Chapter 1: The Beginning

Hello gang! It has been a while!

Though we're now in April, I intended to share these reflections at the outset of January. Unfortunately, health challenges delayed my plans (more on this a little later), but I'm here now, ready to recount the rollercoaster that was 2023—a year marked by growth, resilience, and profound self-discovery. This period was less about uncovering new paths and more about recognising which roads to avoid, especially those detrimental to my well-being.

So as that age old saying goes, better late than never! 

Nine months ago, Joss (co-founder of Aesthetic Laundry [AL] ) went on maternity leave and although we knew this would mean the brand would have to pivot and change, it is safe to say it has been quite a year. At this point it is good to note that Joss returning to work this month has meant that although I have written these blogs, Joss has edited them for me (we often say she is the wordsmith of the brand!). 

For those less familiar with the brand, I am the brand’s founder Heidi. Aesthetic Laundry began in my bedroom and over the past few years Joss joined and we grew the business to 8 team members, we brought all our production in-house, cutting and making every garment to order, surviving COVID and working through the cost of living crisis. Just before Joss went on maternity leave we were having some amazing brand wins, including features in Stylist magazine and dressing the crew on a certain blockbuster film (we cannot name for copyright purposes so we will subtly say, it rhymes with sharbie!). 

So with my business partner in crime disappearing for a few months to embark on her exciting new chapter, the plan was to take the opportunity to slow down and scale back the business, to make it more manageable for myself and look after my mental health. 

But when does anything ever go to plan!?

The last year has been a roller coaster both personally and professionally. Normally we bring you on each of our roller coaster rides, but these months were some of the hardest I have ever been through and something I had to ‘do’ on my own. 

But as is often the way, when life gives you lemons…you make lemonade. There is a light at the end of this tunnel and so I have written some blogs that will bring you up to speed and most importantly bring you the updated AL. There is quite a lot to take in, so I have broken the updates down into 4 chapters, in the hope that it makes it more manageable. 

Chapter 1: The year of 2023 

I think it is important to start this with a personal update. For those who don’t follow me on social media may not be aware that upon returning from a holiday in September I was finding myself in a lot of pain and knew something wasn’t right. I found myself bedbound with crippling pain week in, week out. My first visit to the hospital was in October 2023 and these visits would be ongoing until last month when I would finally have my gallbladder removed and *touch wood* I am now on the road to recovery. (For those of you who know me well, I am an oversharer and so if anyone is interested in what happened in those 5 months from a health perspective I'll write up a short blog 😊).

Although this update is about Aesthetic Laundry first and foremost, I think the personal update is important as it was a constant reminder that I needed to start putting myself first as I looked towards the future of the brand. As we all know, irrespective of personal health issues, time waits for no man and this was a show that I was determined would go on. 

So, back to business…Aesthetic Laundry [AL] business…

With my business partner Joss on maternity leave, the weight of decision-making rested heavily on my shoulders. This challenge was intensified by my mental health struggles and the absence of my partner from the limelight, who nevertheless provided unwavering support behind the scenes.

Between October and December I was desperate to keep AL moving forward and amidst the chaos there were sparks of pure inspiration and we dropped two really strong collections.

These instances reaffirmed my belief in our direction and the invaluable support of our talented team. Embracing a new operational model, we shifted from the traditional nine-to-five to a more flexible, self-employed structure. This approach, termed the "drops and windows" method, allowed us to manage workloads effectively and empower our team members, resulting in highly successful product launches.

And then came the challenges….

Maintaining our momentum without over-relying on advertising presented a dilemma. As a small brand with a unique customer base, attracting new customers without sacrificing our values or quality became a pressing concern.

The "B word" PR moment / saga (hint: it rhymes with "sharbie") was a pivotal moment for us. The anticipation and execution of this project brought new energy and customers to our brand, especially through our beloved pink colourway. This success posed a new question: how can we replicate this impact without the extensive resources typically required?

Now it would have definitely been easier at this point to say ‘I took some time off between January and March for my health and now that Joss is back we are going to work out how we answer these questions’......

But instead, of course, we faced these challenges head-on and pondered our next steps: to pivot again and reconsider the traditional employment model, but then how do we fund that and do I want that level of responsibility? Underlying all of this is the worry that I would fall back to old ways and the honest truth is the energy and headspace isn’t there like it was 5 years ago…

So as the year progressed, Joss and I kept in regular touch, and whilst meeting her gorgeous new daughter, I kept her in the loop with the business; we reflected hard, we reviewed where we had got to, looked at what had worked and importantly, what hadn’t. 

And it was as these discussions were taking place, I hosted a dinner party one night with my partner…and it turns out that that dinner would change everything….

Click here to read Chapter 2: The Dinner

Written by Heidi & co-edited by Joss