It won't have escaped your attention that alongside the new site (did you find the new choker designs yet?) we're unveiling a whole new look. I've actually been sitting on this for MONTHS because I really wanted to share it alongside the new, sleeker site as a moment of emergence and renewal. And it just so happens to be Spring too, how appropriate!
I'm going to tell you all about the rebranding, but a little about the site first. Back in December I went to make a presentation to my mentor Tom Underhill at Marches Business Group. Tom and his amazing team have been advising me for the last two years, starting with my first production run with the Welsh atelier that makes my Heledd corsets. I was invited to present to them about a more formal partnership where they would begin to invest in my business, initially this would be the time and skills of their team, and later on... well, we'll see! It's an incredible opportunity with a company who shares my ethics and really wants to build up small businesses with what they've learned on their own journey. I was so excited that my presentation went well, and they have accepted me as part of their portfolio.
When you are the only one making everything happen in your business, you tend to not "look up" very often, as you're so lost in the mechanics of keeping things running. But this moment felt like a huge surge of encouragement for me. Someone who runs a significant enterprise saw what I was doing and believed in it enough to support me through growing it. I'm sure I've talked before about imposter syndrome, but something like this is a real silver bullet for it.
Our first order of business was to move the website over to Shopify, which has a much more streamlined platform than my previous site, and gives me a lot more control over the fiddly bits that, as a creative, I tend to fuss over. On January 2nd, we started the new year as we meant to go on! I met with Marches' two web developers Alyce and Sophia, who are just delightful, and have been so positive and supportive about the project. Poor Sophia has fielded endless questions from me while I learned the ropes of the new platform! They are both so knowledgable and generous with their skills, I've been in awe.
The new site feels... right to me. I was never able to get the shop layout quite how I wanted it on my previous site, and we've spent a lot of time getting things to flow nicely on this one. There are some wonderful new features, like being able to sign up for notifications about restocks, I will have a pre-order feature coming soon as well, for the new male corset design that you'll soon be able to pore over! I've reduced the blog down a little too, added some brand-new designs, and it's been an opportunity to bring in some of the latest images and really let them sing in this soft new space. Which brings me to the rebrand!
Was there anything technically wrong with the old branding? No. Had I outgrown it? Absolutely. As time went on, I'd come to feel it was a little too masculine for the space I wanted to create here. I wanted a warm, feminine energy that was sophisticated, and spoke to the heritage of Orchid, which will turn 18 this year. I spoke to a few fantastic branding consultants, but Sarah Shuttle won me over! Her focus is entirely on luxury branding, and I was really drawn to the confident, elegant designs that she'd created for other companies. The process Sarah uses to dive deep into the character and values of a brand was a really enjoyable journey for me too, and it encouraged me to think hard about what defines Orchid, and where I want this process to take me. As with the experience presenting to Marches, this important step is one I rarely have time to delve into, but it really got me thinking about how I want you to experience spending time in this space, and what I want you to feel as you unbox your chosen treasures.
Sarah created a number of initial concept moodboards for me, and it was the strangest sensation. Like standing at a crossroads of who Orchid was going to grow into. I found it very difficult to pick, as Sarah had understood the brief so well and tapped into all my cues! But in the end, our teal, ivory and gold palette won me over. Many of you will know my affinity with the sea (I can rarely resist jumping into it, however cold the day is) and this colour felt like home to me. Twilight oceans, with glints of candlelight on the millpond surface. Chill depths with flashes of coral, delicate glimmers of sea grasses. It felt enticing, and something I could deeply connect with. Our round logo also features flourishes of line work that feel distinctly Celtic to me, the perfect acknowledgement of Orchid's Welsh roots. I'm so grateful to Sarah for working through this with me. I feel she's given a physical expression to how far I've come as an artisan in the last few years, that feels personal and distinct, but also speaks to where we're going.
It's a funny experience being the client for once! But starting the year with so much renewal and setting the stage for the new exciting things I have planned feels so right. I hope you love exploring the new site, the little Easter eggs of new designs, new images, fresh features. I'm so proud to stand behind the brand-new Orchid, coming of age with a refined look and a quiet confidence.
