Reflecting on our first few weeks | Y.O.U Brighton

Just under a month ago, we opened our doors to the wonderful folks of Brighton. Our new shop is nestled in Brighton's North Laine, amongst an array of exciting independent businesses. It's been an amazing month getting things up and running, and we've learnt a lot along the way! Now we've begun to settle into our new rhythm, we've been able to take some time to sit back and reflect on our first month of being open. I asked Sarah, our Founder, and Denise, our new Shop Manager, for their highlights of the last few weeks.

Sarah, when did the idea for Brighton come about?

Whilst we never planned to have a shop - let alone two - we can't deny how great our shop in Oxford has been to get us out in front of people. We've been in the Covered Market for nearly 5 years now, and there's nothing like meeting our customers in person and them being able to feel, see and try on the underwear 'in real life'! We have great images on our website, showing lots of beautiful real bodies in our underwear, but they still don't do the prints justice and you need to feel the cotton to really understand how soft it is. 

Trying to get found online as a small business is also really hard - and expensive - so again it helps to raise awareness of what we're doing and the challenges we're trying to change in the fashion industry. 

Having said that, a second shop is a huge cost and commitment, particularly when it's not close by, so it wasn't until I met Denise at an event last year that I thought it might be possible for us to open in Brighton. I instantly found someone with shared values, vision and who I could trust to run a shop for us - so there story started there! 

Denise, what has been your favourite customer interaction or highlight since opening?

We've only been open for a couple of weeks, but I can't believe how many lovely people I've met already! I think Sarah from Haworth, Yorkshire, has been my favourite customer interaction so far. She was so positive and genuinely excited about everything we're doing – an absolute delight to chat with.

I'm going to sneak in a second favourite too! I loved talking to a couple who already knew Y.O.U from our Oxford shop. They were visiting to see if a move to Brighton could be their next adventure and were excited to learn that Y.O.U also had a store in Brighton. Happy, smiley faces all round!

Sarah, what is your favourite thing about Brighton so far?

I absolutely love Brighton - and in a funny way I feel like I've come home! (Funnily enough my grandfather was born in Brighton but then ended up in Oxford, so there is a family connection!). I love the diversity, inclusivity and openness in Brighton - it's perfectly aligned with our values as a business - and everyone is so friendly. I really feel like we're part of a community in the North Laine area and all the local businesses have been really welcoming. It's something I've loved being in the Covered Market in Oxford, so to have that in Brighton too feels really special! 

Denise, what was the best bit about setting up the new space?

Seeing the shop transform from a blank white space into a bright, characterful home for Y.O.U has been so rewarding. I've really appreciated Sarah's thoughtful approach to sourcing pre-loved furniture and finding more sustainable shop-fitting solutions.

Our carpenter, Jay, somehow stayed upbeat throughout the heatwave, and it was very entertaining watching his growing love affair with the bánh mì baguettes from Earls around the corner – I'm pretty sure he tried every single one! And finally, I absolutely loved connecting with the brilliant artist, Amy Isles Freeman, who painted our incredible shop mural. With such a small time frame to work with, the stars really aligned for us on this - it really felt like it was meant to be.

Denise, what have you learned this month about your new team?

It's been brilliant getting to know the team a little better. They've taken everything in their stride and tackled every challenge with a smile. While we've all been finding our feet, they've shown so much patience, positivity and enthusiasm, and I've really appreciated that.

Sarah, what has been your personal highlight since opening the doors?

I've loved creating our new home in Brighton - setting up the shop, finding a new team, and working with Denise to bring the dreams and vision to life!

We've been lucky with the weather over the past few weeks, as Brighton really shines in the sun! On a personal level, being able to swim in the sea before or after work each day has also been a real highlight. I love it and have been proud to show off my Mara undies on Brighton beach! 

Denise, which Y.O.U product has been the biggest hit with Brighton shoppers so far?

The Mara print has been a favourite across our underwear range. Maybe it's the sunshine, but people have really been drawn to its beautiful, bright print!

Sarah, what was the single biggest challenge in turning this idea into reality?

To be honest, it has taken a huge amount of time, effort - and money - to bring the Brighton shop to life. We were looking at different units for more than 6 months before we found this one, but that then took about 5 months to get everything agreed and sign the lease. And although it looked like a perfect blank canvas, there was actually a lot of hidden work that needed doing, and that's hard to coordinate when you live in Oxford and don't have the same network of trades people that we do there.

My Dad, helping to paint our shelves. This really is a family business! 

As with our Oxford shop though, we did most of the work ourselves, from painting, sourcing the display units, building the till from old pallets and scaffold boards - and even cutting some of the rails with an angle grinder! As a ethical business, it's important for us to source everything as ethically as possible, so all the furniture is second hand, made from reclaimed materials, or found in charity shops. I'm quite fussy about the small things too, so even our clothes hangers are made from either recycled cardboard, or recycled ocean plastic, as our our size cubes. That does make everything a lot more time consuming and expensive to find, but it's really important to our principles and how we work as a B Corp, so I'm sticking to it! I think people appreciate the values and the natural aesthetic we've created with all this too, which is great.

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We look forward to welcoming you to our Brighton shop as get established over the coming weeks. Come and say hello, ask us any questions, and find out all about our positive pants that are trying to change the world! 

Sarah, Denise and the Y.O.U Brighton team.