Rixo’s sale has just started – and they’re being refreshingly honest about the reason

Small businesses around the world have been hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis – and Rixo is encouraging us to be mindful when buying online

Rixo, the beautiful brand behind all of the most coveted midi dresses on our wishlist, has just launched a sale — with a bit of a difference.

Rixo’s online store is offering 30% off selected styles until Monday 20 April, with many of their new season beauties up for grabs at a discount using the code SUPPORTSMALL30.

But while we love Rixo for its original prints and fresh designs, the fact that it retains its small business ethos is also a brilliant reason to buy from them.

The brand was created in 2013 by co-founders Henrietta Rix and Derry-born Orlagh McCloskey and has gone from strength to strength over the last seven years. Their perfection of the new it-item, the midi dress, shot them to international acclaim, and their fantastical London shows at Fashion Week only elevated their status as Instagram favourites.

But like any independent business, Rixo is struggling with the Covid-19 outbreak and the impact it has had on the retail industry. While offering 30% off on their site, the sale was announced via email to customers, with an explainer as to why the brand was discounting items.

The co-founders Henrietta and Orlagh state that the current outbreak was the “first, very challenging period” for the business, and that while they are always ‘conscious’ of over-production, they have a surplus of stock due to bricks-and-mortar stores being closed indefinitely, and being unable to collect orders that have already been produced.

The Rixo founders go on to explain that the business uses four family-run suppliers, and that in order to avoid passing the financial and waste strain back onto them, they have decided to try and sell the surplus of stock directly to consumers, with a discount to help it along.

They finish with an encouragement to customers to “shop more consciously in this difficult time” and support small business and suppliers.

With dresses so beautiful, we need no encouragement to grab a bargain from Rixo, but the refreshing honesty shown by its co-founders will have us making the effort to be more mindful in other purchases too.

Read more: Instagram flea markets and online sewing classes: how Sustainable Fashion Dublin is thriving during Covid-19

Read more: Helen Cody showed us how to make a face mask at home in six simple steps

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