TSW Spotlight: Our Favourite Small Businesses in November 2021

Where all the boss babes at? We are excited to announce the launch of our brand new monthly series - The Sole Supplier’ Spotlight. Each month, we will be highlighting our favourite small businesses and celebrating the boss babes behind them. We truly believe that there are so many AMAZING small female-led businesses and initiatives that don’t get enough love, so we’re here to fix that. We hope that with this series, our readers will discover new brands, or even be inspired to start something of their own!

If you like supporting small, independent businesses, make sure you keep reading!

First of all, we couldn’t NOT shout out our very own Tegan, who has recently moved on from The Sole Supplier to focus all her time and energy on her own exciting venture as a freelance creative. If you are looking to revamp your room with bright prints, or love handmade unique accessories - this one’s for you.

The Story

Tegan’s background is in illustration and graphic design, so for a while now she’s been creating sick slogan posters and cute prints that every girl needs. Her previous client list includes big names like Nike and Gucci, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. One of her most recent collabs has been with a UK-based brand Tomme Studio on a series of limited-edition blankets that feature her very own designs.

The Brand

Apart from illustration and prints, Tegan has also been dipping into creating her own pieces. Her most recent launch was these stunning tote bags. The totes are 100% handmade (from the bag design, to sewing and embroidery) so are super rare and unique. The most amazing bit, though - they can fit literally ANYTHING in.

Ideal For

No matter whether you’re a fan of funky designs or unique handmade pieces, make sure you check out Tegan’s socials and give her a follow to stay in the loop with all future launches.

Best advice on starting your own business

“You need to put a lot of work into it, and it’ll mean late nights and putting the time in whenever you can get it in to push yourself. But, whether it’s a passion or a pipe dream you’ve always fancied, if it’s something you’re really invested in, time won’t matter and you’ll find yourself going without even realising how late it’s getting. Start with honing in on what you love doing, find your style and run with it.”

Where To Find

Instagram: @byteganprice

Shop: www.teganprice.com

This small business is for those of you who love comfort and positive messaging. L.DROBE is the perfect example of combining the two - have a read and see for yourself!

The Story

Lucy Parker started her journey with a vintage shop on Depop, however during the first lockdown, she decided to take the big step of launching her very own athleisure brand. We found her page earlier this year, and it very quickly became an office-favourite amongst the girls (and boys)!

The Brand

L.DROBE offers a range of unisex, chic and high-quality clothing for a very affordable price compared to other athleisurewear brands. Our personal favourites are the Royal Blue Sustainable Sweatshirt (rocked by style icons like Bethan McCoy) and the Natural Sustainable set (Rabiala’s look is OMG).

And yes, you read that right - a big part of L.DROBE’s range is sustainable, with future plans on sourcing the whole range from 100% organic cotton.

“The entire ethos is centred around positivity and good vibes, something we all needed a little bit more of this past year,” says Lucy. “I wanted to create a range that has the coolest vibe whilst being accessible to all. Sharing good energy through every item, designed to be worn by anyone, anywhere.” And it’s not just words, you can see that positive mindset and inclusivity are massive focuses and key pillars of the brand. Many of L.DROBE garments feature mood-lifting slogans and come in an array of sizes from XS to XXXL.

Ideal For

If athleisure is your day-to-day, or you’re just looking to bring more positive vibes into your wardrobe while supporting a small business - L.DROBE is ideal for both. Also, it’s the ultimate gift idea for your bestie. It’s not only cute, but practical too!

Best advice on starting your own business

“Just GO FOR IT - what is the worst that could happen?! Stay persistent, you get out what you put in. Don't expect it to just take off overnight and don't be knocked down by external pressures or sales. Use this time to learn and create building blocks for your brand. If you truly believe in what you're creating, and are passionate - you will make it happen no matter what tries to get in your way.”

Where To Find

Instagram: @l.drobe

Shop: www.ldrobeclothing.com

You know the saying that scents tend to bring back memories? Well Oré mi is all about that. Warm and calming scents, all of which come with their own story. Prepare to be hypnotized.

The Story

Oré mi (Or-Reh-Me) is an independent wellbeing brand that was founded in 2019 by Karen Olla in South London. Meaning my friend in Yoruba, the brand's ethos focuses on celebrating Nigerian heritage, by creating welcoming and restorative scents that fill your home with warmth.

What started off as a vanilla-scented soy wax candle for friends and family, this creative side-project soon turned into a full-on lifestyle brand. Karen admits that she didn’t initially include her first-ever product on the website,instead, she decided to go further and refine the scent, which now exists as the Vanilla & Sandalwood candle.

The Brand

The current offering consists of scented soy wax candles and incense. The candles conveniently come in three different sizes (50, 150 and 400g), as well as trio sets (Okan & Méji), which is ideal when looking for *the* scent. If you don’t know where to start,a personal favourite is the Honey & Tobacco candle, however we really believe any of the scents will help you create that calming ambience at home that everyone loves.

But the plan doesn’t stop there. “My dream product to create would be our own hand wash and hand lotion,” says Oré Mi founder Karen. “Something that is more accessible to every household and business. I always imagine the excitement of walking into a restaurant and seeing our hand wash/lotion in their bathrooms.”

For a full indulgence experience, make sure you also read up on the scent’s story (found on the website in the item description). These come from Karen’s memories and experiences, which will mesmerize you and allow you to experience the scent in full.

A special mention also must go to the packaging. Besides looking stunning in any set up, it is also environmentally friendly. When checking out, you have the option to purchase candles without a lid. That comes especially handy if ordering multiple candles or you have ordered some previously, as it allows you to reuse the lids you already have.

Ideal For

Home lovers. Good-scent connoisseurs. Decor enthusiasts. Christmas gifts. Cosy “you-time” evenings. Or just those occasions when you’re really stuck on what to buy for your friend. Should we go on?

Best advice on starting your own business

“You need to make sure to price your product for its real worth. What I mean by that is that if you want to make this your livelihood, you have to value your time, skills and love that has gone into each and every product. Don’t try and squeeze your margins and retail price just to appear accessible to ALL consumers. You will find your niche and they will appreciate the art behind the product itself, enough to pay for its true value.”

Where To Find

Instagram: @oremistudios

Shop: www.oremistudios.com

We often think of jewelry as just something gold or silver, but it can be so much more than that. Always Anchana is here to prove that groovy colourful jewellery doesn’t always mean childish, and that it’s just all about having fun.

The Story

It all started from The Fruit Salad: “I was going through a really tough time before summer began and fell apart really”, says founder Anchana. “I was feeling dissociated with myself and one day my friend bought me a cute little beading kit! I started making little phone charms and necklaces for friends and enjoyed making them so much that I decided to start a small business.”

The Brand

Inspired by the freedom and carefree spirit of summer, Always Anchana is a tribute to childhood romance, while keeping it relevant to 2021.

Being live for just over 6 months, the London-based brand has now acquired friends and customers all over the globe with its handmade personalised jewellery. “I started the brand in the height of summer and everyone went crazy purchasing the Fruit Salad with their own personalisation. The amount of orders I got pushed me to create more crazy designs, which then attracted the likes of Depop and it boomed even more!”

Always Anchana has also recently launched its very own website. Just go and have a looksie - you won’t be able to take your eyes off it! Our absolute fave from the range is the Classic Pearl necklace, but how sick does the Eightball necklace look as well!? We honestly couldn’t pick one if we had to.

Ideal For

For the groovy, funky, nostalgic ones. For those, who need a Y2K throwback. For those, who need to take it easy.

Best advice on starting your own business

“Dive straight in! Gather a minimum of 5 products to launch and go for it, you can always work out the logistics afterwards. Instagram is such an amazing platform to start small businesses as you can grow so widely in such a short space of time.”

Where To Find

Instagram: @alwaysanchana

Shop: www.alwaysanchana.com

For the loud, brave and confident, who just can’t get enough. Dive into Kasela Studio’s world to experience a never-ending holiday.

The Story

It takes one to have a brilliant idea, but it takes two to tango! Kasela Studio is a London-based brand run by two besties that design, sew the collections and run the whole show of being independent business owners.

The two besties studied fashion and quickly realised that there’s a gap in the market for ethically-made, yet trendy party outfits suitable for their age group. After creating several garms for themselves they’ve realised the potential there was and decided to turn a fashion obsession into a brand, speaking to customers just like them.

The Brand

The brand’s first collection was a Summer Capsule, which featured swim, holiday wear and festival looks. It consisted of lots of animal prints, sparkly mesh fabrics, neon contrast straps - all of which quickly turned into the core brand style, which Kasela is now recognised for.

Another stand out piece of Kasela are their half-and-half joggers, which blew up the internet and have become the brand’s signature pieces.

Kasela’s collection is already making waves by collaborating with the likes of Bethan McCoy, but the dreams don’t stop there. “A dream collaboration for us would of course have to be the most obvious, Kylie Jenner. No words needed - she is just amazing! On a smaller scale we would absolutely love to one day create a campaign for a TV advertisement” say the founders.

Ideal For

The party-lovers, holiday fit ideas, and THAT friend who’s never tired of doing things. Be ready to stand out and ‘wow’ the public with these pieces.

Best advice on starting your own business

“Be unique and know your customer base. Being our own customer to our brand really helped understand the market and what our customers wanted! Don’t expect overnight success and trust the process, success will come with hard work. There will be amazing times and also hard times, just keep going and remember why you started!”

Where To Find

Instagram: @kaselastudio

Shop: www.kaselastudio.com

That is it for this month’s TSS Spotlight! Be sure to give these amazing boss babes some love and check out their products. WE ARE OBSESSED.

If you are or know a boss babe that wasn’t featured this month, make sure you email your suggestions to ana@thesolesupplier.co.uk and we will be in touch!