Remember when you used to beg your Mam for 20p for the gumball machines full of hot pink, glitter drenched chunky jewels? Well, July Child Jewellery run by Manchester-based mega-babe, Sinead Flood has combined every nostalgic 90s and 00s trend to create her uniquely fun brand of jewellery for big kids.
Beginning her career back in 2017, Sinead was already well versed in the fashion industry. One of the OG Topshop girls (c’mon, don’t tell me you have no idea what I’m on about), she was always passionate about creativity and experimentation within fashion, “I got the Topshop job at 15, which was actually probably illegal, but retail was my life and where I spent most of my time outside of school,” explained Sinead.
It was through this job that she cemented her passion for fashion *insert peace sign* and went on to study Business Management with Retail at Leeds Beckett University. Sinead admitted that, like most of us, she didn’t do particularly well in uni and was too busy sinking pints, but she had a vision for her business that she just couldn’t shake!
Beginning July Child Jewellery in 2017, Sinead wanted to champion some of the small, independent, niche brands that she’d stumbled across during her travels. New York-based Notte jewellery was one of the first on her list, a brand influenced by the quirks of dimly lit, downtown Manhattan and the daydreams of founder, Jessica Tse.
Sinead curated a platform for these brands to showcase and sell their products to a UK audience, and over the first few years the business grew steadily. But, it wasn’t until the first lockdown back in 2020, yes, almost 2 whole years ago, that Sinead decided to start hand-crafting her own jewels bursting with originality under the brand name, Daughter by July Child.
Powerpuff Girls, flumps, acid-house smilies and Woolworths’ pick n mix, that’s probably the best way for me to describe Sinead’s bold, brave style.
Growing up in Manchester, she was fully immersed in the music and art scene and cites Northern Quarter as her stomping ground, drawing inspiration from her tribe and also her reflective, nostalgia filled noggin.
“My design process usually starts with an image or pattern that will pop into my head when I’m out on a walk and I’ll rush home to scribble down the beginning of the product. For example, I’m massively influenced by anime and old cartoons where the characters' eyes would turn into huge swirls after they’d been hit on the head, so I incorporated that into one of my daisy designs.
“I wanted it to look starstruck, so I gave the face a straight mouth and ribbed edges, too. I try to take as much inspiration as I can from whatever is around me. If I’m watching TV and see something cool that I think would work in one of our collections, I’ll sketch out a plan straight away. Sometimes my ideas are so extreme, doused in glitter with about 12 different pastel shades, our manufacturers will have to ask me to re-do them because they’re just not possible to make!”
Sinead has an infectious energy, she beams when talking about her brand and embodies everything about her dreamy jewellery. She follows no rules or trends, the louder the better, and that’s why her Daughter by July Child really is one-of-a-kind.
Although the pandemic was a difficult time for all of us, it allowed brands like Sinead’s to find their feet in a world consumed by online buying and eye-catching Instagram aesthetics.
Sinead’s first collection made its debut in the August of 2020 and she recalls the nail biting moment she finally shared her designs with the world: “All I was thinking was, ‘what if everyone hates it?!’, but it did so well, it was such a great moment for me because I’d put so much hard work and effort into it and the reception it got was ace!”
Since then, she’s had four other collections exploring the cosmos, as well as zodiac signs and sweet shops, all championing personal expression and maximalist style, and has been featured in magazines including ELLE and Vogue. Her jewellery has even sat on the hands of pop royalty including Jessie J and Dua Lipa, and what a moment that must have been!
Discussing the future of the business, Sinead has no plans for a permanent store here in the city just yet, but is enjoying travelling and doing pop-ups across the UK.
The lockdown jewellery boom played a huge part in her success, and she’s currently working on a unisex collection that’s slightly more toned down from her sugar pop statement jewels, we got a sneak peek and it’s looking absolutely ace!
You can follow July Child Jewellery below, and check out all of Sinead’s creations on her online store.
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