I absolutely love dressing up for our Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet nights & I know lots of you do too, so I thought I’d share some of my favourite disco-inspired small businesses around the UK that create outfits and accessories that are perfect for partying.
They’re also great for adding a bit of colour or sparkle to your everyday wardrobe too. I have quite a few things I originally bought for HSDY, like my “rainbow coat of joy” & my silver dress - both from Woo Woo Boutique - that are definitely not only for discos!
All these things are handmade with love and care, which means they tend to last longer and can then be passed on to others when you no longer need them. Many are created using recycled materials, offcuts or deadstock (leftover material that fashion brands would otherwise discard) so are more sustainable too.
Very generously all our designers have shared discount codes. Though some will have a time limit so get in quick!
Steph Thompson loves all things 80s & makes her jewellery and accessories whilst listening to an 80s playlist in her home studio in Norfolk.
She previously worked as make-up artist and started out creating sparkly Christmas decorations - but decided they were simply too fabulous just for the tree! Her lightning bolt earrings now come in a whole range of colours and sizes and customers include Prue Leith, who wore a pair on Bake Off.
Making the most of materials and reusing fabrics is an important part of All the Discos’ ethos and Steph’s best-selling Disco Party Capes are created from unwanted tinsel curtains - including ones we send her after we have used them multiple times at our HSDY nights. Steph also uses the offcuts from the capes to make earrings and rings.
DISCOUNT: Use HSDY10 at www.allthediscos.com to get 10% off.
The inspiration for Woo Woo Boutique’s absolutely fabulous dresses, jumpsuits coats and jackets ranges from Studio 54 and Biba and Ossie Clark to Kensington High Street in the 70s & 80s.
Founder Eva Zwil and her two seamstresses make everything in the UK using vintage or deadstock fabric that might otherwise end up in landfill.
She sells her clothes via her website and in person at Salusbury Market in Queens Park and at Venn Street Market in Clapham as well as at occasional pop-ups. If you are looking for something special for a particular occasion Eva, who is based in SW London, is also happy to make garments to order.
Her creations have graced red carpet events and TV shows - and the dance floor at Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet! Quite a few HSDY partygoers have already become Woo Woo Boutique customers and my shiny Ziggy Jumpsuit (with a Bowie flash on the back) gets a lot of love whenever I wear it & was the perfect choice when I did a photo shoot for Saga Magazine.
DISCOUNT: mention HSDY for 10% off
Lucy Hawkins handmakes bold, funky leggings for both children and adults using fabric that she has had specially designed and printed - so you won’t find them anywhere else.
There’s everything from leopard print to smiley faces to peace signs (which also come in UV Glow), but most popular are HOHT’s disco ball leggings. There’s a range of colours & there’s even a holographic version too.
Lucy’s leggings not only look great, but they are also incredibly comfy too so great for yoga & exercise. I have few pairs (including a bespoke pair in gold) & never want to take them off!
HOHT also have a very cute children’s range. We couldn’t resist buying some disco ball hareem pants when our HSDY website designer had a baby.
Perhaps not surprisingly Lucy’s clothes are really popular for festivals & she sometimes dresses whole families. Last year she had an order for seven pairs of matching leggings and two reversible romper suits for a wedding at Camp Bestival!
Lucy sews everything in a studio at the bottom of her garden in Bromley and creates special prints for different occasions such as disco ball pumpkins and bats for Halloween and disco ball snowmen for Christmas. New products include reversible catsuits and flares.
DISCOUNT: Sign up to the HOHT mailing list www.houseofhappythreads.com for 10% off
I’m a big fan of Alex McMillan’s bright and bold necklaces & earrings which she makes with eco acrylic and factory offcuts at a studio in Whitstable.
I love her iconic DISCO necklaces so much that I have one in gold and in silver!
For former knitwear designer Alex, it’s all about the power of words & images. You will find everything from JOY and PEACE to ICE CREAM! & if there’s something special you want, she is very happy to take commissions, including for portraits.
Alex is still in the process of building her website, but you can contact her via Instagram and her creations are stocked at The Hill Station Café in SE14.
She also does pop-up markets at the Turner Contemporary in Margate and elsewhere.
New lines she is working on include keyrings (I’ve asked her to make a disco ball one!) and badges.
DISCOUNT: Mention HSDY for 10% off
A love of music and all things disco inspired Charlotte Lyons to set up her Leeds-based fashion label which offers shiny holographic children’s party, dance and festival wear, alongside jackets, catsuits and leggings for adults.
After studying fashion at university, Charlotte worked in marketing for brands including Arcadia and Urban Outfitters before deciding to launch her own business in 2019.
Disco Baby’s best-selling items are their disco bombers, which can be customised with names or text, and are very popular with parents who want to twin with their kids at festivals or family parties. Items are either made in Charlotte’s studio or by a small UK based manufacturer.
Charlotte’s creations have been seen everywhere from Glastonbury to X Factor and she says one of her proudest moment was dressing Mariah Carey’s dancers for her Las Vegas residency.
DISCOUNT: Use DISCO10 at discobabyclothing.co.uk for 10% off
Of course, this is probably just a fraction of the small independent creatives making disco-tastic things to wear around the UK, so do feel free to tell us about others or give them a shout out in the comments.
Nikki x