Blakely Wickstrom
Gala Maar
New York
Where were you with your idea or business before joining Factory45?
I had already sourced my fabric and was starting to sample, but was at a dead end with the factory I was working with and needed to find other options. I joined because I had a lot question marks hanging over my head and I was looking for a way to streamline the process and make the best decisions possible for my company.
What did you create?
Women’s swimwear produced in Los Angeles of environmentally-sound fabrics. I hope to grow Gala Maar into a beach and travel lifestyle brand with a focus on ethics and quality, as well as support and awareness for women’s causes.
How did joining Factory45 help you?
Joining Factory45 gave me the blueprint for building the brand I have always wanted without having to sacrifice ethics, something that has always been of utmost importance to me.
Although I’m still perfecting my fit, I have a clear plan in place to get to market much quicker (and more efficiently) than I would have on my own. I’ve been able to hone my brand identity, grow followers through social media and gain emails though a landing page I developed with the help of the program, ensuring that “I don’t launch to the sound of crickets” as Shannon would say.
What is the most valuable thing about Factory45?
It was a very motivating and empowering program and was especially helpful to have such concise goals to work towards every week, equipped with the means (information and contacts) to accomplish them and the community aspect was and still is invaluable.
For anyone who is looking to start an ethical fashion brand and wants to produce in the USA, Factory45 is diverse, in depth and adaptable, and for any stage in the game there are valuable lessons to be learned and applied.
Factory45 was the best step I could have taken while navigating early entrepreneurship. Shannon has designed a clear and concise program that takes the guess work out of so many would-be time and money consuming aspects of starting a business.
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