It’s Lucy here, the Founder of Aspiga!
I started this rambling chat during lockdown, offering suggestions of things to keep us busy, healthy and happy. It was so well received that I thought I’d carry it on with an update every other month or so.
As we head into winter I thought I’d share what we’ve been getting up to since summer and what we’re excited about for the coming weeks.
The highlight of last month for me was our first location shoot in the UK. The wonderful model was a customer (DJ Sally) who visited our shop a few times in St Mawes. We shot on the stunning Gannel Estuary and then in an equally beautiful house kindly lent to us by another lovely Aspiga customer.
I then went on to visit our Aspiga pop up shop in St Mawes, which we opened in August. Until lockdown it was located in the Onda shop, which is owned by the wonderful Tresanton Hotel. I'm so sad that due to Government guidelines we have had to close the shop as we were hoping to be there until Easter next year.
I was so taken by this beautiful fishing village and the wonderful hotel, which we have featured in our latest blog post on our Top Five UK Staycations. I can't wait to find the time to go back and stay myself.
But most of all, I was delighted to meet our Shop Manager, Sarah Bailey (left), who has done an incredible job at welcoming all our customers, including celebrity shoppers such as Joely Richardson and taking wonderful photos of so many of our unassuming customers - who don’t seem to mind stepping up to the role!
See the images below…
On the subject of celebs, it was great to see Kay Burley wearing our Guadalupe Kaftan in her recent article for the Telegraph.
We are also excited to still have a presence in Wilton Shopping Village with our wonderful neighbour Moe & Co., who are now stocking some of our new collection as well as a few samples. Those of you that are local to the area please pop in for a visit as soon as the shop reopens.
In September we had a pop-up shop on the King's Road in London. It was great to meet so many of you and see you try on our new collection. We were joined by many London bloggers and of course we couldn’t miss such a great photo opportunity.
From left to right: @vernicagenest, Lucy, @Adelaknox, @thatgirlwiththebob
Early in September, we had a team retreat in Devon for a few days. Sadly we couldn't sleep the whole team, so it was just for those who have been with me over 2 years and who have been such an amazing support.
It was such fun working together during the day and then going for coastal walks, followed by sunset swims every evening. I was so impressed how all of the girls arrived Sunday pm, enjoyed a cream tea and then were up for a cold swim - which then became our evening ritual.
I’ve also been impressed by how the ladies running our pop-up shops have risen to every challenge. It’s been a new adventure for all of us and I’ve been blown away by their capabilities, commitment and the enthusiasm they have all shown - they are such a delight to work with.
My team in our London head office are all equally amazing, and seem to be able to cope with my occasional (!) menopausal outbursts. I am delighted to say we have grown significantly this year, and have recently welcomed six new people into our passionate team.
David Attenborough’s ‘A Life On Our Planet’ was one of the saddest things I’ve seen in a long time. It inspired myself and millions of others to think about the impact of our lifestyles and to use our voices to inform and challenge others.
As my hero Sir David says "The best ways for us all to look after our precious planet is to reduce, reuse, and recycle." So taking that into consideration, here are my pledges for autumn so far:
• Wasting less food.
• Mainly eating a pescatarian diet - I plan to eat fish weekly and organic meat maybe once a month.
• Only washing my clothes at 30-40°.
• Trying to get better at coping with the cold, so I don't need to put the heating on so much.
• Changing all my bulbs in the house to LED.
Keep up to date with all the Aspiga news, products, sustainability and styling tips on our Instagram (@aspigalondon) and Facebook (@Aspigalondon)
When I was interviewed for a podcast this week for 'The Fashion Industry', I was asked: "regarding your life as an entrepreneur, what have been the key lessons for you?" After some thought I replied, "looking after your health and staying strong, in order to be able to cope with the ups and downs". I feel this is especially important now, more than ever.
For me, spending time outside - whether I’m exercising or simply enjoying the countryside and all it has to offer - is always at the top of my list for physical and mental health.
Lately, I’ve also started focusing on my breathing with the 'Wim Hof 30 Day Challenge'. So I now begin every morning with breathing exercises, followed by a cold shower. For someone that hates the cold, it’s been a huge challenge for me and I am only on day five (and the showers are still only seconds not minutes, but it's a start!). Interestingly the benefits of cold water swimming (which we all enjoyed in Devon and felt fantastic from) have hit the news this week. Apparently, it can prevent dementia - read more here.
That’s it for now, we’ve got lots of gorgeous new pieces on our website and some great sustainable gifts coming for Christmas so please do have a browse.
Thank you again for your support and custom. Please stay strong, safe and happy.
With love,
In The Time Of Corona
