The independent sellers and creative minds are at the heart of this collection, which is why we want you to get to know the people behind the products. From what inspires them in their jobs to their favourite part of working on the collaboration and why they love selling on Etsy, read their stories and connect with the humans who made this project possible.
VENT for Change
How did you get started with creating your products?
We only use recycled and sustainable raw materials so that’s where our design process starts, what are we making and what from. This Zoella range is made with recycled covers, including 30% citrus pulp and FSC certified sustainable paper. We then look at construction and product quality and finally a touch of beauty in a lovely design so people want to have and keep the books.
What inspires you?
Protecting the planet and supporting children’s education worldwide. Every item has impeccable eco-credentials and with every sale made VENT supports exiting children’s education and schools projects around the world.
What was your favourite part of the process?
I love the design element, working with our product and graphic designers to produce the most appealing books we can that inspire people to pick them up and find out more about what we do. The feedback we get is wonderful so that too is a favourite part of what I do.
What’s the best thing about selling on Etsy?
Etsy brings together like-minded, open-minded and thoughtful customers that are actively searching for products by small producers and artisans, items that have a story to tell or something to give back.
Etsy offers its customers something different, something that isn’t found on every high-street in the land.VENT For Change
Etsy offers its customers something different, something that isn’t found on every high-street in the land. Those people then become our ambassadors and tell others of what we’re striving for
Elley Home
How did you get started with creating your products?
At first, I was designing & making furniture from reclaimed wood, but then began looking into doing some additional home decor items that would be smaller and easier to store so ordered a few custom made cushions and before I know it all I was making was cushions! I was so obsessed with designing my own patterns and prints for textiles. Now, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
What inspires you?
I love following interior and current colour trends but there are so many unexpected things that can inspire me to create.
If I see a gorgeous room I love, I design a cushion that would look great in that interior.Elley Home
I love nature and as simple as going for a walk is a great way to recharge and get my mind flowing. Or simply scrolling through my Instagram, if I see a gorgeous room I love, I just design a cushion or two that would look great in that interior.
What was your favourite part of the process?
I love drawing and painting. So the creative process of designing the pattern for my cushions is my favourite. Also seeing it all transform into cushion is very pleasing.
What’s the best thing about selling on Etsy?
I love selling on Etsy. It is a place where I made my first sale! I love that it is so easy to use & communicate with a customer.
Alphabet Bags
How did you get started with creating your products?
We were so excited to start the process of collaborating with Zoella and Etsy on the creation of new products! After some initial brainstorming and ideas from Zoella, we put together sketches and visuals of a few ideas which were then sent to Zoella for a few rounds of feedback. The colours that Zoella envisaged for the whole collection fitted in really well with the colours of canvas and trims that we use as part of our range.
What inspires you?
These days more than anything it’s being parents of two young kids that provides the most inspiration. Things like our ‘Everything’ oversized canvas totes probably wouldn’t exist if we hadn’t experienced days out with the kids while carrying most of the contents of our house!
Other items such as our Snacks bags and Ice Cream Appreciation Society collection were created for them to use, and we’re so lucky that other people seem to like them too!
What was your favourite part of the process?
Definitely the day that we got to see the first physical samples of the new items! That’s always a really exciting moment, when you see something that was previously just a sketch or on-screen visual come to life! Even more so in this case as we got to share those samples with Zoella!
What’s the best thing about selling on Etsy?
Etsy is such a user-friendly platform for a brand or maker to get to grips with. It’s allowed us to share our collections with a huge worldwide audience, and Etsy customers are just so lovely!
Megan Louise Ceramics
How did you get started with creating your products?
I loved the colour palette used to set the theme for this range, so as soon as saw the pink and the green I knew these were the two colours I’d want to incorporate into the glazing of my mugs.
What inspires you?
I love the use of soft, pastel tones on simple, contemporary pieces, and I always hope to make simple, functional pieces that can add a little bit of handmade beauty to anyone’s home.
What was your favourite part of the process?
Carrying out the glaze tests while working out the colour combinations is often the best part of any design process, as there’s always an element of surprise when you open the kiln to see how your tests have turned out!
What’s the best thing about selling on Etsy?
The community of other sellers and the support available to you; there’s always an answer to any of your problems, whether it’s on a forum or from the Etsy team themselves.
Oh Laura
How did you get started with creating your products?
I’ve always loved creating things, it doesn’t come particularly natural to me, but I’ve always loved art and having a go at things! I started creating products when I was in college; I cut letters out of funky foam and printed them onto canvas tote bags, it was a good way for a shy 16-year-old to express herself!
People started asking if they could buy them, and it really all spiralled from there! Oh Laura
People started asking if they could buy them, and it really all spiralled from there! I opened an Etsy shop in 2014 and have continued to develop my style and products since then and have continually been amazed by people’s support.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by anything and everything! I have a list in my phone of all the quotes and messages I want to turn into a design, they usually come from snippets of things I hear people say, but I’ve also been inspired by things like shop signs, and food packaging. You never know what it’s going to be that sparks off a new idea!
What was your favourite part of the process?
It was really great to work collaboratively and choose messages and colours that we thought people would really love and would fit into the collection as a whole. It’s usually just me coming up with things, so to work with someone else and get their input was really fun!
What’s the best thing about selling on Etsy?
The best things about selling on Etsy is the community it has. Whether you’re connecting with someone who lives halfway across the world on social media or meeting up with a group of local sellers, there is so much support and encouragement. It makes a huge difference, especially as running an Etsy shop is usually something you do alone, so having a huge community of people to turn to is amazing.
Elizabeth Rachael
How did you get started with creating your products?
Well first off, I did A LOT of painting. Abstract images always look so simple but there’s a ton of work that goes into them behind the scenes.
With minimal objects, there’s a lot of emphasis on colour, placement and texture, so I spent hours refining my colour palette to make sure everything sat together perfectly.
I also painted over 20 different versions before whittling them down to a select few. I had so much fun doing it, I guess I got a bit carried away!
What inspires you?
I’m massively inspired by nature. It appears in 99% of my work, whether it florals (my favourite) animals or fruit! I think because no two things are ever the same in nature and that compliments my loose and experimental style quite well.
What was your favourite part of the process?
Tea Towels were a new product area for me, so it was really daunting yet really exciting to design and venture into new product. I didn’t realise just how much of my work translates over to homeware because I mainly design prints for fashion. It’s been a huge learning curve and I don’t think I would have made the jump had it not been for this collaboration.
What’s the best thing about selling on Etsy?
Definitely the community. I’ve gotten to know so many amazing independent makers since opening my store a few months ago. It’s been such a positive experience, I really can’t say a bad thing about it and I would recommend it to anyone.
Etsy has such a unique customer base that appreciates the hard work and effort that goes into a running small business.Elizabeth Rachael
I especially love talking to my customers, I think Etsy has such a unique customer base that really appreciates all the hard work and effort that goes into a running small business.
Atelier Stella Ceramics
How did you get started with creating your products?
My collections and products tend to evolve slowly. I’m constantly collecting images and doodling ideas in my sketchbooks, then every few months I take a day to just sit and go through everything – making more sketches. I then refine these ideas so that they work with my current pieces. But until I make them out of clay, I never know if they are going to work, they might look odd, crack the kiln due to pressure points or just end up being too fiddly and time-consuming to make. I have a whole shelf of prototypes that never made the cut!
What inspires you?
The collection evolves with influences from vintage ceramics, folk art, ancient pottery and geometric shapes. I mix all these ideas together to create some new that is my style.
What was your favourite part of the process?
It’s great when I have time to play and experiment with the clay – I have so many new ideas in my head so finally getting the chance to make new prototypes and see if they translate to a 3D object is really fun. I find it important to make what I enjoy making and not to get too bogged down by sale figures, my main aim is to keep the creativity flowing!
What’s the best thing about selling on Etsy?
I think Etsy customers understand the importance of buying handmade form the maker, so they appreciate the time and energy that goes into crafting a unique piece, rather than trying to get a mass produced bargain. The community is also great on Etsy, it means you get discovered by people and inturn discover new designers, you can’t get that from your own website.
The Lovely Drawer
How did you get started with creating your products?
All of my products start off as drawings or paintings, either with watercolour, ink or pencil. I usually create sheets and sheets of illustrations and typography before putting together the elements I like most in Photoshop. There I can play around with layout and colour as well and make sure the designs are print-ready.
What inspires you?
I’m mainly inspired by nature or interiors trends so walks help spark ideas and as I work in interiors too, there’s always cross over with what I’m working on or enjoying in that sphere.
What was your favourite part of the process?
My favourite part was reimagining the designs I’d worked on previously. It was quite refreshing to re-work them for the Zoella x Etsy look and get a second chance to make them even stronger. I think the end result is much more striking than the starting point.
What’s the best thing about selling on Etsy?
The best thing about selling on Etsy is the platform it gives you when first starting out. It’s a low-risk way to test your business, with small fees and a simple format for setting up your shop. I also love how the Etsy team are all for championing their creative community with events to showcase the talent and exciting collaborations like this.
That Charming Shop
How did you get started with creating your products?
I’ve always loved skincare and home fragrances and in 2015 I made the decision to turn my passion into a business. Five years later, my brand has two unique permanent collections, and a third just for the holidays. My original collection was inspired by drinks (including Champagne and Earl Grey) and a few years later, I introduced the City Lights collection- fragrances inspired by the essence of some of my favourite cities from around the world.
The Zoella x Etsy is the first time I’ve collaborated with another person or brandThat Charming Shop
The Zoella x Etsy is the first time I’ve collaborated with another person or brand to bring the look of the two brands together. I’m proud everything is and always has been sustainably-sourced and cruelty-free. Start-ups are rarely easy, but I feel lucky that I’ve been able to turn the hobby I love into a business.
What inspires you?
I draw inspiration from the personal. For example, my New York fragrance from the City Lights collection blends together apple, violet and rosewood in honour of my hometown. The rosewood floors in my childhood home, the team nickname from my grandfather’s university (NYU Violets), and (even if not used by locals) the obvious reference to the ‘Big Apple’. Some fragrances take months, others years.
What was your favourite part of the process?
I loved the challenge of creating a fragrance that could reflect two different brands without losing the individuality of either. Both That Charming Shop and Zoella are identifiable in the packaging. I’ve also really enjoyed working with Zoe to create a bespoke product that could reflect both brands, something I’m really proud we have achieved with the Bohemian Wilderness fragrance from the Zoella x Etsy collection.
What’s the best thing about selling on Etsy?
Etsy was the first site I sold on. It’s important to me because it validates handmade businesses of any size and it offers encouragement. My business today is different than it was in its first month, but I ‘ve learned a lot of the basics because of Etsy – like the importance of photography.
Shop the full Zoella X Etsy collection here.
*This post is part of a paid collaboration with Etsy UK.
