Anyone who’s been to Manchester knows that rain – the frequent downpours that locals refer to as “mizzle” – is central to the city’s identity. Two years ago, however, the weather seemed even wetter than usual.
“I noticed how many umbrellas I was burning through,” says Megan Oliver. “I was constantly leaving them on the bus or the coffee shop floor, or they were blowing inside out and breaking.” Concerned about the impact all this consumption was having on the planet, she did some research – and was horrified by a suggestion that 1bn umbrellas are abandoned each year, with many inevitably ending up in landfill.
That discovery sparked the brilliant idea for Soaked, the sustainable-umbrella business Oliver started with her partner David Gillooly. Now the brand has been chosen to be part of this year’s Thrive Street market: pop-up retail events taking place this month at Altogether Otherwise, a creative hub in Manchester’s NOMA neighbourhood, and the Truman Brewery, an event space in Shoreditch, east London; each featuring 15 community-minded businesses handpicked by the “queen of shops” Mary Portas.
Soaked, a sustainable umbrella brand, was inspired by the huge number of brollies abandoned each year
The markets, curated by Portas in partnership with Mastercard and Worldpay, will be unmissable shopping destinations showcasing products with what she calls “purpose, character and innovation”. From an environmentally conscious jewellery brand, Pepper You, to a bespoke specs maker, the House of Spectacles, and Inara Loungewear, whose brightly coloured cotton pyjamas are hard to resist, there’s something for everyone.
The markets will also double as hubs of inspiration for businesses, with masterclasses, expert panels and networking events bringing together local retailers.
Thrive Street is a celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity that Portas believes are key to breathing new life into our local high streets. “Small and growing businesses are the beating heart of our economy and the soul of our communities,” she says.
“They bring creativity, culture, and character to our high streets – and they need more than applause; they need real support. That’s why we created Thrive Street 2025 together with Mastercard and Worldpay. A space where brilliant independent brands can come together, be seen, be supported, and show the world what the future of business truly looks like.”
In particular, she’s passionate about championing businesses that contribute to the wellbeing of their community or the environment – ideals which Soaked embodies.
Sustainability is at the core of the brand, which began trading at the start of this year after two years in development. All its umbrella canopies are made from recycled plastic bottles and the handles from wood. Longevity is important too. “From the start, we wanted to make umbrellas designed to last – umbrellas for life, not landfill,” says Oliver. “We’re really proud and excited.”
Up to now, Soaked umbrellas have been sold online and in art galleries and museums in Manchester, but Thrive Street Manchester will be an invaluable opportunity to come face-to-face with customers, as well as being part of a community of other small businesses.
“It will be great to be in a room with other people on a similar journey, overcoming similar challenges – like how to get our message out there when we’re a small brand in a market full of big multinational businesses,” says Oliver. “I also can’t wait to talk about what we’re doing with the public, because we don’t usually get that chance. The fact it’s happening in our home city makes it even more exciting.”
Inara Loungewear’s pyjamas are inspired by childhood summers in India
When Thrive Street Manchester bursts into life later this month, one of the other businesses there will be pyjama-maker Inara Loungewear. Its 100% cotton pyjama sets are inspired by the summers its founder, Jas Gill, spent in India as a child, as well as his partner Shehara Gill’s passion for Ayurveda – the millennia-old holistic approach to wellbeing. “She really got me thinking about the importance of sleeping well,” he says.
Inara combines the bright colours and lightweight natural fabrics that Gill fell in love with in India with elements of the countryside in Leicestershire, where he is based. “We develop the prints in house, and their designs are often drawn from the natural environment around us,” he says.
For Gill, Thrive Street will be a chance to spark new ideas. “There’ll be inspiration everywhere,” he says. “When you’re meeting other small businesses with different ways of doing things, it can help you change small things about what you’re doing.”
Thrive Street London, held a week after the Manchester event, promises to be equally inspiring, with the businesses all offering something innovative and unique. Among them will be the handmade jewellery brand Pepper You, started by Jade Golding in 2019 with the aim of being as environmentally conscious as possible. “All our packaging is recycled and recyclable, and we use recycled metals where possible,” she says. The brand also has a partnership with Ecologi, the climate action platform, which means that for every item sold, a tree is planted in countries such as Ethiopia and Nepal.
Pepper You’s jewellery has a focus on sustainability
Pepper You now has a shop in Lewes, selling Golding’s designs as well as carefully curated design-led products from other small brands, but Thrive Street will be a rare chance to spend time with likeminded small businesses. “I’m also really excited about celebrating the experience of going shopping,” she says. “I love it when people walk into my shop and say: ‘It smells so good in here,’ or they ask me what music is playing. It should be uplifting – we don’t want to lose that.”
Alongside Pepper You in London, will be the House of Spectacles, an eyewear brand founded to solve a problem that many people don’t realise they have: they may have gone through life feeling their glasses were uncomfortable but never understood why.
Natalie Edwards, a designer with more than 20 years’ experience in the eyewear industry, says it’s because too many people are wearing glasses that fit badly.
“I’m tall, with a wide face, and glasses never fitted me properly,” she says. “I became obsessed with the fact that glasses aren’t made in sizes apart from the ‘standard’ ones, so I started designing glasses that actually fit people.”
With her partner Matthew Lambert, whose background was in bespoke furniture making, she started the House of Spectacles. Their aim was to manufacture the glasses here in Britain, which proved a huge hurdle as the machines available were for mass production and incredibly expensive.
The House of Spectacles offers a bespoke approach to glasses
Gradually, by trial and error, they honed their craft. During Covid, they designed their first capsule collection, available in 42 size combinations. Now, their Hackney workshop doubles as a showroom, where customers can visit after booking a consultation and buy frames made to order. These glasses, she says, “are sustainable by their nature, because we’re not making thousands of one design which may not sell well – that’s massively wasteful”.
Edwards and Lambert love seeing people’s joy at finally finding glasses that fit and flatter them. “All the people that come into our shop have an ‘A-ha!’ moment,” Edwards says. “They realise the reason they haven’t felt nice in glasses previously is because they’re outside the normal sizing band. People get emotional when they pick up their new ones.”
For Edwards, Thrive Street is an amazing opportunity. “The chance for more people to see us is so exciting,” she says. “People are always surprised by what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. Now we have to spread the word – and Thrive Street will help us do it.”
Thrive Street 2025, curated by Mary Portas, powered by Mastercard and Worldpay, will be in Manchester from Fri-Sun, 17-19 October, and in London the following weekend, 24-26 October. Find out everything you need to know
