As we head into 2023 we wanted to pause and reflect on the ups and downs of running a small business during such turbulent times. We hope you enjoy reading about our 2022 Miss V highlights!
January
January was the beginning of a tough year for us at Miss V. We were battling inflation which meant we had to raise our prices. On top of that, the Instagram algorithm was not on our side! However, Vivienne did end up hiring a business advisor to help keep the year on track.
February
We released our 'Molly" collection, which was named after our fabulous seamstress, Molly! In February we also worked hard on production efficiency and maximisation, allowing us to stay open and take orders 24/7.
March
You loved the Molly collection so much that we decided to extend the range, adding a high neck bralette and a high rise thong! We celebrated self-confidence and empowerment for international Bad Girls Day and Vivienne was also interviewed by ITV Scotland in March for International Women's Day!
April
You guys went wild for the retro fabric from our one-time Spring Pick'nic collection! Vivienne bought the stunning floral design from a local deadstock fabric store, which meant there was a limited supply. She has been searching high and low ever since to find something similar but nothing (yet) has been quite as gorgeous. In April, we released our 'Astra' collection alongside two brand new styles, the Longline Balcony Bra and the Ouvert thong. We also put together our luxury gift packaging, star sign constellation storage bags and a glittery spanking paddle.
May
May was a month of celebrations for the Miss V gals. Vivienne celebrated her birthday in London and took some well needed time off work, emails and socials. The girls celebrated Bex's 30th birthday and Molly's University graduation! In May, Molly also received the Scottish Borders Manufacturers Corporations award for completing her 4 years at Heriot-Watt.
June
June marks the release of our new summer bridal range, Helena. This range was named after Helen, the only married lady on the Miss V team! We made a beautiful silk custom order for a gorgeous bride to be. Since then we have done a few similar custom orders and are considering releasing the silk as a full collection.
July
We had our first ever Miss V sale in July, most of the pieces were made from scrap fabric we had in storage! Apart from this sale, July was a steady month of sewing and getting through our custom bridal orders.
August
Over on instagram we collaborated with Josie Jane @iamjosiejane. In August, we also had our second Pick'nic launch with a new harness colour release!
September
Our Cherry Bomb collection was released in September, alongside our Bubblegum harness and accessories. We had more celebrations with Molly and Helen's birthdays and Vivienne also took some summery time off with a holiday to Lanzarote as the girls continued grafting away in the studio!
October
We released 'Octavia', our limited edition range for October. 'Octavia' was made from fine deadstock lace, woven here in Scotland. Vivienne had to take her sewing machine to Berwick for last minute emergency repairs! We also found out that the original fabric Vivienne had picked out for our Christmas naughty range was unavailable (pictured below). Thankfully, she found the fabric used in the released collection which is even more beautiful!
November
November was a big month for us, with the launch of our Christmas 'Naughty and Nice' collection, Bex's leaving party and our new intern starting! We also started this blog in November, after Molly and Vivienne attended a marketing seminar. You can read more in-depth about all of November's events in our first ever MissV Round Up blog here, https://www.missvivienne.co.uk/post/miss-v-s-november-round-up
December
Vivienne spent some time interviewing a bunch of job applicants and accepted 2 new starts alongside an intern on her third year University placement. We've also been prepping for your Valentine's orders with a 'Cherrybomb' re-release, 'Pop My Cherry' gift set, a new cupless bra and ouvert. This December has been our logistically trickiest Christmas ever, due to the mail strikes. We made sure to send out packages first class, at our own expense to make sure everyone got their goodies in time for Christmas!
We thank you so much for riding the rollercoaster with us this year and can't wait to see what is in store for 2023!