Why 8th Sin is Kinda Chic
It's been a while since I wrote a blog post for 8th Sin - life has been crazy - buying a house (eep!), moving studios, jumping back into events, car breaking down with the stock in for said events right outside the studio...anyway, time makes fools of us all.
I saw Charmskool's Instagram post and couldn't resist jumping on this viral "Kinda chic" social media trend and spent most of yesterday making images for it. I always forget how long content creation takes, no wonder it's a full time job for some! I thought I'd just pick some photos, slap some text on, bada bing, bada boom, but no. Anyway, I thought it'd also make a nice blog post showing just how 8th Sin and I have came! I don't normally toot our own horn but it was quite nice reminiscing and seeing growth, blessings and connections right in front of me! Here's a selection of my favourite "Kinda Chic" images - for the full carousel, check out our Instagram or Tiktok!
Kinda Chic To Have Started Your Business as a Hobby at 15
I wanted to start with this one as I've wrote about how 8th Sin started previously, although looking back on the post, it seems a bit clinical in third person, but I wanted to give an unbiased backstory for anyone new to 8th Sin at the time. I fell in love with alternative fashion at about 13, and being a broke teenager, started making my own jewellery and accessories at 15. I found Etsy and thought "Well, I can put this up for sale and if it sells, great, if it doesn't, I'll just keep it!" and as they say, the rest is history.
It was nostalgic going back through old photos of 8th Sin's first events and stall set-ups, especially as we're now exhibiting at events again. We haven't done events since before the pandemic - Birmingham MCM November 2019 was our last, and of course, COVID-19 and lockdowns happened quickly afterwards.
I'm pretty sure this photo is from Hyper Japan 2015 or 2016 looking at our set-up (who am I kidding, it was just me at this point!) so I was 21 or 22 here, look at how bright-eyed and fresh-faced I look 🥲 Hyper Japan 2014, the year before, was my first event outside of my city and I remember not even having £20 to withdraw from my bank account for a float; I'd put everything I had into the event and had to use whatever notes and coins were in my purse 😅 I remember thinking "I'm literally broke, what am I going to do if I don't make any money?" but thankfully the event was a success and started the snowball of events!
Kinda Chic To Watch Your Stall Get Bigger and Better
This is from our most recent event, Birmingham MCM August 2026 so look at how far we've come! We can't even use the tagline "Handmade alternative jewellery and accessories" any more, I had to design new promotional materials this year and eventually went with "Handmade and curated fashion" as we now stock other small brands!
As we've only done a couple of events recently, we're still figuring out stall set-up, displays etc so although this set-up isn't perfect, it's still a lot better than my first ever table in 2014/2015, which is quite embarassing to me...but maybe I'll share it one day 😉 It's quite a sight (sarcasm), with A4 printed signs, pink gingham tablecloth (I know, I know!) and paper doilies with handwritten prices on them 😭
Kinda Chic To Have Alt Baddies Model Your Stuff
I still never get over the incredible images models, photographers and content creators send me featuring 8th Sin items! We're so lucky to have worked with and made friendships with so many stunning, creative people! This is the wonderful Kamara and Kami5kaze modelling our bestselling
Pink and Gold Studded Heart Padlock Choker and
Pink Faux Leather Heart Ring Choker with the super talented and bold Forecast Designs behind the lens!
I remember arranging one of 8th Sin's first proper shoots with dear
EarlGreyHot and they sent me models they knew to choose from. I chose a few and they said something along the lines of "I love that you've chosen quite a range of models" and I was like "Well yeah, I don't have a certain "look" or stereotype I want, I want everyone to wear 8th Sin and be represented!" Inclusivity is still a strong moral for 8th Sin and we always strive to work with models of all genders, ethnicity, size, sexuality and beyond.
Kinda Chic To Stock The Hottest, Most Inclusive Shop in London
A milestone for 8th Sin was becoming part of the
Charmskool collective, which first started as an e-commerce platform, curating the best alternative independent brands and designers from all over the world. I still can't quite believe we were accepted with all the other insanely talented and creative designers, they really inspire me to push 8th Sin even more. With an all female-run team and
Alexandra at the helm, they opened a London showroom in a gorgeous building and are
THE place to shop in-person for high quality, handmade designs from brands on Charmskool...unbelievably, including us! That reminds me, I really need to discuss new 8th Sin products to stock...
Charmskool offers a safe, inclusive, personalised shopping experience, with private appointments, group shopping and personal styling. They also host
events periodically, including workshops, Meet the Makers, markets and more, including The Sunday Slick and London Fetish Weekend, which was one of our first events to dive back into. And that's not all, they collaborate with other events such as Torture Garden, GFB and more! I absolutely do not know how they manage it all, I'm flat out juggling 8th Sin!
Kinda Chic To Make Forever Friends Through Your Job
This is my favourite and last image here and on the carousel. Without getting too soppy, I've been so incredible blessed to form forever friendships with fellow small business owners through 8th Sin. What started as Rach of Bunny's Beads seeing me alone at Belfast Comic-Con (I can't even remember what year it was...probably 2018 or 2019 since they were my full on event years) and inviting me to dinner with her and her friends blossomed into decade-plus long friendships with some of my closest friends. We support and raise each other, have been through thick and thin together and they've helped me at some of the hardest points in my life.
What started as a viral social media trend sparked an immense gratitude and mindfulness for me, for everything 8th Sin started out as, where we are now and where we're heading to. I'm looking forward to the next part of the journey!
I'm still getting used to writing blog posts, never sure if how I write or what I write about is of any interest but this post ended up being quite personal, and again, I'm not sure if this is the style of writing or expression people want to see but it was very beneficial for me! If you got this far, thank you so much and feel free to follow 8th Sin on
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