kickstarter update…we’re almost there.

Dress: The Peplum Dress.  (find it on Kickstarter). Shoes: Enzo Angiolini.  Bag: Kenneth Cole Reaction. Necklace: Found on etsy.  Lips: Nars. (heat wave)

Our kickstarter project passed the 80% mark today.  Every time we hit another milestone, I do a cautiously optimistic happy dance.  Just over 12 days to go and we’ve hit 80% of our goal.  I am really, really happy about that, and so excited about how close we are getting.  I don’t know if you know how kickstarter works, but it’s one of those all-or-nothing things.  We either hit our goal, or the project won’t be funded.  As in nothing, zip, nada, nilch– and all those pretty designs we’ve been dreaming of making for the past year, will remain dreams.  While I’d probably have a lot more free-time to perfect my yodeling (I don’t yodel), and master scrabble, I really want this project to fund, because I believe in what we are doing.

I love the clothes we make.  When I wear them, I feel empowered, like I’m  the woman I want to be.  I love getting emails with pictures and stories from our customers, telling me where they wore their piece and how it made them feel.  I love that you’ve let me be a little part of your lives, that many of you have become my virtual friends, that you’ve shared this journey with me.  If you had told me five years ago that I would be doing something like this, I never would have believed you.  I didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a designer.  Clothing design was one of those grown-up passions that materialized sort of naturally without me really even trying.  And then suddenly this passion was a dream, and I thought, “why not me?”

Seriously though, why not?

When I started this process, I knew a lot about making clothes myself and basically nothing about the business of getting clothes made.  I love the way doing this has changed me, made me more savvy, braver, and less intimidated.  When I started I felt silly.  Like an impostor, but I don’t feel that way anymore.  I love how this business has become something that Craig and I do together, how it’s changed our relationship, how we get to be a team on this too.  It’s fun to run a business with your spouse.  When we are working it feels like a date, and it kind of is. (we go on real dates too.) I love that he’s found a passion for business that he didn’t know he had.

I spoke to our production house yesterday.  These women, they are my family now.  Our family.  They love my kids, and me, and especially Craig.  (Craig is always everyone’s favorite.)  I’m so happy when I think about getting to work with them.  I knew when we decided that we were going to make things here in the USA, that it wouldn’t be easy.  I knew it would cost more, that we wouldn’t have as much money for marketing, and expansion.  I also knew that it meant we’d be working with people who were passionate about making clothes.  Who were craftsman.  That we’d be paying a fair price for a great product; I think that’s the right way to make and sell things.  And I believe when you do things for the right reasons (plus a lot of hard work), things just start working out.

We believe in American Made products and we are so excited to play a tiny role in the grassroots resurgence of American manufacturing.  There are some really amazing people out there passionate enough to do it this way and I’m so happy that I get to count myself as one of them.

So many of you have shared and backed our project already, and if you have, thank you so much!  I have been so overwhelmed by the support, and by your love and encouragement.  If you haven’t seen it already, check out our video on Kickstarter.  You can also see all of our new designs that we’re trying to bring to life through this project.  Backing our project allows you to reserve one of these new pieces for yourself, and helps us bring this dream to life.

If you haven’t yet, pretty please share this project over your social media channels.  Tell your friends and family about what we are doing.

And a big huge hug and a thank you to everyone!

xo,

Cori

ps. come back Monday, Craig and I will be answering your questions.  In a video.  And it promises to be rather entertaining. ;-)