We are STILL Made In Nottingham

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An update for all of our wonderful customers. We are down to our last pieces of stock! We currently only have available for our baby wear range 1 blanket, 1 hat and 0 comforters!

Phoenix Clothing (our lovely manufacturers since 2017) were kind enough to make small batches of stock to see us through whilst we began the search for new makers, after their bobbins were thread for a final time in December 2022.

This was a very sad day and an end to what had been an incredibly wonderful relationship, full of laughter and fun- they way it should be when you have a bunch of sassy women brought together! When Olivia walked through their doors after eventually finding her way around the warren (the unit was housed in an old Victorian lace factory, which makes for wonderful provenance but not so easy to navigate around), it was obvious there was going to be some magic made!

We feel very fortunate to have begun our product journey with the ladies at Phoenix, who had 23 years manufacturing within their own business, not to mention the 20+ years before when they had worked as machinists elsewhere. That degree of quality craftsmanship and experience is difficult to come across in the UK today where over 80% of textiles manufacturing is done abroad.

What has been most wonderful is how they have helped at every step of the Lotus Maternity journey, from when Olivia first met Christine and Hillary with a ‘sample’ to hand (a chiffon top of hers that she’d cut with scissors in an attempt to illustrate the desired shape and concept of her nursing wear). 2 years on, we’d grown the product range and were voted ‘Best Baby Blanket on the Market’ by The Independent and the ladies at the factory took just as much pride and pleasure in this accolade as Olivia. The panel gave the following review of the product:

“Created by a midwife, Lotus Maternity’s products are both designed and made in the UK. The key to its range is it’s made of bamboo: a material that is hypoallergenic – ideal for babies with sensitive skin or eczema – antibacterial and super absorbent, perfect for those spontaneous sick ups…

We were in awe at just how truly silky this blanket felt and we think this would make the perfect gift for a newborn or christening. Its beautiful minimalist cream material is truly stunning. For something truly special we recommend splashing out on Lotus Maternity’s silky soft bamboo blanket.” ~ The Independent.

Whilst we go to great lengths to ensure we are using the finest fabrics, a quality product that will stand the test of time, is attributed to the people who are weaving and spinning the yarn and the individuals running the cloth through the machine. It’s no wonder we have customers with 4 year olds, still using our bamboo blankets for bed, the satin trim finish as exquisite as when it left the factory floor. Or, that our customers say that they love the blanket so much that they have two- a personalised one for best and another for day-to-day use. Also, customers like Jane, who need an emergency back-up blanket, as there would be a total meltdown if they ever lost the original! 

So we can safely say that you love our products as much as we do and whilst it has been no easy task trying to find a suitable new manufacturer, we think we might be there but WE NEED YOU, our loyal and much loved customers and followers to get us there!

The Timeline of Events So Far:

• Dec 2022- Phoenix Clothing Close Down
  • *For more on the sad story as to why things ended click here.
• Jan 2023- The last of our satin is used on the stock Phoenix made for us before closing.
• Feb 2023- Spoke with Tony (fabric supplier for the satin trim on our blankets). No ivory satin available at wholesale.
• Mar 2023- No ivory satin available at wholesale.
• April 2023- No ivory satin available at wholesale.
• May 2023- No ivory satin available at wholesale. Stock is starting to run low, so we may need to find alternative suppliers. 
• June 2023- Satin supplier found. Ordered white 50m roll- (too white) = returned. Ordered ivory 50m roll- (too white) = returned. Ordered cream 50m roll = (fantastic colour match) – sent to be cut just outside  Nottingham City Centre. (4.5miles to be precise.) 
• Potential new manufacturer found as recommended by Phoenix Clothing – 0.5 miles from their old manufacturing unit. Spoke with John (pictured here) who was also shutting down! 

•  We had to get in there with John before he shut his doors for 2 reasons:
  • 1) Phoenix had sold a lot of their industrial sewing machines to John upon closure and the foot (which attaches to the machine that feeds the satin binding for our blankets) was on one of his machines. 
    2) He had a pattern cutting table and we needed the blankets cutting, as all we had was 90 metres of bamboo on a roll!
    

• July 2023- We have the blankets cut, the foot for the machine has been returned and in our possession, the satin is being cut into reels BUT WE STILL NEED AN EXCELLENT MANUFACTURER TO MAKE THEM!
• August 2023- We are recommended a potential machinist by Ann who does the personalisation on our products. However she does not have an industrial machine- only a domestic which would not fit the foot…
• We go to collect our satin binding and Julie there suggests a lady named Isabella who is based in Nottingham and has an alterations shop and an industrial machine…

We have found a winner!  Izzy is lovely, we have met a few times now and she also worked at Phoenix Clothing for 2 years before going independent – the seamstress world is quite small it seems (no pun intended)! Izzy is able to manufacture our products (hurray) and we have checked the samples and are extremely pleased with the quality of her craft – we are a premium brand and quality is key here at Lotus Maternity. 

The next step, which is where we need your help:

-As most of you will know, our previous manufacturers closed down due to an unpaid bill of £25,000 from one of their customers. 

-Izzy has asked for a guaranteed pre-order amount of 30 units, as we will be a new customer.

-Once we have shown the order value, she will then be happy to make the garments on demand, this order guarantee will only be required for this initial manufacturing. 

-As babies are born all year round we hope that you will be willing support us with this ‘Love Lotus’ campaign, so that we can continue to keep a production line of your much loved items. We are keen as a brand to support local business owners and we wish to continue supporting the textiles trade here on our doorstep because for every £1 spent on local businesses, between 50-70 pence circulates back into the local economy. Shopping locally supports local traders, their suppliers and the people they depend on to run their businesses.

What to do now:

-All you need to do is place an item order today (this can be for any of our multi award-winning products) and we will send this order whenever you need.

–As a thank you for your loyalty and support we will offer your order at our existing prices but we will need to increase these after this first batch of 30 units – our manufacturing costs alone were £6.40 per blanket unit with Phoenix Clothing and now they will be £8.50. This is without incorporating the increase in fabric costs etc. and all of the other raw materials used. 

PS. We will send reminders to you via email as a memory jog that you have a pre-purchased product with us, so that you’re left hassle free for when the next new arrival (we mean babies here, not clothes) makes an appearance. Your much love product will be sent out whenever best suits you. If you have ordered a personalised product we will contact you to finalise the bespoke embroidery finish.

We cannot thank you enough for ‘Loving Lotus’ and keeping our products alive and helping us to continue ‘Loving Local’ – we, and all of our suppliers here are forever grateful,

Olivia (Founder) x 

Click here to shop for your pre-orders on our beautiful baby items.

Click here to shop for your pre-orders on our luxury nursing wear.

A huge thanks to all who supported with this ‘Love Lotus’ campaign and have helped contribute to getting our production line going again.

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