THREE BAGS FULL: Kent's Studio Addelam
We chat to the founder of unique bags and accessories brand Studio Addelam
Studio Addelam started its journey in early 2020 as a new hobby to keep the idle thumbs of founder Daniel Styles-Martin busy during the Covid lockdown.
Although named after the Deal town’s original 1086 Domesday Book entry, four years on and Studio Addelam is now situated in River, on the outskirts of Dover, and has begun to make a name for itself for its distinctive accessories and sustainable values.
Avoiding imported materials and typical fashion industry seasons, the brand’s intention was to create individual pieces from fabrics that often end up wasted.
“I’d always had an interest in making my own clothing,” says Daniel. “I wanted to make a T-shirt – that was my starting point. As an FYI, I still haven’t made a T-shirt, but I ordered a sewing machine and then watched a few sew-along videos on YouTube.
“When I started, during Covid, a lot of retailers and fabric shops were closed and there were huge delays in postage as well,” says Daniel. “I found eBay was a great source where I could just look for scrap fabrics, off-cuts and remnants because they were affordable and cheap enough for me to be able to practise with.”
“It’s from a British sheep and made in the UK – you’re not going to get much better than that. It’s never left these shores”
Having sourced some material, Daniel set about making his first bag and posted his first creation on family and friends WhatsApp groups to a decent reception. A few more practice attempts and next it was to trial it out on the non-biased feedback of the real world.
“I put them on a few of these craft groups on Facebook to see if they sold,” he says. “Lo and behold, I sold some bags and then I kept on selling bags.
“I also realised there was a nice sustainable element to this with not buying off the roll, and people were liking that element. They also loved that every bag was unique. That really defined my direction of travel and kind of built a niche. A business was born from that and then it’s just kind of avalanched ever since.”
Hunting high and low for quality deadstock fabrics, remnant pieces, usually left over from other projects, Studio Addelam’s products include scarves, key loops, notepads, backpacks and quality tote bags. As demand for Studio Addelam creations grew, so did the need to branch out in the product range and also the source materials being used.
“If we ever use virgin fabrics, we aim for these to be the most sustainable option we can find, such as recycled fibres, organic or UK-woven,” explains Daniel.
More recently, that has included wool and tweed.
“There’s Harris tweed, Sussex tweed, Herdwick sheep from the Lake District and many others. There are some really amazing textile producers in the UK, which are so small because the industry just got scaled back over the years, but they are creating some amazing fabrics.
“If you’re going to use something like Harris tweed, you’d have to buy fresh off the roll. But because it is a sustainable product, I’m more than proud to use it. It’s from a British sheep and made in the UK – you’re not going to get much better than that. It’s never left these shores.”
“There are other smaller weavers that might list batches on their website, too, with all sorts of styles, and I just spend a lot of time scouring the internet for them.”
A number of the studio’s latest creations have included a combination of fabrics, for example denim and tweed together.
“I think it looks absolutely beautiful as a duo and no one else is really doing anything in that space,” says Daniel. “If you think of tweed, you often think of hunt blazers, hunting outfits, country folk.
Actually, there’s some really cool, bright, funky colours out there and you could turn it into some really beautiful stuff.”
Studio Addelam pop-up stalls can often be spotted around the county – think specialist craft markets rather than school fetes – while there are higher-profile placements in specific locations like East Cliff Creatives in Folkestone.
“My grand plan for 2025 is to do more of that,” says Daniel. “I need to finesse a few hero products that can be made on a slightly larger scale that I can then offer to boutique retail stores. There are some amazing retailers in Kent.
“My absolute favourite thing to make is still what we call the Lux tote backpack, which was my first creation and has always sold consistently. I can make them and I can take them to market, and I will sell them. That is what I would class as one of my hero products.”
INFO: studioaddelam.co.uk
