The search for a manufacturer continues....
Sooo the manufacturer that made those last samples....yeah, I'm no longer working with them. I don't wanna sit here and bash them, but there were a few issues and I've decided they just aren't the manufacturer for me.
On top of that, they're based in Bali, and the thought of shipping fabric from the UK to Bali, for them to then ship the garments back to me just didn't feel too environmentally ethical. They were supposed to source fabric for me locally but they were partnered with an (expensive) fabric company that just didn't have anything I wanted and made no effort to find it hahah.
I'm not planning to green-wash and use all these sustainability buzzwords to sell my brand, but I DO want it to be ethical and have minimal impact on the environment, so the search is back on to find a local studio/factory.
Back to square one, yaaay. I was feeling a little defeated by this - I've been trying to make this happen for ages now.. but I guess I'm not completely back at square one. I do have a little bit more knowledge now, and I know what I don't want in a manufacturer.
I've made a sexy little tech pack and a mood board in Adobe Illustrator (look at me go) to send to some UK manufacturers. I've had one reply so far - I've got a call with them next week so please cross all your fingers and manifest hard for me... pretty please.
Ohh some other fun info... There was a fair at my day job for menopause awareness day. I met the founder of Nixi - a period pants company. The pants are really cute for period pants, they even have thongs - I'm going to buy some on payday. I haven't tried any period pants yet, all the ones I've seen are just so unsexy and come in unflattering cuts.
But yeah, I told her about Velvet Serpent and the struggles I'm facing and she offered to help me! She gave me her contact details and we're gonna have a call. How lovely of her! (Ha she JUST messaged me on LinkedIn while I was writing this). I've found the fashion industry is quite gate-keepy, so this was such a nice interaction and I'm excited to chat with her.
On that note, I have made a little spreadsheet of manufacturers and fabric suppliers etc.. so if anyone is interested I will happily send it to you.
I would love to set up a little community of womxn who are starting/running companies so that we can share info like this and support each other. I might do that in the future if I can get Velvet Serpent up and running, but for now, I have enough on my plate.