Markets and events are such hard work physically, I'm never going to be able to do weekly markets but 2023 saw me going from 4/5 to 10. If I can manage 10 again in 2024 I'll be really happy.
Of course it's really hard to concentrate on all areas of my business and I've found the online sales really dwindling this year. Raising costs meaning my online store is losing money and my ebay store has really flatlined. I seem to spend a lot of time photographing & listing for very little return so top of my list for 2024 is to reconcile all online platforms and work out what is working & what needs to be moved on.
Towards the end of 2023, I paused working with Sydney Creative - I love teaching so much but the timing was proving tricky for family life and for my health - I joke "I've had almost every part of my body scanned, x-rayed and probed this year". With a number on-going minor health complaints, just getting everything checked and treated has felt like a job in itself. But it's a great feeling to get a better understanding of my ailments and I'm happily moving forwards feeling more in control of my physical health and still working towards a pain free life.
With a few family and financial setbacks, I finally got to England in December and enjoyed Christmas with family, caught up with friends and even managed to pop to my old shop building in Manchester a great little trip down memory lane.
Afflecks, Manchester, the home of my old label Me&Yu for 10 years!
My aim for 2024 is to reduce stress, sell more and improve profits - watch this space!
And here's some of my handpicked favourites heading to my Round She Goes Racks:
Vintage 70's Corduroy Jacket by Rosine Paris, size 8-10, $95
A beautiful original piece that is still so wearable today.
Vintage 80's Black Nu Romantic/Pirate Wool Mix Dress by Anthea Crawford, size 12-14 $120 - such detail on this statement piece, a classic.
Vintage 80's The Clothing Barn Polka Dot shirt/ jacket with huge shoulder pads, size 10-12, $35. Shoulder pads to make Jan Fran envious!
Vintage 80's Target navy stripe shirt/ jacket with huge shoulder pads, size 12-14, $35. Another shoulder-padded wonder, wear as a jacket or shirt.
Kitten Vintage Vintage 80's Refashioned Top, size 12-14, $30. A great print on this one, available on my 2 for $50 racks.
Kitten Vintage Vintage 80's Refashioned Top, size 12-14, $30. So very Gorman - the 80's prints are just fabulous - available on my 2 for $50 racks.
Vintage 80's Supre Dress, size 10-12, $40. So many dresses - I have a whole rail of 80's and 90's dresses to choose from - priced from $20
Vintage 80's Grungey Floral Dress, size 12-14, $35. I have a great collection of these grungey floral dresses in all sizes 8-22.
"Combining our passion for nostalgia, food, storytelling, we started Apricot and Lime. A sustainable approach to homewares and fashion."
Nothing quite replaces the thrill of a busy market or event, but if you're missing browsing racks and trying before you buy you may be interested to know I'm offering "Socially Distant Shopping" appointments. Saturdays starting from Saturday 16th May, you can reserve an appointment at the Kitten Vintage studio in Marrickville for solo shopping.
Your one hour slot should be plenty of time to browse the racks and try on pieces if you desire but no need to stay the full hour! I'll probably be busy behind my machine sewing so happy to chat or let you enjoy some quiet shopping time. There's no obligation to purchase - it's just the same as visiting my stall at a market or event - come for a chat and a browse and there may be something just waiting for you!
BOOKING:
Further Information:
Our new ground floor studio space at Little Majestic has an easy access point (two small steps, disability access available on request). On entry you'll be directed to the handwashing facilities as we observe a high level of cleanliness in line with current health protocol. Hand sanitiser is also in place for your use as required. Please only attend if you are in good health as per social distancing visitation rules. Only one adult (plus teens & children) per appointment at this time. Please note, not all of my ebay items are stored at my studio so please message prior if you are interested in anything on Kitten Vintage Store
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The Marrickville Makers Market was such a great event, I've been searching for a regular market that is a good fit for me for such a long time. I realised that actually I need to have so much more handmade & upcycled products so that I can fill an entire stall instead of taking along my vintage wares. This would enable me to apply to more Makers Markets rather than the outdoor vintage markets which can be so challenging (weather, competition, price, logistics etc).
Every January I take some time to brainstorm a plan for the year, working out what in my business works and what is the best use of my time. This year I came up with the positive statement "2020 Year of Plenty" with a mission to focus on growth and revenue making projects.
As a small business that I run around my freelance work and my family life, I am left with one day a week at the studio and about 8 hours a week (15-20 hours ish) for various home office based jobs such as blogging, editing images, listings, social media and the many other tasks that running a small business is all about.
I realised that to get enough product to fill an entire stall is a massive undertaking. The handmade range is going to take so much more time than I have available at the moment, but working slowly and steadily, by the second half of the year I'd like to be in the position that I can roll out more of my kit//ten collection range and show it all off together... it really is SLOW FASHION!
In the meantime, I need some cashflow in the business now.... (even more so in recent weeks!)
My plan was to stick to the key markets I know and love such as Round She Goes - (now cancelled) and create some monthly Pop Up Events at the Little Majestic Studios with my fellow creatives. Our first one was planned for March - now postponed till the Covid19 situation resolves.
Sells:
Mens, womens, children's, homewares, books and much more. Everything is donated from local collection points and sifted through. Seasonally they will have markdown days and rotate stock for summer / winter as appropriate.
Layout:
Everything is easy to find on racks with clear sections, sorted by type of garment and a 'larger sizes' rack in womenswear. Some cute corners with homewares displayed prettily and a glass counter display holding special treasures and jewellery. Boxes with interesting things to delve through so you can have a little 'rummage' especially in the kids and homewares section.
Special Features:
As this is a Community Op Shop, the church also holds a drop in coffee shop with barista made coffee where you can call in 'for a chat' and enjoy a separate cafe space with play area, baby change facilities and all access toilet. We are always made to feel so welcome, it's a great feeling in here - anyone with a toddler knows that it can be hard to 'hustle them through the day' and having a welcoming play space makes this an easy venue to visit.
Here's some of the special things I've found in Ashfield Baptist Church Op Shop over the years...
My favourite hand knitted mohair cardigan was my best buy of all time and I've been stocking up on vintage bedding and homewares for Mabel's 'big girl' bedroom - I'm in love with the mix and match vintage floral look and have been using this picture as inspiration:
Just around the corner is one of our favourite parks - Rose Street Park. It's a very simple park with just a set of swings and a grassy play area and a few shady trees and benches. Sometimes simplicity is the best thing and it's a great place to inspect all my latest treasure and have a picnic lunch!
]]>Whenever I put together a class or a course I always like to be prepared and create a few handouts and things for people to take away. I thought you'd love to see the some key points to remember when hunting for thrifted treasure - here's by tried and tested ten tips to remember when Op Shopping!
It got me thinking that it would be great to start posting a series of "Op Shop Adventures". With my little girl in tow we often have some great days out to incorporate an op-shop or two for mum and a toddler friendly activity. It's a great way to explore Sydney and we'd love to share our Op Shopping fun with you!
What is REFASHION?
Whether you call it refashioning, altering, customising, mending, tweaking, adjusting or re-making. Refashioning is basically re-sewing your old clothes into more wearable pieces. Sometimes it’s as simple as shortening a hem, taking out sleeves, adding elastic or drawstring or some kind of embellishment. Other re-fashions can be more complex and involve a bit more fashion and tailoring know-how but learn some basic skills and you'll feel more confident about cutting up a once-favourite piece so that you can fall in love with it all over again.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
This 2 hour workshop is an introduction to the concept of re-fashioning. With a brief introduction and browse through the Kitten Vintage range to see examples showing different refashioning techniques. Attendees will have an introduction to the industrial sewing machines and everyone will get 1 to 1 guidance as to how to get a great refashioned garment.
Five ideas to get you inspired about refashioning:
BEFORE: | AFTER: |
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This week I had the joy to tuck myself away in a quiet corner of the house and indulge myself in reading a copy Vogue with a cup of Earl Grey. It seems a wonderfully indulgent thing to do these days but it's important to take time out to relax once in a while!
Back in the olden days in London circa 1993 I'd spend a fortune on magazines and stock up every month. Vogue, Elle, ID, The Face and Dazed and Confused were my 90's magazines of choice. As a fashion student in London before the internet took over, Magazines were really the main source of trend forecasting for the fashion student. We'd also go to whatever Fashion Shows we could blag our way into and trail round all the important store creating "Shop Reports" but really magazines were the easiest way that you could get an understanding of what was going on in the wider world of fashion.
For a northern working class girl, studying fashion at London's prestigious Kingston University was a bit of a challenge. With an arts and crafts background, I loved drawing and creating but was really at a bit of a loss when it came to high fashion. I could never get a handle on the vast amounts of money that these clothes retailed for. Even the high street stores such as Miss Selfridge and Top Shop which catered for a young audience were a once a year treat when perhaps you had some Birthday or Christmas money, instead we made our own fashion by shopping creatively and making and customising our own clothes. Magazines were something of my saving grace - offering me an insight into a financially unattainable world and also a source of discovery and inspiration, I learnt a way to re-interpret some of these trends and aspirations in my own way.
These days you can follow a host of fashion labels, sign up to a trend forecasting agency, live stream the fashion shows from any city in the world, choose which celebrities and influencers to follow and aspire to labels or looks from a host of different sources at the click of a few buttons. Everything is more accessible. But this accessibility has also fuelled our consumption and our desire for the newest, the best, the shiniest. Interesting that has led to the most diverse fashion landscape we have ever had - "Anything Goes!" It's a strange time for fashion and it's discussed in the article from Vogue below:
I think it's a shame that this accessibility of the social platforms have led to the demise of so many great magazines and ones that are still around have had to evolve. These days, perhaps the content isn't quite as fresh as it could be, perhaps the ads are a little more intrusive than they used to be but I always find a few snippets in magazines to inspire me, here's what I took from Vogue Feb 2019:
Next time I go treasure hunting I can train my eye to look for things that remind me of these looks! I also noted a strong patchwork / print clash accent trend which is great inspiration for my new range. How awesome is that Chanel Crop! - The styling is so similar to some of the boxy re-worked crops I have in store like the orange linen crop shirt - see it here
Other magazines I enjoy these days are Frankie and Peppermint for artsy crafty inspiration. And Elle and Marie Claire for their own take on fashion which has a different focus to Vogue. There is something really comforting about reading the typed word, the turning of the pages, the viewing of the pictures. Your brain processes and absorbs this information with much more clarity than the endless scrolling. I'm going to try and allow myself more time for the pleasure of reading magazines - I haven't bought Frankie for ages - my next treat!