A new leaf has been turned over and I’m super excited to announce the amazing changes going on here at Berry Jane! Some things are the same – like our fun, colorful prints and our Made in the USA quality. But we have expanded, not only with our collections for women, but emotionally, mentally. We have taken a firmer stance on locally sourced, eco-friendly and sustainable fabrics. It has been a tough 4 years since Berry Jane took a hiatus. Now, more than ever, it’s important for me as a business owner to make a stand for what I’m passionate about and what I believe in. In the past, I was pushed here and there with everyone else offering unsolicited opinions of what Berry Jane should be. I heard everything from:
“You need to sell to big box department stores”
“Make it in China or Vietnam for cheaper pricing for retailers”
“The prices are too high, no one will pay $35 for a legging”
“Nobody cares about made in USA”
“You need to find investors”
“Leggings are an accessory, people don’t wear leggings as pants!”
The truth is, Berry Jane was in the forefront of the leggings revolution. We were one of the first leggings collection that provided styles that could stand alone as pants. The collection was well received, though misunderstood. Our fabrics were fun performance fabrics and high quality. We were made in the USA. Berry Jane brought something special to the apparel industry, not mass-produced fast fashion destined to be textile waste.
In 2009, I wanted to make a great company founded on quality apparel, realistic ideals and goals. I didn’t want to chase the money, I wanted to follow a passion and let the money come. I wanted to sell online, direct to customers and create a relationship with them. I wanted to sell what was available and not bank roll all of these wholesale orders, because I simply was not there yet. I was an independent designer and small (very small) business owner. When Berry Jane was first created, it was self-funded. There were no fancy investors, credit cards with large spending limits, or hefty bank loans. It was just me and a few other people, turning the wheels and trying to make it happen. It quickly became amazing and also overwhelming with all of the pressures, lack of capital and my unwillingness to “give away the farm” to investors. So I ended up closing up shop and getting a full time job as a designer at a mid-sized corporation.
Many times, I look back on it all and wish I had stuck it out, but maybe it just wasn’t my time yet. I think the journey from where I was to who and where I am today are a really powerful testament in believing in yourself and your story and just sticking with it. Don’t give up, just adjust if you have to.
Berry Jane is taking baby steps and growing this year in 2015, and we can’t wait to show you what we have coming!
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