The Toughest Part About This Journey
Designed in the UK / Handmade in Ukraine
Signature Packaging
LIMITED EDITIONS
Anyone familiar with the fashion supply chain knows MOQ's can be a setback for small business owners, and it's something I've run into a couple of times. Working with manufacturers in Portugal, Italy, and China taught me that larger facilities often didn’t align with my goal of creating high-end, artisanal footwear featuring intricate embroidery at a smaller scale. I wanted craftsmanship to be the core narrative of our brand—showcasing the time and effort it takes to make a pair of shoes and highlighting the artistry behind our embroideries.
After collaborating with my third developer, who acted as a middleman between me and our designer, the project didn’t deliver after what felt like a long hiatus due to COVID. As frustrating and depleted as I felt—like someone running a marathon—I decided to view these setbacks as valuable lessons to help me in my last push for a new developer. I even remember telling myself, that if I don’t find another developer soon, I would discontinue on this journey because I didn’t want to waste my time going around in circles.
This time, instead of relying on contacts, Google, or LinkedIn, I turned to Instagram. I focused on accounts that showcased footwear, studying each shoe closely to assess the stitching, fabric manipulation, and embroidery rather than just the shape or outsole. Out of the developers I reached out to, one small atelier in Ukraine responded.
My saving grace was that we didn't necessarily have to start from scratch. I realized I had created at least four samples with my previous developer, and those would serve as the foundation for our prototypes in Ukraine.
Even better? The atelier never dismissed my ideas. They hadn’t worked on anything quite like what I envisioned, but they embraced the challenge and were excited to create something new. This experience taught me that finding the right manufacturer is about more than just aligning on MOQs, expectations, and pricing; it’s about shared enthusiasm, mutual frustration, and the openness, flexibility, and transparency needed from both sides.
Finding our atelier has been like finding a needle in a haystack. I owe my gratitude to them. The lessons I continue to accumulate are worth their weight in gold.
The moral is that challenges serve a purpose. They test your will, patience, and resilience, revealing how you handle tough situations. Those uncertainties and doubts can be seen as blessings in disguise, depending on which way you look at it. For me, they keep you alert, connect you with unexpected allies, and push you out of your comfort zone. Ultimately, they shape who you are.