The integral aim of the Constellations brand from its conception as an idea for my very first business back in 2019, was that the brand would do good – instead of adding to a growing pattern of over-consumption in the fashion industry. I have worked in the industry for several years as a Buyer, and continue to be shocked by the amount of unnecessary waste that the industry generates. I resolved that my own business would not become part of that ever-growing problem in the era of fast and irresponsible fashion.
To achieve my goal, and be a positive force for change as a fashion brand, we:
- Promise to never use anything other than FSC Certified cardboard or recycled materials to create our jewellery gift boxes, and recycled, biodegradable or 100% recyclable fabrics for all of our packaging materials.
- Create timeless rather than fad trend-focused styles, from higher quality materials, less inclined to tarnish and fade over time with proper care (read our jewellery care guide here). We design styles to last for years to come.
- Give back a portion of our sales to an incredible charity with every purchase.
Giving back
We thought long and hard about which charity we wanted to work with as part of a giving back scheme, researching the causes we are most passionate about and how best to make a difference. We decided to partner with When You Wish Upon A Star UK (Charity Reg: 1060963). Partnering with this charity felt right for many reasons, and even felt in line with our name sake - Constellations.
When You Wish are a lovely, smaller charity whose work is truly inspirational and special, but may receive less fundraising support than larger, more widely recognised charities. It is incredible to be able to support them in the work that they do, helping children aged 4 to 16 living with life-threatening conditions to escape reality and experience their dreams. This can be anything from a lifelong dream holiday to Lapland or getting their very own laptop whilst in the hospital so that they can continue to keep in contact with their friends. Such gestures make a difference in these children’s lives. This felt like the right move to make for us as a small business, supporting a smaller charity and helping to make a positive impact in children’s lives. We feel the charity's values align perfectly with our own and helping to put a smile on a child’s face will always be something we feel extremely privileged to be a part of.
The shooting star logo often used in our charity collaboration work reflects our namesake: Constellations, the charity's logo, and of course, symbolises the hope that your wishes will come true and you will live your dream.
How we give
When you make any purchase from Constellations, we give at least 5% of the profits to When You Wish Upon a Star. This includes all jewellery, products and gift cards. This means that for every £20 we make in sales; we give at least £1 away to support the incredible work of When You Wish Upon A Star. This is because even when you buy discounted or sale products, we still donate to charity as if we received the full retail price.
Every sale is tracked, and we donate once a quarter a sum of every purchase that was made during those 3 months. As we were launched at the end of August 2020, we have recently passed our 3-month mark and made our very first donation. The charity told us that this has meant more at this time of year due to an understandable drop in donations and many fundraising events not being possible this year, so our donation goes a long way.
Together with your support, we can positively impact the lives of children living with life-threatening illnesses. We hope to be able to give a full and transparent report to our loyal customers on how much we can give back over our first year in business, and many more to come. To receive our Donation Report directly into your inbox – sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of our website page.
Celebrating the charity’s 30th anniversary in 2020
This year, When You Wish Upon a Star celebrates 30 years of granting wishes and dream making. This is an incredible milestone for them, and a beautiful way to celebrate and remember those who have passed on since having their wishes granted by the charity.
In their 30 incredible years – the charity has fulfilled all kinds of special wishes. Children who have not been granted wishes by another charity can dream up whatever would make them the happiest – and family trips to Florida, Disneyland and even Lapland to see the reindeer have been granted, as well as meeting favourite celebrities or cartoon heroes and getting to spend some time with them or being delivered all of their favourite games to play to take their minds off things and generally put a smile on their face. You can read about these on their website https://www.whenyouwishuponastar.org.uk/wishes/.
This year has looked a little different for wishes due to the imposed restrictions of 2020, with very special children all over the country being instead delivered Wish boxes – packed full of their favourite things.
It’s been a tough and uncertain year for all, but this year has hit charities especially hard, and being able to start giving back to When You Wish at this time feels important.
We’re in business to do good and drive change. With your help, we hope to grow our donations to When You Wish quarter upon quarter and make huge differences in their children’s lives.
