By Daisy Anna Stonier
In a world of ever-changing trends and next-day delivery, it can be confusing for customers to be conflicted between shopping sustainably and taking advantage of the ‘unmissable deals’ projected to them when online shopping.
“Why would I buy a £100 jumper that will arrive in a couple weeks, when I can get one to arrive tomorrow for £10?” I hear you say…
I understand, and have fallen victim to it too. Convincing myself I need this new item of clothing after seeing every influencer wearing it this week in a perfectly aesthetic photo, with a tempting discount code to share. Soon your basket is full of items you never knew you wanted, as you add more and more to reach the free shipping qualification like it’s a well deserved prize.
However, the process of the piles of clothing arriving at your doorstep goes far beyond pressing ‘checkout’ on your phone after a night of doom-scrolling, which I feel most of us are engaged enough in the media to be aware of. Documentaries and articles are all at our fingertips exposing the terrible working conditions for those producing for these fast fashion companies, and they quickly provide the answers to why we’re able to get so many garments for such affordable, but unethical prices.
Small businesses selling handmade garments can sometimes receive criticism for their seemingly ‘high’ prices, which in some ways I can’t deny with the comparison of high street store prices directly next to them. For an average girl in their early 20s like me, a wardrobe full of handmade and sustainable garments maybe isn’t realistic (as much as I would love it to be!!), but I think it’s so important to understand why garments deserve prices like these, and to appreciate the value of their creation. Saving for that little bit longer, and choosing items which you truly love and are excited to own feels all the more special when you value the time and creativity that has gone into making them.
In true Tink fashion, we have to look at knitwear and crochet in particular, and as someone who started my own small business selling handmade pieces, I know all too well the time, patience, and creativity that goes into making them.
Sometimes it can take weeks or even months to finish an item, as each stitch is formed by hand after careful planning and to be honest, a lot of maths at times. A tension swatch is often needed before you even start your garment, as the gauge of your hook and needles combined with the weight (thickness) of your yarn greatly impacts the outcome of the size of the stitches produced. This is then used to help you create a pattern and dictate the size of the garment you are making, which has usually been carefully designed with consideration of yarn quality, functionality, and style. Hours of knitting, crocheting, and more than likely undoing (or I should say “tinking”) rows and rows of yarn follows to create a beautiful garment.
Photos via Pinterest <3
Small knitwear businesses have a lot to factor in and to contend with, with just some of those being…
- Yarn sourcing and purchasing - making sustainable choices are becoming more and more important to designers, and the cost of their supplies are essential to factor in to the profits they want to be making
- Time - as I’ve mentioned, knitting and crocheting is a time-consuming craft. When you think about a minimum hourly salary, the price of an item which takes 10 hours to make quickly starts to become more clear…
- Social Media Presence - engaging customers through an online presence is pretty essential for small businesses, and it takes consistency and commitment to have a real impact. Sharing behind the scenes, showing the person/people behind the brand, and building a like-minded community really helps to drive sales and build a platform that can be trustworthy, loved, and inspiring.
- The ‘Business’ Side- still an area that I’m probably not the best to be advising on, the technicalities of building a website, payment methods, shipping costs (especially overseas shipping), dealing with taxes and more, also takes time, patience, and a few mistakes along the way to understand.
- A Creative mind - a blessing and a curse, those of you who are creative thinkers will know all too well how challenging it can be sometimes to pour your heart and energy into a project. Designers put so much care into creating pieces aligning with their style, brand image, and sources of inspiration, and I feel as though the individuality and expression of small business creations is what makes them all the more special to own.
So perhaps the original question of choosing between a £100 and £10 jumper isn’t really the way to look at things, and it isn’t a choice that most of us have the luxury of making on a frequent basis, but what I hope is coming across is that small knitwear brand’s work involves so much more than just an hour with yarn, needles, or a machine. Appreciating and valuing small business designers and their craft can be shown through understanding their work, supporting them online or in person, and hopefully adding in some purchases where you can for the pieces you love.
Our Tink designers are the dreamiest place to start, and I’m sure a follow instagram, comment, or purchase would definitely make their day…
Bonchet - @bonchetx
Rowan Walker - @rowanwalkerknitwear
KWDBGE - @kwdbge
SnugBug - @snugbug.love
Rachel Sophia Studio - @rachelsophia.studio
Froots - @froots.by.charlotte
Elbervena - @elbervena
Aliks - @fromaliks
Click to shop the gorgeous selection from Season Two: Duality