Hey lovelies!
I buy a heck of a lot of things from local/online
creators and often go back for more! I believe in supporting local business so
much and think it’s something we should all be doing. I love the passion each
artist or creator has for what they’re selling. Id much rather buy jewellery,
art, the odd bit of clothing, accessories etc from someone personally than have
the standard crap from the highstreets. As well as getting a more personalised
service, you’re also helping your local economy!
Soooo, in spirit of that, I’m going to be doing a
little series on my blog about local/online creators that I love! And I’m
delighted for my first creator to be Sophie Howells from Zigabel Earrings!!
I met sophie through some mutual friends… I’ve only
met her once, but she is so easy to get a long with, so genuine and just sweet
as hell. She has recently started an etsy shop called Zigabel Earrings and the
second I seen some of the bits she was selling, I fell in love! I’ve made
quite a few orders now and don’t think ill be stopping any time soon.
When you order two pairs of earrings you get the
third free (not sure if this is still on!) and each time I’ve had a free pair
they have quickly become my favourite pair. Probably something id never think
to buy myself but the second they’re on my ears I’m obsessed.
Since my first delivery there hasn’t been a day
where I haven’t worn earrings. She has started my very strange earring
obsession. I’m now constantly on the lookout for weird, eccentric earrings.
People that come into my work are starting to call me “The girl with mad
earrings”. Which I love!! So far, I’ve bought wine bottle earrings, lots of
tassels, pom poms, clay hoops, more tassels, crazy faces and even Venus sign
earrings!
Every single order is personalised. Crazy stickers
on the envelope and the packaging. Cute notes. Quirky drawings of her cats. Its
one of the main reasons I keep going back.
One of my favourite things about her shop is that
I genuinely love what she sells, each pair is different, and I honestly just sit wait
for her latest creation to appear on my instagram feed, bank card at the ready. You can tell she is grateful for every single
order she gets, and it makes buying from her all the more fulfilling.
Here’s what Sophie had to say:
1. Hi!
Give me a brief on yourself and your shop!
So, my name is Sophie, I'm 20 on February 3rd and I
make earrings from things I find in charity shops and from car boots and
online. I love skulls and trainers and cats and diet coke. My shop HQ is the
far-right hand corner of my bedroom and consists of a coffee table piled with
pen pots and beads and all sorts of shit, a tray of Jiffy bags, a drawer of
stickers and a pillow from IKEA that I sit on while I do my stuff.
2. How
did you choose your name?
chose the name for my shop, "Zigabel
Earrings" after my two kittens. I took the Zig from Ziggy (Zigfield) and
the Bel from Bella (Bellatrix). I was in love with my cats the minute I laid
eyes on them in the kitchen of someone I met on Preloved, so it just seemed
right to have a name that was based on something I was utterly obsessed with.
3. What
do you sell?
sell earrings, some quite mellow and subtle
earrings, and some very extravagant earwear. Skulls, tassels, cat charms, clay
earrings, I'd like to say I sell quite a variety of earrings.
4. What
made you want to start selling your product?
I got quite ill at the end of 2016/beginning of
last year and had to leave uni and I haven't been able to work since about May
time. I'm in the house a lot and I was trying to find a creative outlet because
that's what helped me with feeling depressed, I could whip out a pack of
sharpies and draw for a bit and feel slightly more human. I spent a lot of time
in my bed and wearing slobbish clothes like leggings or like big jumpers and
things and just looking a bit scraggly. I personally liked this look, and I
still rock it now, but I wanted something that was gonna make me look a bit
more put together, something to make me pop. I thought that I could make my own
earrings and then I'd have the full choice of what they looked like and if they
were hoops and all that shit. I ordered a beginner’s earring making kit from
amazon in September and started hunting charity shops for beads, and I have
never looked back.
5. Are
people around you supportive?
Everyone around me is the most
supportive I think they could possibly be. I say there is support firing out of
their nostrils. I mentioned being ill before and my parents think that starting
my business has helped, I'm more positive and driven and have an actual purpose
in life. It sounds funny but I'm supportive of myself for once, I'm so happy at
how far I and my business have come. Word of mouth is a big part of my shop cos
I'd have never had so many sales without my friends telling their friends and
showing my earrings on their Instagram stories and stuff like that. A lot of
people I know are so supportive.
6. How
are you finding running your shop on Etsy?
I'm finding running my shop dead
good. I mentioned I don't work currently so I can properly throw myself into my
business and try to make it dead good. It's the thing that I put all my effort
and money into and if that's what it takes then that's fine with me, I love my
shop.
7. Do
you have any bestselling products?
My best-selling products have got to
be the tassel hoops, and the Ziggy earrings (black cat earrings). I have a pair
of Ziggy's myself and many tassels that I wear and they both look brill in
different ways.
8. What
feedback have you had so far?
I've only recently had feedback on
etsy, which I think is 4 5-star reviews. Someone described the earrings as
"flamboyant and fun" and "definitely one of a kind" and I
could no way describe what I was going for any better than that.
9. Where
do you see your shop in 5 years?
10. If
you could take your shop anywhere where would it be? A stand in a shopping
centre? a shop in London? What's the dream?
(Both 9/10.)
I mean I'd like to still have an
online sort of shop, I might have a degree or a kid in 5 years’ time, but I
hope I'll always keep Zigabel Earrings alive in some way. I'll merge question 9
& 10 together for this because in 5 years time I'd like to be somewhere
with my business, I'd honestly just really like to have my shop online and
maybe a small shop in just the right place for the audience I'm going for. I'd
like to work with sterling silver and perhaps do a jewellery degree, so my shop
might progress and get even more professional. I think the dream would be to be
happy with what I'm doing, which so far, is working out for me.
I wish sophie all the luck in the world with her little shop. She deserves every bit of success she gets.
Her instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zigabelstudio/
What do you think of sophs earrings? are there any shops you'd like me to review? Do you sell anything?
Untill next time,
Cass x
Follow me on IG: casssrattray
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