About

“What problem are you solving?”

It’s a question that’s been asked on nearly every business, marketing and social media course I’ve done. And it’s always been a question I didn’t feel I could answer.

Until now.

 To me, I just thought I sold pretty things. Frivolous things that solved no problems, treats and fancies that were unnecessary but nice.

 But recently, I’ve come to a very different conclusion. These problems we’re solving aren’t life and death, sometimes they’re “first world problems”.

Until Dawn started off the back of my old glitter bar business when I started making headdresses for festivals. They were huge, sparkling, life and soul of the party kinda pieces - and as frivolous and avant-garde as they were, they still solved a problem:

“I need something for a festival that’s going to make me look and feel fabulous, give me tonnes of confidence, and make me want to dance until dawn.”

And that was the problem I could solve.

When the pandemic reared it’s ugly head, people didn’t have this problem. Suddenly the problem was boredom and loneliness, anxiety and apathy. Until Dawn evolved and I began to make low cost accessories, brass jewellery and repurposed headbands. It felt silly at the time, shouting into the lock void “do you want some pretty things?!” But it turned out this too solved a problem:

“I can’t go shopping and I miss the dopamine hit of retail therapy - but I need something affordable.”

And this I could solve, with guilt free doorstep delights to deliver a dopamine hit the very same as bargain hunting in your favourite city.

When lockdown stopped, people were going out again - dates, festivals, cinema trips and cocktails with mates. And I began to stock more fashion items, hats, vintage clothing and sparkly pieces that gave you confidence.

I didn't realise til now the problem was that some of us were struggling with the sense of identity that had been ripped away along with our liberties the previous year.

New clothes and shiny pieces to experiment were the solution to a raw and visceral problem that some of us hadn't even realised.

So this brings us to 2022.

We've rediscovered ourselves and settled into a new rhythm of life.

Found our sense of hedonism and come back to our authentic selves and then - of course - another curve ball.

This time, recession, cost of living. Seeing our disposable incomes shrinking. And in times of financial panic and anxiety, we scale back on the big things - but there's still so much joy to be found in those little self care treats.

And it's this problem - the problem of affordable yet covetable gifts for yourself and your loved ones, that Until Dawn can solve.

From pretty jewellery to prints, stationary and homewares - these pieces are retail therapy with soul.

Guilt free treats to spoil yourself in hard times.

Nuggets of joy in a bleak landscape.

Small pick-me-ups to pick you up on the hard days.

Not essential, but certainly not pointless.