It's our Birthday! Looking back on the last year...

It's Hannah Elizabeth's first birthday this April and we're taking time to look back over the last year and what we've been doing. I'm so proud of what I've managed to do in the first year as well as having many more things planned for the next years to come.

The picture above was when we first got the studio, decorating the walls, moving the new industrial machines in and making the place feel more homely. I was so happy on getting my own studio, somewhere to call my home and get all the creative juices flowing. 

The events we have attended have been fun and I've learnt something from each one. Coalfields festival, Rotherham Show and Barnsley Christmas Market were 3 fairs I stood at and each was just as fun and all in a different setting. Each of them led onto other things like stockists and new customers. However I have now decided that I wont be attending anymore 'craft' type fairs but my last goal is for a Vintage fair. I also helped out at a ladies night fashion show in Rotherham which was a lot of fun and our first fashion show with my clothing, as well as meeting these 4 lovely ladies that modelled for us. 

Reba Unique was the first shop I stocked with my clothing, the shop is great for stocking local independent designers so it made sense to also be in there. I get a section to put my items in and often get to be in the window and on other mannequins around the shop. The shop has a good range of different styles from other designers and accessories to accompany them, giving the customer a place to get a whole outfit whatever the style they're after. I've loved being a part of the shop and around other like-minded people and its also quite handy being just around the corner from my studio.

Junction 36 was the second local boutique to stock us, more on the quirky side of independent designers with the shop owner being a bag maker, specializing in leather clutch bags and more. They also have other great local designers like t-shirt printers with a sailor theme, draped dresses, quirky crop tops, accessories and more. 

BitterSweet Boutique in Rotherham was a lovely shop with furniture and home decorations, mixed with clothing and accessories. This shop had all sorts to offer and especially a mix of pastel coloured items and a vintage shabby chic style. Unfortunately my clothing didnt work in the shop and didnt appeal to their customer base in the quiet town centre. However this came about from the Rotherham Show and the charity ladies night fashion show, so it proves everything leads onto another.

Our online presence has slowly been building with our website, blog and social media. Our blog's best post to date was the Pastel Hair Inspiration, sparking at around 800 views, as well as some smaller posts which one of our favourites being the DIY Collar displays. The website is still in its infancy but is slowly growing in page views. Last summer we did a photoshoot with our S/S 13 collection and was a lot of fun, this created more awareness with my photos being shared across social media.

Last but not least, me...I have learnt so much over the last year and I know I still have so much more to learn about! I hand sew our own collection, stand at the events, try on (and sometimes keep) our dresses, i'm the cleaner, the accountant, the marketer and more and I have to say...I love it! I'm still finding my feet and realising my style but I know I will keep growing along side my business in the years to come. So please do continue to support me in any way possible as I couldn't have done it without the support network around me. Thank you all so much!

p.s. We have a birthday discount code on our website, use code PARTY1 for 25% off including on bespoke orders. www.hannahelizabethfashion.co.uk 

The Pastel Pink Trend

Whilst we like to be individual and different to the rest, we still like to keep to some current trends. A big colour trend this year is Pink and we were straight on it! Creating garments in pastel tones is what we do best and after seeing the Spring/Summer '14 fashion shows from London fashion week and the others, it was very obvious pink was going to be a favourite. We love matching our Pinks up with other tones such a creams, grey, lilacs and corals to keep it from being too pink and keeping it updated.

Whilst we like to be individual and different to the rest, we still like to keep to some current trends. A big colour trend this year is Pink and we were straight on it! Creating garments in pastel tones is what we do best and after seeing the Spring/Summer '14 fashion shows from London fashion week and the others, it was very obvious pink was going to be a favourite. 

Hannah Elizabeth Spring/Summer 14 Lookbook

I'm a little behind with Blog Friday this week, but I'd love to share with you our S/S 14 Lookbook. It was so fun doing the photoshoot, working with our model Grace and photographer Joey to come up with a simple and effective lookbook. We wanted the pastel tones to really show in the photos and still have a vintage hint with the styling and poses.

Model: Grace Stead

Photography: Joey Little

Clothing: Hannah Elizabeth

S/S 14 Hannah Elizabeth Collection @ Reba Unique

Reba Unique is a Boutique based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire that houses local independent designers such as Recycled Junkie, Lily's Pad, Dress Suite, Priority K, The Rework and more! You can get items here that you cannot get anywhere else! Hannah Elizabeth's Spring/Summer collection is now here available to buy plus our brand new leather bags.

10 Reasons You Should Be A Fashion Designer

10 Reasons you should be a fashion designer | Picture: Elie Saab Haute Couture

If you're passionate about fashion, be it any field from PR to textiles, or in any other creative industries, we all have a little designer-esque traits in us and if you didn't already know that, here's just a mere 10 reasons to start you off with.

1. You Can't Find What You Want When Shopping

You go out shopping and you have the exact thing you want in your head but you can't find it anywhere! This perfect dress just cannot be found, therefore you may as well just make it yourself.

2. You See Something In A Shop and Think 'I Can Make That Myself'

So you spot a dress or a top you like, but upon further inspection you realise its a pretty simple design and that you could easily make it exactly the same yourself and for half the price!

3. You Doodle Fantasy Dresses

Whether this be in your classes, at your desk job, on layed on the sofa, you just naturally start to do fashion illustrations of beautiful ball gowns, over the top party dresses or crazy stage dresses. These fantasy items are figments of your imagination, but have unlimited possibilities.

4. You See A Piece Of Fabric and Instantly Imagine It Made Up In A Dress

So you wonder through the markets or into a haberdashery shop and see some wonderful fabric and within seconds you already have 10 ideas of the style of dress it could be made up in.

5. You Have A Dream Team Of Famous Models

If you ever had the chance to put on your own fashion show and had the pick of any models throughout the world, you know exactly who you would have. This dream team of models could range from Karlie Kloss, Jourdan Dunn, Lara Stone or Miranda Kerr, you know exactly who you'd pick.

6.  You Upcycle Old Clothing 

Maybe you have some old clothes hidden at the back of your wardrobe or you love a good charity shop, you see items where you see they could be upcycled into something beautiful again and to suit the next season.

7. You Carry A Sketchbook With You At All Times

This could be a sketchbook or a notebook from full sized to pocket size, but when creativity strikes and even at the strangest of times, you have somewhere to get it all put down and it's always within in reach.

8. You See A Garment And Think 'That Would Look Better With A Different Neckline'

Someone passes you in the street or you see something on a mannequin in a shop window and even though it may be pretty, you always see a tweak that could make it ten times better. This could be a different neckline, a shorter hem or longer sleeves, but you always spot an area where it could be made better.

9. You Have The Perfect Theme If You Ever Made A Runway Collection

By some off chance you get approached to make a one-off, zero expenses catwalk collection, you already know the perfect theme you would base the whole project off. This could be a bohemian-gothic hybrid, an underwater tale or a birds of a feather collection, you tell us!

10. You Know Exactly Which Designer You Would Work For, Even If For Free!

We all have our favourite designers and if this dream was to come true, you'd even work for them for free! All because you just love them that much! My choice would have to be Elie Saab.

Find yourself nodding to any of these reasons? Or do you have more to add? Let us know what yours are and if any of them have actually led you to become a Fashion Designer.

Our New Website, Plus a Discount Code!

Our new website and shop is now up and running!! All with our categories of garments, sales, discounts and carts! We love the girly feel and our cute little bunting :D Our website is also fully mobile for ease.

You can get a special discount of 10% off any items by using code BLOG10 on our website!

www.hannahelizabethfashion.co.uk

Studio Tea Party!

Last Sunday, we hosted a little studio tea party with cuppas & buns! It gave customers the opportunity to come and see where I am, look at some sale items, sneak peaks of new A/W designs and a good old natter! 

We had a mad tidying and cleaning the day before to make sure the studio was presentable for the day, set out all of our items in a lovely manner to show and made sure we had plenty of buns & cakes!