Eco-judgment February 26, 2009

In the first year of Shirtseed there was a lot to learn about being green, social responsibility, certifications in this and that. There are perceptions and there is reality. There was the argument over bamboo and was it really green. There is the argument where the most ethical place in the world to manufacture is and if your raw materials are picked by hand or machine and if your textiles are created in a “closed-loop” system. Is the textile ink water-based and do you treat your waste water for that too?
With all the good intentions a small and medium size producers may have, distrust and apathy is common. We have learned well that its good to question where things come from, although our judgments are based on newspaper clippings and short films on You Tube. Frankly, it’s not our fault. How much can we be expected to know! Unfortunately, if we assume that the environment is going to be saved by suppliers we will probably always choose products based on clever marketing and price and not weather it is truly the most “environmentally friendly” widget. The fact is that if governments don’t protect the land, sea and air they are the custodians of with law, then the fate of the environment is left for the ill-informed or apathetic consumer to decide.
There are some really powerful, wealthy entrepreneurs that are beating governments to the mark on the issue of the environment and social responsibility, but even they will tell you governments need to act! Well who are governments accountable too? It seems like nobody in Canada.
The question whether hemp or bamboo is greener, its petty and unproductive. Ask yourself, did you vote in the last election? What was your party’s green policy? Did you understand it, or ask any questions? Why don’t we have a Green member of parliament? It’s important to spend thoughtfully, but don’t expect responsible consumption to save the world. After all isn’t it consumption that got us here in the first place.

Amy

Eco-judgment February 26, 2009

In the first year of Shirtseed there was a lot to learn about being green, social responsibility, certifications in this and that. There are perceptions and there is reality. There was the argument over bamboo and was it really green. There is the argument where the most ethical place in the world to manufacture is and if your raw materials are picked by hand or machine and if your textiles are created in a “closed-loop” system. Is the textile ink water-based and do you treat your waste water for that too?
With all the good intentions a small and medium size producers may have, distrust and apathy of green products is common. We have learned well that its good to question where things come from, although our judgments are based on newspaper clippings and short films on You Tube. Frankly, it’s not the our fault. How much can we be expected to know! Unfortunately, if we assume that the environment is going to be saved by suppliers we will probably always choose products based on clever marketing and price and not weather it is truly the most “environmentally friendly” widget. The fact is that if governments don’t protect the land, sea and air they are the custodians of with law, then the fate of the environment is left for the ill-informed or apathetic consumer to decide.
There are some really powerful, wealthy entrepreneurs that are beating governments to the mark on the issue of the environment and social responsibility, but even they will tell you governments need to act! Well who are governments accountable too? It seems like nobody in Canada.
The question whether hemp or bamboo is greener, its petty and unproductive. Ask yourself, did you vote in the last election? What was your party’s green policy? Did you understand it, or ask any questions? Why don’t we have a Green member of parliament? It’s important to spend thoughtfully, but don’t expect responsible consumption to save the world. After all isn’t it consumption that got us here in the first place.

Amy

Good web designers can be important support for the one man show. February 11, 2009

Shirtseed is vertical one-person entity. Although sometimes I think it makes more sense to be some kind of consultant if you want to be a lone wolf. Maybe some people are so brilliant they can design a product, marketing campaign, promotional materials, website, all on their own but I doubt it. The Shirtseed style has always been aligned with Microsoft’s, “just get it out there” strategy. Although at times it has left the company looking like the fat geek with coke bottle glasses. I guess the Shirtseed theory is that no one knows better than your customer, so you measure the response and make adjustments accordingly.

Still, as a sole owner/operator, there is only so much one person can see and do. Friends and family quite often have no idea but still think they do and they think that what they say is helpful. It is wise to . . smile and nod. Its great to be a part of a networking group if you can, although finding useful, consistent, trustworthy networking relationships is difficult. Connecting with someone you are not in direct competition but have common interests with is elusive, but oh so valuable.

When your all alone your web designer is your best friend. To take the pressure off being the expert on every marketing decision you make, try to choose a web designer who actually has a marketing and e-commerce background, have them set you up on contribution software so you can take care of little changes. Keep as few entities involved as possible (graphic artists, web designers, SEO specialists, yadi yada). Just find one well rounded person who knows a bit about everything pay the price. This isn’t supposed to be a do this do that blog so you can work the rest out for yourself : )

To some it up, if you are going it alone, there will be one very important person to have on board with you along the way. Your web-designer. Its kind of like getting a tattoo so check out their work and get referrals or pay the price later. If you like the Shirtseed website you can try Latham Communications. Highly recommended!

Do it Yourself? February 4, 2009

By June of the following year (2007) Shirtseed had found its way into a few shops. I spent a fortune on printing, the prints were edgy. This was an education. Edgy prints on an organic product is a bit confused. Organic was still niche and still wholesome for children’s apparel anyway. The shirts were accepted into organic clothing boutiques with some enthusiasm but also on necessity. No one had those sizes so there was luck involved but the feedback was hot and cold.

I wanted to try new prints, but printers don’t do samples. How hard could it be? Well its not hard to learn how to screen-print. What’s hard is doing it consistently well at a sellable quality level. Whether it was the right or wrong business decision, it forced out my inner artist and gave me incredible flexibility with design. It cost me many ruined shirts and a lot of hours but the satisfaction and cost savings now are pretty great and the ink, which is easier on the environment is not used commercially around Vancouver. Bonus!

Ultimately, the decision has brought me closer to my customers by enabling a quicker response to their needs. There are lots of creative people there buying up organic shirts and putting some pretty brilliant artwork on them, though not many have their own clothing label to do it on. This has definately given Shirtseed an edge because I can take risks and create all different kinds of options. I’m still trying to work up the nerve to design a shirt for kids that says “My mama loves Obama” Any takers?