Last year we took the heart breaking decision to close our shop and focus on the online business. The last 18 months have been brutal for small sustainable fashion businesses, both online and in bricks and mortar stores. In a searingly truthful article by Kristen Fanarakis 'Will Independent Fashion Brands Soon Disappear' she spells out what many of us in this community have been feeling for some time: "30 years of environmental and labour exploitation has kept apparel prices depressed relative to overall inflation. This has created deeply entrenched, misguided price expectations about what apparel should cost, placing any responsibly produced brand on the defensive to justify their higher-than-average price point that simply reflects the true costs of production. The continued fallout from the pandemic, economic uncertainty and high inflation are creating a cost of living crisis, making consumers even more price sensitive. While exposure has never been free, the current digital, social, and traditional media landscape has become a pure pay-to-play system. And it is one that increasingly excludes independent brands that lack large marketing budgets. The internet and social media’s promise of being a great equaliser helping small brands reach a wider audience fades with every algorithm implementation."
SO JUST SHOP is luckier than many, we are blessed with a loyal and supportive community (thank you) and we also work with corporates for bespoke gifting and sell some of our products wholesale, but make no mistake it is very tough out here. So please, if you can support the small, the quirky, the independent, the businesses with a heart and a soul because we need you now more than ever.