The last several years, my family has put up with (selflessly supported) my obsessive desire to actually use my apparel design + product development degree. They allowed me the joy of developing a childrens clothing empire brand okay, FINE- a tiny little collection for girls. Please do not let the words tiny and little mislead you to think of me sitting at a fisher price sewing machine, cutting out dresses from handkerchiefs for a cabbage patch doll named Susie Mae. I digress...This venture involved unrelenting dedication, constant communication (I required a coach), pinching thousands of pennies, recalling old (now a bit fuzzy) lectures from college, so on and so forth. Drafting patterns, communicating abstract ideas thru exact math and spreadsheets, explaining how to construct garments with hand signals because I only speak English, and negotiating costs and production time lines is not for the faint of heart! It took ignoring a few nay-sayers, a pretty big dose of determination, countless encouraging phone calls and many trips up and down the eastern seaboard to make it happen. The day before giving birth to Bee, I was perched in a hot wash room at the denim plant where I used to work, attaching buttons to jeans that were shipped to me, unfinished. Hashtag PANIC ATTACK, hashtag labor pains. God bless those hard working women who helped that day. Birthing two babies (one child, one business) in one week is for crazy people! The line was released and in four short weeks, all but 25 pieces were sold. Thank you, friends, for shopping locally aka mainly in my dining room. To see precious little girls play comfortably in my labors of love is super rewarding and I hope to continue creating pieces in some capacity. What bothers me is that it seems I could contribute more to the world than just a cute dress or totally amazing, top quality, on-trend, but still classic, American-made denim (gotta love a good shameless plug). There are a few of those left if you can't stand it...
It would be easy to find satisfaction in the way things turned out and move on, but then there's that nagging "what if there is more to this desire." Press on! We all have opportunities to channel our dreams and talents toward a greater good; Life is about making the choice to actually do it.
Elemenopy will continue as a small local company, providing clothing and product options for parents who enjoy finding something special for their child. Products will be featured individually and randomly for purchase through this blog. A percentage or specified dollar amount of each sale will go to support a community based organization that benefits children or mothers in need.
Who, Moi? will document my work as a mom/creative mind alongside my attempts to gain some mad housewife skills (mad-impressive not mad-drinking games...although this may require a glass bottle or two of mad housewife)!
I look forward to introducing you to some of my favorite picks, places, and people soon!
So cute Megan! Excited to watch you grow your line into a fabulous empire!! If anybody can do it, you can!
ReplyDeletexo - Lisa