switching plug sockets off at night and putting on three jumpers instead of the heating. We decided Starbucks coffee is not as good as homemade coffee, and purchased very expensive cool bottles to hold our free tap water. And we read some great books (Lessons in Chemistry a fave here at CC).

World leaders were sweating from promises made in 2021 Cop 26, where almost 200 countries came together in the UK to commit to take action on climate change. With actions in place we now hand presidency over to Egypt for the 27th year, and let's hope countries keep to their promises.

So looking at our own business - what are we proud of achieving in a year torn by traumas? Well.....

WE STAYED TRUE TO OUR VALUES… Every product we sell and rent out is in line with our policies of less waste and longer wear, quality over quantity, improving life, and feeling confident with fashion. Yeeeaahhh!
WE SPREAD THE SUSTAINABLE MESSAGE… We improved Brand awareness by attending lots of events and showcasing our products at various pop-ups (knackering btw!). We had a few clothes swapping events where we spoke about our mission and reasons for organising these. We opened for the Southwell Christmas shopping evening which was a gorgeous chance to chat to new customers and show our products. We attended the Norwood Park Christmas Market - a beautifully grand home to showcase lots of local artisans with homemade gifts. And we tried the Southwell Ploughing Match for the first time - a wet and windy day but none-the-less worthwhile to meet new farming customers for balls (and wow they have a lot of events!)
WE HAD FUN WHILST BEING CREATIVE… We realised a niche in the market and designed our own products - the first of which was modelled on Instagram a few times over Christmas and bought by some happy customers for covering up those shoulders and dressing up an outfit! We were so pleased to have a great reaction and watch this space for more new product in the next few months.
WE SUPPORTED PEOPLE AND ENJOYED THEIR TALENT... In summer we had our intern work with us to produce some amazing photoshoots to showcase our dresses. Friends helped us by modelling and supporting our events - WE LOVE YOU!! We started to source the best sustainable factories and worked closely with them to produce beautiful handmade items that are now part of the Conscious Closet brand. We searched for local talent to work with and inspire us for collaborations.
WE KEPT LEARNING… Attending a year long mentoring course run by The Big House and NTU to network with sustainable fashion elite, and learn various ways to grow our small business whilst keeping core values and monitoring our contribution to this. Such a lovely way to meet like-minded businesses and we definitely made some long term friends.
WE INSPIRED PEOPLE… Hopefully making people feel relaxed and happy whilst dressing to impress. We have received some fab testimonials and had great fun with all our customers. Spring was a success for prom dresses and we are already starting to take appointments for Prom 2023! The icing on the cake was to see our dresses on the local prom teenagers, as it was our own childrens turn to celebrate!

Choose second-hand FIRST!

Shop your own Autumn wardrobe