Etsy Seller Interview with Jo of MilleSaisons

How MilleSaisons got started

Introduce your Etsy shop and tell us your story. How did you begin and decide on what to sell on Etsy, and how do you create your products?

I’m Jo, and I run Mille Saisons, a silk accessories brand. I did a fashion degree at Kingston, but my dad was diagnosed with cancer in my first year, and knowing he was going to die made finishing my degree very difficult. Add in an undiagnosed sleep disorder at the time, and it was certainly a challenge, but I’m very stubborn, so I pushed myself and graduated. My dad saw me graduate before dying, but I still felt unsure of myself and didn’t have much confidence to find a proper design job. I also found out I needed braces and jaw surgery to fix my sleep, so self-employment started to look like the right choice so I could work around appointments and naps!

I’d interned at a silk brand after graduating and used silk a lot while I was at university, so my mom encouraged me to try launching my own brand instead. To start with, I made clothing in small batches in UK studios but still didn’t have the confidence in myself and my brand to sell them effectively at the price point. Using my left-over fabrics, I sewed some scrunchies and hair bows myself because I loved hair accessories too. I added these to Etsy, and everything grew from there. Everything fell into place, as I love sewing products myself and being able to turn new ideas around far more quickly, so it suits me far better too. I still sew everything myself at home.

Favorite items

What are your favorite items? What makes these so special? Why do you think these items might be selling well?

The Euphrasie hair bow because I designed it to create three hair accessories in one. The bow can be worn with the tails, or the tails can be removed for a different bow style, and then the tails can also be tied onto a scrunchie or hair tie. I like to work towards simple but thoughtful design, and I feel this bow really works on this level.

My silk face pads too, because they were first to market and I love being able to use silk to elevate smaller daily things like cleansing your face or tying up your hair; I try to create a lot of affordable luxuries.

Getting sales on Etsy

How long did it take for you to earn your first sale and how do you currently attract customers to your Etsy shop?

This was a while ago now! I think it took about a month while I learned the best Etsy practices, like SEO and product descriptions that sell. Properly sitting down and learning about Etsy SEO was one of the best things I ever did, as it really grew my sales.

Instagram was a big thing when I started. I do still get customers from there, but it is also about staying in touch with repeat customers and keeping my brand message out there. I am on TikTok, but it doesn’t come as naturally to me as Instagram did!

Managing MilleSaisons

How do you manage your shop? Are you running solo or do you have any team members? What tools or services do you use to run your shop and how do you handle fulfillment?

It’s just me! Very occasionally, I will rope my mom or fiancé into helping label wholesale orders, but I’m also quite stubborn and will always try to push myself to do it all first before caving and asking for help.

My most used apps are probably Afterlight and Photoshop for photo editing.

I’m a bit analog and use paper more than digital apps for lists and also for quick sketches of new product ideas to capture them before they leave my head. I do use the sticky note app on my laptop to keep track of website updates and general admin. I also type up more formal plans, but then I print them out for my wall, as I like having plans to visually look at. I usually plan 6–12 months ahead for new products, with breathing room for any last-minute new ideas that I think of, and have these on paper on my wall!

I use Royal Mail’s business website to post my orders and pack everything myself. I have my postage scales (there were a few issues with my fiancé using them for cooking, so we had to buy another set of scales!) and mailing-size template I bought from another store on Etsy.

I drop my post myself rather than book collections, as I like having the flexibility if I want to work at the weekend and then take a day off in the week to go into London when it is less busy, for example.

The future of MilleSaisons

What goals do you have for your shop in the future?

To really keep going. I’d love to grow enough to employ someone else on the kind of flexible basis I’d have really benefited from when I had my sleep disorder and give someone who maybe can’t take traditional work a job. I’d love to be stocked at some larger retailers, and I've been reworking my packaging over the last year to make this a possibility.