The Bin Bag Dreams Are Made Of

How did a bag of 'rubbish' turn into my best selling product?

Adorned by party goers, festival revellers, brides, performers and enviously, has been to see Taylor Swift at (I reckon) a good third of her UK tour. So what is it, and how did it all begin in a black bin bag?

Lets go back to October 2019...

I was given the opportunity for All The Discos to hold a week long pop up shop. I was given a gorgeous old room in a barn, a complete blank canvas complete with exposed beams, white walls and big floor to ceiling windows.

Now, running a bright and bold brand I knew this space would need to match that energy. But, I was on a tight budget and only had the space for seven days so it needed to be lightweight, easy to assemble and at the end of the week could be removed without leaving any trace.

Enter my solution TINSEL CURTAINS! I had a few I'd collected from photoshoots so I cut them up and created a wall of tinsel to cover a connecting door in bright pinks, blues and golds.

The Pop Up was great, I loved having my own little shop. But then the week ended and I was left with a problem, what an earth to do with all the decorations? I knew they could not go to waste, but with no more events of that type planned they sat in a bin liner in a corner of my office.

Finally, in the summer of 2021, when as the world slowly started to open up and attend events I decided to trade at a festival. This time round I had a 3x3 metre Gazebo to adorn with the goal to lure partygoers over to my stall, so out came the tinsel wall I had made for the shop.

Having been in storage for a while I needed to untangle it, and in doing so a few threads of the gathered tinsel came off. I decided to tie it to the straps of my top, effectively giving myself sparkly shoulder pads, I kind of forgot about them and carried on setting up.

The event started and almost immediately the stall was drawing attention, like a magpie to a sparkly object. But, the big difference here, people wanted to buy the tinsel to wear! My accidental shimmery shoulders were the must have accessory of the festival. But what's more, they wanted bigger, to be covered in the tinsel, to really make a statement. I had the beginnings of an idea.

I got home and started to make a plan. I needed to make some fun sparkly accessories, that people who like to party would want to wear to all kinds of festivals and celebrations. But, just as I knew I couldn't throw away the tinsel I had used the first time round (and had sat in a bin liner in my office for months) I knew that if I was going to turn this into a product then I wasn't going to buy endless new curtains to achieve this. I needed to repurpose what was already there.

First I needed to create a product. I emptied my big bag of tinsel, layered it over various outfits, cut out patterns from old wrapping paper, (which is a fantastic tip if you want to do a spot of dress making) and finally came up with a design. I began mocking it up, but I needed to make sure it was going to have longevity, the tinsel was strengthened and the product would not be a one hit wonder. The project needed to make a product to last or there wasn't any point. I also needed to use as much of the tinsel as possible to minimise waste, it had to fit well and be size inclusive and/or adaptable, and most importantly you needed to be able to dance in it.

So, what did I make? Disco Party Capes!

Layers of shiny tinsel recycled from party decorations, sewn onto ribbons of fabric and attached to a base of sparkly canvas. Draped over the shoulders and secured with a ribbon, although it could be pinned to your outfit or worn loose.

I decided they would be 'made to order' which meant I would only make what was needed, reducing waste, and allowing for adjustments to be made on size.

I was so scared to launch the capes as they were pretty unique and putting yourself out there with something new feels very vulnerable. But, I decided to channel this and demonstrate the capes as they were intended to be used by dancing like no one is watching!

I stuck a silly video of me dancing in my office changing into each cape I had made from my big bin liner of tinsel up on Instagram and it went WILD. (If you want to see the video its pinned on my Instagram page.)

The Disco Party Capes were born and I haven't looked back. But, clearly that bag of tinsel that started it all wasn't bottomless, so how have I managed to keep making these capes for so long?

A little something called the TINSEL AMNESTY. Where after your parties and events you can send me your tinsel curtains to recycle and turn into capes. Meaning they get a second life at a party and are not consigned to the bin. Many think once they fray and rip a little they cant be used again, but because I cut them up that makes them perfect for me to recycle. I even turn small offcuts into jewellery by cutting the bits up into confetti and sealing in resin.

So if you have some tinsel left over from a gathering that I could recycle then get in touch via email, shop message or Instagram and I'll let you know if its suitable for me to use and where to send it. I send out £5 gift vouchers for every donation I receive.

Take a look at our gorgeous selection of capes available to order right now. They make a great addition to a birthday outfit, evening wear for your wedding, some hen do fun, or dancing the night away at a festival or concert.

So that is the story of how a bin bag of 'rubbish' led to my best and favourite product.