Blog
Buy From Your Friends and Shop Local
One of my mantras in life is “shop local, shop small, buy from your friends and buy Australian. Way back in my corporate days my boss told me “You should always buy your client’s products, even if they’re more expensive because what goes around, comes around.” I still remember him saying that to this day and I always find it a lot more fun buying from someone I know. It’s a good feeling knowing that you are supporting them and helping them on their business journey. One such friend in business has a label called BEACH STREET Design. They are...
Buy Australian
There’s certainly been an increase in the push to “Buy Australian, “Shop Small” and “Shop Local” in the last few years. Particularly now since COVID-19 we need to support, not just small Australian businesses but all Australian businesses. We need to support them to help them survive and thrive. Whenever possible, I try my best to buy from small local producers or an Australian owned and operated company. Some of the small local businesses I try to support in my city of Perth, Western Australia are: Beach Street Design (coastal luxe fashion) Shiraz Cottesloe (cute shop stocking fashion, homewares, jewellery...
International Gratitude Day
Yesterday was International Gratitude Day. As a Sandal Artisan and since launching Ankalia the things I’m grateful for have probably changed a lot, compared to what they may have been in previous years. First of all, I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity given to me by ‘Papa” and his sons in Italy. If it wasn’t for them, I would never have become a Sandal Artisan. Secondly, I’m grateful for the people that have helped me along the way with Ankalia. Probably number one here is my web developer Rox at Ascend7. Rox goes above and beyond with everything he does...
Sisterhood Start-Up Success
Sisters do it for themselves in start-ups Recently we celebrated the United Nation’s Small and Medium Enterprise Day. Not surprisingly the evolution of “womenpreneurs” was identified as one of the Top 10 trends of the year. In Australia, female entrepreneurship is also an emerging trend with women-owned, women led enterprises increasing at a faster rate than male-owned businesses, according to small business and family enterprise ombudsman Bruce Billson. In Australia, approximately 38 percent of small businesses are owned by women and I’m sure this percentage will keep growing. In 2019, of the 171,000 new businesses set-up in Australia, two-thirds were...
Fast Fashion Faux Pas
Slow fashion versus fast fashion. The biggest fashion faux pas of the last few years is people’s tendency to buy “fast fashion” which is bad for the environment in so many ways. My Ankalia customers certainly understand and appreciate “slow fashion.” I want all consumers to place value on the clothing and footwear they buy and avoid “fast fashion” as much as possible. They should invest in quality pieces and ensure they only buy things they will wear and treasure for many, many years to come. I urge all shoppers to only buy things they feel instantly great in and...
Stylish Summer Dressing for Over 40s
Dressing when you are over 40 does not mean giving up your personal style. I certainly encourage women of all ages to dress in a way that makes them feel good about themselves but at the same time they need to be mindful of dressing in a way that is age appropriate. Turning 40 sometimes brings changes in body shape and appearance which can make shopping for new seasons fashions quite challenging. You might feel you don’t want to start shopping in stores for older ladies but some styles that seem youthful or on-trend can accentuate your age. I encourage...
- slow fashion