Macmillan Charity Fashion Show!

Following on from Goose Island’s successful fashion shows held for the Women’s Institute at the end of April, we then participated in a fashion event in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care held at Mamma Mia’s in Swansea on the 2nd June. 

Goose Island loves taking part in such popular events and help to raise money for people in Swansea.

Here are some photographs from the event! x

 

 

 

Goose Island’s Managing Director wins at the IoD Wales Awards

Goose Island’s Managing Director, Karen Hutchings, has been running Goose Island for over 20 years, but did you know that Goose Island is a family business? Karen works hard to run Goose Island alongside her husband, Peter, and they have other family members employed in the organisation.

Karen’s hard work for Goose Island’s family business was recognised on May 15th when she was announced the winner of the ‘Director in a Family Business’ category at the Wales Institute of Directors Awards in Cardiff.

The Wales IoD Awards take place every year to celebrate the very best in Welsh business, and highlight the hard work, innovation, and determination of the managers and directors that consistently put the effort in to motivate staff, open new channels of training and communication, and generally build the business that they are so passionate about. Unique business achievements across the country are celebrated, while bringing together people from across a huge variety of different industry sectors, and recognising their important contribution to the Welsh economy.

The first female chair of the Institute of Directors, Lady Barbara Judge, gave a speech at the awards lunch ceremony that highlighted her priorities of working towards gender equality in the boardroom and engaging more and more women in key business roles. Economy Minister, Edwina Hart, was also at the awards ceremony to provide support and encouragement to the nominees.

Alongside Karen winning her award in the ‘Director in Family Business’ category, two other fellow Swansea business women were also announced winners of their respective categories on the day.

In light of the comments made by chair Lady Barbara Judge, and the high competition from male business leaders, the three Swansea business women succeeded in highlighting the importance of women in business leadership roles.

All of the team at Goose Island are very proud of Karen’s success, and we know that deserves recognition for everything she does for Goose Island. Congratulations Karen!

Long Cardigans are Perfect to Add Layers to Any Style

As soon as the year rolls around to autumn and winter, all the fashion catalogues and adverts will be featuring layers in a big way. Layers can make an outfit look perfectly put together - and keep you warm as an added bonus!

We love the layered look at Goose Island, and fully subscribe to the Lagenlook, using beautiful, floaty, feminine layers to create a unique and individual bohemian style. 

In out latest blog, we talk about one of our favourite fashion pieces, long cardigans, and how you can use them to create this popular layered look.

"Whether it is two layers or five, due to their inherently long and flowing cut, long cardigans can instantly create a bohemian-style layered look. Simply wear one over a dress, add as a layer before a heavier coat, or even layer it underneath a vest or gilet. Long, wool cardigans are great to wear when the weather is still cold, and lighter, jersey material cardigans are a great choice when the weather is a bit milder, and are also great to use as a cover up over a bikini or shorts and t-shirt when you are on holiday."

Don't forget to take a look at some of our favourite long cardigans in stock! And we still have great prices available in our sale!

How to Wear Chunky Necklaces

Fashions come and go like the tide, but we've noticed that dainty jewellery and chunky necklaces appear to be here to stay. Chunky necklaces can sometimes be a little daunting to wear, but you don't have to go full on bling to get the look. Find out how to wear chunky necklaces in our latest blog.

Goose Island Shrugs

Are you looking for a way to cover up a bit on evenings out, or a simple and fashionable way to add an extra layer in the cold weather at the moment? Goose Island have a huge range of ladies shrugs available. With so many colours to choose from, and one size to fit all, you will be able to discover the perfect one for you.

Watch our new video as Goose Island's owner, Karen, talks all about shrugs...

Buying Wholesale Women's Fashion

Goose Island is an exciting and unique fashion brand that sells women's clothing, accessories, and jewellery in our 3 shops in Mumbles, Swansea, and Cowbridge. However, did you also know that we are one of the only fashion wholesalers in Wales?

But do you know what wholesale means? There are often conflicting definitions of wholesale floating around, and a lot of people misunderstand what it means. Goose Island sells our clothing to other retailers across the UK and further afield where a market for our unique and eclectic style has been identified.

In our latest blog, we talk more about wholesale in general and give a little insight into how Goose Island operates as a retail business:

"Wholesale means that other retailers can buy our individual products in bulk numbers, to then sell Goose Island clothing in their own stores. These retailers can be anyone from department stores to independent shops, or wherever a demand for Goose Island clothing can be identified. From our warehouse in Swansea Enterprise Park we can dispatch large orders of our most popular women’s fashion wholesale items, and expand the Wales-based Goose Island brand."

Wholesale is a great way for other people to experience the Goose Island brand. Do you buy wholesale? Or do you know what wholesale is now?

Tips for Successful Dress Shopping

Christmas party season is upon us! You are getting the champagne ready, decorating the office, and creating some tasty Christmas nibbles, but what are you going to wear?

What to wear to Christmas parties can be a bit of a bug-bear. However, you can never go wrong with a dress. An entire outfit in one, dresses are the perfect elegant choice for any Christmas occasion and are easily dressed up or down depending on your mood.

This is great, but shopping for the perfect dress can be a nightmare. There are so many styles and colours being flashed at you from every high street store, that it can be hard to know what you want. That's why we have put together our latest blog to give you a few tips and tricks to keep in mind when hunting down that Christmas party dress:

"It is a good idea to give a little thought to the style of dress you want before you head out dress shopping, otherwise it is easier to become overwhelmed by everything on offer, rather than efficiently eliminating certain styles before you even get started. If your Christmas party is a formal occasion, consider a long elegant dress, if you are concerned about problem areas, think about going for a dress that covers these, such as long sleeves or a wrap around dress. Similarly, give some thought to the venue you will partying in; if you are heading to a hotel or a ballroom, then a formal dress is suitable, but if you are going out for a local meal and a few drinks, a sparkly party dress may seem like you are a bit overdressed."

The most important thing overall is that you feel comfortable, and are happy with the way you look. Don't be tempted by loud, sparkly dresses if you are not going to feel comfortable in the; you'll only put a downer on your evening if you are always worrying about what you look like.

Relax and enjoy yourself - it is Christmas after all!

Swansea City Centre Upbeat Despite Recent Closures

Swansea city centre has faced some tough times in the recent economical climate, and as the Co-operative store on the corner of Portland Street and The Kingsway is closing its doors this week, it would seem that the city centre is still suffering.

The Evening Post reports that the Co-operative store, which was once the home to Mothercare and C&A, will be empty once again on Saturday. The same article also reflects on the recent closures of Mountain Warehouse on Oxford Street, as well as Phones 4 U and Monsoon, which have been part of the city centre for years. However, it is not all bad news;

“A planning application has already been submitted for the Mountain Warehouse site, and Barclays is carrying out a major refurbishment of the former La Senza building on Oxford Street as it prepares to relocate from The Kingsway.
National chain Las Iguanas has confirmed it’s moving to Wind Street and independent fashion retailer Goose Island, which has shops in Mumbles and Cowbridge, has opened in Plymouth Street.”

We opened a new store in Swansea city centre on November 1st. At Goose Island, we believe that it is important to invest in the city centre, as we believe it can still be a successful and bustling place where people can find everything they are looking for. Our new store had a successful opening day, and has remained busy since, seeing a steady footfall of new customers.

The Evening Post article also highlights a number of figures and statistics which show that Swansea is actually fairing a lot better in the retail sector than most of the UK. According to R3, the trade body for Insolvency Professionals, 21.82% of Swansea city’s retail businesses have a higher than normal risk of insolvency, compared to 22.21% of retail businesses in Wales, 25.04% in the UK, and 26.65% in London. These figures show that the city centre is heading in the right direction, which will surely give retailers a boost coming up to Christmas, however, more still needs to be done through schemes such as Swansea BID.

Goose Island’s owner and manager, Karen Hutchings, was given a chance to comment in the article on our new store opening, as well as the city centre situation in general;

“Swansea city centre is facing serious challenges with a number of national chains closing down, continued competition from out-of-town shopping centres, and the growth of online and mobile retailing.
Our shopping centre needs to be a social place with a vibrant daytime economy, offering something that neither shopping centres nor the internet can match. We want to show our commitment to the city centre rejuvenation by opening a boutique that offers shoppers a personal and high quality shopping experience. We hope that other independents will follow suit as we believe this approach will be a huge step in the city centre regeneration plans.”

We are looking forward to connecting with a lot more Swansea customers at our new store, and hope to see the growth of other independent retailers within the city centre in the near future.

You can read the full Evening Post article here.

How to Use Accessories to Change the Look of Any Outift

Most people have a few favourite items of clothing that they love to wear more often than others - those go to outfits that are thrown on when you can’t think of anything else to wear. Some people even have a ‘capsule’ wardrobe made up of a few different items that they can mix and match. But how do you stop yourself from becoming bored? There is only so much you can do with just a few items of clothing.

However, this does not mean that you need to stop wearing your favourite top and jeans combination, or you need to go out and buy 50 new outfits. There are other options that can bring to life boring outfits, or add a bit of personality back in to over-worn pieces of clothing.

Ladies’ accessories have such an incredible range and variety, you can find so many different pieces to suit any occasion, style, or mood. The right accessories can help you bring life back to old outfits, and even adapt them to certain occasions that you never would have thought of before.

Adding a necklace to an outfit can instantly change the entire tone and purpose. If you have a faithful black top that you wear often, try choosing a necklace that stands out against the black. Statement necklaces are extremely popular at the moment, and adding a beautiful, oversized necklace, with a bit of sparkle, against a black top would be perfect for a night out or special occasion. Additionally, add a long, simple, pendant-style necklace for a touch of understated elegance suitable for weekends or the office.

Similarly, other jewellery and accessories can create the same effect. Try wearing larger, brighter, and more ostentatious necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, when you are heading to a part or a night out, and simpler, plainer pieces for day-wear. However, try to remember to balance out your look – don’t wear large necklaces, bracelets, and earring all at once, it could be too much!

Another accessory that ladies can’t seem to be without is a handbag. Again this accessory varies wildly in style and quality, and can be used to make a significant change to any outfit. We all have a favourite handbag, one that we take with us wherever we go and is full of our daily essentials – as well as a lot of non-essentials – but as your styles and occasions change, it might be worth mixing up your handbag habits. A large black handbag is great for carrying around every day; it can fit your lunch in for work, and gives you plenty of room to carry around an umbrella, a hairbrush, and anything else you might need to survive the winter weather. However, you could try just changing the colour of your regular handbag if you are looking for a subtle deviation. Brown and tan colour bags are always on trend through autumn and winter. If you are heading out the evening, step outside of your comfort zone a little and opt for a glittery or sparkly mini clutch bag. This will instantly add glamour to your outfit, and the upcoming festive season is the perfect excuse.

Necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, handbags, as well as scarves and hats, can truly change the look of any outfit, and carry your style through day to night, and many other different occasions. When you are next putting on that same old outfit, take a moment to consider your accessories – change something, mix different elements up, and be creative – you could have a whole new outfit without buying a single piece of new clothing.

The Right Jacket Could Lift a Lady's Style

As the good old British weather dictates, a suitable jacket is an essential item in any lady’s wardrobe. Even in the summer, a jacket might be needed to ward off any cold spells, and cover up when the heavens open. However, a lot of ladies will only have one jacket in their wardrobe that they wear again and again in all weather.

There’s nothing wrong with a good reliable jacket, but wearing the same one day in day out can become a little monotonous, especially when there are so many different styles of jacket available that can really add something to your style, as well as keeping you a bit warmer.

There are numerous styles of jackets that come in and out of fashion, but something like a blazer will always remain classic. You can get tailored blazers, boyfriend blazers, cropped blazers, waterfall blazers, and much, much more, so there is bound to be a style that suits you. You could add a plain neutral-coloured blazer to almost any outfit, and it would instantly make your style seem smarter and more ‘put together’, and a patterned or bright colour blazer would always add some style and excitement to a monochrome outfit. Jackets can be like an accessory themselves.

Similarly, cardigans are another kind of jacket that can have the same effect as blazers. They needn’t be saved for colder weather, as there are so many variations available, that you should be able to find one for all kinds of weather, styles, or occasions. A cropped cardigan would be perfect to add over a shirt for appropriate office wear, and a long-line waterfall cardigan would be great for a relaxed weekend style. Even on formal occasions, a cardigan-style shrug is a perfect way to cover up with something easy and light.

As we are now moving in to the colder months and winter is approaching, it might be wiser to also start thinking about warmer jacket styles to keep out the cold, while still delivering on style. Gilets and vests have had a resurgence in popularity over the past couple of years, and there is almost as much variety as there would be with any other jacket style. A gilet, or a waistcoat, such as our own Made in Italy ones, is a great choice for a winter jacket as it keeps your body warm, but allows your arms to move freely without being constricted by any thick coat sleeves, not to mention that they all look incredibly cosy.

In a similar way to gilets, ponchos are also becoming more and more popular as a style of ladies’ jacket. They are perfect to simply throw on over any outfit, and instantly appear appropriately snug and wintery, as well as leaving your arms free from any heavy sleeves like a gilet. Our own Made in Italy ponchos are perfect for this winter.

There are so many jackets styles to choose from, including some that you may not have thought of, that it seems like a bit of a wasted opportunity to only stick to one reliable jacket. That jacket will always be a staple in your wardrobe, but you can really change up your outfits and sense of style by trying out different jackets. Try thinking of a jacket as an accessory the next time you are looking to cover up.

New Goose Island Store Opens in Swansea

Goose Island is extremely pleased to announce the opening of our brand new store in Swansea.

The grand opening was held on November 1st, complete with champagne, nibbles, and a whole host of lovely new customers. Princess Jasmine and Alibaba, from the upcoming Aladdin pantomime at Penyrheol Theatre, also attended the opening and helped us welcome new customers, and even gave out their own personal fashion and style advice. Alibaba particularly liked our long red jumper dress.

We will be stocking all of our regular Goose Island favourites at our new store, such as our very popular shirt jumper and magic dresses, as well a whole host of new stock ready for the festive season. Look out for our new sparkly, glamorous clutch bags, soft tartan scarves, crystal bracelets, subtle tie dye dresses, dainty necklaces, and much, much more. We’ve even got a range of Christmas gifts ready to go.

Our new store is located on Plymouth Street in Swansea city centre, opposite the Eli Jenkins pub. This now means that we have three stores across south Wales, in Mumbles, Swansea and Cowbridge, and we look forward to meeting all of our new customers, as well as other exciting ventures in the future.

Spoiled for Choice with Women's Party Dresses

October may have only just come to an end, but November means that the party season is drawing closer and closer. It may be too early for some to start thinking about Christmas parties, but there are a lot of women that like to be well prepared and have everything sorted before the parties and family fun gets started.

There is nothing quite like a gathering with all of your friends or work colleagues for a festive party or night out. Everyone always seems a lot more happy and positive at this time of year; but some women do find themselves stressing out about what to wear to a Christmas party, especially if they have several to attend. That’s not to mention taking into account the weather, the venue, and the type of party it is.

However, the range of dresses available these days should be enough to dampen anyone’s fears about finding the perfect party dress, or dresses, for any festive event.

We’ve talked previously about how long sleeved dresses can be a saviour in these winter months, and the same principle applies to women’s party dresses. You might think that long sleeves are better reserved for the office or a more casual occasion, but they can really lend themselves to a wide variety of different events.

Lace, organza, or a bit of sparkle, can elevate any dress and make it something special that you would love to wear to a festive occasion.

Long navy party dress – made in Italy 

This deep colour is the perfect shade to imply a little bit of sumptuousness this Christmas. As well as the navy grandeur, the lace overlay on this dress adds a stylish element of sophistication. If you add a long silver pendant, and a pair of sparkly heels, you’ll be all set for any Christmas event coming up.

Cream Lace Party Dress – made in Italy

The pattern on this dress is perfect to add some personality to a party outfit, and the fit and flare style dress is an extremely versatile style that has remained one of the most popular styles of dresses over the past few years. The bright, snowy colour of the lace on the dress is also a great colour to compliment the festive season.

Navy Velvet Party Dress – made in Italy

The velvet material of this dress was made for party season – what a better time for a little indulgence? The simple shape lends itself to traditional party wear, and lets you add almost any accessory to make it your own. The glamorous navy colour will make sure you stand out int he crowd.

Mocha Lace Party Dress – made in Italy

Opt for something a little different with this mocha colour dress. The fitted style and lace overlay would be perfect for a festive party or gathering, and the long sleeves and the velvet accents  at the neck line add something a little extra glamorous suitable for the Christmas and winter season.




There is such a huge variety of party dresses available for women these days that everyone is sure to be spoiled for choice. No matter what your personal style is, there are so many possible party dresses that you are sure to find one perfect for any events or parties you will be attending. Whether that is one or ten!

Cowbridge Fashion Week with Goose Island

The Cowbridge Fashion week is certainly an annual date for the diary, and the team at Goose Island is looking forward to participating in this exciting event yet again this year.

The high street fashion scene in Cowbridge is a collection of unique and diverse stores that all offer a little something special; helping to elevate the shopping experience above what you would normally encounter. The independent brands offer a range of women’s and men’s clothing, footwear, accessories, jewellery, and even children’s wear.

To celebrate the wealth of fashion and style available in this South Wales town, Cowbridge hosts three days of exciting fashion events every year. This year, the celebrations are sponsored by WM magazine and start on Wednesday October 22nd, including fashion shows, champagne, late night shopping, and lunch at the Bear Hotel.

On Wednesday October 22nd, the champagne trail will begin. All the fashion shops in Cowbridge will be open until late, including Goose Island. On the night we will be showcasing our new products ready for the autumn season, and we will be offering 10% off everything, along with homemade brownies and a glass of champagne for all our customers. During the evening, we will also be announcing the winner of our monthly prize draw. Have you filled out a feedback form in store? Pop in to Goose Island on October 22nd to find out if you are the lucky winner of one of our fabulous handbags.

On Thursday October 23rd, Goose Island will also be taking part in the Cowbridge fashion show in aid of Velindre cancer centre. The fashion show will begin at 7pm in The Bear Hotel, and tickets are available for £15 from Lynne Beresford at Ushi’s, which is located at 44 High Street in Cowbridge. You can also call 01446 773552 for tickets.

On the last day of the fashion celebrations, October 24th, there will be a grand lunch and another fashion show held at The Bear Hotel at 12pm, which will be aid of Ty Hapus. Goose Island will be part of the celebrations as we showcase our new and most popular styles and products in the fashion show. Tickets are available for £29.95 from Esther Hitchcock at Jon Ian at 16 High Street in Cowbridge, and you can also call 01446 775226.

This fashion celebration grows bigger every year, and Goose Island are proud to be a part of something that recognises the hard work of all the fashion stores in area, dressing South Wales in elegant and classical styles.

Judi Dench visits Goose Island!

Academy award winner Dame Judi Dench, famous for her roles as M in James Bond films, as well as her recent role in Philomena, paid a visit to Cowbridge today.

Goose Island was honoured and delighted to welcome the beloved British actress in to our store. Dame Judi was truly lovely, and spent some time chatting to our staff and trying on a few items. Dame Judi was also extremely complimentary about our store, commenting particularly on our Italian dresses, and telling us how her daughter would have also loved them, as it was very in-keeping with her style!

Dame Judi mentioned that she was filming in the area, and had popped in to Cowbridge town as it was nearby. She also paid a visit to The Bear Hotel afterwards.

All of our staff were over the moon to meet such a icon of British film. One of our staff, Jess, even managed to sneak in a selfie - see below.

Visit our Facebook page to see the original post about the visit!