The Barest of Essentials

elliot. organics moodboard, 2014

I received some great advice back when I was thinking about starting elliot.

“Choose one thing, and do that one thing, really well.”

It sounds simple, but as a fashion designer, the temptation is to create the total look. So you have to ask yourself, does anyone ever buy all their clothes from just one brand? Simple answer: probably not.

So that’s how, with time and careful thought, elliot. came to be about the barest of all essentials: what we put next to our skin.

Choose one thing, and do that one thing, really well.

I didn’t want to launch just another fashion brand.

I was thinking a lot about my own life, and what I could do to make that feel more in tune with my own values and beliefs. Working in a big city doesn’t leave you with much free time, so the time I did have, needed to be used well, and wherever possible, devoted to some serious self care.

Now bubble baths are all very well - I’m a big fan. But you can’t take your bubble bath to the office, or splash about in it on the tube. You certainly can’t be in it when you’re looking after your kids.

So I started to really take notice of the little things that made me feel good, and one of those was my choice of underwear. Like most women, I seem to have collected a lot of it. I have a drawer full of pretty knickers and lacy bras, all very lovely, but I realised that what I was actually wearing, was simple and black. Knickers I could forget I was wearing - and not in a wanting-to-forget kind of way - but forget because they were just so comfortable, I wasn’t being constantly bothered by them, reminded of that oh-so-pretty lace that was cutting me somewhere I really didn’t want cutting.

But that desire for comfort didn’t mean that I had stopped caring about what I looked like - I knew there had to be a way you could feel great and look good too.

So elliot. is about feeling your best self, simply and comfortably. Very few people get to see our underwear, but knowing that what you’re wearing next to your skin is both attractive and comfortable, well it can give you a secret little smile that you carry with you throughout your day. Knowing also that those little pieces are natural and toxin free, and not damaging the environment in their production, well that’s just a win for everyone.

So take some time today to think about the little things - what can you do to give yourself a secret smile? Do that. And do it again! I don’t think you’ll regret it.