Christmas is quickly approaching, and another lockdown has hit England just as Christmas shopping was about to start.
Times like these are difficult for everyone because of Covid-19, but especially small businesses. It is now even more difficult because the shops are closing, so people are reduced to buying Christmas gifts online.
Here at Fashion North, we believe everyone needs to support small business at times like these. We have put together a list of the best places to buy handmade earrings, because who doesn’t love getting earrings as a gift at Christmas!
@Pinky.Ink.Designs
Pinky Ink Designs is a small business ran by Chloe Humphrys that started back in June during the first lockdown. She lives in Newcastle whilst she studies for her degree. She sells handmade clay earrings and positivity prints on Etsy. She said Pinky Ink is all about pink positivity and all her earrings cost between £5 – £15.
Chloe said to Fashion North: “I take a lot of inspiration from Pinterest, minimalist patterns, things that make me happy. Sometimes, I don’t even plan a design, I just go with the flow and what feels right, and it always turns into something beautiful.”
@sophiepercidesigns
Sophie Percival runs her own small business on Instagram whilst she studies her degree at Northumbria. She has been making her clay earrings for around a year, and it first started with her just selling to her Facebook friends. In May, during lockdown, she made her Instagram page. The earrings cost between £5 – £9 and she has the Highland Cow’s collection that is £10. She likes to take her inspiration from patterned fabric and put her own spin on techniques she sees, all with the help from her sister with design ideas.
She said: “I had a stall at a Christmas Market last year and I saw a few others selling cute earrings, I’ve always been an arty person having just graduated art school so I wanted to give it a go myself!”
@beths.beads
Beth’s Beads is a small business that’s all about upcycling and reducing waste and makes handmade jewellery. She started her business in May 2020, during the first lockdown. She buys all her beads from charity shops and her friends and family donate beads to her. They sell the earrings for £5 but some earrings like the gold pairs or unique ones are slightly more. She said that the main factor is she won’t sell something she wouldn’t wear herself.
She said to Fashion North: “I initially started making earrings because I was buying so many pairs that I thought I could give making them a go myself. Once I started making them, I loved doing it and thought other people might like them too, so I set up my shop! I also thought about how most of my earrings had been bought from fast fashion brands so I thought it would be nice idea to take my custom and hopefully other peoples away from fast fashion and towards more sustainable, small businesses.”
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How lovely are the Ellen hoops with rose quartz and sterling silver plated wire?! 🌸 £4 ~SOLD~
Are you going to support small businesses this Christmas? If so, tweet us @Fashion_North
