After years of turbulence, small clothing designers struggle for a sustainable model cbc.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbc.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Owned by: Anna Gilkerson and Zac Barkhouse (real-life partners, owners, designers).
The why: Inspired by our habit of sharing clothing and living a sustainable lifestyle, we started our clothing brand in May 2019. We opened our store in the summer of 2020.
Q: What s one thing that really helped you start up this business?
A: Understanding our customer and in turn them understanding us. Consumers are more mindful now than ever and the market always dictates what it wants. Our customers care what products they buy and what brands they support, whether it s locally, sustainably and ethically made. We had a strong local business we knew could grow because of demand. We already had a foundation in place on a smaller scale and with that we expanded our business because we knew that what we were doing was working.
Posted: Dec 22, 2020 8:50 AM AT | Last Updated: December 22, 2020
It was the fear of the unknown that scared us the most.
After long hard days of pivoting our business,
Ana + Zac, we laid awake at night wondering if we would make it. Mentally, it was draining. We could feel ourselves slipping sometimes, arguing, questioning ourselves and the decisions we had made leading up to the pandemic. We knew if we were feeling that much stress and anxiety how much harder it must be for so many others. How were people coping? It weighed heavily on our minds.
One morning in late April, we received a surprise box of linen cuttings from a maker in Lithuania with the intention to be utilized for crafting. This generous gift of kindness inspired us. We wanted to use the scraps for something good. At that time there was a real need for masks in our community, so we decided to have masks made from the scraps, sell them, and donate the proceeds to mental health. We understood how important that