Sitting in my full time job churning out designs for someone to profit from and knowing the fabrics i was dealing with were Polyester as it is the cheapest high street fabric out there. I wanted out to give myself time to come up with my own brand which would have a positive impact both mentally and physically.
Quillattire has always been a brand that has been produced in small units, most are made by myself the owner by hand once an order is received. The expectation for a small brand to run in the same speed as the high end brands is i think quite ridiculous. All these questions flash through my mind - where are you going to store all the stock, if you keep layering mounts of collections onto the next you will be left with so much stock with no where to store it - this is not a sustainable practice and you just become one of the predators that are causing such grief to our planet. Making smaller collections once or twice a year is so much more sustainable.
My most recent collection is genderless so only has S,M,L,XL which means i can sell the product so much quicker and less likelihood of sitting on dead stock. When i started because i was new i made quite a bit of stock which i regret but i was naive and new to creating my own brand, however what i do now with this stock is up cycle it - i find artistic ways to create newness which appeals to the customer and it sells. I have given that stock a second life. I would never get rid of any stock, just be creative to find another way to reform it - which is the reason to why you are a designer right? Its a good challenge!
Growing up i always taught to give unwanted clothes to people who were less fortunate. When i was younger i would use unworn t-shirts and paint and embellish them and then sell them, so i suppose i have grown up up cycling. This has bought me to up cycling denim jackets, it gives me a chance to express myself and put all the unique inspiration i find on my travels round the world onto a garment that someone will one appreciate its art and secondly the fact that this garment has a story. It is in its second, third or fourth life, it has been given a new identity from just being a plain jacket. Its fascinating. I know not everyone in society has quite grasped vintage and up-cycling but these things take time and i know it will catch on. So support small brands that are trying their best with the little that they have to support our world! :)
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