breathe happiness: fashion

Southwood Stores New Showroom & Social Hub

For the past few weeks I have been working really hard to create the 'Southwood Stores Showroom'. I have been visualising how it would look and feel for so long. Seeing it all come alive feels like a dream coming true to me.

I have a beautiful showroom where my customers can come and see products in the flesh. People are now able to come and try on our GRAY sweatshirts. I also have a lovely office and stock room where I work behind the scenes.

I have created a place where the online community can come alive too. We will be holding creative workshops where people can gather, have fun, maybe even learn new skills. We have a few things listed HERE to let you know what is going on.

We have the amazing Origami Est coming to teach us the art of accordion folding. You’ll have the chance to make your very own pendant lampshade, a stunning addition to any abode. EST will provide a beautiful spectrum of colours to fold from, any specific colour requests are welcome when booking.

My whole business and ethos has always been about women supporting one another. There will be lots of different events and workshops aimed at helping women gain confidence in their own abilities. We are looking forward to some amazing guest speakers coming along to our 'Southwood Social Hub'.

I will be teaching Social Media/Branding sessions from my beautiful new space too.

If you just fancy coming along to say hi, the kettle will always be on!

We are open for people to pop in on-

Monday 10am-2.30pm

Wednesday 10am-2.30pm

Friday 10am-2.30pm

First Saturday of the month 11am-2pm

2 Apr 2016 11:44:28 | fashion, inspire, interiors, social media

Our New Stockist

Our in house label is all about EMPOWERING women to live their life their own way, so when we were approached by Sarah from She Is Boss it felt like the perfect fit. We are over the moon that they our new stockists of GRAY

A little bit about 'She Is Boss'

She Is Boss is a lifestyle and business brand which welcomes anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the world of the Girl Boss…and hey we know that not everyone around you understands your need to be a "boss" but here we get it.

She Is Boss offers an incredible members club, online and offline events, blog, workshops and even a shop. We work with the best and most exciting female owned businesses and give you access to them as well.

Our mission is to empower, inspire, grow and connect women to embrace entrepreneurship and live the life of your dreams.

After dipping her toe into the world of entrepreneurship 5 years ago Sarah has never looked back. She is a certified coach, NLP practitioner and hypnosis practitioner. Sarah is Mum to two little GirlBosses and a dog named Penny. She has a well outnumbered husband… Mr B. Sarah runs sarah b coaching where she works directly with women looking to start or grow a business with a particular emphasis on mindset. Sarah passionately helps women with their confidence & defining the “thing” that makes them sparkle. She works with women to gain clarity around their work and to boldly go out and make it happen! As our Founder she lives and breathes the ethos of She Is Boss and is fearless in her pursuit of making She Is Boss the best Girl Boss hub in the world.

You can follow 'She Is Boss on their social media- Facebook HERE and Instagram: HERE

23 Dec 2015 12:07:15 | fashion, inspire

Loving over the knee boots

I bought myself a little pair of knee high boots this week, slightly worried about being a bit old for them and hoping desperately not to look 'Pretty womanish' I went to pinterest for inspiration of course! Photo Credit Source here.

photo source

I have been doing my research and have seen the most beautiful boots on Net A Porter but they where way too rich for my blood. Not even too sure if I could actually get away with them I opted for these knee highs from River Island. You will be able to catch me wearing them over on my instagram.

17 Oct 2015 22:03:24 | fashion

Meet our new stockist!

We launched GRAY 8 weeks ago and it has been amazing. We have had the very best feedback and the demand has been quite overwhelming.

Today this post is to celebrate our very FIRST stockist and we are over the moon! It is a brand new store opening on 1st October called April 16. I love their concept supporting other Mums in business and creating a unique collection that you cannot find on the local high street. Saskia is based in the Netherlands and I am going to hand you over so she can tell you all about her exciting new venture.

'April 16 is an online store for moms who love to shop. Of course if you are not a mom you are also welcome. In our store you will find clothing, accessories for kids and moms that are different from what you will find at the local mall.

ll products are designed by small family businesses and made with lots of love.

We love to support small family businesses and show our customers the awesome products they make.
We also make some of the products our self, Like the Take-A-Bite rings (teething rings).
In November we are planning to launch our necklace line for moms.'

'I'm a mom of a little boy called Rafe, he is now 17 months old.
He was born on April 16.
We named the shop after his birthday because that day I became a mom.
For a long time I thought being a mom was not in the cards for me.
So when I did it was really a dream come true.
He inspired me to follow my dreams and that dream is our store April 16'

We are so excited to be part of such a wonderful and exciting project and want to wish Saskia and baby Rafe love and luck in their new venture. Thank you so much for supporting and choosing GRAY. x

15 Sep 2015 14:24:28 | fashion, inspire

GRAY- By Southwood Stores

Southwood Stores is two years old next week and the plan has always been to design and launch our own brand that runs alongside it. Hayley started working on several projects last year but nothing felt quite right until we went back to the beginning and did a brainstorm on what Breathe Happiness is all about. Our story is about being brave and following your dreams. Our goal was always to inspire other women through our blog posts, photography and the passion for our own separate businesses and for other women in business. Gray apparel is not just a label, it's a statement.

Hayley has worked really hard finding the right garments that are high quality but are responsibly made through every single process. Made from the softest organic cotton and loose knit the jumpers and t-shirts are wide neck and cut for a flattering female shape. Hayley is also excited that the garments have been locally screen printed by a "woman owned business". Margaret has ran her company for over 20 years and is a fellow champion for women in business.

They are for sale today from Southwood Stores. For wholesale enquiries email hello@southwoodstores.co.uk

The face of our brand is Chloe Helen Miles, the fabulous and gorgeous UK based blogger. Chloe inspires other women through her instagram feed and blog, her honesty about her fitness regime, skin care and day to day life is truly inspirational.

Photography by fine art portrait Shaneen, Rosewarne Cox Photography at Blossom House

23 Jul 2015 16:34:56 | fashion

Meet TIBA + MARL

As most of you know Shaneen and I are passionate about women in business and this got us very excited. We would love to introduce you to London duo Anna Tizard and Lydia Barron. They are launching their new joint business this September and we are really excited for them.

Both mums they have spotted a gap in the market for trend led changing bags, where function is as essential as style. Anna, a former Senior Bag Buyer for Urban Outfitters and Topshop, and Lydia, a footwear and accessories designer for Kurt Geiger and Sigerson Morrison, set about to provide cool parents with a range of fashion forward changing bags. Oh how I wish there had been such a thing when my boys were babies.

This amazing brand called TIBA + MARL will be launching this September!! Be excited cool parents. You can check out their website HERE or their INSTAGRAM

17 Jul 2015 09:37:07 | fashion, inspire

White Dress Obsession

Every single Spring I can't help myself, no matter which shop I am in I find myself instantly drawn to the white dresses.

This is my selection for Spring 2015...

The really interesting thing is that without realising we are all creatures of habit, I published this post exactly the same date Last year

24 Apr 2015 23:53:20 | fashion

Mermaids and seashells

Continuing on from my recent post about seashells (you can read it here) things have got even more seaside-y... that is a word.

The giant white seashell I had my eye on was one of my favourite birthday presents and now I don't run the risk of having someone else buy it I can link to the shop it's from. I literally want every shell on this website- here.

The new decorative obsession has started to creep it's way into my wardrobe too. This mermaid top is available from ASOS

11 Apr 2015 00:30:00 | fashion, inspire, interiors

ESCAPE

I love the start of a new month, especially in the Spring. I love the anticipation of new beginnings. The flowers popping up, the summer really feels like it is just around the corner.

Working alone sometimes it can be hard to keep motivated and I struggle in certain areas (accounts and paper work). But this time of year I have no trouble selecting new products for my store that reflect how I am feeling and hopefully you guys too. Even if you are feeling a bit glum I want my products to whisk you away if only for a daydream. I have been dreaming of getting away in a log cabin and decorating new spaces...

This bag has been lovingly made in New England by a company called Forest Bound and we stock these stunning bags in our UK online store SOUTHWOOD STORES

In my imaginary log cabin where I have escaped to of course there would be the most glorious textiles to match my mood too.

I am dreaming of a log cabin in a beautiful forest, join me for a while HAPPY DREAMING

3 Apr 2015 03:09:00 | fashion

Southwood Stores Children's Wear

At Southwood Stores we are the proud stockists of Hello Apparel and the Wonder Years collection by Nor-Folk. Both of these collections are minimal and timeless but have the wow factor. Your little ones will definitely stand out from the crowd.

Shaneen and I decided to put together a little photo-shoot. Shaneen was the magic behind the lens and my job was to keep these two laughing which was very easy! Freya and Rio were the cutest little models and they didn't stop giggling.

If there is anything you are looking for and can't see it in the size you need just drop us an email Hello@southwoodstores.co.uk. We are always more than happy to advise and help you however we can.