The secret to going viral is a bit of good fortune. At least, that’s what many believe.
But when you look at Shrine, a company that continues to return to the trending section again and again, you start to think there might be a knack to going viral after all.
This Manchester cosmetic business blew up right at the beginning for launching the now-famous glitter boob and bum trend; went viral again when they shared their success story; and even managed to make headlines when the world went into lockdown for at-home hair dying products.
“We’ve always tried to be trendsetters,” Shrine’s Niamh Gillan tells The Manc.
“For us, it’s about being disruptive. We try to be original – and we communicate that across social media.
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“It’s what makes us different.”
Shrine is like the anti-corporation. Almost everything they do goes against the traditional business bible; and it’s worked a dream.
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Set up just a few miles outside of Manchester city centre near the Etihad, the Shrine team is 11-strong – all female, and all below the age of 28.
Each member of staff essentially runs their own little department, with key messages and updates communicated not via letters or emails – but through Instagram Live and TikTok.
Today, more than half a million loyal followers are sharing Shrine style ideas, ordering products and signing up for masterclasses.
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Even in this complicated climate, the company is generating millions.
“Everyone really gets along, it’s like a family here,” Niamh beams.
“We love working here, we love the products and the people we work with.
“We want people to know that.”
Back in 2016, MMU student Jenna Meek decided to invest her life savings on a business idea – setting up what was then known as ‘The Gypsy Shrine’ from her bedroom.
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She chose glitter and stick-on jewels as fashion statements, and these images struck a chord with students before being picked up by The Daily Mail and The Sun.
That summer, you couldn’t go to any live music event without seeing someone sporting the glitter boob trend. It was suddenly a fixture of festival fashion; like sunglasses, hats or hair dye.
Pre-festival popup stores in the likes of London and Los Angeles attracted enormous crowds – and within a matter of months the brand was collaborating with film studios and music giants.
World-renowned studio Warner Brothers selected The Gypsy Shrine to host a stand in support of their Wonderwoman film; recognising the brand’s focus on female empowerment.
Another collaboration for a Halloween and social collection followed, before the brand teamed up with festival Coachella to throw a Palm Springs party in 2018.
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Within two years of setting up, The Gyspy Shrine was synonymous with festival dress.
But the brand had ideas that went beyond fashion for wild weekends.
Dropping a couple of words from their moniker, Shrine began to broaden its offering to focus on more areas of lifestyle – moving into creative cosmetics and hair care.
It was good timing. The festival scene has temporarily collapsed due to COVID-19, but even when quarantine began, Shrine was as in-demand as ever.
“Over the past few months, there’s been lots of people ordering our at-home hair dye,” Niamh explains.
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“We launched it in February and it took off as we went into lockdown.
“From there, demand went up as people couldn’t go to hairdressers.
“We’re getting lots of inquiries about our hair dye dropping – it’s where you can drop the pigment into conditioner and use that to cover your hair.
“It’s semi-permanent and you can create your own shape.”
Founder Jenna still features heavily on Shrine’s social channels – hosting Q&As about particular products and even taking part in Instagram Live sessions with hair salons.
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The brand audience is bigger than ever before. And there’s plans in the pipeline to reach this ever-growing base of fans.
Shrine has dipped its toe in international waters before, but now it’s preparing to take the plunge and dive head first into the American market.
“We’re looking to launch in the US – that’s all in the works right now,” Niamh explains.
“We’re hoping to grow into being a key brand over there. That’s the plan for the next year – but the big aim is worldwide.
“Hopefully, we can keep this going and start to trade with retailers all over the globe.”
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Thousands of brands out there are still attempting to go viral. For many, it’ll be a case of good fortune.
But with Shrine, it just feels like a matter of time before that name starts trending again.
“We know our audience and they know us,” Niamh says.
Building this kind of special relationship is a rare thing. But Shrine has done it. And it sounds like there’s much more to come.
See what Shrine is offering right now by visiting the official website.
Heartbreaking new figures show 35% of all children in the North West are living in poverty
Emily Sergeant
35% of all children in the North West are currently living in poverty, some heartbreaking new figures have revealed.
Some new research carried out to understand regional levels of child poverty, conducted by Loughborough University for the End Child Poverty Coalition, has sadly revealed over a third (35%) of all children in the North West are living in what is called ‘relative poverty’, after the cost of housing is considered – which is higher than the national average standing at 31%.
Over in the Lancashire authority of Pendle, this figure reaches 45%, making it the second highest rate of all local authorities in the country.
In Greater Manchester, both Oldham and Manchester join Pendle in the list of the 10 council areas with the highest child poverty rates in the UK, as well as Blackburn with Darwen, and Hyndburn, and to make matters worse, the North West features on the list more times than any other region nationwide.
Rusholme was identified as the Manchester area with the highest percentage rating – with more than half (51.3%) of all children there living in poverty.
88% of constituencies across the North West have a quarter of children in poverty.
This could lead to things like families being forced to use food banks, children going without warm clothes in winter, or living in cold or unsafe housing.
As a result of these shocking statistics being revealed, the End Child Poverty Coalition – which represents more than 135 organisations across the UK – is calling on the Government to meet its manifesto commitment to address these high levels of child poverty, not just in the North West but also across the rest of country.
“These figures should demonstrate to Government just how important it is to quickly address this so to prevent another generation of children from growing up in low-income families,” commented Rachel Walters, who is the End Child Poverty Coalition Manager.
“The Government’s strategy to tackle child poverty must invest in children in areas with higher levels of poverty, like the North West.”
Graham Whitham, who is a End Child Poverty Coalition spokesperson and the Chief Executive of Resolve Poverty, added: “No child should go without the things they need to be healthy and happy.
“The Government’s forthcoming national Child Poverty Strategy must demonstrate a clear ambition to ending child poverty in this country, backed by specific targets and immediate investment in social security.”
Featured Image – RawPixel
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Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road to close for annual safety checks this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road is set to close this weekend while annual safety checks are carried out, it has been confirmed.
As Manchester City Council looks to maintain and improve what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is set to close overnight this weekend for its annual inspection.
Carried out every year, the Council explains that these closures ensure that ‘vital’ safety inspections can be conducted to allow the major road to continue operating as normal.
The overnight closure will take place from 7-8 June.
From 5am on Saturday (7 June), Mancunian Way will be closed in both directions along its entire length, including all slip roads, between the Chester Road roundabout and Fairfield Street, and this will last until 7pm on Sunday (8 June), after which the road will be open to traffic again as normal.
In the meantime while the closures are underway, the Council assures that a signed diversion route will be in place via the north and eastern ring road sections – Trinity Way and Great Ancoats Street – and a local diversion route will be signed via Bridgewater Street, Whitworth Street West, Whitworth Street, and Fairfield Street.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way is closing for annual safety checks this weekend / Credit: Pixabay
During this period there will also be a lane closure east/westbound at the Deansgate Interchange between 6:30-9:30am, and the inbound lane of Princess Road (heading towards Manchester) between 6:30am and 11:15am.
As is to be expected with these kinds of tasks, Councillors say they are preparing for a ‘level of disruption’ but are intending to keep it to a minimum.
“The annual inspection of the Mancunian Way is a vital job which ensures that the tens of thousands of daily users of this road can go about their journey in safety,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport.
“We do expect a level of disruption throughout this process so wherever possible we’d advise people to travel via public transport, or plan an alternate route ahead to avoid the work locations.