Archive - November 2022

The Greatest ’90s Fashion Trends We Are Still Loving

November 30, 2022
Lifestyle
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The 1990s fashion era had some of the most iconic styles, and now more than ever we are implementing some of the best trends a few decades on. Not only did the supermodels of the decade play a huge role in curating the infamous 90’s style trends, but the unique designers that rose to prominence back then created some of the statement fashion items that we are recreating today. 

Anyone who grew up in the 90s will be aware of the most popular fashion trends such as chunky loafers, biker shorts, and brightly colored scrunchies. It is easy to overlook people’s styles today as we see so many new genres, but if you look closely enough there will be an element of 90’s fashion within many clothing ensembles you will see day-to-day. Here are some of our favorite 90’s fashion trends that you can start to implement in your current fashion choices- 

 

Baggy Jeans

Anyone up-to-date with the latest fashion trends could have a pair of baggy jeans in their closet. The days of tight skinny jeans are behind us, and loosely fit jeans are now the way forwards. The 90’s extreme baggy jean trends may have at times been too extreme, and if you are wanting to keep your undergarments private we would recommend a boyfriend or mom jean fit. They are so classic, and comfy and are the perfect item to dress up or down depending on the occasion. Baggy jeans became popular in the 90s, and now they have once again reached peak popularity whilst continuing to rise.

 

Slip Dresses

Slip dresses are one of the most sultry and sought-after fashion pieces that have shot up to fame again recently. Famously worn by the stunning Halle Berry in 1995, slip dresses are back as a staple fashion piece you should include in your modern wardrobe. They are the ideal item for looking exceptional on a night out, or you can layer a slip dress with something more covered for daytime use. Layering is yet another trend we have repurposed from the 90s, and trying it out with a slip dress is a great place to start.

 

Scrunchies 

Scrunchies are not something to neglect, as we have seen them resurface for several years now. Not only can they level up any mundane outfit, but they are also a really useful and gentle accessory for your hair. If you are going to try to integrate e scrunchie into your lookbook, go one step further and use a silk scrunchie for the upgraded modern-day scrunchie option.

 

Cargo Pants

Combat Trousers are more commonly referred to as Cargo pants. If you didn’t have a pair of these to chuck on in the 90s then you simply were not cool. They are the comfiest and easiest to the style of the 90’s trends that have resurfaced, and the same premise reigns true as you need to have a pair of cargos to seem trendy today. The cargo is paired best with oversized trousers and a cropped t-shirt. You can find many styles of cargo from high-end luxury streetwear brands, and even fast fashion brands have made their lower quality versions.

 

Sheer Fabrics 

Sheer fabrics first made their appearance on the ’90s most exclusive red carpets, and now the best of sheer styles have hit the high streets today. Despite their lack of material, they can add a luxurious feeling to any styled outfit. You can find sheer overshirts to pair with an under t-shirt. There is so much potential to style sheared shirts and dresses in the day-to-day, as you can leave as much or as little to the imagination as you want.

Great Benefits You Should Be Offering Your Employees!

November 30, 2022
Lifestyle
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It is getting increasingly hard to hire and retain great employees, so one thing you can do to really make them feel appreciated is to go above and beyond in terms of benefits. The absolute minimum for staff that you really appreciate should be regular pay rises and one on one reviews, a clear path for progression, good amounts of holiday and flexible working. However, there are things you can do to be different and to really show you care about your employees wellbeing. Workplaces are changing, and so are employees, so it’s important that you keep up and offer your employees something great! Let’s find out a few things that you can do to achieve just that. 

Dental Subscriptions

The first thing that you should be offering to your employees is a dental subscription. Many people push this to the back of their priorities, however it is such an important component of our overall health, so investing in it for your employees will show you care. There are so many different subscriptions out there that you can get for as little as around £10 a month, which can cover dental checkups, hygienist appointments and then also discounts should people need treatment, like fillings or full dental implants. You may also be able to get a corporate discount if you are getting multiple plans, so this is definitely something to look into. Not only will this help you to retain great employees, but it will also be a strong factor in helping to draw new ones in! So, it may not cost you a lot each month (depending on the size of your business of course), but it can make a huge difference to your employees and how they see the company. 

Financial Support For Hobbies

Employees that have hobbies outside of work are much more likely to be satisfied with their job, as they will have a better work-life balance, giving them the space they need to fully unwind outside of work and come back feeling happy and refreshed. Everyone deserves to maximise their free time, so to do that, you could provide some financial support for their hobbies. This could be around £30 a month for each employee that can then go towards their sports club, gym membership, crochet materials, pottery classes, dance classes, the options when it comes to hobbies are endless! You are showing you really care about them and want them to be able to unwind out of work, which will mean a lot to them. 

Training and Development

More on the work side of things, something that you should be offering to your employees is training and development opportunities. This will show employees that you really want them to grow with the company, plus it will benefit you by helping you to expand on what you are able to offer your clients. This will differ massively depending on the nature of your business, but you should either have clear training programmes in place, or you should make it clear that if employees want to learn more about a particular area relating to their role, or the company in general, that you will help to fund it. This can really transform how an employee feels about the company! 

Simple Ways To Look After Your Oral Health!

November 29, 2022
Health & Fitness
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Oral health is so important that we should all be making it a priority, and we’re here to show you how! There is often a lot of overwhelming advice out there that can make it difficult to know where to begin, but we’re here with simple tips that are so easy to fit into your current routine and can make a really big difference to your oral health. So, let’s get into it and find out what you can be doing to look after your oral health! 

 

Visit Your Dentist Every 6 Months

The first tip we have is to visit your dentist Solihull, LA or London based every 6 months! This is the perfect amount of time between appointments to make sure that any issues can be identified by your dentist quickly, so that the treatment needed is less invasive and also less expensive. You should also see your hygienist twice a year, as they will remove any buildup of tartar on the teeth, which is what causes the enamel to weaken, leading to tooth decay. This is one of the best things you can do for your oral health, as they can also identify if you are neglecting any areas of your oral hygiene and they can provide advice on how to improve it. So, if you haven’t got an appointment booked in, make sure that you get yourself an appointment! 

Avoid Sugar Where Possible

Next up, you should avoid sugar where possible, as when the sugar is in your mouth, the natural bacteria in the mouth reacts with the sugar which produces an acid. This then causes tooth decay over time. So, as you can see, sugar isn’t good for the teeth! That is why cutting it down as much as possible is important. We know that it is very difficult to cut it out altogether, so just try to reduce it to a minimum and after you’ve eaten or had a drink of something sugary, have a good drink of water to try and help rinse away some of the excess sugar. Just make sure that if you do eat or drink something sugary, that you leave it at least 30 minutes before brushing your teeth, as your teeth will be vulnerable after consuming sugar so it is best to leave them a while before brushing. 

Buy Products With Fluoride

Our last tip is to buy products that contain fluoride. Fluoride is a mineral that helps to strengthen the teeth enamel, so when they are exposed to something damaging, they are more resistant. Whilst it can’t reverse damage that has been done, it can help to protect your mouth from further damage in the future. Toothpaste and mouthwash that contain fluoride won’t be more expensive, it’s just that not every product contains them. So, when you’re next shopping, take a look at the ingredients and just make sure that it contains fluoride. This can make a big difference to the health of your teeth, mouth and gums! 

Tips For Building Your Dream Staple Wardrobe!

November 29, 2022
Lifestyle
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More and more people are focused on building their dream staple wardrobe, and it’s not hard to see why! A staple wardrobe is all about finding timeless pieces that can be mixed and matched with so many others in your wardrobe, so you have endless combinations of great clothes. The idea is also that you buy clothes less often, but are able to spend more money on them, so they last much longer and are better for the environment. So, if you’re not sure where to start when it comes to building your dream staple wardrobe, we’re here to help! 

 

Use The 30 Wears Rule

The first thing you should do when it comes to building your dream staple wardrobe is to use the 30 wears rule. Before you buy any item for your staple wardrobe, ask yourself if you will wear it at least 30 times. If the answer is no, then you shouldn’t buy it! An example would be if you try on a few wedding guest dresses and decide that you know they are more of a trend and that you won’t wear them again. Whereas, if you choose more classic wedding guest dresses like a simple blue dress, then you can dress it up or down for so many other occasions for years to come, so you know you are likely to wear it at least 30 times. This part is all about just putting some thought into your choices. 

 

Go For Neutral Staple Pieces

Whilst you are going to want some statement pieces in your staple wardrobe, the core of your staple wardrobe should be staple pieces that you can mix and match. So, try to avoid choosing too many really bold patterns or bright colours, and instead go for monochrome or more neutral shades that you know can be mixed with lots of different pieces. Start with a pair of blue jeans and one pair of black jeans, then choose some basic t-shirts, jumpers, blouses, a couple of skirts and some dressier trousers. Your options will be endless for different outfits with these neutral staple pieces!

 

Buy Better Quality Pieces

Last but not least, you should be focusing on buying better quality pieces when building your staple wardrobe. Not only will this save you money, but it will also mean that all of your clothes will last longer, so you will need to buy less often. This money can then be reinvested back into your wardrobe! You will feel amazing because your clothes will likely look nicer and fit better and you will be helping the environment when you focus on quality over quantity. Just make sure that you use the 30 wear rule mentioned above to ensure that the additional money you are spending on better quality will be going to good use! You will notice your confidence skyrockets when you are able to afford better quality clothing and pieces that you truly love and can wear for years. 

How to Start Your Own Fashion Brand

November 1, 2022
Tech
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Possibly you were creating fashion designs since you were little, maybe you even created a couple of custom tees for you and your friends or are the star of the show when it came to Halloween costumes, no matter how you got into fashion, you are here now. Maybe you simply want a piece of the trillion-dollar pie that evolves around the fashion industry. Regardless of what makes you get out of bed in the morning, knowing how to start a fashion brand is extremely different from just wanting to start one. 

You could potentially create a fashion brand for under £5000 and at a really tight squeeze, maybe £1000, but this requires a lot of work and long days and nights. There are many fashion entrepreneurs out there that have done this and are smashing it now, so in this article, we will go through some helpful tips on how to start your own fashion brand. 

What Is A Brand? 

A successful brand is more than just your colours, logo and tone of voice, but it is selling a lifestyle, it’s aligning your business with your audience’s beliefs, values and goals for the future. Your brand is how you want your audience to perceive you, so you want to ensure your core values are aligned with your customers. This part can be tricky so hiring a design agency Leeds based or Manchester will ensure you have some of the best talents in the UK. 

Steps To Starting A Fashion Brand?

Create A Brand Business Plan

Fail to plan plan to fail, that’s the saying. And it couldn’t be more correct when starting any sort of business. Before diving into the bits that you want to do, you need to take some time to picture the end goal for your business. Is there anything you want to accomplish? Where do you want to sell your products? What stores should they be in? Who are your customers? Who are your competitors? Knowing all this information is vital for starting a clothing line as it will help you to guide you through the process and decision-making. It will also help you decide on your design branding and textiles. This business plan will also help you to get funding or expand when you get big enough. Your business plan is constantly evolving, so ensure you update it.

Here are some of the main factors to include in your business plan:

Executive Summary – Business name, mission, goals and values

Company Overview – Brief about your business what it does and its history

Products / Services Provided – What are you going to offer and how to make a profit

Marketing Strategies – detailed analysis of your customers, demographics, trends and customer segmentation. 

Sales Strategy – How are you going to sell your clothes? What channels will be used? How will pricing affect sales?

Competitive Analysis – describe your competitors. Direct and indirect.

Production Plan – a timeline for production, marketing and sales of your clothing. 

Operation Plan – Who will take care of different areas of business? Describe the daily work and who does what.

Financial Analysis and Projections – analyse your budget, how much you need for the initial investment, and how will you use the investment. 

Develop Your Fashion Branding

For your fashion brand to be successful, you will need to determine how your clothing brand is going to stand out against your competitors. It is crucial to understand that the most successful clothing lines will niche to a specific market where they will be in demand. For example, if you are selling baby clothes and products, then you may go down the route of sustainable baby clothes. 

Here are some tips on what to consider when developing a fashion brand:

Niche – Specific and detailed explanation defining your niche market. Who are you aligning your clothing to? Who is it going to appeal to in the larger market?

Design – How are you going to make your clothes look great? What patterns, materials, fits and colours are being used?

Quality – What quality assurance checks are you doing? 

Brand – How are you going to market and package your brand?

When thinking about these factors, it is essential to remain focused on differentiating yourself apart from your competitors. The fashion industry is extremely saturated so you need to stand out. 

Begin Fashion Design and Development 

This is the fun part, this is where you are going to start showing your creative flare. Now you have developed your brand and niche market, it is now time to start designing your new line of clothing. As with any first meeting, first impressions count. This is your sole opportunity to create anything that you feel your customers are going to aspire to wear. This is also your opportunity for you to create something that your customers are going to remember, so maybe one bold and brash design will appeal to other markets. 

As much as it is fun creating designs, it is also important to understand that you have a budget, and it’s hard to make it in this industry if the cost of your production is eating away at your profits. Always think of the cost of production, it will help to develop good business habits as you grow. 

Start by creating sketches for your line and then out of them all, decide which ones you are going to make a reality. If you are doing print on demand, all you need to determine is the designs, but if not, you need to determine materials, patterns, fit, texture and any other features your clothing has.  Other factors to consider include:

  • Sleeve length
  • Neckline
  • The shape of the item 
  • Lengths
  • Pleats
  • Types of stitches

Mix and match all of these factors and see what works best. There are a lot of apps out there for design, but we prefer the good old fashion pencil and paper. If you already have the fabrics, try a dress dummy and fashion pieces yourself. 

Follow these first steps and this is going to ensure that you have a great start for your new business venture. If you continue to struggle to create a fashion brand, speaking to other brands and collaborating is another great idea.