It’s been a strange ol’ year and it is a struggle to imagine that this Christmas won’t feel a little different, but if we’ve learned anything in the last 12 months hopefully it’s that slowing down and appreciating the little things can be special too. To help you all feel a little less lockdown and a little more luxury this Christmas I have prepared a list of people who make and sell beautiful things to inspire your gift buying and some ideas for a simpler, slower festive season.

First up on the gift guide- FOOTWEAR and the wonderful - Ottowin. Ottowin hand-make incredible footwear from their Bristol based studio and they have just dropped a limited run of super cosy slippers which are selling fast! They also have a shop in the city which stocks a whole host of stunning homewares, clothing and jewellery by independent makers. Take a look at their SHOP.

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

All of Bug Clothing is handmade in Wales, by founder Amy Ward, from deadstock designer fabrics. Each piece is carefully and beautifully made to be ‘comfortable, purposeful but without faulting on style’.

Knitter and feltmaker Cecile Telle crafts the most beautiful 100% wool accessories. She describes what she does as making ‘functional and practical items out of wool’. As well as being both these things they are colourful and very cool.

Susie Petrou is a collector and maker who sells folk inspired antique clothing, textiles and objects. Pieces are hand selected and often up-cycled by Susie whose eye for embroidery and a pleat is second to none.

Pico Project sell the comfiest organic cotton underwear.

The Natural Dyeworks- those socks! All dyed with 100% plant based dyes. The production of these products is so in tune with nature- as the seasons change so do the colour palettes creating beautifully organic collections.

Duvet Days Clothing- Designed and made just around the corner from our studio in Bristol, Emma’s ‘sassy and sustainable’ creations are made from ‘once cherished now discarded childhood bedsheets’ and duvet covers. They are as a fun as they sound and as cosy as your favourite old duvet!

Clothing by Sarah Johnson is made in ‘small batches…, designed and made with a human in mind, a human that will keep their garment for tens of years, maybe even a lifetime’. Sarah designs, dyes and constructs all of her clothing herself. She promises to ‘patch your Sarah Johnson garment, re dip it in the dye bath to give it another layer of blue, replace a button so you’re clothes can grow with you..’

Baxley Goods bags are ‘handmade by a small team of passionate British makers in the South Downs, using materials chosen with distance and footprint in mind’.

JEWELLERY

The Workbench- a brand offering a really special event in an event-less world. Carve your own ring kits.

Karina Banks handmakes all her jewellery in her East London studio from recycled silver, taking inspiration from movement and the human form.

May Hofman - Rosie’s intricate unisex jewellery is designed and made in Stroud from her hand-built studio.

FOR THE HOME

Clement Knives- This one a perfect gift for the chef in your life. Maker Tim Westley ‘transforms plastic and metal waste into hand-forged knives’.

Grain & Knot- Sophie carves the most magical, tactile objects and homeware out of 100% reclaimed timber.

Kana - KANA is the answer to all of your clay dreams (is that a thing?). During lockdown 1.0 she released her first at home Clay Kits (one includes a bottle of organic wine!) and Zoom Classes. She also sells her own makes - which are playful, painterly and rustic.

Louisa Loakes - Louisa’s hand-carved block printed textiles are all hand printed to order and each line of these geometric prints looks like a carefully drawn charcoal one.

Lauren Nicholas Ceramics - Lauren hand-makes in small batches from her tiny London studio a range of playful, colourful ceramics.

FOR THE KIDS (or the kid in you)

This charming brand is truly one of a kind and one for when festivals are returned to us! Animalesque founder and maker Sara illustrates, stitches and screenprints her animal headdresses. Made for ‘the spirited, the curious and the wild’

What Mother Made is a vintage inspired zero waste brand (they do a few adult pieces made to order too!) Everything is handmade in Hackney.

FOR THE MAKER

Some reading for the makers-

The wonderful pair behind Forest & Found have both written books- Max’s- ‘The Urban Woodsman’ and Abigail’s ‘WILD DYER’ are both beautiful guides to their respective crafts.

Available for pre-order, maker and mender Molly Martin has just released The Art Of Repair - ‘a collection of stories, tips and fragments of history exploring the humble act of textile repair’.

The Flower Society - These guys are offering online wreath making workshops in December- take a look at their stunning creations.

PAPER

Lets wrap this up with Ola Stationary- beautiful stationary thoughtfully designed and made in the UK. Ola make an undated planner- so you can start your new year whenever you want.

We all want to show our nearest and dearest a little extra love this December so here are some suggestions of new Christmas rituals to add to your celebrations. Thanks to the Made My Wardrobe team for giving me all the festive feels with their personal traditions...

Penny- In my family we always have some kind of competition on Christmas day to break up the lounging- a game of ping pong, maybe football or a cocktail making comp.

Ana- We always have either tea and rum or whisky and coffee on Christmas morning in our pyjamas and open our presents. We also all give each other one gift but don’t put who it’s from and then we guess once the gifts are open.

Claudia- My mum and I watch The Snowman every year on Christmas morning with some champagne and orange juice.

Alice- As a child my mum and I would always put the Christmas tree up early, to have plenty of time to enjoy it. My mum would buy a new decoration each year and we’d have fun dancing around the tree to Christmassy tunes. I’ve kept up this tradition by making or buying a small tree decoration for my best friends baby girl.

Lydia- My best friend growing up was Norwegian and we always used to celebrate Christmas together a day early by making Norwegian waffles.

Whatever your Christmas looks like this year, I hope you have a restful and refreshing one. Bring on a little bit of tinsel! Stay tuned for the MMW Christmas playlist coming soon…

Thanks for reading,

Penny

A little less lockdown and a little more luxury- The MMW Christmas Gift Guide by Penny