Female founded brands we know and love — And Why Shopping Small Matters More Than Ever

With Black Friday just around the corner, and the rush to find a bargain, we thought it was a good time to take a pause and consider some of the smaller businesses that often get overlooked at this time of year. There are so many reasons to shop with small businesses, because when you shop small, you’re not feeding a machine — you’re supporting a person. Someone packing boxes with care. Someone who’s taken a risk because they believe in what they’re creating. Your support gives them the confidence to keep going, to grow, and to keep doing things the right way, with the customer always at the heart of what they do. 

Gifting from small brands means giving something thoughtful — something made with intention, not mass-produced at speed. It’s the difference between “that’ll do” and “I saw this and thought of you.”

So in this journal, we’ll be sharing some of the small businesses we love — the people behind them, what makes them special, and why buying from them genuinely matters. We know all the women behind these amazing brands, and each of them have been incredible support to myself and Anita while we grow our own small business. 

This season, let’s make our spending count. Let’s support the people behind the products and make this Black Friday count.

Loel

Andrea is the fabulous founder behind Loel and combined the two things she loved the most; Italy and jewellery, and turned them into a business. We've met Andrea at many events, and her passion for jewellery design stands out, and her designs are so beautifully crafted and utterly stylish.  The unique and beautiful jewellery pieces are made by a small family run businesses in Italy.  They have connections with all the skilled jewellery makers  and often travel to Italy to say ciao! to the skilled hands making their pieces. They even get sent red wine at Christmas.

This way their jewellery has the same reassuringly luxurious feel of a stunning pair of handmade heels, with ‘Made In Italy’ proudly stamped on the bottom. Their bold designs have been loved by the likes of Claudia Winkleman, Tyra Banks and a few girl bands to boot. 

If you are looking for statement piece jewellery that will finish any outfit (and loved by Claudia Winkleman) check out her full range below.

https://loel.co.uk

The Small Home

I've known Ayshea for over 20 years, when we were fashion buyers together. She launched The Small Home after some time-out following the births of her two daughters, finding that the almost throwaway, mass-produced nature of retail on the high street now held less appeal for her.

The Small Home is a  collection of carefully chosen artisan products, useful and beautiful, for the home, body and living. The aesthetic is paired-back and understated, celebrating the handmade, the natural and the unique. They're committed to supporting socially and ethically responsible craftspeople. 
They are the creators of the softest, sustainably handmade sheepskin moccasin slippers which never leave my feet when I'm at home. I've also bought slippers for my husband and kids who all love them too! 

I was so proud of Ayshea this year when she launched her first range for John Lewis which has been really successful. It's amazing to see how hard she's worked and what she has achieved. She kindly gifted me a sheepskin gilet for my birthday and I haven't taken it off. It's the perfect layering piece for this time of year, and instantly elevates any outfit. 

You can find the most comfiest and appreciated gifts for the whole family on The Small Home website below.

https://thesmallhome.co.uk

Moksa

We've never actually met Chloe in person (that will hopefully change one day) but we 'met' on social media a few years back, and we instantly connected. I loved how supportive she was with other brands, and always showing up to offer words of encouragement and advice from her own experiences. This is the super power of female founders, the ability to connect and collaborate. 

At Moksa, they're committed to creating cruelty-free skincare solutions that harness the power of nature to deliver radiant, healthy skin. They dive into the incredible benefits of Ayurvedic skincare—a practice rooted in ancient wisdom and natural ingredients that cater to all skin types, including the most sensitive.

I use Moksa skincare myself and I can honestly say the Wild Rose Facial Elixir is the best product I've ever used. Blended with the rejuvenating power of Jojoba, Sea Buckthorn, Rosehip, Rose, Frankincense, and Vitamin E, this organic elixir gives you glowing, hydrated  and incredibly nourished skin. It's definitely on my Christmas wish list!

https://www.moksa.co.uk

Meminio

Before we started MadeKind, I used to be a photographer specialising in lifestyle product photography. It was during this time that I started working with a Meminio, a luxury, personalised keepsake boxes. I immediately fell in love with the founders Ali and Marie and  struck up a friendship that has lasted years (I even moved to the same road as Marie!), and I have loved seeing their incredible business grow. 

Marie and Ali met while their children, Ted and Maisie, were at pre-school together in 2010, soon becoming great friends. Marie lost her mum at a young age, leaving her without memories of her. She felt the effects of this loss most after having children, as she was able to see how many memories she might have been missing out on. Marie and Ali really bonded over the importance of treasuring our children’s memories and keepsakes, and these conversations moulded the beginnings of meminio.

Their gorgeous memory boxes are gifts that will be  cherished  for generations to come . The only problem is which colour to choose? You can see all their memory boxes, folders and books below.

https://meminio.com

Charlotte Manser Ceramics

We contacted Charlotte when we found her ceramics business online and we were looking for ceramic pots for our candles. She was such a joy to work with and she instantly knew what we were looking for. Her love of pottery shines through in every piece she makes, and we loved following her craft and process on social media. Unsurprisingly our candle pots were a huge hit with the pots being kept after the candle had finished and used for many different purposes. We met Charlotte a couple of years later at an event and it's been so exciting to see how her business has expanded to open a large pottery studio, build a team of ceramacists and offer workshops.

Over the past 6 years she has collaborated with the music artist, John Legend on a collection, created pieces for Michelin Star Restaurants, sold her work to customers in over 20 countries worldwide and has continued to champion small businesses and female makers. We can't wait to see what's next for Charlotte! 

Find out more about Charlotte below.

https://www.charlottemanserceramics.com

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