About Us
A lil’ bit about us…
Who are we?
Welcome to Prikli Pear. We are a funky, bright pink shop in Lincoln, with a small but larger than life team. Since the shop opened 1 year ago by Jess, it has constantly been growing and evolving into the wonderful space and community it is now.
What do we do?
We are so proud to stock 50+ talented UK makers in the shop. We sell items that radiate positivity which are vibrant brightening everyone’s day! We have everything from cards to accessories making it perfect for birthday's and thankyou gifts. We love our makers to be involved so we host bi-monthly maker meet up’s to share ideas. Their voice is important to us as we believe it is their shop as much it is ours.
During the evenings and weekends, Prikli Pear turns into a creative workshop haven suitable for large groups for private sessions and the colourful venue is available for event hire, fully equipped with kitchenette and toilet.
Why do we do it?
It's our passion to create a community which spreads positivity and celebrates small businesses. Together, we can keep creativity, collaboration and connection alive and thriving!
Where it all started…
Prikli Pear was founded in September 2021 by Founder, Jessica Purdie after re-locating to Lincolnshire after a fast-paced career in the PR industry.
Jess went full-time with Prikli Pear and side-hustled in PR and various other projects to make Prikli Pear dream come true. This was a huge plunge into the unknown but Jess was sure that she was going to make it work.
Jess started with one-off knitwear pieces and accessories, gradually building products to see what worked and what didn't. It was the only way to start without investment backing in a time that was very unknown with lockdown having been so very close to the opening of the new business.
During the winter months of 2021, Jess has received a few alteration requests from locals in the surrounding area of Lincoln and began to take on more and more. It got to the point where this overtook the clothing designs and this is where Prikli Pear's Alterations service was born. Now a very popular service in the Lincolnshire community where individuals (men, women and children) can get their clothing repaired or altered, including occasional wear such as wedding dresses and suits!
Due to popular demand and for the ever-growing need for a social community, Jess began to host workshops around Lincolnshire, educating people how to fix their own clothing and create craft products including knitting and crochet.
Jess realised that her PR skills would come in handy in a positive way, bringing people together, connecting individuals and introducing people into communities that may have felt isolated previously. Stitch & B*tch was born in February 2022 as a creative social group, now totalling 250+ members.
Where did the name ‘Prikli Pear’ come from?
The name 'Prikli Pear' came from a nickname given to Jess during Univeristy and was used to describe Jess’s sensitivity to people's ‘vibes’. Jess isn’t a fan of hugging for the sake of hugging and believes that a hug should only be given when it means something, keeping her aura in a positive form at all times. This co-incides with Prikli Pear’s ethics of being transparent in all messaging and anti-fakery/anti-cliquey-ness.
Prikli Pear’s style holds 'tongue n' cheek' bold, graphic and colourful statement prints, knits & embroidered pieces, classic to the style of Jessica Purdie’s art!
About our Founder…
Jess was born and raised in Highland Perthshire where the majority of her inspiration comes from. Her career started in London in PR, which at times, was very difficult for a bubbly country bumpkin to fit into. She prides herself on being her true form in all situations, professional or personal, and discovered when living in the big smoke that not everyone adheres to this belief. She realised that the city felt consumed by people competing with eachother and there was (at the time) a lack of inclusiveness. Fashion influence was a part of the industry that didn’t sit well with Jess and she felt that the industry was lacking transparency and inclusivity.
After Jess realised that her reasons for being in London were not lead by her heart, she decided to move to the Lincolnshire countryside where she could easily commute to busy cities and to her family home in Scotland.
It was there in September 2021 that Jess went full-time with Prikli Pear to supply a brand that doesn't lie to the consumer and displays all vital information in messaging. Her aims are to display all fine details that you wouldn’t usually find when buying a product, including every person who was involved in the process of the product.
Jess completed two years of Fashion and Textiles (HND) at Glasgow Clyde (Cardonald) College from 2013-2015, followed by BA (Hons) Degree in Fashion Design at Bath Spa University.
After higher education, she exhibited her fashion collection at Graduate Fashion Week 2018 in front of an industry panel and was shortlisted for the Gala Awards show.
She has since featured in multiple publications and broadcast including STV News, Farmer's Weekl and The Daily Record. This lead her to a career in public relations working for agencies who specialise in fashion, music, and film clients.
In a nutshell: we can be transparent and we don't have to big anything up for more than it needs to be!
Jess’s Graduate Collection: ‘SAK’ Spring/Summer 19’
An 11 piece, fun and bold womenswear collection, inspired by Purdie's Highland upbringing on a farm in Perthshire. During her early childhood years, Purdie made clothing from any material possible, whether it be bin liners, paper or materials left lying around on the farm. With making comes wearing... Purdie used to dress up in these outrageously fun materials, even livestock feedbags (yes, feedbags for sheep and cows!) which became the basis for 'Sak' Spring/Summer 2019.
The collection integrates sponsor and livestock feed company, Harbro, branding to create avant-garde striking silhouettes. All garments are made with hand screen printed Tyvek fabric (coated paper) and finished with over 60,000 rhinestones across the collection.
Jessica Purdie was picked to represent Bath Spa University at Graduate Fashion Week 2018 and shortlisted for the Gala Show. She made it through to the final 100 out of 1,500 students who showed their collection at GFW 18.