Our Story
Hi I'm Annie - Designer, Maker, Mum & Raver.
We are Raising Ravers! A fun festival inspired clothing brand for the family that raves together.
I say we, that reality actually looks like one mum at her sewing machine, mini raver Seren running riot and dad Rich bringing the vision together on a digital level.
My background is in fashion and costume. I always dreamed of having my own clothing brand, but it wasn't until the birth of my daughter, in June 2017, that things started to take shape. I found it hard to find gender-neutral clothes for her that weren't in dull colours or just a bit plain, so I started making them for her myself.
Fast-forward to July 2018, during a family trip to Lovebox festival. In a moment dancing with my partner, our daughter, my mum and siblings, I thought, “Wow - I'm raising a raver!” Just as my mum had done with me, making us three generations of ravers! That light bulb moment, plus a little refining, meant that Raising Ravers was born.
CONSCIOUS VALUES
Frustratingly as a young business with a limited budget it's extremely difficult to tick all of the boxes throughout the supply chain. Also everyone has a different idea of what "eco" means to them, organic, fair trade, buy local, vegan, cruelty free. I know I try to live and work as consciously as possible and hope these values will be reflected in the brand.
Raising Ravers garments are not mass produced cheaply. They are made in small quantities, they are quality pieces made to last. I hope each piece will become a treasured heirloom to be passed down to siblings or friends for years to come. The relaxed oversized style and some clever features mean garments are ‘designed to fit for longer’ which is great for your pocket and our planet. Childrenswear can be so fast fashion as garments are grown out of so quickly; I hope our approach will do its bit to slow it down.
I work with fabrics from my own personal archive, lovingly curated from travels around the world over the last 20 years, as well as locally sourced and designer deadstock fabrics. I personally hand make the garments so there are no awful sweatshops involved and minimal carbon footprint. I am committed to working with a zero waste approach using the scraps of fabric to make masks, scrunchies and bunting. The very tiny scraps go to my mini ravers school to be used in arts and crafts activities.
Our brown paper mailing bags are made of an environmentally friendly composition, 100% recyclable and FSC certified.
We are delighted to have teamed up with dotte, a one stop solution for buying and selling on our garments. We want to help our community extend the life-cycle of our clothes, so they can be enjoyed again and again by new families. Our premium quality pieces ensure a culture of passing them on, and our partnership with dotte helps to close the circle.
I am always open to ways to improve but until then please know good ethics are a conscious thought process throughout the brand...never an afterthought.