This last year has flown by, honestly to the point I didn't even realize it has been over a year that I've been working on this business plan.
So what has happened since my last and only blog post in August of 2024? ...Well... a little...or maybe a lot more than I had thought once I went through the list.
In late July/August of 2024 I reached out to my local community FB group asking for clothing that if donated, likely wouldn't make it out to the sales floor due to stains, holes, tears, etc. I didn't think much of it, and was unfortunately very quickly overwhelmed. To those who question if there are enough materials to sustain this business venture, the answer is a resounding and overwhelming yes, and without a doubt.
For October/November I made a small athleisure collection of 8 outfits from donated materials and presented them at Edessa School of Fashion's Haute List: Vur-Juhl fashion show.
In December I applied to the Wisconsin Technology Council's Wisconsin Business Governor's Business Plan Contest, and after 4 rounds ended up in the top 24 candidates.
From February to June I started offering mending and repair services in partnership with MKE Outdoor Indoor Exchange to mitigate textile waste...and as of July this is no longer something I am able to offer because... in June of 2025 I found out that I won a free year lease of a small office space in Walker's Point.
And by August I was able to move in all my equipment into the office space to start making prototypes. And now I'm here giving you an update.
Why am I not doing more? Why is this such a slow process?
I'm moving as quickly as I can, but I am only one singular person. I also have to work to pay my bills (Thats a story for another day). As much as I would love to dedicate more time to this, I'm not at the breaking point where I can afford to.
Why don't I have product to sell?
Because producing product is extremely time consuming. No I'm not producing it overseas because that defeats the whole purpose of the ethical and sustainable production that I'm shooting for.
What are my next goals for the next 6 months?
- SECURE FUNDING. I need initial funding to hire someone to just sew for starters. There is so much to this, I think I'll make a separate blog post on this.
- FINDING SPACE. I only have this small office until the end of June. It's an amazing space, but I can't afford the rate/sq. footage after this year, and honestly with all the donations I'm already threatening to receive, this will outgrow the space VERY quickly.
- ENDORSEMENTS. This is for the community. And it's absolutely vital that this business stays transparent and aligns with the goals of the community. I'm working on setting up meetings with non profits that are in the environmentalism, sustainability, workforce development sectors to ensure that the practices are ethical and moral and we continue to stay aligned. Too many times I see retailers that lose sight of their original mission and instead start to give in to the shareholders/board. We can't and won't have that with EMND. If you're a local organization with a focus on environmentalism, sustainability, or workforce development, please feel free to reach out so we can work together.
