FREE FASHION

The greatest disservice fashion has done to the world is to have allowed for the devaluation of the human position from the unpaid interns to the slave system stitchers. We have forgone the need to cultivate connection for the commerce of kindness. In turn, I have over the years allowed for the exploitation of my brain without a sense of better judgement. I have worked for free and/or below a livable wage for many years all in the name of fashion.

I have even found myself trying so hard to express why my value matters despite having over two decades of global industry experience and various higher education diplomas. I have been so conditioned through the system to live in a perpetual state of let me give without end. The sad reality is that I have worked for some of the wealthiest brands in one of the most expensive cities in the world, yet there was not a budget even in the Global Head Office to ensure economic positioning beyond barely getting by.

I find this to be a strange poverty conditioning in an industry that has so much. We must restructure our own systems so that we know when to say no to the devaluation of our time. It has been hard to push back and to charge for time that would and can be invested into other opportunities, but the only way to truly grow is to invest for the next day of intentional work.

Do not let the world bully you into feeling that you must continue to give. I know as an impact driven fashion venture there is an assumption that we are always present and must continue to serve. But in order for your business to grow you have got to figure out the missing link between where you are and how you will get to your next open door.

SEW BROMO is beginning to embark on a new iteration which is likely to be developed into a separate LLC, focused on technology solutions to grow a mindful global economic system for fashion and needle trades entrepreneurs. We cannot continue this endless taking of limited resources at the detriment of communities for the sake of fabric based appearances.

The industry has to change, but it can only do so by strengthening the positioning of key decision makers. We cannot change the nature of a capitalists system that is on autopilot towards the degradation of humanity through the mass commercialization of commodities. But what we can do is nurture a new wave of impact-driven entrepreneurs that are raising their prices not to take advantage of the consumer, but rather be a force for good so that the world is better as a result of the businesses we form.

It is not just about the sustainability of the environment, because truly if you cared for the environment you would not consume anymore newly sewn goods. But if you care for other layers of sustainability, I challenge you as an entrepreneur to identify a framework for your values. What are you and the consumer investing in? What are the key pillars of your business impact that shifts the gears away from robbing the system, but rather reinvesting in it.

How is the world better because your business exists? In the case of SEW BROMO and the new fashion entrepreneur tech solution we are working to deep dive into the venture creation that marks advancing the innovation landscape. We are here to invest in innovation industrial sewing skills in order to bring to life sewn goods product solutions that by the nature of their operations are making a difference.

We do this by raising the stitcher minimum wage to $20/hr while supporting the entrepreneur to go to market with a industrial quality market sample by partnering with key industry experts to establish the Silicon Valley of the fashion sector in Baltimore. I would also note we utilize the term ‘fashion’ rather lightly as we leverage industry programming and processes in order to get from prototype to pre-sold small batch marketing production runs.

In many ways I wish I had pushed back many years ago and commanded my worth, but the truth is that I needed all those years to get frustrated enough to identify a new wave of momentum that can change the global landscape of fashion business creation. I needed to see and understand that the injustice and exploitation of the humans in the fashion sector was not just a London, Bali or Baltimore thing but rather a string of interconnected systems that just continue to accept fashion’s indifference.

So from the small to the large details, I finally know how to hold my ground to value myself so I as a business owner and founder can value the solutions we develop today to increase the future valuation of the humans that make up this remarkable fashion ecosystem with heart.

If you are struggling to uncover your valuation within the entrepreneurial condition, join the Fashion Entrepreneur Needle Trades (FENT) Membership. We are a community cheering you on as each of the FENT founders finds the next step that continues to add up through tenacity towards enriching professional prosperity. Looking forward to doing the important work that establishes healthy and happy relationships with fashion.

I flew from the USA to Amsterdam then to Bangkok to speak at the Global Consortium for Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC Conference) before heading to Bali, Indonesia. I loved the airport library in Amsterdam where I found lovely fashion inspiration in books.

It’s been a very busy year with the launch of the Fashion Heritage Needle Trades Foundation and Fashion Innovation Hub. Honestly sometimes I forget to actually be in the world. I have been networking and connecting with entrepreneurship partners for this conference, but was able to pop out for a short break and actually enjoyed one of the best meals that I had to treat myself to since my London days. I know I shouldn’t be eating Truffle Risotto and drinking French Rose wine in Thailand, but I had traditional Thai food for breakfast.

I visited the shops and found some Thai fashion designers although it was interesting that I had to buy size large which only happens in Asia. I am wearing the Icosa Apparel Resortwear dress in the hotel image, which is of course made in Baltimore. Let’s make fashion that makes us and our community better.