Wendy and I are always talking with each other and sharing our funny stories with ourselves that we figured it would be more entertaining (and helpful for some) to put these in a blog. It's the beginning of April and I am feeling a little momentum in the air. I hope it's not just the spring fever hitting everywhere but truly some positive energy.
We are both excited about our clothing lines and we know as you learn more about us and the way we got to where we are you'll appreciate these moments right along with us!
Here's an image of wendy's super cool riding breeches paired with our tB zip pullovers. We love teaming tottieBEAN with Wendy Pepper Equestrian! Together it is more fun, it's not as scary but it's also just that much easier with a buddy we can trust. We hope you enjoy reading about our adventures as we have our ups and downs, highs and lows on this fun path! Please share with us your thoughts!
Hi bridget - it's meeeeee - is this better? Sorry about not quite getting the blog comment thing initially! For anyone who reads our blog let me set up where i am 5 years after season 1 of 'Project Runway". I still live in the same small town and produce my custom dresses in my studio. Recently a friend moved his custom menswear business out to Middleburg so I work part-time with him. About a year ago I decided to create a collection of dresses, but when the economy changed course in late 2008 I decided to shift course a bit. I live in a section of the country where horseback riding is very popular and our Olympic team even trains here. With that in mind I decided to create a "Wendy Pepper Equestrian" line which i would produce locally. This decision required i upgrade my equipment and so in the last year I have completely overhauled my studio, run through several processes of product development, abandoned some, modified others and encountered extensive obstacles at every turn. owning your own business, not to mention a creative business, requires wearing many hats. if you add to that the parenthood hat - well it's an understatement to mention how essential it is to have a good friend along for the ride. Bridget and I have the kind of relationship where we can assess our progress pragmatically as well as humorously. To jump in today: I recently purchased 400+ yards of custom knitted goods for my line of riding breeches. I paid for it because I have this notion that one should pay for goods they order. However, what i failed to do was actually test the fabric - and had I been more interested in quality control I would have discovered that it in fact bears no resemblance whatsoever to my specifications. Now I am the proud owner of a distinctly impressive mass of useless fabric which I am trying to negotiate the return of. Need i say, payment remitted makes that process difficult at best. I believe in using American made goods (hence my relationship with this North Carolina mill). We shall see how responsive they are to my complaints.
ReplyDeleteThere is so much more to this story! I would love to hear more about why you wanted to do breeches when it's so far from couture gowns, how you came about to find these awesome machines to put in your studio, and the way you came about finding this fantastic mill in north carolina... you make it sound so easy :)
ReplyDeleteI love making my dresses. But the thing is bridget - they are truly a labor of love. they are a very personal expression for me - each one unique and special. It takes time to develop a relationship with my client and to figure out how to translate her specific needs into a work of art that reflects her individual style. I wanted to find more balance in my life. I wanted to create an outlet for my creativity which was more geared towards kids since my daughter, now almost 10, enjoys participating in my design work more and more. For instance now we are trying to plan for some tottie-bean/wendy pepper events over the next months and I have 5 dresses that have been ordered in the last two weeks. While this sounds daunting - i am happy to know that I will have the opportunity to serve clients in every capacity - from the formal couture route to the cash and carry sportwear outlet. I think we both feel that meeting with our customers provides us with the greatest encouragement (when they like our stuff) and the greatest panic (when they are unresponsive). Somewhere in there is the key to making it witha small business. We need to constantly be flexible enough to respond to market forces and consumer demand, yet remain committed enough to our core beliefs about why we do what we do.
ReplyDeleteFYI - no return call on the "fabric issue". Me shocked.
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