Meri Deerr, a first-year at Drake University just soft-launched her first clothing line. After seeing a pair of hoops on Pinterest in high school she questioned why instead of ordering them, she couldn’t just make them herself. “I ordered some embroidery floss, needles, fabric and some hoops and started making them myself”, said Deerr.
She wasn’t sure at first how to go about starting a line, but the online marketplace, Etsy, presented itself as the quickest route to get her products online and on the market. “I’m not in the business school, so I didn’t think any of my classes would help, but I was wrong – my PR classes with Professor Jennifer Konfrst opened my eyes to being a producer and consumer, how I should research trends, build my brand without spending lots of money and looking at my competitors”, said Deerr.
She sees being younger as her biggest advantage to other clothing accounts on Etsy, and in general. When marketing her Etsy account, most, if not all of the work is digital. “I feel like I have a strong grasp of social media for free publicity,” said Deerr. “I know the importance of building an aesthetic, creating meaningful content and how to market to people my age.”
The motive for her Etsy account came as an outlet for her creativity and a place to bring in money to help pay for her college tuition, but soon proved to help out more people than just herself. “I have designs in the works where a portion of the proceeds would go towards different organizations in the Des Moines community, such as the Young Women's Resource Center, Iowa Environmental Council, the local Planned Parenthood, and the Des Moines Pride Center,” said Deerr.
Not only does she plan on sending a portion of her profits to these organizations, she wants to implement their values into the designs as a way to thank the organizations for their inspiration.
“A lot of old women come up to me to discuss my designs and were always a little freaked out when they saw me embroidering a uterus with the words ‘Not Yours’ above it’”, said Deerr. She plans on adding a few designs and listings to her account this Winter and to begin mass producing her products.
Follow her Instagram (@oh_deerr) or check out her store (@SooWhatsTheStitch) to stay up to date on her new releases. C'mon - a hand embroidered feminist tee supporting local young women's organizations? Sign me up.
Xoxo,
S
Samantha Miller (@samantharachelmiller) is a freelance writer from Chicago. She prides herself on her occasional wit, her keen eye for design and her undying love for iced almond milk lattes.Follow Samantha Miller's work on Linkedin, and sign up for updates on her blog.
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