We Stand With You

Over the past week we have taken time to listen, learn, reflect and engage with the important conversations going on in our society. As a company, we do not normally speak out about politics or current events, but the issues we are currently facing rise above all of that and must be acknowledged. Racism has no place in today’s world. 

While we have always considered ourselves to be non-racist, we now realize that this is not enough for us. We must be anti-racist. We must challenge our own thinking about race and find ways to affect change in how our society thinks and behaves. We need to dissolve our own stereotypes, our own unconscious bias, and find ways to do better. The lives and well being of those around us depend on it.

While we will never fully understand what the Black community experiences on a daily basis, we pledge to continue to educate ourselves and find ways to help fight the barriers created by a system of racism. Barriers we know we will never face. We feel incredibly fortunate to be a family-owned, women-run small business, but we also acknowledge that this is an immense privilege. A privilege that many might never even dream about having.

We also feel very privileged to be part of such an amazing community. A community of sewers, makers, designers, and creatives of ALL races, genders, orientations, and ages. A community that shows us so much love and support for what we do as a company. Going forward, we want to pass more of this love and support back to everyone in the sewing community, especially those makers of color. We want to amplify their voices for change, introduce them to fellow makers and allies, and highlight their incredible work. They should and deserve to be heard and seen!

This commitment starts on all of our social media accounts. Watch for more account recommendations, more highlighted makes and more posts sharing our love for our community. You will also continue to see a wide range of faces featured on our biannual style tours. We have worked with so many incredible seamstresses of color over the past four years and look forward to getting to know many more on our upcoming tours.

We are also excited to announce a special project we have been dreaming about for a while now. Each month (starting this month!) we will be featuring a different maker right here on our blog. Learn more about them and their unique experiences, see what they have been making lately, and maybe learn a few of their favorite tips and tricks. If you have any suggestions on a maker you would like to meet, leave a comment below or drop us a note HERE.

Behind the scenes, we will continue to listen, read and learn more from the amazing voices of the Black community. It is on us to educate ourselves and we promise to continue to do that. From books and movies to podcasts and other online resources, we look forward to learning more, evolving our own way of thinking, and engaging those around us.

As a company, we are looking at new ways to make a difference in our local community and in society as a whole. To start, we will be donating $500 to Black Girl Ventures, a non-profit organization that helps educate, support and fund small businesses owned by Black and Brown women. We’d like to encourage you to check out this amazing organization and make your own donation. We will happily match gifts our community makes up to an additional $500 total.

We know that this is only a start, but it is a start towards real change. We as a company and a family will continue to evaluate how we can best serve our community, both here locally in the Pacific Northwest and online. We will continue to engage in these tough conversations, embrace the uncomfortable, and fight for real change. Lives depend on it. Our society depends on it. 

Black lives matter. Black makers matter.