Global Entrepreneurship Week: How Stiwdio helped Amber build her sustainable and inclusive fashion line

Bombus Artisanal is a small, slow fashion business that focuses on upcycling and collaboration with other makers to create sustainable clothing and accessories, and was founded in January by Amber Jones. In addition to sustainability, inclusivity is important to Bombus, whose products are created for people of all sizes, genders, representations, races, and abilities.

Tell us about your background?

My identity has shaped everything in my life, including my business and how I interact with the fashion industry. I’m queer, fat, and mixed race. I know the pain of not seeing myself represented or even considered - not being represented tells someone they don’t belong or there’s something wrong with them.

I have no doubt accepting myself would have been easier if the world around me showed that fat people are more than comic relief, that queer people deserve happiness and that race is something to be celebrated. My business exists because I never want to contribute to making someone feel they don’t belong.

How did you get into fashion?

I was very academic as a teen but I didn’t want to overwhelm myself when it came to my GCSEs and decided I needed an ‘easy’ creative subject. All creative projects take a lot of work and aren’t inherently any easier than other types of work but, when I was 13, I saw studying a creative topic as a way to do less work.

Despite the naive reasons for choosing textiles as a GCSE, it ended up being the best choice I could have made. With the support of an amazing teacher I found a passion for sewing that has impacted my life and led me to where I am.

I made my first ever dress when I was 14 or 15 and I was so proud. I made something that looked great and fit my model's aesthetic. It was my first experience of making something that meant someone could express themselves. I’m not sure I could have put it into words at the time but I knew that I wanted to keep making clothes and experiencing the joy of creating something unique.

It was when I was studying Fashion and Design at USW that I developed an understanding of just how damaging fashion could be on the planet and the people working in fashion. It’s also when I began to understand that there’s no single answer to sustainability and that a lot of the industry exploits this to seem sustainable when they’re not. For example, if a fashion brand produces a recycled collection but it’s produced by people being paid next to nothing in poor conditions, and is intended to be worn for one season then thrown away, is it sustainable?

What is the definition of sustainability? How are these businesses defining it?

To me, and by extension Bombus, sustainability is about the balance of looking after ourselves, our planet, and each other - wherever possible, minimising harm and leaving the world and its people in a better position than I found them. It’s paying makers a fair wage, being environmentally friendly, not overproducing and consuming mindfully. It’s ensuring that no one’s wellbeing is put at risk for the sake of profit.

It’s tough to discover that something you love is so harmful and that the harm it does is so normalised. Fast fashion in particular is built on the exploitation of labour, encourages overconsumption, and results in an estimated 92 million tonnes of waste each year.

There have been a number of times over the past decade where I debated if I should even be working in fashion. I’m sure there will be times in the future when all the bad of industry gets to me. Giving up and walking away doesn’t, however, help solve any of the issues within the industry. Leading by example, helping others learn about the harms of the industry and ensuring I do no harm is what I can do to make a difference. I’m happiest at my sewing machine and it’s where I’m meant to be. Running Bombus, my own small slow fashion business, is one of the ways I can ensure I’m not contributing to the problems of the industry.

How has USW and Startup Stiwdio impacted your business and removed the barriers?

USW has been incredibly important in my journey of setting up my business. During my BA I was able to go on a placement year and work with the amazing company Mehera Shaw in Jaipur. There I experienced what it’s like to work alongside a small team of craftspeople and how a business can quite easily implement fair trade and sustainable practices when the people that work there genuinely care. It was a fantastic experience that was cut short by the pandemic, and I plan to return one day to see the team again. Making that connection with Mehera Shaw also meant I was able to get gorgeous deadstock fabrics to use for my graduate collection and now for my business.

After an incredibly disappointing Masters with another university, I came back to USW last year to be part of its graduate scheme Launch. After 16 weeks of business advice, one to ones, and the time to focus entirely on my business thanks to the funding, the scheme proved to be exactly what I needed to get Bombus started.

Those involved in Launch and the Startup Stiwdio understood what I’m trying to achieve in a way I never felt those on my business Masters did. The support I’ve received is invaluable and the funding from Launch and the Startup Grant has meant I’ve been able to buy more machinery to produce higher quality, more sustainable products. I’ve also been able set up new projects such as the natural dye project I currently have underway.

Without Launch and being part of the Startup Stiwdio this last year I doubt that I would be anywhere near where I am now with my business and potentially wouldn’t even have the business.

I’m very grateful to be part of the Startup Stiwdio. It’s such a supportive environment and I’ve got so many opportunities through being part of it. If you’re in South Wales and thinking of starting up your own business, the Startup Stiwdio is the perfect place for it. It’s made a world of difference to my business.

What does Global Entrepreneurship Week mean to you?

GEW is an opportunity. An opportunity to get myself and my business out there, to talk about what I do and why it’s important, and to make new connections that may lead to new projects at Bombus. To do things such as this article that hopefully send a few people to my website and to follow me socials @bombus.artisanal or even helps someone on the fence decide to go for it and start their own business.

It’s also an opportunity to highlight the issues Bombus is trying to tackle. I’m an entrepreneur because I fundamentally disagree with how the majority of the fashion industry operates. I don’t believe large corporations are capable of being ethical and sustainable in the way small-medium businesses can, especially within fashion. So, for me, GEW is also about highlighting the benefits of supporting small businesses on local economies, sustainability, ethical practices, customer experience, and community.

How does your business help contribute towards GEW?

GEW is about celebrating and uplifting entrepreneurs, and a big part of Bombus’ production is collaborative projects that highlight the work of other small businesses and independent makers. It’s about creating a sense of community and supporting each other’s businesses.

What does the next year look like for your business?

The next year is looking very exciting for Bombus. This year has been focused on planning, getting set up, and testing the waters. The next year is all about growth and new projects, but also expanding what I’m currently doing.

I’ll begin producing a new clothing collection in the new year using upcycled materials and naturally dyed fabric (dyed by the fantastic Talú) which will focus on pieces that blend masculine and feminine styles. It’s a very self-indulgent collection but something I feel strongly is needed. I often have trouble getting clothing to fit with how I want to express my gender and I know that many others in the LGBTQ+ community feel the same. I have the skills to create these pieces and hopefully help make people feel like themselves. Inclusivity is important to me and this collection is going to be an expression of that.

Pride is a year round celebration at Bombus and I aim to continuously work on developing my pride range. It’s not a project I ever plan on finishing. Currently, I have a small collection that donates 25% of each sale to Trans Aid Cymru. The aim is to expand this collection using the new natural dyed materials and upcycling methods.

I also have plans to produce even more upcycled products including my popular upcycled scrunchies and even more bags. So many clothes end up in landfill, potentially unworn, and upcycling is one of the ways Bombus can help reduce textiles waste. As well as being a great way to lower waste I love finding ways to use the features of garments in whatever I turn them into. Upcycling keeps what I make fresh and exciting for myself and my customers.

I’ll also be on the lookout for my next collaborative project towards the latter half of next year. I’d like to explore a way to create a bee-themed collection through surface design. My business is called Bombus because I love bees. They make me happy and are so important to preserving the environment, so I’d love to make a collection centred around them which donates a percentage to a charity/project dedicated to saving the bees.