Buy Now, Wear Forever

When I set out on my jewellery career, I always liked the idea of creating treasures to last a lifetime. Last in the 'made well' sense of the word but also be timeless and loved by generations to come. My attitude to fashion has always been the same. I want to fall in love with a piece and know it has been made ethically and will stand the test of time. There are always certain key pieces in a wardrobe that you are drawn to, and year after year, you can pull out as the season's change, knowing that it is still as much in fashion now as it was ten years ago. The classic straight blue jean, the Breton striped top and the wool jumper, three items that immediately spring to mind. Buy once and buy well is an ethos I always try to live by when adding to my wardrobe. Thinking about how a piece of clothing has been made is as important as thinking about where the food you eat is from.

As we navigate forward in a world of Brexit and post Covid madness, the supply chain has come into question over and over in the past few weeks, more so than it did in the past few years, when it should have done. As the Suez canal has become gridlocked and items take longer to arrive from China, why are we not questioning the ethics behind those items.

We are so lucky to live in a country with a buoyant independent-clothing market-making clothes that have an eco-awareness at their heart. Now more than ever should see the death of fast fashion, cheap, poorly made clothes that devalue the beautiful products made by artisans who seek to create something beautiful that will last and charge the right amount for their efforts.

It is always the case that those pieces I treasure are the ones that always get the compliments and make me feel great as soon as I pop them on. I know I can curate my wardrobe with a little wow factor that has been made by a person who shares my ethics.

As spring creeps out under the floor of discarded leaves from past Autumn, so too does the spring wardrobe, and not long after the Breton is back on, the long necklaces follow. From winter to spring, this is one staple I will carry through. Changing up my look as the wool numbers slowly decline.

Ax