I'm so excited to be sharing with you my bumper gift guide for Christmas 2021 and this blog post is all about fun and thoughtful fashion and fashion accessories you can gift from small businesses in 2021, you might even come across something to add to your own list!
Searching for the perfect gift for the fashion enthusiast in your life? Whether they like colourful socks or minimalist jewellery, this section of the gift guide has it all. There's no doubt that fashion & fashion accessories come high up on a lot of peoples lists and when they are all this beautiful it makes it even easier to shop from small brands and shout about unique pieces you can't find everywhere.
When you support a local independently owned business you are not only getting to buy into a little bit of the magic they create but you are also more likely to find new and unique products that can't be found on the high street, which make them a little bit more special, would you agree?
I would love to see if you've found the perfect gift for the stylish person in your life. Don't forget to tag me and the brand over on Instagram, you can find me at @small_business_collaborative.
K.Moods
K.Moods is a contemporary Scottish knitwear brand, creating colourful and sustainable knitted clothing and accessories. They use 100% British yarns, upcycle them where possible, and run their studio with a zero-waste ethos. Fun knits for fun people.
Kathleen love colour! All the pieces are fun and ready to dress you for the cooler months and K.Moods is a great more sustainable alternative for this cold season.
100% made in Scotland, custom colour options available and Kathleen also work with local mills to produce bright cotton socks to jazz up everyone's feet!
I love knitwear, it was one of my favourite classes when I studied fashion, and think a lot of times what's available is a bit boring so I'm so happy to discover that there are alternatives.
Fun fact from Kathleen: Each K.Moods piece is made by hand on a domestic knitting machine in our studio, based in the creative hub Coburg House Art Studios, in Leith, Edinburgh. We work alongside small businesses and mills to create our socks, which are made entirely in Scotland.
Price Range: £10- £70
Website: https://kmoods.com/
Grove & Vae
Grove & Vae was born out of the idea that every woman deserves timeless luxury, and to treat themselves to the finer things in life without breaking the bank.
Grove &Vae pride themselves on making sure that all of their jewellery is crafted using only fine precious metals. All of our 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).
I love that all the pieces can be layered and worn together, and also be worn and stand out on their own + the packaging makes every piece perfect for gifting!
Fun Fact from Jane: We’ve been in operation for less than a year (4 months) and have been ranked #2 by Tech Round up on the Top 26 Fashion Startups to watch.
Price Range:£40- £99
Website: www.groveandvae.com
Follow: @groveandvae
Studio-Ghaith London
Studio-Ghaith London is a sustainable luxury brand based in London that makes playful silk scarves and colourful art prints.
Ghaith provides high quality, long-lasting and accessible designs that uplift people with care and humour, through the use of colourful characters and storytelling.
I love that you can read more about the story behind each design on Ghaith's website giving even more meaning to each piece.
Everything is made in the U.K using sustainable materials and working with ethical suppliers.
Fun Fact from Ghaith: Each of my unique designs starts as a doodle, giving reign to the subconscious mind and extracting forms playfully lurking in the depth of my mind. These doodles are then transported into the digital world where they are manipulated, multiplied, coloured and transformed. Through my work, I aim to explore the relationship between making and self-healing, while bringing a splash of joyful materials, playful colours, quirky doodles and powerful messages to your everyday life.
Price Range: £45- £150
Website: https://studio-ghaith.com/
Follow: @studioghaith
MW Makes
Developed through a passion for design and craftsmanship, MW Makes creates handcrafted leather goods for the everyday. Influenced by a background in architecture, each item is carefully designed with an emphasis on simple geometries, clean lines and functionality.
All of the products can be personalised with initials, name, special date or saying, making them unique gifts. They are all handmade by Michelle using vegetable-tanned leather and traditional saddlery techniques.
I love how classic but still modern Michelle's products are, I bought a personalised mouse mat for my architect brother last Christmas and a bag for myself earlier in the year when I meet Michelle at the South London Makers Market at Selfridges.
Fun Fact from Michelle: I started working with leather as a means to create and make with my own two hands, as working in architectural practice is often very screen based/ digital. I still work full time as an architect, but really enjoy working with leather on much smaller scale projects.
Price Range: £10- £225
Website: https://www.mwmakes.co.uk/
Follow: @mwmakes
Muted Luxe
Handmade minimalist jewellery and neutral aesthetic homewares.
All products are handmade in the Muted Luxe UK based studio, meaning lots of care is put into every single piece. From moulding the clay into earrings to forming the mixture for our homeware items and sanding each piece individually, the utmost attention is paid throughout the crafting process and Kelsie is incredibly proud of the high level of quality throughout our range.
I love how much care goes into each piece and Kelsie's use of colour. I'm forever torn between muted tones and vibrant colours and love both.
Fun Fact from Kelsie: Muted Luxe was founded during lockdown when my job as a wedding photographer was unfortunately heavily affected due to weddings not being permitted!
Price Range: £10- £26
Website: https://www.mutedluxe.com/
Follow: @mutedluxe
Distinctly Caitlin Designs
Beautiful, handcrafted affirmation jewellery and art.
Caitlin uses a special enamel technique called Plique-à-jour, which creates a stained glass effect. This technique means that the pieces become even more beautiful when you look from the right angle and the same can be said for our lives.
Each one of the flowers that inspires a Distinctly Caitlin Designs collection is carefully selected to infuse the right emotions and intentions into your token. This means that each token has a little bit of magic and a deeper symbolic meaning.
I love how much meaning each piece carries with it and if you have a look at Caitlin's Instagram you can see how much detail goes into creating each token.
Fun Fact from Caitlin: I have a Bachelors Degree in Jewellery Design and Manufacture at University of Johannesburg, in South Africa. After qualifying as a goldsmith, I worked at two manufacturing workshops in Johannesburg over a five year period. From there I moved to the French Pyrenees and set up my own workshop.
Price Range: £25- 200
Website: www.distinctlycaitlindesigns.com/
Follow: @distinctlycaitlindesigns
Factory Floor
FactoryFloorJewels is a growing UK jewellery brand by independent design maker Kate Stewart. Each piece is lovingly handmade in her Liverpool studio and tells the story of her fascination with the engineering and marine history of the city.
Kate produces one-off and limited edition pieces as well as collections that offer timeless pieces that work brilliantly from day into night, just as suitable for all-day wear as for special occasions.
The beautiful mix of materials includes steel, silver, copper, brass, bronze, concrete, resin and Perspex and the juxtaposition of materials is something Kate loves to play with.
I love the re-imagination of materials that otherwise would go to waste and the appreciation of beauty in something that some would just trough on the factory floor.
Fun Fact from Kate: Factory Floor Jewels pieces are handmade in the UK with many featuring reclaimed industrial materials including waste brass from a bolt makers and waste bronze from a foundry making public art.
Price Range: £16- £99
Website: https://factoryfloorjewels.com/
Follow: @factoryfloorjewels
Abi Stevens Illustration
Abi create colourful and striking pins, prints, stickers, jewellery, decor and more! Many of her designs are intended to empower other members of the disabled community.
Abi's designs are greatly influenced by historical art forms such as illuminated manuscripts, coat of arms, and stained glass windows and she love to incorporate elements of these into her modern, digital art style.
You will enjoy finding hidden details of symbolism that add depth of meaning referencing mythology, the language of flowers, spiritual symbolism such as Tarot and more in her work. The end result is vibrantly colourful and detailed illustrations with a connection to our history and layers of narrative hidden within, as well as an emotive quality.
I really admire how Abi has taken an experience that first might feel like a negative into something so joyful and positive and that she advocates for others experiencing similar things.
Fun Fact from Abi: I started creating motivating and empowering illustrations after Chronic Migraine forced me to leave a previous job.
Connecting with the disabled community online and creating designs specifically for them has brought back my confidence and instilled a new sense of purpose in my creative work.
Price Range: £3- £50
Website: https://www.abistevens.com/
Follow: @AbiStevens_Art
Studio Pepita
Studio Pepita is a colourful, sustainable accessories brand designed to bring everyday joy into your life! Nona's handmade hair clips and jewellery are beautiful, wearable pieces of artwork, sure to put a smile on your face and a spring in your step.
Studio Pepita products are built to last without the beige, with sustainability at the core of everything Nona make. Each piece is lovingly handmade by Nona in my UK home studio, using eco resin, non-toxic pigments, and plenty of eco glitter! She uses the thread offcuts from her tassel earrings to express her love of pattern in her signature zero-waste hair clips, and she scours flea markets and charity shops for textile treasures to use in her vintage haberdashery pieces.
I have two of Nona's beautiful hair clips and they have staying power! My hair is really thick and heavy so this is difficult to find. Comfortable, practical and beautiful!
Fun Fact from Nona: The idea for my business started when I finished my textile design degree with lengths of beautiful silk thread that were wasted in the hand weaving process. I turned these into tassel earrings, and then last year had the idea to use the trimmings from those in eco resin!
Price Range: £10- £25
Website: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/StudioPepita
Follow: @studiopepita_
If you'd like to see the full Christmas gift guide for 2021 please visit this link.
I hope these beautiful fashion and fashion accessories gifts have inspired you to shop independently and sustainably for Christmas this year. I would love to hear if you have supported any of the small businesses featured. Don't forget to tag me over on Instagram, @small_business_collaborative, with your unique finds - I love to see them!
Thank you so much to all the 260+ businesses that took the time to apply to this years gift guides, I really appreciate you all and it was so much fun to see everything you create. And thank you to Adele who helped me put this all together. If you need help with your online product listings for Etsy, Faire, Shopify and more, Adele can help. You can find all your details over on her website.