2021 at Roake Studio
We’re welcoming in 2022 with gratitude, and waving goodbye to 2021 with respect.
It’s been a rollercoaster year (or two) that’s seen this little business grow from a team of one (just Rosie!) to a wonderful Christmas lunch with 6 of us around the table. Over the last year alone we’ve moved studio 3 times to make space (Someone get a removal company on speed dial, Rosie’s poor dad is worn out!) and from a one-woman band we’ve welcomed Poppy, Alice, Amber, Annabelle and Will.
This year we’ve been supported by the Kickstart scheme, allowing us the opportunity to train local young people from our rural area, in skilled creative jobs that this Island doesn’t provide. The fully paid, industry professional placements have gifted us with the ability to train, support, and subsequently employ wonderfully talented individuals.
Back in the summer we welcomed Rosie’s husband, Will to the team. Will is an organising, admin and tech dream, and we would be lost without him! This was a huge deal for us: Rosie and Will have worked hard to build a sustainable family business, with ethical values that can support their family and others in the local community. We’re grateful for the support of our customers and the ever growing Roake community in achieving this.
Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at Roake Studio.
In January 2021 we decided to introduce made-to-order garments in certain areas of the collection. In turn we’ve been able to give you guys a better chance to make informed choices and provide consistent work for our makers. We want to reignite that special experience for our customers as they wait for their new piece to be carefully handmade for them.
Since January we have made over 300 scrunchies from scrap fabric and sold over 200 zero waste bundles of scrap fabric that would otherwise go to landfill.
We have hosted three zero waste sales and saved 350 metres of fabric from landfill.
When we moved into our current studio, we were able to loop in with regular daily postal collections with other local businesses. We’ve gone from twice weekly postal collections to 4x and it’s enabled us to manage making, packing and posting more sustainably.
We’ve worked on new designs in 2021, and extended our range of silhouettes and sizes. ‘21 saw the creation of the Elsie tees, Tilly Tie Trousers and Winnie Dress. We added 10 new fabrics for made-to-order items, and increased the sizing options for a more accurate fit. Our jewellery collection grew as we added Della, Daphne and Chloe hoops, and introduced hand-cut charm earrings which have turned out to be one of our most popular products.
This year we listened to your demands and brought back our Holly jumpsuit! We took our time to perfect the leather goods too and reintroduced them to our ever growing collection.
Alongside Poppy’s new role as sewing room supervisor, she has taken on a junior designer position. Poppy now supports Rosie on the design development of upcoming styles and collection releases. Poppy has been working on some new spring styles, including a collection of separates, made to order in a new set of fabric options. Want to stay up to date with Poppy’s developments?
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