Helo / Hello! Croseo / Welcome!

I hope you’ve been enjoying the sunnier spell we’ve been having recently, here in Mach it’s been beautiful, the right amount of sunshine but not too scorching (though I have been keeping an eye on the Hosta plants outside the shop which seem to be very happy about the rain we have this morning!)

With this being my first Blog post (first of many I hope), maybe I ought to introduce myself properly! I’m Rachel, the owner of Gweni Gwyllt (Wild Smile in Cymraeg, but also Gweni being my motherships name!)

I’m an Aberystwyth gal, Ceredigion born & bred, but now I find myself a very happy resident of Gwynedd! After 20 years in Caerdydd / Cardiff, (studying & then establishing a Bridal Boutique in Penarth championing handmade wedding dresses & separates by Welsh Designers for ten years) I packed my passport in 2022 and spent just shy of two years travelling the world… asking myself ‘where do I want to live?’ Nepal? India? Sri Lanka? Australia? Ohhh, I think I could live in the Alps? Oh hang on, I think I love Japan?… But it’s safe to say, I couldn’t fight it any longer, my Hiraeth was calling, the mountains of Cymru were drawing me back - not just the landscape, but the people, the sense of community… and where better to call home than Machynlleth! A town full of cultural history, indie businesses, a 700 year old weekly outdoor market, an incredible creative arts & music scene and where everyone is so welcoming and inclusive… 6months after moving here the stars aligned and I followed my dream of opening up a shop championing ethical & sustainable daywear from British Designers…and they say ‘the rest is history’… and here we are, typing this whilst sat in the shop surrounded by handcfrated collections from 12 female founded British designers!

Anyhoo, onto a subject I wanted to share with you: a question I get asked on numerous occasions throughout the week and on a numerous amount of subjects too… and why I originally started to write this Blog post, which is: ‘Pam/ Why?’

  • Why bother establishing a business when the cost of living is so high?

  • Why bother supporting British Designers when mass produced fast fashion dominates?!

  • Why care about the ethics & sustainability when ‘everyone’ buys mass produced clothing from abroad, why bother doing any different?

It’s a very simple answer from me: ‘Because I can’t live with the thought of ‘what if I don't do it?’’

The one thing we have power over is where we vote with our money, I’m passionate that if we vote for what we believe in, we vote for the world we want to be part of, we vote for the indie businesses over huge corporations, we vote for female founded business rather huge chain stores, we vote for our creatives over AI, we vote for small coffee shops rather than tax avoiding take aways, we vote for businesses where is makes it a difference; not to those that only care about turn over, we vote for fair pay, for transparency, for putting a stop to green washing, for ending the throw away culture!

I’d like to do a separate blog post all about sustainability what what exactly it means in the future, but for now I’ll wrap this one up with reiterating my answer, which can be applied to so many aspects of life: ‘what if I don’t do it?’ - and I’m so grateful I have opened Gweni Gwyllt, this first month has been incredible and it fills my heart seeing how many people are equally as passionate about supporting our creative & manufacturing industry…Diolch o galon / thank you Machynlleth - you’re a truly special place.

Tan tro nesa, until next time,

Rx

P.S: When i’m not in the shop you’ll find me either embracing the mud and running along the trails, eating endless amounts of pastry goods, sipping a cherished morning cup of coffee, pottering on the allotment (with no clue what I’m doing but getting very excited when a tomato makes an appearance!) Hiking with Nansi (the spaniel) or at the numerous open mic nights in the area with my partner who is a talented luthier & builds the most beautiful acoustic guitars.

Image captured on camera by a wonderfully talented friend & photographer: Alex Sedgemond!