Each Piece Deserves a Story
I’m constantly thrown into my past, thinking about the foundation of Salad Bowl Dress, and building a business while parenting. I have three kids, now all young adults who still need help and parenting, but when I was starting my business again they were all little and needing so much more attention. I’m very passionate about the importance of early childcare — invite me to a dinner party and hear me talk on and on about the absurdity of maternal leave being called disability, the joke that parents only have 12 weeks to bond and nurture their new children before being forced back into work, and the insanity our society making childcare inaccessible or too expensive for working parents. I mean, it is hard to care for little ones no matter how you cut it, but we’re making it especially difficult!
One documentary called No Small Matter illustrates the harm of not spending enough time with our children. Not only to the child, but the harm it has on the greater good for society.
Being encompassed in this world of work and children was one of the huge driving forces I had designing and building my garments. I try, in so many ways, to give each piece a story. In my mind, I consider them a mom (or dad) garment first, then teacher, gardener, and ultimately creator. Each aspect of every piece carries with it thought, and intention.
Each piece deserves a story, a film, an explanation of why the particular transformation was right. The clothes deserve their own photoshoot, to be worn and seen.
I work on finding the right garment for each person who crosses my path, and have developed somewhat of a knack for finding what someone was looking for. But I’m still growing and so is the world and space around me. Sometimes, it’s true, I didn’t have the right piece for the right person, but this is one way how I think and create the future lines of SBD.
Fitting people with the right garment leads naturally into more photos being taken, and more stories to be told. Online, people browse through clothing with no personality, no content, no story, but people might try on a vest and take photos with different angles, could see how it looks through their own eyes.
People want to see that, they want something that can be an extension of themselves. It is part of the process of buying one of our pieces, and it is always the process that one usually finds enjoyable and unique.
I often work with my own experiences, inspiring the bulk of my collection to be sturdy and pocket-filled. But I love listening, learning, and discovery. I love making clothes with a purpose, and I love contributing to people’s lives and individual stories. I’m working to create these pieces for people who are looking to grow and create.
So here we go, please enjoy yourself and ride on this rollercoaster of living through this blog.