Made ethically. Sourced Sustainably.
My name is Aafie, and this is the story of how I arrived here. °❀⋆
My love for clothes as a form of expression first found its voice in the quiet of lockdown, and later grew wings when I left for university. The journey towards selling both handmade and vintage pieces came from a few places, each one layering upon the last.
Working in a charity shop opened my eyes to something I couldn't unsee: the sheer volume of clothing being sent to landfill, most of it without anyone ever knowing. So after selling my own wardrobe online, I began to look for other pieces too - pieces deserving of a second life. I bought a sewing machine and began reworking items from the last-chance sale rail in charity shops, alongside selling my old clothes. This snowballed into finding suppliers internationally for vintage pieces that otherwise would have been landfill.
I've never strayed from my focus on reducing landfill, using deadstock fabric and making reworked pieces wherever possible, to keep fabrics in circulation. Because of this, most of my designs are either one of ones or made in very small quantities. I began sewing with a starter machine I bought at university, in my bedroom. But this wasn't just something I learned - it was something I inherited.
My grandmother is one of the most creatively gifted people I have ever known. When she arrived in the UK, she had no formal education, so in many ways her creativity became her voice. She worked locally, sewing for her community, and also as a garment-worker in an era before laws against modern slavery existed. She would receive bales of clothes from high-street brands and be paid pennies for each item she finished.
In the most beautiful of full-circle moments, I now own one of her old sewing machines. It sits in my workspace, and I use it for every single project I make.
Everything I do - every handmade piece designed and sewn by me, every vintage item handpicked with care - exists because of the dedication and sacrifice of my family who came before me. They paved the way for the freedom I have today.
Most of what you see is the work of one pair of hands. But behind that is my family - especially my dad. I have leaned on him more times than I can count, from sewing advice to practical business support. There is no version of this business that exists without him.
So really, behind Aafie is a team. And I can't wait to see where we go next.
Thank you for being here. You're part of the story now too. <3